Peter interrupted the conversation with a heavy sigh. “Can you just tell us what all the excitement in the city is about?”

“There was an attempt on King Leonars’s life this this morning,” James told him, his tome just as impatient and unforgiving as the one that peter had used with him.

The news brought a gasp from both of the girls, as well as Bayani; if Peter felt at all alarmed, he was keeping it locked up inside. Cerys could see the Nashtra was disturbed by the news, even if his reaction was not as obvious and outward as human’s would have been.

“is there somewhere private that we may discuss this?” the elf asked, his eyes glancing around, though he kept his head still, so as not to appear to others as though he worried.

“This way,” James replied, and started down the path that led from the gate to the castle. Once they left the bailey, he turned right and guided them through the main hall. They passed several servant and soldiers as they passed into a smaller hall, and finally into a room several doors down. “Come in quickly.”

Cerys was right behind him, and then her best friend, and then the boys. Nashtra made sure that nobody else was following them, nor taking interest in them, before he closed the door and leaned against it.

The room was long and narrow, the table in it taking up most of the room. It was not a particularly adorned table, and Cerys got the impression that it was more for servants and unimportant guests than it was for nobility. James took the seat farthest from the door, and others sat near him. Nashtra took his time making his way over, first peering down at the door handle to see whether it locked and then, seeing that it was made for a wooden plank and metal hooks, he sighed and lowered the timber into place with as little noise as possible. At last, he walked over and took a seat across from Himeko.

“How did it happen?” the elf asked, keeping his voice low, even though it would have been hard to overhear them with all of the ruckus going on in the castle.

“There was something in his food,” James told him.

“Poison?” Nashtra asked.

James shook his head. “No. It was more like some sort of object that was meant to choke him. His ministers are still trying to determine was it is.

“Did it work?” Bayani wanted to know. “Did it take the king’s life?”

James stared at him for a long moment. He sighed, looked around, and then said in a little voice, “Nobody in the capital is being told exactly what became of him. A lot of people think the plot against King Leonars was successful. If it was, we’re not confirming it. If it wasn’t, we’re not saying that either.”

“Can you really just leave you are people to wonder about their king?” Himeko asked.

“It’s better this way,” James replied. “Most of the nobles– remember that they have been disloyal of late, plotting along with the duke of Ellynswift– don’t even know the truth.”

“Do you?” Peter snapped.