Free Web NovelChapter 493: Chapter 493
The rooms in the queen’s quarters were smaller than most of the other rooms in the palace, which Elka had always found at odds with the woman who occupied it. Nheera was not the kind of woman who shrank herself to fit a space. She filled whatever room she walked into, regardless of who else was in it.
She sat near the tall window when they arrived, still wearing the same deep crimson gown from that morning, her blonde hair unbound and spilling over her shoulders. At the sound of Jayran’s footsteps, she looked up. Whatever she saw in his face made her set her tea down without a word, the porcelain cup clicking softly against the saucer.
Hairan was already there, leaning against the far wall with his arms folded across his chest. He would rather be anywhere else than there and the look on his face said it all. But he hadn’t been offered a chance to opt out of coming when this meeting was arranged, which meant he had no other choice than to suffer through it.
Elka slipped in behind Jayran and took a seat, folding herself into the shadows at the corner of the room. No one acknowledged her and she found she preferred it over having all their attention on her at a time like this. She kept her hands on her lap and remained silent to not interrupt Jayran who had just stopped in the center of the chamber.
"You can sit down," Nheera said. Even as she gestured at the vacant seats, her words hardly sounded like a request.
He didn’t move from his spot. "I’d rather stand for this."
Her eyes narrowed, but she let the small act of defiance pass. "Then speak."
Jayran drew a slow breath through his nose, looking like he was readying himself to step into a situation he would not be able to come out from.
"Something happened last night," he began, "I went to Azul’s private residence to speak with him on a matter that required his attention. By the time I reached the front of the building and looked up, he was already on the balcony. He was leaning over the railing and right before my eyes, he lost his balance and fell." freёwebnovel.com
Nheera went utterly still, her tea now completely forgotten.
"He struck the lance on a statue on his way down," Jayran continued. "The guards did their best to pull him free immediately. The physicians have been with him since last night, trying to keep him alive. He survived the night, but he has yet to regain consciousness."
"What do you mean, he lost his balance? How could that be?" Nheera questioned, looking like she was seconds from launching up from her seat.
"He had been drinking heavily. I found an empty pitcher in his chambers afterward. He must have stepped out onto the balcony and leaned too far which resulted in him falling over." Jayran kept his gaze fixed on his mother, ignoring the other two pairs of eyes on him.
Nheera shook her head once. Then again, more sharply. Her mind desperately tried to refute his words. Surely it couldn’t be true. Her fingers had closed around the carved arm of her chair without her realizing. She gripped it until her knuckles turned white.
"No," she said. "No, that isn’t—" She cut herself off, pressing her lips into a thin line. "How bad is it?"
"It’s not a sight for the faint of heart." Jayran answered plainly. "The lance pierced his abdomen. His current condition is not encouraging at all. The physicians are still uncertain he would be able to make a full recovery."
The color drained from Nheera’s face the longer he spoke. Her breathing was growing more labored. She shook her hand, muttered quietly under her breath.
Then Nheera rose abruptly and the look on her face was fierce and frightened at the same time.
"Take me to him," she said and it was unable to hide her worry.
"Mother—"
"I did not ask for your counsel." She snapped. "I want to see him. Take me to my son."
Jayran did not argue. He nodded once as Nheera swept past him, already calling out instructions to her attendants waiting in outside the room before she had fully crossed the threshold.
Jayran turned to follow but he wasn’t able to get far.
Hairan had crossed the space quickly. He now stood squarely between Jayran and the door, his broad frame blocking the way.
His expression had barely changed since Jayran began speaking but beneath it now lay something that resembled suspicion.
"How awfully convenient that you arrived at that house at the precise moment Azul decided to pitch himself off his own balcony." Hairan said, his tone deceptively light, almost conversational. He tilted his head slightly. Sarcasm dripped thickly from his words and it was quite impossible to miss. "A truly fortunate coincidence that you were there to play the hero."
"What exactly are you trying to say, Hairan?"
Hairan’s mouth curved into a smile that never reached his eyes. He took one slow step forward. "I’m saying I don’t believe a word of it. Azul falling from his balcony because he drank too much? That isn’t the sort of thing he would do. He holds his liquor better than any man I know, and even deep in his cups he possesses the basic sense not to lean over a railing like a fool." His eyes remained locked on Jayran’s face. "As his twin, you know that better than anyone. Yet here you are, feeding us this badly spun tale."
Elka sat motionless in her corner, the unease that had coiled in her gut since morning now rising like bile into her throat. Her gaze bounced between the two brothers like she was watching a jousting match.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Jayran’s voice had dropped dangerously, like sharpened steel.
"I am saying," Hairan replied, taking another measured step that brought them nearly chest to chest, "that there is far more to this than you’re telling us. And I intend to know what it is."
