Page 22 of Kingdom of Spirits

Frowning, he sat in the chair opposite hers. “I’m listening.”

“First off, I’m here as your, um, friend, not as your warrior.”

“Tahlia, just tell me.”

She cleared her throat, hoping this wasn’t an incredibly terrible mistake. “Earlier, when we last saw the commander…”

Marius’s gaze strayed to a window set high in the wall and his chest moved in a slow, deep breath. “Yes?” Grief shadowed his every small movement.

“I left my gladius at his front door, and when I returned to retrieve it, the door was unlocked.”

“But Commander Ophelia stated that it had been locked. Perhaps not yet?”

She held up a hand. “That’s not even the strange part. Ophelia was there. In the commander’s chambers.” Tahlia wasn’t ready to call Ophelia by her new title. “She didn’t see me,but I watched her leave a back room and head toward the living area with a knife in her hand.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You’re certain?”

“I am.”

“His death could have been from natural causes, and it could have happened an hour or more after you saw her there.”

“What about the knife? And why didn’t she come forward when we were there? Also, you would think that Commander Gaius would have spoken more carefully if he’d known she was just in the other room and fully able to hear us talking about her.”

“Well, perhaps he thought it wasn’t a bad thing to bring up her struggles. Maybe she was ashamed of having her father protect her in the way he did, by asking us to refrain from courting.”

“And the knife?”

“Ophelia is never long without a blade to toy with. She is always flipping one or fiddling with the hilt of the Laqqaran dagger she wears at her belt.”

Tahlia hadn’t noticed that, but, of course, she had only met Ophelia fourteen days or so ago. Besides that, Tahlia’s focus had been on Marius more than anyone else.

“Will you question her about it?” she asked.

Marius stilled, his gaze going oddly vacant. His body appeared frozen; he wasn’t even breathing. Just sitting there, staring at nothing.

“Marius?”

No response. Her heart gave a heavy thump. She stood, leaning over the table, and knocked over her cup of water. Ignoring the pooling liquid, she reached for his hand.

He rose quickly and he blinked at her like he was just waking up.

What in the name of the Old Ones was happening here? “Marius, what is wrong? Are you feeling all right?”

“I…” He rubbed a hand over his face as water dripped from the table onto the wooden floorboards. “I think so, but…”

Tahlia came around the table to stand in front of him and reached for him again. His arm fell to his side and he looked at her wide-eyed.

“You’re scaring the hells out of me. What is going on?”

He stepped back, alarm glaring in his eyes. “I can’t. I don’t.” He gritted his teeth and a growl emanated from deep in his throat.

“Did I upset you? Is this about Gaius? Should I call a Healer?”

Breathing out slowly, he shut his eyes then opened them again. “Tahlia.” His voice was low and his words cracked here and there. “I need you to leave.”

“What? But?—”

“Go.”