Page 39 of A Cage of Crystal
She sat up straighter. “What of the unicorns?”
“What about them?” Kevan asked. “They are no more evidence of magic than a horse is. They are simply an ancient species that has recovered from extinction.”
He was wrong about that. Unicorns were fae creatures, and where they’d suddenly returned from remained a mystery. However, that was not the topic she wanted to discuss. “What is being done about those who hunted them? I’m sure you’ve been told in the final report compiled by King Verdian’s inquisitors that I came across multiple parties of unicorn hunters who served Morkai.”
It had been a necessary truth to confess since it explained how she and Teryn had crossed paths. Of course, she’d neglected to admit anything about having poisoned a group of them. Teryn, it seemed, had stayed quiet on the subject as well.
Ulrich answered. “A proclamation has been publicly made against any hunters continuing work in the duke’s name, and bounties have been offered in exchange for the recapture of the criminals the duke had freed.”
Cora narrowed her eyes. “Has unicorn hunting been abolished? It is a cruel practice and should not be allowed, especially when a species is endangered, as Lord Kevan has pointed out.”
“You can rest assured,” Lord Danforth said, “that unicorn hunting has been strictly regulated.”
A sinking sensation struck her gut—a clairsentient nudge. She pried a hole in her shields, just enough to sense Danforth’s emotions, and found him lacking sincerity. He was…hiding something. She glanced from Danforth to Ulrich, then to Kevan. They wore smug expressions and writhed with greedy energy.
She could feel the truth then.Theywere continuing the hunt. They’d probably only issued warrants to lessen competition. Her mouth fell open, her tongue tingling with accusations…
But what could she possibly say? What could she accuse them of without confessing to her Art?
She’d have to wait and bring the subject to her brother alone. Not that he’d ever listened to her clairsentient warnings before. He may not have condemned her strange abilities the way Linette had, but he hadn’t understood them either.
Damn it. I’ll have to warn Valorre.
“Now, Highness,” Kevan said, tone mocking, “do you have any other pressing matters to bring to the table? Perhaps the welfare of dragons and pixies?”
A rumble of laughter echoed over the table. He could laugh at her expense all he wanted. She was about to see that jovial expression stripped clean off his face.
Sitting straighter, she locked her eyes with his. “I do, actually. I’d like to discuss the North Tower Library.”
19
Silence fell over the council table. Not all eyes turned to Cora, for only the men who’d already been at Ridine knew the significance of the North Tower Library. But the faces that had locked on hers were ashen.
Lord Kevan, on the other hand, grew flushed. He spoke through his teeth, each word clipped. “What about the library?”
She kept her tone neutral, her composure steady. “I’d like to oversee its…” She paused to consider the best word to complete her sentence, knowing she needed to tread carefully with this topic. “Renovations.”
Kevan scoffed. “There will be no renovations of the North Tower Library. The door has been locked and the stairwell leading to it will be guarded night and day.”
“How long?” Cora countered.
“I just stated night and day—”
“Yes, but for how long? Forever? Shall guarding the stairwell become some grand tradition passed down through every ruler to come?”
With the hole still open in Cora’s shields, she could feel his growing discomfort. Not because the topic was related to his daughter’s death, but because he had no answer to give.
She arched a brow. “You haven’t thought it through, have you?”
Ulrich lifted a hand from his slouched position. “Is this stairwell the same that Lady Lurel took a tumble down?”
Cora flinched at his careless tone. Even she would have had more tact out of respect for Kevan’s emotions. She wondered how much love the brothers shared. Perhaps very little.
Kevan glanced across the table at Ulrich. “Yes, and I am determined to see that her fate goes unrepeated. Meanwhile, Her Highness wants to gallivant around hanging tapestries.”
“You mistake me, Lord Kevan,” Cora said. “When I said renovate, I did not mean redecorate. I meant that I want to dispose of every item in that room.”
Kevan had nothing to say to that. She slid her gaze to Dimetreus. He’d been quiet since she’d brought up unicorns and now the library. But when she met his eyes, he gave her a solemn nod.