A Court of Hearts and Stone

38. Surmising Plots

The artwork above is not mine.

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Two days had passed and Eris' nerves were frayed to extinction. He was caught in a tide of self loathing and concerns. Try as he might, he hadn't been able to get the imposter to slip up and reveal something about who she really was or where Evren was being kept.

Eris had never felt more useless in his life. He paced around outside, waiting for Cassian and Lucien to arrive. They'd promised to come today and he found himself anxious for their arrival. He would be meeting with Keitha soon as well. He could only hope they'd be able to help him.

Beyond the courtyard, two figures winnowed into sight. One had long red hair and the other had large Illyrian wings. Eris forced himself to wait and let them come to him. Cassian and Lucien bowed their heads towards him.

"Where's Evren?" Cassian asked, looking over Eris' shoulder.

"Gone."

"What?" He raised his eyebrows. "Gone where? Why?"

Lucien narrowed his eyes. "You mentioned there was something important you needed to tell me in your last letter. What's going on?"

Eris jerked his head to the training ring behind the stables. "Act like everything is normal." They nodded and followed him. Eris and Lucien paired off against Cassian. They began to trade blows. "Evren is missing. There's an imposter here pretending to be her. The imposter can glamour herself to look like Evren. I don't know who she really is yet."

"Is Evren alive?" Lucien asked.

"Yes. I can still feel the Bond and she pulls on it occasionally."

Cassian blocked Eris' fist. "Have you tried talking to her through it?"

"We've never been able to do that. I don't know if it's because she's Human or if we just don't have that ability."

"Where is the imposter now?"

"Inside. I'm not sure what she's doing. I try to keep myself busy and away from her, unless I'm trying to learn something. She's smart, though. She knows how to mask her scent and she's careful not to reveal anything. I've been playing along because I don't know if she's holding Evren hostage or not."

"Could she be working with the Loyalists?" Lucien asked.

"The thought has crossed my mind, but I can't figure out what their plan is."

"The ball you're hosting," Cassian said. "Maybe they're planning something around that. They might try to use Evren against you to make you surrender your power."

"I can't do that. My power is mine until I die."

Lucien paused to pull his hair back into a ponytail. "Perhaps they mean to kill you and Evren. If you and the High Lady are dead, they'll be able to put whomever they want into power."

"Would they risk doing something like that at a ball where all of the High Lords and Ladies are in attendance?" Eris furrowed his brows. "Of course they would. They must know that the other courts won't just accept someone random as ruler of the Autumn Court. They have to make sure the other High Lords and Ladies believe this."

"But why swap places with Evren?" Cassian asked.

"They'll need someone to blame," Eris guessed. "Someone the courts are unfamiliar with. Someone whose guilt will be easy to believe. I think they're going to make it seem like Evren killed me, and then whoever kills Evren will be seen as a hero. That will be when the leader of the Loyalists steps up."