Rise or Burn

Chapter Ten

"What are you doing?" Nicco yelled as he stormed into Wenlliam's room. The crown prince sat at his expansive desk, going throw official looking documents. He looked up with a dry look. As if he was used to Nicco's hysterics and had grown quiet bored of them.

"I could ask you the same question," he said. "You can't just budge into my room like this." He closed the folder in his hands.

"I can when you let a terrorist and murderer into our home."

With another dry expression he said, "What are you talking about?"

Nicco frowned. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." He slammed his hand onto the desk. "Orrick Hast."

Wenly's expression didn't even falter. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I just talked to him in the gardens," Nicco elaborated. "He told me everything. How he's helping you find who 'really' killed our father."

This time Wenly frowned. "He shouldn't have done that."

Confirmation. Hast wasn't lying. Nicco hadn't realized how much he wished he was until that moment. "He's a liar," he said. "He's lying to you. Whatever he told you, it isn't true. He's probably trying to use you to get to mom or something. How could you be working with him? He'll betray you."

Wenly rose to his feet. "You would know," he said staring down at Nicco.

All the colour drained from Nicco's face. "What-t do you mean by that?" he stuttered.

"I mean," he said pointedly. "I know it was you who let Orrick Hast into the palace the night our father died."

It was Nicco's turn to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh," Wenly said. "I guess it was my other brother who was seen sneaking in a tall fair haired man fitting Orrick Hast's description into the palace."

Nicco swallowed. "Seen? By who?"

"A scullery maid."

He laughed. An obviously forced laugh. "You trust the word of a scullery maid over mine?"

"Yes, I trust the word of a woman I had interrogated by the Kuth and who only gave your name after forty-eight hours of no food or water. She was terrified of what would happen to her if she told the truth. That Prince Nicco brought a terrorist into the palace." His lips curved in a sardonic smile. "She was right to be afraid. The empress had her killed to keep your secret."

Nicco was white as a sheet. "Mom knows?" His voice quivered. "She can't know." It'd been his worst nightmare for months. His mother finding out it was all his fault. Everything. If he hadn't been so stupid he wouldn't have let Orrick Hast into the palace. But he had. And his father was dead.

"Yes she knows. She's always known."

Nicco shook his head. "Why?" He barely got the word out of his stiff lips. He felt frozen. Inside and out. "Why hasn't she said anything?"

"Why do you think?" The edge in Wenly's voice softened. "To protect you. Think of what the nobles would do if they found out. They'd demand for your head." Nicco shuddered. "Mom would do anything to protect us." There was a cold chill to the way he said it. As if he'd already seen the length their mother would go for them and he didn't approve.

Nicco fell to his knees. "I don't deserve protection," he mumbled.

"He didn't do it," Wenly said after a short pause.

Nicco shook his head. "I was there," he reminded. "I saw him holding the dagger. I saw him stab our father. Don't tell me he's innocent. I was there. He did it."