All the King's Men by Lacey Savage Read Free Book Online Page B

skull.
    Perhaps she was right, Nelina acknowledged to herself. But
how could she? Men didn’t simply disappear off the face of the planet. Aris
might be sprawling but only a small part of the planet was inhabitable, which
severely limited the possible places where Kirel could have been taken.
    Besides, she knew exactly who’d done this to him, for all
the good it did her. No one believed her when she told them she’d seen Kirel’s
kidnappers and identified them as the king’s men. People she’d known her entire
life tried to convince her she’d taken a nasty hit to the head and had imagined
things.
    All right, so she had taken a hit to the head. But
she still knew better. For the past eight years, she hadn’t given up hope that
one day she’d find the only man she’d ever loved.
    Having been met with derision and scorn when she’d
approached residents of Waldemar Castle for help directly, she’d tried to make
headway in any way she could. Her family’s inn, Shadow’s Fortune, had gone to
her when her mother had passed away two years earlier. Taking over as the new
proprietress of the popular establishment had given her the perfect opportunity
to use her keen senses to listen for any mention of the king’s men abusing
their power.
    People gossiped, especially when ale and wine were
plentiful. And yet even after all these years, she’d turned up nothing.
Recently, she’d begun growing bolder in her pursuit of the truth. Whenever
someone who had dealings at the royal castle stepped through the door of her
inn, she made sure to ask them if they knew anything of a messenger named
Kirel. Each time she asked though, the response was the same. Blank stares and
clueless shrugs.
    With a sigh, she tossed the cloth to hang on the edge of the
washbasin. After drying herself off, she pulled on a long green skirt and a
low-cut, lace-trimmed blouse. A glimpse of cleavage loosened men’s tongues as
well as a pitcher of ale—sometimes even better.
    She slipped her feet into a pair of comfortable shoes,
gathered her long, brown hair in a loose bun and prepared to face the evening
crowd. Her face felt flushed and her body still tingled at the memory of those
men’s hands on her.
    “Only a dream,” she reminded herself. “Nothing to worry
about.”
    Closing the door behind her, she slipped out into the
hallway and then walked past several closed doors to reach the top of the
stairs that led to the common area.
    The smell of spiced stew permeated the air, tickling her
nostrils as she descended. Her gaze swept over the assembled crowd, pausing to
scan for newcomers. Although Shadow’s Fortune was primarily a lodging
establishment, over the years the common dining room had become more popular
than the tavern across the street. People stopped in after a long day to
stretch their feet, eat a homemade meal and indulge in boisterous conversation.
Drink and company were both plentiful and soon Shadow’s Fortune had acquired a
reputation Nelina had done nothing to dispel.
    Business was brisk and the crowd kept her busy. Besides,
every newcomer who stepped over the threshold represented another opportunity
for her to learn something of Kirel. She couldn’t ask for more than that.
    Tonight, the crowd was sparse. Although Aris saw its share
of tourists who came to gawk at the only planet in the quadrant whose
inhabitants took little advantage of modern technology, the inn wasn’t as busy
this late in the season. The weather had turned cold and the red dust that
constantly swirled through the planet’s atmosphere could be whipped up into a
potent whirl in the blink of an eye.
    Native Arisians prepared for the capricious dry weather by
wearing veils, masks or shrouds that covered their faces. Many also shielded
their eyes with protective lenses or, as in the case of the King’s Guardians,
hoods that could be tugged forward to protect their eyes. Travelers who weren’t
prudent enough to anticipate the effects of sudden dust storms