Queen of Coin and Whispers, Tome 1

A smattering of whispers tugged me out of my thoughts. A gentleman approached the dais with a full glass in one hand and a wine bottle in the other. The whispers died into silence.

‘Lord Naruum,’ the Queen said calmly. He held the glass towards her. ‘I propose a toast, Your Majesty, to stronger ties between the monarchy and Opposition.’ He bowed, as much as the glass and bottle would allow. ‘With my compliments.’

The Queen didn’t reply, her gaze fixed on the glass. The unspoken rule in Court, for all, was: don’t drink from a glass that didn’t come from a servant or wasn’t poured by the host. It didn’t prevent all poisoning attempts, but it was a signal of trust.

A monarch’s every drink and meal had to pass a poison-taster. The Queen couldn’t drink it, of course. But she risked offence if she refused, which Lord Naruum was surely trying to provoke. Why else would he offer her untested wine in a room full of politicians?

No one moved, poised for whichever ill-fated decision the Queen would make. They were all wealthy, most from old bloodlines, and all bound by tightly knotted webs of etiquette and manners. They wouldn’t come to the Queen’s rescue. Though it would privately come with great favour, it would also involve public embarrassment.

Logic implied Naruum’s wine wasn’t poisoned, but what if logic was wrong? If I became the Queen’s Whispers, my greatest responsibility was to keep her alive. And I had to prove myself.