Page 37 of The Desert King's Spy (Magic and Kings 2)
“Your desert is an epicenter for whatever is happening.”
“And you want to stop it?” I asked and, before he even replied, added, “Is that wise? I mean, how do you know it won’t be something good?”
“Monsters are never good.”
“True. But change can be.” There was a time I feared leaving the streets I knew for Qynn’s service. Then later, when we moved, I’d been terrified I’d never find my feet.
“If by change you mean the monsters eat everyone and rule the world.”
I pursed my lips. “Obviously, I’m not going to allow that.”
“Then we need to get close to the King because he doesn’t appear to be doing anything to stem the tide of monsters.”
“And you want me to change that?”
“He needs to act now before they get any more entrenched.”
“You know, getting him to tell me secrets is one thing. Convincing the King of a full-scale assault on monsters and their nest is going to be difficult.”
“I thought you were the best.”
“I am, but it’s going to be difficult without my usual tricks. I lost everything, and until I can pop out and grab some things from my—”
Jrijori interrupted. “You can’t. It’s too risky.
I grumbled, “Then I don’t know what I can do.”
“Not insulting the King might have been a good start.”
“Maybe you could have warned me before I opened my mouth.”
Jrijori didn’t reply, as a murmur of approaching voices had us stepping out from behind the pillar into the open and close to the stairs, where I said in a normal voice, “This place is so big, Uncle. I don’t know how anyone finds their way around.”
“It is a touch tricky.” Jrijori did a perfect chuckle as he led me into the stairwell.
We didn’t dare speak until we’d gone up and into a room, not mine or Jrijori’s. Most likely ours were being watched. Only when we were sure we were alone did we resume speaking.
“We didn’t say much. He mentioned my family and the attack. I found out he’s not interested in hunting down monsters proactively, which I don’t understand. Why would you want these killing creatures multiplying?”
“It does seem odd, doesn’t it? Meaning the King is either willfully stupid—”
I shook my head. “No. He’s sharp. Too sharp.”
“I agree, but that means if he’s not dumb, he knows something. Which then leads me to the news he’s pulled back all his troops. Every single soldier he could contact.”
I snapped my fingers. “I remember one of my clients telling me about this a few weeks ago. The King was very interested in knowing the size of his army. Which is large considering he went on an enlisting spree. It took a lot of the extra men off the streets.”
“And where did those troops go?” Jrijori asked.
“I don’t know. To wherever they were needed, I guess.” Even as I said it, I recalled the king’s less-than-proactive response to monsters.
“If you question the families of those drafted in the past few years, they speak of how their sons and daughters are doing well. They keep sending their pay home to help out. All of them. None visit. Or write letters.”
“You think they’re all dead?” I frowned. “Doing what?” Because I’d not heard of any big battles or skirmishes.
Jrijori shrugged. “I don’t know what’s happened to his troops, but going back to the fact he won’t send out soldiers to eradicate monster nests and is rather bringing them back to the city—"
“He’s preparing for conflict,” I exclaimed, only to chew my lower lip. “With whom, though?” We only had the marshlands directly south of us, and they had no interest in our sandy domain. Just like we had no use for that marshy mess. Even the water was no good, poisoned as it was. The other edges of our desert ended in sheer cliffs into a dark ocean that none could reach.