Rise of the Faire-Amanti (The Ascendant Series Book 3) Read Free Page A

disguise himself. Rather than his dark blonde hair and silver eyes, he now blended in with most Alametrian males with brown hair and brown eyes. Like Kyr, he had altered the shape of his facial features to enhance the disguise.
    He knew that many of Scarlyt’s Peace Keepers suspected who they really were, though. Some of them had seen him and Kyr before they implemented the disguises. Although most of the planet believed that Kyr was dead and that he had killed her, word was beginning to spread that she was alive and well. They couldn’t control the gossip. The best they could hope was that news of Kyr’s survival didn’t get back to the palace before they were ready.
    His thoughts turned as they knocked on the door to Scarlyt’s chambers. Gren sent them a silent signal to enter, so Ty reached for the door handle and walked in first, instinctively scanning for any signs of trouble before Kyr followed him inside. Although he was her amanti and not her bodyguard now, he would always protect her.
    She took his hand and joined him on one of the couches in Scarlyt’s lounging area. Gren and Scarlyt were also seated. A small spread of food was set on the table between the couches.
    I’ve tasted everything , Gren conveyed, meaning the food was all safe to eat.
    Ty nodded in thanks. “Did you catch Sem’s update?” he asked as he reached for a plate and began piling food on it.
    “Yeah,” Gren replied, catching Scarlyt’s gaze. “I just finished updating Scarlyt. We’re trying to figure out what the ambassadors are still doing at the palace. Do you think Vycor is holding them prisoner?”
    “Why would he do that?” Kyr asked, absently taking one of the biscuits from the plate Ty held out to her. “Telad and Ravina were treated like honored guests while I was at the palace. If Vycor intended to harm them or take them prisoner, wouldn’t he have done it right after we all returned from Earth?”
    “The V’larians are our allies,” Gren pointed out. “Vycor wouldn’t have had much reason to interrogate them after Ty did. His motives would have been questioned by the Vawn council.”
    Kyr’s brow creased in thought. “He could have said he wanted more in-depth questioning of the ambassadors since they happened to be near Earth right when the Shelvaks found me. We’ve all thought that was strange from the beginning.”
    “Considering everything Gren told me about what has happened since your return,” Scarlyt said, “I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Vycor had a role in that Earth situation. Maybe the V’larians found out about it and Vycor decided to silence them.”
    Ty considered that as he finished a cup of filtered water. It seemed to play into the Advisor’s deceitful wheelhouse. “If that’s true, maybe he intended for the V’larians to be found dead in such a way that blame could be cast on Kyr or someone close to her. We all know he intended to rise to power one way or another.”
    “Then why did he wait?” Gren asked. “The ambassadors supposedly left days before Vycor enacted his plan against the two of you. If he took them out then, why not raise the alarm?”
    “He might have been waiting for the right time and circumstances,” Kyr supposed. “Shaya was poisoned almost immediately after the meeting with the ambassadors. Vycor was probably distracted by that.”
    Ty noticed that she was merely tearing apart the biscuit she held and not eating it. She had lost entirely too much weight as it was. Taking the biscuit, he placed it on the plate and spooned some of the burberry preserves on top of it. He knew she loved anything made with burberries.
    But they’re so rare out here , she thought as he held the biscuit out to her. We should save that for others to eat.
    Eat it for me. Please .
    Sighing, she took the biscuit and ate a bite. He squeezed her shoulder in gratitude, trying not to think about how delicate her bones felt beneath his touch. It didn’t seem to matter how much of the