“Clever,” Doyle said.
“Ruthless,” Frost said.
“It would only be ruthless if I didn’t warn the demi-fey some other way. I won’t risk another life for some stupid power play.”
“It is not stupid to her, Meredith,” Doyle said. “It is all the power she has ever had, or will ever have. People will do very bad things to keep their perceived power intact.”
“Is she dangerous to us?”
“In a full frontal assault, no, but if it is trickery and deceit, then she has fey who are loyal to her and hate the sidhe.”
“Then we keep an eye on them.”
“We are,” he said.
“Are you spying on people without telling me?” I asked.
“Of course I am,” he said.
“Shouldn’t you run things like that by me first?”
“Why?”
I looked at Frost. “Can you explain to him why I should know these things?”
“I think he is treating you like most royals want to be treated,” said Frost.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Plausible deniability is very important among monarchs,” he said.
“You see Gilda as a fellow monarch?” I asked.
“She sees herself as such,” Doyle said. “It is always better to let petty kings keep their crowns until we want the crown and the head it sits upon.”
“This is the twenty-first century, Doyle. You can’t run our life like it’s the tenth century.”
“I have been watching your news programs and reading books on governments that are present-day, Merry. Things have not changed so very much. It is just more secret now.”
I wanted to ask him how he knew that. I wanted to ask him if he knew government secrets that would make me doubt my government, and my country. But in the end, I didn’t ask. For one thing, I wasn’t certain he’d tell me the truth if he thought it would upset me. And for another, one mass murder seemed like enough for one day. I had Frost call home and warn our own demi-fey to stay close to the house and to be wary of strangers, because the only thing I was sure of was that it wasn’t one of us. Beyond that I had no ideas. I’d worry about spies and governments on another day, when the image of the winged dead weren’t still dancing behind my eyes.