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I was in a black mood the next morning when Erea and Daselis woke me. As usual, so was Daselis, while Erea beamed at me. The maids bustled around, opening curtains and murmuring to each other.
I swung my legs out of bed, and my gaze caught on the new necklace
next to the fresh valeo on my nightstand. I smiled. Vicer had come through, and Tibris had likely helped. How had they managed to smuggle this in while I was sleeping, though? These days, I woke easily and often.
I picked up the necklace and almost choked on my next breath. Unlike the cheap trinket currently around my neck, this necklace was…gorgeous.
The chain was so fine, I fumbled with it when I attempted to put it on. Swinging my legs out of bed, I made my way to my long mirror and studied the gem.
The center stone was the same brown-gold as my real eyes, only it gleamed in the light. The stones surrounding it would be fake, but they glimmered like real diamonds.
Obviously, Vicer felt bad about how close I’d come to walking around with no charm at all. Either that, or my brother had terrified him.
As a maid, wearing this necklace would have drawn too much attention. As one of the queen’s ladies, I was expected to wear jewels. Something Madinia had reminded me of just a few nights ago.
“Telean will be here soon.” Erea smiled at me as she turned from tying back the heavy curtains. “You’ll see to the queen later.”
My blood froze. The seamstress was coming back? Was this a trick?
Maybe she was really returning with the king’s guards.
Daselis emerged from the bathing room. “In,” she said. “You look tired,” Erea murmured. “Bad sleep?”
My mind had refused to allow me to rest. Instead, it had helpfully provided me with images of Caraceli’s hate-filled eyes, Thol’s handsome face, and Lorian snarling down at me. Not to mention the fear that, at any point, Telean could tell others just what she’d noticed about my eyes.
“It wasn’t the best.”
“Must be difficult sleeping in such a large bed in such a warm room,” Daselis muttered.
I sighed and walked into the bathing room. Behind me, Erea and Daselis had a hissed conversation.
Erea slipped into the room and chatted to me, likely attempting to make up for Daselis’s grim mood. I nodded occasionally, although she didn’t seem to require a response. My attention was caught when she discussed Lorian.
“I heard Prince Rekja has gone hunting with the king today. He’s so handsome,” she sighed.
I stored that information away. It was always a good idea to know what Lorian was up to.
“Bathe quickly,” Daselis muttered when she leaned her head in. “I will.”
Erea left me to finish, and I ran the stone she’d given me over my legs. It somehow removed the hair, making my legs smooth. Although it couldn’t remove the scars and bruises that decorated my shins.
My finger brushed against the scar on my knee, and Thol’s face flashed in my mind. Asinia still teased me about the day Thol had been training with Tibris. And Thol had taken off his shirt.
I’d been just eighteen winters at the time, walking past the clearing where the boys trained.
That was the moment I’d realized that Thol was no longer a boy.
I’d tripped, falling flat on my face, and almost every boy in our village had seen. My eyes had burned, my cheeks had blazed, but it had been Thol who’d stopped training and helped me up. Thol who’d grinned down at me, all that smooth, pale skin on display.
The moment I’d seen him yesterday, I’d wanted nothing more than to step in front of him until he recognized me.
I’d wanted to tell him that, yes, I was corrupt, but it wasn’t my fault and the king was a filthy liar and there was more to life than training for the king’s armies and handing over our power like puppets.
“Let me guess. You’re desperately wishing you could walk into his arms and pretend you’re just a normal woman.”
I was. The moment I’d seen Thol, with his wide grin and those dimples, I’d longed for just a single moment to pretend.
“You wanted him because he was handsome, but most importantly, he was safe. You weren’t meant for a life of safety. A life of kisses on your cheek and mediocre fucking. A life of gossiping with villagers.”
My eyes burned. Lorian didn’t know what he was talking about. And what was the alternative? A life of hiding? Of fighting and killing and scheming?
The worst part was…he was right. At least about the way I’d felt— No. The way my body had reacted when Lorian claimed my mouth like it was made for him.
The touch of Thol’s hand had made me sigh. Lorian’s kisses made me burn.
And I loathed that fact just as much as I craved him.
It was all a game for Lorian. A fun way for him to mess with me. To make my thighs clench, my core ache. Another way for him to make me hard and mean, just like him.
“Until you face up to the reality of your life, you will forever be a victim to it.”
I got out of the bath, and a knock sounded on the door. My heart pounded, but I couldn’t hear any male voices. And the guards wouldn’t have knocked.
Wrapping the bath sheet around myself, I stepped into the room. Daselis and Erea were speaking to Telean. Behind her, two more maids were carrying dresses, which they placed on my bed. Telean’s eyes met mine.
Within seconds, we were alone.
We watched each other for a long, awkward moment.
“You didn’t go to the guards,” I murmured. Was this the part where she demanded something from me in return for her silence?
Her brow creased. “You thought I would?” “Well…yes.”
“I’m sorry. My reaction was to go somewhere quiet, where I could cry.” I angled my head. “Cry? Why?”
She let out a shaky breath. “Because, you see, I knew your mother.”
For a wild moment, I thought she meant Mama. And then I understood. She meant my real mother. My skin turned clammy. “And how do you know who my mother is? We just met.”
“Those eyes, child. I once looked into eyes that exact color. And you look just like your mother—even with the dark hair.” She took a deep breath and met my gaze once more. “Your mother was my best friend. You called me aunt. She met me years before she knew your father, when she was looking for a seamstress she could trust to be honest with her. We became close, until we shared everything. And when it was time for children, she begged me stay on as your nanny.” She smiled, but her eyes were glistening. “Your real name is Nelayra.”
My stomach spiraled. Was this woman being truthful? What did she have to gain by lying? She already knew I wasn’t who I’d claimed to be, and she could have taken that information to the guards at any moment.
Someone my birth mother had considered close enough to call sister. Someone I’d called aunt. A member of my family who was still alive. Maybe she could even tell me about my mother. About my father. Had I had siblings? I forced myself to dampen the hope that had sparked in my chest.
I couldn’t afford to make a mistake here. Couldn’t afford to trust blindly. As much as I longed for her to be telling me the truth, I needed more.
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
The hint of a smile curved her mouth. “So suspicious. I bet you have time magic, just like your mother.” I jolted, and she merely sighed, picking up one of the dresses. “We may as well get this done while I tell you what you need to know.”
I didn’t pay attention to anything about the dress as she helped me slip it on. A member of my family. Would she remember what my father sounded like when he laughed? Had my parents been happy together? Where did we
live? I was so lost in my thoughts, I almost missed when she began speaking.
“Long before you were born, our people lived in Crawyth.”
I went still. “Crawyth?” That was the city Vicer had mentioned in one of his notes to Tibris. The city that had once been a famed place of learning, until the fae king’s brutal brother had destroyed it, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
“We had a community there. Unlike in the rest of Eprotha, our people were welcome.” Her voice had turned wistful, her eyes distant.
I couldn’t even imagine it. “The…hybrids?”
She nodded, walking around me to tighten my dress. “The king rarely sent his own assessors, and ours had been paid off. Even our priestess was a hybrid. We lived in peace.”
“I lived there too?”
Telean took a step back, and our eyes met in the mirror. “That looks beautiful.”
I glanced at the lavender dress without much interest. “I lived in Crawyth?”
“Yes. With your parents. And your brother.”
I had another brother. My throat constricted until I had to fight to get my words out. “Where are they?”
“The night the fae came—the night the Bloodthirsty Prince destroyed our city, your mother walked into your room and found you gone, your brother lying unconscious on the floor of his room. You’d seen just three winters. At first, we assumed you had wandered away. You were a curious, precocious child.” Telean took a deep breath, her eyes haunted. “I can still hear your mother’s screams.”
The woman I’d thought was my real mother had caused that pain. It was difficult to imagine the woman whom I loved—the woman who’d died just weeks ago—hurting someone like that. Even if she insisted she had done it to save my life.
“Everyone began searching for you. I remember your brother and the way he cried, begging your father to find you. He’d seen just six winters himself, and he swore someone had come in and taken you. Eventually, one of the neighbors said she had seen Vuena entering through the side door. She was a seer, and most trusted her with access to their homes.” Telean’s expression tightened, her eyes glittering. To her, to my real family, Mama
was the villain who had betrayed their trust, taking me from the people who’d loved me.
“Then what happened?” My lips were numb. Telean helped me remove the dress and reached for another one.
“Then the Bloodthirsty Prince burned our city to the ground. No one knows why. We were close to the fae border, but they knew we were hybrids. Often, they would return our children to us when they accidentally crossed the border.” She shook her head. “I never saw your parents again.”
No. No, I was going to meet them. I was going to tell them I was still alive, and we were going to make up for all the years we’d lost. I was going to hug my mother and laugh with my father and introduce my brother to Tibris.
I sucked in a steadying breath, heat searing the backs of my eyes. “They…died?”
“I don’t know. I fell while I was fleeing and hit my head. When I woke up, I was half buried in ash, and our city was gone. The king’s people came and rounded up any survivors. Most assumed we were saved. But somehow, he knew many of us were hybrids. I was supposed to burn with the others, but the queen learned of my skill as a seamstress, and the king spared me as a wedding gift to her. This fits you perfectly,” she marveled. I gaped at her. How was she thinking about a dress?
She gave me a sad smile. “I have lived with this loss for years, child. Now, there is something else I must tell you. And you must take this news with courage.”
“Oh gods.”
“It will be okay.”
She took my hands in hers. “Your brother is alive. And he is here, in the castle.”
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The queen wished to be left alone for most of the morning, leaving me with my thoughts. I paced in my room, attempting to talk myself out of what I really wanted to do.
It was stupid, going anywhere near the dungeon in the morning, when the guards were neither drunk nor tired.
But my brother was down there.
What would Tibris say when he learned I had another brother—who was still alive? The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. And yet, I pictured that boy of just six winters screaming for his sister. He would assume I was dead.
It suddenly seemed intolerable. I might have missed the chance to ever know my real parents. But the reality was, I could be arrested and executed any day. I felt a deep need for him to know who I was.
I chewed on my lower lip. Would telling him I was alive be ripping his wounds open?
I would want to know if it were me. And…my parents could be alive too. He could tell me where they were. Maybe…maybe they’d found a safe place to live. Somewhere we could all go after we escaped this castle.
I slipped out of my room and strolled down to the lower level of the castle. Already, servants were decorating for Gods Day. The thought made bile sting the back of my throat.
Only one guard was on duty, the steel door open. They must be bringing a prisoner in.
A cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I backed out, into the hall. If I’d been a little earlier, I would have been trapped in the dungeon. What if my power had faltered? What if…
No. It didn’t happen. Shuddering, I released my hold on my power and snuck into the closest storage closet, waiting for what felt like an eternity.
When I returned, both guards were sitting on the floor. Thankfully, the guard who’d noticed his keys missing wasn’t on duty. I slipped them into
my pocket and took the stairs down to the dungeon, my heart tripping in my chest.
“Pris?” Asinia murmured. She still looked alert, although being clearheaded in this place only meant she was aware of what would happen to her if I failed.
“Hey.”
“It’s cold.”
“I know.” It did feel even colder, and yet I was sleeping with a roaring fire each night. “I’ll bring you a blanket. We can find a way to hide it—”
“No.” She shook her head. “The guards checked us today. Likely ensuring we were all capable of walking to be burned.” Her face drained of color. “They’ll notice.”
“I’m not going to let you burn.” Each day, I became more and more certain of that one fact. I would do whatever it took to free her.
She attempted a smile, but her eyes were turning alarmingly blank. “I know.”
I gave her some of the food I’d stolen, but anticipation was making me shiver. “I need to hand this out. I’ll be back.”
Tibris had convinced the other prisoners to stop eating the food the guards gave them. They’d had to find ways to hide their slop, ensuring the guards didn’t notice, but many of them were already more alert as I handed them bread and meat. It was easy to see which prisoners Tibris had been working on, their shoulders finally healing, their eyes no longer dazed.
When I was done, I made my way to Demos’s cell.
“Please tell me you left some of that for me.” He gave me a half grin.
I unlocked his cell and slipped inside, sitting in front of him. He tensed. “What is it?”
I glanced at Asinia, who’d scooted closer, wrapping her hands around the bars between us. A silent support.
“I have a few things to tell you.” I held up the lamp, and his face came into view.
And there were those eyes, the same strange color as mine. I’d never paid attention—never seen his eyes in the light. A tear slipped down my cheek.
Demos scowled. “No crying in the dungeon. It’s a rule. You know that.” I let out a choked laugh, placing the lantern on the ground between us. “That’s better.”
“I met a woman today. She told me…she told me we’re related.” He stiffened. “You and me?”
“She said she was my nanny. When I was small.” I hadn’t realized I was so afraid of his rejection, but I forced myself to keep talking. “I guess she was yours too.”
The blood slowly drained from his face, until it was as if I was staring at a corpse. “You have time magic, don’t you? That’s how you get down here. That makes you…”
“Your sister.” The words came out strangled, my hands shaking as I removed my necklace. Demos was already picking up the lantern and bringing it close to my face.
“Nelayra. Oh gods.”
My throat tightened, and I attempted a smile. “Um. I think I’ll still use Prisca, if it’s all the same—”
He placed the lantern down, and then I was in his arms. More tears welled, but his body shook in a way that told me he’d broken his own rule about crying.
When he let me go, both of our faces were wet. “You really stink,” I mumbled, and he laughed.
“Wait, so you have two brothers now?” Asinia let out a choked sound that might’ve been a laugh.
Demos went still, his eyes turning cold. “She has one. Those people
stole her.”
I took a deep breath. “Tibris had nothing to do with that. He’s my brother too.”
Demos’s jaw tightened, but he let it go. “How is this possible?”
I filled him in. When I reached the part where Mama had pushed me into the river, he got to his feet to pace.
“She said she was saving my life. She died that day, Demos.” My loyalty to Mama remained, even as I ached to ease his pain.
He whirled on me with a snarl. I held up a hand. “Be careful what you say about her. She’s still my mother.”
“No, she’s not. Our mother died because we were looking for you that night instead of paying attention to the people who warned the fae prince had been spotted outside our city walls. Instead of preparing to flee, our parents were searching every foot-span of that city, desperate to find you.”
The words echoed between us. A deep ache spread through me, settling behind my ribs. “Our mother is…dead?”
A small flame of hope—one I hadn’t wanted to admit that I’d felt— went out.
“Nice work,” Asinia muttered. “What a kind way to tell a woman both of her mothers are dead.”
“The woman who stole her wasn’t her mother,” Demos hissed.
I got to my feet. Even after everything Mama had done, I couldn’t bear to hear her disparaged. Not when I knew she’d died protecting me.
I was allowed to rail against her for what she’d done. But I couldn’t bear to hear anyone else do the same. Not yet. Not while her death was so fresh.
“Wait. Don’t leave. I’m sorry.” Demos caught my hand. “I’m just… Fuck, I never expected to meet you. I’d convinced myself you were dead. Hoped for it sometimes, because there is rarely a happy ending when tiny girl children are stolen. And now you’re here, and you’re alive, and…”
“I understand.” Taking a deep breath, I attempted to prepare myself for the answer to my next question. “Um, our father. Is he…?”
Demos’s mouth thinned. “I don’t know. I watched our mother die that day. She’d refused to leave, certain she would find you. And she’d run back into our house when it collapsed. She didn’t even use her power—I think she was out of her mind with terror and grief. She pushed me toward Father and insisted she needed to check the cupboards one last time. That maybe you were scared and hiding.”
My eyes filled with tears. In reality, I’d been out of the city. Why couldn’t Mama have left them a note, letting them know I was safe? Would they be alive then?
“And…Father?”
He swallowed, glancing down at his hands. “When the house collapsed, he fell to his knees. It was like he was unable to move. They loved each other so much, Nelayra—uh, Prisca. So much that if not for me, I think he would have climbed into that burning pile of rubble and lay down beside her.” Demos looked away. “One of the neighbors pulled him to his feet. I remember her screaming that he still had one child to keep safe. She died moments later. A block of stone fell on her.”
Gods, the things he had seen at just six winters old.
“We were almost at the city walls when Father went down. I don’t know what happened. Someone said the fae were shooting arrows. We were separated, and one of our neighbors grabbed me. She raised me with some of the other orphan children, until I was old enough to fall in with the rebellion. Two years ago, our headquarters were raided. Everyone who was arrested was burned months later. Everyone but me. I don’t understand why.”
“Telean works for the queen. She was spared because the queen had heard of her skill with fabric. When she learned you’d been arrested, she begged the queen to allow you to live. That’s why you’re still here.”
“Telean.” Demos went quiet.
We both sat in silence for a while. Eventually, I sighed. “I better get back.”
Demos looked at me some more. “I just… I can’t believe it. Be patient with me…please.”
“I will. And I’ll ask the same of you.”
My mind whirled as I made my way out of the dungeon. I needed to talk to Tibris. And then, unfortunately, I would need to find Lorian.
Thankfully, Lorian’s hunting trip with the king had taken him away from both the castle and Telean. But I’d recognized that cold expression he’d worn when he’d learned of the threat to me, and I needed to make sure he didn’t get any ideas about killing her. My stomach tightened at the thought of seeing the bane of my existence. After the way we’d lashed out at each other last night, I’d prefer to avoid him until I absolutely had to deal with him.
Tibris met me on my way to my room. He raised his eyebrow at whatever he saw on my face.
“You look…strange.”
I linked my arm through his. “Strange?”
“Your eyes are all swollen, but you also look happy. What’s going on, Pris?”
Yanking on the thread of time, I pulled Tibris into my room.
“You may want to sit down,” I told him, pacing to the window. “You’re making me nervous.”
“It’s nothing bad. It’s good. At least, I hope you think so…” “Pris.”
“My other brother. My birth brother. He’s alive.”
I turned back just in time to catch Tibris’s mouth fall open. “How do you know this?”
I told him about Telean. And when I got to the part about Demos, Tibris launched to his feet.
“He’s your brother? Are you sure?”
I let out a strained laugh. “Yes. I’m positive. Are you…are you okay?” Tibris sighed, stalked over to me, and wrapped me in a hug. “Of course
I’m okay. I’d rather your brother was alive than dead, even if it means I’ll have to deal with Demos for the rest of my life.”
I squeezed him back. “Thank you. I know this has been…difficult.” “Stop worrying about me.”
“That would be impossible.”
“I have to get back to work.” He stepped back. “I guess I need to talk to your other brother at some point. And that’s a sentence I’d never imagined I’d say.” He grinned, and if there was a hint of strain in it, I ignored it since he clearly wanted me to.
Tibris strolled out, and I sat on the edge of my bed for a long moment. Finally, I couldn’t put it off any longer, and I took the servants’ halls toward Lorian’s room, nodding to the maids—most of whom ignored me. Auria grinned at me, a load of laundry in her arms. “Tea tonight?”
I nodded. “After the dancing.” Just the thought of pretending everything was normal made me exhausted. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed with the blankets over my head.
She smiled and strolled away.
Just a few moments later, I realized I’d gotten myself lost in the servants’ hall.
Usually when I snuck into Lorian’s rooms, I wandered through the main hall, stopped time for a few moments, and let myself in.
Grinding my teeth, I leaned close to the door on the left. I was relatively sure the prince was in one of these rooms—some of the most ostentatious in the castle.
I glanced over my shoulder, but no one else was walking down the hall. Someone was talking. No, ranting. Pressing my eye to the tiny hole, I went still.
Patriarch Farrow was pacing, spittle flying from his face as he ranted.
I caught the words “corrupt” and “burn.” So, it was his usual topic of choice. But it was Madinia I paid the most attention to. She sat on a sofa
facing me.
Her face was as white as death.
“Father…what if the corrupt could be…reintegrated into society? We could give them a chance to give back their magic and appease the gods.”
I sucked in a breath, almost choking on it. Now that hadn’t been something I’d expected to hear from her.
Someone was coming. I stalked across the hall and held my hand to the closest door, as if about to knock.
The maid ignored me and continued walking. I shifted on my feet until she was out of sight.
Launching myself back across the hall, I pressed myself to the door once more.
Farrow was losing control.
“How could you say such a thing? Did you forget those demons killed your mother?” He threw his cup of wine across the room, and Madinia flinched.
For the first time, I felt almost…sorry for her. It didn’t excuse her awful behavior, but— Her hand lit up. With fire.
A ringing sounded in my ears. She wasn’t yet twenty-five winters.
Which meant…
Madinia was a hybrid.
Her father whirled, a choked sound escaping his throat. Oh gods.
Madinia looked at her father. And then she looked at her hand.
Something that might have been resignation flickered in her eyes. She pressed her hand to her dress.
I’d frozen time before I realized I’d pulled the magic to me. Shoving wildly at the door, I slammed it behind me, launching myself across the room to a vase of flowers.
I began pouring, but I hadn’t grabbed enough of the thread of my magic.
I’d acted purely on fear.
Time resumed.
Madinia let out a scream. Farrow roared.
I dumped the entire vase on Madinia’s dress, flowers included. The fire went out. Our eyes met, and hers were bleak.
I’d just killed us both.
My throat tightened. Madinia had decided to burn on her own terms. And I’d saved her life just in time to end up caught in her father’s net myself. I’d sacrificed three hundred lives for this impulsive decision.
Turning, I watched Farrow. He was gasping for breath, his face red.
I had nothing left to lose. “Get a hold of yourself before you drop dead,” I snapped.
He gaped at me, clearly unused to anyone speaking to him with anything less than fawning respect.
“Corrupt,” he said. “That’s right.”
I flicked a glance at Madinia. She was staring at me like she’d never seen me before. I paid close attention to her, just in case she got any interesting ideas about burning herself alive again.
Farrow turned his gaze on Madinia, and this time, his eyes filled with tears.
“How? Gods, how? How did I miss such a thing?”
I stared at him. Was he seriously asking that? “Maybe because of your determination to wipe out anyone you considered unclean.”
“Silence,” he snarled. He stared at Madinia as if he was already mourning her. “I don’t…understand.”
Since Madinia didn’t seem able to speak, I shook my head. “It’s simple. The woman you claimed to love? Madinia’s mother? The one whose name you insist on throwing around when you burn hybrids? She was one of the so-called corrupt.”
Madinia stiffened, and I shook my head at her. “Surely it must have occurred to you.”
“I… The gods…”
“The gods have nothing to do with this.” I didn’t have time to make the truth easier to swallow. “The king takes our magic because he wants it for himself. And because he thinks it will allow him to kill all the fae.”
Madinia took a step closer to her father. And her eyes burned with retribution.
“Is this true?”
Farrow swallowed. “The king’s intentions were good at the beginning.” So, he had known the truth. I smiled a nasty smile. “At the beginning?
Four hundred years ago, when he started a war with the fae?”
Farrow narrowed his eyes at me. “And just how do you know that
information, hmm?”
If I hadn’t known what his power was, I would have stopped time at the vicious look in his eyes. But Farrow had no combat magic. No, his magic allowed him to strategize much better than the average person. It was why he was in charge of the guards at the city walls. And why it was so difficult to sneak in—or out—of the city.
“You’re saying the king is immortal?” Madinia gave me her usual haughty expression. I simply raised my eyebrow.
“Just one of the reasons he takes his subjects’ power. To keep himself alive.” My voice was bitter.
Madinia stared at me. Then her gaze was on her father. “Tell me she’s lying.”
Farrow couldn’t.
“Who else knows this?” I asked. I wanted to know just how many people were aware of the truth—how many the king had convinced to lie for him. How many people were not just dangerous, but were hypocrites too.
He was silent. Madinia’s hand lit up with fire once more. From the horror in her eyes, she hadn’t meant for that to happen. Farrow stared at her, his expression tight.
“You would hurt me?”
“You would see me burn,” Madinia hissed, and the fire burned brighter.
If she burned him here, we would both be arrested and executed immediately after. “Pull yourself together,” I advised her.
“Only the king’s inner circle know,” Farrow said finally. “Five other men.”
“Does his queen know as well?” I asked. “I don’t know.”
Madinia was crying silently, tears dripping down her face.
Unsurprisingly, she still looked beautiful. For the first time, I pitied her. “We’ll get you out somehow,” Farrow said.
Madinia’s breath hitched. She hadn’t expected that. Neither had I. But I should’ve.
“Ah,” I said, my mouth curving. “What was it you said just yesterday about the corrupt and how you were looking forward to seeing them all imprisoned and burned?”
His mouth twisted, but he was wise enough to stay quiet. Next to me, Madinia’s silent tears turned to sobs.
I couldn’t help but continue. I was so sick of these royals and these courtiers, with their evil and their hypocrisy. “It’s different, though, isn’t it
—when it’s your own? People like you are so quick to steal the freedoms— even the lives—of others, according to their own morality. But also so, so quick to change your minds when those same laws apply to the ones you love. Why is that, do you think?”
“Please,” he said, and my brow lifted. No, I hadn’t expected him to beg either. “You are close to the queen, and I’ve seen you talking to the Gromalian prince. You can get her out.”
“And why would I do that?”
“I would owe you a life debt. To be used whenever you like.”
Was I dreaming? This man whom I’d fantasized about murdering was going to be in my debt. Perhaps this was why Lorian made so many deals. It was heady, having the upper hand in one of those bargains for once.
“One condition.”
Hope sparked in his eyes. For all his contempt, he still had a weakness. “Anything.”
“Repeat after me. I am weak. And I am also a hypocrite.” “Enough, Setella,” Madinia said.
I ignored that. Farrow swallowed, some of the color coming back to his face. But he dutifully repeated my words.
Grim satisfaction swept through me.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s talk about how you’re going to help me get your daughter, and all of the other hybrids, out of this castle.”
He sighed and sat, waving his hand for me to tell him what we needed. In the end, there was only one way he could help—we would be getting prisoners out through the tunnel, and they would need transportation from the market out of the city. Farrow would order the guards to allow the carriages, horses, and wagons through the city gates. And while those guards were loyal to him, we would likely have just a few minutes at most before at least one of them would question the order.
“I’ll be in touch.” My eyes met Madinia’s. She looked drained, but for the first time, she wasn’t looking at me with vitriol. “Why did you follow me that day in the slums?”
Her eyes widened. “No wonder you disappeared. You knew I was there. I’ve been watching you since you arrived. I knew you were up to something.”
“And what were you planning to do with that information?”
“I’m corrupt,” she said hoarsely. “If you knew a way out, I would have blackmailed you until you got me out too.”
I couldn’t blame her. I would have done the exact same thing. I got to my feet.
“I want to help,” Madinia said. “With whatever plan you’re making.”
Even knowing her life was at risk, I still didn’t trust her. “I’ll think about it.”
It turned out Lorian’s door was two down on the left. I took a moment to lean against the wall outside his room. If I hadn’t gotten hopelessly lost, Madinia would be little more than a pile of ash right now. And if Farrow hadn’t loved his daughter more than the king, we’d both be in the dungeon, waiting to burn.
The thought made me sway on my feet.
I knocked on Lorian’s door, and he instantly opened it. Had he known I was here?
He stepped aside, allowing me into his rooms, and I paced to the window.
If I didn’t know Lorian as well as I did now, I would have thought that was wariness in his gaze.
“What is it?” he asked, turning to pour himself a drink.
I opened my mouth, and it all came spilling out. The seamstress—my aunt, Demos, and of course, everything that had just happened with Patriarch Farrow.
“What happened with your magic?”
“I don’t know. I reacted too fast or something.”
He raised his eyebrow at me. “That’s not how it works.”
Whatever I had done, I’d nearly gotten myself killed. I shuddered. I needed to figure out what had gone wrong. So I never did it again.
Lorian stared down into his drink, obviously coming to terms with all that I told him.
“Your nanny.”
“Apparently we called her ‘aunt.’”
I could see him weighing what that would mean. I didn’t think I needed to be clear on this part, but with murderous mercenaries, it was best to be safe. “Don’t kill her.”
Lorian rolled his eyes. It was such a strange gesture from him, I almost laughed.
Instead, I leveled him with my best hard stare. “I want your word.”
“I give you my word I won’t kill your aunt. Unless she actively gets in my way.”
I opened my mouth at that, but he was already moving on to the next topic.
“The queen’s lady tried to set herself on fire?” “Yes.”
He sipped at his drink. Then he gave me a brooding look. “The coward’s way out.”
I blinked. “She was going to die on her terms. And prevent her death from being a spectacle.”
“What would you have done if she were sent to burn?” “I would’ve attempted to get her out,” I admitted.
He nodded, his gaze steady on mine. “And she didn’t know that.”
“Of course not. We’re not exactly friends.” I knew he had a point somewhere, but I just couldn’t see it.
“Precisely. Even when things look as hopeless as they’ve ever been, you never give up. No matter how much pain you’re in. You never remove any chance at life. Because you never know when something could change. Something you never even expected.”
Madinia’s distraught expression flashed in front of my eyes. “Sometimes you do whatever you can to stop the pain.”
“Sometimes you just need to hold on a little longer and the pain will be over. And you’ll be alive.” He put his drink down and took a step closer. “Don’t you ever make that choice.”
“Lorian—”
“Promise me.” His expression was intent.
This seemed to matter to him. I took a deep breath. “I promise.”
Thankfully, he appeared ready to change the subject. He turned and paced away. “You’re sure Farrow will help us?”
The fact that he said us made me feel slightly better about the situation.
Especially after last night.
“Yes. He loves his daughter. He’ll betray the king to keep her alive.” Lorian paused, clearly thinking over our options. Finally, he sighed. “I’m looking for an amulet. It’s a blue stone set in silver with ancient
writing etched into the back. That’s why I’m here.” “You thought it would be in the king’s chamber.”
“Yes. I’m positive it’s in this castle somewhere. I’ve searched the libraries, Sabium’s chambers, and anywhere else it’s rumored to be.”
“Why can’t you kill the king?”
He raised one eyebrow. “Vicious thing.”
I scowled at him, and he flicked his gaze over me, lingering on my mouth. “It wasn’t an insult. I like it.” My stomach flipped, and I attempted to keep my expression bored. Thankfully, he continued his thought. “I can’t kill the king yet because I have other plans in motion, and if he were to die early, I wouldn’t be able to finish my tasks.”
“Because that’s not mysterious at all. Are you ever going to tell me who you are?” He wasn’t a prince. I knew that much. What I didn’t know was how he’d managed to convince the royals that he was.
One side of his mouth kicked up. “Yes. But not today.” “Why not?”
Silence.
I sighed. “I’ll help you look for your amulet. If you help me with the prisoners.”
He studied me. “What’s your plan, Prisca?”
“Vicer said if we can get the prisoners out through the tunnel from the dungeon, he can have rebels meet us at the market. Vicer has been finding any mode of transportation that he can, so we can get the prisoners from the market to the city walls. If Farrow is serious about saving his daughter’s life, the guards will receive an order to stand down—just long enough for the rebels to get out. Farrow is respected enough that they’ll do what he says—at least for the few minutes we need.”
“The hybrids will be hunted.” His expression was blank, giving me no hint of what he thought about that strategy.
“Yes. But at least they’ll have a chance. They’re weakened, but they’ll travel in groups. Those who can’t make a long journey will be smuggled into various parts of the city—Vicer will help there. We’re hoping to find someone who can help with the blue marks. Besides, once they’ve been free
for a few days, many of them will be able to use their powers again. They’ll fight to stay free.”
“And you?” His voice was quieter. Almost intimate.
I hadn’t yet thought about my next move. “I don’t know. We have to tell people that Sabium is the one who started the war with the fae. And that he’s the reason it continues.”
“No one will believe you until you have irrefutable proof. Even then, many will choose to ignore the facts.”
“Why?”
A languid shrug. “Their ancestors sent their sons to that war. Their brothers. Their cousins. All for them to die for the king’s greed. To believe it was all for nothing… Most people would prefer to never know the truth.”
Bitterness flooded my mouth. Because he was right. “How is Sabium storing the power? The chamber we saw only had a few stones in it, compared to how large this kingdom is. He must have a way to leach the power from those stones and use it himself.”
“He does. But it’s not in this castle. We’ve had those stones followed time and time again when they’re moved from the villages. Each time, the priestess disappears in various places.”
“He can’t be siphoning the power stone by stone.” It would take too long. This was a large kingdom.
Lorian nodded. “He’s using some kind of magical artifact or device.”
“If we were to destroy it, would the power return to the people it belongs to?”
“I don’t know.” Lorian frowned. “I would like to think so, but it could be that the power goes to the person closest to it.”
My dreams of breaking open the king’s hidden cache of power, while knowing all the villagers in this kingdom would be getting what was rightfully theirs…
Those dreams turned to dust.
I nodded, moving toward the door.
Obviously, we weren’t going to talk about the vicious words we’d said to each other last night. Suddenly, I felt bone-tired. A deep exhaustion that was all-encompassing.
“Prisca.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Lorian watched me out of those dark green eyes. He snapped his mouth closed.
With a sigh, I opened the door and walked out.
