by Kaylin Lee
Bri sank down onto her knees, then sat and leaned back against the wall, never once taking her eyes off the training Sentinels. “Completely worth it.”
Alba and I followed suit, but then a loud shout drew our attention to the center of the room, where two men were sparring with a wild, unpredictable combination of wooden batons and bare knuckles, their bodies moving with too much speed for me to follow. We got to our feet as the rest of the guards in the training room paused to watch the fighters in the center.
Then I caught a clear glimpse of one fighter’s face, and my mouth went dry. Estevan was here. Tall, strong, clothed in form-fitting black, and locked in a fierce fight with one of the Sentinels as everyone gathered around to watch.
I moved to the side as a tall man stepped in front of me, determined to maintain my view of the fight. Estevan and his partner fought with brutal efficiency, their fierce movements at odds with the jovial atmosphere in the room as guards called out encouragement and laughed with one another. I took note of Cole’s relaxed stance beside me. Estevan must not be in any danger, then. I felt the tension in my shoulders ease slightly.
Did the Sentinels’ casual acceptance of the fight mean that this was a regular occurrence? I couldn’t imagine any Procus lord I knew lowering himself to engage in physical activity with commoners, much less a brutal sparring match like this one.
I held my breath when Estevan went down. But a moment later, his leg shot out, and his partner went sprawling on the ground beside him. Estevan subdued him with a choke-hold before the man had a chance to stand again. After several seconds of struggle, the man tapped Estevan’s arm with a grunt, and Estevan let him loose.
Estevan stood as the guards around them cheered. He extended a hand and hauled the other man to his feet. Between gasping breaths, the defeated man grinned and said something too quiet for me to hear, and Estevan threw back his head and laughed in response.
It was too much. I couldn’t look away. The sight of his carefree, triumphant smile—his dark, sweat-drenched skin, with the muscles that weren’t for show but for power—did me in. The wall I’d put up since our argument came down, and the infatuation I’d harbored for years came rushing back a hundred-fold.
Around him, Sentinels joked and laughed, shoving each other good-naturedly, and the sense of family was undeniable. I understood now. These were Estevan’s people—his true family. He’d never looked at home among the Procus families because he wasn’t. This was where he belonged. And the sight of his easy smile and relaxed shoulders made him handsome in a way I’d never noticed so strongly before.
I was dimly aware of a gentle hand tugging at my sleeve, but I ignored it helplessly. I simply couldn’t stop staring at Estevan. He ran a hand through his hair and said something to the man beside him. What would it be like to have those warm, solid arms around me again? To have that easy, perfect smile directed toward me? He’d never shown such ease in my presence—not once.
My stomach fluttered as he lifted his shirt to wipe sweat from his face, offering a view of his lean torso that I didn’t dare miss.
And then, of course, when my face no doubt resembled the lovesick, foolish girl who’d temporarily taken over my mind, he looked straight across the room and met my eyes.
Chapter 27
Estevan’s eyes widened, and then he smiled, a slow, satisfied smirk that made my cheeks heat up. Then a guard beside him followed his gaze and said something, and I realized I’d just put my infatuation for the prince on display for the whole room to see.
Humiliated beyond words, I tore my gaze away, and realized Alba was holding my arm and watching me with a sympathetic expression. “I think we should go now, Lady Belle,” she said softly. She gestured to where Cole and Bri were waiting expectantly at the door. “The morning training session is over, and there will be a big rush for the door.”
I nodded and followed her out of the room with fiery cheeks and my stomach twisted in loops. I made it back to the small bedroom by following mindlessly in Cole’s footsteps.
The narrow, lumpy bed beckoned. I crashed on it, then rolled to my back and stared up at the low, dimly-lit ceiling, replaying our argument over the true Fenra clause in my head in a vain attempt to muster up the anger that should have protected my heart.
I rolled to my side and squeezed my pillow, groaning aloud. How was it possible to be both infatuated and infuriated at the same time?
~
“Can I get you anything besides coffee?”
I pressed my hands against the sides of the hot, steaming mug. “This is fine. Thank you.”
“Thank you for coming.” Raven sat across the table from me, her back straight, her face unreadable. “Let’s begin with the night you were attacked. Please tell me everything you remember.”
Heat from the coffee mug seared my fingers as I clutched it to keep from rubbing the perfectly-healed, unbroken skin at my throat. “His Highness came to my room sometime after the evening bell. We … spoke. And then he left, and I shut the door. I had barely stepped away when I heard a knock. I assumed it was the prince, so I opened the door …”
I kept my focus on my coffee as I told the story of that night, speaking slowly and deliberately, though what I really wanted was to rush through the story and get out of this interview.
Raven, the dark-haired, pale-skinned tracker mage who was heading up the royal investigation into my father’s crimes, had called me in for an interview early this morning. She wanted to find out if I’d noticed any details that might help the investigation progress, so I was dutifully reliving the night of my attack, all the while willing my voice not to shake.
When my story ended, Raven was silent. I watched as she flipped through several pages of notes. She glanced up when she reached the last page. “Thank you, my lady,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
“I don’t think we’ve learned anything new, but it’s possible there’s a detail I’ve missed. I’ll review these notes with my team today. I appreciate your time.”
“It’s fine.” I stood and pushed my chair back.
“Cole will accompany you back to your room.”
I couldn’t hold back a grimace. “Thank you.”
Raven’s lips drifted into what could almost be called a smile. “You don’t like the room?”
My chin lifted of its own accord. “The room is fine.” Did she think me an ungrateful, spoiled Procus brat, since I didn’t like to stay in that tiny closet? Did everyone think that?
She shook her head. “Don’t worry. I hated it, too.”
“You … what?”
“I lived there for over a year,” she said, her voice toneless, the hint of a smile disappearing from her lips. “My father was arrested and executed by King Anton when I was sixteen. Estevan and Darien hid me and my sisters down here until King Anton contracted the plague and passed away.”
I swallowed. “I didn’t know.”
Raven shook her head. “How could you? No one knows how paranoid he was in that last year—only the Sentinels, the mages who met his wrath, and their families. Because he was never satisfied with just one execution. The whole family line had to pay for the imagined crime.”
The skin on my arms tingled. “That’s horrible.”
“It is. But at least my sisters and I made it. There were only so many places to hide mages back then. Estevan took over the Sentinels at his father’s orders, and he had no choice but to use the Sentinels for the purpose they’d been given—to hunt down and detain mages suspected of rebelling against the king.” Raven met my eyes. “They called him the Beast. He was one, it’s true. He was forced to be one. But he did what he could to limit the destruction and suffering, my lady. Don’t doubt that.”
I nodded slowly. “I don’t.”
Raven shrugged and gestured for me to exit, then followed behind me. “I just wanted you to know you’re not the only one who’s had to suffer that wretched, windowless room. But you’re safe here, and you’re safe
with Prince Estevan. He may be many things, but he’s a good prince. Better than this city deserves, if you ask me.”
~
“Oh, we had a nice day,” Alba said, shooting me a guilty look as she answered her mother. “Nothing too interesting.”
“Mm-hmm,” Bri added. “Just boring stuff in the room.”
Zel looked between the two of them and raised one eyebrow. “What kind of boring stuff?”
Alba’s cheeks turned pink. I would have laughed aloud, but the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to my humiliating moment with Estevan.
“Oh, you know,” Alba mumbled, “just—”
A loud bell began to clang, and the guards around us shot to their feet, dinner trays suddenly abandoned. Before I could make sense of their shouts and movements, Cole gripped my arm and hauled me out of the dining hall. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Zel’s husband, Darien, hustling Zel, Ella, and the twins behind me and Cole.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” My voice sounded a bit too high. I tried to get Cole’s attention, but he ignored me and drew the rapier from the belt at his hip, holding it at the ready as we rushed down the hallway toward my room.
“Lander, Miles—with me,” he shouted. Two men split off from the crowd, leaving the dining hall to follow us, their crossbows notched and ready.
We reached my room in record time. Cole opened my door and sent the men in to clear the room. When they returned to the doorway, Cole shoved me through. “Lady Belle, stay here. Lock the door. I’ll be outside. Don’t open the door to anyone but myself or the prince.”
And then he slammed the door in my face.
I locked the door with fumbling fingers and then lurched backward, toward my bed. “What is going on?” As usual, there was no one in the tiny cell of a room to answer me.
I paced for hours as the evening turned to night, my stomach growling, and thought longingly of the dinner sitting half-eaten at my table in the dining hall.
Outside my door, Cole and the two other guards still stood watch, which I knew from Cole’s regular knocks and occasional low male voices on the other side of the door.
What had that bell meant? Were the Sentinels under attack? That would mean the palace itself was under attack! The prince—the monarchy—the stability of the whole city was at stake. What if the palace was taken? What if the Sentinels failed to protect Estevan?
“Lady Belle?” Cole knocked three times on my door. “The threat has passed. For now. You may unlock your door.”
I opened it slowly, ready to shut it again in case I was mistaken, but only Cole stood there, looking tense and exhausted.
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “I’m not at liberty to say, my lady. But you’re safe now. Best get some rest, if you can. It’s well past midnight. Dawn isn’t far off.”
I nearly agreed but caught my tongue just in time. “I will not. I must see Este— I mean, His Majesty. Right now.” I was his ally. I would go to him as a friend to offer support. What kind of ally would simply go to sleep when the palace was just under attack?
Cole raised an eyebrow. “Are you certain? It’s quite late, and—”
“Yes!” I reined in my frustration and tried to pretend the past several hours hadn’t rattled me to my bones. “I’m certain. He will wish to speak with me as well.” I had no way to confirm that, but the argument seemed to be enough for Cole. He nodded once and gestured for me to follow him.
Estevan’s office door was open, and weak light from the luminous over his desk spilled into the dim hallway. I tapped on the doorframe as Cole waited behind me. Estevan looked up and scowled. “What are you doing here?”
I entered the room and crossed my arms, then realized Cole had no reason to see me argue so boldly with his prince. I shut the door in Cole’s face. It felt nice to be on the other side for once.
“What is going on?” I stepped closer to Estevan’s desk when he didn’t answer.
His face was dark and furious, and his hands gripped the edge of the desk.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
Estevan stood. “I kept you in your room for a reason, Belle. It’s not safe for you to be out in the hallways.”
“But Cole said the threat had passed.”
“The immediate threat, yes. But still, it’s not—” Estevan cursed under his breath and shook his head, but then in a single, violent motion, he shoved the papers and notebooks off his desk.
I held still as loose papers fluttered to the floor. “Estevan?”
He lifted his head slowly, shame and fury twisting his handsome features. “I’m sorry. You should return to your room.”
“No.” I stepped closer, wishing I could grab his hand and force him to meet my eyes instead of staring over my shoulder at the wall. “Not until you tell me what happened.” I tried for a smile. “I’m your ally, aren’t I?”
His lips twitched, but then his frown grew deeper.
“Then let me be one. Let me know what’s going on. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Estevan rubbed his hand over his eyes and let out a long, frustrated breath. “I do, actually. It’s my job. But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.”
“Tell me, then!”
“Sit down.”
I did, and so did he. He rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward, meeting my eyes at last. “Did you hear about aurae flooding the city this week?”
I nodded.
“It got worse. Growing availability and ever lower prices. The death toll from overuse is well over a thousand by now.”
I thought of my lonely, powerless sisters, flinching as my father mocked them, numbing their pain with whatever they could find. Dread made my stomach ache. Were my sisters among the dead?
“Your sisters are fine,” said Estevan quietly. “We haven’t heard anything, at least. But …”
“What was the threat this evening?”
Estevan’s hands gripped the desk again. “Three of the palace guards were among those who died from aurae tonight.” He looked ready to start throwing paperwork again, but he took another deep breath. “Raven went over her notes from your meeting today and discovered a discrepancy with their interviews with the on-duty guards in your wing of the palace that night. Just about the same time they were overusing aurae while off duty, her team figured out that they’d been the ones to let your father’s man into the palace and lead him to your room.”
I rubbed at my arms, suddenly cold. “And if the guards are using aurae, the palace isn’t safe, is it?” My head began to hurt. “Even if they wanted to be loyal, aurae is too powerful. Anyone could have a guard or two in their pocket now.”
Estevan nodded, his eyes dark. “Correct. We had to lock down the palace. Trackers from the Sentinels checked every guard and servant in the palace for traces of aurae. They found five more guards who’ve used it, who are now detained. So, for now, the palace is safe.” He rubbed his temples. “But it doesn’t change the fact that my own palace guards helped your father try to kill you. What if I’d walked away too quickly and not heard you cry out? If the palace guards are controlled by aurae, how can I possibly get the rest of this city under control before it’s too late?”
He looked so completely helpless for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I stood and walked around the desk, then grabbed his hands and clutched them in mine.
“First of all, you didn’t leave too quickly. You heard me, and you came. I thought I was going to die alone that night, but you came for me. I’ll never forget that.”
He stared down at our clasped hands, an inscrutable expression on his tired face.
“And second …” I squeezed his hands in mine and thought back to what Raven had said that morning. “I know this city can be difficult. It doesn’t deserve a ruler as good as you. But if anyone can fix this, it’s you.” I lifted our hands and pressed a kiss on each of his, on the smooth, tan skin on the backs of his hands. Then I released his hands and stepped back,
too tired to consider how much I’d just embarrassed myself.
Estevan watched me without speaking, his gaze heavy with some emotion I couldn’t read.
“I’ll return to my room now,” I said awkwardly.
I turned and walked toward the door, but when I was only halfway across the room, the door swung open.
“Your Majesty— oh! My lady, I apologize.” Tolos, the palace steward, entered in rumpled clothes, looking exhausted.
Estevan cleared his throat. “It’s fine. Lady Belle was just leaving. What is it?”
“A delegation from Draicia has just arrived at the city gates. They’ve requested an immediate royal audience.”
I paused at the door. Draicia? The last I’d heard, the walled city to the north was barely functioning. Draicia had been utterly devastated by decades of clan wars, plague, and even more aurae than we had in Asylia.
“At this hour? What do they want?”
“It’s dawn, Your Highness,” Tolos replied, looking confused. “The head of the Wolf clan is at the gate—Draicia’s praetor himself. He says they’ve journeyed day and night to reach us.” He frowned. “They say they’ve discovered a cure for aurae, and they’re offering to sell it to us.”
Chapter 28
“What kind of cure?” Ella leaned forward in her seat at the dining table, waving a forgotten piece of honeybread with her fork. “And what does that even mean— a cure? It’s not as though aurae is an illness. It’s an essence, like sopor, right?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Besides, I don’t think anyone knows what aurae truly is, do they? It only appeared when the plague did. At least, that’s what I read in the Herald.”
“But what exactly did they say? The Wolves, I mean. How could there possibly be a cure for an illegal essence?” Ella looked frustrated.
“I didn’t hear anything more. Prince Estevan sent me out of his office right after his steward arrived. And how did you hear about this, anyway?”
