Twisted: Belle's Story (Destined Book 3)

by Kaylin Lee

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  “I wish I had been stronger. I was the eldest. I should have cared for you and Kaia better. I should have looked out for my little sisters, instead of giving up.” Her voice was barely audible, as though she were speaking to herself. “But it’s too late now.”

  Jade moved to the couch and began to cry again, her legs pulled up and her face pressed against her knees.

  I put one hand on Kaia’s, but the sharp tingles were too painful, and I pulled my hand away.

  Jade’s fault? I shook my head, my throat growing unbearably tight. It was just as much mine as it was hers.

  I’d never considered including my sisters in my plans to escape my father. It had never once even occurred to me that they had needed hope for the future just as badly as I had. Now, they would pay for my thoughtlessness with their lives.

  The door clicked, then swung open, and my father strode into the room.

  His face was bright with excitement, his steps jerky as he paced into the room and came to a stop on the other side of Kaia’s bed. “She didn’t waste any time. Good girl.” His eyes flicked to me, then Jade, where she was curled into a ball on the couch. “I always thought Belle was my most obedient daughter, but it looks like the honor will go to Kaia in the end.” He frowned at Jade, his lip curling up. “Aurae was for the commoners, Jade. You never should have touched it.” His lips twitched. “I suppose you know that now, don’t you?”

  Jade only watched him with red eyes as she curled up tighter, shrinking as though she wished she could disappear altogether.

  “And you, Belle.” He studied me for a long moment as Kaia’s body seemed to glow even brighter on the bed between us. “You must understand I had no choice. At first, I only imported aurae as a favor to Praetor Demetrius. But the plague would have decimated the bank. When he wanted to send more shipments, I knew it was the only way to retain our family’s position in the city.”

  “So you smuggled aurae into Asylia, even during the plague.” My voice was raw. “And you’ve let thousands die from overuse since then.”

  “Thousands of commoners,” he growled. “Where’s your sense of charity, Belle? They needed an escape from the horrors of the plague, just like we did.” He appraised Kaia, who lay silently on the bed, glowing steadily. “She looks peaceful, doesn’t she? It’s a good way to go. Painless. Quiet. Clean.”

  “But the Wolves are offering questus now.” I whispered. “That changes everything, doesn’t it?”

  My father laughed, a short, humorless bark. “It changes nothing. Questus is the perfect product. It’s every bit as addictive as aurae, with the added bonus that it doesn’t kill the customer.” He shook his head. “They thought they could get around me by selling straight to the Asylian government. They don’t realize that tomorrow, I will become the Asylian government.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking about?” My voice crept up. “Prince Estevan knows you’re behind this, and he knows about the Wolves too. It doesn’t matter what you do to me. He’ll put an end to aurae.” Even as the words passed my lips, my heart began to thunder in my chest. My father never bluffed.

  “Foolish little Belle. Always a bit behind, aren’t you? Ever since your … injury.”

  Heat rushed to my face. “Behind?” The quiet word sounded oddly distant.

  “It’s a tragedy, isn’t it? Two—no, three beautiful Procus ladies dead from aurae overuse, and later the same day, aurae takes the Crown Prince himself. When the Court of Lords learns that not even Procus ladies and royalty are immune to aurae’s draw, they’ll be falling all over themselves to accept the Wolves’ offer. And without a prince or an heir, I’ll be first in the city.”

  “Prince Estevan doesn’t use aurae,” I heard myself say. “He hates it. He would never do that.”

  My father’s face grew dark. “That’s the beauty of a simple act like exposure,” he said. “Expose your target with enough force, and the poison does the work for you. Any vessel will do—a letter, a package. An afternoon cup of coffee.”

  I glanced around wildly. The room was already growing dim as twilight fell outside. Estevan had no doubt already called for the afternoon coffee tray. Was he still alive? Or had my father already won?

  “He’s already been exposed sufficiently,” my father answered for me. “Just after he gave strict orders not to disturb his work. He’ll be gone within the hour.”

  ~

  My father left, and my legs turned to jelly and collapsed beneath me. I crumpled to the floor and pulled the black canvas bag from my pocket with a shaky hand. “Andres? Damon?” I peered into the small, glowing mirror. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

  I looked closer, and my stomach churned. The mirror was glowing silver, not because of the old Kireth magic, but because the mirror reflected a dark-haired man’s upper body, collapsed on a desk, glowing with a halo brighter than Kaia’s. Estevan. After refusing to speak to me at my final briefing, he’d taken the first shift with the ancient Kireth mirror.

  “Estevan,” I whispered louder. “Please, wake up!”

  His body was nearly motionless, the light rising and falling of his breath almost imperceptible.

  “Estevan, it’s me.” My voice crept up. “You need to get up now. Get to the door and open it. Please!”

  He didn’t move. I can’t be who you want me to be, he’d said. Why had I let him go so easily? Why hadn’t I insisted that he was already everything I needed?

  I pressed the mirror to my chest and began to sob—a painful, silent rhythm that squeezed the air from my lungs.

  Estevan’s life hung in the balance, and my father was about to get away with his grand scheme.

  I’d thought I was smart enough to beat him. I’d thought I’d become his equal. But he’d been ahead of me and Estevan the whole time.

  Hot tears flooded my cheeks. I’d failed. I wasn’t smart enough to beat him. Even with my brain healed, I couldn’t stop him. I wasn’t enough.

  A warm hand gripped my shoulder, and then Jade settled onto the floor beside me. “I’m sorry for everything, Belle,” she said softly, repeating her words from earlier. “I know it’s selfish of me, but I’m glad I’m not alone right now.”

  I dragged my head up to stare at her. We were about to be murdered, our monarch had been assassinated, our city was about to fall into the grasping hands of our psychotic father, and she was glad not to be alone? “What does it matter if we’re alone or not?”

  Jade made a dry, choking sound. “You would say that.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You do everything alone. I guess that’s just how you like to be.”

  Her words sent my stomach plummeting. I’d done everything alone. If I had reached out to my sisters sooner, perhaps aurae would have never entered their lives, and Kaia wouldn’t be slipping away before our eyes. And if I’d gone to Estevan for help sooner, perhaps we could have stopped my father before he was perfectly placed to take over the city.

  Tears dripped from my chin onto my neck. I wiped off the irritating moisture with my sleeve and frowned. Then I touched the skin on my neck again. The skin was smooth and perfect now—healed by the same mage who’d once failed me.

  I’d nearly been murdered by my father once before. I’d felt the rope around my neck. I remembered my gasping breath and my raw, broken skin. I’d resolved to try one more time, and Estevan had heard my cry and come running.

  I still had breath, didn’t I? Why would I give up sooner this time?

  I grabbed Jade’s arm. “What do you think would happen if you rang for Kaia’s appearance mage?”

  “I don’t know.” Jade’s eyes widened. “He never cut off our access to the service bells. I don’t know if the mages are still here, though. I haven’t seen or heard a servant in days. And would the mages dare defy my father, even if they could?”

  I got to my feet and hauled Jade up by the hand. “We’ll never know if we don’t try.”r />
  We went to the wall by Kaia’s bed. The mage-craft bell handle that connected to the mage villa hung just as it did in my room, still attached and undisturbed as far as I could tell. I reached out and yanked once. There was no noise outside our room—no indication anyone knew I’d pulled it.

  Jade and I turned back toward Kaia’s glowing body, but then we heard them—footsteps in the hallway outside. Gruff, male voices argued just outside the door, and then the door’s lock clicked.

  The door swung open. Lucas stepped inside, his expression indecipherable.

  “Leave the door unlocked,” he said in an odd voice over his shoulder to the guards. “I’ll only be a moment.”

  Then he shut the door behind him.

  I swallowed as he walked into the room. Did he know we’d try to ring for help? Was he here to enact the final step of my father’s plan?

  Lucas moved one hand in a strange motion, and then there was a wave of coldness through the room.

  I blinked. “Petrina?”

  Chapter 32

  My old appearance mage smiled ruefully. “The other mages are all hiding,” she said. “I was about to hide with them when you pulled up. I thought I might find a way in to see you.”

  I shook my head, stunned by the trick she’d pulled to get past the guards. “Have you always been able to do that?”

  She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I practiced from time to time. Thought it might come in handy.”

  I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a quick hug. “You’re amazing, Petrina.” I felt her surprise in her stiff bearing, but I squeezed her tight anyway. “I’m sorry I never said so.”

  Petrina flushed. “Thank you, my lady,” she said. “But I don’t know how much I’ll truly be able to help you. I’m under strict orders to do no harm to your father or his interests.” She glanced at me, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “I can always find loopholes in commands so broad. But there’s no question that harming the guards outside the door is covered by the command. Even if I tried, my body wouldn’t let me do it.”

  “Resist your True Name, then!”

  Petrina laughed. “My lady, that’s—”

  “You can do it. I know you can. Didn’t you read that article in the Herald about the woman who defeated the Crimson Blight?”

  Petrina watched me warily. “Yes, but …”

  I grabbed her hand. “Petrina, your True Name is a part of you. My father’s will is only a temporary influence on it. But your True Name belongs to you, and you alone. You can resist his will. I know you can.”

  Beneath my fingers, her hand trembled. “I don’t know…”

  “Well, I do know. You can do this. You just have to try.”

  “Fine. I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.” She closed her eyes and inhaled.

  Jade met my eyes, and I saw my own apprehension mirrored on her face. After countless years of using enslaved mages like Petrina, our lives now depended on her freedom.

  I held her hand a little harder. “You can do this, Petrina,” I whispered.

  A myriad of emotions drifted across her face, each one too fast for me to measure. Her eyes darted rapidly beneath her closed lids. Suddenly, she frowned, her grip on my hand tightening. I held my breath.

  There was a long, stifling pause, and then her eyes snapped open. “I’m going to help you escape this room,” she said slowly, as though testing the words. “I’m going to get you and your sisters to safety.”

  “My father has a ring I need to get to the palace.” I watched Petrina’s face closely. “Will you help me get to him so I can take it from him?”

  She stilled, then gave an almost imperceptible nod. “I will help you take the ring from your father.” Her lips spread into a wide smile, and she gave a shaky laugh. “I’m going to do it.”

  I released her hand and searched her face. “You’re free of his control? Are you certain?”

  Petrina shuddered. “Yes. But there’s only one way to know for sure. There are two guards outside. We won’t be able to go anywhere until we deal with them, and if I’m still under your father’s control, I won’t be able to help.”

  Jade held up a crystal vial. “There should be more than enough aurae in here. We can transfer some to Kaia’s empty vial, then put both guards under at once.”

  I grimaced but nodded. “Let’s do it.”

  We all held our breath as Jade poured several drops of the potent silver liquid from her vial to Kaia’s, then handed it to Petrina. “You and I can take the guards. Belle can get the door.”

  “Get the door?” I scowled. “I can help too.”

  Jade patted my head and smirked. “No offense, little one, but you’re kind of short.”

  I rolled my eyes, then pulled out the mirror and checked Estevan’s still form one more time. He was still breathing, but the glow was brighter than ever. We didn’t have much time. “Let’s go.”

  When Petrina and Jade were ready, their fingers gripping the vial stoppers, I flung open the door.

  My sister and maid rushed through without speaking, Jade to the left and Petrina to the right, and pressed their open vials into the guards’ faces before they could even open their mouths to call out. Jade’s guard fell first. Then Petrina’s. She dropped the small vial of aurae to the ground as the guard collapsed beside it, his skin already beginning to glow with aurae’s unmistakable silver trace. “I did it,” she gasped, her chest heaving from holding her breath.

  Jade clapped her on the back, similarly out-of-breath. “You did. Thank you, Petrina.”

  “There’s one more mage left,” Petrina said. “A purifier. She does the linens. I convinced her to wait for me. She can smuggle Lady Jade and Lady Kaia out in a laundry cart. The guards won’t think anything of it—she’s been helping the mages get to neighboring compounds to hide from your father all day. There’s enough room in it for one, maybe two people to hide under the linens.” Petrina frowned at Jade. “When I heard the bell ring, I thought it was Belle. I hadn’t considered that all three of you were still in here. No one has seen you for over a week.”

  Jade pressed her lips together. “That’s because he locked us in here eight days ago.”

  I pressed a hand on her arm. “We’re getting you out. Don’t worry. Right, Petrina?”

  She nodded. “But there won’t be enough room in the cart for you, Lady Belle.”

  “I have a different plan. We just need your purifier friend to help Jade and Kaia get to a hospital in the River Quarter. Those healers are the ones who’ve figured out how to treat aurae overuse. If anyone can save Kaia’s life, even at this late stage, it’s them.”

  “What about you?” Jade frowned. “And Petrina?”

  I rubbed the spot on my finger that still tingled from the Kireth ring my father had stolen. “I need that ring. And I need to get to the palace as soon as possible.”

  Petrina raised an eyebrow. “Ancient magic?”

  “How did you know?”

  She shuddered. “Anything that powerful had to come from the Old Ones,” she said. “Dangerous stuff. I’ve heard it’s quite painful to use. I don’t envy you.”

  “If it can get me to the palace in time to save Prince Estevan and mobilize the Sentinels, I’ll pay whatever price I must. Can you disguise yourself as my brother again?”

  “Yes. I don’t have much magic left, but I should have enough for several minutes. Enough to get you to your father, and to slip away before anyone looks too closely.”

  Jade shivered. “Kaia doesn’t have much time left.”

  We all looked toward the bed. The heavy silver glow emanating from her limp body was already several times brighter than when I’d first come into the room.

  I looked away and drew a deep breath. “Then we’ll just have to work quickly.”

  Instead of replying, Petrina waved her hand. When the cloud of sparkling magic dissipated, she had disguised herself as Lucas again. I was beginning to think Asylia’s appearance mages were all far
more powerful than they pretended to be.

  Bags had appeared under her bloodshot eyes that hadn't been visible before. “I can hold it for a little while, but I don't have much left,” she whispered tiredly. “But it should be enough to get us to your father.”

  We stepped back in the room and wrapped Kaia’s glowing body in bedsheets and linens, leaving just enough room for air to reach her nose through the folds, and then helped Jade heft her. She staggered under Kaia’s limp weight, but it was a good thing Jade was nearly as tall as Kaia, because she eventually stabilized and was able to walk while carrying her.

  I stepped back for a good look as she took a few tentative steps. “Petrina did well. You look exactly like you’re a maid carrying a heavy bundle of laundry.”

  Jade smiled. “A tall maid. With a suspiciously heavy bundle of laundry.”

  “Close enough.” I straightened her maid’s uniform.

  “I believe your father is in his study,” Petrina said, her feminine voice a jarring contrast to the male appearance she currently wore. “And if we drag these guards inside and shut the door, we might be able to make it there before my illusion disappears and someone sounds the alarm.”

  We worked together to tie up the guards and drag them inside Kaia's room, then shut the door and locked it from the outside. Together, we helped Jade carry Kaia to the servants’ back staircase at the end of the hall.

  Jade hefted Kaia’s weight as Petrina pushed open the door to the dark, narrow stairwell. “This is it,” she said.

  “Yes, it is,” I said, my heart pounding so hard I could barely hear her. “Remember, straight to the—”

  “I know. To the River Quarter.” Jade sighed and shifted under Kaia’s weight. “I can do this, little sister. I know it's my fault. Just …” She shook her head. “Believe me, I can do this.”

  “Fine.” I stared at her for a moment. My oldest sister stared back, her beautiful face lined with regret, her shoulders tense under the weight of our dying middle sister. “I'm sorry I wasn't there for you,” I said quietly. “But I'm glad we were together today, too. Please, be careful.”