With a lump in my throat, I averted my eyes and swallowed thickly. “I love you too.” The words felt unfamiliar on my tongue.
He knocked the air out of me as he squeezed me tighter, his desire growing. “I’m going to make you happy, every day, like you have done me.” A wide, toothy smile stretched across his mouth.
Before he could kiss me again, I moved away. “I’m so happy.” I sniffed and wiped my tears. “Can we go for that walk? It feels so passionless in here.” I chuckled, gesturing at the white walls, plain floor, and metal, hard beds.
“Yes, it does.” He brushed back his hair and let out a long breath. “I feel amazing. Perfect, Winter. You are everything, everything to me.”
I watched as he fell deeper into the pool of lust, mistaking it for love. I allowed him to believe in it. I returned his words with as much sincerity as I could muster.
He twirled a lock of my hair around his finger. “Fate has smiled on me, and I am the luckiest man alive.”
SEVENTEEN
Light sprayed through an arched window, brightening the hallway. Neoma’s voice heightened as her and Kiros’s discussion grew heated. His tone remained steady, although I could detect the slight stumble on words as he attempted to reason with her.
“They’re not going to hurt him,” he stated.
She scoffed and placed her hand on her hip. “I am amazed at your arrogance, although I should be used to it by now.”
He shook his head. “If it were down to you, we’d have no monarchy.”
“That’s not true!” She hissed. “I’m concerned about an old friend of both of ours.”
“They are elves.” His tone thickened. “It’s not our problem. If Davidson wants to fight for them, then that’s up to him.”
Her eyes bulged. “He wants more rights for them. They’re not treated fairly. And to stop the cutting down of the forest. He’s been thrown in the dungeons for doing nothing more than being a good person.”
She caught my attention. I wanted the same thing as this Davidson fellow.
“He will be released. He was threatening the king. What did you expect? It’s treason.”
“Father will have him killed. You know how he deals with problems. You could talk to him, plead with him, but you won’t.”
“Davidson will be fine. There is no reason to.”
They stood inches from each other, both with balled fists. She pulled her fingers up to her white necklace and fumbled the red pendant. He toyed with his ring. I understood. Silent threats. Secretly, I wondered who would win if it came to a magic duel.
I stepped between them. “Please, let’s not fight.”
She rolled her eyes and let go of her necklace. “You.” She twirled dark ringlets of her hair around her finger. “You’re the same as him. I knew nothing would change around here.” Her eyes narrowed. She looked from me to him and tutted. “Whatever, what’s the point in saying anything?”
She stormed away, kicking the leg of a tall stand as she did, sending it crashing to the ground. The blue vase that had sat on it shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces.
Kiros ground his teeth. “She never listens. I know my father will let him go. He didn’t have a choice. Davidson threatened the crown. His hands were tied, even if Davidson was a friend once upon a time.”
I placed my hand against his chest and kissed his lips for a moment. “I know. You’re doing your best.” I despised my own words, but I needed something from him today, so I had to be on his best side. Now that he thought he was in love with me, it made things easier. “I needed to talk to you actually.”
His gaze trickled down to mine, his lips curling into a bright smile. “What is it, darling?”
My hands were clammy. I touched his fingers and linked them with mine. “Back home.” My eyes watered on demand. “I have a friend. Her name is Morgana. Well, she’s imprisoned, possibly executed.” My stomach twisted so much, I felt vomit crawl up my throat, biting my breath. I swallowed thickly, closing my eyes for a second. “I must know if she is still alive. If she is, then, is there any way you can have her released?” I’d waited until now, giving her the best chance. It was all I could do. I wanted to ask after the elves too, but even Kiros didn’t have that much power. One thing at a time, and Morgana was my priority.
He hesitated.
I squeezed his hand. “I need you to save her, for me. Please, Kiros. You’d be my hero. I can’t rely on anyone else.”
The uncertainty in his expression washed away with my words. He tensed his muscles, then stood taller. “I’ll find out about your friend. Don’t worry about a thing. I will fix this for you.”
Relief washed through me. I prayed, as I did in my quiet moments when I had the comfort of blackness behind my eyes, to my ancestors, begging again for her life to be spared for another day, if it had been prolonged to now already. “Thank you.” Tears danced down my cheeks, patterning wetness on my skin.
He brushed them away with the back of his hand. “Don’t cry.” His eyes rounded. “I’ll make this okay. I promise.”
I rested my head on his chest, grateful—for the first time since arriving—to have him in my corner. “There’s something else. When I was in the pits…”
He squirmed uncomfortably.
“I saw two dragons being taken somewhere. I thought they were protected creatures. Why were they here?” I asked, feigning ignorance to my prior knowledge. “The men who’d come, the warriors you spoke of, they run with them, no?”
His eyebrows furrowed, wrinkling his forehead. “You must be mistaken.”
“I’m not. You can’t miss them.”
He fumbled his fingers and looked over at the window. Outside, ferns baked under the midday sun. “Dragons are impossible to capture.”
“I’m sorry, I know what I saw.”
“If they were there, then it would be because the firedrake warders brought them with them. They’re protected creatures under the monarchy. If they had come to the kingdom, they’d have been taken to the hole to sleep. Not the pits.”
“The hole?” I arched an eyebrow.
“It’s these massive underground caves, where large creatures are taken if they pose a danger to society, like dragons. Although, they’re never used unless for absolute emergencies. It’s so rare for anything like that to happen. My father would have told me if the firedrake warders had brought dragons here.”
I already knew they hadn’t and that Xenos had caught them so he could steal their powers. But I couldn’t tell Kiros. “You know.” I placed my index finger in the air. “You were right. When I think back, it was hazy. I was severely dehydrated and tired. I probably hallucinated.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eye. “I’m sorry, again, you had to go through what you did. I wish I could go back and take you out of there sooner. My poor girl.” He pulled me into a hug, holding my body against his. His breath tickled my neck, the sun warming us both. “I’ll never let anything like that happen to you again. I love you so much.” His grip tightened. “I’ll always keep you safe.”
I wanted to squirm out of his arms, but I stayed rooted to the spot. “I know,” I said slowly. “I love you too.”
The lie hardened my heart.
***
After dinner and dancing, women in red-and-orange skirts danced in thin, soft net down to their feet, circling in the middle of the floor. Tight orange fabric was wrapped over their breasts, around them like a band and coming to a knot on their back. Their stomachs were visible, and their bellybuttons were pierced with silver loops. I’d never seen anything like it in my life. Black curls of hair rippled around them as they danced to the bongo players. I watched, mesmerized, as they moved with grace and flexibility. They tossed their hips from one jolt to another, then curled their stomachs over and over, creating a synchrony between them. When they finished, I stood, clapping. My eyes sparkled.
Kiros stepped next to me, leaning his head toward mine. “Impressive, huh? They’re
dancers from the south. A new addition to court.”
“I love them.”
He chuckled and looked around. “So do the men here.”
“The way they moved, the music, the energy… it was captivating. I wish I could dance like them.”
He kissed my cheek. “Queens don’t need to.”
I clenched my jaw. “Yes, of course not.”
“Besides, you’re far more beautiful than any woman in this castle, including the dancers.”
“You’re too kind,” I said simply. “I enjoyed the cake.” I eyed the leftovers of orange sponge with yellow paste. “Interesting taste compared to what I’m used to. A little spicy for a desert.”
He grinned. “You’ll get used to it. This is your home now. Of course, we will visit Magaelor twice yearly for a few weeks and appoint council to run our kingdom in our absence.”
My muscle tensed, hearing him refer to Magaelor as our kingdom. I reminded myself it wasn’t real and would be over soon. “You have a beautiful land here.”
“You’ve only seen Bluewater. There is so much to see in Berovia. The climates and cultures change as you venture to different parts of the kingdom. The fae province is beautiful, with blossom trees and red leafy trails, luscious green hills, and fields, and they house some of the rarest flowers in the world. I will take you there on our wedding tour.” His cheeks balled. “Which is in two days. Are you ready?”
My breath hitched. “I couldn’t be more ready.”
I prayed silently as Kiros walked off to meet a group of his old friends growing up. They all wore suits made of fine fabrics and bright colors. Please guide Cedric here, keep him safe, let us get out of this alive so I can go home and rule our people.
I kissed Kiros on the cheek and told him I was going to walk back to my room. He let me, without guards. A smile covered my face as I hurried up a spiraling staircase toward the west wing of the castle. It was thrilling to be on my own and not in my room. Trailing my finger along the polished stone walls, I rounded the column that reached all the way up several floors. It was somehow colder there than it was outside.
A small red door sat in front of me. Instead of continuing upward, my hand instinctively reached for the black doorknob and turned it. The door clicked open. I ducked inside, my heart skipping a beat when I saw a small, clean-shaven man with big round eyes the color of honey, dark skin, and short, black frizzy hair. He wore long green robes, which matched the smoke inside the crystal ball he’d been holding.
“You’re a seer!” I exclaimed.
“Yes.” His voice was deep, and calming. “Who are you?”
I wanted to joke that he should already know, but he wasn’t Morgana. “Winter. Mortis,” I stated. “Princess.”
“Yes, you’re marrying Prince Kiros.”
“So you’ve been told.”
“The king tells me everything.” He turned his back toward me to look at the shelves. The room was bigger, but it reminded me of the tower room Morgana had lived in. Bookshelves leaned against each wall, leaving space only for the window and a small bench. On it was a draped fur, a discarded book open to the middle, and scattered runes. In the middle of the room, a large round stone table stood proudly. A bottle filled with red liquid, a set of tarot cards—with the wanderer and Ring of Immortalem cards visible—and a small bowl filled with herbs sat in the center on top of a black cloth.
“I have a friend who’s a seer.”
“How unfortunate for her.”
My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “It is a gift.”
“It’s easy to say when you don’t have it.”
I wanted to point out that supposedly I did, but I stayed quiet on the subject. “Well, then. Sorry to disturb you.”
“You’re not,” he answered simply and returned the crystal ball to its stand on a shelf. “Why did you seek me out?”
I hadn’t, but it was an opportunity. “I wanted to know if the friend I just told you about is still alive.”
“Do you have payment?”
I shook my head. “Does being the next princess of Berovia count?”
“No. I cannot count on it.”
Oh no. “Why?”
“Destiny refuses to show me your future. It’s maddening.” He ticked his finger against the spine of a book. “The king asks me daily, and he does not like when he doesn’t get what he wants.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That you’re to be married to his son.”
“Then you’d be correct,” I lied. I found comfort that my future was not being shown by fate. I wondered… Was there even one left for me?
“I hope I am.” He didn’t seem overly friendly.
“I should go then.”
He closed his eyes, placing his hands on the crystal ball on the shelf. I wasn’t sure if it was my cue to go or not.
After a minute, he opened them again. “She is either cloaked, dead, or destiny will not show me her either.” He scowled at the ceiling.
“Perhaps you’re losing your curse,” I snarked. After all, he had said it wasn’t a gift and didn’t seem happy whatsoever.
“If that is true,” he replied in all seriousness. “Then pray for my soul when Xenos learns of it.”
“What’s your name?”
“Magnus.”
“If you’re ever in need of a change, I hope you would consider Magaelor. There, we regard seers in the highest of esteems,” I said earnestly.
“If our kingdoms join, then I would consider it.”
On that note, I left, feeling a little heavier than when I’d entered. Morgana was either dead or cloaked. I wished for the latter.
EIGHTEEN
When I closed my eyes, I was back in the cage. The bars tinged my skin red, blistering over old sores that never got to heal. Puss drained down my arms when I sat upright. I wanted to lie down and rest my head, but the sun beat down on me, unrelenting in its heat. Snakes slithered along the sand and stone, and scorpions crawled into the cages of unsuspecting prisoners, their tails poised to sting.
I gasped for air, suddenly desperate to get out. Those moments rushed back every now and then, in between thoughts of giving up, as if my body were reminding me that I needed to survive. I gripped my aching fingers around the bars, screaming for someone, anyone, to save me.
My eyelids fluttered open to the dim lights of the lamps, flickering flames onto the shadows on the walls. Kneading my fists into the blankets, I looked around. My room had subtle differences than where I was. The tables were in the wrong place, the painting of a landscape hung crooked—inches to the left of where it usually did—and the window was the wrong shape.
“You’re dreaming.” Cedric’s voice bounced around me.
I whipped my head around. He was leaning against the door with an uncertain smile on his face but then hurried toward me. We met in the middle, both of our arms stretched outward, and grabbed onto one another as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. It sure felt like we hadn’t.
“How do you know what my room looks like?” I questioned.
“It was your dream. I simply came in and made it ours.” He let out a weighted sigh, resting his head against mine. “How are you doing?”
“Kiros is in love with me,” I blurted. “He thinks he is anyway.”
He pulled me to arm’s length, his gold gaze searching mine. “How do you know this?”
“He told me.” I blew out a long exhale. “I didn’t mean for it to happen; I just did what you told me to. I gained his trust.”
He nodded slowly. “This could work for us. I hope.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“Are you close?” I questioned. “The wedding is the day after tomorrow.” My voice went up a whole octave. “I can’t go through with it, but I can’t run either. If I marry him, I hand over Magaelor. I’d rather die.”
Cedric squeezed my arms. “Don’t you dare consider—”
“Then get me out of here,” I stated
firmly, interrupting him. It was a low blow, a thinly veiled threat, but I was desperate, and I meant it. I really would rather be dead than see Berovia rule over my people.
“We’re in Woodbarrow. We’ll be in Bluewater tomorrow evening. We have fast horses. I have a plan. I’ve been trying to reach you.” His gaze flicked around mine manically. “But I couldn’t spend all my time asleep, not when I had a mission to uphold. I promised you I’d get you out of there, so promise me you’ll trust me to. You won’t give up.”
“I’ll wait,” I said slowly. “Until the I do’s if I must, but I will run if you’re not there, like I did to Blaise, except this time it’s different. There’s more at stake. They’ll kill me if I don’t go through with it, Cedric. It doesn’t matter if Kiros loves me or not. Xenos is king and he doesn’t.”
His face flushed red. His hair was wilder than I’d ever seen. His bright golden locks darted off in every direction, and his pointed ears poked out through the strands. He wore a gold hoop in one ear—a new addition, or at least I’d not noticed it before.
He took my hand in his and pulled me close to him. He brushed my hair back, then ran the back of his hand down my cheek to my neck, pausing once to look into my eyes. “I’ve missed you. We got so little time before you were taken from me. Then we had only moments in the dungeons, in your dreams. I thought I’d die seeing you tortured and in pain. Everything you’ve been through.” He kissed my forehead. “My brave, strong woman. I’m proud of you. You’ve come so far, and it will all be worth it. We just have to get past this, then you’ll see.”
“They’re hiding dragons. They’re holding two of them down in these caves they use. The hole, which is underground. Kiros told me it’s where they would be taken. I saw them in the pits, being dragged out.”
“They’re close to the dungeons. I know what ones he speaks of.”
The Fate of Crowns: The Complete Trilogy: A YA Epic Fantasy Boxset Page 39
