Castle of Lies

by Kiersi Burkhart

  Sapphire’s pink wisp circles the air over our heads, chittering with excitement. I can make out a high curved ceiling made of a few huge, perfectly smooth stones that fit together as one. Behind us lie the collapsed remains of the sewage pipe that has become the Pit. Ahead, an endless tunnel, filled with human waste that could be hundreds of cycles old.

  “The wisp won’t hurt us,” Thelia assures Corene. Overhead, the voices grow more numerous.

  “Run,” I say. The little pink light happily illuminates the path ahead of us, like this is all a big game.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Thelia asks as we scramble over centuries-old human waste.

  “This drain should lead to the moat,” Corene says.

  We keep going, the muck making a sucking sound with each step. I have to yank my foot up to withdraw and press hard to move forward. We trudge through darkness for what feels like the rest of my life, and I start to breathe hard—only through my mouth. I haven’t heard any noises except our footfalls.

  The wisp starts to bob excitedly. A pinprick of light appears far ahead. “There!” Thelia shouts.

  She rushes onward. I follow, passing Corene as she slogs through the muck. “Wait!” she calls after us. But we can’t be stopped. The light expands as we approach. My lungs seize, sucking in the putrid air.

  Thelia comes to an abrupt halt, just a shadow surrounded by a circle of bright light. I stop inches shy of careening off the edge of the stone pipe, out into the rushing water below.

  Blue sky. A few fluffy white clouds. The moat beneath us. Ahead, the rooftops and walls of the city, stretching off into the snowy hills beyond.

  No more walls. A limitless expanse. “There it is,” Thelia whispers. “Freedom.”

  I gaze down at the fifty-foot drop. From here on, I don’t know what we’ll do or where we’ll go. But we’ll survive together.

  Bayled

  We follow the Bellisares’ private road toward Melidihan, with Halrendar hitched to the creaky old carriage and me in the driver’s seat. Before we meet the Low Road, we pass a set of tracks I don’t recognize. “These feet are much bigger than a human’s,” the Baron says, crouching down to examine one print.

  Long ears. What they’re doing out here, though, I don’t know.

  It’s a short journey up the bumping, rocky Low Road. The hilly grasslands turn flat and muddy, until over the next ridge, the high stone walls of the city appear. It’s strange to see it again after all this time. It’s smaller than I remember, and the construction looks cheap.

  Beyond the wall and the sinking rooftops of the Lower City is Four Halls.

  “Look,” I whisper, pointing. I don’t know how to describe what I’m seeing. A flickering blue bubble, like glass, has been erected all around the castle.

  Harged freezes. “That’s Magic, sir,” he says. He looks at Captain Tarkness guiltily. “The bad kind this time.” She acknowledges the veiled apology with a nod.

  We stop in front of the city gate—no guards. It’s not even locked. Nearby the ground is disturbed, and flies hover in a gray cloud. The air smells foul. The Captain climbs out of the carriage to open the city gate but stops abruptly and grimaces down at her feet. “Bits of bones.”

  “We shouldn’t be here,” Harged whispers. “We’re going to die.”

  The Baron and I exchange a look. We’re here, his eyes say to me. We only have one direction to go.

  Inside.

  Once we’re through the gate, the Captain disappears into the carriage. She, Harged, and the Baron are obviously not Northerners, so they’ve agreed to stay hidden.

  The city, as expected, is abandoned. Everyone took shelter inside Four Halls and tied their fates to the royals. The decision was sensible at the time—royalty will preserve themselves until the very last. But whose bones were those?

  The carriage wheels echo on the cobblestone as we climb the weathered streets from the Lower City to the Upper City. Houses gape at us through broken windows and open doors. The high walls of Four Halls come into sight.

  Our carriage stops in front of the bridge, which crosses a hundred feet of moat before ending at the portcullis. I look up at the two figures standing atop the wall.

  “Greetings!” I call out in Keshar. It feels rusty on my tongue. “I’m an emissary from the Northern Republic. We’ve received word that power has changed hands in the Holy Kingdom. We would like to speak with you on matters of diplomacy.”

  My plan is simple. Get inside the castle peacefully, lure the elves into telling me where Corene is being kept, then have Captain Tarkness give the signal for the Baron’s men to attack.

  One of the elves leaps off the wall and disappears. A flicker of light down below catches my gaze. It’s hair—red hair. I squint and see three people standing on a stone outcropping hanging over the moat. It’s a drainage pipe, barely visible from the bridge.

  One of them looks up. It’s a girl with short black hair. Red lips. Big eyes. Thelia? Then the redheaded person behind her can only be—

  Corene? No! They were supposed to be inside, locked up, ready to run when we got through these walls. But they’re already running. They don’t need me to rescue them.

  Ahead of us, one of the elves calls something out loud that I can’t understand. There’s a great rumble, and the portcullis starts to open.

  “Is that the Princess?” I hear Harged say. He’s hanging out the window of the carriage, where he was supposed to be hiding. I turn around in the driver’s seat and gesture with a finger to keep quiet—but he’s not looking at me. He waves his arm and shouts, “Princess!”

  “Shut up,” the Baron hisses. The castle gate’s halfway up. We’re almost in. Down below, Thelia, Corene, and Parsifal duck back inside the drainage pipe. The portcullis slides all the way open—and Harged’s still shouting. My eyes find the Baron’s and we both know at once that our plan is ruined.

  Elven soldiers in silver armor rush out onto the bridge, heads covered except for their long, pointed ears. It’s not until they’re on top of us that I realize how tall they are—as tall as man on horseback. Halrendar tries to rear up as dozens of them swarm around us, their faces reflecting the sun like steel, but he’s attached to the carriage yoke. He thrashes uselessly.

  Two elves leap off the bridge. One lands on the top of the pipe, balancing perfectly. The other lands in the water and swims. I hear Thelia yelling, but it’s too late. One has grabbed her and is dragging her back out.

  “Thelia!” the Baron shouts.

  Harged’s out of the carriage, sword drawn, face contorted in fury. “Harged!” My words are licked away by the frenzy. “Don’t!” If he attacks before we get inside, they’ll fight back. We would lose that fight. But we still have a chance to make it inside as prisoners if we surrender our arms.

  I leap off the carriage and sprint toward Harged as more elven soldiers dive off the bridge. Corene screeches down below—I’d know the sound anywhere. Harged’s sword collides with armor, and the air fills with a metallic ringggg. I stumble to a halt. It’s too late.

  An elf wearing a cheetah-print fur cloak strides toward me across the bridge, face hidden behind a gold mask. His green hair glints in the sunlight, and his metallic gold skin is blinding. He stops right behind Harged as he slashes again, and he pulls up his mask so I can see his face. The elf’s grin is wicked.

  “Prince,” he says over the din.

  I narrow my eyes. “I’m no prince.” His smile only grows wider, showing rows of straight, perfect teeth.

  Down below, some long ears drag Parsifal off the ledge. Corene shouts curses, her hands bound behind her back. Thelia fights off one, but another one seizes her from behind.

  “Come,” the elf in the cheetah cape says, gesturing me to the open gate. “We have so much to discuss.” He sheathes his sword, and the others nearby lay down their arms. A peace offering.

  Harged’s panting, sword raised in the air to land another blow, but I hold up my hand. “Wait.”

&
nbsp; His eyes narrow. “Sir,” he says. “Don’t—” I glare, and he falls silent.

  Taking a step toward the green-haired elf, I lower my own sword. Perhaps this can still go the way I intended. When the tip of my blade touches the ground, the side of the elf’s mouth twists up in a cruel smile.

  He tears his sword from its sheath and slides the blade through Harged’s middle, spraying blood.

  Harged stumbles to his knees. I run to him as a dozen more soldiers dive off the bridge. Captain Tarkness raises her hands, a ball of Magic at the center of them, but a blunt hit with a spear knocks her down.

  I kneel by Harged’s side. He smiles, blood bubbling out of his mouth. He looks defiant, satisfied. “It’s been my honor to serve you, King Vasha.” With that, he topples forward. I rush to grab him, but two elves seize my shoulders from behind.

  The elf—no, the demon—with green hair ties me up. “Welcome,” he sneers. Captain Tarkness and the Baron have already been tied up. Soldiers haul Corene, Thelia, and Parsifal out of the moat. The Green Demon lines us up like a crew headed to the gallows.

  I can’t bear to look at the others. This was our only chance, and I failed them all.

  Chapter 16

  Sapphire

  I’m in the kitchen trying to cook when the food cart I sent up to Thelia and Parsifal returns—with food still on it, untouched.

  My humans must be starving by now. There is only one reason they would not eat any of their meal.

  I run from the kitchen as fast as my legs will go. If they have escaped, the Commander will strip me of my rank. Send me back to Viteos in disgrace. And I will never see Thelia and Parsifal again. They will be out there covered in Magic, a danger to themselves and everything around them.

  The door to their suite is still closed and sealed. I flick my hand angrily and the Magic seal blows off. The door flies wide, scattering splinters. I should be more careful, given how thick and volatile Magic here has become, but part of me wants to seize as much as I can and light it on fire.

  A pa-chi-chi board sits in front of the hearth next to a puddle of blankets, as if someone has been sleeping here. I charge into Parsifal’s room.

  Empty. They are gone.

  I should never have kept Parsifal’s use of Magic secret; surely it is how they escaped. I was immeasurably foolish to care about him, to protect him, at my own expense.

  Parsifal. Thelia. How could you do this to me?

  In Commander Valya’s quarters, I hold out my gold mask. The Commander looks up. His eyes are rimmed with dark circles. The sheen on his skin is dulled. “What is this, friend Sapphire?”

  “My mask,” I say. “I am resigning as one of your Jaguars, Commander.” I let them escape. Time to meet my punishment with a strong face.

  He does not take my mask. “You are not so easily released from your obligations. And I have already received the news about your prisoners. They were spotted escaping through the old dwarves’ sewers, beneath the castle. They have been apprehended—along with their rescuers.”

  What rescuers? Not that it concerns me now. Surely I will never see them again.

  His lips twist, like he has eaten something rotten. “In any case, your two little pets are the least of my worries.”

  “I—” I begin, but Commander Valya places a finger on my lips. He leans toward me so his face is barely an inch away from mine, as if he is either going to kiss me or eat me. I get a whiff of his breath, which smells like . . . meat. Like rot.

  “Go from my sight. Attend to your duties—we have new prisoners in the dungeon. Then I will decide what becomes of your mask.”

  Thelia

  Whoever that big red-haired man was, he’s dead now. The elf with the green hair and the cloak like Sapphire’s—clearly the leader of this group—put him down like an animal.

  Corene was right. The long ears aren’t going to let us survive this. Maybe if Parsifal had never found out he could use Magic, if we’d just stayed put, we might have lived. Not now.

  At least Bayled’s alive—one thing that isn’t terrible. I’m surprised at the relief I feel. He may no longer be the King’s heir, but there’s no throne to speak of, either. I’m simply glad to see his familiar face and know our childhood companion isn’t dead.

  And Red. Oh, Red. Why did you come for me now?

  The long ears march us through the courtyard—filled with strange giant animals and elven soldiers—and back into the castle. “Thelia,” Red whispers, reaching for my hand with his. “I’m so sorry.”

  His face—square chin with the cleft in the middle, bushy eyebrows, high cheekbones, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail—is a reminder of everything I once loved. Red clearly came here for me. Even after everything Corene told him, after he fled the castle and left me that letter . . .

  I thought you’d be better off pursuing your own dreams.

  My fingers brush against Red’s for a split second before he and Captain Tarkness are dragged away in a direction I already know. “Red!” I shout. That awful Commander Valya is going to let them rot down in the dungeon, until they die and rise again.

  The green-haired elf looks Parsifal and me up and down. “Ah, Sapphire’s pets,” he says in a thick accent, exposing his canines. So he knows Sapphire. Where are they? By now, they must have discovered us gone. They must be furious.

  I focus on my hands as Bayled, Corene, Parsifal, and I are dragged through the castle, toward the South Tower. Up the stairs, down the hall, to a familiar door. My gut twists. My own suite, where I’ve lived for years—free.

  Our caravan of soldiers and humans and this grinning idiot of an elf, who’s acting like he’s received the world’s greatest solstice gift, all stop. A nightmare lies behind this door that’s no better than the dungeon.

  Parsifal wriggles his hands so his wrist can brush mine. Just the momentary sensation sends a spark rippling up my arm. He’s trying to assure me, but there’s no peace at this door.

  Our captors reach an agreement with the guards, and the suite opens. Morgaun sits at the table in the main room, surrounded by piles of books. When he sees us, his lips warp into a smile that never reaches his eyes.

  “Hello, sister.”

  Bayled

  I should be thrilled to see Corene after how long we’ve been apart. I’ve longed for her bright blue eyes like the sea. Every night I’ve thought of the lemon-and-lavender scent of her perfume and fantasized about our last night together, her legs wrapped around my hips.

  She was my reason for returning to this damned castle, my reason for inventing the squork-brained idea that’s ruined everything. I reach out to take her hand, because it’s what I’m supposed to do. Maybe the feel of her will transport me back to that time and place.

  Her flesh is as cold as Harged’s body. I feel nothing.

  “Bayled.” She throws her arms around me, and the stench of the sewer drains is overwhelming. She backs away, sniffing herself. “It’s awful, isn’t it? I’d better take a bath when Thelia’s done.”

  “I’m sorry about your father,” I say, trying to think of anything but Harged. Except I keep reliving the moment—the elf’s smile, the sword sliding in and out. Cruel, and meant only to punish me.

  Corene nods. “Dad’s declining quickly. Those bastards let me see him for a moment just to extort me for a full surrender.”

  “He’s alive?” It feels like I’ve been punched.

  “What did you think?”

  I shake my head. Sasel told me the King was gone, and I accepted it as truth. In a way it was easier. It meant I’d never have to confront him.

  But wait—that message came from Forgren. Why would the court wizard lie? It didn’t serve him, only Nul se Lan.

  “Bayled?” Corene asks. “Can I ask you something?”

  I feel so tired. “Of course.”

  “Where’s Nul?”

  The way she says it, I know it’s the question she’s been holding in since the moment she saw us. Rage blossoms in me at her menti
on of the man who stole everything, who tried to have me murdered.

  “I don’t know gobble about him,” I snarl. Corene’s eyes go wide. I’ve grown angry so quickly that I’m trembling. “He left. He took the entire King’s army and sent his guard after me to kill me.”

  Thelia’s voice cuts in. “The cratertooth did what?” She stands in the doorway, short wet hair tousled around her head. “Melidia be damned. If Parsifal had told me what he’d heard sooner, maybe—”

  I hold up a hand. “There wasn’t anything more you could’ve done.”

  Corene looks at Thelia, stunned. “You didn’t tell me.”

  “We didn’t want to upset you. We had Priestess Ilisa send Bayled a warning.”

  “I can’t believe it.” Corene breathes heavily a few times. “I . . . I never trusted the Southerner.”

  “Oh, really?” Thelia’s eyes turn to slits. “You were all over him.”

  Am I really hearing Thelia stand up for me? She suddenly reminds me of Harged—fierce and loyal. I’ve never seen her like this.

  Corene glares at her. “As if I had a choice. I had to pretend to like him for the Kingdom, and so Dad wouldn’t feel terrible about sending me away.”

  Thelia rolls her eyes. “I’m sure.”

  “Theels—” Corene starts.

  “Look, it makes no difference to me. But Bayled came back for you—the least you can do is be honest with him.” Thelia stalks back into the main room.

  Corene squeezes my arm. “You know it’s you I love, not Nul. Right, Bayled?”

  “Of course.” But what should I believe? This castle is full of lies.

  Parsifal

  We should’ve been grateful for the meals Sapphire made for us while we had the luxury. When dinner arrives, it’s mush that’s not even pretending to be real food. My nose is still filled with the stench of sewage, but my stomach hasn’t seen a meal in days, so I manage to eat some lumpy gruel. Duke Finegarden doesn’t touch any, and his face looks ghastly.