by Elly Blake
“I am quite sure you will!” I moved in front of Arcus, practically shouting in the queen’s face now. “And I would rather be there than sworn to serve a monster like you. It would be no better than when I was King Rasmus’s prisoner!”
Her hand pulled back and suddenly my face was turned to the side, my cheek burning as a ringing slap echoed through the room.
“My love,” said Prince Eiko quietly, his tone clearly a gentle attempt to calm her.
“Don’t touch her,” Arcus snapped with a warning look at the queen.
Kai’s hands settled on my shoulders, pulling me back against his chest. It might have been a protective gesture, but in my roiling fury, I interpreted it as an effort to silence me.
“No!” I said, elbowing him away. “Don’t try to calm me or convince me that I should accept this. This is wrong and I won’t stand for it.”
The queen and I glared at each other, both of us breathing heavily, the heat in the room multiplying and swelling until I saw one of the guards wipe sweat from his brow.
Finally, the queen’s brow relaxed, her lips lost their white-lipped compression, and a reluctant smile stretched across her face.
“If I had any remaining doubts that you are my sister’s child,” she said, something like admiration entering her eyes, “I would discard them now. You are most assuredly Rota’s daughter.”
“I won’t let you hurt him,” I said, trembling in reaction to her surprising change in mood.
She stared at Arcus, her gaze abstracted. Finally, she let out a long sigh. “Take him to the top of the north tower. I want six guards on him at all times. Kill him if he tries to escape.” She turned to me. “I warn you, Ruby, when I decide what is to be done, even you will not stop me.”
TWENTY-ONE
AS I LEFT THE THRONE ROOM, I encountered a group of courtiers. Two of the ladies stepped forward with curtsies, congratulating me on my upcoming marriage. I thanked them, feeling awkward and impatient. When I was finally free, I headed for the north tower, lifting my skirts to skip steps with impatient leaps. The requisite six guards were already in place in front of one of the doors in the short hallway. The closest two stepped together to block my way.
Time to act the princess. I produced a burning, haughty gaze, zeroing in on the younger of the two.
He blinked rapidly. “My apologies. You can’t go in there.”
I ratcheted my chin up. “I assure you, I can. The process is simple. You unlock the door, and I pass through it. Here, let me show you.”
“Queen’s orders,” the other affirmed.
“Do you know who I am?” I put my index finger to my lower lip as if I’d forgotten my own identity and hoped they would fill me in.
They glanced at each other. “The princess.”
I rewarded them with a broad smile. “Oh, you do know. Splendid.” I did my best imitation of Marella’s nonchalant hand gesture. Observing her in the Frost Court had proven useful more times than I could count. “Either unlock it for me or hand me the key. Whichever is faster. I can’t stand here all day. Things to do. A wedding to plan. Have you heard?”
They looked at each other again, not sure how to deal with me. “Our congratulations, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. Now, all I need is to deliver a quick message to our prisoner and then I’ll be off and leave you to your duties.”
“We would if we could,” said the younger one. “But we were instructed not to let anyone pass.”
I drew myself up. “Anyone? Are you saying that if Queen Nalani stood here and ordered you to let her by, you’d refuse?”
“Well, no,” he said slowly. “No, of course not.”
“Quite right.” The sweet smile again. “I’m so glad you answered correctly. Anything else would have earned you a prison cell, and I can assure you it wouldn’t be as comfortable as this one.” I gestured to the door. “You understand, of course, the same applies to me as to the queen? I am what you call an exception to your rules.” Kai wasn’t the only one who could make that claim. “Think carefully before you answer. Your future depends on it.”
“No one passes but the queen,” said the older one, nervous but determined.
Heat flared from my chest outward. I walked closer to him, firmly setting my fingertip under his perfectly clean-shaven chin. He recoiled a little at my touch. He was a Fireblood, no doubt. His skin was warmer than someone without the gift. But not like mine. If I chose to, I could take out all of these guards. However, my freedom would be severely curtailed if I tried that. Persuasion with a dash of coercion was called for, not outright force.
“And if I tell you I disagree?” I asked. “Will you lay hands on me?” I pressed myself closer, letting my chest touch his. He stepped back a fraction, trapped by the door behind him.
“Of course not, my lady. Your Highness.”
“I’d hate to tell my aunt… oh, I mean, the queen… how you put these rough hands”—I grabbed one of his clenched fists and lifted it to my cheek—“on my royal person. She wouldn’t like that, would she?” I widened my eyes and blinked up at him.
His breathing stopped. Silence reigned. Finally, he let out a loud breath and stepped aside. “Keep your visit short.” Mottled red had crept over his neck. Whether the blush was caused by desire or embarrassment or anger that I’d outmaneuvered him, I didn’t know and it didn’t matter. I’d won. I’d have to be quick, though. They might rush off to alert the queen.
He unlocked the door and I swept through, shutting it behind me.
Before I could speak, Arcus said, “Don’t bother.”
I leaned against the door, gathering my courage. After all the shocks he’d just endured, he was bound to take some of it out on me. “Oh, you’d like me to leave, then?”
“Say what you have to say and then leave. I have no wish to see you or your pretty husband.”
So, this was how it was going to be. I looked at the ceiling, as if I might find a fresh supply of patience up there. “He’s not my husband. I can explain—”
“‘To be,’ then. It’s not worth debating. Or have you missed that? Someone to argue with?”
My teeth ground together. If he didn’t want to listen to my explanations, so be it. “There are plenty of argumentative people here.”
“Well, if you haven’t come to argue, you’ve come to the wrong place.”
I exhaled and looked closely at him for the first time since entering the room. He sat with his face turned away, but even the sight of his familiar profile made me dizzy with conflicting emotions: longing, pleasure, worry, guilt. “Do you think it’s that easy to drive me away?”
“Nothing with you is easy. Ever.”
Determined not to be drawn into the blowup he seemed to want, I glanced around the room. It was a good size, with all the trappings of a guest chamber: sturdy carved bed, two wingback chairs next to the window, tapestries and a worn but fine rug, a large stone fireplace with an empty grate, a heavy wardrobe and nightstand and dressing table. All in all, the queen had been generous in her choice of room. But the door was plated with steel, the window had bars over it, and I suspected the chimney was similarly barred inside. It was a fancy cell.
Arcus sat in one of the chairs, his face turned resolutely to the window. I moved forward and sat gingerly in the empty wingback. The familiar aura of cold that always surrounded him embraced me, and it was painfully sweet. It’s so good to see your face, I wanted to say. I’ve missed you so much. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and beg him to wrap his arms around me and bask in the comfort and safety of his presence. My stomach clenched as I noticed that the cuts on his cheek had bled a little. I wanted to press a cloth to them and put salve on them and tell him I was sorry for the queen’s abuse. But it was very clear he wouldn’t allow me to do or say any of that. The tension in his body, from the cord standing out in his neck to the brutal set of his jaw, screamed rejection.
He spared me a glance, emanating hostility.
I swallowed,
trying not to let hurt overwhelm me. After all, I knew exactly why he was angry.
“You saw the announcement,” I said.
His chest rose and fell a few times before he said, deadpan, “Felicitations.”
“Arcus, please. The engagement isn’t—”
“If I’d had any worry until that moment that you were being held against your will, that kiss put my mind at ease. What a relief.” The sarcasm was biting.
I took a steadying breath. “You said the message implied I was in danger?”
“As I said, I was foolish. One guess who was behind that letter.” He kept his face turned to the window.
“You think Kai forged it?” I’d thought of that possibility, but I couldn’t figure out a motive. “I’ll find out, I promise you.”
“What does it matter now? I must give him credit. Not only did he lure you here, he fooled me, too.”
No, I couldn’t believe Kai would do this. Even more stunning was the fact that Arcus had dropped everything for my sake. “I can’t believe you came. To leave your court, your responsibilities, and travel all this way—”
“Really?” His brows drew together. “You don’t think I’d care if you were in danger?”
“Of course I know you’d care. But you didn’t have to come yourself. You could have sent someone to check on me.”
“Who would I send in my place? Brother Thistle? He’s getting rather long in the tooth to stage a rescue, don’t you think? Or should I have sent my soldiers, perhaps members of my personal guard? Even if they’d shown no animosity to you before, that doesn’t mean they’d be willing to lay down their lives for you in my absence. They could come back empty-handed with any made-up story of how a rescue was impossible and I’d never know the difference. There’s no one I trust enough to send after you. I had to come myself.”
His words warmed me like a great, crackling bonfire. “Who did you leave in charge?”
“Lord Ustathius, of course. He’s more than capable and he has the court’s trust.”
“But what about the peace accords? It would have been a terrible time to—”
“I know,” he broke in, finally meeting my eyes. For a second, I was startled by all that blue. Aside from the queen’s servant, who had a paler shade, I hadn’t seen vivid Frostblood eyes for weeks now, and they looked just as foreign and surprising to me as the impossibly pink flowers had looked when I’d first arrived in Sudesia. “Don’t you think I know it was a terrible time to leave?”
“And to chase a Fireblood. I can just imagine the gossip.”
He grimaced. “We had a cover story, of course. That the queen had agreed to talk with me, but only if I came in person.”
“If only she would talk to you. If we can just get her to sign the peace accords, the provinces will follow suit.”
“It didn’t seem like the queen was all that eager to do what you asked.” He gestured to my cheek, which must be fairly red, since it had started to throb. A flicker of something like regret sparked in his eyes before they shuttered.
“But you’re here, aren’t you, rather than in prison?” I said. “So I do have some influence.”
He looked at me, his expression bleak. “Are you really the queen’s niece?”
“They seem to think so.” And I thanked Sud for my new identity, no matter whether I had any right to it. Without it, I would have no way to protect Arcus.
“You seemed comfortable enough in the role.” He glanced pointedly at my crown. “Almost as comfortable as you were in the arms of that fop.”
“He’s not a fop.”
Arcus snorted.
“Well, Kai does love his wardrobe, I admit. But he’s not so bad. You might like him if you gave him a chance.”
He turned a look of complete incredulity on me. “You’re many things, but I never thought you were deluded.” He shook his head again, as if he couldn’t believe it. “How do you happen to be a princess, anyway? I’m sure the Frost Court would enjoy the unlikely tale.”
Despite the sarcasm, I knew he cared more than he wanted to admit. I briefly recounted the first trial when I’d stopped the flow of lava, and how, when I was delirious from scorpion poison, the queen had heard me singing her sister’s version of a lullaby.
Though I spoke lightly about the whole thing, his brows drew together and he watched me with a penetrating gaze, his expression freezing as I described my brushes with death.
When I was done, he took a breath, making a noticeable effort to relax. “So you took the trials to gain access to the book, and instead you’ve gained a kingdom.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m not sure I’m willing to accept that I am her niece.”
“It doesn’t matter if you accept it. The queen believes it and has named you her heir. Your future is here now. Isn’t it?”
A few weeks ago, I would have fallen all over myself reassuring him that wasn’t true. But there was this awkward distance between us, and more important, I hadn’t had time to process any of what I’d learned over the past few days. I said the one thing I was sure about. “My immediate plans haven’t changed. I need to destroy the Minax.” I stood and paced from the bed to the fireplace and back. “But first, I need to get you out of here. I’ll speak to Queen Nalani when she’s had time to calm down. She has to see reason.”
“Don’t bother.”
I gasped. “Did you just say that?” Heat flared in my chest and my fingertips grew warm.
He put up a palm. “I only mean that speaking to her won’t do any good. She conceded to you about my imprisonment because she saw that she was losing control of you. She retreated from a minor skirmish so she could amass her forces for a win. If she wants me dead, she won’t be persuaded out of it.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“First of all, have you found the book?”
I hated to extinguish the hope in his eyes. “I broke into the masters’ library, but it wasn’t there. I don’t know where else to look. After I become a master, I’ll be able to ask them directly about the Minax. Or maybe there’s another library or more books that could help.”
“After you become a master. So you plan to go through with it?” His expression and tone were carefully blank.
“I have to. They won’t tell me anything until I’m one of them.”
“And what do you need to pledge to become one of them?”
I feigned nonchalance to cover my fears. “Undying loyalty to the queen. Complete subservience. My firstborn child.”
“What?” he asked, startled.
“Oh, sorry, that last one comes with the marriage vows. She wants heirs.” It was harder to be flippant about that last part. I rested my head against the chair back and closed my eyes. It was humiliating to realize how deftly the queen had maneuvered me. And I could only imagine what Arcus thought about me going along with this farce.
He was silent for a minute before asking, “And you’ve agreed to the marriage for the queen’s sake? Or for your own?”
I shook my head, rolling it from side to side against the satiny brocade. “I agreed because I had to. The third trial was a test of obedience. I had to agree, or I’d fail the trials and lose my chance at finding a way to stop the Minax.”
It was eerily silent. I opened my eyes as a gale-force sigh swept toward me like a cool breeze, stirring the loose hairs at my temples. He stabbed his fingers through his hair in a shaky gesture of relief. “The moment you saw me, those should have been the first words out of your mouth! When I was torturing myself with thoughts of you promising to love another for all eternity.”
“You didn’t let me say anything! You were snapping at me the moment I walked in! But honestly, did you think I’d jumped into an engagement within weeks of leaving you? You know me better than that.”
He flopped back in the chair, his chest rising and falling on a deep breath. “Good gods, woman. You’ll be the death of me.”
“Don’t say that.” I touched his knee, and my ha
nd was instantly imprisoned in his larger one. The cold was enticingly familiar. I treasured every goose bump that traveled up my arm.
“The kiss was real, though,” he murmured after a minute, while his thumb traced the back of my hand.
“What?” I was lost in the pleasure of touching him again after so long.
“Your kiss wasn’t fake. And you were too comfortable together for it to be your first.”
“Oh.” A frown pulled my brows together. How could I sum up my complicated relationship with Kai? I didn’t even understand it myself. Suddenly, I felt both guilty and defensive. When I’d left Tempesia, Arcus had told me we had to let each other go. I had tried to do that and I hadn’t been very successful.
“We’ve spent a great deal of time together training for the trials,” I said simply. “And no, it wasn’t the first.” I hated hurting him, but I hated lying more.
He pulled back to sit with his hands on the chair’s armrests. I drew my hand to my lap, hurt, even though I could understand his apparent rejection.
He spoke with quiet force. “I’m trying so hard to tell myself that it doesn’t matter and that you and I hadn’t made any promises. That clearly I felt something that you didn’t and I fooled myself into thinking there was more.” His eyes found mine, drowning me in shades of a cloudless summer sky. “But even though you never said exactly what you felt for me… Ruby,” his voice broke a little on my name, “I truly believed there was more.”
“There is,” I said desperately, gutted by the pain I saw in his eyes.
“But so soon?” He blinked. “You just… found someone else?”
“It’s not like that. It’s… complicated.” I threw up my hands, still struggling to put it all into words. “When I left, we knew it would never work between us. The court would never let it.”
“You knew that. You were convinced. Not me.”
I leaned forward angrily. “Well, you were fooling yourself, then. Because I did nothing but undercut you by being there and that is a fact, whether you choose to believe it or not.”
“I still don’t accept that.”
