Standing to his feet, Knox’s fingers clasp the top of the chair. His eyes move over my heated frame and to the ever-smoldering one of my sister. “Such bold questions, for one who already seems to hold all the answers. If you are so interested, then let’s say we put our feelings on the matter out on the table once and for all. Bates!” he calls, rattling his guard from his station by the door. “You’re dismissed. On your way out, make it known that I need to see him immediately.”
His words pound against my head, causing an angry confusion to build from within, and I don’t have time to question who this him might be. My eyes flash to Bates, hoping to be able to read something in his permanently stony façade, but his back is already to me as he retreats through the open doors, ready to retrieve whatever beast my father has requested without even a second thought.
A beast that better not come with midnight hair and empty, blue eyes.
“Dismissed?” I gape at the vacant space left behind from Bates, squeezing tightly to Vivi’s outstretched hand. “If we’re going to discuss my future in Theron, then Bates needs to be here. You understand better than anyone that I’m entrusting my future in his ability to get me there and back unscathed.”
Knox’s sneer turns catlike, a prowling panther ready to make his kill. “You see, that’s where you’re mistaken, dear daughter. Bates won’t be accompanying you to Theron. Aras will.”
Eleven
By the time the heavy doors finally open, the sweet-smelling meat left untouched on my plate has more than cooled. Its red sauce is now a congealed mess, reminding me of the heavy thoughts that root deep tunnels through every crevice in my mind. Across from me, Vivi’s eyes flick up from her plate, immediately narrowing at the boy who has stolen both of our hearts.
“You called for me?” Aras says, coming to a stop near the head of the table. My chin threatens to tilt in his direction, and my pulse rises at the sound of his voice. Every part of me begs to jump from this table and take him in my arms. But I’m no fool, and I’m completely aware that only grief awaits me if I do. So my hands hold tight to the chair, keeping me in place.
And I wait.
“I certainly did, Aras.” Knox gestures wide at the new chair that now sits by Vivi’s side. Not mere seconds after Bates left, the same man dressed in the fine, black tunic had bustled into the room, this time carrying an extra chair to place at the table. Without being asked, he sat it beside Vivi and left the room, as if this was a part of his duties all along. And if I’m being honest, I think that’s what scares me the most.
Knox has a plan for the three of us, and I have the distinct feeling I’m not going to like it.
Aras glides around the table, pulling the remaining seat and plopping down with ease—perfectly ready for a dinner full of dark magic and boiling blood. Vivi sniffs in his direction, the first movement I’ve seen her make since our father last spoke. Then she turns her sharp green eyes to the one man who controls all of our fates. “You can’t truly aim to send Brave off to Theron with no one but Aras by her side. Haven’t you seen them in a room together? They’ll kill each other before they’re past the gates.”
Knox’s gaze turns gentle as he watches his younger daughter with interest, making my skin crawl with disgust. He’s enjoying this. That slimy, evil tyrant is having fun, and Vivi’s words have turned the tide in this game he plays. A game I’m more than sure we’re about to lose.
“I think you can rest assured, Viviana, that killing each other is the last thing you’ll catch them doing.” His slick eyes move to mine, and my stomach turns at the satisfaction I see building in their depths. “Not because they won’t feel the need, you see, but because it isn’t physically possible. At least not until Brave’s powers are honed. Yet, even then, something tells me your sister still won’t have the courage to take matters into her own hands.”
“Perhaps I should practice on you before we leave,” I taunt, understanding the hidden meaning of his words all too well. One day, if not already, I’ll be stronger than Aras, the mindless soldier feeding on borrowed magic. But that’s not why he lacks concern. Knox isn’t afraid because he knows I don’t hold the strength where it truly matters the most.
He knows I’ll never have the guts to harm my lost love.
“My, my. Such big words for such a little girl,” Aras says, finally filling my vision. His lips are perched in an arrogant smile, but when his gaze meets mine, it wobbles in the low light, turning down at the edges. His eyes widen for the briefest of seconds before a cold scowl forms on his face. “And trying to play dress up, I see. I’m sure you’re already aware, but it doesn’t suit you well.”
“That’s not what your eyes just said,” I quip.
“You see!” Vivi pounds on the table, calling our attention back to her simmering frame. “I give them half a day at most before the fire starts flying. And what will they say when they arrive in Theron, half burned from their threatening taunts? Please ignore the melted skin, Your Highness, but we swear we arrive in peace.”
Aras starts to respond with what I’m sure will be a sharp remark of his own, but Vivi cuts him off with a growl as she stands from the table. Tossing her arms across her chest, she marches to the fireplace like the ruling princess that she is. “Let me go with them. If anyone can keep them from harming each other, it’s me. Not to mention the show of confidence it will give Theron, considering you’d allow your only two heirs to visit another kingdom on their own. They may not fully trust you if you only send the fiery Brave. But send her innocent younger sister, too? Perhaps then you’ll finally have your deal.”
My gaze moves from Vivi to Knox, who now sits with his chin propped atop his hand as if he is actually considering the reasoning behind her words. There’s no denying Vivi’s right. If Theron were to consider cutting any sort of deal with Knox, which I know they won’t, it would look better if Vivi came along as well. For who would send their innocent, perfectly normal daughter to a bloodbath?
My father, naturally…
“Alright,” he says, causing us all to stiffen with his words. “If Theron wants a show of good faith, then perhaps you are the best I can give them. Besides Brave, of course.” His eyes roam to me, and I find myself frozen in place, if not from the suffocating dress, then from the very jolt of his words.
“And what do you plan to have me do while I’m there?” I whisper, not sure if he can hear the sound of my words over the pounding of my heart.
“It’s simple, child, and I believe you know the story well. Long ago, your mother promised your hand to the Theron prince. She did this in an effort to save you, but who knew her forethought would end up being so beneficial to me?”
His gray eyes dig into my own, the dark swirls of black threatening to take him whole, and I fight the shudder that aches to work its way through my bones. “You see,” he continues, pushing back his chair and rising to walk slowly to my side, “you are now my own link to the inside. You, my daughter, are the only one who they are foolish enough to let within their walls.”
“Then why even let me in? Why take a chance if they know I could do them harm?” I ask, holding my chin high even though his approaching form is enough to make me want to crawl under the table and hide for weeks.
“Because you are the key to it all.” He takes my face into his warm hands, and I fight to steady my breaths. “You are the key, because your blood marks you so. Half Orien. Half Theron. You have the power to help us both, and mark my words, they will try to pull you to their side. Although, I must admit, when I first contacted Theron about resuming Brave’s betrothal, the king and queen were resistant at best. I can’t say I blamed them, considering they shared the story of how a half-burned Ingrid turned up at their doors.” He stops to gauge my reaction, knowing Theron herself told Knox of our mother’s survival, but I’m way past biting. I’m way past most things. “Thankfully, they began to understand my proposal for exactly what it was—a piece of their throne in exchange for avoiding an all-out war. At
the end of the day, Theron has Ingrid and I have Brave, but only one of them can bring peace… and I think we both know that’s exactly what Ingrid failed to bring. Theron can’t afford to make the same mistake twice.”
My thoughts flash to Ian, the selfless, handsome boy whose only wish is to see his kingdom come out of this unharmed. And though he never said it, I have a feeling that, even after our fight is through, he very much wants me to stay by his side. The only problem is that I don’t know if I can.
“And what if you don’t like the side I choose?” I ask, blinking away all thoughts of Ian as Knox’s palms begin to heat against the automatic cooling of my skin, protecting itself from within.
“Then I suppose that’s where your little sister and Aras come in, now isn’t it?” he whispers, ducking his lips down close to my ear. Heat rakes across my cheek, and I pull on the cooling rivers of ice that flood through my veins. Steam rises from the places where our skin meets, and he pulls back, a manic pleasure flashing in his eyes. “Such a rush of power, I notice, when I mention their names. I wonder, Brave, how you would feel if something were to happen to them? Something rather unpleasant, to be exact.”
Pushing against his shoulders, I jump to my feet, sending my chair flying backward on the floor. My cheeks sting at the loss of his heated hands, and I don’t have to look at Vivi to know my face is now a blushing tint of red and blue. “I’ll kill you before you lay a hand on Vivi,” I snarl, the sound feral to my ears. “I won’t do a thing you ask if you so much as threaten her. But if you need someone to go to Theron and do your bidding, then you’ve got the wrong daughter. Are we clear?”
A loud roar of flames suddenly fills the room, and my head whips across the table to find Vivi ensnarled in a ring of fire, not unlike the very one Knox put me in when I first stepped foot in this prison we call home. Without thinking, I start to round the table, headed to the flames, when a rough hand latches onto my elbow, pulling me back to his chest. “Not so fast, little one,” Knox coos, lowering his head until his smooth beard rubs against my cheek. My eyes search in vain to spot Vivi through the fire, but all I can see are the dark blacks and reds of my father’s flames. “Besides, I’m not the one who will be hurting her if you don’t do as I please. I’ll leave that up to Aras.”
For the first time since we exchanged insults, my eyes dart to my Orien guard. His tall body stands taut, not but steps away from the flames. His vision drinks in the dark colors of the fire as they lick wildly about the circle, threatening to reach the ceilings with their wrath. Slowly, Knox’s hands slide from my arms, and he backs away, leaving me with nothing but my dark-haired beauty and the flames that cast shadows across his cheeks. His focused gaze leaves the fire for a moment, catching my own as I watch the strain battle in his eyes, and I can’t help the cry that leaves my lips as all of my father’s pieces finally fall into place.
This isn’t Knox’s fire; it belongs to Aras.
“No,” I scream, scrambling forward in my tight dress. “No! Stop it!” My hands lash out, grabbing hold of Aras’ arm and tugging him away from the fire with everything I have left. His dark eyes latch onto my own, and the heated pain I see there is almost too much to bear. “Please, Aras,” I beg, reaching up to cup my cool hands against his warming cheeks. Tears begin to cloud my vision, and my voice all but breaks as I speak. “You don’t know what you’re doing! I know you can’t stand me, but Vivi is another story. She’s like your sister, Aras. You love her! You love her!”
The last of my words come out in an awful sob, and his jaw clenches underneath my palms. Behind me, the heat falls away, leaving the room coated in a smoky haze of low-lit candles that taunt us from above. “I wasn’t going to harm her, Penelope Brave,” he says in a voice as detached as his gaze. “I was only proving a point. Now get off me and go to your sister.”
My hands drop as if they, too, have caught fire, and I cast him one last desperate look before I turn to face my sister. There, in the center of a blackened ring, stands my Vivi—perfectly whole, yet broken all the same. Her vibrant eyes, always so fierce and brave, are now coated with an eerie sense of loss, and her beautiful, violet dress is stained with the drops of her tears. Her tiny hands tremble into tight fists, and she bites her lip as if to keep from crying out at what I know to be the final loss of her brother.
“Come, Vivi,” I say, holding out my hand. “I’m not very hungry anymore.”
Vivi starts forward on careful feet, stepping over the ring of ash that covers the floor. Without a glance at Aras, her hand finds mine, and we start for the door. “Oh, and Brave,” Knox’s voice calls out, stopping us in our tracks. “Do be sure to meet me in the morning. We have much to discuss about our plans for Theron. You will be helping me take her down from the inside, after all, and though I doubt you need little reminder of what will happen if you don’t, I’d still like to provide a few clues to ensure you truly understand what’s at stake.”
Ignoring his prods, I tug us forward, inching carefully toward the awaiting doors and to the safety that exists outside of this room. “Are we clear, Brave?” Knox yells, causing his voice to rise to the ceiling and back. Beside me, Vivi begins to tremble, and I fight to keep my arm steady as I wrap it tightly around her own. For we are clear, my father and I. Clear as the clearest can be. Because now he knows my weakness. The two very things I can’t live without. And he’s pinned them against me, etched them across my flesh.
I won’t let Aras harm Vivi again, but I also don’t know if I have the strength to hurt him if he tries.
“Oh, we’re clear, Father,” I say, refusing to show him my face. “I only hope you understand how unforgiving your daughters can be.”
Then, together, we turn from the room into the welcoming halls, their darkness calling for our hearts.
Twelve
We haven’t said a word, the two of us. Not even a whisper. But more silent thoughts have passed between us than I can count. And that’s what being a big sister has taught me—sometimes, words aren’t necessary to show how much I care. So now, as Vivi sits cross-legged atop the comfy bed, and I run a soft brush through her long, tangled hair, I can’t help but think of my papa. Of the way he always knew what to say or how to comfort. It’s funny that, after all this time, I remember his silence the most. Not because he didn’t have anything to say, but because he was so good at knowing when to listen. And it was during those quiet, still moments when I could feel his love the most.
More than anything, I hope Vivi can feel my love right now.
“Tell me a story,” she whispers, breaking our silence as the few remaining tears dry across her cheeks. Without meaning to, I drop the brush, overwhelmed by the sound of her raspy, quiet voice. Sensing my hesitation, she turns to face me, grabbing my hands and curling them into her warm palms. “Tell me of a place far, far away from here. Where the days are never long enough, and the only tears shed are out of happiness alone. Tell me of that place, Brave. Just for tonight, I want to go there.”
My heart softens even more, and I don’t have to think twice about the story I’ll tell. It’s one I’ve told myself too many times to count. And when the words finally spill out, finding their place in this broken world and making us whole, I feel renewed. Fresh.
Alive again.
For I tell her a story I heard not very many moons ago. The tale of a strong, young girl, who, despite what the world was telling her, decided to fight for the good. The light. And no matter how hard the journey seemed or how downtrodden she felt, she had to remember what mattered the most.
She was loved.
“Who told you that story?” Vivi asks as she fights a sleepy yawn.
Moving to tuck her under the covers, I reach out to cup her cheek. “Aras,” I whisper, remembering the warmth of his arms as we lay under a starlit sea, fully determined to feel his heat again.
Vivi’s lips twitch, only to widen into a forgiving smile—my perfect reflection as I grin right back. And now, more than ever, I know we’ll be a
ll right.
There’s just one more thing I have to do.
ↄ
“You amaze me, Brave. More than anyone else in this castle, I thought you’d be getting some rest.”
Bates watches me as he leans against my open door, clearly wondering what I’m about to get him into next. Though I still haven’t quite forgiven him for calling out Vivi during our disastrous dinner, I can’t bring myself to be angry with him either. Maybe it’s because his hardened exterior has somehow become more flexible in the weeks past, or that he seems to be the only guard within my father’s grasp who still has a soft spot for my mother, but he’s grown on me, this insufferable man. And though I first thought he aimed to hurt us when he prodded Knox’s game, now, as I take in his careful eyes and quiet mirth, I can’t help but think he meant something different. Something neither one of us would ever expect.
I think he meant to warn me of my father’s wrath.
“And I could say the very same of you,” I dare, hoping the low-lit lantern in the room isn’t enough to wake the sleeping sister behind my back. “Tell me, did you mean to kick us in the stomachs when we were already down, or did your boot merely slip?”
Bates’ shoulders flinch at my words, and the dark shadows from the hallway only seem to highlight the sorrow on his face. “It was never my intentions to hurt either one of you, Brave. I knew Vivi wouldn’t have told you the whole story because she feels so much responsibility for your mother’s condition. Before you could rightfully face your father, I felt you needed to know.”
The Darkest Night Page 7
