Page 11
Story: The Gilded Cage
Kiva’s blood turned to ice.
Ten years.
Ten yearsshe’d been locked away in a godsforsaken death prison. Their parents had died there, and Kiva herself had gone through hell to survive long enough to escape. But instead of showing any indication that she was pleased to see her, Zuleeka wanted tointerrogateher?
Kiva drew in a deep breath and made herself consider how she might have acted in her sister’s place, realizing that perhaps she would be just as careful to test her allegiances. But even so, she couldn’t help feeling a sting of disappointment.
“We have spies everywhere, you know,” Zuleeka said conversationally when Kiva remained silent. “They’ve been watching since you left Zalindov, following your progress all the way here. Your note arrived weeks before you did —I’m on my way to Vallenia. It’s time to reclaim our kingdom.You penned that yourself, your hunger for what is rightfully ours literally written in your own blood.”
She was wrong about that — it wasn’t Kiva’s blood that the note had been written in. And that wasn’t all she had written.
Mother is dead.
Zuleeka had yet to mention the first line of Kiva’s letter. Had her spies — herrebelspies — already shared the details of Tilda’s death, or did she simply not care to know?
“It seems you’ve been busy, little sister,” Zuleeka continued, cocking her head to the side. “Surviving the unsurvivable Trial by Ordeal, escaping the inescapable Zalindov prison, and somehow growing close enough to the crown prince that he’d invite you to live with him and his precious family at the River Palace.” She smirked. “Now,thatis a bold move. I applaud you for your strategy. And your acting skills.”
With every word that came out of Zuleeka’s mouth, a burning feeling grew inside Kiva. She squashed it down, not allowing herself to consider the reason for it.
“Unless,” Zuleeka said, drawing the word out. “It wasn’tallan act.”
Kiva sat stiffly in her chair, holding her sister’s narrowed gaze.
“I hear he’s very handsome, Prince Deverick.” Zuleeka flicked the edge of Kiva’s sleeve in a silent observation of whose jacket she wore. “But you don’t call him that, do you? People he cares about use his middle name. Jaren, isn’t it?”
“What exactly are you accusing me of?” Kiva asked tersely.
Zuleeka pressed a hand to her chest in mock innocence. “No accusations here, little sister. I’m merely trying to assess your priorities.”
“My priorities are the same as they’ve always been,” Kiva said in a firm voice. “First and foremost, they’re to my family.” After everything she’d been through for them, she couldn’t understand how that was even in question.
“It’s time to reclaim our kingdom.”Zuleeka repeated Kiva’s note again. Her expression turned cunning, even vicious, as she went on, “Forgive me, but I can’t help wondering how you plan on doing that while rolling in the prince’s bedsheets.”
The burning in Kiva’s chest rose to her face, but it wasn’t from embarrassment.
“I don’t know where your information is coming from,” Kiva said in a cold voice, “but you should have a word with your spies about getting their facts right.”
Zuleeka’s dark eyebrows rose. “You deny that —”
“I’m not denying anything,” Kiva said, bubbling with anger, “because I shouldn’thaveto. I’m your sister. That alone should be enough for you to trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” Zuleeka shot back. “Least of all someone who might as well have been dead for a decade.”
Kiva’s head jerked as if she’d been slapped, her reaction violent enough that Zuleeka’s features softened for the first time since she’d set foot in the room. She opened her mouth, looking like she was about to apologize, but was interrupted by the approach of loud, fast footsteps and a male voice demanding, “Where is she?”
A stuttered response came from the guards, and seconds later, a young man stormed through the door, coming to a dead halt when his eyes landed on Kiva.
Emerald eyes — the exact same shade as hers.
And the exact same shade as their late mother’s.
“Kiva,”her brother Torell breathed, saying her name like a prayer.
Throat tightening, Kiva whispered back, “Hey, Tor.”
He took another step forward, his gaze still locked on hers, but then it narrowed as he noticed the gag, the ropes, and what she could already feel was a nasty bruise blossoming on her left temple.
“What thehell?” Torell growled, spearing their sister with a look that had Kiva’s knees trembling.
Ten years.
Ten yearsshe’d been locked away in a godsforsaken death prison. Their parents had died there, and Kiva herself had gone through hell to survive long enough to escape. But instead of showing any indication that she was pleased to see her, Zuleeka wanted tointerrogateher?
Kiva drew in a deep breath and made herself consider how she might have acted in her sister’s place, realizing that perhaps she would be just as careful to test her allegiances. But even so, she couldn’t help feeling a sting of disappointment.
“We have spies everywhere, you know,” Zuleeka said conversationally when Kiva remained silent. “They’ve been watching since you left Zalindov, following your progress all the way here. Your note arrived weeks before you did —I’m on my way to Vallenia. It’s time to reclaim our kingdom.You penned that yourself, your hunger for what is rightfully ours literally written in your own blood.”
She was wrong about that — it wasn’t Kiva’s blood that the note had been written in. And that wasn’t all she had written.
Mother is dead.
Zuleeka had yet to mention the first line of Kiva’s letter. Had her spies — herrebelspies — already shared the details of Tilda’s death, or did she simply not care to know?
“It seems you’ve been busy, little sister,” Zuleeka continued, cocking her head to the side. “Surviving the unsurvivable Trial by Ordeal, escaping the inescapable Zalindov prison, and somehow growing close enough to the crown prince that he’d invite you to live with him and his precious family at the River Palace.” She smirked. “Now,thatis a bold move. I applaud you for your strategy. And your acting skills.”
With every word that came out of Zuleeka’s mouth, a burning feeling grew inside Kiva. She squashed it down, not allowing herself to consider the reason for it.
“Unless,” Zuleeka said, drawing the word out. “It wasn’tallan act.”
Kiva sat stiffly in her chair, holding her sister’s narrowed gaze.
“I hear he’s very handsome, Prince Deverick.” Zuleeka flicked the edge of Kiva’s sleeve in a silent observation of whose jacket she wore. “But you don’t call him that, do you? People he cares about use his middle name. Jaren, isn’t it?”
“What exactly are you accusing me of?” Kiva asked tersely.
Zuleeka pressed a hand to her chest in mock innocence. “No accusations here, little sister. I’m merely trying to assess your priorities.”
“My priorities are the same as they’ve always been,” Kiva said in a firm voice. “First and foremost, they’re to my family.” After everything she’d been through for them, she couldn’t understand how that was even in question.
“It’s time to reclaim our kingdom.”Zuleeka repeated Kiva’s note again. Her expression turned cunning, even vicious, as she went on, “Forgive me, but I can’t help wondering how you plan on doing that while rolling in the prince’s bedsheets.”
The burning in Kiva’s chest rose to her face, but it wasn’t from embarrassment.
“I don’t know where your information is coming from,” Kiva said in a cold voice, “but you should have a word with your spies about getting their facts right.”
Zuleeka’s dark eyebrows rose. “You deny that —”
“I’m not denying anything,” Kiva said, bubbling with anger, “because I shouldn’thaveto. I’m your sister. That alone should be enough for you to trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” Zuleeka shot back. “Least of all someone who might as well have been dead for a decade.”
Kiva’s head jerked as if she’d been slapped, her reaction violent enough that Zuleeka’s features softened for the first time since she’d set foot in the room. She opened her mouth, looking like she was about to apologize, but was interrupted by the approach of loud, fast footsteps and a male voice demanding, “Where is she?”
A stuttered response came from the guards, and seconds later, a young man stormed through the door, coming to a dead halt when his eyes landed on Kiva.
Emerald eyes — the exact same shade as hers.
And the exact same shade as their late mother’s.
“Kiva,”her brother Torell breathed, saying her name like a prayer.
Throat tightening, Kiva whispered back, “Hey, Tor.”
He took another step forward, his gaze still locked on hers, but then it narrowed as he noticed the gag, the ropes, and what she could already feel was a nasty bruise blossoming on her left temple.
“What thehell?” Torell growled, spearing their sister with a look that had Kiva’s knees trembling.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155