Page 103

Deciding it was worth the risk, she took a long swig. Cool liquid soothed her scratchy throat. She swished more around her mouth before swallowing it, grateful to get the tang of blood out.

Renwick picked a small apple off the silver plate he held. He took a bite of it, proof he had not poisoned it either, before chucking it to Remy. She managed to catch it this time.

“What do you want from me?” Remy asked around a mouthful of apple.

“Forgive me—where are my manners?” Renwick smirked. He sketched an elegant, mocking bow. “Your Highness.”

Remy straightened. How had he known?

As if reading the question on her face, Renwick answered, “You look much more beautiful in your fae form, Princess Remini, even in your current sorry state. Even in your witch form, though, you have quite a unique birthmark on your wrist.”

He nodded to Remy’s hand. She turned it over, looking at the inside of her wrist. A collection of five small freckles dotted the inside of her arm.

“It is nothing. I have freckles all over my body,” Remy said.

“You said that to us when you were a child too.” Renwick laughed.

Us—him and his father.

Remy remembered that encounter on the high road with the King of the Northern Court. He had brushed Remy’s sleeve up when he talked to her and looked at her wrist. She had thought it was strange but didn’t understand why.

“Gavialis Minor,” Renwick said, snapping her from her spinning thoughts.

“What?”

“It is the name of a constellation. We can see it brightest in the far north. You may have noticed the constellation on the Northern crest?” Renwick said.

She hadn’t.

She looked to the Northern crest etched into the guards’ breastplates. The prominent part of the crest was a sword crossed with three arrows, a snake coiled around their intersection. She had never given much thought to the five stars scattered in the crest’s background.

Remy looked at her wrist. Sure enough, there were two parallel freckles, then another below to the far left, and then the last two sat vertically together on the bottom right. It was the exact same order. How strange for the King to notice all those years ago and still remember such a little detail. That conversation had happened before, and she didn’t remember it.

“My father considered taking you that day on the road, but he was more eager to see where you would go. Your actions after weren’t particularly illuminating . . . though very entertaining,” Renwick said, emerald eyes gleaming as his lips pulled up.

Remy’s cheeks burned as she thought about that day on the road to Yexshire. Had there been spies in those woods?

“My father thought your markings were a sign you belonged in the North to the Northern Court,” Renwick said. “He tried to arrange a marriage between the two of us because of those constellations alone. He believed it was a sign.”

Remy scowled up at Renwick.

“I’d rather die than marry you,” she snarled.

“That can be arranged.” Renwick laughed, rubbing his finger around his temple. “Besides, the blue oracles had Seen you mated to the Bastard Prince of East . . . though that didn’t seem to deter my father’s efforts.”

“Hale is not a part of this, Witchslayer,” Remy hissed. “Release him at once.”

“You’re still blessed with the ability to make demands like a royal, I see.” Renwick smiled. “Your mate,” his voice dripped with disgust, “has been hiding you from us. He lied to the Northern King’s face. That will not go unpunished. He may still have some information worth bleeding out of him too.”

His face twisted into a cruel smile as Remy’s eyes widened. He was going to torture information out of Hale.

“He knows nothing that you don’t already know yourself,” Remy insisted, pleading.

Renwick gave her an assessing look.

“Perhaps not,” he said. “But you do, Remini. And keeping your Fated on hand might be the exact right motivation to keep you talking.”

“What do you want to know?”