Page 23 of A Blade of Blood and Shadow (The Ravaged Kingdom #1)

“Oh, there will be no need for that,” said Caladwyn breezily, his gaze darting to my bare leg. In my haste, I’d reached through the slit in my gown to get to the dagger sheathed at my thigh.

I froze, remembering how easily Kaden had disarmed me.

“I see that you found my cipher. Well done.”

My throat had gone dry, but I didn’t dare swallow. I was sure Caladwyn could smell the sour tang of my sweat — the fear oozing from every pore. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of confirming what he already suspected.

“I assume that is why my dear cousin brought you here in the first place,” he continued.

“He so seldom attends my little soirées.” Caladwyn wrinkled his nose in a pout.

“ Perhaps it’s for the best. My cousin never did have the temperament for court life.

I do believe he shattered poor Armedrel’s nose.

” Caladwyn gave a disapproving sigh. “Ah, well. He’ll live. Kaden, on the other hand . . .”

My stomach tightened, and Caladwyn reached across his chest to pluck an invisible piece of lint off his jacket. “I suppose I should thank you, Lyra. I have been looking for an excuse to end his life for centuries.”

A chill shot down my spine at the fae’s casual tone, and I frantically ran through my options.

I could try to lie my way out of this — say that Kaden hadn’t put me up to it.

Though that hardly solved my current predicament.

I could try to fight my way out — a risk considering Caladwyn’s age and the strength of his magic.

Or I could bargain.

My insides soured at the last option. I didn’t even want to consider how badly that could end.

Never bargain with a faerie .

I knew fae like Caladwyn were master manipulators who could twist their words with such incredible cunning that I had no hope of seeing the full consequences of the bargain until it was already struck. I would be a fool to attempt such a thing.

But then I thought of Imogen trapped in that house with Silas. I thought of the witches who’d come before her — witches who’d been sold or tortured until they did Silas’s bidding. I thought of all the ways he might punish her to torment me, and I knew I had to try.

“Is it really that valuable?” I asked, dropping my skirts and stepping out from behind the desk. “The cipher, I mean. ”

Caladwyn’s eyes flashed with distrust. He knew I was up to something, but I had his interest.

“It is not the most valuable item in this house, but it has its uses.”

I raised an eyebrow. “It must be valuable if you would risk a war with Kaden as punishment for my trying to steal it.”

Caladwyn’s eyes narrowed at the dare in my words — and my bald-faced dig for information.

“My cousin may be powerful, but he is not so powerful that I could ignore the insult of him sending in a huntress to take what is mine.”

“It would seem your fight is with me, then.”

Caladwyn chuckled. “Hardly.”

I bristled at the implication — that I was just a lowly huntress, unworthy of his wrath.

“That drawer is sealed by magic,” Caladwyn mused, his expression turning calculating. “How did you manage to unlock it? I have never heard of a hunter with that sort of . . . ability.”

I allowed myself a small smile. “Why would I tell you? You just said you planned to kill Kaden. I can assume you plan on killing me, too.”

“I never said that.” Something sinister flashed in his eyes. “My fight is not with you, huntress. I make it a point not to make enemies of those who could prove useful, such as a Coranthe witch.”

A low thrum of warning stirred in my gut. He knew what I was — or what Kaden said I was.

“What do you want?” I asked, fighting to keep the tremor out of my voice .

“Oh, I want many things,” said Caladwyn in a silky tone. “One of the perks of near immortality is that you have many centuries to realize your desires. I can afford to be patient.”

It was all I could do not to roll my eyes.

“You may take the cipher. Have it — it’s yours. In exchange, should you ever visit my homeland, you shall not set foot in the Quartz Palace. My people do not take kindly to thieves.”

I blinked, my mind working in fits and starts as I mulled over what he’d just said. The exact phrasing of a fae bargain was important, and I knew that Caladwyn had chosen every word with absolute precision.

“Where is your homeland?” I asked.

“Anvalyn, of course.” The faerie kingdom.

I frowned. Even if I wanted to visit the Otherworld, it was impossible since the portals had been closed off.

“And this Quartz Palace . . . it’s located in Anvalyn?”

“It is. In the capital city of Anthelby.”

“What is it?” I asked, not caring how ignorant it made me seem. Faeries could not lie.

Caladwyn’s smile widened. “It is the home of my forebears — an ancestral treasure.”

I turned his answer over in my head. Deep down, I knew it was foolish to bargain with Caladwyn, even if I couldn’t understand why.

I had no idea why he wished to bar me from an Otherworld palace in some faerie city.

I’d have a better chance of reaching the moon. Why bargain against an impossibility?

Unless it wasn’t impossible.

A horrible thought occurred to me then. Perhaps Caladwyn knew that demons had slipped into the mortal world. Maybe he was betting on the possibility that the fae could use whatever opening in the veil had been created to return to their homeland.

Even if that were the case, I reasoned, I had no need to visit the Otherworld — let alone some faerie palace. It was a bargain I could afford to make, particularly if the alternative was having to fight my way out of here and possibly still not escape with the cipher.

“If I agree to your terms,” I said slowly, “then Kaden and I may leave here immediately without fear of harm — from you or any of your guests.”

Caladwyn’s eyes glittered, and he bowed his head in acquiescence.

I swallowed. “Fine. I will not set foot in the Quartz Palace.”

“Then the cipher is yours, huntress.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I felt the bargain’s magic engulf me. It wasa suffocating, oppressive power, the likes of which I’d never felt before.

Prickling tendrils of magic wrapped around my mind, my body, my soul. They tugged and squeezed and thrashed within me, and I slammed my hands down on the desk to brace against the onslaught.

Ash and iron coated my tongue, and the force of the magic brought me to my knees.

I couldn’t breathe. My fingertips were white where I gripped the desk. My muscles strained uselessly against the enchantment shackling my very will.

Eyes watering, I stared up at the golden-haired fae to see if he was being bombarded by magic. Caladwyn remained standing — eyes closed, his flaxen hair rippling as if caught in a light breeze.

Finally, the magic released me from its grip, and I collapsed against the desk. My body ached. My mind felt numb, and every shaky breath made me feel as though I were inhaling shards of glass.

Seething with anger, I looked up at Caladwyn. The fae merely opened his eyes and cracked a satisfied smile that made my blood run cold.

I didn’t know how and I didn’t know why, but I could tell from the look on his face that I had sealed my fate.