Page 54 of A Crown of Tears and Treason (The Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows #1)

Chapter

Fifty-Four

EVIE

I was wrong.

It was Adara, not Goose, who burst into my room as the early sun crawled in, not even bothering to knock.

Zandyr jolted awake, arms tensed for battle. His body covered mine protectively, torso hovering over my small form, a snarl on his face that instantly vanished when he saw who barged in.

Adara took one look at us, all tangled together, and sniffed the air. Her eyes narrowed. “We’re leaving in half an hour.”

Then she turned on her heels and slammed the door behind her.

“She’s cranky in the morning, isn’t she?” I stretched underneath him, feeling all the delicious strain in my legs. That was new. How–

Oh. I blushed as I remembered the way said legs had tensed around Zandyr’s head.

His low chuckle filled the room. “Enjoyed last night, did you?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice huskier than it had ever been.

Zandyr stole a chaste kiss, smiling against my mouth. Then he suddenly turned serious. “I’ve been thinking–”

“Dangerous occupation, that.”

“We don’t have to leave today. Screw the ritual. You’re safest here, training .”

It warmed my heart that he was so protective, it did. But…“It’s important. Your– our –people will expect it.”

“We can fake it. Make it seem like I was searching for you all day and not leave this bed.”

I furrowed my brows. “Do you want to do it?”

His answer came through our connection, as clear as if he’d spoken it.

Yes, a primal part of him very much wanted to indulge in this little tradition. The chase. He wanted to hunt me down and find me, only me, and damn if my toes didn’t curl at the idea. He must’ve realized I was sensing him, because he leashed that emotion fast.

“What I want is to keep you safe,” he said.

“And I will be. The entire Capital will be waiting to see me off and I can’t just ignore one of your most cherished wedding rituals.” I stole a kiss of my own and rolled away before he could stop me. “Now let’s hurry or Adara might just come in and dress us herself.”

“Let the Capital wait. All I care about now is you.”

“Banu and Valuta would know we didn’t do it for real and they might suspect I’m not running away right before the wedding. And I want to do this, too. I need to stand on my own.” Even for half a day.

It took most of the half hour to convince Zandyr to relent. Even as we walked down, me dressed in a large golden gown that hid the armor underneath, there was a grim tilt to his mouth.

Adara, Goose, and Leesa waited for us on the veranda. Goose had a journal in his right hand, fingers twitching against the leather cover as if he couldn’t wait to open it.

Zandyr nodded at Adara. “As soon as you pass the jungle, thirty of my best warriors will escort you on horseback.”

“You weren’t supposed to know where we’re going.” I pinched his shoulder playfully. When had I turned into this woman, so open and brazen in front of all these people? They could see me batting my eyelashes at Zandyr.

“I don’t, honest to Xamor.” Zandyr laid a hand over his heart. “But there are no rules against making an educated guess. The only one with combat and strategic experience in your group is Adara, so she chose the location. I have fought alongside her enough to know she would pick a place where the chances of an ambush would be minimal. With the Serpents so close to our borders, she also wouldn’t want to stray too far away from the Capital and its protective walls.” He nodded at the back of the carriage, visible through the open gate. “The carriage has summer wheels on, no spikes or chains to run through hard terrain. The only area nearby that fits all the criteria is the Fiery Plains. Which are also gorgeous this time of year. Adara, I didn’t know you were a romantic at heart.”

“I’ve trained you well, Dragon,” Adara said, but there was an edge to her tone.

“I'll join you at midday, the latest,” Zandyr said. “Get you back home safe and then head out once more.”

Adara clenched her jaw.

“After you return, the warriors will be stationed in front of the house until I come back to Phoenix Peak,” he went on.

“You know your plans best.” Adara turned on her heels once more, as if she didn’t want to stay in our presence for too long. “Call me romantic again and I’ll see you in the fighting ring.”

“I trust you. Both your promises and your threats.” He turned to me as the others headed for the gate. “Do you have your switchblade on you?”

“Always.” Resting gingerly in my bracelet.

He took my palms into his. “If anything happens–”

“Nothing is going to happen. I have Adara and apparently thirty warriors with me. Though Leesa might throw some mean punches if push comes to shove.”

“–you run and hide. I will find you, this I promise.”

There was a gravity in his tone that sent chills down my spine. As if he was making an oath to me.

“I know.” I licked my lips and took out my envelope. It had been a pain to find a blue one in the Capital, but Goose had managed. It had a gold wax seal on it, the perfect blend of our colors, just like his was. “I keep my promises too.”

“Thank you for trusting me with it.” He took the envelope and placed it in his breast pocket, right next to his heart, just as I kept his own letter. Was it possible to be too in tune? “Stay safe, Evie. It would be a shame to burn down all of Malhaven if something happens to you, but I would.”

He kissed my temple, tingles erupting all over my skin. We leaned our foreheads together, standing there. Just the two of us, breathing each other in.

Then Adara whistled impatiently and the spell was broken.

The carriage beyond the gate was bigger than the one I’d arrived in, and nobody sat in the box seat, but I didn’t worry. Zorin had been hitched up to it, swishing his head around proudly. Maybe he’d changed his mind about harnesses.

“How?” I asked, running to his side and snuggling his neck. “You hate Phoenix Peak.”

“Madrya convinced him. Just for today, it’s important,” Zandyr said.

Zorin neighed and hit the ground with his hooves. He’d come into the Citadel, but he wasn’t very happy about it. My dear, prideful nazdran had a heart as golden as the flecks in his mane.

“Thank you.” I gave Zorin one final pat before I gathered the many layers of my dress and climbed into the carriage. Adara sat right beside me, Goose and Leesa taking the other velvet-covered bench.

As the door closed, I looked at Zandyr one last time.

“I’ll find you,” he mouthed, intent gaze searing straight through me.

“I know,” I mouthed back, already missing him.

Then the carriage began to move. The connection between us pulled and rippled with concern, as if the threads of the world themselves were loath to see us part.

I took a deep breath, settling into my plush seat. Half of a day, that’s all there was to it. A few hours.

We rumbled onto the main street, just as more carriages appeared in front and behind it. All the exact same, all pulled by white horses. None of them compared to Zorin, of course. From the way he changed the rhythm of his gallops, to be more pointed and loud, he wanted to prove that, too.

It was such a similar procession to the one when I came to the Capital. Gods, that had happened a lifetime ago, I’d been so scared and fighting so hard not to show it. All I felt now was hope, tinted with excitement.

The idea of Zandyr hunting me down and finding me made me weak in the knees. What could I say? I liked this ritual.

As the carriages stopped in front of the main temple, I knew participating had been the right decision. The crowd had gathered again, cheering and clapping. For me, their future queen. Out of all the carriage decoys, Banu and Valuta’s beady eyes found mine. I strangled the tremble trying to worm its way into my arms and feet.

Valuta gave me a grave nod, like we were sharing some great, big secret. I nodded back. Yes, yes, of course I was totally in on her heinous plan. Make me rich and steal me away, whatever.

The advisors stood three steps below the king and queen, with no sign of Kaya or Vexa. I hadn’t seen either of them since the night of the Oracle’s prediction and I was getting worried.

Eldryan opened his arms wide, the gold and ruby symbols on his ceremonial robe gleaming in the sun and casting a long shadow that quieted the crowd. He and Zayova stood above everyone, the glistening pair leading the Blood Brotherhood, one of the most fearsome Clan in all of Malhaven. At least officially, in the eyes of all these civilians gathered around for the spectacle of today.

Did they know? That the advisors were pulling strings behind the scenes, that their prince was the one who actually protected them? The one who risked his life alongside his warriors each time to defend their borders. Who evacuated his people and sheltered them in the Capital. Who held so much responsibility on his shoulders that he muttered ration numbers in his sleep and flinched when they didn’t add up like he wanted them to.

All this show, all this artifice…I knew they had their place. They signified prosperity, the peace and space to focus on the shiny and the pretty, which was only possible when the basics worked. It was a message meant to prove to the civilians that their Clan was strong, so they slept better at night. But none of this would be possible without the sacrifices they didn’t see and would never know about. Just like grandpa Constantine had said.

“Today, we uphold the traditions of our ancestors. As they did, so do we,” Eldryan boomed. He must have had an enchantment on his voice, because it rippled through the entirety of Phoenix Peak.

“We are here to see off the Lost Daughter of the Protectorate,” he said and I grimaced; I still hadn’t shaken that particular moniker, it seemed. What happened to future queen ? “And wish her luck in her journey. May she avoid detection if she wishes or come back with her chosen one if she so decides. Her closest will advise her–”

“As if you’d listen,” Adara scoffed.

“–and may the heir of our Clan prove his worth to her. He shall find and protect his chosen ones, from now until eternity.”

On cue, Zandyr appeared in front of the crowd, riding Madrya in all his glory. A flutter erupted in my chest as I watched him from the corner of my eyes, schooling my face to look nothing but detached. He looked stoic and strong, the perfect leader for his Clan and every member inside of it. His chosen ones.

As we’d already planned, we didn’t so much as exchange one glance. There couldn’t be anything between us apart from calculated coldness in front of such a large audience.

Zavoya stepped next to the king. “May the gods, old and new, watch over you today. And may Xamor not make an appearance.”

As the crowd erupted in a ruckus of cheers and incantations to ward off Xamor’s presence, the line of carriages began to move.

I sent a reassuring wave through our connection, and Zandyr mirrored it instantly.

In the distance, I heard more carriages heading toward the temple. Curious. I’d only counted seven in our procession, but my ears heard at least three more. Perhaps the commotion had skewed my hearing.

So many people, all cheering for me. Or because I was leaving. Did they want me back or not?

I shook my head as we passed the gates. Those were ugly thoughts. I didn’t feel resentment in the civilians’ applause, these were my doubts trying to poison me.

“It’s good that you did this, Your Grace.” Leesa looked out the window, smiling. “They’re glad to see their future queen participating in our traditions. As am I.”

Adara scoffed but said nothing else as our carriage rolled onto the filled streets, civilians crowding the edges of the streets, garlands of flowers hanging from the eaves. As we neared the port, I saw a construction site where the temple had stood. Fresh wooden beams rose toward the sky, with no sign of the fallen bell or the ashes. The Capital seemed to have gotten over the incident, even if I hadn’t.

Adara yanked the velvet curtains on both carriage windows, blocking my view. “They’ve seen enough of you. Nobody’s supposed to know which carriage is yours from this point on.”

I couldn’t argue with that, not when they’d gone through so much trouble to camouflage and safeguard our journey. So instead, I turned to Goose, who’d been tapping his fingers onto the journal since we’d left.

“What have you found?”

Goose instantly lit up, thumbing the pages of the journal like he’d been dying to open it. He leaned forward, eyes alight and voice no louder than a murmur. “This is very strange.”

The air in the carriage turned tense, suffocating the dregs of my nerves.

“I’ve only ever seen some of these symbols during my first year studies, when they taught us how to read sacred texts about the forgotten gods. They’re old. Older than the Clan itself,” he said. Even his whispers were excited. “The monks in the mountains had transcribed the ancient etchings and translated some of them. A dozen symbols out of the hundreds on that scroll are similar.”

Which would make sense if the Blood Brotherhood had absorbed the Quoriliths, an ancient Clan.

“But…” Goose hesitated.

“What we’ve managed to translate doesn’t really make sense,” Leesa said. “They talk about controlling people. Their minds. But…”

I stood up straighter. Valuta’s dulcet words reverberated in my mind. “Yes?”

“I don’t think it’s right.” Goose’s head bobbed in sync with the carriage as we rolled downhill, the murmur of the Capital barely audible now, replaced with the swish of the trees and the flutter of the rainbow birds. “There was a mention of reviving the dead.”

A stunned, hideous silence settled over us.

“What do you mean, revive ?” Adara rumbled. “Nobody can disturb the dead. Nobody should.”

Leesa pressed a finger to the center of her clavicle, muttering what sounded suspiciously like a civilian warding incantation. These mutterings lacked all true magic, a replica which staved off worrying, nothing more.

“I know, I know,” Goose said quickly, shoulders caving. “That’s why I think this is just a mistranslation. Or some kind of story to scare children into behaving.”

“Parchment was hard to come by, then. Nobody would waste it on a children’s story,” I said, remembering the few history books I’d been allowed to read. “The Quoriliths thought traitors could speak their secrets in the afterlife.”

“That’s different,” Adara argued. “We used to cut thieves’ hands so they wouldn’t steal again, then I found one of them pickpocketing with his left foot. Every Clan carries out their own punishments, no matter how insane they sound. Whatever you read, it’s only a legend.”

“Legends always have a grain of truth,” Leesa said softly, eyes unfocused.

“Not this one.” Adara clenched her jaw. “The dead stay dead.”

A coldness seeped into my bones. Valuta had tried to access my mind and I was very much alive. Maybe that’s where the legend had started, infiltrating a being’s very essence and controlling them, which morphed into an abomination about bringing the dead back.

As I opened my mouth to argue, the carriage halted abruptly, almost sending me toppling into Leesa’s arms. Zorin neighed frantically.

Adara was armed and out of the carriage before I reached for my switchblade. Her tight face softened. “It’s just a snake.”

“A razorback?” My heart seized, already getting up. Nobody would touch my Zorin.

“No, a regular green one. Big, too, must’ve eaten recently. You and your horse need to learn to relax.” Adara sighed and sheathed her weapons. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t get out of the carriage.”

“But–”

“You’re scared of snakes, it will take longer if you try to help. We’re almost at the meeting point.”

With a clenched jaw, I relented, listening closely to Zorin’s neighs. They were getting more hectic. That was strange; he didn’t really bother with other beings, always acting like he was above them.

Adara slammed the door behind her. Her boots crunched the gravel as she walked away. Zorin quieted down, just barely.

I nodded at Leesa and Goose; just like Zandyr had with Adara. The same firm nod grandpa Constantine had taught me. It seemed I finally got the hang of it. “Keep translating. Check for anything relating to slitting the traitors’ throats.”

Goose’s eyes lit up again. “I actually found–”

He stilled.

“Goose?”

He remained motionless, eyes unfocused and quickly turning watery. Next to him, Leesa was the same. Statues, staring at nothing.

Frozen.

My instincts blared. I flicked my switchblade and rushed for the door. I yanked the thick curtain to the side, Adara’s name a roar at the back of my throat.

Someone waited on the other side of the window.

No, not someone.

Me .

A horrific version of me, with black pools instead of eyes, and a huge lifeless smile with sharp teeth on her face. My face.

Before I could scream, strike or access the pocket of power inside of me, my terrible reflection whispered a spell that knocked me out.