Page 114 of A Cursed Son

“Half an hour or so. We should be safe.”

Why is he saying that? I was perfectly convinced that our disguise was going to keep us safe in Crystal Court soil, and now his uncertainty is putting me on edge. But then, his magic is powerful enough that we should be safe from most attackers.

I decide to ask, “Is there anything I should worry about?”

“No.” He turns and looks outside again. “Like I said, the road looks clear.”

It’s unsettling to realize I’m still rattled from my encounter with the bloodpuppets. That said, it was recent and horrible. I try to change the subject. “You really care for Lidiane.”

A faint light comes from one of his rings, and I realize its gem is a lightstone. Neat. He stares at me. “She’s Ferer’s little sister. A friend.”

Did he think I thought he was interested in her? Ugh. “I know. It looks like you like her like a sister.”

His expression is distant, thoughtful. “Perhaps.” He then closes his eyes, his expression pained. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my sister.” His face then relaxes. “At least I can do something for Ferer’s.”

His sister, the one he allegedly killed. There’s something wrong with that story. He would never do that to Lidiane, let alone to his real sister. And then again, is this the real Marlak, or just a role he’s playing?

No. There’s a lot more to what happened, a lot that I don’t know. I want to ask, to understand, but if I try to do it now, he’ll only retreat even further into himself.

I look at the rings on his hand. The one that’s shining has a clear stone. There’s a new one, golden with a snake on it, and one with a moon and a star, matching the earring he’s wearing. No sign of the most powerful ring in existence.

“No Shadow Ring today?” I ask casually.

He stares at his hand, as if only now noticing something’s missing. “Not sure it would match my look. You’re sure interested in fae jewelry.”

“If it can protect you, it can protect me as well. Of course I’m interested.” I truly need to understand why he had the ring when he met me, but has never worn it since. “And if you have it, it doesn’t make sense not to wear it for a coronation.” A new thought crosses my mind. “Or are you afraid it can be stolen?”

“The fae relics can’t be stolen, wife.”

I know that, and yet there’s something that doesn’t make sense. “If they can’t be stolen, how did you steal them?”

He stares at me, then chuckles. “Why ask a question when it contains the very answer you seek?” He raises an eyebrow. “Or is it that formulating the question is the answer in itself?”

He’s trying to play me, but I’m not going to let him. “Oh, mighty, wise husband, why answer a question with a riddle, when you can just give me the answer?”

“Because you know the answer. You said it.”

The answer. They can’t be stolen. So he didn’t steal them. Borrowed? Maybe he has the right to summon them because he’s a member of the court? Maybe he summoned them and that doesn’t count as stealing? I decide to insist. “The fact that you didn’t steal them doesn’t tell me how you took them.”

“It makes no difference.” He looks away and takes a deep breath. “And there are things I cannot say.”

Obviously. I know he doesn’t trust me, and it makes a lot of sense. “I understand.”

“No, you don’t.” He stares at me with those fascinating dark eyes, the light from the ring turning his expression sharp and somewhat eerie. “I cannot say.” He emphasizes it. “To anyone. I…” He shakes his head. “Cannot say.”

“You can’t talk about the relics, then?”

His chest moves up and down. “Of course I can. It depends. It’s not like I can list what I can’t talk about, or I’d be talking about it. I can tell you about the Shadow Ring, though, since you’ve been fascinated with it since you saw it.”

“Who wouldn’t be fascinated with the most powerful fae relic?”

“Not the most powerful.” His chuckle is light, at least. “You shouldn’t trust everything your human historians tell you, even if the exaggeration can come in handy sometimes. That ring, it won’t make anyone immune to magic, like you seem to think.”

“What does it do, then?”

“It can block another fae’s magic for a period of time. Since it can block only one person, its use is rather limited.”

I decide to ask a direct question, even though I know I might not get the answer I want. “Why were you wearing it when you met me?”