Page 1 of A Hunt Bound in Blood

Glory

I

I picked at a loose thread on my leather satchel as I sat in the corridor outside the king’s private audience chamber. My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing, but I worked hard to keep my face impassive while I waited. And waited.

The summons had ordered me to be here for midday, but it was well past, and I prayed I hadn’t missed my opportunity. If the curse that was killing Princess Brynna, King Evaniel’s betrothed, had progressed further, I might have lost my chance to save her.

And myself.

I swallowed the nerves threatening to squeeze my chest and pressed my hands against the worn leather on my lap.

No. The bells would have sounded if Princess Brynna had succumbed, and any life remaining in the fae woman meant I still had time to prove myself. I had to believe that.

Footsteps struck against the tiled floors, and I shot to my feet, at the ready when His Majesty rounded the corner and strode into view.

As usual, his expression was as dark as a thundercloud. His sable hair was carefully coiffed, and his dark grey eyes were cold. The king was twenty-five, same as I was, but he carried himself like a man much older. According to the stories, he’d been beyond his years since he was five, when his parents died and he’d inherited the throne. He never laughed, rarely smiled, and often made decisions that benefited the crown over his people. He was known as a hard man—quick to temper, slow to forgive—and with his ability to manipulate the shadows and his propensity to wear black, he’d gained the moniker “The Nightfall King.”

Behind him walked Matthew Segrew, his spymaster. His shrewd brown eyes landed on me, and I forced myself to hold his gaze. Weakness was dinner for him. Fear, his dessert. I couldn’t give him reason to believe I had any secrets I was afraid of him finding out. Or at least, I couldn’t give him reason to believe he should use the information he likely already had about me.

As soon as King Evaniel approached, I dropped into a curtsy, the hem of my long brown skirt brushing against the floor, my waistcoat squeezing my middle. “Your Majesty.”

“Mage Dolan,” he greeted, his deep voice as smooth and cold as the rest of him. “With me.”

I rose and fell into step beside Segrew, keeping my gaze solidly on King Evaniel’s back. Servants opened the doors to his office on our approach and closed them behind us after we entered.

I’d only been in this room a handful of times since joining the royal mages’ council three years ago and felt no more comfortable in it now than I had the first time. The dark grey walls were barely brightened by the lighter grey trim and grey curtains, and the black furniture added to the heaviness of the space. Shadows choked the corners, and I kept my eyes off them, not wanting to watch them move in reaction to the king’s emotions.

His Majesty settled in a large seat in front of the corner windows, crossed one leg over the other, and twisted the onyx signet ring on his little finger. His gaze was pinned on me, and I stood tall before him, even if my grip on my satchel made my knuckles ache.

“Healer Istan has explained your idea to me,” he said, cutting right to the point. “You believe this amulet that can save the princess truly exists?”

I held back from clearing my throat, reached into my satchel for the carefully preserved journal, and offered it to Segrew with the page opened to where I’d underlined the crucial notations. “Yes, Your Majesty. Mage Tersey was clear in his description of the amulet and what it can do. It’s real, and I believe I can find it. But it would take me quite a few weeks, if you believe Her Highness has that long.”

King Evaniel’s eyes narrowed. “The healers believe she has a month or so left at the rate she’s declining.”

Segrew scanned the pages, his eyebrow quirking. “A life-saving amulet such as this would have been an artifact of high interest to many people. How can you be sure no one else has discovered it?”

He handed the journal to the king, and I licked my lips, itching to snatch it from his hands and cling to it like a lifeline. I had to remember I was here for a reason—many reasons. I had to find my courage.

“I came across Mage Tersey’s personal journal by chance a little over two years ago. From what I’ve read in various historical texts, it was lost after his death. Yes, some researchers have made attempts to track the amulet down, but without the journal, they never would have been able to. Tersey left clues for himself. Signposts across Golthwaine that would lead him to where he buried it. Of course there’s the possibility someone found it at random without following those clues, but the odds are slim. By all accounts—and from what I’ve gleaned from my reading of his journal—Mage Tersey was… cautious.”

A polite way of saying absolutely mad. Instead of writing himself a note about where to find it, he’d created a treasure hunt, complete with riddles and traps. There was no way he’d have left the prize somewhere easy to find.

“It’s been a hundred years,” Segrew said, and I wondered if he was annoyed that he didn’t know where the amulet was hidden. It was widely accepted in the city of Golth that the king’s spymaster knew everything. He was notorious for picking at one’s secrets until there was nothing left of a person’s privacy except the colour of their urine. And maybe not even that.

It was why I had to tread carefully around him, because it was very likely he knew everything there was to know about me, all the secrets I worked so hard to keep. I couldn’t give him any reason to put me in his bad books.

So I acknowledged him with a nod. “A hundred years and no evidence that anyone else has found it.” I looked to the king. “Your Majesty, from Mage Tersey’s notes, we know this amulet has the power to bring someone back from the brink of death. It might not remove the curse from Princess Brynna, but it could buy us time.”

King Evaniel rested his chin on his hand and stroked his bottom lip with the side of his finger. In the corner of my eye, I spotted the shadows shifting and forced my attention to remain on him.

“As much as I hate the idea of hinging the future of our country on a myth, Mage Dolan, our options are limited,” he said. “As you know.”

I nodded, well aware of what was at stake. Soldara, the fae country to the east, was whispering of war if anything should happen to their princess. Brynna had arrived in Golthwaine four months ago to prepare for the wedding, and two months ago she’d fallen ill. I’d never met her myself, but people said she was a soft-spoken, pleasant fae. Beautiful, of course, and gifted with light magic, which had prompted some of the palace children to follow her around with stars in their eyes hoping she might wield it for their amusement. A nice contrast to our dark, brooding king. Now the healers believed she was close to death.

“You say you believe you have the knowledge to find it within a month’s time?” King Evaniel asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve been studying Mage Tersey and this amulet for well over four years. It’s been a bit of a passion project. I’ve collated all his notes and believe the amulet to be buried somewhere near Blue Harbour.”