Page 15 of A Promise of Lies (Shadows of the Tenebris Court #3)

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Bastian

“ N eed I remind you how many died in the attacks on the city and palace?” Braea snapped as she paced her office. “And didn’t your report say the human girl saw an armed shapechanger shortly before the assassination?” She sighed and shook her head, tone softening. “The more I think about it, the more I think the boy has a point.”

I had to grit my teeth and squeeze my hands into fists before I could reply. “And what about Faolán? He’s my most trusted operative, and he’s been nothing but loyal to you and to?—”

“Yes, he’s one of the good ones.” She patted my shoulder. “But you can’t be so na?ve to imagine they’re all good.”

I dragged in a breath. It felt like every conversation about this went around in the same dizzying circles.

Tonight it was because several shapechanger families had been rounded up in mass arrests ordered by Cyrus. From what information I’d gathered, they had committed no crimes, yet they sat in the dungeons far beneath our feet. This afternoon, Faolán and I had beaten each other for two hours in the training yard. It had become habit now, training harder than we ever had before, all to let out our frustration.

“Remember, Bastian, I have your best interests in mind. I know you’re fond of the fellow, and I’ll ensure he’s kept safe.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose to try and force the thought out, but it crept in. Yes, Braea had pulled some strings to keep Faolán’s name conveniently out of any register. But he was safe, not because of who he was and his service, but because he happened to be my friend.

We went on in circles a little longer until eventually she sighed. “I can see you’re getting another headache and we’re not getting anywhere. Go and get some air.”

I made my way downstairs, off balance. The world only righted when I stepped out of the palace’s side entrance and took several deep breaths in the cool night.

Being in conflict with Brea made everything askew—just by a few degrees, but enough to give a deep sense that something was wrong.

Coming here and looking across the gorge to Tenebris helped though. The city’s size and the infinite heights of the night sky above gave me perspective, reassuring me that we’d find a solution. While this entrance, which so few people used, gave me that rare thing: quiet.

“There you are.” A low purring voice swept that away, shattering my inner quiet, too, because I knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

“Sepher.” I turned and it was only when he moved that I picked out the pale streaks in his hair amongst the darkness of the low trees and shrubs hugging the palace walls. “Skulking around, I see.” I was too tired and frustrated to hide the disdain in my voice.

He snorted. “Rich coming from a man who wears shadows like a fashion accessory.”

“Hilarious.” I rolled my eyes. So much for peace. I might as well go to the Hall of Healing looking for Elthea. At this point it was clear she’d been avoiding me, but that was less frustrating than spending another moment around him. “Good night, Sepher. Go and find something else to catch.”

But has I set off towards the bridge, he caught up to me. “I’ve been waiting for you for hours. Don’t you want to know why?”

“Not really.”

Apparently that wasn’t an acceptable answer, because the next thing I knew, seven feet of shapechanger blocked my path.

I couldn’t help the growl that rumbled in my chest. Recent events had eroded my patience to a fraying thread and I’d sparred with Faolán enough times to not be intimidated by Sepher’s towering presence.

At the edge of my vision, I noted his twitching tail. He reminded me of a cat getting irritated because they were trying to sleep and someone kept bothering them. But he was the one harassing me .

“I’ve got something for you,” he bit out. Before I could reply, he glanced around and thrust a cloth-wrapped package into my hands.

“If this is a prank, I’m throwing you in the river.”

“Such ingratitude. Open it, idiot.”

I spared him a long, cold look before pulling back the cloth. A piece of wood—what was I meant to do with that? I flicked him a glare, but he widened his eyes at the object. “Have a proper look at it before you set your shadows on me.”

Wide and flat, it might’ve been a thin book, except it was covered in bark. And, curiously, that bark had two different textures—one more craggy, the other slightly smoother, both familiar. Although it had clearly grown that way, it wasn’t natural.

It reminded me of an old stone tablet—we had some in the archives, inscribed with ancient texts. There could be words hidden in the bark. I tilted it, peering at an odd formation at the point where the two types of bark met, and had to smother my reaction when the oval shape coalesced into a recognisable object.

A burning crown.

The Crown of Ashes—had to be. Did this mean Sepher knew of it? And he knew Braea was on the hunt? This “gift” could be an attempt to buy his way out of the palace—if the king wouldn’t let him leave, maybe the queen would. It would explain why he’d waited for me personally rather than entrusting this to a servant.

I turned it over like I hadn’t just spotted something so intriguing. “What makes you think I’d want this?”

He shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about it. But my brother does. One of my people found a large group of his lackeys searching ruins not far from my home. It piqued their curiosity so they had a little search of their own and intercepted this. I’m not sure what it is, and frankly I don’t care, but if it’s important, I don’t want my brother to have it.” His teeth flashed in a wide grin—a predator realising he had the advantage.

“So you’re choosing me over your brother now?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Not much of a choice, is it? I would’ve given it to Kat—she’s much more pleasant to deal with than you, but she’s in my brother’s clutches, so you seemed a safer bet to keep it out of his reach.”

I kept myself very still, focusing on the object rather than the image of Kat anywhere near Cyrus. Sepher might prefer me over his brother, but that didn’t mean I trusted him with the truth about Kat. I needed to maintain the pretence.

Shrugging, I made a faint grunt. “Most things should be kept out of reach of your brother. Thanks, I suppose.” As I turned away, I re-wrapped the wooden tablet.

I was several strides away and tucking the package into my jacket when Cyrus called, “I always thought fae-touched humans were immune to charm.”

My steps faltered as my mind raced. He was right. This had to relate to Kat. She could be using charm as cover—making it seem like she was under Cyrus’s sway. We had limited communication, so I couldn’t know her exact plans.

Or it could be Sepher’s assumption. He’d seen Kat and me together before—he’d even joked about us marrying. He had an inkling about what we really meant to each other. He wouldn’t believe Kat had chosen to get close to Cyrus.

Shit.

My pulse raced against my thoughts. Kat wasn’t an experienced operative. This was too advanced a mission to let her take on. Not to mention dangerous. She had little to no support in the field—we couldn’t risk the communication. What had I done?

I swallowed down my worries and turned. “Since I doubt you’re talking about your wife, I assume you’re talking about Katherine Ferrers.” I shrugged one shoulder. “She isn’t fae-touched or fae-blooded. Her magic is… the result of an arcane accident. I’m not sure the usual rules apply.” I knew full-well she was immune to charm, thanks to the ring I’d given her, but none of what I’d just said was a lie. If she needed to rely on charm to make her plan believable, I couldn’t snatch away that safety net.

“Hmm. Interesting.” He watched me for a moment, eyes narrowing in calculation until his gaze was a pinprick. “It must be killing you to see her at my brother’s side. He’s taken quite a liking to her.”

Play the game.

Again, I raised one shoulder like I couldn’t even be bothered to shrug fully. “She was good at warming my bed. And you’d know as well as any how intriguingly rare red hair is for us. I recall it netting you more than your fair share of lovers. Besides, I was planning to share her eventually, anyway.” True, just that I was planning to share her with my other self.

He didn’t let up with that intent look. “Then she’s just collecting powerful fae and you’ve been traded for a king.” His smirk turned cruel. “I look forward to seeing what she does next”—he nodded at my chest—“and what you do with that.”

Which would be precisely nothing.

The Crown was dangerous. Our balance was already a mess and it would only make things worse. If I had my way, it would remain hidden forever. My loyalty lay with Braea, as it always had, but in this instance, that loyalty meant protecting her from herself.

She wouldn’t learn of this bark tablet from me. Loyalty or not.