Page 14 of Between These Broken Hearts (Cursed Stars #2)

I draw in a shaky breath, not wanting to argue with the shadow queen but needing her to understand what I do. “In the memories I saw? The people she killed? That wasn’t Mordeus. That was Jas. She wanted them dead. And she wanted to be the one who did it.”

“And Mordeus did everything in his power to make sure that’s exactly what she’d do,” Natan says. “Every time she took the

life of one of his pledges, she was unknowingly funneling the power of their life force right to him, and most importantly,

it was something Jasalyn wanted badly enough that she’d be willing to trade her immortal life for it. Resurrection requires

unthinkable sacrifice, and this is how he made that happen.”

“How did it get stuck?” I ask. “And if Mordeus is somehow behind her getting the ring, why not make it stick from the first

moment she put it on?”

“We suspect the ring became affixed after enough pledges had been assassinated to bring him back,” Natan says. “The last time

Jasalyn wore the ring before it got stuck, she had a blackout, during which she went to Feegus Keep and wiped out the legion

there. By then, the faceless plague had been circulating the court for months and hundreds had fallen to it. So at that moment,

they didn’t want her to be able to remove the ring anymore.”

“So he could better control her,” I murmur.

“Exactly,” Hale says, face grim.

“A change like that would need to be triggered somehow,” Natan says. “We believe it was triggered by the cries of the wyvern

during an attack on Ironmoore.”

“And, worse,” Hale says, “is that we believe Shae was behind it. Shae sold her out. He sold us out.”

“He tried to get me killed.” I risk a glance toward Misha. “While I was staying at Castle Craige he burned most of the hair I had left, cornering me into moving on the portal faster than I wanted.”

Skylar’s nostrils flare and her anger burns in her eyes. “We will find him and deal with him. He won’t get away with this.”

“The more pressing matter at the moment,” the queen says, bringing us back to the topic at hand, “is my sister and retrieving

the Stone of Disenchantment. Rumor was that the last such stone was destroyed in the Great Fae War, but my seer told me one

remains in my court. After weeks of research, we’ve tracked it down. It belongs to a lord just south of the capital—one who

just so happens to want my sister to marry one of his sons.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “And he’ll give you the stone in exchange?”

She draws in a breath. “He doesn’t know we want it. Given how great our need is, I prefer not to show our hand, lest he use

it to manipulate the crown.” She looks to Skylar, who nods and takes over.

“We tried to access the stone ourselves last new moon but were unsuccessful.”

“And by access, you mean steal,” I say.

Skylar shrugs. “We made it into the main house, but couldn’t penetrate the safe where we suspect Lord Pandian keeps the stone.”

I frown. “Skylar is the best thief I’ve ever met. If she can’t get in, I don’t know what you think I can offer.”

The queen flexes her hands into fists—the only sign of her aggravation. “Lord Pandian keeps his manor secure in a way that rivals the Midnight Palace. We need to get inside that safe, and to do that, we need the one thing he wants from us: my sister.”

I lift my chin. “You want me to pose as Jasalyn and pretend I’m considering the marriage offer so I can get access to their

manor?”

“You made it work with the king,” Skylar says, nodding to Misha, who flashes her a glare that would melt a lesser faerie.

I’m still not following. “They aren’t going to open their precious safe for a potential bride.”

“Probably not,” Abriella says, “but we do believe it’s magically keyed to Pandian and his sons, so if you could get close

enough to one of his sons to get what you need to take his form...”

My brother is quiet, but his eyes are begging me to accept. “I’d do it myself if I could,” he says softly.

“We’re running out of time,” Abriella says. “The ball will give us the opportunity to fight the rumors that Jasalyn is missing

by having you there, and you’ll get to meet Lord Pandian’s sons. Be charming, be endearing, and above all get a hair from

one of them and flirt enough that when you invite him to secretly meet with you, he won’t be suspicious.”

“You’ll have me go there while he’s gone,” I say, piecing it together. After all, we can’t have two of him walking around

the main house.

“I’ll tell you everything I remember about the manor and the main house,” Skylar says.

“And who will be Jasalyn? To go to this secret rendezvous?”

“Jasalyn will be unexpectedly detained by her sister,” Remme says. “And will send a trusted servant to let him know—after

making him wait a bit first.”

This time I meet the queen’s gaze. “And you’re sure you can find her once you get the stone?”

“I suspect that if we don’t find her first, she’ll come to us, as she did before.” Again, she exchanges a look with her king.

“After all, she shares a consciousness with Mordeus, who wants me dead.”

The queen must sense my hesitation, even if she doesn’t understand it, because she adds, “In exchange, of course, we’ll give

you whatever it is you need to start a new life when this is all over.”

“We want access to your Hall of Doors,” Remme says, sneaking a glance at me before looking back to Abriella again.

“My debt is to Felicity,” she says, holding my gaze. “What is it that you want?”

I want to give my brother what he needs without risking his life. I want a family again. I want a life where I don’t always

have to be on the run.

And then a small traitorous part of my brain whispers, I want to go back to my life at the Eloran Palace , and I shove it away.

“You don’t have to answer now,” Abriella says. “Think about it and let me know.”

“Tell her you want the Hall,” Skylar says, nudging me. “We can’t find the sword and that’s the only way to get to—”

“With respect, Skylar,” Hale says, cutting her off with the authority in his voice, “Mordeus has us against a ticking clock.

He has to be our priority. We’ve waited this long to deal with Erith. He can wait a few more days.”

Skylar bows her head, showing deference to Hale in a way that reveals what he is to her, and to Elora: the rightful king. The one chosen by the oracle to protect the Eloran queen. “Understood,” she murmurs.

“My sister is tired,” Hale says to the group now. “Let’s get her some well-deserved rest so she can help us find Jas.”

Later that night, long after settling into Jas’s room, getting a proper bath, and changing into princess-appropriate attire,

I’m roaming the halls to track down my brother when I find Misha instead.

Standing in front of the windows in a cozy sitting area, he stares out at the night sky, hands clasped behind his back.

Because I know I shouldn’t do it when he’s aware or when anyone else is watching, I let myself take a moment to admire the

breadth of his shoulders and the way his hair falls in subtle waves that refuse to be tamed.

Really, as beautiful as he is, it’s the smiles that I miss the most. The ones that were just for me .

Just for Jasalyn.

I clear my throat to get his attention and he turns to me, giving me a quick and appraising once-over.

“Abriella was telling the truth, you know. She will grant you a favor after you retrieve the stone.”

I bow my head. “Perhaps we should wait until we know if I’ll be successful before we worry about that.”

“Your friends seem so sure that you should use the queen’s Hall of Doors to kill Erith, but that’s not what you want.”

“Like Hale said, we need to worry about Jasalyn and Mordeus before we worry about Erith. Jas is running out of time.”

He’s quiet so long, I lift my head to see if he’s walked away. He’s still there. Still watching me. “That’s not why, though. You risked so much to try to find my Hall for the same reason Remme suggested Brie give you access to hers. Why do you dread the idea of using her Hall?”

The blood drains from my face. “Since when do you read minds?”

“I don’t need to read minds when it’s right there to read on your face.” He cocks his head to the side and studies me. “Why

are you so afraid of gaining access to that portal, Felicity?”

“It’s complicated.”

“It doesn’t need to be.”

I’ve spent years keeping this secret to myself. Telling Shae was a mistake that kept me from sharing it with anyone else.

After that, the only person I had to talk about it with was Nigel. “When I found out my true identity, my mother sent me to

the Eloran oracle.” I’ll never forget my other visit there. How desperate I was for answers—hopeful that I might leave with

a solution. Instead, I left terrified, with an image in my mind that I haven’t been able to scrub away even all these years

later. Hale on the ground, blood oozing from his chest and puddling around him.

“She showed me that I would kill Erith, but my vision didn’t stop there. She showed me Hale dying. The two events were intertwined.

And I knew better than I knew my own face that killing Erith, following through with that fate my brother so desperately needed

me to embrace, would lead to Hale’s death.”

“So you ran and spent three years in hiding?”

“I wasn’t hiding from my fate. I was hiding from my father.”

“Why not just tell Hale the truth?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Because I was sure he would tell me to do it anyway.”

“And did he?”

I meet Misha’s gaze and hold it. “I haven’t told him.” I turn back to the view, studying the sparkling sky on the horizon.

“I don’t want him to sacrifice himself. I don’t want to be the reason we lose him.”

“You won’t be. Even if this future she foretold comes to pass, it won’t be because of you. You can’t prevent all the horrible things in the world from happening.”

“Then why did she show this to me?”

He sighs. “I don’t know. I don’t really understand your oracle. She shows you possible futures and you either work to ensure

they come to pass—like your brother wanting to see Erith killed—or you fight to change the course of fate—like you avoiding

your fate as Erith’s assassin to protect Hale.”

I shiver. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to live in fear of your own future?”

“Unfortunately, I do.” Misha’s gaze slides over my face. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was sympathy in his eyes.

“But if I’ve learned anything from having a seer in the family, it’s that fate is a slimy thing. People like to think of it

like a fixed point, but it’s always changing.” He waves a hand toward the view. “You see that temple? The star that sits at

its peak, almost as if it was made to go there?”

I nod and attempt a smile. “We are in the Court of the Moon, so perhaps it was.”

“Not even Mab herself can keep the stars fixed in place in the sky. Tomorrow, we could come stand here and it would seem nothing has moved. Maybe even the day after and the day after that, but we know from the scholars who chart the night skies that the star that sits atop that temple tonight won’t be there in two moons’ time. Fate is like that.”

“I have hoped for nothing more,” I whisper.

“That’s why I think you should tell your brother the truth,” he says, and I cut my gaze to him. “And if after you speak with

him you decide you want to kill Erith the moment you’re done helping them get Jas back, I will go with you.”

I draw back, confused. “Surely there are many places you’d prefer to be than by my side.”

“Well, yes, but time with you will make me appreciate them all the more.”

I cough out a laugh. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He turns and studies me for a long time, eyes sweeping across my face so many times I wonder if he can see the real Felicity

waiting beneath. “Everyone in this world has a fate they would personally rearrange the stars to avoid.” His gaze settles

on my mouth for a beat before he takes a step back. “Don’t think I am so different.”