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Chapter fifty-four

Nerys

W hen it came time get ready to murder the R?ll before he could lay a grubby sausage finger on her, Nerys dressed in a garment which—while ideal for hiding weapons—was horrible for fleeing a murder scene.

Too many layers. Too much ribbon. Too…much.

No matter. Nerys would run out of the palace naked if needed.

The gown in question was made of black velvet and trimmed with white ribbon, and had a scooped neck which showed off her shoulders and wide sleeves that went down to her elbows.

As a last touch, Nerys tucked her family’s crystal rose into the dress—she wasn’t coming back to her rooms if everything went as planned, and she wasn’t about to leave this here.

By the appointed hour, Nerys went to the royal family’s section of the palace, but instead of turning down the corridor to Adelyna’s suites, she went to the room specified in the note.

There’s nothing special about it , Qiana had said.

It was merely one of the half-dozen sitting rooms the family used for various meetings and small gatherings.

It was not in the R?ll’s chambers exactly, but was instead connected to them by the oh-so-prevalent series of servants’ passages and relatively private hallways.

The palace soon became empty as she walked, with not even a servant in sight, her steps echoing through the halls in time with her heart.

Where was everyone? Maybe there was some sort of gathering that she wasn’t aware of.

And Qiana did say that this wasn’t a popular part of the palace for courtiers to loiter.

No matter. The only courtier she needed waited for her—the R?ll.

One of the R?ll’s servants greeted her when she entered the royal quarters and led her the rest of the way, through halls and rooms filled with an echoing silence.

Little light guided their way, the few lamps that were there casting long shadows into the gloom.

No servants? No guards? Unease prickled her spine.

Qiana didn’t mention that the R?ll liked such extreme privacy.

It was something no one had mentioned to her.

An oversight, in the mass of other things she had to learn .

Finally, they stopped outside a nondescript door. Would Idris be able to find her in this maze? How would he make it this far without getting caught? Even his magic of illusion had limits.

“The R?ll is waiting for you here,” the servant said solemnly. “Be prepared to give the proper greetings.”

“Of course.”

Nerys eyed the door. The R?ll was waiting for her here ?

Nerys was under the impression that she was ultimately going to take the side hall to one of the bedrooms, led by the servant.

At least, that was what Qiana had told her to expect.

Surely, the R?ll expected the things he had summoned her for to occur in a bed . Right?

The servant gave her an approving look at her eagerness.

“Indeed.” The servant bowed and stepped away, giving Nerys space to walk to the door on her own.

Why was he watching her like that? A stronger sense of unease worked its way down Nerys’s spine, her jaw clencing.

She didn’t like this. Not one bit. Something was wrong but…

there was nothing obviously wrong. Nothing that would warrant ruining the plan.

If she left the R?ll now, he would never give her another chance.

Just nerves. It was just nerves.

Nerves.

It was time.

Nerys took one last deep breath, opened the door, and stepped inside. And then the door slammed behind her.

The R?ll waited for her in the muted light, standing in the center of an empty room with his arms crossed.

“You didn’t think it was going to be that easy?” he asked, just as rough hands emerged from the darkness and seized her, and the point of a dagger pressed against her throat.

Guards gripped Nerys’s arms, their rough hands digging into her flesh as they urged her along to whatever the R?ll had planned for her. The dagger never left her throat, nicking her skin, releasing light streams of blood.

They followed the R?ll along the hallway—the same one she took to their affair. No wonder the halls were empty—the R?ll didn’t want witnesses for what was about to occur. There was nothing she could do, even if her hands were free, for the R?ll’s men had seized all her hidden weapons.

Nerys struggled and tripped on her skirts—the hands gripped tighter in response. She cried out in pain as one of the man’s fingers tugged her flesh, twisting.

“Move it,” one of the men said.

This was wrong. Everything was wrong. No matter what happened next, Nerys was going to die. Even if the R?ll wasn’t a twisted demon summoner, she had been caught bringing weapons into the R?ll’s presence—a death sentence.

She was going to die.

It was merely a matter of how much the R?ll would make her suffer first. Would he make her confess about Adelyna? About Qiana? Probably. Why wouldn’t he torture her for information?

If only he’d let her die without betraying Idris too…

While Nerys struggled to walk upright, the R?ll strolled along like a cat carrying a prize mouse.

“You didn’t really think I stayed R?ll this long by letting Sight Bearers plot as they will?

” the R?ll shook his head as he stopped near another door in the dark hallway.

“Luckily, our dreamer allies saw sense.”

Dreamers—the ambassador. Fuck, that gray threatening bitch. How did she learn about the plot? Nerys clenched her jaw. Fuck. 213

She was so stupid. How could she think that she would be able to do anything to gain revenge for her sister? That she of all people would be able to act a hero and save the kingdoms?

And now she was going to die. Just like Adilette. Worse than Adilette, because her downfall would bring others with her.

And her death itself would be worse than Adilette’s. The R?ll had no reason to make Adilette suffer first and Adilette suffered anyway. What would he do to her, who was going to kill him?

The R?ll unlocked the door with a thin skeleton key and led them into a dimly lit room. Once Nerys realized what it contained, she thrashed.

They were in a plain room, almost empty of furniture, except for a few bookcases lining the walls, filled with worn texts and staid marble busts.

The wooden paneling was white, as it was in the rest of the palace, and it had the palace’s familiar stone flooring.

That was where all similarities to the world outside ended.

The décor—or its lack—was nothing compared to the macabre display in the room’s center.

Placed in the middle, like some demented altar, was a wooden table filled with rune-inscribed stones.

The stones themselves were caked with hair, dried blood, teeth, while the table itself also bore piles of nails and a crusty spine.

Just like in Raven’s Crest.

The summoning. Here were the R?ll’s offerings for Beleth. 214

The grisly monument didn’t claim her attention for long. On either side of the altar were two metal tubs, the kind peasant women used to wash their laundry, over which hung hoists. One of the hoists was empty, awaiting its victim.

While the other bore a tied and gagged Adelyna.

Adelyna was trussed up with her hands held above her like a deer about to be dressed.

Her face bore bright red marks and she had a swelling cut above her eye.

She wore only a shift, which was stained with bright red and drying brown blood.

Adelyna looked at Nerys with an expression of all-consuming despair and groaned through her gag.

Nerys’s eyes widened, and she struggled in the soldiers’ grips, not caring that the knife tore at her skin further.

Warm rivets worked their way down her neck and still Nerys struggled.

She wasn’t going to let them hurt Adelyna—or her—without a fight.

Better to die from the guards than as a sacrifice.

“Not yet,” the R?ll yelled at his men. “We need the blood.”

“What’s this?” Nerys thrashed, now that the knife was removed. “Have you no shame. She’s your daughter! Vine! Vine!” She had freed him—would he bother to help her?

“Your demon can’t help you.” The R?ll gestured. It was then Nerys noted the thick wall of salt surrounding the altar and tubs. “As for why Adelyna is here, I’m not going to waste my time explaining myself. I have a war to end.”

Nerys did know why Adelyna was here. Or she guessed.

Based on the number of stones left on the table, Nerys had a feeling that the R?ll was exactly two victims short.

And for whatever reason, he chose Adelyna and herself—he probably wouldn’t want to call attention to the missing Kor’yitz until he had to.

Did Beleth require royal blood? Was the R?ll trying to garner additional favor?

Or was he merely trying to get rid of an inconvenient heir?

If he knew about Nerys, there was a good chance he knew of Adelyna’s part in it as well.

What about her? Why was he sacrificing her?

Vine couldn’t help her, even if he wanted to. They were alone.

Based on the shrine and the bookshelves, Nerys had a good guess of where they were—one of the R?ll’s smaller private studies.

The study was connected to the passageways that led outside.

But they were nowhere near the R?ll’s chambers.

There was no way Idris would find them. If he even wanted to interfere in this.

Idris… She was so close. So close to the ending she wanted.

What she wanted didn’t matter. It never did in the first place.

The R?ll had murdered Adilette. He was willing to murder Adelyna. No one mattered to him, certainly not her. Only himself.

Nerys spat. “She’s your daughter.”

The R?ll fiddled with the altar and ignored her.

“You don’t deserve to be R?ll,” she continued. “Pathetic. You need a demon to do the work you’re too weak to do yourself.”

The R?ll didn’t so much as flinch. “Gag her. And girl—I need an heir with the sight. Otherwise, she’s useless.”

“Then disinherit her. Don’t kill her.”

“And leave her free to start a civil war? I think not. Besides—she’s needed. Specifically.” The guards shoved a foul-tasting rag into Nerys’s mouth as they tied her hands with rough rope.

Fuck. She really was going to end up a sacrifice to the very demon she was trying to destroy. At least she was able to appreciate the irony.

The R?ll picked a long knife off the table and inspected it while the soldiers hung Nerys up on the hook across from Adelyna. For a long moment Adelyna’s desperate gaze met hers, until Adelyna closed her eyes, sending tears spilling down her cheeks.

This couldn’t be it. There had to be something she could do.

Desperate, Nerys called her sight—and found Vine pacing outside the salt wall, staring at it like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

His arms still bore the manacles that had bound him to her, but they no longer pierced his flesh.

Nothing remained of the wounds now but bloody red circles that were already healing .

Despite everything, she let out a breath of relief. He didn’t abandon her. He was here. For whatever reason, that was comforting. Or she was desperate.

Movement caught her attention. A massive man-shaped figure moved outside the circle, its body mangled pieces of flesh tied together with ropes. The pieces jostled as it walked, threatening to slip free at any point, and the signature manacles were around its wrists. The R?ll’s demon.

Another human-esque being approached. This one was female. Its skin was moon white and cracked like aged porcelain. Through the cracks oozed blood, which dripped to the ground. Its face was empty, no eyes, no mouth, no nose—just mounds where those features should’ve been.

The two demons watched Vine, but did not attack him. The three faced each other, utterly still. They were waiting for something. Everyone was waiting for something.

Vine then looked at Nerys with something like regret and then at the salt wall. Was he sad he couldn’t help her? Could demons be sad? Too bad emotions would do nothing for her.

“Finally. Let’s finish this.” The R?ll, done with whatever he was doing on the table, walked towards her, knife outstretched.

Nerys was on her own.