Page 24

Morgana

T hat lying, cheating bastard.

That’s what runs through my head again and again as Filusian guards escort me through a part of the palace I didn’t see on my way in.

Some kind of separate annex with suits of armor and weapons hung on the walls.

Barracks, I guess, though I don’t really spare it much thought.

I can’t focus on the decor with the level of rage pulsing through me.

Of course I’d wondered about Leon’s secrecy in bringing me to Lavail, but I’d been mostly satisfied with his explanation that it was about keeping my enemies from learning where I was.

Mostly satisfied, because a little voice had still wondered if it was possible he didn’t want his grandfather to find out there’d been something between us.

I don’t know exactly how the fae view such matters, but there could easily be consequences for a fae prince becoming intimate with a foreign royal. Or even just a human, princess or not.

But no, it turns out there was a much simpler reason than that. The low-down, dirty rat is already engaged.

I cannot believe he made me a party to his cheating while I was on the run and fighting for my life. Once again, the moment I start giving Leon an inch of trust, I discover there’s just another thing he’s been hiding from me.

It hurts—of course it does. But the way to push back the pain is to revel in my anger, so I let myself fume as we walk down the increasingly stark stone corridors, so different to the grandeur of the main building.

Eventually, even my anger isn’t enough to keep the hurt at bay, and I try instead focusing on the matter at hand: finding out what I’ve just gotten myself into.

“Where exactly are we going?” I ask. I figure Respen doesn’t have any rules about me asking that .

“Guest quarters, Your Highness,” says one of the guards, clearly briefed on who I am.

“Your guests stay here?” I ask, trying not to sound incredulous. It hardly feels hospitable.

“There’s a special wing for visiting dignitaries, Your Highness. They’re just on the other side of these barracks.”

It makes more sense now. I’ve seen firsthand how cunning Respen can be, and the ability to keep his guests at arm’s length—with an entire annex of guards between him and them—certainly keeps him in control.

We’re taking a right turn into a large hall when I hear a noise that makes my blood run cold. A terrible screech carries from one of the chambers off the hall, like steel grinding on bone. As I jerk my head around to find the source, I glimpse a dark, open pit set into the floor of the room.

It’s too deep for me to be able to see the bottom from where I stand, the shadows enveloping whatever made the noise. Still, my entire body recoils, every inch of it telling me that danger lies inside.

“What is that?” I ask the guards. They exchange a look, one shaking his head slightly at the other.

“Apologies, Your Highness, but we’re not supposed to spoil the surprise,” he says, sounding way too pleased about this fact. “It’s part of your test.”

His poorly hidden enjoyment is bad enough, but the concern on the other guard’s face might be worse.

“May I suggest you get a good night’s sleep, Your Highness?” he says, swallowing. “Even the other guards don’t like going in that room. It’s too close to that?—”

“That’s enough, Apios,” the other cuts him off abruptly. “We have our orders.” I don’t miss the smile twitching at the corners of his lips.

“You’re really not going to give me any clue at all?” I ask, trying my luck.

“Only that the thing in that room will be… dying to meet you,” he says, letting his grin spread across his face at last. “It’s eaten pretty badly lately.”

Dread washes over me. I’m an idiot to have accepted Respen’s terms so quickly.

If I even hesitated a moment longer, Leon could’ve warned me about what his grandfather was trying to do.

But I wanted to look decisive in front of the fae king, show him he couldn’t intimidate me, and I thought a test might even be a good thing.

If I could prove to the king that I had the power to help Fairon, maybe I’d actually believe it myself.

Except now I’ve been tricked into some deadly scenario, and all for the sake of a man who’s lied to me this whole time, fucking me while committed to someone else.

Gods, I used to think I was smart, and yet I’ve let this man make a fool of me over and over again. And now I might die because of it.

I haven’t noticed that the decor around us has slowly been getting nicer, until we’re back in a set of hallways that look almost as luxurious and comfortable as the main palace. Nicer even than the rooms at Elmere—less gaudy velvet, more silks and pretty gauzes, suited to the warm climate.

“Here we are, Your Highness.”

They show me into a gorgeous bed chamber with an adjoining washroom peeking through an open door in the corner. Everything is illuminated with soft incendi lights, even though it’s still daytime, bathing the room in a warm, reddish glow.

Which makes me notice the total lack of windows.

I turn to see that there’s a sturdy lock on the door and a deadbolt on the external side. This is just a pretty cage. The fae might treat their visitors lavishly, but they don’t trust them. My thoughts are confirmed when the guard who’s been gloating about my fate produces a large key.

“We’ll be locking you in for the night, Your Highness. We’ve been told that you’re not to communicate with anyone before your test. Someone will be along to bring you food later.”

I nod to show my understanding, listening to the heavy lock click shut after them.

There’s probably magic securing the door too, and if they’re used to hosting foreign dignitaries here, there may even be dimane reinforcements.

At least I know the others will watch out for Tira.

I doubt Respen is as concerned about where she sleeps tonight, so the soldiers will probably find her a room with them.

Once I’m alone and locked away, I let myself feel my emotions again—the fear and hurt and anger. I pick up a cushion embroidered with the Claerwyn-Filusian crest and hurl it across the room. It lands face-up, the crest still sitting there, taunting me.

Three seconds later, it’s a smoking black hole thanks to one of my sun beams. It’s not the most mature response to my situation, but it does make me feel a little better.

In fact, Leon is lucky I’m locked up here for tonight, because in my current state of mind, I’m not sure he’d be safe with me on the loose.

It occurs to me then that I’m supposed to be getting something from this mess.

Leon and I made a deal. He was supposed to help me kill Oclanna when we were done in Lavail.

Now I’m not sure I even want his help anymore.

To me, he’s nothing more than an untrustworthy, manipulative conman, like his grandfather.

I should be focusing on looking out for Tira and myself, not them.

What if I fail this stupid test tomorrow and leave Tira truly all alone, with no one left to hold her while she mourns?

Just the thought of it makes my stomach turn. Screw the fae and all their manipulative, blood-soaked games. Why did I agree to play them in the first place?

And is there anything keeping me from just walking away?

Yes, if I were actually queen, offending the entire race of fae might seem unwise, but what’s the value in fighting to keep an ally you know you can’t trust?

Tomorrow, when they return to take me to the trial, I’ll just refuse.

But Respen might not allow that. And maybe Leon will force you to stay, for his brother. Who knows where he’d draw the line if it meant getting what he wanted?

I don’t eat much of the food one of the guards brings a few hours later. Eventually, with nothing else to do, I wash up and try to sleep.

I’m not sure when I move from lying in my bed in Lavail to being back in Wadestaff’s gambling den in Hallowbane.

I recognize the room where Leon and I slept, the bed where he made me moan his name and beg for his touch.

But when Leon appears, it’s clear he doesn’t have seduction in mind.

His face twists in a sneer as I ask him a question.

“Are you better than you seem? Or are you one of those things I need to protect myself from?”

Something fizzes at the edge of my awareness, but I’m too focused on Leon’s expression to pay much attention. My stomach feels like it’s taken a punch when he laughs at me, cruel and mocking.

“I think you know the answer to that already, princess.”

“That’s not how I remember it going,” says a deep voice beside me. I jump, and the sneering Leon disappears. The sensation I ignored before was the telltale sign of sensic magic touching my mind. I was too distracted to even try to throw up some of the defenses Leon taught me.

I turn around and face the fae in question now. This version of Leon—the real one, apparently, who has projected himself into my dreams—looks much less cruel. But that doesn’t mean I trust him any more than the apparition that just vanished.

“You should be more careful,” he says. “It wasn’t hard to get past your mental shields. You should keep them ready, like I showed you.”

I scowl at him, crossing my arms. “Why are you here?” I ask, my voice ice cold even to my own ears. “Did you just want another chance to come along and deceive me in my dreams too?”

“What happened in that throne room was wrong on many levels, but I won’t waste your time explaining everything now. I don’t know exactly what my grandfather’s test will involve, but it will be dangerous.”

“Yeah, the guards hinted at as much when they led me past a screeching, black pit with something in it that wants to eat me. But thanks for the heads-up.”

He sighs, squeezing a fist tight, though I can tell his anger isn’t directed at me.

“That’s why you shouldn’t have to go through with this. I’m giving you an out.”

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Annoyingly, I seem to have less control over my reactions in my dream. Usually, I’m better at keeping a straight face.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have to take the test. You can leave, and I’ll uphold my end of the deal. I’ll help you kill your aunt.”

I gape, unsure if I’m understanding what I’m hearing.

“What about Fairon? And the vow?”

“Forget about the vow—that’s my problem to worry about.

As for Fairon, that shouldn’t be your burden either.

You should do what’s right for you, even if it means never stepping foot near him again.

My brother’s been dying for a long time.

Part of me is already resigned to saying goodbye to him. But losing you…”

He stops himself from saying whatever was coming next, shaking his head.

“I just want you to be safe , Ana.”

I don’t have time to scold him for using that name. I don’t have time to say anything, because before I can respond, I’m being pulled from the dream, the bedroom fading around me.

I don’t know how long it takes for me to open my eyes. I’m in nothingness, and then I’m looking at the hangings over my bed in Lavail.

I rise to get some water, touching the incendi lamp beside my bed so that flame flares and gives me more light.

That’s when I see the large key someone has slipped under my door.