Frost Bound (Entangled with Trickery #1)

Dahlia

Chapter Forty

Dahlia

The top of her left ear throbbed wickedly.

Dahlia hadn’t cried, but godsteeth it hurt to have it pierced for her mum, and yet it felt right. While her mum still breathed, she died that day of the Haunt attack. Her mind and body were broken and utterly irreparable. Some days, Lia wondered if it would have been easier to lose her mum altogether that day than to watch her fade into nothing – a shell with a spirit.

Her ladies-in-waiting had ooh ed over the simple amethyst stud on her ear as they dressed her for the judgment. They chose a black lace gown that hugged her curves, with lavender silk peeking out. A crown of black diamonds and amethyst was set upon her head that was so heavy it felt like it would fall off any second.

Despite the healing black eye, she looked like a proper queen.

What are you doing?

Playing queen wasn’t going to save her mother.

She needed to kill the king. Dahlia fiddled with the ring on her middle finger.

Lia placed a hand over her belly, nausea rising at the thought. Neve wasn’t good, but he wasn’t evil either. The longer she stayed in this place, the more confusing everything got.

“Nerves, my lady?” Lo asked from the couch. “I have a tonic for that.”

Dahlia shook her head and turned from the mirror. “No.” Just guilt.

She ran her damp palms over her hips and padded over to the couch, leaning on the back of it, watching Brigit, Freya, and Alda embroider or knit. It was all so very domestic. Loshika glanced up from her book, a thin pair of spectacles on the tip of her nose.

“You’re stalling, reilleve .”

Her friend knew her well. Over the last month they’d bonded over being the oddities among the Loriian court. Sometimes, she felt as if Loshika was the only one she could really trust.

“I know.” She pushed away from the couch and faced the door. “I will see you when it is all done.”

“Be strong, my lady.”

Dahlia nodded once and strode to the door. She stepped into the hallway and was met with Eyri’s endearing face. Some of her worry faded away at his small smile. He held out his bare arm and she took it, thankful to have a friend escort her to the throne room. It was one of the few places she still hadn’t been.

“The king?” she asked.

“Already there.” He squeezed her arm, leading her down the first staircase to the hallway of frosted windows, his long robe brushing her skirts. “You will need to walk through the jaivelle arch to start the proceedings. The king will welcome you to share his throne.”

Her mind latched onto jaivelle arch. “What is a jaivelle ?” she asked, nodding to familiar servants as they passed.

“Rough translation is something like a singing stone. If you run your fingers over the stone just right, it sings for you. The jaivelle is iridescent and looks delicate, but it’s one of the strongest stones. Our people revere it as holy.”

Dahlia swallowed past the lump in her throat. How many times had Neve called her that over the last month? Did he really mean it? Or was it a pet name Loriians used?

Eyri escorted her down several more sets of hallways until they reached the entry. She still hadn’t gotten over the lavish columns and arched ceilings. He showed her to the right hallway, moving toward the mountains. The floor sloped downward and ended in a wide staircase.

She stumbled as a flashback of her fight with Lumi pushed to the forefront of her mind. Irrational fear tightened around her lungs.

“Are you alright?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, and let Eyri pull her down the staircase. They reached the bottom, and it opened up into a narrow but tall cavern. Her jaw dropped as she stared at its beauty. A meandering onyx pathway wound upward through the center of the cavern, leading to an archway held up by ancient-looking marble columns. Iridescent crystals grew from the ground, the walls, and ceiling. They covered the archway, casting rainbows around the dim room from the skylight high above.

Flickering lanterns hung from some of the crystals, looking like fireflies.

It was raw, powerful, and otherworldly.

“Are you ready, reilleve ?”

She nodded and squeezed his arm. “Just Lia to you.”

They walked slowly along the black stone pathway through the jaivelle crystals. She longed to reach out and touch one to hear what it sounded like, but didn’t dare. Even so, she could hear how their steps echoed around the room off the crystals. It was tinkling like bells.

A few lone notes slipped from between her lips, bouncing around the room in a melody. What would it be like to sing in a such a place? She imagined it would be better than performing in some of the best cathedrals.

She held her breath as they stepped up to the archway. Stone closed around them, forming a short hallway. Lia locked her expression in place as murmurs reached her. The short corridor ended and once again opened into a cavern, one that had been carved by Loriians. Shiny black stone with a view of jaivelle were carved into the starry sky above.

Hundreds of Loriians parted, and she swallowed at the amount of people watching her. Lia kept her head held high as she spotted Neve sitting on the great amethyst throne. He looked every bit the king with his royal black garb, deep blue-black hair woven into intricate braids and pulled back from his strong jaw. He sat tall with his legs braced apart, not a single emotion on his face. He was once again the cold king.

Dahlia wanted to turn tail and run.

He was fearsome. And he wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

She glanced away from him, locking eyes with Lumi, who knelt before the dais.

The giantess dipped her chin, no malice but resignation on her face.

Lumi expects to die.

Eyri released Lia and bowed. “This is where I leave you, reilleve .” He left her at the bottom of the dais, and she stood there, not knowing what to do.

“Come, lae reilleve ,” the king called.

So apparently she did need an invitation. Dahlia lifted the hem of her dress and ascended the five stairs to stand before Neve. He held out his hand and she took it. His warm touch curled over her shaking fingers and tugged gently. She let him reel her in and pull her onto his lap.

He leaned close, and brushed his lips along the junction between her shoulder and neck. “Lean back and relax, Lia,” he breathed onto her skin.

Her body tingled, and she tried not to shift on his lap, but did what she was told. He lifted her legs behind her knees, and draped her legs over the arm of his throne. The whole affair felt too informal and scandalous, but she didn’t fight him.

Her nerves ratcheted up a notch and she inhaled deeply through her nose, taking comfort in Neve’s cedar scent.

Hundreds of eyes were on her, but she didn’t buckle. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck as a well-dressed warrior addressed the crowd and listed off Lumi’s crimes.

“For these crimes against our crown and reilleve , Lumi, sister to the Blade of the Frost Throne, is sentenced to death or exile amongst the saloes . Unless someone speaks up on her behalf.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

No one spoke up.

Lia waited for Neve to speak, and he said nothing.

This is wrong. You must speak up.

Dahlia waited one second longer before saying, “I’ll speak on her behalf.”

The king’s thighs stiffened beneath her, but other than that, he didn’t react. The warrior turned to the throne. “You wish to speak on behalf of your attacker, my lady?”

Swallowing hard, she found her voice. “Yes. Our dear Lumi has suffered much at the hands of saloes . My people caused this. I do not fault her for her rage and hurt. I don’t believe violence is the answer to such problems, but sometimes it controls us, not the other way around. The punishment does not fit her crime.”

Neve could have been a stone behind her.

“What would you wish upon her, reilleve ?” the warrior asked.

She locked gazes with Lumi. “First, I wish for her to find peace.” Murmurs broke out among the people. “Secondly,” she continued over the whispers, “I wish for her to work along the southern borders, harvesting with the humans.”

The crowd fell silent.

“Hard labor instead of execution or banishment, my lady?” the warrior questioned.

“Banishment to Astera is a death of its own. I want Lumi to learn how to control her pain and anger through hard work. But I also want her to see that not all saloes are evil.”

The warrior bowed. “Very wise. What say you, reillov ?”

Neve clicked his nails along the throne’s armrest. “I support my reilleve in this decision. Let it be done.”

The warrior picked Lumi off her knees and helped her limp through the crowd.

Lia watched her go, feeling no joy in her punishment. She prayed the king wouldn’t rip her head off for sending his only family away. She scanned the people, looking for anyone who was disgruntled, and froze as she spotted a familiar face.

You.

Jekket—the Giver’s right-hand man, stood in the crowd, staring straight at her. Her pulse galloped when he didn’t look away, and a slow smile spread across his face. Either Allium or the Giver had finally sent the help they’d promised. She hadn’t imagined him shadowing her journey.

The monsters had truly arrived.

And they were there for her.