30. Tempest
30
TEMPEST
I woke up the next morning, finding the bed cold, though I was aware that Vexxion had slept beside me during the night.
Two days until the wedding, and I wasn’t sure I was any closer to feeling ready to kill the king. My determination to see him dead remained strong, but when I stood beside him with a blade in my hand and my power crackling on my fingertips, would I be able to do it?
I had to.
And that was the problem. Knowing I must do this should be a solid thing in my mind, yet my resolve felt weak, though I didn’t know why.
“You’ll get there,” I whispered.
On his perch, Drask nodded his head.
I slid from bed and bathed, dressing in the green gown Vexxion had left for me .
It was early for Brenna, so I opted to head downstairs to look for Brodine first.
No time like the present to free a few creatures as well.
With Drask riding on my shoulder, I walked sedately through the lesser-used hallways, seeking Brodine everywhere I dared look, but not finding him. I also paused at one image after another. Some of the creatures hid, which made it hard to do anything with them. Unless I could coax them out, the spell didn’t work. More than half the time, even if they writhed in front of my nose, I couldn’t release them.
I didn’t dare make this obvious, which meant I only freed creatures from two paintings, one in a dusty parlor near the end of the hall, and two little green scaly things in a tall painting in a bathing area adjacent to the dining room. I let each out the back door, and while the green creatures took flight immediately, the solitary one dug a hole and disappeared into the ground, covering itself up.
I hoped they stayed away from the king from now on.
With time running out until I needed to go to Brenna’s suite, I headed up the back stairs, stumbling when I spied Brodine coming down from the level above—alone. Joining him, I latched onto his arm. He didn’t yank away but let me turn him and drag him all the way to my suite. I was tempted to flit us there, but I didn’t want to startle him if something of my friend still remained.
I sat him on a sofa near the fireplace and dropped down beside him, turning to face him. I cupped his cheeks with my palms and turned his head, something that was much too easy to do with my usually ornery friend. I made him sort of look me in the eye.
Total blankness greeted me.
I girded myself. I’d known I wouldn’t find much, though I’d surprisingly held onto a scrap of hope there might be something left of my friend.
“Brodine,” I said, then louder. Shouting his name didn’t cause even a flicker in his big brown eyes. “Come back to me.”
That didn’t help either.
I gathered power from my well and used the spell that released creatures from portrait captivity, though who knew if it would work for something like this.
Of course, it made no difference. Still, it was better than doing nothing, so I did it at least ten times, using so much power, I had to dangle over the edge of my well to scoop up more.
Finally, I released his face and flopped back on the cushions.
“I’m not giving up,” I said, my eyes stinging. “You’re inside somewhere, and I’m going to drag you back. You may not be the Brodine I knew and loved anymore, but there has to be something left of you. Come back to me, Bro. Please.”
His eyes didn’t flicker.
As if he’d received a silent command, he rose and drifted over to the door, opening it and slipping out into the hall.
I didn’t get up. I didn’t chase him.
And I didn’t follow.
But I decided right then and there that I would find a way into the king’s bedroom to look for information about collars the first chance I got.
I flitted to the hall outside Brenna’s suite and was surprised to find no guards waiting.
Stepping into the living area, I heard a moan coming from the bedroom, which made me worried. I rushed in that direction. Had she fallen?
I opened the door and stepped inside, but came to a halt, my eyes widening.
Brenna stood beside the bed, locked in an embrace, kissing a fae lord who was not the king.
They broke apart, not seeming to notice I was there.
Zayde stroked her face. “I promise you, Brenna. It’s going to be alright.”
I backed into the sitting room, shut the door carefully, and scurried to the entrance, bumping into Reyla as she was coming inside.
“Oh, hey, there you are,” I said brightly—and loudly. “Let’s go see if Brenna’s awake yet. I wonder what they’re serving for breakfast.” As if I cared? I wouldn’t be there to eat it.
If Reyla was her usual self, she would’ve something snarky about my perky demeanor. Instead, she looked at me blankly. Should I consider the fact that she was actually looking at me an improvement? I wasn’t sure, but I’d take it.
I latched onto her arm, and to give Zayde time to flit from the bedroom, I dragged Reyla over to the sofa and made her sit. Like with Brodine, I tugged power from my refilling well and tossed it Reyla’s way with the spell. Like with Brodine, I didn’t expect it to work, and I was right.
When I felt depleted for now, I gave up, rising and walking around her. I strode toward Brenna’s bedroom, making my footsteps extra loud to ensure she heard me coming.
I stopped outside the door and secured a smile on my face before stepping inside, finding her lounging on her bed on top of the blankets. “Are you ready to rise, my lady?”
“I believe I am. I slept very well last night. I had the best dream.”
“What about?” I walked toward the bed, pausing beside it, keeping the pleasant smile on my face.
“I rode on a dragon.”
“Ah, that’s always nice.”
“You were a rider, so you understand.”
She’d told us she’d only ridden once, that she was afraid of dragons, but they were huge. They shot fire and sparks. They growled a lot. And smacked you toward entrances to valleys.
All she’d done since I’d arrived here was eat, sit in her living area, attend functions with a few random fae ladies, and join the king in the throne room. She had to be bored. No wonder she was dreaming of doing adventurous things.
Her hands fluttered at her throat. “I was so frightened the one time I rode on a dragon. They fly very far off the ground.”
“They do.”
“And they snap their heads out and sniff you. The one I rode on tried to burn me!”
“It shot flames at you? ”
“No, sparks. My dress nearly caught fire.”
“Ah, yes, that is scary. Riders wear leather tunics and pants. Boots. The sparks can’t reach our skin.”
She blinked. “I wonder why they didn’t suggest I wear something like that.”
I shrugged. “Maybe they thought you enjoyed wearing pretty dresses, not serviceable leather outfits.”
“Maybe. After that one incident, my father told me never to ride again. He said it wasn’t ladylike.” Easing to the side of the bed, she sat.
“I enjoy it, and that’s all that matters to me.”
“But you’re not a lady.” She coughed. “Excuse me. I didn’t mean to slight you. You’re my lady-in-waiting and the controller’s claimed Nullen. You’re also a friend, and the latter’s the most important to me.”
“Thank you.” Because I didn’t know what else was expected during a moment like this, I gave her a curtsy.
She nodded and extended her hand for me to help her rise from the bed. “I’ll bathe this morning.”
“Of course.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Reyla, please start the water for Lady Brenna’s bath. She—”
Reyla stood in the open doorway. There was nothing unusual about that. She often followed me or Delaine around, waiting to be assigned tasks. But for the first time since she sat in that wretched chair at the Claiming, her eyes met mine and I saw . . . I saw!
. . . A spark of my friend shone there.
My eyes burned, and I welcomed the feeling, because it made me feel real .
“Alright,” Reyla said softly. “I can do that.” Pivoting, she strode toward the bathing area.