Chapter Eighteen
Valeris
I clenched my jaw as I pulled my uncle over to the edge of the balcony. “Would you like to explain to me what happened back there?”
He stared at the doors Analleia had disappeared through seconds ago.
“That’s Analleia Kallistar?” he asked. “The girl who destroyed your alliance and knew about what happened to Rivero?”
I rolled my eyes. “Did I not make it obvious when I said this is Analleia Kallistar?”
He gripped my arm, a strange emotion mixed with intense fear filling his voice. “You need to be careful around her, Valeris. Very careful. That girl is not who she says she is, and I doubt her motives are pure. Her face is shrouded with enchantment.”
Enchantment?
I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s covered in it,” he said. “But it’s strongest around her face, shimmering at the edges as if it’s hiding something. She has received an enchantment—a powerful one.”
My eyes flicked back to the doors. My uncle had dabbled in matters of magic in his past, but it was never something he had brought up with me before.
Ever. Paravellian law voiced no restrictions against enchantment at a ball because those who could wield magic were so rare it had never been an issue.
Goose flesh pebbled up my skin. My thoughts swirled, pulling together a myriad of explanations.
“Something changed,” I deduced. “She needs something from me.”
“What do you mean?”
“That first night at the ball ... she wanted to destroy my trade deal with Lord Eyreling, and she did. When I tried to make an alliance with her the next day, she outright rejected me, wanted nothing to do with me, but she backtracked at the second ball.”
“After you won the duel, she approached you in public because you wouldn’t be able to say no in front of an audience,” my uncle put in.
I nodded. “She needs something from me.”
“But what?”
“When she bargained with me, she said she needed my influence, but I don’t think it was so much my influence as my connections.”
“I don’t like it,” he said. “You need to sever ties with her. Whatever she’s up to, it won’t do you well to fraternize with her.”
My brows lowered. “No.”
Uncle Wylan started at my rejection.
“No,” I said again. “That is the opposite of what I should do. If she’s up to something, we need to figure out what it is.”
“This is dangerous, Valeris,” he growled. “You need to think about it.”
“I am thinking about this,” I argued, “and I think it’s more dangerous for me to be in the dark about whatever she is planning. Better to keep an eye on her and uncover her secrets than to let her surprise us with her dark schemes. As you’ve always said, Uncle, keep your friends close ...”
I looked at him expectantly.
“And your enemies closer,” he muttered.
I smiled, glad to throw his own advice back at him. Maybe he would learn that giving advice was easier than committing to it.
“You should be proud, Uncle. I’m taking your advice. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”
He stepped closer, growing serious. “Be careful, Valeris. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”
I pushed away from the balcony. “And that’s why I’m giving you the task of finding out.”
He sighed as he slipped away. My uncle could see many things I couldn’t. Maybe I should have dabbled in magic. Detecting an enchantment would be a valuable skill.
Ezrielle intercepted me on my way back to the royal suites, and I groaned. She flashed a smile, revealing a row of white teeth. I half expected two of them to sharpen into fangs.
“Valeris.” Her voice was sweet as sugar but sharper than a knife. “I’ve been looking for you.”
I offered her my most condescending smirk. “Have you now? We’ve lived together our entire lives. I would think you would know where to find me by this point.”
Her smile stiffened. “Always so coy with your words.”
“Why would I not be? Now that you have found me, if you would excuse me—”
“I wanted to congratulate you,” she interrupted, “for taking first place in the dueling tournament. You fought well.” Her eyes turned vicious. “Father must be so proud.”
She knew well that our father never displayed anything such as pride. Or approval. If we succeeded at something, we were simply fulfilling our job as a member of the royal family. That was all.
“It would be hard for him to understand something he’s never even felt. Goodbye, Ezrielle.”
I pushed past her.
She grabbed my arm, fingernails digging into my skin sharp enough to leave a mark.
“Don’t think this offers you any advantage, brother.
I know you lost the deal with Lord Eyreling and somehow magically got it back.
” She tilted her head. “But you’ve yet to sway anyone else, meanwhile I’ve got three different alliances under my belt. ”
“Would that be literally or figuratively?”
Her nails pressed deeper. “One day when I am queen, you will no longer be able to speak to me in any manner that you wish.”
I leaned in close, inches from her face, venom lacing my words. “What makes you think a law would stop me?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “A law wouldn’t stop you, but a prison cell or a noose would.”
“Threats are only useful if one has the power to carry them out.”
“A queen always has power.”
“And what makes you think anyone would follow or accept you as their queen? They’ll murder you like they did Rivero.”
I could tell she’d considered the possibility.
She let go of my arm, shoving me away. “Your insolence is unbecoming. We all know the crown will be placed on my head at the finale. If I were you, I would be careful of what I said. For both your sake and ... others’.”
I backed away from her, distaste burning in my eyes. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not me, because that’s the only way you’ll ever wear the crown.”