Chapter 17 #2
“Where I left them,” Carus said casually, though Nya heard the slight catch to his voice. “Don’t look so worried. I didn’t kill them. In fact, we had a proper heart to heart. I cried, it was beautiful, and I’ve taken Nya’s place as their heir, firstborn son and all.”
Nya scowled. “That’s not a thing.”
He shrugged. “Fine, you got me. Yes, we spoke, but there were no tears on my end, and Nya, you are still their first choice of heir in the very unlikely circumstance it ever comes to that. But Morgen, we need to talk.” He glanced at Nya and added, “Alone.”
Morgen gave a curt nod. “You should go find your parents,” he said to her.
Nya narrowed her eyes at Carus. She was sure, being one of his generals, there were plenty of things he needed to talk to Morgen about, but they were supposed to be on the same side now. She didn’t like that they still kept secrets from her.
“Right, of course,” she muttered, slipping away before either of them could say more.
She didn’t go to her parents, though, instead lingering in one of the tunnels off the mess hall before quietly walking to the war room, keeping her head down and eyes downcast. Sure enough, her hunch about where Morgen and Carus had been going was right.
She could hear their low voices when she paused outside the room.
“—you ask if they know?”
Carus huffed out a breath. “Not directly, no. There were lots of other things to talk about.”
“Do I need to remind you that you were the one who brought it up to me and suggested we murder my wife.”
Nya’s breath caught, but she didn’t think they heard it, because Carus didn’t even pause before answering.
“Not my finest moment, I admit, but you can see why I thought of it as a possible solution. Besides, it’s not like you can actually claim to care that much about her.
I know you two had some odd friendship before, but look me in the eye and tell me that wasn’t a part of the ploy. At least I can say she’s my sister.”
Morgen made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a snarl. “You didn’t know that until this morning.”
“Morgen.” She heard Carus’ footsteps against the stone floor of the cavern, presumably moving closer to Morgen. “Seriously. Your marriage is a farce, and we both know it. Forcing her under threat isn’t exactly the start of something long and happy.”
“It was your idea, you eejit!”
Carus blew out a loud breath. “Yeah, and I still don’t think it was a bad one. But don’t act like I’m some monster and you’re not just because you suddenly claim to care about her!”
There was a long pause, and then Morgen said, almost so quietly, she couldn’t hear, “And if I do?”
Something scraped against the floor, a chair perhaps, and Carus said, “Look, as much as it pains me to say this, because, apparently, she’s my sister, but someone needs to ask: are you sure it’s not just because she’s the first person you’ve ever taken to bed?
You do know that sometimes, people think they’re in love, and then the afterglow wears off, and you realize you were just really fucking horny. ”
Morgen didn’t say anything. Hearing what she thought was footsteps, Nya glanced behind her. No one was there, so she remained, despite the dizzying racing of her pulse. She should go, but something held her frozen. This felt important.
“Wait.” The chair scraped again. “Morgen. Please tell me you’re not that stupid.”
“You’re going to need to elaborate.”
Carus let out a rough laugh, loud enough that it echoed into the hall. “You did legitimize the marriage, right?”
“It’s an archaic practice.”
“Of course it is, but this is Arcadia, and you are trying to take the fucking throne! You do realize that until you do that, the marriage does nothing to stabilize your claim in the eyes of the council. Not to mention, if anyone were to find out, this makes her incredibly vulnerable. There are plenty of women who I’m sure would love to be queen, and if they knew the marriage ceremony was never technically completed, they might feel there’s an opportunity here. ”
“They wouldn’t dare.”
Carus barked out a harsh laugh. “They don’t know Nya! To them, she’s just some outsider you brought in and forced to marry you. Perhaps they would even think they’re doing her a favor by slitting her throat.”
Nya took a step backward, her hand shaking as she brought it to her throat. Everyone here had assumed she and Morgen had sex that night…that they were supposed to. Worse, they probably thought he had forced her, given the circumstances of the marriage in the first place.
“Nya?”
The unfamiliar whisper came from close behind her. Too close. She whirled, and a hand covered her mouth before she could scream. She smelled something sickly sweet, and her vision tilted. She tried to call for Morgen or Carus, but her lips felt stiff.
She was falling…
Someone caught her, but their hands were rough.
Morgen. I think he was right.
She couldn’t tell if she’d actually accessed the pathway, or if she had just thought the phrase. Before she could try again, her vision blurred, and the world went dark.