Chapter 29
ARIEL
I ’d spent hours in my room alone, pacing the opulent space like a rat in a cage.
When I’d heard their door open and footsteps file out not long after I was relegated to my room, my mind had drifted to all the terrible fates that could befall the three of them. Vesstan may have told me that they’d be allowed to attend the ball, but that could have easily been a lie to placate me. I stared at my bedroom door, wondering what Vesstan might have planned for them—if, while I had been imagining his death, he’d been plotting theirs.
My palms itched for my staff.
So I could bury it in Vesstan’s skull.
But I heard Shayfer’s voice in the back of my mind, yammering about caution and opportunity, so instead of storming down the hall in a murderous rage, I took a breath to calm myself. There were many innocuous reasons why they might not be in their room.
At least that’s what I told myself as my pacing wore a track into the wool rug beneath my feet.
A knock at the door finally tore me from my dark ruminations, and I raced over to it. I yanked it open without even a modicum of grace to find my father standing before me, features pinched tight with concern. He pushed past me, his black wings raking against my skin, and quickly closed the door.
“The ball is tonight,” he said. His tone was laced with worry.
“I know. Vesstan told me. What I don’t know is where Hemming and the others are, and I’m starting to?—”
“They are in the ballroom assisting with the preparations. They have been there all day.”
The relief I felt at his words was instant, and I did nothing to hide that fact. My father looked on, his lips pressed into a grim slash across his face. “Are you ready to do what needs to be done?”
I took a steadying breath. “Yes.”
He nodded his approval. “Remember, Ariel, you will get only one chance at this, and if you fail…there will be consequences.”
“I know, but I won’t fail, Baba. I can’t. Too much is riding on this. Too many futures depend on it.”
Including yours.
His expression softened as though I’d said those words aloud, and he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. “Your mother would be so proud of you,” he said softly against the top of my head. “Avenge her, Ariel.”
“I will.” I pulled away and looked up into his dark eyes. “What will happen once he’s dead?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Whatever magic he holds over his captives will disappear.” His hand wrapped around the silver collar encircling his throat. “ This will disappear. Then we can leave.”
“And the curse on Anemosia will fall?”
He nodded. “With one death, many more will live.”
The weight of his words settled heavy on my shoulders. “Tell me all you know of Vesstan’s powers.”
“First you must tell me of yours so that I can formulate a strategy of attack.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “ My powers?”
“Yes, Ariel. I need to know what you can do—which of your mother’s abilities you can access.”
I stared at him in silence, struggling to respond to a question that had no real answer. Could I fight? Yes. Could I call scales and wield fire? Of course. But ‘powers’? That was not something I had to use against Vesstan, and the longer I stood before him, mute as a stone, he began to see the truth I couldn't bring myself to share.
Whatever magic my mother might have possessed, I had inherited none.
“Baba, I—” My voice cracked as I cut myself off, too ashamed to say out loud what I now feared to be true: that maybe I was not enough not save us.
“Shh, my sweet girl,” he cooed in my ear as he pulled me close once again, “all is well, Ariel. All is well.”
“But it isn’t, because I don’t have any god power.”
“I didn't mean to upset you. I simply asked so that we could better plan.”
“And now we don’t have one at all if it depends upon powers I don’t possess,” I said, sniffling in his arms.
He pushed me away and held me at arm’s length to stare at me with a harshness I’d only seen before in his brother. “You do not need powers or magic to do this. You need only be who you are: your mother’s daughter. I said that before, and I meant it. Your bloodline is enough. But Vesstan has spent an eternity amassing abilities, and if given a reason, he will unleash them upon you in a frenzy of rage. Crossing him is not a forgivable offense, so you must be so, so careful. Understand?”
I wiped away the tears brimming in my eyes, squared my shoulders, and nodded like a good little soldier. “Yes, I understand.”
“He can conjure weapons of ice from thin air and move like the wind. You will be no match for his speed, so whatever you plan to do, he cannot see it coming.”
“He won’t?—”
“And most important of all,” he said, leaning in close, “do not stop until he’s truly dead.” My father reached out and pressed a dagger into my palm. “Do. Not. Stop.” I nodded as I took his offering. “Show him no mercy.”
My gaze lifted to his steely stare. “I have none to give.”
He cupped my chin in his hand and lifted it higher still. “That’s my girl. Now, I must go to prepare. You will not see me this evening, but I will always be nearby. Once you are able to draw Vesstan away from the party to somewhere private, I will be there should you need assistance.”
“Hemming and the others will do the same,” I added. “I just need a moment to talk to them first.”
Wariness filtered into his expression. “It will be conspicuous if they all leave the ball together.”
“They won’t. Shayfer will make certain of that.”
His eyes narrowed. “You trust him as you trust Hemming?”
“I do.”
“Then tell them to keep watch over you and move when you move. I will take care of the rest.”
His attention snapped to the door abruptly, and I already knew what he was going to say. “You have to go? Someone is coming?”
A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Tell them the plan,” he said as he moved past me to open the door, “and in a few hours, we will all be free.”
N o attendant arrived to help me into the gauzy fabrics that had been delivered, so with a deep sigh and much swearing, I endeavored to dress myself. Halfway through the process, I wondered how I’d ever manage to kill a god when I’d nearly been bested by a garment—if it could even be called that.
A strip of deep blue leather served as a bodice of sorts, wrapping around my breasts so tightly that they bulged out the top in an attempt to escape, while the rest of my torso remained totally bare. Layers of transparent midnight fabric fell from low on my waist in a chaotic fashion that somehow created a skirt, and they seemed to go from ample in the back to sparse as they rounded to the front. It felt like I was nearly naked, with nothing to wear beneath.
The fabric was so fine that I barely felt it brush against my skin as I paced the room once again, wondering when the others would return.
Finally, I heard the muffled sound of voices growing nearer. The door to their room opened, then closed, without so much as a knock on my own. Once again, my mind raced with the implications. After a moment of trying to talk myself out of it, I reached for the doorknob, prepared to dart across the hall to accost them.
“I cannot recommend going anywhere in that.” I turned to find Shayfer smiling slyly as he took in the sight of me in all my barely-covered glory. He was a sight all his own, looking regal in an emerald coat adorned with gold embellishments and a crisp white shirt and trousers. “I assume that you did not choose this particular dress for the evening?”
“No, I most certainly did not,” I replied.
“Ariel,” he said, his tone suddenly serious, “Hemming told us everything. Would I also be correct in assuming that you will be using this evening—and that dress—to handle our current dilemma?”
“Yes…”
His lips pressed to a grim line as he nodded, and I rushed over to him and threw my arms around his neck. “I have been worried about you all day,” I whispered in his ear. “Where have you been? Is everything all right?”
“We were summoned to help with preparations for the ball,” he replied, hugging me tightly. “And we are ready to help you accomplish this task. You will not be alone, Ariel. I promise you that.”
I pulled away and found earnest eyes looking back at me. Before my emotions could overtake me, I wriggled out of his hold. “Now is not the time for a threesome, Shayfer.”
He spread his arms wide. “But if it could help…” I smacked him in the shoulder, and a wolfish smile spread across his face. “Save that for the god you have to kill.” As soon as those words left his mouth, that smile fell, and the desperate reality of my mission settled upon us both. “Forgive me, Ariel dear. That was in poor taste.”
I forced down the tears stinging the backs of my eyes and cleared my throat. “The only thing in poor taste is this translucent abomination I’m wearing,” I said, staring down at the delicate strips of skirting for effect.
His eyes dropped to the scandalous fabric and widened before quickly darting back to meet my gaze. “Ariel—and I ask this with the full knowledge that it is far from our most serious problem this evening—but what exactly are you planning to wear under this… dress ?”
I stared at him. “Nothing—because I have nothing to wear under it.”
He pressed his fingertips to his temples and rubbed them in a circular motion. “Then might I suggest that you do not move too quickly or twirl at all while dancing this evening? And stay away from any open windows for fear of a breeze…”
I cursed under my breath. “So I not only have to worry about killing a god tonight, I also have to worry about flashing an entire roomful of people while trying to seduce him?”
“If it helps at all, you’ll look stunning while doing both?—”
“It doesn’t, thank you very much.” I gathered some of the skirting from the sides and pulled it around to the front to better cover myself, letting out a sigh. “I feel so exposed like this. And unarmed, even with my father’s dagger strapped strategically to my thigh. I’d give anything for my leathers and staff.”
“You don’t need your staff to be armed, Ariel,” Shayfer said as he drew closer. His soft fingertips grazed my exposed thigh as he stared me dead in the eyes. “Your bare leg is a weapon. Your breasts are weapons. Every inch of your body can be used to get what you want when you wield it well—but not too well, and not for too long, or there will be unsavory consequences before you get a chance to strike.” His hand fell away, but his sharp eyes remained on me. “You know what it is to be a woman amid dangerous men—this is no different, though your tactics to initially navigate the scenario must be before you reach more familiar territory. Make no mistake, Ariel dear, this is a battle; just not the kind you’re used to.”
“I’d prefer an all-out bloodbath to this.”
A wry smile tugged at his serious expression. “Of that, I am certain. And you're not the only one. Hemming will be less than thrilled to watch this plan unfold…” His smile fell away. “And I cannot say that I will be, either.”
“Except for the killing of Vesstan,” I said, forcing a smile to break the budding sadness overtaking the room.
His grin returned in response. “I’m sure he dreams of that. He’s undoubtedly jealous that Vesstan’s death won’t be by his hands.”
Of that, I was certain.
“Shayfer, you’ll need to work your magic to keep him from interfering until I’ve managed to get Vesstan alone. All of this will be for nothing if he does.”
“I will do my best, Ariel dear, but I think there are times when not even you can control him. Asking me to seems a stretch at best.” A sobering thought, indeed. “Knowing this, subtlety will be the name of the game. You’ll need to seduce Vesstan well enough to lead him away—but not so well that you drive Hemming to his breaking point in the process.”
I shuddered at all the ways this scenario could go wrong. “Why do I feel like this is a task better suited to you, Shayfer?”
“Because it would be if Vesstan had shown even a modicum of interest in me—except for the killing him bit, of course. Alas, I am not a god, and he wasn’t taken by my wit and charm, so it’s up to you, my virtuous darling, to deliver.” His fingers were busy fussing with my hair as he suddenly avoided eye contact. “Ariel…I feel I need to ask you something before the ball. Something of a rather personal nature.”
“Like that has ever stopped you from prying.”
He dared a glance at me through his lashes. “Have you…been with anyone before?”
I took a deep breath. “No.”
His hands went still. “Then promise me something: that tonight will not be the first. That you will kill him before it goes that far.” His gaze slowly lifted to meet mine, and there was sadness deep in those golden brown eyes that I didn't fully understand. “ Nothing —not even the vengeance you seek so vehemently or the curse you wish to break—is worth giving that away to anyone but the one you love most.”
There was something so pained in his eyes as he looked at me—something so raw and vulnerable in their depths—that made him almost unrecognizable. But I understood all too well the implications of his words. Every female in existence did, on the most visceral level.
I reached up and covered his hands with mine, then squeezed them lightly. “He will die before he ever has the chance,” I whispered softly in a weak attempt to hide my rising emotions. Seeing anyone so lost to the pain of their past was hard. Seeing Shayfer that way was gutting.
But as quickly as the moment had come, it left.
He gracefully pulled his hands away and let a mischievous smile overtake his sorrowful expression. “Well, now that we have that matter settled, I suppose we should figure out exactly how to reveal you to Hemming.” He took a step back and eyed me from head to toe, then sighed. “I cannot imagine a scenario in which that goes well, especially when he sees how high the slit in your skirt goes?—”
“He’ll be fine,” I said to the full-length mirror beyond Shayfer, but even I could see the lie on my face. Hemming was going to come apart the second he saw me, and it would be better if we were alone when it happened. “Maybe I should shock him with this before I go down so the bulk of his reaction is in private?”
“I’d be inclined to agree if I didn't think his outburst would draw unwanted attention,” Shayfer said in my ear as he came to stand behind me. “We might need the requirement of public decorum to help stifle his reaction at the ball.”
“Hemming doesn’t care about decorum,” I reminded him, “especially not when it comes to me.”
“You have a point there,” he muttered under his breath as he delicately placed my hair over my shoulder. “Perhaps I’ll speak to him privately and remind him that appearing indifferent is vital to both your safety and your success this evening. Then I’ll casually relay just how much of your skin is currently exposed before disappearing.”
“Good idea, except that will leave poor Eldrien to deal with the backlash.”
“Ah, but Hemming doesn’t trust Eldrien, so he wouldn’t dare display his weakness for you. At least any more than he already has.”
“Fair point. Then I guess we have a plan. A less than ideal one, but?—”
“Sometimes that’s the best one can do,” Shayfer replied before turning me to face him, a serious expression tightening his features once again. “As for you, Ariel, remember what I said.”
“I will. I promise.”
“And if you need me, I’ll be at your side in an instant.” He leaned forward, and his lips grazed my cheek with a whisper of a kiss. “In the meantime, wish me luck with your beloved.”
I couldn’t help but laugh nervously as the image of Hemming beasting out at the description of my dress flashed in my mind. “I would say you don’t need it, but?—”
“You’re too smart for that, Ariel dear, and we both know it.” He backed toward the door, smirking like an imp. “I will see you shortly—if I survive, that is.”
“You’d better!” I called after him.
He merely winked at me before he disappeared, leaving me alone in my room with only my sheer dress, a lump in my throat, and the overwhelming sense of dread that everything was about to go terribly wrong.