Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Caged
A whole day passes, and I watch the sun set from the balcony. My brain is foggy, stuck in a dream. I feel him. I can feel him all around me, pressing into me. Prying into my mind and making me miss him, crave him.
I can smell the cedar and ash, the smell of my husband. The smell of my abuser and lover. The person I shouldn’t want to be with right now, but something is digging into my mind, making me ache for his touch. Ache for him.
Something feels wrong. I feel as if I am suffocating. As if I am feeling the pain of a thousand cuts and as if the distance between me and him is somehow killing me from the inside out.
A tear slips out of my eyes, trailing down my cheek as I watch the sun go down. This is my life now. Another prison. Another place for me to be stuck. Another place for someone to control me. I could run. I could make a break for it. But where would I go? I can’t go ba —
A loud knock sounds from behind and I s pin around. To my surprise, and disgust, King Davenport walks in, shutting the door behind him.
“Princess.” He says, crossing his arms. Everything about him exudes power, control. He reminds me of Evreux, of my father—of Viktor. Fury pummels through me, disgust as I stare at this sad excuse of a man.
Why are the people who end up with power always the people who shouldn’t have it?
“What can I do for you, Your Grace?” I ask, wrapping my arms around myself.
“I have been thinking.” He stares into my eyes before stepping forward, running his hands along the bedspread. “You seem to be under the impression that you have choices here, that you are a free woman.” I want to scoff, to laugh, but I don’t.
“I will never be free.” I say slowly. His brows furrow as the edges of his mouth twitch.
“At least you’re smart.” He snorts, walking around the bed.
“What do you want?” I ask again, sliding back an inch until my back presses against the window.
“I am here to make a proposition.” My eyes widen as I stare at him.
“What could you possibly have to offer me?”
“I want you to marry my son. I want you to unite our bloodlines. In return, I will rule in your place. You will not have to lift a finger. War will be had, and you can live comfortably in the palace in Labisa. You won’t have to watch as the world burns, you won’t have to be a part of it.
Your husband will die, and you will be free.
You could do whatever you wished in Labisa.
” My lips part as I stare at him. As I ponder.
I won’t have to be involved. I won’t have to go to war or worry about what my life will be like. I won’t have to do anything. I could live.
But I would be married.
“Why? ”
“I want something else from you.” He steps around the bed, pausing a foot from me.
My fingers tingle, and as if he can sense it, he smiles.
He lifts a hand and traces my arm from my shoulder to my elbow.
I flinch, my gaze glaring into his. “I can feel it brewing beneath your skin. I don’t think you understand how powerful you are.
” I step to the side, out of his reach and walk to the door.
“What else could you possibly want from me?” I snap.
“Your brother, he’s a siphon. Do you know what they can do?” I spin around, facing him again.
“They can take power.” I respond.
“They can take it just as easily as they can give it.” My heart skips a beat as I understand what he’s saying, what he’s asking for.
“You want my aether?” I whisper, my hands falling down to my sides.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why would anyone want power, child? To be powerful .” He snorts before walking towards me again. “You don’t want it. You made that very clear. You have no control over it, nor do you want to. Think, Elaenor. Think about this. I may be willing to negotiate.” He adds.
“What?”
“I won’t make you marry Nithe if you do this, if you give me your aether. You could still move to Labisa, where you will live as a queen, but you will still be free.”
“If I annul my marriage, I will already be free, or as free as I can get.”
“No, child, you are not. I own you.” His hand grazes mine and I pull it away, but he snatches it anyway.
His fingers press into my skin and my fingers open, spasming.
“Every breath you take, every beat of your heart is because of me. I saved you. I am giving you sanctuary. I am giving you life. You have no more choices, except this one. You will give me your aether or you will marry my son. One of which will happen tonight.” I rip my hand from his and he grabs my face, pinching my cheeks and pushing me into the door behind me.
“This palace is full of your friends, your family. I will rip each one of their hearts out in front of you until you do as I ask, as I demand . War is coming, and I will not be on the losing side.” Words fail me as he releases my face and pushes me out of the way.
I stumble to the side as he exits the room, slamming the door behind him.
I stare at the empty space he was just occupying. He’s not going to let me live, let me be free without giving up everything. My aether is all I have. Despite my friends, and the people in this palace, the starlight is mine . It is what saved me from Tobias.
And it will be what destroys him.
My mind is made up before I snatch the cloak from the dressing room, fastening it around me and slipping a pair of boots on. I search the room for a weapon but find none.
I take a slow, deep breath before I open the door and peer out in the hallway. It’s empty, quiet.
I cross the hall, quickly pushing open Emery’s door. Her room is dark, vacant. I run in quickly, pulling open drawers in her nightstand. The moonlight illuminates the room softly, but I can’t find what I am looking for.
I abandon the nightstand and move to the dressing room, pulling open dresser drawers. I hit the jackpot and nearly cry out in relief when the bottom drawer opens.
Daggers and short swords fill the bottom drawer to the brim. I grab two daggers, shoving them in my boots, not that I even know what to do with them. I grab a short sword, quickly hooking the holster around me, before closing the drawer and exiting back into the hallway.
I look down the dark expanse, seeing a small light coming from the library. I strain my ears as I listen, and then I hear it. A soft laugh, the clinking of dishes. They are in there.
I creep closer, my back resting against the wall as I peer into the room. They are facing away from the door, towards the fireplace, eating and drinking. I take a deep breath before running across the doorway to the stairs beyond .
My footsteps are silent as I descend, keeping my eye out for guards. The rustling of armor makes me freeze as I peer around the bend in the staircase. The noise dissipates and I continue.
My hands sweat, my fingers tingling as I reach the bottom floor. There are two guards by the door and one by the entryway to the grand room.
“Damnit.” I whisper as I think of what to do.
I contemplate just walking by, Nithe said I could, but I feel they would stop me, especially if I look like I’m leaving.
I need them to move, to abandon their post for just a moment.
I rack my brain, searching for anything when I peer back around the corner.
A small gasp escapes my mouth as I see that the guards are gone.
Where did they go? I don’t hesitate.
I exit the stairwell quickly, running across the entryway and out into the crisp night. The stars are bright, illuminating the grounds as I make my way to the low wall. I grip the top of it and struggle to pull myself up. I release a breath as I drop to the other side.
I spin around and face a wall of wisteria. The trees are thick, the vines filling every inch. I push them aside with my hands as I walk through, letting them fall behind me, covering me from prying eyes.
My footsteps are quick as I dart through the trees and nearly cry in relief as I exit the orchard. The hills are vast, the green grass glowing from the moonlight. I continue running, nearly slipping as the terrain dips down.
I don’t know how long I keep going, my boots slipping on the grass as I get closer and closer to another hill. As I reach the top, I see it. The trail.
I quickly clamor down the hill, finding the trail that leads to the lake. Everything is quiet, peaceful, just the sound of me running, and then I hear it. The lapping of the water as I reach the beach, white sand crunching beneath my boots. My pulse thrums in my veins, adrenaline feeding me.
Pushing me forward.
The small boat is tied off to a short pier, oars already placed in the two holders. I waste no time as I step onto the wooden dock, the sound of my boots echoing around me. I step down into the boat and look over. The lights from the palace are visible, brightening the dark sky.
Friends. Found family. That is who is in there. But if I stay, I will be forced to marry Nithe, forced to give my one source of power away. And if I don’t, they’ll die.
I don’t know Davenport, but he seems ruthless, and he seems like the type of man who gets what he wants. He almost did. Back on the road to Noterra when I was tortured and raped. When I was drugged and kidnapped before Theo and Tobias rescued me. And now. He has me in his palace, in his care.
In his control.
If I stay, I won’t make it. He won’t keep me around if I continue to oppose him. Why would he?
I look away and unravel the rope holding the small boat to the dock. I push off, letting the current pull me farther from the beach. The bench is cold when I finally sit down, grabbing the oars and pulling them towards me, pushing the boat farther and farther into the lake.
The air is colder, thicker, as I paddle.
It makes no sense for the weather to feel so frigid in the beginning of August. It should be warm, humid.
But the cold air presses down around me, making my skin crawl.
I don’t know how much time passes, but exhaustion finds me.
I try to pull the oars, but the water resists and I drop them.
Resignation falls over me as I curl up on the bench, watching the stars.
My fingers tingle, as if recognizing the twinkling lights above.
Nineteen years and I never knew I had magic.
I never knew, and not once did it appear.
But I felt it. I felt electricity through my limbs every time I was scared or angry.
Every time I was happy. As if it was there all along and I didn’t know how to wield it.
I felt it every time I was touched, every time I was kissed, as if it was reacting to my emotions.
It was always there, ready for me. A piece of myself I never knew, a pie—