Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Vad
A nger boiled in my veins. I raised a hand to stop Thalen. Could we possibly figure out who the killer was now and make this horrible nightmare end?
I pressed my finger to my lips and summoned my shadows. They slithered down my spine and around my ankles before sliding under the door as smooth as ink. A dull ache twinged along the back of my skull, adding to the pounding of my head, but I ignored it.
Even though I couldn’t see through my shadows, I could become aware of the presence once my shadows spread deeper within her room across the slick marble floor and past the thick rug.
Just one person.
I tapped my chest and then lifted one finger, informing Thalen of what to expect.
Easing the door open, I peered inside Briar's room. The familiar scent of her—cinnamon and ginger—filled my lungs, but my stomach twisted when the scent of lilacs and lavender with damp soil mixed with hers.
The room lay in partial disarray. Her simple furnishings—a wide bed with rumpled dark covers, a writing desk with scattered papers, and a dresser—showed signs of a hasty search.
The marble floor was covered with a thick black rug that muffled our footsteps as we entered.
A single oil lamp burned low near the bed, casting long shadows across the walls.
Near the far wall stood a tall, older man with his back to us.
His wild, dark auburn hair fell past his shoulders in unruly waves streaked with iridescent white over a heavy gray cloak of fine leather.
Dark, iridescent thread secured the broad hem, and the cloak hung in neat folds along his back, suggesting it was well-kept.
Multiple rings adorned the hand that gripped the left wardrobe door while he rifled through Briar’s things.
His head moved as if he were scanning each item of clothing up and down before moving on.
Thalen slipped forward with practiced stealth.
My shadows surged ahead, twisting and elongating as they reached for the intruder.
Just as they were about to snap around him, the man's aged hand flicked outward.
A brilliant transparent silver shield wall erupted around him, pushing back against my shadows.
They hissed and recoiled like scalded serpents, then lashed out again, wrapping around the shimmering shield.
"Unless you wish that this conversation is to be overheard, I recommend you close the door, Prince Vad.” The man spoke without turning as he examined Briar’s fighting leathers from the first competition.
He had a deep, resonant voice. "We don’t have much time if young Briar is to be retrieved from Firellan’s Spine. ”
He knew about Briar. Who is this man?
I nodded to Thalen, who shut the door behind us with a solid click .
My shadows remained wary, circling the shield and curling over it.
My wings spread, and I tensed as I stepped forward.
This man was clearly a noble, perhaps one of the High Aureline Council, but he had no authority to touch my beloved’s clothing.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in one of the candidate’s rooms? You’re trespassing.”
“And I don’t think those clothes are your size,” Thalen added, coming to stand beside me.
His hand rested lazily on the handle of his dagger, but his wings twitched as if ready to shoot him forward at a moment’s notice.
“Nor do you have the legs or hips to pull those off, though I admire your confidence for trying.”
Thalen’s demeanor often made others underestimate him, but right now, I wasn’t in the mood for his antics. I wanted to get to the bottom of why this man was here and alone.
With deliberate focus, the man returned the garment to the rack.
He turned within the shield and fixed us both with a clear liquid-gold stare.
His weathered features suggested he was beyond ancient, deep lines cut into his brow and crinkled around those burning eyes.
The front of his cloak was clasped with an ornate silver stag medallion that gleamed in the low light.
My muscles tightened as my upper lip almost curled. Yes, High Aureline Councilmember. One of the eldest, by the looks of him.
“Bryn Lugh, at your service.” The stiffness of his posture suggested this was merely a formal statement rather than an actual offer. But I did recognize the name. He was indeed the eldest and the highest-ranking member of the High Aureline Council.
“A pleasure to formally meet you, albeit in strange circumstances. Which leads me back to my original question—what are you doing in here?” I lowered my shadows from his shield but did not remove them entirely as I faced him head-on.
He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but that was the only sign to indicate he was at all uneasy. Was he part of this plan to frame Briar?
“Whatever the answer is, I doubt it’s in Briar’s wardrobe.” Thalen cocked an eyebrow.
Bryn shot Thalen a disapproving look before turning and removing a mauve dress from the wardrobe.
He held it up, examined it, felt each pocket, and then hung it back up.
“Despite what you may believe, Briar is an innocent woman from Earth who should never have been in the competition at all. Women like her were never meant to visit Nytheria. Fate made a bold and unusual choice.” He lifted a periwinkle dress that had no sleeves but an overabundance of lace.
“And those who are behind this entire conspiracy have made their own bold and unusual choice, starting with framing Briar.”
I frowned as he removed yet another dress.
Where had she gotten all these dresses from?
She’d arrived with nothing. Of course, servants were tasked with providing clothing for the candidates as needed.
If Briar had asked for all these garments, or if Elara had seen to it that she’d received them, that might account for it.
But neither explanation sat well with me.
Was this part of the attempt to frame her?
“What exactly is your interest in Briar?”
Bryn arched an eyebrow as he set that dress aside and removed another, this one a pale yellow. He ran his hand along its sides. “I’m interested in all who are falsely accused. Is there another who has been charged with assassination whom I should rush to defend?”
“So you’re just trying to free someone you deem to have been imprisoned unjustly?
” Something in this room felt off, beyond the ancient man who was rifling through it.
The utter disarray didn’t line up with Briar, and Bryn searching the dresses didn’t seem to line up with him either.
My guards would never have treated the room in this fashion, so had someone else been in here?
“Did you create this mess, or was it like this when you entered?” I studied his face for signs of dishonesty.
Was this an Aureline test to learn my true thoughts on the matter?
“It was this way when I entered. But that isn’t what should concern you.” Bryn’s voice lowered as he shook the dress one more time. He scowled, then hung the dress back up.
“Do enlighten me then.” I braced my hands on my belt. This Aureline Councilmember wasn’t what I’d anticipated.
A bolt of nausea twisted through me, and I drew in a hard breath through my nose. The corresponding stab in my skull warned me that the vested Shadow magic was deteriorating fast. How much time did I have left? Three days felt like a reach, but I needed every scrap of it.
Bryn’s gaze flicked over me before he snorted.
“You know it already. Fate is angry, and others are working to destabilize your kingdom’s magic even more than has already been done.
That shortens the time you have even beyond what you and those loyal to you believe.
There is far more at work here than any one individual realizes, and it must be handled swiftly, or else all will be lost.”
“And the answer is in Briar’s dresses ?” Thalen cocked an eyebrow and smirked.
“Briar is innocent. She was framed to take the blame to eliminate her, and they were rather thorough.” He removed a dark-blue dress that Briar had never worn from the wardrobe.
It hung heavy on the left side. With an annoyed click of his tongue, he reached into the pocket.
With a flash of silver, he removed a small dagger about four inches from tip to hilt.
The black double-edged blade glistened on both sides with an iridescent green fluid.
The hilt itself had three notches in it, and when he briskly rubbed the handle, a fae skull embossment appeared, glowing faintly from the friction.
My body froze, and a shiver ran down my spine. Someone had planted evidence.
I blew out a breath and moved quickly, but when I tried to take the dagger from Bryn, he moved back.
“My magic is not tainting the evidence. It protects the integrity of the blade, but yours won’t.” Bryn grabbed the hem of the dress and ripped a section off, then wrapped it around the tiny handle so I could see the blade. “Here. Now you can take it.”
I hesitated, confused why he would take the time to preserve the evidence. In fairness, I hadn’t been thinking clearly and would’ve grabbed it if not for him.
He held it out to me, and I swiped it.
Thalen’s brow quirked, and he folded his arms as he leaned back. “Convenient that whoever left it left such a clear marker on it. For all we know, you just put it in there to attempt to convince us that you truly believe she’s innocent.”
“How dare you accuse me of lying?” Bryn dropped his hand but glared. “Do you know how insulting that is, especially after I advised you not to taint the evidence?”
The truth was that neither Thalen nor I cared. “This could be a ruse to see if I truly believe Briar is guilty. How could I possibly deny it when people saw her drop the dagger used to stab my father, as well as being covered in his blood?”