Chapter 19 #2
I narrowed my eyes. The hilt of the blade had notches in it to serve as grips when put into its sheath. A blade like this most likely had matching partners that were meant to be kept in a harness on the thigh, across the back, or chest. Had there been such marks on the dagger used on Father?
Bryn huffed. “I thought I could speak the truth to you. Maybe I misjudged you.”
I gritted my teeth and turned the dagger to study it further. I didn’t know what game this elder was playing, but I didn’t like him openly calling me stupid.
The metal of this blade looked similar, though not identical, to the one that had taken my father’s life.
It was perhaps a quarter of the size of that one.
“There should be others in this set.” The length of the blade was about the right size to match the wound in Rhielle’s throat, which explained why it might have been countered so easily by her shadow shield.
The poison itself did the dirty work. Whoever had attacked her probably hadn’t even had to cut her that much but had chosen a painful stroke.
“Was the weapon used on Rhielle ever found?” Bryn hung the dress back up and resumed searching the next dress.
I inhaled raggedly. “No. Though I suspect it appeared similar to this one.” I turned the blade over in my hands, careful not to nick myself. The last thing I wanted was to corrupt the evidence or inject myself with poison.
The application of poison had been done with great precision, the depth of the color showing that the blade had been dipped and allowed to dry many times.
“It fought against her body’s healing efforts and even all our own.
It’s painful and hard to stop the bleeding of someone who has been stabbed with such venom. ”
Bryn continued his search, his voice muffled as he leaned farther into the wardrobe.
“If there is someone you trust, have them test the blade. You’ll almost certainly see that the venom is the same type that was used on Rhielle.
Quite the vicious poison, I might add. They’ll most likely find the same poison in your father’s wound if they test for it.
Knowing the exact variety will allow them to cure Rhielle faster. ”
“So many coincidences.” Thalen stooped to pick up a fallen bracelet and then knelt to look under the bed. “Too many for my taste.”
The floor lurched beneath my feet. A heavy grinding rumble shook the room, and silt rained down from the ceiling tiles.
Screams sounded all around us, from down the hall, along with above and below.
The dagger nearly slipped from my grip as I braced myself against the wardrobe, careful not to stab myself with it.
Another deep rumble shook the room, rattling the furniture and sending several of Briar's possessions tumbling to the floor.
The bed frame knocked against the wall with a hollow thud as the tremors intensified.
Thalen leapt to his feet, wings flaring for balance. "What in the void?—"
Books toppled from shelves, and a glass figurine shattered on the marble floor. One of the mirrors in the washroom shattered, sending fine particles of glass flying everywhere. My shadows convulsed wildly around my feet, responding to the chaos and my own startled state.
Just as quickly as it had begun, the trembling subsided, leaving the room in further disarray.
My head throbbed viciously, a sharp pain lancing from the base of my skull to my temples. I pressed my palm against my forehead, trying to steady myself as nausea rolled through my gut.
Bryn's expression darkened. Without a word, he crossed to the washbasin in the corner of the room and turned on the tap. The crimson waters rapidly changed from blood-red to a murky pink, the sugary-spicy scent wavering as well. "This is worse than I feared, and Fate is getting angrier.”
I clutched at my chest, the tightness cold, sharp, and clamping ever tighter. The changing of the water…who else had seen this now? It was a beacon to our kingdom’s weakness.
My vision blurred at the edges as another surge of pain crashed through my skull.
Don’t fall.
Breathe.
I had to be strong for Briar, my family, and my kingdom.
Another spasm cut through me. I doubled over, gripping the black bedpost as agony tore through me. My shadows writhed against the floor like dying things, their edges fraying and dissolving only to reform erratically. The vested magic inside me churned violently, as if trying to escape.
"Do you need to sit?" Thalen asked, moving to my side. Though he didn’t touch me, he was close enough to grab me if I fell.
"I'm fine," I growled, though the lie was transparent. Blood pounded in my ears, and sweat beaded on my forehead. The pain arced tighter and tighter through my consciousness, but after three more ragged breaths, it started to ease.
The water returned to its crimson hue as Bryn stared at the swirling liquid, concern etched into his very posture.
He dipped his fingers into the water again and tested it.
With distaste, he flicked the droplets away.
"Your coronation must happen within the next twenty-four hours, and a queen must be crowned, or else the magic will cease to flow through you at all and the tie to this kingdom and all your people will be severed. You don’t have three days, Your Highness, let alone four.
Not now. Probably not even two, if I am being quite blunt about this reality.
It only gets worse from here. And let me be clear on this point—if you die and Briar is still here in Nytheria, she will die horrifically as well, and I won’t tolerate that. ”
I steadied myself and straightened, trying to swallow the sour taste that coated my tongue.
Bryn strode back into the bedroom, his boots crunching on glass fragments.
“We’re running out of time, especially with this game you’re trying to play with me, Your Highness.
Vow to me that you will protect Briar and do all that it takes to clear her name, and I will tell you my plan to get her out and allow you to assist me in rescuing her. ”
I didn’t have time to argue anymore. “We already have a plan.” I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth and squared my shoulders.
He laughed scornfully. “I knew you were lying about believing her to be the killer, thank Fate. How soon in your plan will you have Briar out of that prison?” He strode to the back of the room and examined the copper shadow beast hanging on the wall.
“Three days? Two?” He set his hands on his dark gray leather belt, his fingers tapping at his sides. “I can have her out in three hours.”
“Three hours ?” I folded my arms over my chest as I regarded him, my head still spinning. He was ancient and held a great deal of power, but did he hold that much sway? “How? How do I even know I can trust you?”
With an annoyed sigh, he pinched his brow.
Then he placed a hand on his chest. “I, Bryn Lugh of the Aurelines, here vow upon my life and breath to do all that is within my power to ensure Briar is returned to her home safely and swiftly and that she comes through this alive and well so that she may lead a fulfilling and happy life with her family. I will also get her out of Firellan’s Spine within three hours upon agreement to my terms.” He arched one heavy brow again as if in challenge. “There. Happy? Now vow the same.”
“ All is a dangerous thing to vow.” Thalen held up his hands as a flash of alarm passed through his amber eyes.
I already had my hand over my heart, my fingers digging into my surcoat. “I, Vad, son of Merrick of the Shadows, vow upon my life and breath to do all that is within my power to ensure Briar is happy and safe.”
“No.” Bryn’s jaw and fist clenched, and he closed the distance between us.
His liquid gold eyes gleamed with something almost manic, as if he were trying to compel me with his mere presence.
“No, you do not vow that. You vow to get her home, to Earth.” His voice tightened with emotion, shaking at the word home .
“She was torn from everything, and if she remains here, she will face far greater dangers. You cannot even begin to imagine the horrors.”
Anger boiled in my veins. “I will protect her with everything I have.” My wings flexed, and the shadows rippled behind me as I stepped up to him.
Though I towered over him by a good eight inches, he didn’t even blink.
“And it won’t be enough. All you had wasn’t enough to keep her from being taken and brutalized.
You were powerless to protect her during the trials as well.
And the people who want her dead take her existence personally.
Briar must disappear. You may have your bargains and deals with any number of individuals, but there are far more than you think involved in this.
If she remains in this realm, she will die because they will not stop trying.
And while you are getting weaker, they are getting stronger.
Eventually, they will succeed in killing her.
And there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it unless we get her out of this place entirely.
If you care about her even a little, you will let her go. ”
I parted my lips to protest as my shadows rose darker along the walls. “No. There must be some other way.”
“Wait.” Thalen chopped his hand in the space between us. “I understand that you want to protect someone innocent taken from Earth. But how you’re going about it sounds fecking personal.”
“It is personal.” Bryn straightened his shoulders. “Setting up an innocent contender is an abomination to Fate. They are perverting Fate's decisions and not respecting her power. They’re toying with magic that is not their own and using someone not of this realm to do it.”
I’d been focused on Briar, mainly because of my feelings for her, but he was right. Whoever was doing this wasn’t just messing with Briar; they were messing with all of us and Fate’s path.