Chapter 46
Belle
Valen had locked me away. Again.
I’d thought we were past that. I’d thought—foolishly—that I’d seen something in him. But the intoxicating curve of his mouth was nothing more than cruelty disguised as charm, his heated gazes just another game.
He’d given no explanation, just a curt order as if I were one of his courtesans. What did I expect?
His interest hadn’t been real. It was a lie. Another mask.
How could I have ever imagined kissing him? I’d been an inch from disaster.
It had been his blood. It had to be.
I glared at the locked door. “Open.”
The lock clicked, and the door to my room swung wide. Four guards stood in the hallway, looking back at me with grim, annoyed expressions.
“Shut,” I said.
The door slammed closed, shaking the paintings on the wall in a darkly satisfying way.
Sequestered away would be a more accurate way to describe my situation, as the lock on the door was mine to command, and the king didn’t know about the secret passage that led to my chambers—not that either did me much good.
The guards would drag me back inside if I tried to go out by the front door, and I didn’t want to risk giving away the presence of the secret passage without a very good reason.
So instead of breaking out, I’d spent the past few hours opening and shutting the door.
In addition to demonstrating the faint sliver of control I had over my situation, the practice helped me release my aggression and torment my captors.
Perhaps it was unladylike, but unfortunately, the bastard I really wanted to torment was completely unavailable.
“Open,” I commanded again.
The door whipped open enthusiastically—almost as if it had started enjoying the exercise.
“Shu—” I bit off the demand.
Loreli stood at the threshold, wide-eyed, my breakfast in her hands. “Might I enter safely, my lady? I have your breakfast.”
I thrust myself off the bed and hurried over. “Of course. Please, I’m grateful for it.”
She scuttled in with a nervous look at the door and set the tray of food on the table.
“Close.” I gestured at the door, then quickly added, “Gently, please.”
The door swung hard, then at the last second, slowed and shut softly with a light, almost self-satisfied click.
“You’re getting much better, Lady Belle.”
I shrugged. “For whatever reason, it’s far easier when I’m angry.”
When I was angry, it felt like I was tuning into an undercurrent of fury emanating from the objects around me, even the walls.
Of course, that didn’t make sense. I’d considered discussing it with Locke, but I didn’t trust him any more than Valen, so it seemed better to hold my cards close. Any secret could prove to be an asset.
Loreli busied herself setting out my breakfast. “The guards told me that you were in a mood.” She glanced back at the door and pulled a face. “They’re a right bunch of assholes if you ask me. Is there anything I can do to help?”
I smiled. At least I had one true friend in this place. I motioned to the table. “Eat with me. I’m dying for company and to know what’s going on.”
She eyed the food. “It’s not proper for me to join you.”
“Please. You brought more than I could possibly eat.”
That wasn’t quite true—since I’d started using magic, my appetite had blossomed, and after practicing all morning, I suspected I could polish off an entire blood moon feast on my own, but I was far hungrier for company and information.
Without warning, two chairs scooted back.
Loreli jumped, then blushed. “I’m sorry, Lady Belle. I’m still getting used to your magic.”
I laughed it off, but I was just as surprised. I hadn’t said anything, but I’d been about to. Could the chairs read my mind? I shook my head. Impossible. They were chairs.
One scooted under me as I took my seat, and I jumped slightly myself. Loreli raised an eyebrow, but I smiled warmly, as if it was absolutely normal. Yet my mind raced. Would things around me start obeying my unconscious desires?
If so, it was good that Valen was keeping his distance—my butter knife might accidentally end up lodged in his jugular before I could stop it.
“Are you okay?” Loreli whispered as she took her seat and served us both. The kitchen had sent a delicate spread of poached eggs, freshly baked buns, fig jam and runny white cheese, as well as an array of sliced pears and grapes.
I greedily began forking sweet slices of pear into my mouth. “I’m dying to know what’s going on in the castle. One moment, a company of soldiers is stumbling out of the woods. The next, I’m locked away without an explanation. No one will tell me anything.”
Loreli’s eyes flicked warily toward the door.
Nodding, I turned toward the bed. “Could we have some privacy, please?”
A shiver ran over my skin as the comforter and sheets rolled back, and the mattress lifted off the frame, slid across the room, and slammed itself over the door. A wave of exhaustion shuddered through me, leaving me weary and even more famished than before.
Loreli stared at the mattress, mouth open as a dollop of jam dripped off her bun onto her plate.
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I should’ve warned you.”
“No, of course not. It’s just a lot to take in.” She leaned close and lowered her voice. “No one knows what’s happening. The soldiers who came from the woods are part of an army. They’ve set up camp outside the castle, and we’ve been forbidden to approach.”
I nodded. “I saw their campfires last night, and it looks like the king tripled the guards on the battlements. Are the soldiers hostile? Is the castle under attack?”
“No. There seems to be a truce. The kitchen staff told me that we sent half our winter stores to them, and most of the livestock. The king and magister met with their general yesterday, just before dawn. The rumors say he left furious.”
I raised my brows. “Who are they?”
“A mercenary company known as the Crimson Host. They have a reputation for butchery and…” She hesitated, then looked aside. “Suffice it to say, I understand why the king doesn’t want anyone going near them, especially our women.”
I fisted my hands. “Why are they here?”
“No one knows. Rumors are flying around the castle—that the king hired them, that they came from Eradessa, that they were sent by the Bloodvale, that they’ve been wandering in the woods for centuries.”
My breath stilled.
The Bloodvale. Could Cassius have sent them to rescue me? What if Marcel had warned him where I was? Perhaps the king had locked me away because they were negotiating over me.
The elation faded as a knot of unease settled in my stomach. I was probably deluding myself—and if what Loreli said was true about the legion, Cassius would never have hired them.
That left Valen.
What if everything he’d told me had been a lie? Could he be planning to use the mercenaries to take back his throne? Perhaps he’d locked me away because he didn’t want me to know—or, more likely, to interfere.
My blood ran cold. It was possible. Even probable. And if the bastard was planning to invade, I had to warn Cassius and Ella.
Don’t get ahead of yourself. I needed proof.
“You said the general visited…are there any soldiers still in the castle?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. But there will be tomorrow night. The king is hosting their officers, and there will be dancing and a blood feast. The entire castle staff is in an uproar trying to get ready. It’s why your breakfast is so late.”
My mind raced. “When is the ball? I have to be there.”
Loreli’s expression fell, and she folded her hands in her lap. “I’m afraid you’re not to be invited. The king ordered your guards to keep you in your rooms until the mercenaries have departed.”
“What?” The table shook violently, and Loreli clutched her tea, her gaze dropping to the butter knife clenched in my fist. I loosened my grip and set it down.
“The king has paraded me in front of his court and dragged me to one of his bloody revels. Now he throws a ball, and he doesn’t invite me? Why?”
Loreli’s eyes darted toward the door, then she took my hand and bent close. “I don’t know, but he’s ordered the staff not to reveal your presence here, and to report directly to him if any soldiers approach us about you.”
He was hiding me.
Their arrival had to be tied to Valen reclaiming the Bloodvale. It was the simplest explanation.
I could stomach his cruel games, but this? The betrayal sliced through me.
Rising, I crossed to the window and peered out. Valen’s warriors stood watch on the battlements. Most faced outward toward the mercenary camp, but several faced my window and were looking directly at me, bows in hand. A growl escaped my throat, and I yanked the curtains closed.
I had to find out what the king and the general were planning.
I stalked to my new wardrobe and swung the doors wide, revealing a dazzling array of colors and textures. Half a dozen beautiful dresses for the king’s newest toy.
“What are you doing?” Loreli asked, still uneasy about my magic.
“I’m going to sneak into the banquet.”
“That’s not a good idea, Lady Belle. Even if you can find a way past the guards, the king will spot you in a heartbeat.”
Determination steeled my nerves. “Maybe, but I have to try. If he’s planning to use the army against the Bloodvale, I need to know.”
I flipped through the dresses, then pulled out a red gown and held it up in front of the mirror. “I expect he’ll be entertaining his guests or sucking on some poor woman’s neck. That should give me five or ten minutes before he notices me.”
Loreli sighed. “Well, if that’s your plan, you shouldn’t wear one of those dresses.”
I raised my eyebrows and rechecked myself in the mirror. “Why? Do you think they will draw too much attention?”
“From the king, absolutely. He picked out each of those dresses specifically for you—custom commissions. He’ll notice you the moment you step into the ball.”
I glanced at the gown bunched in my hands. Valen had it made just for me. I pressed my lips together as I imagined the king telling the seamstresses each detail he wanted, how much skin to show and where…
I shoved the dress back into the wardrobe and closed the doors. They were all so beautiful and so perfectly fitted, yet I couldn’t stomach the idea of being his doll any longer.
The king was a treacherous bastard. It was clearer to me than ever. What happened between us had been an embarrassing lapse in judgment—a mistake I wouldn’t make again.
I looked to Loreli, ignoring the dull ache in my chest. “Do you think I could dress up as a servant?”
“No. You wouldn’t pass as one of us, not even for a minute.” She chewed on her lip, then her eyes brightened. “I’ll find you a dress. My sister is a seamstress and has dozens on hand that were rejected or being fitted for the ladies of the court.”
My heart warmed, but as the implications sank in, my shoulders slumped. “Thank you, but I can’t ask either of you to involve yourselves. I shouldn’t even be telling you this. I don’t want to put you in danger.”
“Is what you’re trying to do important?”
I bit my lip. “I believe so—for my sister and the Bloodvale.”
She nodded, expression set. “You’re as close to human royalty as I’m ever going to get. If I didn’t help, I’d consider it a betrayal of our kind, as well as our friendship.”
I let out a shaky breath. It had been easier when it was my own fate I was putting on the line.
Loreli’s lips pulled into a teasing smile. “Besides, you’ll never get yourself into a ballgown without my help. I’ll sort out the dress and help you get ready, but the bigger question is, how are you going to get past the guards?”
Grinning, I stepped to the wall and ran my hand down the seam of the secret passage I’d found weeks ago. “I’ve got that part covered already.”