Chapter 13
I found a cave nearby. It was dark, sunlight stretching in a few feet, shadows swallowing the rest of the space. That, at least, would make it easier to hide for now.
I stalked further inside, toward the inky back.
The dark was almost a comfort after spending so long away from any kind of light.
I wanted to curl into the shadows and make friends with the monsters.
They were uncomplicated. They didn’t lie.
They didn’t play games. You knew exactly what you got with them.
Something brushed against my neck. The touch was like a feather, so light I almost missed it, but after years spent in that curse, where no one touched me, I knew someone had made contact with my skin.
On instinct, I jammed my elbow back and heard a groan.
“Who’s there?” I asked, backing into the light.
A man stepped out from the shadows, his hands raised, my necklace with the spindle on it dangling from his fingers. My hand went to my empty neck.
“Hey!” I said. “Give that back.”
He lifted it and dropped it into a pouch attached to his belt.
He wore thicker trousers, ones made for cold weather, a green tunic tucked in.
His hair was an ashy blond, but unlike the people of Gilraeth, his skin was pale.
He flipped his palm over, a vine growing from it, writhing in the air.
He was from Elwen, where inhabitants wielded earth magic, able to manipulate trees, plants, the very soil under our feet.
He towered over me, a mountain of a man, his hair tied back in a bun, wisps of blond hair falling over his forehead. Objectively speaking, he was gorgeous. He was also a thief.
I closed my eyes and felt for the flame inside me, fire appearing in my hand. I had to be careful not to overextend myself. I hadn’t used my fire magic in so long, and it would deplete me if I wasn’t careful. I needed to save my strength for the real threat, not some petty thief.
He just raised a brow. “You’re the one who stumbled into my cave.”
“Your cave? This is my court.”
He blinked. “You don’t look like the sorceress to me.”
My teeth ground together. “I’m not. I’m Princess Seraphina.”
His mouth dropped open at that. “You broke your curse? How?”
I took a step forward, holding out the fire in my palm and facing it toward him. “I’m not the one answering questions, here. What is a thief from Elwen doing in Gilraeth?”
He looked away. “It’s complicated. I was escorting Princess Liliath to her betrothed, your cousin.” He waved his hand. “Jasper.”
I sucked in a breath. “Liliath is free?” I couldn’t hide the hopefulness in my voice.
He curled a tight fist. “I kidnapped—rescued—her. Not that she shows any appreciation for all my effort.”
I laughed at that. “You kidnapped her, and you want her affection?”
“I didn’t say affection,” he said, much too quickly. “It doesn’t matter. She’s with him now, doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Then I’d say you were successful.”
He let out a groan, the vine disappearing and his hand going to his side. I noticed the blood, then, that soaked the side of his shirt.
“You’re hurt.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I’ve been through worse. Much worse.”
“Who are you?” I narrowed my gaze at him.
He shifted and winced. “They call me the king of thieves. You might have heard of me.”
It was my turn to be shocked. I had heard of the king of thieves, the most infamous, and elusive, thief on the continent of Arathia. And he was here, in this cave.
I should do something, fight against him, bring him to justice, but I was tired. I let the flame in my hand burn out.
He cocked a brow. “Not even willing to put up a fight for the necklace? Now that’s no fun.”
I pointed to his wound. “You don’t look like you’re in any imposition to fight.”
He slumped down against the wall of the cave, grunting. “Like I said, I’ve been through much worse.”
The necklace didn’t mean much to me. It had the spindle on it from the tail of the dragon I’d used to curse myself.
But after everything I’d been through with Madden . . . My heart squeezed at the thought of him. “You can keep it. Better yet, throw it to the bottom of the ocean. Or give it to Liliath, maybe.”
His jaw locked. I’d definitely struck a nerve, recognized the pain that flashed in his eyes at the mention of her name. The king of thieves had feelings for the princess. Oh, this was good. Almost as good as the princess who had feelings for the mercenary.
“So what are you hiding from?” he asked, voice weak.
“Why do you assume I’m hiding?” I crossed my arms.
“Well, you claim to be Princess Seraphina, just broke your curse, yet instead of going back to your home, you’re here in a dark cave with me.”
I swallowed, my throat thick and sticky as Madden’s face flashed in my mind.
“What’s wrong, Princess?” He cocked a brow. “Can’t stand the heat?”
“If you love Liliath, you should tell her,” I burst out. “Be honest. Don’t keep secrets.”
“Some secrets are worth keeping,” he responded. “And I don’t love Liliath. Love has nothing to do with any of this.”
I sat down in a huff. “Fine. I’m hiding. Can I share your cave?”
“Don’t get involved, don’t get involved,” he murmured to himself, then squeezed his eyes shut.
“Oh, fuck it. Listen, if your curse is broken, that means you are the fire court’s best chance at survival.
So what are you doing down here?” He gestured outside to the desert and rocks that spread out for miles around us.
“There’s a sorceress reigning terror on your people. ”
I thought of Madden, how much his betrayal had hurt me, how I’d ran, left him to his fate. I wanted to throw up.
“Listen,” the king of thieves said, “take it from me, running will do you no good. You can’t run far or fast enough to escape your duty to your court, your people.”
I wondered how he’d know anything about duty. But now wasn’t the time to ask.
“You have to fight for the things that matter,” he said. “You will regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t.”
I knew he was talking about my court, and yes, the fire court, my people, mattered.
But the only image that flashed through my brain was Madden.
His serious face. That unruly hair. The way he said my name when he made love to me, the way he’d defended me against Lord Vale.
He betrayed me, and that had hurt, but he’d also tried to fix his mistakes, tried to explain, and I hadn’t listened.
I shot to a stand. I’d been so stupid.
“I have to go,” I said. “You’re right. You have to fight for what you care about, so go after Liliath. Jasper doesn’t deserve her. He’s an ass, and she is so much better than him. Trust me. He’s my cousin, I would know.”
“Going to take back your court?” the king of thieves said, a smirk on his mouth that probably melted most ladies, and a few men, straight into a puddle.
“I’m going to take back what I love,” I said and ran from the cave.