Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
MORGANA
I , despite the resounding headache that dared me to fall, made my way to the gardens, hoping the fountain’s splashing water and the fresh flowers would serve me well.
Galen’s fate was the monster looming over me in an attempt to make me crumble. All these years, I thought he’d been kidnapped or forced into entering Vespera. That one of his soldiers had played a sick trick on him that went bad.
But the truth Aster had revealed shattered my illusions like fragile glass, leaving me raw and exposed to a reality more cruel than any nightmare I could conjure. Galen was not a victim of circumstance but a pawn in a sinister game of power and blood that stretched far beyond what I could fathom. Part of me wanted to vindicate Aster as the puppeteer, but a larger part believed him when he said he sought to help him… that time was simply against them.
I choked on my fourth broken sob since escaping the confines of that wretched bedchamber. By the time my feet touched the cold stone, I realized I was without shoes. I hastened my pace, no matter the chill.
The stone beneath my feet grounded me. The palace grounds were eerily quiet at this hour, the only sound being the whisper of wind through the trees. I welcomed the solitude, needing a moment away from the suffocating weight of secrets and betrayals that seemed to be closing in on me from all sides. I dragged my feet back and forth against the dewy ground a few times before huffing and pushing deeper into the courtyard. I passed the calla lilies Aster had introduced me to and recalled the stories behind them. I walked around the rows of stone benches tucked into an alcove crafted of freshly cut rose bushes. Ahead, where the clearing had been converted to a sparring ground, was now orderly and free of balancing beams and sparring posts. I approached the fountain I’d attacked Aster in, staring at the rippling water in silence.
“Are your feet not cold?”
I tensed. At first, I thought Aster had found me and would make it known what sort of consequences awaited me after my poor choices, but the tone was unfamiliar. I faced the voice and met the unknown face of that man who had interrupted me and Erynna in the art gallery. He resembled Aster in more ways than one, but his hair was slicked back and out of his face, whereas Aster opted for an unkempt, curled craziness.
He had a cup of tea in hand, staring at me with a bewildered smile on his face, brows knitted up and together. I was weary of Atlas, my jaw clenching at the sight of him intruding on my moment of solitude. His presence was a disruption, a reminder of the web of deceit and manipulation that surrounded me. Despite his charming facade, I struggled trusting his intent.
This man was calm, collected, regal. Just as I would expect a prince to be.
“Prince Atlas,” he said and bowed his head out of respect. His eyes lingered on my face for a moment, and I wiped at my damp cheek.
“My feet can handle the chill,” I replied curtly. “You seem to have a talent for appearing out of nowhere, Prince Atlas.”
Atlas merely chuckled, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “I have a penchant for it, yes. Morgana, if I recall?” When I neither affirmed nor denied my name, he tilted his focus to the ground. His crimson eyes glittered with the morning sun as he moved closer.
“What can I do for you?” I asked, feigning interest before turning my focus back to the fountain.
He took a sip of his tea, swirling the liquid in the cup before meeting my gaze with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. “I heard the servants gossiping about your late-night escapade with Aster. Quite the scandalous affair, wouldn’t you say? Fire and all.”
His words dripped with a poisonous honeyed tone, each syllable unspoken threats. I narrowed my eyes, refusing to let his taunts affect me. “There was nothing scandalous about it. We were merely discussing important matters. You would do well to act in discretion when it comes to such an allegation.” To be frank, I did not give a damn if the entire palace thought I was a whore for a prisoner.
Atlas chuckled, joining me at my side and sighing. “Oh, worry not, Morgana. I care little about your nightly escapades. There are far more scandalous happenings in the castle at night. Besides, much like you, I am a stranger to these palace walls. Life at court is a tiring one. I merely sought to meet the subject of such scandals personally.”
“Apologies, Prince Atlas. I am far more mundane than the rumors seem to suggest.”
“Ah, but sometimes mundane conversations can lead to unexpected discoveries.” A glint of amusement danced in his eyes.
Curiosity piqued in my chest. I gave him a sidelong glance. “Truly? It’s all rather dull, if you ask me.”
“As I said. Unexpected discoveries, Morgana—perhaps I could show you how life at court can be scandalous. With or without the rumors.”
I choked on a gasp, twisting on a heel to face him. I wasn’t sure who he thought he was, or who he thought I was, but before I could chew him up with my words and spit him back out, he snaked a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper. Terror washed over me—for a brief, foolish moment, I thought he may have intercepted Anabel’s attempt. That the letter hadn’t even made it out of the palace grounds. When I didn’t accept it, he waved it around in the air impatiently.
“I host parties frequently when visiting my dear cousins, Morgana. You will either go mad in boredom or in frustration if you do not separate yourself from them for a bit of revelry. I extend the invite to one I’m hosting come the end of the week.”
After I accepted it, Atlas sat on the fountain.
“You invite a captive of the crown to a… a party? That seems, well—” I said, huffing and crossing my arms over my chest. “Well, it makes you a fool. If Aster caught you?—”
“I can’t help but admire your fiery spirit.” He took another sip of his tea, his crimson eyes never leaving mine. “I care little regarding what Aster or Erynna think of my invitation, nor can they do much about it. I have every right to live within the castle if I so please. Come the week’s end, a select few will be in attendance, and I believe it would be a welcome distraction for you to be there.”
I paused. “And what is the purpose of this gathering? You seem awfully eager. I do not know you, and you do not know me.”
Atlas set down his cup on the edge of the fountain, a charming smile playing on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “For one, it seems you could use a friend.” Again, I reached to rub the dampness from my face and frowned. “But if friendships are not in order, consider it an opportunity for us to discuss matters of mutual interest. There are whispers in the palace, secrets hidden in the shadows. I believe we could benefit from sharing information.”
Erynna’s agreement with me came to the forefront, and I cleared my throat. “You are not the first to offer an alliance.”
“And I shan’t be the last. Mine, however, will actually serve you. You are in search of your brother, if the gossip rings true?”
I stared, wide-eyed. “How did you know that?”
“Like I said, Lady Kyllingham. Gossip travels far in the palace walls.”
I felt a prickle of unease crawl up my spine at his words. Atlas knew more than he let on, and his offer of alliance felt like a tangled web, woven with hidden motives and threats.
“I appreciate the invitation, Prince Atlas,” I said carefully, keeping my tone formal, neutral. I wasn’t sure what Atlas knew, but perhaps he was correct. Aster knew so much about Galen. If Atlas was a royal, he might know more.
He might know everything Aster kept just out of reach.
“I will consider attending your gathering. However, I must warn you—I am not easily swayed by empty promises.”
Atlas chuckled, the sound sending a chill down my spine as he rose from the fountain’s edge. “Oh, Morgana, I assure you, my intentions are far from empty.”
I forced myself away from him finally, returning it to the fountain in front of us. The coldness between us was heavy enough to cut.
There was no other reason for him to add, “Has my cousin even told you of his intention? The reasoning behind this madness?”
I tensed. “He believes I can aid him in a search for his cure. He met me as a weak debutante, toyed with me as a Mortuary Arbiter, and used me as a captive. How I am to actually be of help, I am unsure.”
Atlas chuckled. It was deep, hollow in the depths of his chest and a touch cruel. I spun on the balls of my feet, bits of stone digging into the rough, thick skin, and I gawked at him. He, too, faced me head on and offered a placating hand. “Forgive me, Morgana, but do you believe him? Do you think he’d treat you as if you were made of glass if he wished to use you?”
I stilled.
“No, my cousin is the sort to lead with fear if he needs something from somebody who has not yet faced his wrath.”
“I have faced his wrath,” I quickly snapped.
“And yet you stand here?”
Another moment of uncertain hesitation washed over me. Atlas took a step closer—close enough that I could smell the essence of crackling firewood and whiskey. It was tempting, if not overwhelming to be greeted with so early in the morning.
“Aster does not let his playthings run free for long. Yes, you are his captive, but you are something far more critical than an agent of destruction. Prince Aster has killed for his cure. And, Morgana, for some reason he believes you are so delicately, intimately, dangerously close to just that. His legacy. He is far more desperate than I am, but I am wiser than our crown prince.”
I licked my dry lips, but no matter how many times I swallowed, nothing soothed my scratchy throat. I knew little about the curse that plagued Aster, but I knew that if they were blood, that meant he suffered from it too. “You speak as if you are above him.”
With this, Atlas grinned and leaned forward. “In many ways, I am. In hierarchy, however, I am three steps away from a throne that will suffer under his rule. Tell me, Morgana, has he ever spoken to you with such truth? Dangerous, dirty truth?”
I choked on a response, stunned by his blatant apathy toward his cousin. If I were any more naive, I’d accuse him of planning to overthrow his cousin. That was exactly what his words implied. With Erynna, it was a question. With Atlas, it was a silent promise. My heart thrummed beneath my chest, and my lungs filled with air that wouldn’t break free. “You are either filled with hatred for him, or you are a fool to say such things in a place that has eyes and ears everywhere.”
“You are either warming up to him and are in denial, or you are fearful of his shadows. Which is it?”
My eyes turned to slits. “I am neither.”
Truth be told, I was not fearful, nor was I sympathetic to him. I loathed him—but he was officially the closest thing to an answer I had.
Atlas’s teeth all but sparkled as he dipped his head back to laugh. “Denial it is, Lady Kyllingham.” He bowed—the sort of gesture that was proper enough to impress a queen—and took a respectful step back. “Consider my invitation.” I stilled at this, eyebrows arched. “Until tonight, Morgana.”
I watched him stroll down the garden’s pathway, tucking into a secluded section away from my prying eyes. I let out the gasp that’d been choked up in my lungs, spun toward the doors, and rushed inside. Part of me wanted to acknowledge Atlas’s truth, but that would be unwise. I had no loyalty to the crown prince outside of duty as his subject, and his prisoner, but I wondered if it’d earn me the truth Atlas had teased me with.
As my chamber doors closed, I readied my own bath with the water warming over the fire. Aster held the power in our dynamic. He was a wielder of every truth and lie I’d been told thus far—if I wanted to know it all, I needed to widen my reach.
I just wasn’t sure if that reach was a deep dive into a cove full of sharks.