Chapter 20
20
Even with faerie medicine, my cut feet took days to heal. Lara was walking properly within a day thanks to her Noble Fae resilience, but I remained miserably propped in bed, reading books and hating Light House with a passion.
Alodie took over my duties with Lara, making sure to check on me every time she came upstairs. Lara came to visit often, too, sitting on the edge of the bed and telling me all the court gossip. We didn’t talk much about the trials except to speculate about what Fire’s hedonism trial would entail. She refused to tell me what visions she’d seen in the Light trial, but then again, I didn’t tell her what I had seen, either. I wondered if I truly had halved the pain and trauma for her or if the potions had been potent enough that the quantity consumed didn’t matter.
I still didn’t understand my hallucinations from Illusion’s poison. My best guess was that I’d been confronted with my fears: the bog betraying me, Nasties pursuing me, and my best friend dying in front of me.
It had been horrific, but I understood the purpose of the test. Could a faerie maintain their composure while injured, disoriented, or frightened? They encountered so many awful things over their centuries of life. A certain toughness was required.
Lara’s brother Selwyn visited me a day into my convalescence and sat hesitantly by my bed. It was the first time we’d spoken one-on-one since our conversation by the pond.
“Thank you for helping Lara,” he said. “She told me what you did.”
I smiled at him. He teased Lara whenever he could, but Selwyn truly cared for her. “I was happy to.”
He tugged on a lock of his gold-streaked hair, his brown eyes unusually solemn. “The trials sound so awful. I don’t want to go through them.”
“You’ll do well. Lara tells me you’re very smart.”
“Maybe.” He sounded doubtful. “I don’t know why it has to happen at all, though. The whole system is cruel. Why do any of this?”
He reminded me of so many teenagers I’d known. Of myself, too. At some point every child grew old enough to understand the world wasn’t fair. My realization had come much earlier than Selwyn’s, but then again, I’d grown up in crushing poverty. He had been raised in luxury almost entirely within the walls of Earth House.
I wondered why he was confiding his doubts in me, then realized that the Noble Fae probably weren’t sympathetic to these types of questions. They valued strength and abhorred weakness. As a lowly servant wrapped in bandages and confined to bed, as well as a complete newcomer to their world, I was the embodiment of weakness. Maybe that made me safe in his eyes.
“I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “A lot of things in life aren’t fair, but all we can do is get through them as best we can and try to make the world better. Lara will succeed, and so will you. You’re braver than you realize.”
He blushed and ducked his head. “Thank you. You, too.”
He left a single yellow rose on my desk before leaving, and it cheered me up every time I looked at it. Not all Noble Fae were cruel. Perhaps idealists like Selwyn really would make the world better.
When my feet were finally healed, I headed out into the city. As soothing as Earth House’s greenery was, I needed to stretch my legs and get a sense of everything that had happened while I’d been convalescing.
I had begun viewing the tunnels and chambers differently since my conversation with Drustan on the spring equinox. Mistei was just one city, albeit a magnificent one, in what had once been a vast and populated Fae territory. The Fae must have been so proud of it, of the craftsmanship required to carve these endless rooms and the magic that gave it life. The entire underground city was a testament to creativity, complexity, and extravagance. Visitors had probably come from other lands to gawk at it, and young faeries would have moved to Mistei from their aboveground homes, hoping to make their fortunes in its twisting subterranean streets.
Now, though, it was a beautiful prison. I missed the sunlight after only a few months—how must the Fae feel after centuries without it? How did Drustan, who had been born after the rebellion, feel on those rare instances he glimpsed the outside world?
I hadn’t seen Maude and Triana in a while, so I headed there first. Triana was off on an errand, but Maude greeted me, looking unusually worried. Before I could speak, she slipped a note into my hand, shaking her head and shooing me away when I asked what it was.
I found an empty but well-lit corridor that housed an entrance to the Earth tunnels—ever since seeing Kallen melt into the shadows, I always checked for any alcoves or dark spots before using the key. The note was written in a sharply tilting but graceful hand, in ink so dark it seemed to swallow the key’s light.
Find out what Drustan knows about Prince Hector. Immediately.
My hand shook as I tore the note into tiny shreds and dropped it into the pocket of my dress. I knew who had sent it: Kallen, who apparently tracked my movements so closely that he’d known I was receiving sign language lessons from Maude. Having her hand me the note was a reminder of his power…and my vulnerability.
Why was Kallen asking about his own brother? What had happened while I’d been abed? I’d never seen Drustan and Hector together outside of formal events or even heard the princes discuss each other. I’d heard Kallen speaking about Drustan, though. Fire has made its decision , he’d told Hector outside Blood House’s antechamber.
They’d been discussing something foolish. What had it been?
I feared I knew the answer. Drustan’s thinly veiled hints, probing questions, and offhand comments had centered on a common theme: that King Osric was corrupt and potentially not long for the throne. Did Hector and Kallen want to prevent a coup?
I wouldn’t betray Drustan’s revolutionary leanings, but I needed to give Kallen information or he would punish me. I didn’t doubt his ability to follow through on his threats.
The game I was playing, if it could even be termed a game, was dangerous. Illegally assisting Earth House in the trials. Promising friendship and information to Drustan. Spying for Kallen on behalf of the king. Three completely opposed missions, and if any faction found out about any of the others, I was as good as dead.
My own mission was simple: stay alive long enough to escape or see a new king rise.
I went looking for Drustan, wandering past the throne room, the entrance to Fire House, the library where I’d once spied on him, and a variety of other rooms where the Noble Fae liked to gather, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. Perhaps he was within Fire House. Most of the Noble Fae mingled in common areas during the day, but it wouldn’t be unusual for him to take lunch or meetings in his sanctuary.
I lingered near Fire House for a long time, waiting for him to appear. Kallen had said “immediately,” which meant I was running out of time.
Somewhere below, a door slammed.
The sound came as a faint reverberation in the floor. I thought it had come from farther down the spiraling slope, so I walked in that direction, wondering what levels were below this one and how to get there. I hadn’t seen any indication of a staircase leading to lower levels from this part of Mistei, which meant either the floor below me was accessible from much farther away or there was a hidden door.
I was still halfway down the ramp when the wall opened up just before the next curve. Drustan stepped out, and the wall closed behind him.
I turned around and pretended I had been walking up the slope the entire time. When he appeared by my side, I jumped as if startled. “Oh! I didn’t hear you.”
He smiled, but it was strained. A long scratch marred his cheek. “I’m very stealthy when I want to be.”
“You’re hurt.” I reached a hand towards that seeping mark, stopping before I touched him.
“It’s nothing.” And indeed, the wound quickly faded, leaving only a small streak of blood behind. He wiped it away.
I was jealous of the speed with which he healed. Lara would heal like that, too, once she gained her immortality. I, however, had feet marred with permanent scars from the Light trial.
“What are you doing here?” Drustan asked.
“I was wondering if you could provide me with some information.”
He smiled like a lazy cat, and my stomach fluttered. “Is that so? Come with me, then. Friends don’t share information publicly.”
He led me up the ramp and into a small, plainly appointed chamber that looked like a study or sitting room. As the door closed, the orange glimmer of a ward sparked around its edges.
Drustan leaned against a wooden desk in the corner and crossed his arms. “So?”
My fingers twisted in my skirts. The room was small enough that I was excruciatingly aware of his nearness and the heat rolling off him. “I saw Prince Hector watching Lara before the Light trial.” It was the most plausible lie I’d been able to concoct on such short notice. “The way he was watching her made me nervous. What can you tell me about him?”
Drustan’s eyebrows shot up. “Hector? That frigid bastard? I can’t imagine what he’d want with your lady. He normally likes them a little less noble. A little more…defenseless.”
The words left me cold. “You don’t mean…”
“Hector is dangerous,” Drustan said flatly. “He’s cruel and calculating. He will do anything to further his own interests, so if he really is watching Lady Lara, I recommend you advise her to stay well away from him.”
“His own interests? What do you mean?”
Drustan seemed to weigh his words. “You know Hector, Kallen, and Una are the only children of Void House, correct? All the other heirs were killed in the rebellion before the previous Void prince, Dryx, swore fealty to the king.” His mouth twisted. “As did my own father and mother. The three recommitted themselves to Osric and were spared to settle the unrest in their houses.”
“Both you and Hector are princes now, though.”
“My father died during an ill-fated duel with Roland thirty years ago.” Drustan’s jaw clenched, and I remembered his scathing hatred of Light House, which he’d used as a reason to help me hide the evidence of Earth House’s cheating. “My mother didn’t want to go on without him and threw herself on the king’s wards.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, horrified by the revelation.
Drustan shook his head. “It’s past. But Dryx didn’t die with the same honor as my father. He was murdered in his bed, soon after Una was born.”
“But Void House is inaccessible to outsiders.”
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to make the connection.
“You’re saying Hector killed his own father?” As a woman who’d never known a father, I found the concept repulsive. How could Kallen stand to look at his brother?
“Unproven, of course, and a servant was ultimately executed for it. Hector did not grieve his father’s passing. He took the title of prince and came one step closer to the throne.”
“King Osric rules Mistei. What difference does it make if Hector is a prince?”
Drustan pushed off the desk and walked towards me. “That’s a good question, but you’re a clever woman. You know the answer.”
My breath came faster as he approached. “You’re saying Hector wants to become king.”
“There are many who tire of King Osric’s tyranny and plot to find a way around the wards that protect him. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees on who should rule next.”
I looked up at him, wondering what emotions were concealed behind that casually amused mask he so often wore. “That’s treason.”
Drustan winked. “Good thing I’m talking about Hector, then.”
My heart pounded as I considered the implications. Hector wanted to overthrow the king and take his place. Kallen was seeking information about his brother, or at least about what Drustan knew about Hector. Kallen was King Osric’s assassin and spy. Hector and Kallen were descendants of a house that had once attempted a coup. Osric had killed their siblings. Hector had killed their father.
It was an impossible tangle of loyalties and betrayals. Was Kallen trying to stop his brother…or help him?
Fae politics were so complicated, every feud and resentment shaded with the memories of past centuries. Faeries rarely forgot, but did they forgive? Or did they view everyone around them only as tools to be used to achieve their goals?
My mouth was dry. “When will Hector make his move?” I asked. Surely no one could be worse than King Osric, but if the Void prince was as cruel as Drustan said, Mistei might escape one tyrant only to suffer under another.
“So many questions.” Drustan stepped even closer. Perceptive gray eyes studied me, and I wondered if he could see straight through to my heart and mind, to the things I wanted and dared not express out loud.
I cleared my throat. “I am often accused of being curious.”
“It’s interesting that I am so often the recipient of your curiosity,” he mused. “Do you have no one else you turn to with questions? There are many others who could have told you about Hector’s reputation.”
But not about his possible coup. “I—I hadn’t considered asking anyone else.” I winced at my stammer. I was awkward and obvious; he’d see through me in a second. “You’ve been very honest with me, my prince.”
“So formal.” He took another step towards me. “And yet I told you to call me Drustan.”
He was a foot away, so close I could grip his velvet tunic in my fist and pull him towards me. The possibility sent heat washing over me as anticipation coiled low in my belly.
“Drustan.” I managed the single word before lapsing into silence, unable to prompt my brain into coming up with anything else. As my eyes drifted from his sly smile to the strong line of his throat, I wondered what he would taste like.
A throb started between my legs, pulsing with forbidden want.
Drustan grinned, quick and savage. “I think you enjoy seeking me out, Kenna, and I think you know exactly why.”
“I don’t. I mean, I enjoy your company, but—” Oh, I was just making it worse. I trailed off, staring at him with wide eyes.
He cupped my cheek. “You’ve always been honest with me, too,” he whispered. “Don’t stop now.”
His other hand snaked around my waist, and then he pulled me into him and pressed his lips against mine.
Oh .
His mouth was hot and soft, and he tasted like smoke and spice. I moaned as his tongue pressed into my mouth, then kissed him back with all the heat in my body. My movements were clumsy, but he angled my head and kept the lead, teaching me the way of it.
I’d kissed a few village boys before. It hadn’t been anything like this. Those had been uncomfortable mashings of lips and teeth, usually abruptly begun and just as quickly ended—an urge or a curiosity or a liberty taken, nothing to pursue.
This…It was like drowning in melted chocolate. Like sinking into a feather bed after a warm bath. I could feel myself dissolving, pieces of my soul falling into him with every lick and suck.
Then he bit my lip, and my awareness slammed back home. My body ached for his. My stomach was tense, the sensitive parts below throbbing with need. I gripped his neck and tugged him closer, pressing against him, needing something, anything, to ease the ache building deep inside.
He snarled against my mouth and gripped my hair to hold my head in place. In response, I raked my nails down his back and was gratified when he shuddered.
“Like holding lightning,” he breathed against my lips before setting in again. He kissed me hard, his tongue and lips and teeth consuming me, his hands holding me so tightly they felt like brands against my waist and scalp. I was panting, completely out of control. I’d never felt like this before. Never dreamed…
As suddenly as it had begun, the kiss ended. He pushed me away from him, breathing hard as he stared at me with molten eyes. “You should go. Unless you want to finish this now.”
My pulse hammered. Did I want to finish this now? I’d wanted him for months, but now that he was looking at me with the same lust, the reality of it was intimidating.
“I—I—” I stared at him blankly, my hand pressed to my throat.
He made a dissatisfied noise and ran a hand through his hair. “That wasn’t a yes, which means if you can’t go, I need to.” He winced, adjusting something below his belt. My face flamed as I realized his body had reacted to mine. “Think on it,” he said as he walked to the door.
“Wait,” I said, finally finding an ounce of sense. When his shoulders tensed, I fumbled to clarify. “I mean, I was just wondering—why would you do that with a human?”
His laugh was low and tempting. “We aren’t all Osric.” His eyes trailed over me. “And you looked delicious.”
The door closed behind him, leaving me trembling and alone.
I went to the antechamber of Blood House immediately afterwards, despite the arousal that still heated my body. Thankfully, that cold, dark room served to cool my ardor, and within a few minutes I was breathing normally, even if I hadn’t yet comprehended what had happened.
He’d kissed me. Drustan had kissed me. With his mouth. On my mouth. It had been…
I forced my racing thoughts to still when I heard footsteps in the corridor.
Kallen’s gaze found me instantly when he appeared in the archway.
“Can everyone in Void House see in the dark?” I asked as he entered the room. “It hardly seems fair if Una was able to see during the Void trial.”
“Only the most powerful. Una won’t develop this skill until she passes the trials and earns her full magic.” He stopped a few feet away. He was backlit by the red torchlight from the outside corridor, and I couldn’t read his face.
“I talked to Drustan about Hector,” I said.
“Oh? That was efficient.”
“You said immediately.”
“Given your previous definition of ‘soon,’ I thought it best to err on the side of caution.”
I took a deep breath to settle my temper. “He says Hector is cold, calculating, and self-serving.”
“Everyone knows that.” Kallen sounded unbothered.
“Well, I didn’t. So now I’ve accomplished the task you gave me, and we’re done.” I started to walk around him, but he caught my arm.
“We aren’t. Are you certain that’s all the Fire prince told you?”
If he didn’t like my answers, I’d give him what he’d asked for— though he might regret it later. “He said there were rumors Hector killed your father.”
He was still for long moments, and when he answered, his voice was chilly and distant. “A common rumor. What else?”
I tried to jerk my arm away from him, and, to my surprise, he let go. “He told me Hector likes his bed partners defenseless.” I spat the words, wondering what, if anything, would rouse an emotional response from this frigid faerie. “You have quite a brother.”
He was in front of me so fast I didn’t see him move. He gripped me as if to shake me, but his hands just flexed on my shoulders, his fingers hard through the thin fabric. His breath rasped in the still air.
Then, as if he had mastered himself, he released me and stepped away. “Thank you.” His voice vibrated with some suppressed emotion. “Your next task is to tell me who Drustan meets with. What he speaks about with you and others. Anything you can tell me about his movements and opinions.”
“Of course.”
I had no intention of fulfilling that promise. Of the two of them, Drustan had commanded my allegiance even before that burning kiss. Now that we’d touched…I wouldn’t betray him.
“You may leave.”
I brushed past Kallen, thankful that the questioning had stopped there.
“Kenna,” he said as I stepped into the corridor.
I tensed and looked back at him, although I couldn’t see anything in the darkened room. “Yes?”
“You smell like smoke.”
I flushed at the memory of Drustan’s lips on mine and the fiery taste he’d left in my mouth. “I was near the kitchens.”
As I walked away, his voice followed.
“Liar.”