Chapter 27
rouse to the sensation of lips against my hair.
“I just got new orders. I’m leaving for Westgate,” Finn whispers. “I didn’t want you to think I snuck out on you.”
Gradually, the sleep lifts and I sink back into awareness. It’s just after dawn, and we did very little sleeping. I’m naked, except for the sheets tangled over my chest. Finn’s body is a warm, solid wall curled around me. He kisses my head again and withdraws.
I sit up blearily, looking around. The sky beyond the window is stained with the first crimson streaks of dawn. Finn is getting dressed on the other side of the bed.
“How long will you be gone?” I ask.
“I’ll be back in three days, for the ball,” Finn says.
“What ball?”
“It’s just a VIA fundraiser. Initially, we were going to cancel it after the attack. But my mother decided to hold it anyway. Officially, it’s to raise money for the war effort, but mostly it’s just an excuse for the nobles to get together and peacock.”
“Wow, your family really loves parties,” I say.
Finn just grins and laces his boots. “I have to make an appearance. It’s a typical thing. I’d love for you to accompany me, as my date.”
I pause, highly uncertain. Will I even be here in three days? My instincts tell me I should be long gone by then. “Who will be there?”
He considers. “The major noblemen and women in Verdinae. Odessa. Sandria—she’ll definitely want to show her loyalty after the attack, she’s in full goodwill-gathering mode—and, uh…my father is going to be there, too.”
I guess I’m not the only one withholding things. “King Rodrick is coming home?”
“For the night.”
It’s a miracle that I’ve made it this long without encountering the king. I take his return as a clear sign.
It’s time to get the hell out of this castle.
“So, three days?” I confirm, trying to sound unperturbed. Channeling Sandria.
“Three days.” Finn kisses my forehead. “Stay here as long as you like. I’ll have the kitchen send up breakfast.”
“Shouldn’t I leave before the servants see me?” I ask, but Finn just beams.
“I’m more than allowed to sleep with my future wife.”
When he leans in to kiss me goodbye, I stiffen.
I should tell him now that I have no intention of marrying him. I should end it right here, before we’re any further into this mess. But when I try to form the words, I can’t make my throat work.
“I’ll see you soon,” he says. “I love you, Lyria.”
My heart feels leaden. “I love you, too.”
I think I’ve figured out what I really want.
I want to hide. Run away from it all. I want to lie here in this bed, under the covers, and not face any consequences.
I nearly do just that, since Finn offered me breakfast in bed and the prospect of remaining here in isolation is more than tempting, but I’m on a countdown.
There’s only so long I can postpone reality.
I dress and slip from his chamber. To my distinct mortification, there are four guards outside Finn’s door, including Roburn.
“Morning,” I mumble.
“Good morning. I hope you slept well,” Roburn says, his brow furrowing as I pass. I’m surprised when I hear his footsteps trailing me a few minutes later. “Lyria, could I speak with you for a moment?”
“Yes?”
Roburn catches up with me in an empty hallway, stopping a distance away.
“I just wanted to confirm…That is to say…” He clears his throat.
“Prince Finneas has been under my training for most of his life. I would hope that he’s conducted himself with honor, but if he hasn’t, if there’s been any indiscretion…
I would hope you know you have an ally at court, should you need one. ”
My chest warms. “I haven’t been mistreated. But I appreciate it, Captain. Thank you.”
As I hurry through the castle, I find the mess considerably reduced.
Servants must have been cleaning all night.
Much of the debris has been cleared. There are already teams of craftsmen hanging new panels of glass.
I’m not sure how I feel about the world being put back into order—not when I’m so personally undone.
My feet steer me toward the East Wing. Walking through the doors is a stark reminder of all that’s happened: the overflowing beds, the nurses and Healers still rushing around. I see a pair of laborers hauling a stretcher covered with a white sheet. My stomach flips.
There’s pain all around me. My Talent aches under my skin, but I push down the sensation. I’ve dealt with so much worse. I’m intent on my mission now, seeking a particular face among the crowd. Finn may have only delayed my departure, but at least he gave me a chance to say goodbye to Cygnus.
I don’t spot Cygnus anywhere on the staging floor or in either of the overflow chambers. So I finally head for his office, but find the door closed.
I pause outside, just before turning the handle. Staring at the ring. It’s still on my finger. I can’t bring myself to take it off.
I push open the door.
It’s dark. Cygnus is sleeping hunched over his desk. When I close the door behind me and the latch clicks, he lifts his head wearily. “Anna?”
“Just me.”
“Oh.” He knuckles his eyes, wiping away the sleep. “What time is it?”
“Dawn-ish.”
“Very specific.” He stretches, rising. “You should know that Sebastian is set to make a full recovery.”
“When did you fall asleep?” I ask.
“Four-ish.”
I was planning to ask Cygnus if Daisy gave him the omnidraught and my notes, but I am too distracted by the guilt that plunges through me at the sight of his exhaustion. Suddenly, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I don’t know how to tell him of my cowardice.
“You should rest,” I finally say.
“Maybe.” Cygnus looks around, pulling on his Healer’s coat. Then he seems to remember that I’m here. “Did you need something?”
“No,” I say quickly. “Just checking on you.”
“Oh. Well, thanks,” he says gruffly. “If you don’t mind…”
I realize I’m blocking the door. “Right. Sorry.” I move out of his way.
Cygnus pauses at the threshold. “You sure you’re all right?”
I’m aware of him absorbing my appearance: my mussed hair, my flushed cheeks. My ears burn as I realize he can probably still smell Finn on me and the whole truth of what we’ve done.
It’s not judgment that flares in his eyes. Not anger, either. It’s something else, something softer and more pained.
I don’t want to think about any of this. I need to get out of here.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
I hurry away before he can ask more. On my way past the staging area, I run right into Daisy.
“Lyria!” she exclaims, wrapping me in a huge hug. “You’re still here!”
Daisy’s familiar smiling face momentarily calms my racing heart. I tell her all that happened, about Finn’s proposal and briefly about what we shared afterward. Daisy goes from intrigued to shocked to flummoxed.
“And you said yes?”
“I didn’t…Well, I guess I didn’t really say anything either way.”
“What?”
“It all happened really fast.…We were both so emotional.…I just didn’t feel like I could give him an answer.”
“But you’re going to say yes?”
“I…”
For some bizarre reason, Cygnus’s face pops into my mind. I shove it down as fast as I can.
“I’m not sure,” I say weakly.
Daisy blinks at me. Her eyes drop to my hand, her lips tightening into a thin line. “Well, can I at least see the ring?”
I offer her my hand. “He said it belonged to one of his great-great-great-grandmothers or something.”
I feel the other weight of this token from Finn, the many strings that it represents. This ring would mean a life inside the daydream. A life with Finn, but a half life, at best.
When Daisy looks at the ring, she gasps. “Lyria!” Her gaze shoots up to me. “This is the Rashielle diamond!”
“What?”
“This ring belonged to Queen Elora, Lyria. As in the wife of Verdin the Vanquisher. It’s been passed down to queens of Verdinae ever since.”
I glance down at the ring. “Really?”
“I think?”
“This is priceless.” She clutches her chest. “Lyria, this ring is worth more than my whole life! Do you have any idea how much you could sell it for? Or—forget that—it belongs in a museum! In an art gallery!”
Something she said snags my attention. “Did you say Rashielle? Like the Goddess?”
“Yes, exactly the same.” She giggles. “This is one of three jewels in the sister set. They were worn by Verdin’s wife and his daughters. Supposedly spoils of the war.”
“What set? How do you know this?”
“The sister set,” she repeats, huffing. “The most famous jewels in the Midlands? There’s three of them—the biggest jewels in the world. They’re named after the Elven Goddesses: Elowyn, Rashielle, and Nocturn.”
It’s strange hearing the familiar names on her lips.
“The Rashielle diamond goes with the Elowyn sapphire on the king’s crown and the Nocturn ruby on that necklace Queen Davina’s always wearing. They’re the three most valuable stones in the whole world. I can’t believe Finneas gave this to you and you didn’t even say yes.”
I’ve stopped listening.
I’m imagining Elowyn and her sisters, Nocturn and Rashielle. I recall the way my mother starts her prayers with a triangle gesture for the sisters: Keeper of Life, Keeper of Death, and Keeper of Time. The words of the poem from the second gate twist over in my mind:
One of three, and one of one,
I glitter as the stars.
Let all the pain be overcome by my eternal march.
I am the seed of Rashielle,
Unyielding as the clock.
I carry life within my sight,
On this unshifting dock.
I feel a rush of urgency. “I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go.”
“What?”
“I just realized there’s something I have to do.”
My pulse is roaring in my ears as I dash straight back to Cygnus’s office. I’m reminded of the queen’s words on the day I arrived at the castle—Nothing happens for nothing. Gods, how true that is. Perhaps there really is some divine plan behind the nightmare we’ve been living.
For once, Cygnus is the one to jolt when I wrench open the door.
“The second riddle. I solved it,” I say, panting. “It’s the ring.”