Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“What can you tell me about each House?” Thalia asked Camilla. The woman watched her as she dug through the castle library.
As soon as Thalia had woken the next morning, she’d rung for a servant, who’d directed her to the castle library, the space boasting large aisles and hidden nooks filled with old tomes and rolled-up scrolls.
She’d just found a map of the inner workings of the castle and snuck it into her pocket when Camilla found her.
“What do you want to know?” Camilla asked, studying her. She sat at one of the desks, dressed in a black velvet gown. She lounged in the chair like a cat, the desk next to her laden with all sorts of books and other paraphernalia.
“What do the symbols mean for each House?”
Camilla raised a well-groomed brow. “You weren’t taught about them?”
Thalia paused, looking up from where she’d pulled out a book from a bookcase.
“We were. But I was young when the treaty between our people fell. I’ll admit, after what happened—” Thalia strangled the anger rising in her gut.
The sudden image of her father and sister cooling on the throne room floor.
“I didn’t care to keep up with my knowledge of this realm. ”
Thalia just prayed it wouldn’t be her downfall. If she’d known where she’d land—in a marriage to a Vampyr prince—she wouldn’t have let her rage brush aside valuable information.
Camilla’s long nails ticked on the wooden desk, but she didn’t respond, so Thalia added, “I should know what the symbol of my own House means.”
Camilla finally stopping her tapping. “The raven with three eyes represents unity and stability.”
Thalia chewed the inside of her cheek. It made sense, given that House Lorenzia oversaw all the rest of the courts. “And the others?”
Camilla rose, gesturing for her to follow.
Thalia trailed after the woman, the darkness of the aisles deepening as they walked farther into the library until they came upon the back wall.
A large tapestry took up almost the whole expanse of it, depicting the emblems of the five Vampyr Houses stitched in their respective colors.
The raven with three eyes embroidered in silver seemed to watch her with keen interest.
“House Avanerius,” Camilla said, her dark hand pointing to the ram’s head with four horns.
“Represents strength and protection.” Indeed, Lord Damien seemed surprisingly eager to ensure his world was protected.
“House Santorien”—Camilla gestured toward the blue ampithere—“represents balance and harmony. You’ll find they’re the more …
level-headed of the courts, eager to keep everyone on good terms.”
Thalia tucked the information away.
“And the other two?” Thalia asked.
“House Gallinus represents power and freedom, and House Olvectus”—Camilla paused, staring at the fox with multiple teeth stitched in orange—“represents transformation.”
Thalia turned to her. “When were you going to tell me you’re a shifter?”
Camilla raised an approving brow. “Figured out what I am finally?” She nodded. “Does that information disturb you?”
Thalia shrugged. “It’s not like I had prior knowledge about what you were before this. Can’t say I’ve really dwelled on it.”
Camilla snorted.
“How close are the Houses with each other?” Thalia asked. “I mean, Cassius told me that the shifters were made by the Mages. I assume, giving you reside in Lorceium, the shifters are a part of House Olvectus.”
Camilla crossed her arms over her chest. “It seems Cassius told you a lot.”
Thalia’s brows narrowed at that. “He was surprisingly helpful when I had questions about my new kingdom.”
Camilla still didn’t seem to trust her, and fine, Thalia couldn’t blame her. But the shifter seemed to realize that Thalia was her princess now, because she relented. “It depends on the House. Some are on better terms than the others. But they all answer to House Lorenzia.”
Thalia knew as much from her conversation with Lord Damien. But if the Vampyr courts were anything like the humans’, there was always some manner of discord. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage …
“And given the history between the shifters and the Vampyrs, there’s not any … bad blood?”
Camilla cast her a wary look. “No. Not anymore. The shifters and Vampyrs have coexisted for hundreds of years, since the rise of the Houses.”
Thalia let it go, it would do no good to keep prodding, given the expression on Camilla’s face. She changed topics. “Any word on His Highness?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Cassius.”
“But aren’t you on the prince’s council? Shouldn’t you know?”
“He tends to keep a lot of the communication between him and Cassius,” Camilla admitted.
Thalia couldn’t keep the scowl from her face.
Yes, it did seem that way. In fact, before she’d gone to the library, she’d found a note from Cassius informing her that the letter and gift on her desk were from the prince.
This time she’d received a beautiful bridle for Feryena.
Perhaps Cassius had informed the prince of her love of riding.
Cassius had the power that he’d always seemed so desperately to crave, given that he practically ran House Lorenzia in the prince’s absence.
A part of her felt his betrayal even now.
She knew he’d been angry with the queen before, regarding her lack of action against the war and the dwindling ore.
He’d watched his father abuse his mother, had been forced to try to dig his family’s name out of the mud, to be seen as something other than a minor lord’s son …
but did he have to go to these extremes? Her stomach twisted.
Camilla noted the change in her mood. “You knew Cassius before, didn’t you?”
Thalia’s fingernails pierced her palms. “I did.”
“I take it that him turning into a Vampyr was not expected.”
Thalia let out a bitter laugh. “No.”
Camilla studied her a beat longer. “Cassius might be an ass on occasion, but he doesn’t do anything without cause.”
“And you know him so well?” Thalia snapped.
Her mind flashed to how fondly Camilla had spoken of him in her room.
There was no denying that Camilla was beautiful, alluring.
And she had power, given her status on the prince’s council.
She and Cassius were equals. All Thalia had ever been able to give him was a spot in the shadows.
Because even if she’d married that prince back in Agripa, she would have found a way to still be with Cassius—to make him her lover.
Perhaps he’d finally gotten sick of standing on the sidelines.
Camilla’s face flashed in surprise before turning hard. “I have been working closely with him for four years. Everything he has done, as asinine as it is, is meant to help our prince and the people of Vaccarium.”
Thalia’s lip curled, and she stepped into the shifter’s space. “And I knew him for years. He served me. And what he did was without cause.”
Camilla’s golden eyes burned with some sort of fire as the two women faced off. “Perhaps you should ask Cassius what the price was in betraying you.”
“I don’t care what his price was,” Thalia seethed.
Camilla’s face became stone. “Everyone who lives in this world pays a price. Even you.”
“Is that a threat?”
Camilla didn’t back down. “Call it council.”
Thalia’s jaw ached. “I wish to hold court.”
Camilla blinked. “What?”
“Court. I wish to hold court. Does the prince not do this when he’s here?”
Camilla’s eyes narrowed. “We hold court. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“If I wanted your council, I would have asked. Summon House Lorenzia.”
“Where is the rest of House Lorenzia?” Thalia asked. She and Camilla stood in the great hall, watching the other members of House Lorenzia mill about. “Is this everyone?”
Camilla at least had done her job in summoning the court, although it had taken the rest of the afternoon to do so. But with the lack of Vampyrs, maybe a few had decided to ignore the summons.
“House Lorenzia has always kept a small court. The prince has never liked to have that many Vampyrs around—prefers to keep things small and quiet,” Camilla answered, pulling Thalia from her thoughts.
Well, at least they’d deigned to heed the request of their new princess.
Indeed, it seemed only a few members from the other Houses were even present.
Thalia noted Lord Damien along with Keegan, which wasn’t surprising considering they were part of the prince’s council.
But she also saw Lord Adrian, the lord of House Gallinus.
He seemed to have lingered in Irenbis even after their altercation.
Perhaps he hadn’t gotten help from Cassius like he wished.
“Where do they all stay?” Thalia asked, taking a sip from her goblet.
It had taken her a few moments to try the liquid, but when she had, she was glad to find it was wine, not blood—although she was sure the rest of the Vampyrs present didn’t share the sentiment.
At least food had been cobbled together and distributed about the space, including steaming braised ducks and tureens full of jewel-like fruit.
“They have their own residences outside the castle. Not many like to stay here.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t fallen for its homely charm,” Thalia commented.
Camilla snorted, taking a drink from her own glass.
“I don’t think most like staying here.”
“Why is that?”
Camilla shrugged. “The castle is cold.”
Thalia didn’t think that was half of it, but she spotted one sole member of House Olvectus, judging by the orange fox with multiple teeth stitched onto their doublet. The shifters and Vampyrs might be on good terms now, but maybe Thalia could find some buried discord still among them.
Everyone pays a price.
Despite the tension between her and Camilla having eased since the library, the shifter’s words festered in Thalia’s gut.
What was Thalia’s price?
To be sold off and bound to the very man who’d betrayed everything he’d ever said he loved and fought for.
To be tasked with the impossible mission of taking down the creatures that could kill her in seconds.
And this mysterious prince she was married to conveniently being called away didn’t help matters.
“When will the prince return?” Thalia got out.
Camilla didn’t bat an eye. “I don’t know. He’s still trying to find a solution for the drought in the east.”
Thalia’s heart stuttered. “I thought he was up north.”
Camilla stiffened, sliding her gaze to hers. “Yes, he was up north, but he moved east. Another storm came in.”
Thalia forced her face to remain neutral, even though her heart pounded in her throat. Camilla had just lied to her face. Something else was going on with the prince. Thalia set her goblet down on one of the banquet tables. “Does any of this have to do with what’s going on?”
Camilla glanced at her cautiously. “What do you mean?”
Thalia looked around the room. The courts were quiet, and she hadn’t spotted Cassius the whole evening. In fact, he’d been missing the entire day. “About the barrier?”
Camilla stared at her a moment longer. Her eyes shifted. “You’ll have to ask Cassius.”
The prince wasn’t dealing with a storm, that much was certain. But Thalia let it go, tucking the information away just as a Vampyr with a blue ampithere stitched on his chest walked past.
“Lord Amadeus,” Thalia said, and the lord of House Santorien faltered. He turned on his heel to face her, a silver goblet in hand.
“Princess.” The Vampyr inclined his dark head. “You summoned court.” It wasn’t really a question.
Thalia forced a smile. “In Agripa, my mother holds court weekly. I thought it would be a nice way to show the merging of our kingdoms, especially with the prince still away.”
Lord Amadeus seemed to wince at the thought. “Indeed.”
But the Vampyr wasn’t running away, and Camilla had been pulled into a conversation with a servant asking where to put the roasted boar, so Thalia took a step nearer to him. “I do hope your concerns were eased about the forest.”
Lord Amadeus’s golden eyes flashed. “Has a solution been achieved, then?”
Thalia’s heart hammered in her throat. She willed her nerves to calm, to slow her heartbeat so the Vampyr wouldn’t suspect anything. “The rivers would have reached your springs by now; there is no need to worry about the forest dying.”
“Oh … yes, that matter.” Lord Amadeus shifted, eyes glancing around the room.
“Is there something else that’s wrong with the forest?” Thalia pushed. But his attention wasn’t on her; it was on Lord Adrian staring at them from across the hall. “Lord Amadeus?”
Lord Amadeus jerked his attention back to hers. “Forgive me.” Then he bowed and walked away.
“What was that?” Camilla’s voice sounded loudly behind her.
Thalia shrugged, taking a sip of her goblet only so her hands wouldn’t shake. “Nothing. Just reassuring him that Agripa released the waters for the forest.”
Camilla gave her an odd look, but before the shifter could question her, Thalia nodded to where Lord Adrian had been pulled into a conversation with Julian and a female with red eyes and long dark hair. “Who’s that?”
Camilla followed her eyeline. “Francesca. She’s from House Avanerius. Julian’s lover.”
Julian, who was hiding something in that house in Irenbis.
The green-eyed Vampyr caught her stare. His brows narrowed at her attention, his jaw clenching.
They hadn’t spoken since her introduction to the courts.
Given the death glare he cast at her, she didn’t think they’d be speaking anytime soon.
But he was hiding something. They all were—something suspicious enough that her mother would probably kill to find out what.
And Thalia was tired of not knowing what they were keeping from her. She winced suddenly, pressing a hand to her temple.
“Are you all right?” Camilla asked, brows knotting.
Thalia shook her head. “If you’ll excuse me, I-I seem to have a headache. I think I’ll lie down for a bit.”
Camilla frowned, but nodded her acknowledgment as Thalia slipped from the great hall. But instead of aiming toward her room, Thalia went in search of the stables.