Chapter Twenty-Five
JOON
A week goes by without further incident. I am uncertain if I ought to be relieved or suspicious by that.
It is possible that whoever sent Violet that note is afraid I will discover their identity if they act so boldly again so soon.
Violet stands beneath the pavilion on the opposite side of the stream, listening to Iseul’s instructions. From the second story of another pavilion, I observe them, taking mental notes of any weak points as well as strong ones.
The two of them have been at this for almost three hours. Every once in a while, Violet’s eyes will dart over to the flat stone bridge, halfway to the west side of the Northern Court, which earns a stern, yet kind, correction from Iseul.
Violet has not uttered a single complaint to me about the tediously mind-numbing lessons I forced on her.
They are exactly as I remember from my childhood. I can’t quite recall, but there is the vague sense that I did not always suffer through them alone. Of getting into mischief—most likely a noble’s child. Trying to remember anything from before the curse only makes my memories more unclear.
Iseul bows to Violet, ending their lesson and dismissing her. They exchange a few words before Violet hurries over the bridge and turns onto the path leading to the library.
Iseul motions for a servant waiting in the distance to gather the lesson books.
Violet does better than anyone could ask—at least while she is concentrating. But she will continue with them past the point of mastery, because I have no intention of parading her before the nobles like cheap entertainment. Or until we break the curse.
“This curse is never-ending.”
“It must end,” Imugi says from my shoulder, responding to the thought I muttered aloud. “They can go on for a long time, but they are not meant to last forever.”
Without another word, I turn and descend the stairs. Imugi follows silently. My stride is long as I traverse the path leading back to my apartment.
Inside, I lock the door while Imugi draws the curtains. The room darkens to pitch. I don’t need to see to know where to stand. Calling to my power, I coax it forward until a soft, icy blue light fills my palm.
I press my hand to the floorboards. A rectangle border forms, glowing, as the section of wood vanishes, exposing a set of stairs that lead down a narrow passage.
Imugi is accustomed to my retreating to the underground cavern of the mirror when I am uncertain of my next move.
Our lives are irrevocably tied, yet Imugi has never once mentioned wanting to break the curse so they can live. Only wanting to aid me in my efforts as needed, because it is my goal.
If I live, they live. If I die, they die.
I stop before the mirror, nearly complete. Save for the single, empty space above and left of the center. A piece that is barely the length of my thumbnail and half as wide. It is all that stands in the way. Every day that passes without sensing the final piece is another day wasted.
The cracks that spiderweb over the glass distort my reflection. I stare at the long, pale line that cuts through the center of one brow, through my eye, to the middle of my cheek.
I am so close, yet I might as well be back at the beginning with nothing more than the first shard, covered in my own blood. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the echo of pain as I pulled it from my flesh. I shake off the sensation, but it continues to intensify.
Agony pierces my scarred eye. Sharp and hot, a needle heated to the point of glowing. Ringing fills my ears, muffling the natural sounds of the air moving as if they are stuffed with cotton. My vision vibrates until the world is distant and indiscernible.
When it fades, it leaves behind a phantom ache and a tug in my chest. Stronger than any shard has ever called to me before.
“Is it the last?” Imugi asks.
“Yes.” The word claws up my throat, raw and rasping.
Time to end this, once and for all.
The Western Court is a hive of activity. Servants walk in line to and from the Southern Court, carrying loads to Violet’s new quarters.
Iseul turns from the woman holding a stack of books beside her to look ahead, jolting when she sees me. She scrambles to wait on the side of the path, pulling the other woman with her, murmuring orders. The woman bows to me before hurrying away.
“Tell my wife to be ready within the quarter hour,” I tell Iseul, but I don’t slow or shorten my long stride.
“Wh-what does that mean, Your Highness?” Iseul takes a few steps toward me. The question dies in the air, unanswered.
Mingi emerges from my foyer, running at full speed. The feather on his hat, showing his rank, flutters behind him like the wing of a bird trying to take flight.
He skids to a halt before me. Dust clouds kick up at his feet as he bows. “Your Highness,” he grits out, speaking low even though no one is close enough to overhear. “I must speak with you at once.”
“Later.” I wave him off without pause. “Ready my horse and have her waiting at the same place as last time.”
Once the shard is in my possession, none of this will matter anymore.
Mingi whirls, trailing by a single step. “That is what I need to speak with you about.”
He follows me into the privacy of my rooms. I can practically feel the frustration rolling off him as I gather a change of clothes and other items that Violet and I may need.
There is nothing in this world that he can say that is more important than ending this curse.
“You’ve sensed another,” Mingi states, at once understanding. He knows the look in my eye, the fear behind the outward impatience, better than anyone.
I pause for a heartbeat, then focus again on the tug.
The pull is stronger now. Which means it must be in the vicinity of the palace—perhaps an hour’s ride at most. Still, there is no time to waste.
The shards can only call out for so long before they go dormant, slowly building up their power before they signal to me once more.
But each time, the draw is weaker than the last.
“I will ready the horses.”
“You will stay here,” I say before he takes more than a few steps.
He jerks to a halt, then his boots fall heavy on the wood floor as he draws closer. “Not again.” He groans in frustration. “I cannot do my duty to protect you if you continue to leave me behind.”
I step behind the folding screen to change.
“You must be careful, Your Highness. There are whispers that the Crown Prince attacked people in the capital unprovoked. I thought the rumors would die down within a few days as usual, but they’ve only spread.” Worry and concern lace his voice. “Let me go with you.”
I slip into my riding boots and step out into the open. Mingi stands firm and resolute, with more than a hint of defiance in the set of his jaw.
“I am lucky to have the loyalty of you and your sister,” I say.
Mingi frowns at the compliment. Not at all appeased.
“Next time. I promise. In the meantime, take Imugi and do what you can to quell the unrest.”
Imugi glides from the shadows and hovers at Mingi’s shoulder.
There’s a knock on the door half a second before it slides open. Violet enters, flinching when she sees Mingi.
Mingi bows to each of us in turn, then hurries out to do as asked.
For the first time, I notice she has lost weight since she came to the palace. Not quite enough to be worrisome yet.
The toll my siphoning is taking on her is already showing. Until I regain my full powers, there is only so much I can do to heal her. But that only reminds me of what Uncle had said—what the people are saying about her.
Part of me wants to present her when we return for no reason other than to prove their cruel words wrong.
There will be time for that once the curse is broken.
Except then, our bargain will be fulfilled, and she will return home, healthy and alive. Where she belongs.
Which is all the more reason to end this curse as soon as possible.
“You’re early,” I say.
She shrugs one shoulder and smiles warmly. We meet in the middle of the room as if drawn by a magnetic pull.
Since the morning after her fever, dark circles have gradually appeared under her eyes. Shadows that have nothing to do with the long hours of practice or the hours of searching she spends in the library afterward. Not enough for most to notice unless one is looking for such signs.
“Does this mean…?” Violet’s honey eyes shine as bright as ever.
I nod.
In moments, we are outside, moving unnoticed along the back wall of the Northern Court. I lift the hanging vines out of the way and allow Violet to enter first. She moves through the glamour covering the door without hesitation as if seeing past it.
Violet holds my hand as we traverse the passage to the forest beyond the northern wall. I sneak glances at her, trying to discern if she is doing so because she wants to or because my conjured light isn’t enough for her human eyes. We are out before I can decide, and her hand slips from mine.
Mingi arrives at the meeting spot right as we do. He hands over the reins without a word, though his thoughts are clear as day on his face.
I climb into the saddle behind Violet and turn the horse toward the pull in my chest.
When we are a few miles from the castle, I summon a road, crossing large swaths of land in a fraction of the time.
We emerge on the other side, and my stomach sinks when the pull changes. Reorienting, I summon another road. I push the white mare onward as fast as it can run.
Violet is silent during the whole ride. I am so wrapped up in locating the shard that if it weren’t for the warmth of her body, I might not notice her at all.
Again, the direction changes. I curse and call yet another road. Again, and again.
We ride for most of the afternoon, crossing from one corner of the kingdom to the other. The landscape changes from the open tundra plains to forests to rolling hills and valleys to the wide roads that stretch from one town to another.