Chapter 14 – Rowan
ROWAN
Ifight the men every step of the way until the two are practically carrying me through the castle foyer and out what remains of the front gate.
The sight of the dead or dying soldiers littering the ground silences my screams as shock takes over.
Blood stains the cobblestones; bodies, most of them wearing Sitaran armour, lie twisted in the rubble.
Unable to take in any more of the horror, I squeeze my eyes shut tight, but the smell of death is heavy in the air.
Several minutes pass.
With my eyes closed, I have no warning before a dark hood is suddenly shoved over my head.
No.
I thrash violently as darkness crashes over me. Panic fills me, and I lose it. I’m a child again, seeing those black shadows leaking into my room between cracks in the door. Darkness everywhere. I tremble as it swallows everything.
My mother’s scream.
The darkness took her. And now the Raven has come for me, too.
Terror takes hold, seizing my lungs, striking some hollow place inside me until all the fight bleeds from my body, and I go limp.
The men no longer have to force me. I allow myself to be half-dragged, half-carried out of Rosecliff. The sounds of war and the smell of bloodshed around me fade away.
After what feels like an eternity, we finally come to a stop.
In my current state of whatever this is—shock, maybe—it’s difficult to say just how far we’ve traveled from Rosecliff.
But there are new voices now—male. I’m too lost in my head to make out what they’re saying, but they are speaking the common tongue.
I’m nudged forward, and I’m aware that we’ve moved somewhere inside. The wind no longer whips at my exposed skin and skirts.
A few more steps and then an abrupt stop before I’m thrown to the ground. Limbs shaking, I use my bound hands to push myself up to my knees just as someone rips the dark hood from my head.
The sudden light is blinding and warm; it chases back the shadows that had wrapped around my throat, and I suck in a sharp breath. Daylight. It takes several long breaths before my body stops shaking, for the light to chase back the remaining shadows, the ones that linger in my mind.
I blink a few times, looking around. We’re inside a large canvas tent. My eyes dart wildly around, and for a moment, pure terror surges. The Raven. No longer just the creature from my nightmares. It’s here—was here. What if they let it take me?
Seeing more large, armour-clad Kovari soldiers surrounding me, I let out a sigh of relief. Silver and black armour. Not a shadow demon in sight.
It takes a few more seconds for me to realize that someone is speaking—speaking to me.
Looking around for the source of the voice, I find it in the center of the room. And there, sitting atop a high-back chair with a modest silver circlet on his head, is just about the last person I expect to see.
“Princess.” Theo smiles at me, waving away several clerks still pressing for his attention and leaning forward to get a better look at me. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Laughter tumbles out of me; I’m powerless to stop it. And from the looks the others are giving me around the tent, I know I must look insane.
Theo has stopped talking, his eyes on me and me alone, and aside from my own maniacal fit of laughter, the tent is dead silent.
Did he ask me a question?
Recovering enough to form thoughts and put them into words, I release a steadying breath, straightening as best I can from my position on the ground. I lift my chin to address the former prisoner.
Theo is wearing new armour. His pretty face is mottled with perhaps even more dirt and blood than when I last saw him.
“Nice crown, Theo,” is all I say to the astonishment of our surrounding audience.
The corner of his mouth twitches up, and I recognize the look of quiet amusement I’ve come to expect from Theo.
The guard to Theo’s left, however, doesn’t find it quite so amusing. He steps forward, no doubt to smack me for such impropriety. “You’ll not speak to the prince in that way—” His arm lifts, just as I expect, and I brace myself for the hit.
But it never comes. Theo raises a single hand in objection, his eyes on mine. I swear, I can see wheels turning in those sapphire eyes.
The prince. The man’s words echo in the fog that is my current state of mind, and I raise my brows at the title before shooting his guard a taunting look anyway, daring him to hit me.
What do I have to lose?
The guard’s eyes narrow, and while his fingers twitch at his side, he begrudgingly steps back into position on Theo’s left.
My gaze travels back to the prince, noting the mischief now dancing in those blue eyes, the dangerous smile curving across his face as he rises from his seat, looking down at me.
“Who knew something so wicked could be so pretty?” he muses, letting his eyes trail over me.
My eyes narrow. Something? My lip curls up, flashing Theo a single fang in response.
Another man steps forward now, much smaller than the guard to his left, his expression anxious as he addresses the prince.
“Your Highness, I suggest we gag the fae and possibly replace the hood?” He eyes me nervously, looking ready to jump out of his skin if I so much as blink at him.
“Tricksters and witches, they are,” the man mutters, looking around for support.
I scoff. What a hypocrite. Especially considering the company they keep: the shadow demon they have in their ranks.
A few others murmur their agreement, and I look around incredulously. They can’t seriously believe that.
While taking in the reactions of those in the tent, I shift anxiously on my knees, scanning the small crowd again for any sign of the wretched creature, relief coursing through me when I don’t find it—or feel it.
Though my gaze catches upon one familiar face, finding Captain Rusic amongst the group.
His glacial expression never wavers, not even when I glare back at him.
And while the others whisper around him, he remains silent.
I can’t help but notice how he’s strategically placed himself between the prince and me.
But Theo just waves off his advisor as he presses his argument further, and my gaze falls back on him, surveying him in this new light.
Theo is actually Prince Thaddeus Devereaux, Kovaria’s crown prince.
We’d met. At a diplomatic dinner in Aurielle years ago, long before Fel took him prisoner.
We were just children then. Our fathers met to discuss updating land treaty terms. He bowed, and I curtsied, and that was just about all I could remember of him, other than I had thought he was handsome.
Even back then, with his unruly blonde hair and cerulean eyes.
Features that had only grown with him. I can see why the Kovari prince is rumored to be so highly desired by the ladies of his court.
The slightest nod from Rusic draws my attention back to him, just before one of his men grasps my shoulder, holding me still, while the other rips the crown from atop my head.
A golden circle of twisted thorns with rose blossoms intertwined within.
Rusic steps forward, taking the crown from his man.
My cheeks burn at the sight of it in his dirty hands.
Rusic turns to approach the prince, bowing deeply before presenting my crown to him. “The Princess of Sitara, by all accounts.” His tone, combined with his arched brow, conveys that he thinks otherwise.
Theo reaches out, taking the circlet from him, examining the detail. “And the two princes?”
I try not to flinch at the mention of my brothers.
The captain just shakes his head, and I have to fight the smile pulling at the corner of my lips. The tunnels remain undiscovered. Fel and Riven are safe.
The prince releases a sigh, his gaze fixed on the crown in his hands.
“Thank you, Captain. I know you have a lot to attend to. You and your men are dismissed.”
Captain Rusic doesn’t spare me another glance before turning to stride out of the tent, and a couple more soldiers, all in black armour, follow him out.
Once they’re gone, Theo sets my crown down on the arm of his chair and takes a step closer, looking at me as if I’m a problem to solve. “But what to do with you?”
I open my mouth as if to answer, but his advisor cuts me off.
“She should die.” He nods furiously, looking around again for support. “Here and now,” he states boldly, lifting his chin smugly. “Send Sitara, and its king, a message.”
The prince doesn’t bother acknowledging him, almost as if he hasn’t even heard him, his eyes still on me.
“Tell me, Princess, where is your army? The soldiers I arrived with?” He asks his question patiently, his eyes still light, his face a cool mask, but I can see past the masked indifference to the hidden desperation deep within those cerulean eyes of his.
I just stare back, refusing to look away, even though I have no intention of answering him, careful to keep my face blank.
He takes another step closer, his tone more serious. “Where are your brothers?”
I’m as still as death, aware of how the guards nearest to me grip the hilts of their weapons a little tighter as the prince travels even closer.
“The heir?” Another step, and the prince is now close enough to touch. “The near entirety of the village?” His head tilts to the side, studying my face. His blue eyes burning with more questions.
Still on my knees, I keep hold of his gaze, staring him right in the eyes.
My face impassive, my eyes unblinking. It’s an expression I have honed and perfected over the years.
Well tested. Its entire purpose was to incur my governess’ ire, and I can tell by the prince’s frown that he indeed recognizes it for what it was.
Unyielding.
Breaking eye contact, he turns to face the advisor who’s dancing nervously behind him. “No trace of them? Any of them?”
His advisor clears his throat before he speaks.
“No, Sir. The villagers and the nobles, along with the better part of their army, appear to—” He swallows, clearing his throat once again, tapping the top of his own leg as if to give himself the confidence to say what he must next.
“They seem to have all disappeared through unknown means. Only the first line, a small contingent of the castle guard, and a handful of servants, remained at Rosecliff once we breached the walls.”
Once you cheated, I thought to myself.
“She’s truly their sister? The princess? We are sure?” another advisor asks, eyeing me with suspicion.
But I keep my gaze on Theo. He knows who I am, and there is no question in his eyes as he studies me, no doubt deciding what is to be done with me.
“Might I suggest, Sir,” the nervous advisor starts, continuing only once Theo gives him a nod. “While I do support a prompt execution,” he levels me a distasteful look, “if you insist on keeping her alive, you could use her as leverage—against her brothers.”
My heart drops to my stomach. I hadn’t considered that. Not once. Why hadn’t I considered that? On the rare occasion that humans capture fae, they never let them live.
Never.
No, let them kill me. Death might be bad, but being kept alive—far, far worse.
“She could be a useful source of information,” the second advisor states. “We could torture her for the location of the rest of her people.”
My heart is beating so fast, and it’s difficult to keep my face neutral; I worry my fear betrays me. Riven’s voice echoes in my ear, a reminder of all our training sessions. “Never let them know what scares you.”
“Mmm,” Theo hums, his thumb grazing the line of his jaw as he considers me—studies me. And whatever he gleans from his perusal makes him smile. “Unfortunately, torturing a princess is not on my agenda for the day.” He shoots me a wink, which I’m quick to return with a flash of my fangs.
He laughs, the sound too light given our current circumstances. Amusement flashes to seriousness, only to cycle back to amusement again as he stares at me. “Fel’s sister…” he muses, his words coming out almost absentmindedly, barely audible, just enough for my fae hearing to pick up.
Fel? Why only Fel? Although he is the heir, it just seems… odd. I’m Riven’s sister too. Perhaps more so, considering the fact that we’re twins.
A small smile spreads across the prince’s face, and I already know without question he’s decided my fate.
Turning, he sweeps back to sit gracefully in his seat.
“Captain Rusic led us to a significant victory today.” His voice booms, loud enough for everyone within the tent to hear.
Cheers rise at his words, and several of his personal guards bang the hilts of their swords against their armour or shields in agreement.
“The walls of Rosecliff, walls that have stood for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, fell to Kovaria in minutes,” Theo boasts, and suddenly I’m struck with the overwhelming urge to hit him.
My fingers curl in my shackles. “Such a victory deserves a reward, does it not?”
More shouts, more bangs.
I glance around nervously, my heartbeat quickening, unsure of where he’s going with this.
“As a reward for his bravery, strategy, and for leading Kovaria to a brilliant victory, I gift Captain Rusic the Sitari princess.” He smiles down at the growing look of horror on my face. “To do with as he pleases.” Theo’s lips curl into a dark smile. One I would not have thought him capable of.
“Sir,” the shrill advisor stutters out. “We don’t—” he starts, but the prince cuts him off.
“We don’t keep fae prisoners. No, we don’t.
I know. However, we’ve never captured a royal fae before.
And we all know the captain is owed Valrose blood.
So I believe this little Valrose here is a fine gift.
” Theo smiles, letting his eyes roam my body as if it’s something to be desired.
The look he’s giving me turns my blood to ice. “I’m sure he can make some use of her.”