Chapter 13 #2
“The next time you crash-land onto this godsforsaken rock and verbally assault a bunch of fae who would sooner shoot rowan arrows through your wings than welcome you, it would be wise to bring your royal guard,” the Morkahlf groused.
Kaden raised an imperious eyebrow. “Is it my fault you didn’t tail me here?”
“I did tail you here.”
“Ah, but you were late.”
“Because you didn’t tell me where you were going. ”
“Sounds to me like I should dismiss you and find a new royal guard,” said Kaden coolly. “Or dock your pay for being such a pain in my royal ass.”
Adriel let out a short bark of laughter.
“I’d hardly call one male with a rather unimpressive wingspan my royal guard,” said Sorsha.
Adriel’s brow knitted with indignation. “Unimpressive —”
The prince gave a noncommittal shrug. “He’s the only one who wanted the job.”
They continued to bicker all the way down the stairs until we came to the end of a long covered parapet. The icy drizzle hadn’t abated, and it was a relief when we reached the next tower. The winding staircase reeked of mildew, but at least it was warm.
Finally, a set of double doors appeared, which Sorsha magicked open with a wave of her hand. Beyond was a spacious chamber with a row of arched windows that had no glass but were enchanted to keep out the wind and rain.
Though Cragsmuir was an army outpost, the furnishings were comfortable and luxurious.
A long settee upholstered in turquoise silk sat against one wall, and an array of jewel-toned cushions dominated much of the available floor space.
Clothes were strewn pell-mell over the arms of furniture, lending a pleasantly chaotic feel to the room.
Off to one side, I spied a chamber with a luxurious four-poster bed fit for any princess, as well as a private bathing chamber. Along the other end was a small dining room with a balcony overlooking the sea.
Sorsha disappeared for a moment to summon food from the kitchens as Kaden swiped a decanter of wine off a table and headed for the balcony with Adriel .
A few minutes later, there was a timid knock on the door, and two servants appeared with a cart full of food.
Sorsha groused that she didn’t like to be waited on, but nobody objected any further as the servants laid the table with an oily white fish broiled in butter, salted pork, whipped potatoes, wilted greens, and a hearty brown bread.
They’d also brought another decanter of wine and pitchers of a nutty, dark ale, which Adriel reached for immediately.
Suddenly, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since before we’d reached Dorthus, and I gratefully piled my plate with food.
Once the four of us were seated, and the males plied with alcohol, Sorsha smoothed a napkin across her lap and said, “So why are you here, brother?”
Kaden jabbed his fork into a filet and transferred it to his plate. “Can’t a male simply pay a visit to his beloved sister without being called for interrogation?”
Sorsha raised an eyebrow. “Most males, yes. But not the son of the demon king. You hardly ever come to see me.”
“Perhaps I would visit more often if I wasn’t immediately met with the pointy end of a sword.”
“ You are the one who insisted the Drathen army be stationed here.”
“To ensure our dear uncle does not get any homicidal notions.”
Sorsha rolled her eyes and turned to me. “My brother thinks the Drathen soldiers will defend me, a half-Euroshean princess, just to spite Alfrigg. Except he put a Euroshean in command to ensure they kept their hands to themselves, the prick.”
“A good strategist accounts for all possibilities,” said Kaden .
“Quit stalling, brother, and tell me why you are here.”
“We are here to kill my father.”
“I told you to kill him two hundred years ago. Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Lyra wasn’t born two hundred years ago.”
Sorsha’s intense gaze flitted to me and then to Adriel, whose expression was completely unreadable.
“As I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Kaden continued, serving himself some potatoes, “she is rather unique.”
“A huntress,” said Sorsha, her voice uncertain.
Kaden gave a small shake of his head. “Half huntress, half witch. And not just any witch. A witch of the Coranthe line with a rowan-wood blade forged in cold iron.”
Sorsha’s eyebrows shot up.
“Well, I don’t technically have the dagger anymore,” I said icily, narrowing my eyes at Kaden.
Sorsha snorted, approval gleaming in those turquoise eyes. “You must make him very nervous.”
Kaden continued as if his sister hadn’t spoken. “Of course, by now he has amassed so much power that we have no hope of killing him the old-fashioned way. His magic must be severed at the source before she can drive a blade through his heart.”
Sorsha looked to her brother, all traces of amusement gone. “You want to visit the Three?”
Kaden nodded.
The princess gave an unhinged trill of laughter, though her eyes were like two chips of ice.
“Better you than me, brother. My life has been eventful enough without piquing their interest. But if you’ve grown bored with your wretched immortal existence, I suppose there’s no harm in drawing their attention. ”
My stomach tightened as I looked from the demon prince to his sister. Who — or what — were the Three?
“I need your help,” said Kaden quietly. “The Great Oak was sealed millennia ago to prevent war-mongering fae from meddling with Fate. The blood of three courts is needed to unseal it. Being half demon, half Drathen, I have the distinct advantage of representing two courts all on my own. But only two.”
“And you want me to provide blood of the Euroshean court,” she guessed.
“It is the only way.”
I glanced at Adriel, whose face was a mask of stony disapproval. Whatever the Three were, they were not something the royal guard thought the prince should be meddling with.
“Where is this Great Oak?” I asked. “And what are the Three?”
“You haven’t told her?” Sorsha snapped, rounding on her brother. “Surely if you mean to use her, you have at least told her what you are planning.”
Kaden pressed his lips together, and a muscle in his jaw clenched. “The plan is . . . ever evolving.”
Sorsha gave a cruel cackle and poured herself another glass of wine before filling my goblet too. “I have a feeling you’re going to need this,” she told me.
Kaden cut a sharp glare in her direction before turning his attention to me.
“The Three refers to the three weavers of Fate — sisters who reside beneath the Great Oak. Every new life, both in our world and the mortal world, begins as a single thread, spun by the first sister. It is the second sister who weaves that thread into the tapestry of Fate. She decides which lives intersect, and when. It is the second sister whose interest we would be wise not to draw. ”
“Celestial busybody,” Sorsha muttered around the rim of her goblet.
“The third sister is the one who chooses the time and manner of each mortal’s demise.
Occasionally, she gets a hair up her ass and decides to end an immortal’s existence just for the fun of it, but she alone may cut a life short.
She alone can sever the threads of the souls my father has bound to his existence. ”
My stomach twisted at the thought of three old hags huddled beneath a tree, spinning the lives of mortals as though they were their playthings.
“But why do you need my help?” I asked. Sorsha’s part in this was clear, but I was an untrained witch and a huntress with no weapon that could kill a demon.
“The threads of Fate are not cotton or wool,” Kaden explained.
“They are spun from the very essence of life itself. Not so different from the sort of magic you call upon to weave runes. You are the only one among us who can see those strands of magic. I suspect you may be our best hope at discerning which threads are tied to which lives.”
My stomach clenched. He wanted me to examine this so-called tapestry of Fate and decide which lives needed cutting?
“You don’t know that I’ll be able to tell,” I said. “This is just a guess. What if I can’t —”
“You are our best chance,” said Kaden with finality.
“I think you are forgetting that I have still not agreed to accompany you on this ridiculous quest,” snapped Sorsha.
Adriel quirked his brows and tipped back his goblet of ale.
“Would you like me to beg?”
“Yes, for a start.”
The demon prince glanced at his royal guard before turning to his sister.
His chair scraped against the stone floor, and then he was kneeling, taking her delicate hands in his own.
“Sorsha, dear sister, would you please accompany me to the Great Oak so that we may visit the Three? If you do, I shall be forever in your debt.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Sorsha, tugging her hands free from his grasp.
Adriel choked on his ale.
“This isn’t a joke,” said Kaden furiously. “Every moment we delay, Semphrys grows stronger. Each day, he needs more souls to sate his hunger, and he comes ever closer to finding Lyra and dragging her back to Dorthus.”
“Fine,” said Sorsha, throwing up her hands. “At least if I agree to this fool’s errand, I’ll be able to get off this island for a bit and see my brother for more than one evening.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“We’ll have to go on horseback once we reach the continent,” Adriel muttered. “We can’t afford to attract the attention of Alfrigg’s patrols.”
“Or my father’s spies,” Kaden added.
“I’ll let Siran know,” said Sorsha. “There’s a big storm coming in that will delay our departure. We leave in two days’ time.”
“Two days,” Kaden repeated, and I don’t think I was imagining the look of relief that swept across the prince’s face.