Chapter 11
Sebastian
Is she part shadowfae? Or is she lying? Her magic is beyond that of any shadowfae I’ve ever encountered, and yet she wielded shadows like they were second nature.
She has to be a witch...surely.
Or at least part witch?
If she had more fae blood, she would have pointed ears. It’s a conundrum indeed, especially since she isn’t talking.
I don’t trust her, even if I want to. I can’t do it. Belen was right about being careful who I place my faith in.
“Come to the table. Come and sit,” Julienne says, breaking the tense moment.
She beckons us toward a rough-hewn table near the hearth.
“You must both be hungry. Can I get you something to drink? Sit, sit. We’ll keep an ear open for unwanted guests.
I have a hiding place if anyone comes unannounced. You need food.”
There’s a clay jug of water on the table along with two wooden goblets. The cabin smells of wood smoke and the stew in the pot hanging over the flames.
Isla moves to the table and practically collapses into one of the chairs. Now that I really look at her, I can see how exhausted she is. Her eyes are bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles. Her sequined costume is torn and dirty, hanging off one shoulder where it was ripped during our escape.
She reaches for the jug and pours herself a goblet of water. Then she tips her head back and downs the entire thing in several long gulps, a little water spilling down her chin.
Who is she? And more importantly, who sent her?
I don’t believe for one second that she wanted to save me out of the goodness of her heart. That she risked everything just because she felt it was the right thing to do.
No one is that selfless. Not in Snow’s realm.
She broke my spell, and for a moment I was quite sure that I connected with her, but now I’m not so sure I can trust what it is that I felt. The fact that I felt anything at all makes me trust her less. She could have projected those emotions to put me off my guard.
None of this makes sense.
That she broke my spell and then saved me from recapture is a coincidence I can’t ignore. I won’t.
“You were set free. I saw you leaving. Why did they let you out?” I ask her.
“Why all the questions? I just saved you, Sebastian, or should I call you Your Majesty?” she asks, her jaw tight. “Can we not just eat in peace and rest before I get interrogated further?”
“You can call me Sebastian. We will rest soon enough. Right now, I need some answers. Please answer the question. It is a simple one, at that.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know who freed me. One second, I was being questioned by Captain Corvius, and the next, I was being let go.”
“No one is just let go,” I tell her, folding my arms. “Try again.”
“There is no need to try again. I was let go. Something about…” she lifts her eyes in thought, “the Ruler General giving the order.”
“The Ruler General,” I repeat.
“That’s right.” She nods. “Are you perhaps hard of hearing?”
She has grit. I like that, but I refuse to let it cloud my judgment.
“The Ruler General let you out, just like that?” I ask, shocked at how innocent she looks.
Those big eyes.
Her full lips pressed together in annoyance.
“Yes.” She shrugs again. “Just like that. What do you want me to say?” By now her eyes are blazing, her chin is tilted up. She isn’t very happy with me, but I don’t care. I need answers.
“Why did the Ruler General give the order to let you go? That doesn’t just happen, Isla.”
“How should I know?” She sounds flustered. Her cheeks are pink. “Why don’t you go and ask him?”
Him? The Ruler General is a female. Is she trying to put me off the scent?
I think the shadowfae sent her. Perhaps the queen herself. They’re hoping I’ll take her with me, that I’ll lead them straight to the other Lost Kings. The queen wants us dead. All of us. She’s been hunting us for many summers. She’ll stop at nothing.
It’s the only logical explanation. The only one that truly fits.
This woman appeared at exactly the right moment.
It’s too convenient. Too perfectly timed.
I take the seat across from her, studying her face. She won’t meet my eyes.
“What happened in that tent?” she asks me, finally looking up. “What happened during my performance?”
She’s pretending she has no idea. I’ll play her game.
“I’m not sure,” I tell her. “Something about your act, your magic…it undid a spell that was cast over me a long time ago.”
“Who cast the spell?” she asks.
“Snow. And you broke it.”
Was that a coincidence? Or was it meant to happen?
I know the queen regretted casting the spell that hid us. It was only because we were hidden from her, too, which was something she hadn’t expected. We were well and truly lost.
Had she been working on trying to break the spell all this time?
Was Isla hired to do exactly that? Or was she hired after it happened, once the queen realized one of us had awakened and escaped?
Once again, I’m shocked at how innocent she looks. Right now, she looks like she’s about to cry.
“Why can’t you just believe that I wanted to save the Shadowfae King? That I wanted to save you from a horrible death? I saw you in that cell, beaten and bleeding. I felt…sorry for you.” She bites on her lip, a few strands of hair falling into her face.
I have a ridiculous urge to push them behind her ear.
I shake my head, my jaw tight. “I don’t need your pity.”
She’s trying to get my guard down. She wants me to trust her, and it won’t work.
“I don’t pity you. I pity myself right now for being so stupid. I knew you needed help. As much as I tried to turn my back on you, I couldn’t. I should have left well alone. I should have left you to her.” She says the last under her breath and more to herself.
“Can I get you some supper?” Julienne interrupts; she is stirring a pot hanging over the fire. “Or will you be leaving immediately? I can have the horses tacked and ready in no time. The saddle bags are already packed with supplies.”
Isla and I look at one another for a few charged heartbeats.
I pull in a breath and let it out slowly. “I think Isla will need to eat something before she goes on her way.” I need to make it very clear where we stand.
Isla’s face goes pale. “What? You’re going to throw me out? Where will I go?”
I have one small problem. Isla is a powerful magic wielder. I can’t use my magic if I want to stay hidden from the queen. I can’t use my magic at all, not without Snow tracking me down.
But Isla can use hers. Which means she’s a risk to me and my quest. One I can’t take.
It means that I can’t take her with me. She can’t know my plans, can’t know where I’m going or what I intend to do. I can’t and won’t trust her.
She’s beautiful and looks as innocent as they come, but that is more than likely a lie. A very convincing one, at that.
I need to stay firm. “I am very serious.” I force myself to hold her gaze. “Thank you for all of your help, but after you’ve eaten, I need you to be on your way.”
“And where will I go?” Her voice cracks on the last word.
“Anywhere you want,” I tell her, trying to keep my tone even. Trying not to let the hurt swirling in her eyes affect me.
“That’s just it! I can’t go anywhere I want.
” Her hands clench into fists on the table.
“They saw me. They know who I am. By now, there will be a bounty on my head.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it.
“I’m a colossal fool. The biggest fool in the entire realm.
Why did I help you? I knew kings could be arrogant pricks, but you take the cake. ”
“I don’t care what you think of me.”
“That much is very clear.” Her voice is filled with anger.
“I suggest that we eat,” Julienne pipes up. She’s watching us both, frowning all the while. “We’ll be able to think more clearly with full bellies. As long as those bells stay silent, we are quite safe.” She points to a row of bells above the front door. They all have a string attached to them.
She walks over to an animal skin on the floor near a wooden chest and pulls it aside, revealing a trapdoor underneath. “If they do come, you’ll need to go down into the room below. It’s well hidden. As long as you keep very quiet, you will be safe there.”
Neither Isla nor I say anything.
She glares at me, and if looks could kill, I would be run through or peppered with arrows.
Julienne continues, moving back to the pot. “You never know when you’ll get another chance at hot food. Then we can talk about what to do next. It isn’t good to make decisions while tempers are flared.”
My temper is just fine. Isla’s cheeks are a bright red, so I can’t say the same for her.
The sooner this female is out of my hair, the better.
This isn’t about her or me. This is about the realm. About stopping Snow before she destroys everything.
Isla is a risk. Therefore, I can’t trust her.
But I can ensure she has the things she needs to get away safely. I owe her that much, at least.
I nod once. “Let’s eat.”
Isla pushes out a heavy breath and rolls her eyes at me.
“Thank you, Julienne,” she says. “The food smells delicious. Can I help with anything?”
“No, no, you stay right there, you look exhausted,” Julienne tells Isla while she ladles thick stew into wooden bowls.
Julienne puts the food on the table in front of us, along with a loaf of fresh bread that she tears into chunks. My mouth waters at the smell of rich meat and vegetables. It feels like an age since I last had anything of substance in my belly.
We eat in silence. I can’t get the stew in my mouth fast enough; it’s that good. Isla eats as well, but her eyes are filled with concern.
I look back down at my plate.
“So,” Julienne says. “What was it like? Being lost all that time? Belen said that you were working for the queen.”
I swallow my mouthful of bread. “It was strange. Like living in a dream, only I didn’t know it was a dream.
” I take another bite of stew, chewing and swallowing before continuing.
“I thought I was a blind clerk who worked in the records chamber at the Shadow Court. I had another name. My past was erased completely.”
“So, you were blind? That is quite bizarre.” Julienne’s eyebrows rise.
“Completely. From birth. Or so I believed.” I touch the skin near my eyes, still marveling at the fact that I can see. “The spell took everything from me. My sight, my memories, my magic. Even my knowledge of who I was.”
“That’s terrible,” Julienne murmurs.
Isla takes another mouthful of food, pretending not to be interested in any way.
“And you had no idea of who you really were?” Julienne asks.
“None whatsoever.” I reach for more bread, tearing off a chunk. “I had friends. A life. Memories of a childhood that never actually happened.”
The silence stretches. Isla chews before taking another bite.
“What about you, Isla…?” Julienne starts to say when a soft tinkling sounds.
Isla drops her spoon.
I look up at the bells, my body going tense. One of them is moving, ringing softly.
“It looks like we have company,” Julienne says calmly.
Isla’s eyes are wide, and all the color drains from her face.
But Julienne stays perfectly calm as she puts down her spoon and stands. “To the trapdoor, Sire…Isla. You’ll need to be quick. They’ll be here soon.”