Chapter 17 Lilias
Lilias
ALONE WITH THE KING
“My dear Lilias,” a man’s voice says from the shadows.
I try not to jump. Next to me, Anura’s eyes widen.
She’s leading me back to our room through the warren of hallways and courtyards that make up the palace of Vsenrog.
I haven’t really been paying attention to where we’re going; my mind is still whirling after meeting the three wives of King Malrik’s eldest sons.
I smile politely, then turn to the man who spoke to me.
King Malrik grins at me. He’s standing in the shadows of an arched doorway to a small, dark room. I freeze. He walks toward me, his gaze lingering on the swell of my chest beneath the tight laces of my green velvet dress.
Don’t ever let King Malrik get you alone, Alia told me. Fear pulls my throat tight even as my training forces me to bow low before the king.
“A moment of your time,” the king purrs.
“Of course,” I reply. My voice is thin and high.
King Malrik’s hand closes around my arm like an iron manacle.
“We’ll walk together,” he declares.
He’s silent as he leads me down the corridor. A maid appears in one of the darkened doorways, then pulls back as soon as the pale oval of her face turns toward the king.
“Tell me, my dear,” the king says, as the hall twists toward an open doorway. “When is that brother of yours going to pay you a visit?”
I blink as the king leads me through the door and into sunlight so bright it’s almost blinding. My feet crunch on a gravel path as we enter the garden. Where my husband said conversations are less likely to be overheard.
“My brother?” I manage to say.
King Malrik growls lightly, like he’s disappointed in my response.
“It’s bad enough your father was too ill to attend the ceremony,” he says. “But for your brother to be absent as well?”
I frown, then catch myself and smooth my features into another polite smile. My father isn’t ill. Is he?
No, he didn’t attend the wedding because he didn’t care to. Not because he couldn’t.
“I-I’m not sure, Your Highness,” I reply, as lightly as I can. “I’m certain he has more important duties than visiting his sister.”
King Malrik makes a low sound in the back of his throat, almost a laugh. He stops walking, then tightens his fingers around my arm. He turns to look at me, and I glance away.
Anura isn’t standing behind me. Panic flashes in my chest.
I’m alone with the king.
“You be sure to let me know when you hear from him,” Malrik says. “We want to prepare an appropriate welcome.”
Somehow, his words feel like a threat. I smile, then bow again.
“Of course,” I say. “You’ll be the first to know.”
King Malrik releases my arm. He steps back, then shakes his head.
“So docile,” he mutters. “Such a shame.”
He gives me the kind of smile he might give a favorite hunting hound, then turns on his heels and walks back toward the palace. For the first time, I notice two armed guards flanking the door. They follow Malrik into the hallway, then close the door behind him.
I breathe for what feels like the first time in years. What in the nine hells was that about? Why does everyone keep insisting my father is ill? And why would the king care if my brother was coming to visit me?
My hands are shaking. I twist my fingers together until they ache. Birds flit through the air, dancing as they explore the fresh green leaves that have just exploded on the branches above the garden. Somewhere, I hear the laughing melody of flowing water. They must have filled the fountains.
I cannot tell King Malrik anything about my brother.
The realization is so sudden, so unshakable, that it feels like it’s coming from somewhere outside of me. I gulp another breath. My heart thuds against the inside of my chest like it’s trying to get away.
There’s a soft creaking sound, then the clatter of footsteps on the gravel. I turn to see Anura coming toward me, her lips pressed together like she’s trying to hold something back.
“Are you okay?” she whispers once she reaches me and takes my hands in hers.
“Yes,” I reply. “But if this is about Elrick, don’t tell me. It’s better if I don’t know.”
She frowns, but only for a moment.
“No,” she says. “It’s Blayne. He’s here.”
“Oh, thank gods,” I gush, before I can stop myself.
Anura leads me past a little hill swelling with the bright, bulging buds of tulips. Once we round a fountain topped with a grinning fox, I recognize where we are. We walk back to our quarters through the garden, and my heart runs the entire way.
I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed Blayne until Anura said his name.
I’ve been so bored these past six days, memorizing the layout of the castle, trying to find new excuses to visit the stables and talk to Alia, and failing to learn even a single useful thing about the opaque motivations of King Malrik.
But it’s more than that. Blayne is a piece of home, a small part of my former life. If he’s here, perhaps I haven’t lost everything.
We walk in through a side door and down the hallway that I now realize is smaller and tighter than the ones on the higher floors. I pause before the closed door that leads to the snake’s room. Anura turns to me.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” she says, raising her voice at the end so it sounds like a question. “Unless you want me to stay?”
“No,” I say. “That really won’t be necessary.”
She nods, a little gesture of agreement, then turns away and disappears down the hallway. I take a deep breath before pushing open the door.
Blayne sits at the table by the window, his head bent over something. He comes to his feet as the door swings open. Light dances across his full lips as he smiles at me.
“My dear Lilias,” he says, walking toward me. “Gods, I’ve missed you.”
I let the door slam closed behind me and fall into his arms.