Chapter 31
My heart careened violently in my chest at the sight of Varius standing in the doorway. Ramia quickly lit a lantern, illuminating his wild eyes and mussed hair. His wings were partially out, but he didn’t seem to notice. He only strode toward me, eyes wide as they roved over me, assessing.
“Sybelle,” he panted, his voice full of disbelief. “Are—Are you hurt?”
I blinked, some of my ire fading as I registered the panic in his eyes. “No,” I said slowly. “No, I’m fine.”
Clermont and Enzira appeared behind him. Enzira peered over Varius’s shoulder, and when her eyes met mine, she let out a yelp of alarm. Shoving Varius aside—shoving the damn king out of her way—she stumbled toward me and squeezed me in a tight embrace.
“Mother bless me, I was so worried for you, my lady!” she sobbed. “I thought you had been abducted or killed, and it was all my fault! I’m so sorry, lady, so very sorry.”
I drew back and pressed my hand to her cheek, catching her tears.
“Enzira, why would you say that? What’s wrong?
” My gaze slid past her to meet Varius’s.
In my language, I said, “What happened?” In this moment, I didn’t care that I’d just revealed to everyone that I could speak Agnarrish. It didn’t matter.
Varius took a step toward me, his eyebrows lowering. His expression turned thunderous. “Someone broke into your rooms and ransacked them.”
My blood chilled. “ What ?”
Varius quickly filled me in on the state of my room. With each word he spoke, my insides turned hollow.
The mattress sliced in two.
Furniture splintered and broken.
Drawers overturned.
Everything in my room had been searched.
I thought of the pouch of gemstones still tucked into my cloak pocket. I didn’t dare glance at them, worried someone might notice. At least I’d had the foresight to take the jewels with me before leaving with Azure.
I folded my arms over my chest, shuddering at the thought of how close I’d been to confronting the thief. It had to have been Warwick, or someone working for him. Who else could it have been?
“Do you have any way of discovering who did it?” I asked. “Some kind of magical means? Maybe whoever was in my rooms left some… trace or aura behind?” I was reaching; I had no idea if such a magical detection process existed.
“Perhaps,” said Varius. “I can have Tislora look over everything tomorrow.”
I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. Somehow I doubted Tislora would want to help me.
“Where did you go?” Varius asked. “You weren’t in your rooms, so we thought…” He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a breath. “If you weren’t in there when the intruder was going through your things, then where were you?”
I exchanged a quick glance with Ramia, whose face paled. She knew. She knew I’d been out with Azure. My eyes flared wide, and she nodded slightly, her gaze resolute and determined.
She would keep my secret. Her expression said as much .
Realizing Varius was waiting for an answer, I said quickly, “I came to stay here with Ramia. I didn’t feel safe in my rooms.”
This was all true. Although, if Varius asked me where I’d gone directly after the revel, I wouldn’t be able to lie to him.
Varius cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes. Well. I’m glad you decided to do that.”
I stared at him, vividly remembering how Enzira had confirmed the human brides had been mistreated during past revels. “Did you know?” I said sharply.
Varius froze, eyeing me warily. “Did I know what?”
“Did you know what they did to the human brides at revels?”
The room fell deadly quiet. Next to me, Enzira uttered a soft gasp, her hand going to her mouth. I squeezed her free hand, hoping she knew I wouldn’t betray her trust. I would never tell Varius it was Enzira who confirmed this information for me.
“If you’re talking about what that bastard Warwick said…” Varius growled.
“ Fae cannot lie, ” I snarled. “It doesn’t matter why he said it. It’s the truth. So answer the damn question.”
Clermont cleared his throat and drew forward, his expression stern. Varius lifted a hand to stop him, his dark gaze fixed on me.
“Leave us,” he said quietly. “Please.” He looked at me, but his command was clear.
Clermont and Enzira obeyed, although the latter gripped my hand tightly, her face still covered in tears.
Ramia drew closer to me, her chin lifted. “I will not leave unless my lady commands it.”
I shot a grateful look at her. For a moment, I was tempted to ask her to stay.
But Varius had been forthcoming in our previous discussions. Well, partially forthcoming. And last time he had confided in me, I’d stormed off before allowing him to explain. Somehow, I doubted he would be as amenable to answering my questions if Ramia were here.
“It’s all right.” I patted Ramia’s hand and nodded at her. “Let me speak with him alone.”
Her lips thinned as she glanced between us. Then, with a sniff, she grabbed her shawl and bustled out of the room. I noticed she left the door cracked open, but I didn’t object.
I crossed my arms and stared expectantly at the king. “Well?” I knew I was being rude, but I didn’t care. This was too important.
Varius closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before replying. “When my father was king, he did… many things I did not agree with. When I opposed him, he had me whipped. Or threw me in the dungeon for days at a time. After a decade of this, I learned to mind my own business.
“I did not pay much attention to what went on when the human bride arrived. I did not like how the other fae treated her. But I knew if I spoke out about it, Father would punish me. Or worse, punish the human just to spite me. He had done this to me before. I knew how his mind worked.
“There was… talk of the goings-on at the revels. I tried not to pay attention to it. And I never attended revels when my father was present because of his abhorrent behavior. I wanted nothing to do with it.”
Varius’s frame slumped, his expression turning dejected.
“I have many regrets, Sybelle. Too many to count. And one of them was not standing up to my father when it mattered the most.” When he met my gaze, a haunted look took over his face.
His eyes were full of torment. “I am sorry. I do not know for sure what happened to the human brides, particularly during revels. But I went out of my way to ignore the horrors I suspected were going on in my home. And for that, I am sorry.”
I stared at him, torn between revulsion for the sake of my people and hatred toward Varius’s father. My breaths came in sharp spurts, and I suddenly found it hard to stand. Slowly, I sank to the edge of the sofa where I’d been sleeping, my hands shaking as I tucked them into my lap.
My insides felt numb. Nausea churned within me, and my eyes closed against the grief and agony coursing through me.
Several moments of silence passed between us. I sensed Varius watching me, but I couldn’t look at him. All I could do was sit there and count my breaths, trying to make sense of all this.
At long last, I whispered, “You said to me I was the only human foolish enough to attend a revel.” My gaze finally met his. “You lied?”
“I cannot lie. And… I said you were the only human to attend a revel as an invited guest .” He grimaced apologetically.
My eyes narrowed. “How convenient. I suppose that’s the last time I’ll trust what comes out of your mouth.”
He bared his teeth at me. “I did not lie .”
“No, you just twisted your words, like all fae do.” I angrily waved my hand in the air.
“What did you want me to say, Sybelle? That I suspected your ancestors had been raped and tortured by my father? Would that have made you feel better?”
I jumped to my feet, my face on fire as I glared at him. “It’s not about making me feel better, Varius. It’s about disclosing the truth to me. That is what I value.”
“Even when the truth is disgusting and horrific?”
“Especially then! Because if you are honest with me about the terrible truths, then I know you’ll be honest with me about everything .”
Varius fell silent at that. His face was still hard and unyielding. Our gazes locked, and neither of us looked away.
But he did not argue. I waited for him to defend or excuse his actions again, but he didn’t.
To my utter shock, he said quietly, “All right. I can do that. ”
I blinked, stunned. “You—what?”
“I said, I can do that.”
My mouth opened and closed.
He sighed. “I will be completely honest and forthcoming with you from now on, Sybelle. Or at least, as honest as I can manage. Is that sufficient for you?”
I swallowed, an unexpected warmth creeping up my throat. “Um. Yes. I think so.”
“Good. I’ll start right now. I believe the castle has been warning us from the beginning. Do you remember when we ended up in the training yard?”
“Yes. That was when Warwick threatened me.”
A low growl rumbled from Varius’s throat. “He did what ?”
I quickly told him about my first interaction with Warwick. Varius’s nostrils flared, and his dark shadows spilled over the floor, creeping toward me. I knew by now that they weren’t dangerous, but I still edged away from them.
“That bastard,” Varius hissed. “I’ll snap his neck. I’ll rip his arms clean off.”
“As delightful as your threats are,” I said, “I need to know what else he said to you at the revel.”
Varius heaved a deep breath, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I can… only tell you part of it. The magic of this land prevents me from speaking about certain things.” He gritted his teeth as if he were physically held back from saying more.
I bit down on my irritation, knowing it was not his fault. “All right.”
“He has information for me about—about—” He broke off with a curse, and I recalled how he’d said there were certain things he could not utter because of magic that had bound him.
“About how to stop the Necro Shadows,” he finally said.
“And he told me he does not belong to this court. He is not under my jurisdiction. ”
I gasped, raising a hand to cover my mouth. Warwick did not belong to the Shadow Court? Then, where the hell was he from?
The look of confusion and frustration on Varius’s face told me he had no idea either.
“So, he is blackmailing you?” I asked.
“Essentially, yes.”
“And you think the castle was leading us to the training yard to warn us about him?”
“Yes. In fact, when I was searching for you, every open door revealed the training yard. Even now, in the dead of night.”
I glanced at the window, which showed the early rays of dawn.
“Or rather, the early hours of the morning,” Varius amended, following my gaze.
Stones, we both had been up most of the night. And yet, the adrenaline coursing through my body made it impossible for me to sleep.
“But it doesn’t make sense,” Varius continued, rubbing the back of his neck. “Warwick is in the dungeons, so why would the castle send us to the training yard again?”
I straightened, leveling a determined look at Varius. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out. Let’s go to the training yard.”
Varius’s eyebrows lowered. “Absolutely not. You will stay with Enzira and Ramia, and you will rest here. I will investigate on my own.”
I scoffed. “You will not. This concerns me as well as you. Warwick threatened me . He ransacked my room. Besides, I am not helpless. I know my way around a blade.”
To my annoyance, Varius laughed. “Human training means nothing when you are faced with an unseelie fae.”
I scowled at him. “If you leave this room, I will only follow after you. I’ll open doors and go wherever the castle leads me. ”
Varius’s eyes flashed with anger. “Sybelle.”
“Varius.”
He exhaled, uttering a low sound in his throat. “You are impossible.”
I smiled sweetly at him.
He rubbed his temples and said, “Fine. You will accompany me. But you must remain by my side at all times.”
My smile widened. “I can do that.”