5. CHAPTER 5 #2
“This ancient relic that you seek to return to this kingdom. What does it look like?” I asked through my teeth, patience wearing thin.
“It should be by the prince’s side. It has a sapphire jewel embedded in the cross-guard. The blade is etched with ancient Aelorian runes. It is unmistakable, I assure you.”
I huffed in response, gaze flitting to the windows beyond the bed. Did Queen Dyata truly mean to leave the fate of this kingdom in my hands? This was, without a doubt, a trap.
“I see some of myself in you, Aveline.”
At this sentiment my gaze snapped to hers in surprise. She had always been unnerved by my eyes—one brown and one blue—but she held my gaze firm now.
“How is that, My Queen?”
“You are cunning. Shrewd. Crafty. Your skill in poisons will serve you well as you cross the sea. I wish you the best of luck on your journey.”
She turned to leave, but I reached out. My fingers fell to the beaded gown at her shoulder and she turned, jerking her shoulder away from my touch so that my hand fell away.
“When do I leave?” I asked.
“You will gather your things and sail from Majur to Scaldrithor tomorrow.”
Only one day.
One day to say goodbye to Kallias. To my mother. To Enora and everything I had ever known. I would be leaving them behind to embark on the most dangerous mission I could imagine. There was a good chance I might not ever return.
“I have a favor to ask.” I squared my shoulders as she turned from me once more.
She inclined her head, indulging me. “And what might that be, my dear? Do you truly believe yourself in the position to be asking anything of me?” Her gaze sparked and my instinct was to shrink away.
“I ask that my companion, Enora, travel with me. I need an ally in Gothryn. As you have so righteously pointed out, I am merely human. Can I truly be expected to do this on my own?” I lifted a brow at her in challenge.
Queen Dyata thought for one long, unending moment before nodding once.
“Very well. Enora Cresswell may travel across the sea with you. I will need the remainder of the day to secure a position for her there. It would be suspicious for her to be traveling on a human trading vessel without one. What are her specialties?”
The air I had been holding in my chest released on an exhale of relief. I could do anything with Enora by my side. “She is a historian at the libraries in Lysvarin, and a skilled charm maker.”
“Excellent. It should not be difficult for our spies across the sea to secure her a position translating their ancient texts.”
She turned toward the door. My heartbeat was in my throat, the severity of the situation finally dawning on me in earnest now that our conversation had come to a close.
“Oh, and Aveline?” she called over her shoulder, her lips peeled back from her teeth in a sinister smile.
I clasped my hands together behind my back, watching as she reached for the handle with her elegant, diamond adorned hand. I inclined my head in answer.
“Pack light.”
With a reverberating click the heavy oak door shut behind her, and I was left alone in Kallias’s chambers, drowning in the silence of my own thoughts.
I would be leaving my beloved Kallias tomorrow. I would be leaving Myros. This was the only kingdom I had ever known. Not only would I likely fail, but I would be lying to Kallias about where I was going and what I was doing.
I needed to mask my emotions before he returned, he would scent the anxiety on me. I tried to harness them, but they were surging up to the surface, threatening to swallow me whole.
I had told myself time and time again, but I told myself once more. I never should have fallen for Kallias. I hadn’t known he was the crown prince at first, he had only been a handsome scholar I had met in Lysvarin while visiting Enora.
We had taken to each other immediately, completely smitten with one another. It hadn’t been until after he had already taken me to his bed—several times—that he claimed he wanted to introduce me to his parents.
Who, exactly, his parents were was the shock of a lifetime.
Prince Kallias was soft. He was gentle and warm.
He was forgiving and generous. How King Faris and Queen Dyata could ever produce such a caring young prince was beyond me.
He was their opposite in every conceivable way.
The prince had been hidden away for most of his life as he was the only heir.
He was na?ve to his parents’ true nature and the dire state of the kingdom.
Queen Dyata had tried and tried but failed to produce another heir after his birth ninety-six years ago.
He would age slowly, while I would not. He could easily take another Veytari wife after I was gone. His lifespan would eclipse mine by several lifetimes. I was already twenty-eight for gods’ sake. The queen only had to deal with me for another sixty or so years…at best.
I only had a few years left to provide Kallias with an heir. I was running out of time. Queen Dyata was right…the sooner I leave the better. I needed to complete this mission in any way I could with Enora’s help.
I needed to return home to Kallias.
Most of my things were in his chambers, and I began to gather them and throw them atop the rumpled bed sheets.
A few simple linen dresses to blend in, a few ball gowns in case they were needed.
I was dressed as if I were a part of court when I stayed at Castle Myros, but I would be pretending to be a servant in Gothryn.
I grabbed one of the satchels Kallias stored in the wardrobe and stuffed my undergarments inside, as well as two spare pairs of slippers.
I wasn’t entirely sure what footwear would be expected of a human servant.
The last thing I wanted to do was find myself thrust into the blood trade. I had to trust that the queen would secure a place for me as a palace servant.
If I entered the blood trade…I would never leave.
While the initial bite from a Vireth fae was agonizing, the ensuing sensation was nothing short of euphoria.
The Vireth venom was filled with a toxin that incapacitated the victim in a state of exultation until it wore off.
If I found myself in the blood trade, I wouldn’t want to leave.
I would allow them to drain me of every last drop of blood and be happy to do so.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts.
I wouldn’t allow that to happen.
As Queen Dyata had pointed out, I was resourceful. I would spy for this kingdom, infiltrate theirs, and kill their crown prince. I would use everything my mother had taught me about guile and deceit…and I would come out of this alive.
I would also need to take Quinnick, but I figured that wasn’t worth mentioning to the queen. She would be happy the little white fox was coming with me. She found him to be a nuisance, anyway. He was roaming around the castle here somewhere, as he always was.
After the spring offering last season, Enora and I had saved him from being eaten by a nixie.
Creatures were rare in the six kingdoms, but not extinct.
Quinnick had ventured too close to the river, in desperate need of water.
His mother had been killed by a hunter seeking to skin them for their valuable coats.
He had been with me ever since. Quinnick had immediately become attached to me, and I would be damned if she thought I was going to leave him behind.
My fingers itched toward my bow and arrow stored at the base of Kallias’s closet. It wouldn’t be wise to bring it. They would be expecting humans to be unarmed. I would be using more covert methods of protecting myself at the Gothryn palace.
I ran frustrated fingers through my black curls. What was I thinking? There was no way I could pull this off. I couldn’t even spar with Enora on my best of days. How was I going to manage to kill a crown prince? How was I going to escape after the deed was done?
There was one thing I was certain of.
That no matter what happened across the sea…I would come back a changed woman.
If I ever came back at all.