Chapter 23 #2
Her expression flattens, and she takes a small step back. “Hallucinations like…what?”
I shake my head, not wanting to give my fear words. Not wanting them to slip past my lips. Instead I ask, “Why did you want to meet with me?”
She darts her attention to my hands, then back to my face. “Why did you sacrifice yourself for me in the trials?”
“You would have done the same for me,” I respond rather hastily, before I realize it’s more so out of habit than truth.
She scoffs. “Are you sure about that? You know…Briarstone, and all.”
“I wasn’t going to let you or anyone else die if I could help it.”
“Because you’d feel guilty?” she presses, leaning forward.
“You act like guilt is such a bad thing,” I whisper. “It’s a conscience.”
Her dark eyes narrow, inspecting me. “That kind of thinking might get you killed.”
I take another step toward her, closing the space between us.
“Then explain to me why you helped so many other women during the trials. If you’re a typical Briarstone—some stone-cold killer?
” When she doesn’t speak, I add, “Because you know I’m right.
And you know something isn’t what it seems, here.
Something that, if you let it get too far, will become a guilt that haunts forever. ”
She lifts her chin to assess me. “What aren’t you saying, Lyra?”
I shake my head, finally letting it out. “Weeks ago, when I went to turn you in for stealing that knife, I saw something. We were walking down a hall I hadn’t been down before. There were lady’s maids in a room stockpiling jars of blood. Our blood.”
She snorts, rolling her eyes at the wild reveal. “Perhaps it was…what did you call it weeks ago…Your ‘wild imagination’?”
I snap forward, grabbing her forearm until my fingers dig into her skin. “I’m serious. That’s why I never turned you in—something else is going on. And I think you know that. That’s why you’re not wrapped up in the competition for Cyrus’ heart.”
Her gaze holds mine, unflinching but not unkind. “You’re scared.”
“But you’re not, right?” I challenge with a bite. “Lie to me again, and tell me you’re not.”
Her body is still for a few heartbeats, then she rips her arm out of my grasp.
I drop my voice into a more demanding tone I don’t normally use. “Why did you really want to meet with me, Marcella?”
“Because you know who I am.” She slowly walks closer, and I swear her shadow in the mirror behind her seems wrong.
Swallowing, I nod. “Yes. Your brother—”
“And so does Cyrus. I don’t wish to marry him, Lyra.”
I bump up against the bathroom wall. My shoulders relax, slightly, at her final admission. “And why not?”
Her eyes scan mine before she blows out a long sigh.
“You were right. I stole that knife the first night we were here because I was…admittedly a bit frightened. I couldn’t put my finger on why.
The truth is, I was raised as a warrior.
I find comfort in my weapons. Being here in lavish gowns, learning etiquette…
It is outside of my nature. And when the sharpest thing I can hold is a dinner fork?
I swiped that knife the moment I had an opportunity. ”
I don’t remind her that silverware would be no match for a dagger.
Even more so for a sword, axe, or arrow.
Instead, I ask slowly, “You’re here to request a pardon for your brother, aren’t you?
But how do you plan on doing that by not marrying Cyrus?
Surely, even if you last to the six-month mark, it won’t be enough coin to buy your brother out of prison. ”
“That’s why I need you, Lyra.”
Twisting my head to look at her sideways, I respond slowly, “What is it you want from me?”
“I want you to win the hand of the King. And when you do, I want you, as Queen, to pardon my brother for his transgressions. To set him free.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “And respectfully, why would I do something like that?”
“Because I can protect you.”
I lower my voice. “From what exactly?”
“From the other women, the trials. If the castle comes under a siege. But you’re going to have to trust me, just as I’m putting my neck out to trust you.”
We both stand staring at each other.
“Have you offered this proposition to any of the other women?” I ask.
“No. I haven’t, and I don’t plan to.”
“Why then? Why me?”
She motions to my hand. “Because you were the only one who would have saved me, even after I’ve been awful to you.
The others aren’t led so easily by guilt.
As the trials go on, and the competition becomes tighter, the others might move with desperation.
And desperation can lead to rather deadly choices. ”
“So you keep me safe, during the trials and outside of them, and if I win his hand, I pardon your brother?” I relay.
She nods.
“You cannot run from me.”
That sickly, serpentine voice replays in my mind. She can help protect me from the other women and the trials, sure. But what of the things plaguing my mind? Can she protect me from myself?
The sound of a high-pitched, tiny bell rings somewhere, and our eyes grow wide.
“What was that?” I squeak, and we both race out of the bathroom.
She tosses a glance at the bedroom door, then hurries to the window. Snagging the bedsheet she left on the windowsill, she tosses it over her shoulder. “Close this latch and get back into your bed. Quickly!”
“It sounds just like the dinner bell Lady Bethany—”
“I know!” she snaps, climbing out of the window. “Now go!”
“But the rules…what if it’s an emergency? And they need us to line up now?”
“In the middle of the night?” she bites. “If you’re going to trust me, start now. Get in your bed. Pretend to sleep.” She starts edging along the exterior of the castle.
Hands shaking, I close the window then shut the latch. The bell rings outside of the room again.
Closer now.
I race to the bed, slide under the sheets, and squeeze my eyes closed. Pulling in steady breaths through my nose to slow my heart.
Ring, ring, ring.
Tiny and sharp. Pleading for me to open my eyes. And as it grows louder, I squeeze my eyes shut harder, forcing away the temptation to open them.
The slow, intentional clicking of metal sliding sounds. Like a bar being slid out from a lock. A soft creak replaces it, like my door is being opened. The silence after is like needles piercing my skin. After a long, stretching moment, the door creaks closed again, shutting softly.
Then the bell rings once more, slowly fading away.