Chapter Forty-Four Garrick
Chapter Forty-Four
Garrick
Listening to my advisers argue was fucking tedious. They knew my time here was limited—though I hadn’t told them exactly why—yet they still squabbled like children. Even when I’d felt Mar’s magic against the pendant’s protection charm, it had taken
me too long to get free.
The image of Riela surrounded by hostile sapphire magic was burned into my mind. Mar was young yet, but he was strong enough
that one day he might very well claim the Sapphire Court from his aunt. And I didn’t know anything about him.
I could be researching the cocky bastard or helping to find a way around the door’s curse, but instead I was stuck settling
petty fights while silently stewing about the message I’d received earlier and the way Mar’s lips had touched Riela’s hand.
He was lucky he still had lips—and an attached head.
Had Riela tried to contact him again? Vastien and Bria were plenty of protection, and the charm would warn me if she was in
danger, but I wanted to see for myself. The thought of her in peril made me want to burn down the world.
Especially after I’d found her crying on Vastien’s chest.
My jaw clenched and the room fell silent as my magic crackled through the air. That hadn’t been my intent, but I would take
the excuse. “We’re done for today. I have other issues that need attention.”
“Your Highness, I really must insist—”
The paper in my hand turned to stone, and the adviser shut his mouth. The other advisers didn’t look particularly happy, either,
but they didn’t contradict me. Good enough.
I rose and strode from the room before someone tried to corner me.
The restricted library was quiet when I stepped inside, but there was a strange tension in the air.
Bria had made good progress through her stack of books, and even Vastien was reading.
Their empty plates were stacked on the pile of books in front of them.
Riela’s plate was still nearly full, and she was toying with the corner of the page she was reading, her shoulders set into
a tense line. I let my magic rise a little, and her eyes snapped up to me. Her lip trembled for a bare moment before she wiped
away all expression and gave me a polite nod. “Welcome back.”
I stalked toward the table where neither Vastien nor Bria would quite meet my eyes. Someone had hurt the little mage, and
I was damned well going to find out who—and then make sure it never happened again.
Riela sprang up with a hand on Vastien’s arm. Her gaze darted between me and Bria before she looked away. “We’ll give you
a moment,” she said, then took a step and disappeared, dragging Vastien with her.
If I wasn’t so furious, I’d be impressed that she’d learned how to travel through the ether without needing a doorway.
Bria winced, then peeked at me and swore.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“I’m not sure. She and Vastien went to tea with Lord Mar, then she came back tense and subdued. She barely touched her food,
though we could both hear her stomach rumbling.”
I locked my body into stillness as my magic flared with the need to find Riela and get her to eat. First, I needed to get
the rest of the story from Bria. “What did she and Mar discuss?”
“She refused to say and apparently Mar shut Vastien out of the conversation, too.”
Surprise rattled my bones. “Vastien couldn’t bypass the protection?”
Bria shook her head.
It took a lot of power and skill to keep Vastien out, and I’d been quietly counting on his insight to discover the envoy’s interest in Riela. Mar was even more dangerous than I’d given him credit for, and I’d let Riela sit down to tea with him. Fear lanced through my chest.
“So we have no idea what the envoy of a foreign court said to someone under my direct protection, but now she’s upset?” I
demanded, my voice low and furious.
Bria nodded grimly.
“Why is she giving us a moment?”
Bria’s wince deepened. “I might have let her believe I wanted you to keep our betrothal intact.”
Ice solidified in my veins. “And do you?”
She blew out a breath. “No, not like that. It’s convenient for me, but I don’t want to be queen, and you’re like my brother.”
She shuddered. “I wanted to see what she would do when challenged.”
“And?”
Bria’s stare cut deep. “She’s too kind for you.”
“I know.”
“She’s a weakness you can’t afford.”
“I know that, too,” I growled.
“But you don’t care,” she murmured softly. “What if her death is the key needed to unlock the door?”
My hands clenched into fists as denial roared through me. “We’ll find another way. I’m not giving her up, and I’ll kill anyone
who attempts to harm her.” I let the threat linger long enough for Bria to smile faintly and dip her head in acknowledgment.
“What have you found?”
“Nothing yet. But the fact that her blood and magic can open the door is not a good sign. Neither is the fact that we’ve heard
nothing from Roseguard. Are you sure you know who she is?”
I had heard from Feylan, and doubts slithered over certainty. Someone had sealed her magic. Why? That same sense of familiarity hit me again. “Have you ever heard of a sovereign sealing a human’s magic?”
Bria frowned. “No.” Her head tipped to the side. “At least, I don’t think so. You want me to look into it?”
I shook my head. “Focus on the door.”
Bria nodded and waved me away. “Go find her.”
I found Vastien and Riela standing on the dais in the courtyard. Riela was staring pensively at the stone, and she still had
Mar’s flower tucked into her dark hair.
I hated it.
Vastien saw me first and winced. I was getting tired of that reaction, especially since it seemed the little mage was paying
the price.
Riela glanced up in surprise as I climbed the steps, then she frowned at me. “What are you doing? Where’s Bria?”
I took her cold hand in mine and tipped my head at Vastien. I would deal with him later, once I figured out how he’d allowed
Mar to harm her. The jurhihoigli vanished with a tiny bow.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
Her stubborn chin rose. “What makes you think something is wrong?”
I tried a different tack. “I felt your magic earlier. What happened?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Vastien took me to the top of the turret before we returned to the library, as ordered. I was just getting a sense of the surroundings.” She was spoiling for a fight, but her expression softened just the tiniest
bit. “Sorry if I worried you.”
“What did Mar say to upset you?”
She stared me down, fearless. “Why do you think he said anything? Perhaps I’m upset because someone else barged in on a private
conversation before I could learn anything useful.”
I shook my head. “You’re mad at me, but that’s not what’s made you so upset you didn’t eat. Tell me. Please.”
She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “It wasn’t Mar, exactly. He just pointed out that Vastien was loyal to you, not me.
And I knew that, of course, but I’d thought maybe we were becoming friends.
Except Vastien doesn’t trust me—at all. And I get it, but he’s been so nice .
. . It hurt more than I expected.” She seemed to realize what she’d said, and her gaze darted back up to mine. “It’s not his fault. Don’t blame him.”
Oh, I was very much going to blame him—and Mar, too, for putting the idea in her head. “Why do you think he doesn’t trust
you?”
“Because he told me,” she muttered, then shook her head. “I wanted to try to use my ability as a focus. He pointed out why
it was a bad idea.” She frowned at the dais and purposefully changed the subject. “Can you feel the binding better from this
side?”
“No. And I can’t return to Edea on my own, either.” The door wasn’t open, not like it had been in the past, but somehow we
were slipping through. Bria’s warning refused to be ignored and when combined with Feylan’s message . . .
Who was Riela, really?