Chapter Fifty-One Riela #2
“I was here,” Koru snarled, thumping a fist against his chest. “I am the one who kept the court together when you failed to do your duty. And then you show up after decades and expect me to step aside, just like that?”
“Just like that,” Garrick agreed, his voice silk and stone. “Unless you would like to challenge me?”
Koru’s gaze flickered to the envoy next to him, and she smiled. “Garrick,” I whispered urgently. Koru had something planned.
“I saw it,” Garrick assured me.
Shar met my gaze. “Come now, Lady Riela,” she cajoled, holding out the flower. “If you are so certain King Roseguard is not
your father, you can prove it with a single touch.”
“Do. Not,” Garrick bit out under his breath. He spoke to Vastien without turning. “Take Riela to the restricted library.”
Vastien’s grip tightened and his magic rose, but nothing happened. “Blocked,” he muttered. “Koru’s charmed the courtyard—and he had help.”
Before Garrick could respond, bloodred magic split the air and vines sprang from the ground, wrapping around the group of
soldiers, who screamed in agony. Vastien jerked me backward as another wall of vines headed for us.
Garrick’s magic spiked and all of the vines turned to stone, then shattered.
The soldiers fell to the ground, convulsing and moaning. “Give me the woman,” Shar demanded, “and I will give you the antidote.”
Koru stared at the soldiers on the ground. “This wasn’t—”
Shar silenced him with a glance and snarled, “Do your part.”
Koru straightened his spine and drew his sword. The blade gleamed with an oily violet residue, and Vastien cursed. “Poison,”
he warned. “Deathflower, by the look of it.” He caught my frown and explained, “It resists magic and is fatal within an hour
without the proper antidote—and sometimes even with the antidote.”
My stomach knotted with fear.
“Don’t get cut, got it,” Garrick murmured. His magic spiked and silver armor clamped around his body. A longsword appeared
in his hand, glowing with moonlit magic.
“Why don’t we return to Edea,” I suggested. “They won’t be able to follow.”
Vastien shook his head. “That will give them time to prepare something even worse.”
“Garrick Ryv’ner, I invoke your name and challenge you for the Silver Court crown,” Koru called.
Garrick’s voice was frozen fury. “I accept.”
His magic leapt toward Koru, but it was harmlessly deflected by a crimson shield. Koru laughed. “You didn’t think it would
be that easy, did you? You’ve grown soft while you were away.”
“And you’ve grown dishonorable,” Garrick replied.
Magic spiked behind us and more vines sprang from the ground, heading directly for me and Vastien. Garrick’s power turned them to stone, but Koru was already attacking, splitting his attention.
How long could he do both?
“All you have to do is touch the rose, Lady Riela, and I’ll stop,” Shar called. “I’ll even give you the deathflower antidote
for free, in case there are any . . . accidents.” Her laughter grated against my ears.
Vastien clamped his left hand around my right wrist, his grip just shy of painful. I drew one of the daggers from his weapon
belt. I couldn’t fight even when I was using my dominant right hand, so my weaker left hand was going to be next to useless,
but if anyone got close, I’d do my best to stab them somewhere soft.
Another wave of vines darted toward us, and Vastien cut them down with magic and steel, dragging me behind him like an anchor.
My arm jolted painfully with each new pull, and it was all I could do to stay on my feet since I couldn’t predict Vastien’s
moves.
Garrick kicked Koru back. Moonlight spilled through the courtyard in a rush of power, and every plant and blade of grass turned
to stone. Even the soil itself seemed to harden into solid stone.
Shar’s magic rose, but no more vines appeared. She snarled, murder in her eyes.
But the magic had cost Garrick. He barely blocked Koru’s next swing, and I gasped as the poisoned blade came dangerously close
to his exposed face.
Vastien pulled me forward. “We have to protect the dais,” he murmured. “I’m sure it’s another of Roseguard’s targets. Shar
cannot be allowed to touch it.”
The delicate shoots of grass that had been trying to push through the lingering snow crunched to gravel under our feet. Some
of the soldiers on the ground had stopped writhing. I wasn’t sure if they were unconscious or dead, but neither option was
great.
Shar drew her sword with what looked like expert proficiency. Couldn’t she be bad at something? The blade gleamed with the same poison on Koru’s blade, and I had a pretty good idea where he’d gotten it.
“How is it not cheating to have another court help you win?” I asked as I gripped my borrowed dagger with nervous fingers.
“It’s not considered honorable to rely on help, but it’s not disallowed.”
“Of course not,” I muttered. “What can we do? Should I try to pull her ma—”
“No,” Vastien snapped softly before I could complete the sentence. “That’s the very last thing we need to expose right now.
Garrick is the sovereign for a reason. Even with help, Koru does not stand a chance. We just need to stay alive and keep Shar
away from the dais.”
Moonlight magic flashed again, and Garrick laughed as Koru screamed. At least one of us was having fun.
Metal screeched, but I didn’t have time to check on the Silver King because we had our own problem. Shar darted in with a
wave of crimson magic, aiming for me. Vastien’s magic rose, then he was there, parrying her blade and deflecting her power.
If it were just the two of them, Shar would be hopelessly outmatched.
But Vastien had me anchoring him in place, hindering his movement and taking up a hand he could be using to hold a dagger
for defense.
Shar’s gaze landed on our connection, and her eyes widened for a moment before she laughed in disbelief. “The answer is right
here, and the stupid fool was unable to see it.”
“Putting your hopes in Koru was foolish,” Vastien agreed.
Shar shook her head with a cunning smile. “But he was so easy to manipulate. Did you know that he willingly destroyed all
of the Silver Court’s deathflower antidote?” She pulled a small glass vial from her pocket. “This is all that’s left in the
entire castle.”
Her gaze cut to me. “And it can be yours if you’ll take the rose.”