Chapter 48
Carys
With all the courage I can summon, I march to Iywan’s study, Callum’s steady footsteps beside me. “Are you certain you’re ready to confront him again?” Callum whispers as we round the corner, slipping past a couple of servants carrying trays.
“No, but I must,” I whisper back.
As we arrive at Iywan’s study door, I pause at the sound of an unfamiliar feminine voice inside.
Beside me, Callum draws in a breath to question me, but I press my finger to my lips, and he swallows his words.
With caution, I lean my ear against the sturdy oak door, focusing intensely.
“It cannot be done, my lord,” says the alto voice.
“We’ve tried everything. We’ve even attempted to imbue an already runed crystal, but it isn’t stable enough on its own. ”
“What do you mean on its own?” Iywan asks.
“The blood needs a live tether, likely close by. On its own, it’s too weak. It can maybe get a person through the wards temporarily, but it cannot break them down completely, and it certainly will not be successful in the summoning you seek.”
“But she is alive. We’ve ensured it. If we get her to the ward …”
“Her Majesty is too weak; The amount of power needed would kill her in no time. You need a live, healthy Mage, and a powerful one at that. It doesn’t have to be the queen.”
My blood runs cold.
Wards, imbuing crystals, blood magic? Hells, what am I hearing?
“It has to be royal blood, but her heir has never shown any signs of magic. She’s painfully Ordinary, and quite frankly that’s probably for the best.”
I hold my breath, grateful that no one can hear my heart.
Iywan continues. “It’s time for the contingency.”
“I’m afraid the contingency is implausible, my lord,” the other voice says.
“Try anyway.” Iywan’s tone leaves no room for argument. “Find them. You’re dismissed.”
My pulse scurries as I grab Callum’s arm and steer him away from the door, practically running back around the corner toward my bedchamber so we’re out of sight when Iywan’s cohort leaves the study.
It isn’t until we’re near my own door that Callum asks, “What did you hear?”
My throat works, but no words come out. I can hardly wrap my mind around what I’ve heard. They’re trying to draw magic from my mother’s blood? If Iywan finds out that I also possess magic … A shudder runs through me.
I stare up at Callum, apprehension pulsating through me. “Have you heard anything strange lately? Like from the other guards?”
“No.” He shakes his head, confusion written on his face.
I frown and retreat into my bedchamber. What is Iywan trying to do by bringing down wards? Magical wards protect things. Like the ones that have kept the Veil closed through history, that the Veilguards have traditionally guarded.
Bringing down the wards would mean … opening the Veil?
My stomach squirms. That can’t be it. Why would Iywan want to open the Veil?
Callum is called away to a brief meeting later in the afternoon—regarding stepping into Tiernan’s leadership role—and Ren stands in his place.
My body and mind refuse to settle down, so I head to the garden in hopes of stilling my mind for just a moment, but not even the fresh air helps.
A steady thrum of uneasy energy pulses through my veins as a never-ending barrage of scenarios poison my mind.
A month ago, my biggest issue was choosing a suitor. Then fighting to step into my mother’s role.
I am the heir to the throne, godsdammit, yet Iywan holds so much power, so much influence over the Council.
My stomach churns as I rack my mind for solutions.
Do I confront Iywan? How far would he go to keep his clandestine meeting a secret? And what does Lord Commander Rheon have to do with any of this?
I’ve been standing on the cobblestone pathway of the garden, staring at a pitiful rosebush that’s reluctant to bloom.
I should have more concern for the kingdom, but my own plight has me in a chokehold.
What exactly does Iywan gain from his outlandish plans? What exactly are his outlandish plans?
“Carys,” a familiar voice says.
I spin away from the rose bush and come face to face with Eefa.
She’s in a simple brown linen dress without an apron. Even her honey blond hair is unbound from its usual braid, cascading over her shoulders and onto the full swell of her breasts. A cheeky smirk plays on her lips, and need immediately replaces the nervous churning in my stomach.
I should walk away. Right now. I should just turn and—
“Are you off duty?” I hear myself ask.
“Yes.” She smiles. “Unless … you need something?”
Just off the cobblestone pathway, barely a few paces from me, Ren is staring off into nothingness. I appreciate his facade of not eavesdropping.
“I need plenty,” I say. I glance sidelong at Ren before turning to head inside. Eefa doesn’t ask any questions—she simply follows along, falling into step at my side opposite Ren.
I’ve never made it to my bedchamber so quickly, and as soon as Ren shuts the door behind Eefa and I, the little control I have crumbles, crushing any fighting embers of logic beneath its rubble.
Eefa’s even more adept than Callum when it comes to removing my corset, and it’s on the floor in no time, along with the rest of my clothes and her overdress.
We’re a tangle of tongues and limbs, breathing heavily when we finally crash into my bed.
In no time, Eefa’s expert fingers have me writhing.
But as I cry out in bliss, my mind tumbles in a freefall, guilt smothering the ecstasy.
I shouldn’t be doing this right now—I should be figuring things out.
I should be fighting to get to the bottom of things.
Maybe Iywan is right; maybe I am just a spoiled child.
The door flies open with a bang, and I lurch upright, my heart in my throat, tugging the sheets over my body. It gets caught under Eefa and only partially covers me.
Callum’s eyes are frantic as he yanks his arm from Ren, who apparently tried to stop him from barging in.
The words come flying out of my mouth before I can filter them. “Fucking hells, Callum!”
He steps back, blinking rapidly as he registers the scene before him. “I—”
“You what?!”
Suddenly, he can’t face me. “I thought … I heard … Apologies, Your Highness.”
The formal address somehow makes my stomach turn over. Beside me, Eefa is shaking with restrained laughter. I grumble a string of expletives as she settles down beside me, her legs crisscrossed. She’s in her shift and I am as naked as the day I was born.
Not that it’s anything Callum hasn’t seen.
“Why don’t you join us, Sir Callum?” Eefa asks.
Both our heads whip toward her.
She laughs lightly and holds her hands up in surrender. “I was only kidding. You aren’t my type, pretty boy.” She winks at Callum, and he turns the brightest shade of red.
“That’s it. Both of you, leave!”
I don’t have to say it twice. Callum salutes and marches out of the bedchamber. The deepest ache fills the hollow of my chest. I rub at the spot and hop out of the bed, grabbing Eefa’s dress from the floor and tossing it at her.
My aching heart begins to pound as though it intends to leave my chest cavity. I grab my dressing robe and throw it on over my shoulders before storming out to my terrace. Gooseflesh creeps along my skin. I dig my fingers into the cool balustrade to keep myself from leaping off the balcony.
To avoid the temptation of a definite escape.
Gods, what is wrong with me? What is wrong with me? The tears come hot and fast as I bend and press my forehead to the stone surface. Alright, I have to stop this. I need to compose myself.
My gaze sweeps across the loch and the castle grounds.
I draw my focus down to the coldness seeping into my bare feet.
The air smells of stone and freshwater and foliage—of the outdoors.
Birds chirp mockingly somewhere nearby, and the taste of something sweet and citrusy lingers on my lips from Eefa’s heedless kisses.
With a slow exhalation, I stop my mind from spiraling and chant all the senses aloud to myself over and over. “Loch. Cold. Outdoors. Birds. Citrus.”
Oh, Alys. I’m sorry for all the times I resisted your coaching. But thank you.
“Loch. Cold. Outdoors. Birds. Citrus.”
The first thing I need to do is start taking back my power as heir apparent. I need to show Iywan and everyone within the castle that I am capable of taking charge.
Tomorrow.