Chapter Fifty-Four
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Mira
I’d thought I was beyond fear after the third Trial, beyond caring about anyone except myself. I was wrong.
Watching Aric fall was one of the worst moments of my life. Feeling him go still and limp in my arms – that was agony. It was torture almost beyond endurance.
He was left to recover in a private section of the infirmary, looked after by Cassius’s personal physician. I knew that was supposed to make me feel better, a demonstration of the prince’s regard. Somehow, it fell short.
Aric’s shoulder was dislocated; he was lucky it hadn’t been worse. According to the healer, a fall like that could easily have killed him. As it was, he was left with concussion and a recommendation for bed rest.
It was deemed an accident, and even I wasn’t sure how it could have been anything else. So Aric hadn’t been given a weapon – that could have been a simple oversight. And no one could have anticipated that he would fall out of his saddle. But still, I wondered.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘I’m fine,’ Aric said, flustered. He could charge into battle and race against a prince, but he baulked at being fussed over. ‘Mostly, I just feel foolish.’
‘You should,’ I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. ‘What were you thinking, racing Cassius like that?’
‘I wasn’t,’ he replied. ‘Thinking, that is.’
‘And you call me impulsive,’ I said, trying to lighten the mood. Aric didn’t smile.
Before I could say anything else, there was a faint knock on the door. Lillian peeked around the corner, her face filled with concern.
‘Do you feel as bad as you look?’ she said anxiously, taking in the bandages around Aric’s shoulder.
‘It’s barely a scrape,’ he reassured her. ‘I keep trying to tell the healer that I’m fine, but she refuses to—’
‘You’re not fine,’ Lillian said sternly, ‘and the best thing for you right now is rest.’ She paused, her gaze shifting to me for the first time. Her tone was frosty as she said, ‘Do you mind giving us a moment, Mira?’
It would have been kinder if she’d yelled. Her strained politeness was horrible: in it, I heard everything she didn’t say. Every second of Aric’s pain that she held me responsible for.
I stepped out into the corridor, shutting the door and leaning against it.
As I did, I heard Aric say, ‘That was harsh, Lil. It wasn’t Mira’s fault.’
‘You wouldn’t have been on that hunting trip if it wasn’t for Mira, so I disagree,’ she said sharply. ‘I know you want to help her, but I think it would be healthier if you were away from the palace for a while.’
‘I can’t leave court. You know that. I’m one of Scarlett’s guards—’
‘If you asked the princess to reassign you, I think she would. Scarlett cares about you, even if you’re too blind to see it.’ Bitterness crept into Lillian’s voice. ‘She cares more than Mira seems to.’
‘Mira has been through a lot,’ Aric countered, but the words sounded flat even to me.
‘It’s time to stop making excuses for her,’ Lillian said. ‘A drowning person will pull you under if you try to help them. And Mira is drowning.’
‘You’re talking like she’s a lost cause.’
‘Maybe she is.’ Lillian’s voice turned pleading. ‘Aric, I’ve already lost one brother. I’ve lost someone I considered a sister. I can’t lose you, too.’
Closing my eyes, I let their words sink in. Let myself understand exactly how much I’d hurt the people I loved most.
I backed away before I could hear Aric’s response. I’d already heard more than enough.
Court dinners were always tedious, but tonight was worse than usual. I silently endured all four courses, barely resisting the urge to follow the empress’s example and drown myself in wine. I wondered if I was looking at my own future, a few years from now: a beautiful, empty shell, shackled to the emperor’s side.
When I couldn’t take it any longer, I stood. A few nobles glanced over from the banquet tables, but their focus quickly returned to eating, drinking, and socialising. No one else seemed to notice; Cassius and the emperor were in an intense discussion with the generals, and the empress was deliberately ignoring me.
I slipped carefully out of the banquet hall and into the small courtyard beyond. I couldn’t face all those colourful, beautiful people, with their cold, assessing stares.
I especially couldn’t face the prince.
I’d known I was risking a lot with Cassius, but Aric was right: this time, I really had gone too far. If I married him, he would have closer control of Kalure – with no reason to honour his word and give the Kalurians their independence. Not to mention what he might do to me. Cassius wouldn’t have batted an eye at Odessa’s execution, and they’d been betrothed since they were infants. He would care even less what happened to me if I played the game . . . and lost.
A flicker of movement drew my gaze across the courtyard, where Scarlett was watching me. ‘I heard what happened to Aric,’ she said, an edge to her voice.
‘It was a hunting accident. I’m sure those happen often enough.’
‘A hunting accident.’ Scarlett’s lips twitched. ‘Let me give you some advice, Mira. Where royals are concerned, there are no such thing as accidents.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I looked into it. The stable boy who saddled Aric’s horse fled the castle immediately afterwards. Why would he do that unless he had something to hide?’
I would have liked to believe that Scarlett was wrong. That she’d made a mistake. But I felt the truth of her words in my bones. Cassius was the possessive type.
And in five days, I would be married to him.
What would happen to Aric then ? Even if we stayed away from each other, would that be enough to protect him? Gods, if anything happened to Aric because of me —
I stopped the thought before it could form, refocusing on Scarlett. My cousin .
If I was going to escape Cassius’s reach, if I was going to have any chance of getting free of this monstrous place, I would need to trust someone. And I wanted to trust her. I wanted to believe I had a family member I could rely on.
‘You asked me to think about your offer,’ I said, moving further into the courtyard. As I did, the sounds of the hall faded, leaving just me and Scarlett, and the soft trickling of a fountain. ‘I’m ready to accept it. With a few alterations.’
Scarlett raised a brow. But she sank onto a stone bench and motioned for me to join her.
‘I want to escape the court with Aric,’ I said, perching on the edge of the bench. ‘And for that, I need your help.’
The princess blinked. ‘That’s not exactly what I had in mind—’
‘I don’t care,’ I said firmly. ‘No more scheming and playing politics. I’m done. But this can still benefit you. You mentioned that you want Roran dead; if you help me get to Kalure, I’ll take care of him for you.’
‘You won’t simply sail off into the sunset with Aric?’ she asked dryly.
‘I can’t. I have the Kalurian people to think about, and I know a part of Aric will always want to avenge his brother. At least this way, we can deal with Roran together.’
‘It’s an interesting proposition,’ Scarlett said at last, ‘but it’s not what I want from you. I want—’
‘You want the same thing Cassius does. To use me to win yourself a throne.’ When Scarlett didn’t deny it, I continued, ‘My absence can still help you do that. I’m sure it would suit your purposes just fine if Cassius’s fiancée were to suddenly disappear – making him look like a fool to the court and ensuring he doesn’t get his hands on Kalure. The less power he has, the better it is for you.’
Scarlett considered me in silence. ‘And once Roran is dead?’
‘I’ll take my rightful place as Queen of Kalure,’ I replied. ‘Ready to make an alliance with the future empress of the Ravalian Empire.’
It was impossible to tell what Scarlett was thinking. For a moment, the only sound was the flowing fountain and the distant, muffled buzz of music and conversation.
Then Scarlett looked at me, and I knew I had her. But she held up a hand. ‘I have a condition of my own. I would like you to speak with Darius. I think he can convince the resistance to strike against the palace.’
‘As a diversion, you mean? So that Aric and I can make it out?’
‘Not everything is about you,’ she corrected with a small smile. ‘An attack will increase your chances of escape, and Darius’s. But more importantly, it will give me an opportunity to deal with my father and brother.’
I stared at her. ‘Are you sure? That’s quite a risk to take.’
‘No risk, no reward,’ she said, reminding me of the motto of the islanders who had entered the Trials.
Even so, the dangers didn’t sit well with me. If Scarlett was discovered, she would be killed.
But it’s her choice to make.
I pushed my complicated feelings aside. ‘The resistance won’t like this. They don’t trust any members of the royal family.’
‘Neither do you,’ Scarlett said with a faint smile. ‘But if you can be convinced to work with me, I feel certain the resistance will follow suit. At least for now, we all want the same thing.’
The princess didn’t wait for a response. She strode through the courtyard and into the revelry beyond, leaving me staring after her.
It was risky, making a deal with a royal. Hadn’t I learnt my lesson with Cassius?
But Scarlett’s plan was more than tempting. It was also my best chance to get out of this mess.
It’s my only chance.