Chapter 9
Nine
REMNANTS
Ivaguely recalled reading studies which noted that insufficient sleep severely impacted brain function by as much as forty percent, causing a cumulative daily decline of one’s IQ, which in the long term could lead to faster brain atrophy.
That must have been why I’d woken up the next afternoon near the bushes in the gardens. Apparently, I’d fallen asleep against the hedges in the front courtyard—passed out, more likely.
My body was heavy as if I carried sacks of sand on my shoulders. I peeled my eyes open.
The fuchsia hues of sunset were streaking across the sky. Shadows lengthened beneath the archways that bordered the lawns. At a distance, a handful of guards were doing their rounds.
I was glad at least that they never bothered me outside of official business.
I only wished that the majority of my daily interactions weren’t with a terrified group of people whose bleak futures would likely end with execution, as part of the efforts to purge the kingdom of traitors, as commanded by a notoriously powerful, revenge-hungry, mad tyrant.
“Something wrong with your quarters?”
Gasping, I jumped about a mile high. My heartbeat pounded in my chest. I didn’t need to look to recognize whose deep, rich velvet voice it was.
The king was half-leaning against the wall right behind me. He looked effortlessly noble in a pale linen shirt beneath a deep green tunic. It draped over his perfect frame and broad chest, the leather accents straining his well-muscled arms. His silky hair fell in untamed waves over his shoulders.
Completely disoriented, I smoothed down my clothes. “I—Your Majesty, um, of course not. My quarters are very comfortable.” I put my hand to my head. My sudden movement was making my head pound.
“Then why are you sleeping here in the gardens?”
Frowning, I rubbed my eyes. “I… I must have…”
Not waiting for my answer, the king tossed me an apple. It materialized in mid-air as it arced toward me.
I caught it awkwardly, but I did catch it. “What…” My brain was still waking up, exhausted from the lack of sleep, and likely also food. The mere sight of the shiny red apple in my hand made my mouth water.
He shifted in his stance. “One of the farmer tenants reported that a certain grove of apple trees was bearing chalky fruit. I told him that if they were, I would have him beheaded. What do you think?”
WHAT? Eyes widening in alarm, I took a quick bite of the apple. Its sweet, juicy flavor exploded on my tongue. The apple was fresh, crunchy. Oh god… I took another bite, then another.
“Well?” A shadow of a smirk hung around the corner of his mouth.
I shook my head swiftly. “No. It tastes… It’s absolutely fine. It’s not chalky at all.” Before I knew it, I’d eaten the entire apple. “The trees are fine. You must tell the farmer.”
“Good.” He stood up, dusting off his trousers, moving to leave.
“Wait.”
He turned a sideways glance at me but didn’t stop walking.
Springing to catch up, I bit my lip. “Your Majesty—”
That flinch on his face again, almost unnoticeable.
I took a deep breath and rushed on, “I wanted to ask whether there has been any progress with our interrogations. Have you found any further proof of the rogues who have been targeting you? I hope I have been able to find sources that you have found useful among the droves of people we have questioned so far.”
He gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. “We have caught wind of a powerful new weapon that a rogue kingdom may have built. We ought to focus on finding out more about this from now on.”
“I see.” I nodded, my eyes darting toward the couple of guards who passed us along the entry hall.
I was hoping the king would give an indication of how many more prisoners he had captured, how much longer he intended for me to vet all these people. No such luck. I would have to devise a way to speed up this whole process myself.
“Not that I’ve not been grateful for your leniency in certain matters, but I was curious…”
His eyebrows rose. “Tell me, what are you curious about now?”
I hesitated. “You mentioned that there is dormant magic in the heart that I wear. You mentioned it hasn’t dissipated yet, unlike what you had expected. I was curious if I… if I might be able to access this magic for myself.”
“To try to escape?”
My eyes bulged. “No, no.” I shook my head. “I was merely wondering if I could tap into any greater magic to help with my task, to help you.”
He waved his hand for a door to open before we walked through another dim hallway. “Much like anything, magic is a skill. Perhaps you can, if you practice.”
“Even though I am not originally from this world? I’m not a sorceress. I might not have the native ability to develop this type of skill.”
“You might be right.” His agreement carried a hint of aggravation in it. “Although you have learned many ways of this world, you may not be capable of fully embracing its gifts since you are truly not one of us.”
I tried not to let his statement sting more than it already did.
“The only reason you have any use at all is that you wear my mystical heart.”
Okay, ouch.
I wrinkled my nose. “Then why don’t you just take it back? Here.” I put my hand to my chest. “I am sure we were never meant to have these hearts swapped for this long. I suspect it’s transforming us more than we realize.” My gaze was drawn to his hair.
He took a deep breath. “I did guess that the change in our appearance had something to do with the link between us. However—” The corner of his mouth twitched in displeasure. “There is…a prevailing difficulty in switching them back right now.”
“Hmm.”
Extracting the hearts had been a violent enough process to begin with. In truth, I had long given up hope on the return of my heart. Since there hadn’t been any other adverse side effects, it had been of little consequence.
Then again, I had never expected to be this close to finding a way home before.
There was always a certain level of acceptable risk when it came to any experiment. But if my own heart could be restored along the course of our bargain, if somehow the king could make it possible, there would be even less of a danger for me to carry out my plans.
“Do you suppose we could ask the Duchess for help?” A fresh surge of motivation bolstered my question. “Hearts had been her trade for thousands of years.”
“I had already considered that.”
“Oh. Of course.”
The king didn’t seem to be willing to discuss it in more detail.
I refused to be deterred. My mind was already working through other potential solutions, reviewing past symptoms and manifestations for clues. I tried to recall anything the Duchess had mentioned about the intricacies of these mystical hearts and how they differed from others.
“Do you suppose that because of the remaining magic, that is why I can instead feel what others feel? It certainly never happened before I returned to the castle. It is quite puzzling.”
“If I am sure of anything at all, it is that you will figure it out.” His tone carried a hint of amusement. I thought I caught him staring at me, as if he could see the gears spinning in my head himself.
I was too engrossed in my own musings that I didn’t realize that we’d walked through the castle and arrived at my quarters.
The king opened the door and let himself through first.
“Oh.” I blinked, snapping to attention.
He cast his eyes around as if surveying the acceptability of the room. He gestured toward the mantel. “This fireplace is enchanted to detect when the temperature drops and turn on by itself.”
“Yes, I did notice that.”
Walking across the room, he looked out the window for a few moments, assessing the view of the darkening skies, before pulling the curtains shut. “So the room is suitable enough.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Passing the table, his eyes flicked toward the food, still untouched, but he made no comment. He stopped at the foot of the bed. “What about this?”
My eyebrows rose expectantly. “What about it?”
“Is it comfortable?”
In truth, I hadn’t lain on it for more than a few minutes since arriving here. “Yes,” I lied. I stopped short when I realized he must have also noticed that the covers hadn’t been turned down at all, the pillows pristine, set against the polished wooden frame.
For an awkward moment, I worried if he considered it an offense if I appeared ungrateful for the luxuries he had provided in exchange for my services.
I should have known that ought to have been the least of my worries.
His presence against my back made me gasp.
“What…”
His voice was deep, rough. “It’s time for bed, Allie.”
Without another word, his nimble fingers started working down the buttons on the back of my dress.
“Your Majesty—”
“Sshh…”
The protest died on my lips. Perhaps I should have been scared, but the warmth of him was a soothing balm. That mesmerizing scent of cedarwood and clean musk, the sound of his breathing, were all too familiar.
Did this mean the man I knew was still somewhere in there? I was at odds with myself about whether I ought to say something to try to draw him out. Perhaps he had already changed too much. Perhaps it was too late for us to go back. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.
The dress slid off my shoulders, my skin pebbling at the slight draft once I stood wearing only my shift. Heart pounding, my breath caught in my throat when the king tugged on the hairpin holding my hair up.
“What are you doing?”
His breath tickled the side of my neck. “I’m going to tuck you in.”
A flush of heat spread through me, but I didn’t dare glance backward. I was afraid to look at his face, to see what was in his eyes. More like, I was afraid to see the same cold darkness in those eyes. Afraid to confirm that perhaps despite all this, it still meant nothing. He still felt nothing.
When he nudged the small of my back, I obliged, moving to slip under the covers. I almost couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t decide whether the shivers shooting up and down my spine were anxiety or anticipation.