Chapter 36
Elysia reached over the bar, rummaging around for the gin. Her belly went heavy on the bar and her legs kicked up dangerously as she tried to grasp the bottle she spied beneath the rail. Just a little farther . She strained, fingers swiping.
“What in the realms are you doing, Parker?” Jessa’s voice startled her and Elysia twisted precariously to look up at her.
“Getting the booze, obviously.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in a library skulking after priestesses, or dazzling gross old men at the House into telling you their secrets? You may need a few more lessons on that.” She stared pointedly at Elysia’s indecent position.
Elysia scowled and, with a move that Gage would have applauded, sent her legs over the bar, landing lightly on her feet.
“I am the most charming, thank you.” She yanked the gin bottle out of its home and poured herself a smidge.
She took in Jessa’s scrunched face and set her glass down heavily, leaning against the bar. “It’s been seven fucking days, Jess. Seven days and I’ve got nothing. But since you asked…” She hoisted herself back over the bar and onto a seat.
“Already wishing I hadn’t.”
Elysia ignored her. “I learned there are several high-level romantic affairs commencing at the Raven Ball. The usual, you know? Rooms reserved with false names. People trying to hide their little once a year sexcapades. But then there are the people who use their true names—they’re going for the spite approach. A really clear fuck you to their partner. Normally, I’d have one of Gage’s men squeeze the former for coin, or better yet, a more useful piece of information in exchange for my silence, but not this year.”
She took a gulp of the throat-burning gin. Coughing, she kept talking. “Oh, there’s a financier on my father’s team who is absolutely lining his own pockets, and by the gods, he is an idiot about it. Haven’t decided what I’m going to do about that. Part of me is like, good for you, because who doesn’t hate my father? But this guy seems like a real shit, so I kind of want to fuck with him, but now doesn’t seem like the best time, does it?”
Jessa raised a brow, looking a little winded, but nonetheless she poured out a tiny bit more, gesturing for Elysia to continue. It seemed like her stamina to tolerate the Parkers was growing. The thought made Elysia’s lips twitch in a smile. She held up her drink in thanks before continuing.
“But most importantly, I learned there are absolutely zero death priestesses left in Kava, and you know what’s funny? I was there the day the last of them died! Trounced my little boots through their blood. Guess they joined the death temples of other kingdoms after the Fall rather than be pushed into a life they hadn’t chosen. They should’ve known better than to roll back through Relaclave with that nonsense. They were gutted like pigs.”
“Soot and storms, Elysia,” Jessa muttered. “That’s a little bleak even for me.”
Elysia shrugged. “There’s a death every other day in this city. Let’s not act like the sun is shining on any part of this land. I heard the weirdest rumor, though. I heard it several times, actually. Reliable sources too.” Her voice trailed off, a note of confusion coming through.
Jessa made an exasperated sound. “And?”
“They kept saying that the prince was spotted parading through the castle with a dead man slapping at his back. One of the king's advisors, flopping like a limp fish. Said people were terrified because the air was doing strange things around him.”
Jessa’s dark eyes dragged over Elysia like she was dense. “You already know what I think.”
Elysia made a face.
“Oh come on, Parker. It’s obvious. The man is just as cursed as you. He might be an ambitious, heartless son of a bitch, but I think it’s clear that he couldn’t give two shits about you having magic.”
She stared at her glass. “He went after all your friends, Jessa. Maybe he didn’t intend for so many to die, but there’s no way he came after me without knowing very well that he’d have to turn some of them in.”
Jessa folded her arms. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
Elysia’s head shot up, her eyes narrowing, but Jessa kept talking. “He is the reason my friends were murdered—he’s why I almost died, why you almost died. I have no love for the man, and I would be perfectly fine if I found out tomorrow that he was dead, but let’s just face the facts. It would make a lot of sense if the prince was as cursed as the rest of us.”
Elysia chewed on this, hating how it felt weighted and true. Her nose wrinkled. “I will be so fucking pissed if he’s cursed.”
Jessa’s brows drew closer in question.
“Everything could have been different! If he had just told me before that night. It wasn’t until that night on the beach when everything changed. We could have had each other—I wouldn’t have had to escape his rooms like some common court whore for months because I was terrified he’d find out! And you know what? Fuck him if he is cursed because he let me live in that terror.”
Jessa started shaking her head subtly, eyes going wide as they looked past Elysia.
“What?” Elysia slammed her glass down, fully worked up now. “Do we need to repeat again that the asshole left me for dead? And how he had your friends killed?”
“Elysia,” Jessa hissed.
“Don’t Elysia , me! I am so godsdamn sick of all of this. Topp Blatz can fuck all the way off. If he wanted to be useful, then he’d stop trying to kill us and start trying to get rid of his heinous father and his laws. Like oh, you’re sooo manly with those double axes you carry.” She suddenly pressed up, leaning over the bar. “Well, why don’t you fucking do something with them, then, Blatz? Like godsdammit. Be useful already.”
Jessa’s lips were stuck together now, a heavy breath coming out of her nose. Her words came out through clenched teeth. “For the love of all of Relaclave, please shut up.”
Elysia frowned, a slight twinge of unease tempering her for half a breath. She sat back down, still frowning, but unable to squash the urge to finish her speech. Another prickle ran up her spine, one she knew better than to ignore, but unfortunately, she was a Parker, and her mouth kept moving in spite of her body’s warnings.
“I’m just saying—we’d all be better off if the king was dead. Would it fix magic? No. But at least we wouldn’t be getting executed anymore. It’s a more solid plan than trying to make a deal with death.”
Jessa closed her eyes now.
A familiar vibration hummed in the air, causing Elysia to straighten. Shit, shit, shit. And then an even more familiar voice was in her ear, his lips tickling her skin as he murmured. “Such filth coming out of your mouth. I think the least you can do is buy me a drink if you’re going to talk like that.”
All the tiny hairs on her ear and neck stood up.
Son of a bitch .
He spoke again before she could move. “And what do you mean, make a deal with death?”
She spun on her stool and stared up into the ever-vibrant green eyes of the crown prince.
“This bar doesn’t serve people like you.” She spat the words and probably a little gin right at his broad, handsome face. He was so close she could see the faint dusting of faded winter freckles along his nose and under his eyes. She used to kiss them in the summer, when they popped against his skin. Even the slightest hint of light brought them back. She had always wondered if he’d be covered had he lived anywhere else.
The prince toyed with the edges of her cloak, his hands moving to grasp the outside of her shoulders. He looked torn between his intrigue regarding her ill-timed statement and saying whatever it was he had come here to say. He settled on the humor that sat awkwardly upon him, like a sweater he’d outgrown, but couldn’t quite part with.
“I’d chastise you for your loud proclamations of treason, but we all know it wouldn’t do any good, and I don’t have much time. I came to warn you.”
Elysia eyed him more carefully now. Beneath the freckles were the bruised smudges of a man who hadn’t slept well for a very long time. The corner of one eye jumped and his shoulders were strained. She frowned.
“Warn me of what? Tell me.” Anxiety closed her lungs, her thoughts going to all the worst places. Her hands wrapped around his wrists, heart pounding unevenly.
The prince gave her a crooked sort of smile, one he used to make all the time, but never did anymore. Her fingers dug into his skin. He was trying to soften whatever it was he was about to say, but he was only making it worse.
“Just say it. Is there a warrant for me? Is Beatriz okay?”
His brow smoothed. “No, no.” His eyes went out of focus for a moment before they latched onto her once more. When he spoke, his voice chilled Elysia to her core.
“You’re right. The king does need to die. I’m afraid that’s going to prove difficult, though. I came here to warn you that he knows—what I am, what you are, and he can rip the magic right out of your body. I watched him kill Terrin using the same power.”
Elysia stared at him. The entire bar disappeared. She didn’t hear the glasses clinking, or stools creaking while people shouted, only her blood rushing in her ears.
One last time, it was just her and him. Eye to eye, soul to soul—she leaned in, letting him be the rock her wave broke against. She held onto the feeling for one breath, two breaths, and then she exhaled out and the room slid back in with reality.
“You should have told me—about you.” Her words were barely a whisper.
The prince looked down at the mud tracked floor, tension lining his mouth. “But I didn’t. And neither did you.” He squeezed her shoulders. “He’ll kill you, Lys. In a heartbeat, if you do anything brash. I know I said we should work together, but I think you should leave.”
Elysia took a step back, shaking her head. “I don’t believe you.”
The prince heaved a short, frustrated breath. “He said he would kill you the second you step out of line. He thinks he can manipulate me through you.”
A small, sad smile moved Elysia’s lips. Her words were soft. “But we both know that isn’t true. You almost let me die once, and you would do it again no matter what you say if it meant saving Kava.”
The prince started to open his mouth, but Elysia spoke over him. “There’s something you’re not telling me. You’ve gone sentimental for the moment, but I know you, it won’t last. It never does. So tell me, what did you find out?”
He glared fiercely at her. “Don’t use your magic on me.”
Elysia laughed, feeling more and more drained the longer this conversation continued. “I just know you. No magic necessary.”
He scraped at his face, his stubble making a scratchy sound against his palm. He refused to meet her eyes when he finally answered. His whole body tensed.
“He killed her. My sister. I know you didn’t know her. She was always gone or being hidden away. Guess I know why now, but—I think he had something to do with the Fall. He made all these comments about my grandfather and how my mother died.” The prince regained his focus, and his face hardened. “I won’t be responsible for him killing you, Elysia, and I don’t know if I’m going to like who I am at the end of this, so I am begging you to leave. Because you’re right. My grief will blacken, and there is no telling what I will or won’t do to stop him.”
A flash of guilt entered his eyes, and she knew what he wasn’t saying. Whatever promises he had made that he would never hurt her were now void. He had one mission and she would only get in his way.
His large hands swallowed her face. “Just tell me what you know, and I will get you out of here. You want Beatriz or your friend to go with you? Fine. Just tell me what you’ve learned and I’ll handle the rest. You can pick the kingdom. I have friends everywhere, there’s nowhere you can’t go.”
A slow, all-encompassing sort of anger began to warm her cold heart. “You’ll ship me off so you don’t have to worry about my blood being on your hands, is that it?” She kicked her stool to the side and leaned against the bar. “How sweet. How romantic.”
Each word that fell from her snarled lips was a poison dagger. “What happened to we could be a team, Elysia? We could work together? This is exactly why I didn’t tell you anything. You used to be so different . Was I so busy hiding myself that I couldn’t see you? You’re just another domineering asshole who thinks he knows best, and I’ve had about enough of that for one lifetime.” Elysia stared at him, both furious and bewildered.
Her jaw set firmly. “Get fucked, Blatz, because I’m not going anywhere.”
Jessa moved from behind the bar, coming beside Elysia. One armed wrapped around Elysia’s shoulders, and the other gripped her trusty nail studded plank. “I think it’s time for you to go, Prince.”
Hands clenched, the crown prince bit back the anger holding his body prisoner. He turned to leave, but not without one more parting shot.
His full lips twisted with disgust. Spreading his arms out wide, he sounded as if he thought he were magnanimous. “Pathetic. You were willing to do anything to hide behind my crown. I understood that you just wanted safety. I wasn’t going to stand in your way. But this is unacceptable. This is childish and petty. You’re risking our kingdom’s future because I hurt your feelings?”
He encroached on her space, his vitriol increasing by the second.
“Get over it and grow up. You don’t matter. I don’t matter.” He straightened. “Nothing matters except fixing this.”
The Crown Prince of Kava left without another word. The bar door slammed shut, rattling all the foundational beams and swinging lanterns like it always did, but Elysia was in a daze. She slowly slid her gaze over to Jessa, her voice barely her own.
“Is he right? Should I just tell him what we know?”
Jessa looked at her like she was insane before quieting her face into a more even-keeled expression. She steered Elysia back onto her barstool and took a seat beside her. She shook her head before resting her chin in her hand.
“That piece of shit was just playing you, Elysia. Ten steps down the road he’s going to regret those words, but he’ll never have the emotional maturity to admit it.”
Elysia stared at her, unsure of what to think. “You were right about him being cursed.”
“Should have put money on it.” Jessa groused as she stood to go back behind the bar.
Back where she was comfortable, Jessa set down her plank and kept talking. “Telling him won’t do any good—he’s completely run by his emotions right now. He’d probably do something stupid, and it’s not like he can get to the realm of the dead to make a deal, anyway.”
“People do somehow—sounds like it could have been his father.”
Jessa crossed arms, considering this. “Suppose you’re right, but I don’t think Daddy is going to hand that secret over to him anytime soon.”
“True.” Elysia pushed her glass away from her, not wanting to drink anymore. She looked at the woman who had, against all odds, become something of a friend. “I hate that this is what’s become of us. He’s going to get himself killed.”
Jessa poured out a drink for a burly dock worker before answering. “You’ve gotta let it go. He’s a grown man, and we have our own mess to manage. You need to stay off the king’s shit list—especially if what the prince said is true. The king is even more dangerous than we already knew.”
Elysia nodded wordlessly. Jessa was right. She knew Jessa was right. Standing, she rapped lightly on the bar to snag her attention.
“I’m going to step outside.”
Outside, she watched the people of Spirit Street, not really seeing them, but just needing to let the biting wind sting her face. The sharp cold matched the pain cutting through her chest, and she found she didn’t mind it at all.
She should be at the House. Listening in and drawing out words from painted lips. But she’d walked out of Jessa’s bar with her insides torn up and trying not to cry. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the image of the prince from her mind.
Looming over her, condescension and contempt ruining his beautiful face.
She had read stories of forest gods that lived for chaos and tricks while researching the god of the dead. Sometimes they were depicted with two faces. One light and one shadowed. She wondered if she was seeing his shadowed face now. Because she had fallen in love with a man so filled with kindness and curiosity it drove him to care for broken animals. A man built like a warrior but who preferred the contemplation it took to sit in silence with trees, who had a laugh so booming you could hear it from one end of the forest to the other. The person who stood in front of her today was still him, but a version she no longer recognized. As if the old him could only peek through the new him in moments and glances before it was overpowered.
The wind flung dirt and soot until Elysia was wiping her face. She wished she would have noticed he was fading. Or that he would have told her about his sister. He never did speak about her, always kept his grief and his love tight to his chest.
She swallowed hard, not allowing her tears to form. What she really wished was that either of them could have just been honest sooner. They were so similar—cursed to hide while bowing and pretending. Stuck navigating families held together with threats and false affection, both terrified of trusting anyone besides themselves. And look where that had gotten them.
It could have been so different. But a second thought, a whisper-quiet thought, questioned this. Because maybe, no matter what she had done, he would have left her behind. Maybe the only person who really mattered to him died a long time ago, and he had simply become the world’s best pretender, fooling even himself into believing his lies.
It was too late for honesty to fix this. It had been too late since he left her to die on a beach.
But he was right about one thing. Kava deserved better.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her neck and let her feet guide her home to the castle walls, knowing what she had to do.