Chapter 16
‘Uh, Rose?’ Llinos’s voice is a whisper, but it’s perfectly loud enough for me to hear the panic within it. I give her hand a squeeze and then release it. I want my hands free for what comes next, but I let one hover close to the dagger’s pommel.
Benny stiffens next to me, but it’s Jonas I’m most aware of. His fingers graze my hand as if he’s considering taking hold of it, only to pull away as Kyor approaches.
‘Kyor,’ Jonas says, his voice neutral. ‘I am glad you made it back for the Retterheld. People were starting to worry you wouldn’t return in time from the Northern territories.’
Kyor doesn’t so much as acknowledge Jonas’s presence. His attention is all on me, his icy-blue eyes staring me down, breaking contact only to scan my body in a tortuously slow sweep that lingers on my hips, my thighs and – it feels – every one of my curves.
‘Have you spoken to my father?’ he asks casually. ‘He’s no doubt dying to see you again, Kultavaris.’ The emphasis he puts on the word dying suggests that I’ll be the one seeing Mortidem sooner rather than later.
‘I haven’t yet had the pleasure,’ I fire back as flatly as I can manage.
‘No. From what I recall, pleasure is something you’re lacking in,’ he says, his eyes glinting.
I bite back the retort on my tongue. He might be untouchable here, surrounded by knights and lords – people I’m sure would happily give their lives for his – but I’m not. Besides, what I have to say to him doesn’t need an audience.
When he finally realises he’s not going to get a rise out of me, he looks around at Jonas and Benny.
He nods his head at Jonas. ‘Sensible of you to pick this one to fuck first, given she’s not going to survive the first trial.
The Retterheld has no place for flowers.
Graveyards do though. Which is exactly where she belongs. ’
His venom works to knock the breath from me, and though fury rises sharp and hot in my chest, not a single word makes it past my lips.
‘Okay, that’s enough.’ Benny places his hand on Kyor’s shoulder. ‘I know you’re a prince and everything, but your manners are shocking. And in case you haven’t realised, tonight is meant to be fun.’
Given how Benny had no intention of making the night anything more than business only minutes ago, I should find the comment amusing. But I don’t. I’ve only just made these friends, and now they’re being forced to make an enemy of one of the most powerful Rettlings. For me.
The air grows taut as Kyor’s eyes narrow on Benny. ‘I know you.’
‘Probably from one of these tedious things,’ Benny replies drily, the same way he had to Jonas earlier. ‘Now, did you want anything else, or are we done here?’
Kyor’s lips twist as his attention shifts back to me.
‘You are racking them up, aren’t you, Kultavaris?
Can’t say I blame you. Might as well get as much fun in as you can before you meet Mortidem.
Maybe I could join you one night, too? I guess it would have to be soon.
You know, with the trials coming up. So …
is it a together thing, or one at a time? ’
A sound rumbles from Benny and his fingers flex as though it’s taking all his restraint not to hit the prince. And from the way the corner of Kyor’s mouth twitches, he sees it too. It’s all just a game to him.
But if he truly wanted me dead, he could have done it at the temple. So why didn’t he?
If I’d known who he was, I would certainly have been rooting for him to fall from that damned window. And though I wouldn’t have killed him in Etta’s temple, I would have been damn tempted to wait outside and throw a dagger through his chest the moment he left. So what stopped him?
Understanding hits me the moment the thought strikes.
Unlike Zara, Kyor doesn’t believe Etta will gift him if he starts unnecessarily killing her chosen ones before the trials have even begun.
Just like he did with the offering, he’s following the rules.
After all, there isn’t a knight alive who would have allowed their wolves to attack the heir to the throne, meaning he didn’t have to put his life at risk to enter the temple through the most dangerous route possible.
But he did it anyway, taking the same risks as every other candidate to ensure he was equally worthy of Etta’s consideration.
Meaning that in this moment, in this place, I’m absolutely safe from him.
‘It’s fine,’ I say, placing my hand on Benny’s arm and moving past him and Jonas so there is nothing but a whisper of air between the prince and me. With my pulse pounding, I lean in.
‘You lied, Kyor,’ I whisper, close enough for him to feel my breath on his skin. ‘You might have convinced your father, but we both know the truth, don’t we? Just like Etta does. Like all the Gods do. One way or another, your pathetic soul is doomed.’
With that, I turn around and look at my friends. ‘Who wants to dance?’ I ask airily. Without even bothering to answer me, Benny takes my arm and leads me to the floor. I don’t look at the prince again.
Benny twirls me around effortlessly and we fall into a natural rhythm. My head has forgotten the dance moves, but my feet have not, and we move smoothly around the other couples, as if we’ve partnered together for years.
Benny’s thoughts must have followed a similar line, for he murmurs to me, ‘I know we didn’t formally agree on an alliance, but considering the enemies I’ve now made, I do propose we work together in the trials.’
I tilt my head to the side and pretend to consider the suggestion. ‘Well … I do have quite a few options, you know …’ A grin breaks free on my lips. ‘Deal.’
He beams back. ‘Wonderful.’
As the music ends, Llinos hauls us off the dance floor. ‘We aren’t supposed to be making enemies,’ she hisses at Benny. ‘That’s your rule.’
He shrugs. ‘He’s an enemy I would have been perfectly fine with making anyway,’ Benny replies. ‘But happily, it was worth it. Rose has agreed to work with us.’
Llinos beams at me, relief flashing in her eyes. ‘That’s great news.’
‘I think so,’ I quip. ‘More so for me than you guys, but I’ll take it.’ I turn to Jonas. ‘You with us?’
While I’m now more than a little relieved to have a team beside me, Jonas looks nervous about the proposition.
He presses his lips tightly together. ‘It’s not quite so straightforward for me. I don’t want to make any enemies. Any more enemies,’ he corrects himself with a grimace.
‘Think it over. There’s no rush,’ Benny says. ‘But we’re a good team to have on your side.’
‘I believe it.’
All four of us have barely touched the wine, but we seem to be among the minority as inebriated guests swirl around us. When we’re joined by Loch and Coulter, it’s clear the younger of the pair has also been enjoying his fair share of beverages.
‘This place is amazing,’ Coulter gushes. ‘There are so many rooms: games rooms, drawing rooms, studies. And the wine? Gods, tell me you’ve tried the pink one? Pink wine. It’s my new favourite.’
His cheeks have a ruddiness to them, which is undoubtedly from the drink. As is the slight glaze to his eyes. His exuberance makes me smile. Was I ever so young?
‘Learn anything?’ Benny asks, looking directly at Loch while Coulter scans the room for another waiter. He clearly has his priorities.
‘Couple of things. Apparently two of the Rowells – Elenor and Oke – threatened the healers to make sure they fixed Zara up enough that she was ready for the ball. It’s left them all entirely drained, so let’s hope none of us get injured tonight.’
Llinos and I exchange a worried look. The only time I ever saw my mother drained was when she was trying to help the queen.
Her body had paled, her skin turning translucent as she tried to call upon any last shreds of magic she could, her very life essence being stripped from her cells.
Recovery from draining can take anything from hours to weeks, depending on how bad it is, so trying to stay injury-free for at least a few days sounds like a solid plan.
Better still would be avoiding injury altogether, but that seems unlikely.
‘Oh.’ Loch’s voice yanks me back into the room. ‘And there’s another woman in the Retterheld whose sister got stripped and banished from the High Hold because she got pregnant by the prince.’
‘What?’ My jaw drops open as I spin around to face Jonas. My eyes are so wide I can feel them bulging. ‘That’s what you wouldn’t tell us?’
‘It’s all rumours.’ He shakes his head as he speaks. ‘Nothing concrete.’
‘When did this happen?’
‘Three or four years ago. I can’t remember exactly.’
‘You’re saying the prince has a child out there? A rightful successor to the throne?’ Benny interjects.
Rather than replying, Jonas bites down on his bottom lip and glances around.
I’m honestly not sure why he’s that worried.
Obviously other people are talking about it, or Loch wouldn’t have heard.
Of course, with his power, who knows how far away the people were when they were having what they likely thought was a private conversation.
‘No.’ His timbre is grave. ‘Apparently the child didn’t make it.’
‘That poor woman.’ Llinos’s words echo my own thoughts. Stripped and banished, only to lose the reason for it. Just awful.
The trail of destruction the prince leaves behind him really does know no bounds. No, I’m not surprised that Kyor is the type of person who gets a kick out of destroying others.
‘Guys.’ Coulter’s trembling voice breaks the silence that has settled. ‘I think the king’s coming around, meeting the Rettlings.’
He gestures to the other side of the room where, sure enough, Korvane Knavin, backed by two knights and their dire wolves, is shaking hands with an elderly woman who has a large, curved tattoo on her back – the arch of the city of Dorain. From there, he moves on and shakes the hand of a young man.