Chapter 15 You’ll Go
You'll Go
Cora
His nails dug into my bicep as he dragged me all the way through the castle. Not stopping once, even as he pushed past servants, guards springing out of his way as if he held the next plague in his very hand.
Who knew, maybe he did.
The door to my room slammed open, the thick cut wood smacking against the stone wall behind it. The room remained unchanged since I was last here. Mere hours ago when I’d gotten changed, preparing myself for the arrival of the Court of Shadows ruler.
I’d done my best to avoid Cedar since that night.
His face after witnessing my slaying of Krista had made me feel things I was no more interested in feeling than I was being stuck in this room with Keres.
So I’d left him alone in his cell, nothing more than his thoughts of freedom to keep him company, telling myself it was better this way.
The distance. He’d be gone and I’d be stuck here with no reason or purpose for Keres to keep me around.
That was until he opened his mouth. Never in all my lifetimes did I think I’d happen upon a male as fucking stupid as Cedar.
What would he do if Keres just killed me now?
Would he retaliate? Just go home to my sister and pretend I was a part of the bad dream that was his imprisonment here in Whitbourne?
Once we were in the room, Keres slammed the door shut behind us, blocking out any guards who’d prefer to keep him in their line of sight. My defenses were up without hesitation, ready and waiting for him to strike, but he didn’t.
He paced, mere steps away from me, back and forth across the floor.
“Master?” I whispered as I stepped backwards once more, my back finding its way to the far wall. The more distance between us, the better.
“Fucking bird,” he muttered under his breath. “But this could be our chance. It won’t come again,” he continued.
His hand ran through his dark hair as the other grazed along his bottom lip. The pacing continued.
I bit my tongue so hard copper filled my mouth. It was rare for the ruler of the Court of Ice to become like this, but when he did, it wasn’t long before he lashed out.
Times like this I wondered if the long years of his life were finally getting to him beneath it all.
The tingle of ice slid down through my fingertips, eager to come out and do something, anything, to protect myself.
I wouldn’t take the final death lying down.
A fight would surely ensue. There was even a possibility I could end him before the guards charged in, seeking to protect their chosen ruler.
By that point I’d have nothing left anyway.
Silvana would be safe with Keres gone and I could breathe again.
Dark chestnut brown eyes slithered their way into my mind, but I pushed the thought away.
Keres finally turned to me, his hands clasped behind his back. I tried to let out the breath I’d been holding, but it didn’t come.
“You’ll go,” he stated plainly.
My eyes bounced between his own, trying to find some hidden meaning of what he could possibly mean, but I found nothing staring back at me. His eyes were blank, unfeeling. His thoughts buried so deeply within his subconscious I had no idea what he was thinking.
“You’ll go with the Court of Shadows ruler and his pet bird, and you’ll report back anything and everything you see.
” He stepped closer to me until he was a mere breath away.
His hand came up, cupping my jaw as if we were truly lovers and this was a fond farewell.
“Get close to them, Cora. Make them your friends, and tell me everything about the Court of Shadows I need to know to become ruler there.”
I opened my mouth to speak, protest, say something, but his eyes narrowed, stopping me in my tracks.
“No. You will do this, Cora, or I will show up to that dismal fucking court and kill you with my own bare hands.”
He stepped away, brushing his hands down his tunic, a smile now plastered across his face.
“With any luck, we’ll be able to bring our Silvie home with you when the time comes.” He glanced around the room. “Come. You need nothing here, let us go before they grow weary waiting for your return.”
A great deal of thoughts and feelings came to mind, things I could say and do, but I did none of them. I swallowed back the words as I reinforced the magic on my hidden items, and I followed Keres from the castle and out into the snow.