by Cait Marie
Shane leaned against Gwyn more as he thought through the man’s words. It didn’t make sense. Adalina had dreamed of finding the Nihryst her whole life—of adventures beyond their castle walls. He shook his head before whispering, “She’s lying.”
Loxley held his gaze. “I know.”
“Then, why did you leave?”
“You’ve met her. She is the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.” The corner of his mouth twitched before the sadness replaced the momentary amusement. “She refused to leave because she can’t face the fact that there is no magical cure. The Heulwen… it’s just a story.”
Shane looked at the man in disbelief. As he and Gwyn made their way around the immortal to the stairs, Shane said, “So were you.”
“You’re going to wear a hole in the rug,” Phillip said from where he lounged across Ada’s bed.
Ada stopped pacing. She looked from the fire at her side to the windows along the far wall. As she walked over to them, she released the hair she’d twisted up on top of her head. A deep darkness covered the grounds outside. The stars twinkled high above in the clear sky, but not enough to light the world.
She turned to face the room, leaning back against the windowsill with both hands. Tapping her toes, she thought through everything—Nayani’s words and Michel’s refusal. Lee leaving her. She pushed off the wall, not willing to dwell on that abandonment just yet.
“I can’t just sit here,” she said, crossing the room to grab a silk robe provided to her by the castle staff. They’d brought them food and clothes to change into, accommodating them as if it was a normal visit.
Phillip stood from the bed. “Where are we going?”
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before turning toward him. “You’re staying here. I’m going to talk to Michel.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“I have to do this, Phillip.” She stepped closer. “I have to talk to him—make him understand.”
And if that didn’t work, she’d seek out Queen Célest. She didn’t know where the king and queen were, but perhaps the woman who’d treated her as a daughter for so long would hear her out and help.
“I don’t trust him,” Phillip said. “Something is different.”
“He won’t hurt me,” she whispered. “We’ve been friends our entire lives. We were… more than friends for years. I was going to marry him, for stars’ sake.” Her words trailed off as an idea began to form.
“You can’t go alone.”
“You taught me to protect myself.” She smirked, trying to hide her fear. “Do you doubt your teaching abilities?” He opened his mouth, no doubt to argue, but she went on, “I’ve also been training with Ren and Brienne. I can take care of myself.”
Phillip sighed and shoved a hand through his blond hair. “I know, but I don’t like it.”
When he sat on the edge of the bed, she moved over and leaned against the post beside him. “I’ll be back shortly. He was hurt and betrayed. I just need him to remember that we’re his friends. As long as I get that flower, nothing else matters. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Phillip squeezed her hand before looking back up to her. “Not whatever it takes. Promise me.”
She clenched her jaw. “Promise.”
“Be careful.”
She nodded, and then she was across the room and out the door. If he’d seen the lie, he hadn’t commented on it. She walked toward the end of the empty hall, surprised no one guarded her doors. They weren’t prisoners, but they weren’t exactly welcomed guests either.
She was about to reach the staircase when she froze. Something tickled at the back of her mind—pulled at her in a way she hadn’t felt in months. Slowly, she turned back. No one stood in the hall, but she felt a tug deep in her core, urging her forward.
At the opposite end of the hall sat two oak doors that led to a sitting room. As children, they’d played in there when the weather was bad. When they got older, they’d used it to talk and read. It was out of the way from the rest of the ongoing commotion in the castle, and no one else ever bothered to use it.
She twisted the doorknob and pushed her way into the dark room. Her brow furrowed, and she turned back to grab a candle from a nearby sconce. The room was exactly as it had been the last time she’d visited, half a year earlier. She smiled at the trinkets on the bookshelf, trailing a finger along the small porcelain lion that was always her favorite.
When she looked around the room, a large painting in the corner caught her attention. She didn’t remember it. Yellow flowers came into view as she got closer with the candle. With a gaping mouth, she examined every inch of the painting. The tugging had grown the closer she stood. Along the side of the frame, she noticed a mark in the wall, and she let out a breath.
“No,” she whispered. She twisted, searching the room for a candle holder. Finding one on a nearby shelf, she grabbed it, sat the candle on the floor by the painting, then reached for the ornate frame. After a couple tries, she pulled it from the wall with a huff and put it off to the side.
Her mouth dropped open as she took in the hidden archway. She snatched up the candle, but she didn’t need it. The alcove opened up to a small, circular round room with lanterns hanging from the walls. But even those seemed unnecessary, for the flower in the center let off a glowing light that warmed her soul.
The pulling she’d felt solidified as she circled the glass case atop a pedestal. The Heulwen was even more beautiful than she’d imagined. She could almost feel the power emanating from it. She gently put a finger against the glass, as if testing to make sure it truly existed. It wasn’t an illusion or trick; it was there. She gasped, tears springing to her eyes.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Ada whirled around. Michel stood casually leaning against the archway with his arms crossed. His dark hair hung low in his eyes, and his clothes looked rumpled. As if he’d tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Like her.
She couldn’t help the seed of hope blooming within. Perhaps guilt filled him and she could get him to see reason. She blew out the candle and sat it on the floor before stepping toward him. “It is.”
Michel straightened and walked around her toward the flower. She turned to watch as he lifted the glass from the case and put it on the ground. “Try to touch it.”
She flinched at his whispered words. Nayani said no one but the royal family could. She did not, however, specify what happened if someone tried to.
“It won’t hurt you,” he said, reading her mind. “Not really. Just a small stinging sensation if you’re gentle. Or so I’m told.”
Slowly, she moved to stand beside him and lifted her hand. With the back of her finger, she made to touch it. A tiny bolt of lightning zapped through her, and she jumped back. Michel’s hand went to her back.
She looked closer at the flower. The sting didn’t hurt too much, but it was enough to keep away. She wondered how it would stop someone desperate though. To test it, she raised her hand back up to the golden petals. She gasped as it zapped her again, but she pushed through the pain, attempting to grab the flower. The longer she touched it, the more intense the pain grew. When she reached the stem, her finger met an invisible barricade and the pain became blinding.
“Enough,” Michel said, pulling her away.
He held her against him as she panted, trying to catch her breath. She didn’t pull away, taking in his familiar comfort, and he didn’t release her.
“Michel,” she whispered, fisting his shirt where her hand rested on his chest. “Please.”
His arm tightened around her back as his free hand swept through her long curls. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
She turned her head, burying her face into his shoulder.
He loosened his hold on her, grabbing the glass cover with one hand. The dome was topped in a small glass rose he used as a handle to place it back over the flower.
Another rose with the Heulwen. She thought about the medalli
on sitting back in her room. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Lifting her chin, she decided to worry about that later. “My father did horrible things. He was cruel and wicked, I do not deny that. But Shane is your friend. You know he thinks of you like a brother.”
Michel stiffened at her side. “Yes, and at one point, I thought he would be my brother.”
When he turned his gaze toward her, she didn’t cower. “He was infected, Michel. He’s going to die without this flower.” She hadn’t said the words out loud, and it pierced her heart to do so.
He didn’t speak. Instead he took a step back, shaking his head.
“Please. What will it take?”
“Ada, I can’t.”
“You can,” she said, gripping his arm. She’d beg if she had to. “Whatever you want, it’s yours. Please. I will do anything.”
He stared at her for a long moment. As he put a gentle hand on her cheek, she didn’t move.
“All I ever wanted was you.”
She blinked. She didn’t know what to say. If that’s what it would take for him to help her kingdom… Green eyes flashed through her mind, but she shoved them aside. She took a step forward, closing the distance between her and the man she’d loved not that long ago. Would it really be so bad going back to that life?
“Let Phillip take the flower back to Detmarya, and I will stay here with you.” It wasn’t a hard decision. She stood on her toes, bringing her lips to his. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. His hands tightened on her sides, but she pushed against his chest to break the kiss. “Help my brother, and I will marry you. Just like we always planned.”
Michel’s eyes flickered down to her mouth. “All right.”
He kissed her again. They’d spent plenty of time together the past couple years, but the kiss didn’t have the same love—the same spark—that she’d always felt before.
When he pulled away, he took her hand and began leading her out of the room. She looked over her shoulder. “Wait, the flower.”
In the sitting room, he put the painting back in place. “Tomorrow,” he said, turning to take her hand again.
He pulled her from the room at a leisurely pace. A single guard stood in the hall, no doubt shadowing the prince’s late-night wanderings.
Michel nodded toward the man who followed before looking back to her. “Stay with me tonight, and I will give Phillip part of a petal tomorrow to bring back to Shane.”
Ada dug in her heels, yanking her hand free. “What? No, the whole flower. It’s not just Shane. It’s spreading throughout Detmarya and at least one of the southern islands.”
Michel faced her. “I will not help your kingdom. Shane, I will help. But that is all.”
Shaking her head, she said, “You have to help, please.”
“I said no.” He moved closer, grabbing her chin as he stood mere inches from her. “Do not ask again. The only reason I am willing to help Shane is because I feel guilty.”
“You feel guilty about him but not the hundreds of people dying?”
He let go with a smirk. “Well, they’re not infected because of me.”
Ada stumbled back, a hand covering her mouth. Her back hit the wall with a thump. She shook her head again and again as she tried to keep breathing, but it was as if someone sucked out all the air from the hall. Surely he didn’t mean…
The door beside her opened, and Phillip was suddenly at her side.
“What’s wrong?” He kept a hand on her shoulder as he turned to yell at the prince, “What happened? What did you do?”
But she could barely make out his words. Michel’s confession rolled through her mind on a loop. Two hands went to her face, one pulling her own fingers down as the other tilted her chin up. Phillip was much gentler than Michel, and that contrast broke the dam. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She looked over to the prince, who looked unperturbed by the emotions. A coldness had replaced any love that once filled his eyes, and she knew it was true. Somehow, he was the reason Shane had the Kald.
She thought back to what Shane had told her after they’d defeated their father. How they’d been caught trying to get Michel out of the castle. Gwyn’s friend was killed. “It was you,” she whispered. “You set them up.”
At that, Phillip turned around. “What is she talking about?”
With all the commotion, it wasn’t a surprise when more guards appeared. They immediately moved to surround them, but Michel’s stance didn’t change.
“He is the reason Gwyn and Marley were caught when Shane tried to get him out—the reason my father’s men knew to be there.” she said, her voice rising with her anger. “He was working with my father.”
Michel smirked. “Promised protection to keep him informed. It was an easy choice.”
All the color drained from Ada’s face, her eyes widening as it all came together. “You told my father about Shane working with O’ Chwedlau. You’re why he kept sending the physician in—why Shane was infected!”
Ada heard her best friend let out an incredulous sound. The guards closed in, grabbing Phillip, who looked like he’d murder the prince with his bare hands if released. He twisted and pulled, yelling and cursing at the prince.
Michel moved closer to Ada. A blurry hand reached up and wiped at her cheek, but she yanked her head back and slapped him. She tried to duck away, but he grabbed her and pinned her to the wall.
“Don’t touch her!” Phillip yelled.
But Ada couldn’t see him. She couldn’t see anything but Michel. He lifted a finger to tuck a piece of her hair back, and she whipped her head to the side.
“Escort them back to their rooms.” He leaned in with his lips hovering near her ear. “Think about our deal, Princess. I can heal your brother, or you can leave my kingdom and never return.”
Ada ran a finger over the two flowers glinting in the light of the moon that had finally risen. She sat on the window seat with her head against the cool glass. The grounds outside were calm and quiet.
She held the medallion closer, turning it back and forth as she had for hours, trying to think a way out of their situation. Her heart ached from Michel’s betrayal. He’d once meant the world to her. She had planned to spend her life at his side, even though it was never officially announced. Apart from her brother and Phillip, she had loved Michel more than anyone in her world. Blinking back tears, she tossed the medallion to the far end of the window seat.
It clunked against the wooden frame, making Phillip stir on the nearby bed. He’d refused to leave her alone but eventually fell asleep. He turned toward her and pushed himself up on his elbows.
“Sorry, go back to sleep…” Her words trailed off as the flowers on the medallion began to shift. She leaned forward with a scrunched brow and carefully picked it back up.
“Ada?”
Distantly, she heard Phillip get out of bed and move to stand beside her. But she couldn’t take her eyes from the relic. Like her book on the Nihryst, a swirling golden symbol appeared. She rotated it, looking at it from different angles as an idea tickled the back of her mind.
A cloud covered the moon, and just like that, the symbol vanished. She flipped the piece over, but there was no sign of anything.
“Ada,” Phillip repeated, putting a hand on her back. “What is it?”
“It changed,” she whispered. Then, she looked up at Phillip. “You didn’t see it? The symbol?”
He shook his head slowly. “I just see the flowers.”
She huffed out a breath and stood.
He grabbed her by the arm before she could walk away. “That doesn’t mean it’s not there. You see the ancient language and symbols in a way others cannot.”
“You believe me?”
Phillip raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Have I ever not believed you? How do you think we got into this mess?”
She smiled then looked around the room. They were in a mess. Without a word, she quickly ran over to the door and opened it a fraction to look out. Two guards st
ood in the hall. Closing the door, she ran back to the chest at the end of the bed. She pulled the medallion’s chain over her head as she knelt.
“What are you looking for?” Phillip asked, helping her open the large box.
Inside, a collection of her things from over the years sat untouched. She grinned and began digging. First, she pulled out some fresh clothes, feeling guilty she had nothing for Phillip in her room. Then, her fingers hit leather, and she nearly cried out in joy. She pulled out the small dagger she’d stashed as a child. Queen Célest had never approved of her training with the boys, but that never stopped her. Especially as she got older. She just learned to hide it.
Ada tossed in the extra trinkets and clothes before pulling the chest shut. She stood, handing the dagger to Phillip and grabbing the new outfit.
As she moved behind the screen to change, he asked, “And what are you going to do with this?”
She pulled the shirt over her head and peeked around the corner. “We are getting out of here.”
“Oh? Including me with your plans finally?”
Fully dressed, she stepped back into the room. “If he won’t listen to reason, maybe he’ll listen to force.”
“Ada—”
“I offered to marry him,” she whispered, taking back the dagger. She pulled the blade from the sheath and turned it back and forth, letting it shine in the fire light from the hearth. She’d planned to go to the queen next, but the woman had to have known they were there—she’d no doubt heard the confrontation—yet, she hadn’t come to see Ada. As much as the princess wanted to believe Queen Célest could not be so cruel, she didn’t. Michel had proved she didn’t know these people as well as she thought. “I said I would do whatever it took, and that’s what he wanted. But he still wouldn’t give the whole flower. Just enough for Shane.”
When she met Phillip’s gaze, he pushed the blade aside and wrapped her in a hug. She held on to him tight with her free hand. He kissed the top of her head. “He wouldn’t want you to do that.”
She nodded against his chest, glad he understood. They both needed Shane to get better—they both loved him—but he would never forgive either of them for making that choice. Knowing him, he’d refuse to use the little amount they got and would give it to others in Ferda.