Crystal stands were brought in by uniformed servers. On them sat assorted cakes, already sliced. There were lemon, pink sorbet, chocolate, and strawberry. Raspberry tarts were lined up on silver platters. The smell of shortbread reminded me of Cedric. He was an excellent cook and was so pleased when I had praised him for it. My stomach fluttered. I blinked twice, then turned around. The clicking of heels caught my attention. A violet-eyed stare latched onto mine. Her ash-blonde waves bounced around her shoulders as she approached and finally halted inches in front of me.
“Florence Montague.” I cursed under my breath.
“Winter.” She beamed and pulled her arms out to embrace me. I hadn’t seen her since my brother’s death. She was clearly done grieving. I spotted an emerald ring on her ring finger.
I flinched away, but she hugged me nonetheless. I rolled my eyes from over her shoulder. We weren’t family any longer, so she shouldn’t have addressed me so informally, but her wide smile told me otherwise. It was practiced. There were no creases around her eyes or gloss from tears. The top half of her face was unmoved. “You look beautiful.” She kissed each cheek, then pulled away. “How pleased we all were to hear of your safe return. You are the talk of the court!”
I highly doubted she was happy about it, but I gave her a small smile anyway. She was wearing a ruffled dress in an unfortunate shade of fuchsia. She twirled around when she caught me looking at it. I repressed the urge to roll my eyes. I pressed my lips together. My eyes shifted to her finger. “I see you’re engaged.”
She waved it in front of me, laughing. “Oh, this thing.” It sparkled when it caught the light. “Would you believe it? The duke asked me to marry him shortly after…” She went quiet. A glint of sadness crowned her eyes. “Anyway,” she said. “He owns so much land. Oh, you should see it. Some of the places he has, beautiful manor houses with hundreds of rooms.”
I tilted my head, not forgetting how many times she had held my throne over my head when she was married to André. “I don’t need to. As the future queen, I own all the land, really.”
Her face paled. “Yes, I suppose you do.”
A man with warm-almond skin and deep, earthy eyes caught my attention. His hair was short, his ears pointed. He scanned the room, pausing on me before moving on.
“Who’s that?”
Florence turned her head, then looked back at me. “Oh, that’s one of the ambassadors. Daric.”
Jasper’s replacement. My heart panged.
Florence tilted her head, her violet gaze searching mine. “You should go say hello. You’ll be moving to the dark fae court soon, won’t you?”
I hadn’t put much thought about going to Lepidus again. I hadn’t even considered that my wedding was only days away. I stepped away, then pushed past her. I’d had enough of Florence to last me a lifetime.
“Good to talk to you,” she called, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
I marched over to Daric and stopped a couple of feet in front of him. He bowed, then kissed my hand on his way back up.
“Good evening.” I said, but there was a catch in my throat.
“It is good to meet you, Your Highness. We are all relieved to hear of your return.” He didn’t look menacing like the other fae I’d met. He wore pride on his features. “His Royal Highness, Prince Blaise, has sent me a message for you.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper.
I opened it, then flushed red.
I look forward to getting to know my beautiful bride-to-be, in more ways than one.
I quickly tucked it away. “I’d expect nothing more from him.” I forced a smile. Daric bowed again, then walked to Amara Starbright. It was strange seeing her here without Jasper by her side. She flicked back her dark strands, which were weaved with white, and flashed me a toothy smile. I waved my hand, then made my way to the table of cakes. I reached out for a slice. It was satisfying not having my mother looking down at me while I stuffed my face.
After I finished, I walked through the circles of people and toward the door when girls poured in through the entrance, stopping me in my tracks. It was the Ruby Circle. The newest crop of girls had arrived at court. Every three years, girls from all over the kingdom would come for a chance to become a lady of the royal court. There, they would be taught proper etiquette and tested on their intelligence and loyalty. I didn’t wait for them to be introduced, or for the party in my honor to start. It was stuffy. Nobody was dancing. The music was dull. I lifted my skirt a little, so it didn’t drag on the ground, then hurried out of the room.
The crown tilted down my forehead as I ran up the ancient stone steps. I pushed it back, then turned the corner. It wasn’t too late to sneak in to hear one of my father’s meetings. I wanted to keep up to date on what was happening in the kingdom I would one day inherit, now I was home.
The passageway veered to the left. My heels clashed and breaths quickened. I reached the double oak doors that were firmly shut. I could hear unintelligible chatter behind them. Years had passed since I’d walked the passageways, but the same tapestry hung over the hidden door. After pushing it aside, I pressed against the wall. It growled open, slowly. Smooth walls narrowed upward, encasing small steps. The air was thicker and mustier. Slivers of light faded into the black when I pushed the door shut. I couldn’t see a thing. I reached around, feeling my way up the steep steps. A slice of white licked through the gaps of the wood when I neared the top. I climbed the last step. A dim light illuminated the wood panel separating us. I pressed my ear against it, kneeling against the cold stone.
“You are all dismissed.” Father sounded angry. I heard the squeaking of chairs dragging against the ground, the doors opening, and low chatter. The room emptied, and I cursed under my breath. I’d missed the meeting.
“Ashur,” he said, addressing his chief advisor. From what I could hear, they were the only ones left in the room. “You must bring them around.”
“I will, Majesty. They just need time. They do not understand the sudden need for—”
“My own council against me!”
“They will come around.”
Ashur always had been the best at calming my father’s temper. It was where I got mine from too.
“Yes, they will. You will make sure of it. We must take Niferum for our own. They’re hiding more than one thing I want there, and we have let them go unchecked for centuries now. Well, not under my rule. If any of them even so much as whisper our plans to the ambassadors, you will have them executed for treason. I will not be humiliated in my own court. I don’t care for their morality. Where has it been all the other times?”
“What about Winter?” Ashur asked. “Should we tell her?”
“We can’t trust her with such an important secret.”
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t keep a secret. Me? I had kept the biggest one of all when he had run a sword through Jasper. I couldn’t believe he didn’t trust me.
“She need not be burdened with it. She needs to focus on the wedding.” Father added.
The sentiment wasn’t entirely lost on me, but I was still annoyed.
He continued. “Fae know when one is lying. It will be easy for her to slip up while there.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Ashur said. “In the meantime, shall I prepare for war against Berovia? The council would pledge their support for that war more.”
“We must be tactical, Ashur. What we lack in numbers, the Berovians make up for. We are better sending in a team to pose as solises. If the princess of Magaelor traipsed through their land unnoticed, a team of fifteen can too.”
“What of the hunters in the forests?” Ashur asked.
“Yes. Get them together. Offer them two hundred gold pieces each. If they complete the task and bring me a nymph.”
“What about the fae?”
“They are our focus right now. The wedding is soon and I want Niferum, Ashur. I’m tried of Azrael thinking he is better than me. I will show him what true
power is. The wedding will pose as a gateway for our trained assassins and guards to get into the kingdom and to the court. Then, we invade once we’re inside.”
“And Winter?”
“I’ll deal with her once we have taken over Lepidus.”
I blinked in disbelief. The stone stole every breath of warmth from my body. “What about King Azrael?”
“They won’t…”
His voice trailed off. I pushed my ear harder against the panel.
Father’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I can kill him.”
Ashur sighed. “Public opinion shows many lunas are against the marriage between Winter and Blaise. They will rejoice at us taking down the fae. Approval ratings for a war against them are still high, at around seventy percent of the population, but the council disagrees. Without their funding…”
My jaw dropped. Seventy percent of us still hated fae? That seemed unrealistic. No one disrespected Jasper or Amara, or were the rules at court different than the rest of Magaelor?
Father continued. “Like I said before, bring them around. If you can’t, find funding from somewhere else. Our resources are already stretched. Make the lords agree!”
“Yes, your majesty.” Ashur answered, then I heard a door close.
***
I couldn’t believe what I had heard. I walked into an empty room in the castle after wandering the dimply lit corridors. An ornate red rug stretched out to the corners. Five windows, side by side, reached from the floor to the ceiling on the back wall. Crescent tables with legs that curled out at the bottom held antique vases against the spaces between the windows. Squares of lead covered the glass, and raindrops slid down the panels. Brass lamps hung between huge portraits of faces that lived long ago, encased in beautiful gold frames.
A four-legged white sofa beckoned me to take the weight off my feet. I leaned back, resting my head. It almost felt like home, if not for the vaults below, arrow loops above, and weapons readied on the alure, in case of battle. In truth, it was a fortress, meant to protect and be able to defend against an attack at a moment’s notice. André and I loved playing in the corridors in the higher parts of the castle when we were kids. We found ourselves in the tops of towers no one else could get to, playing make-believe of knights attacking the castle and us having to use the large crossbow to fend them off. It was a simpler time. I wished I could talk to him, get his counsel on what do about the information I’d heard from our father.
The truth of my wedding made my chest tighten and my stomach knot whenever I recalled my father’s words. I wasn’t meant to unite the kingdom at all. I was being used like a pawn in a game of chess between him and Azrael. My marrying him was supposed to be my destiny. Instead, the ceremony would be a ruse, an excuse for our guards to go into their kingdom, when their guard was down.
After stretching my arms and rolling back my shoulders, I stood and made my way to the banquet hall. The coziness of the rooms was swapped for high ceilings, long rooms with tables that stretched the length, and Gothic architecture that made the castle feel colder. Gargoyles of stone looked down at me when I walked the cold corridor.
The last of the sun’s rays peeked through as I reached the entrance, giving way to shadows enveloping the squared stone floor. A chambermaid quickly passed me, and the laundress hurried behind her.
Adius marched up to me. The orange glow from the lit lamps highlighted the ginger hairs in his groomed beard. His brown hair was gelled back, his stature poised. He straightened his shoulders, then cleared his throat. “The king requests a meeting with you.”
“Thank you, Adius.” I missed seeing the familiar faces of Ash Court when at Inferis.
Windows looking out onto the dark grounds made up the wall of the main passageway. Chandeliers hung down, illuminating the way. Noblemen dipped their heads when they saw me, smiling widely. Ladies with puffed-up hairstyles and bright-red lips gave me looks revered usually for the likes of my father. I wasn’t used to being in the spotlight, even when André’s death made me heir. I wasn’t a likeable person, as my mother frequently liked to remind me, but my survival story had given them hope—a faith that I was protected by the ancestors, who brought home to be their future ruler.
My eyes glistened as I took everyone in. I walked in the opposite direction to most. They were on their way to supper. My father’s office was in the east wing. I darted down a smaller passageway when I reached the end. The musky air pained my nostrils. The shortcut was seldom used due to the rats. I wasn’t afraid of them.
I lifted my skirts, my heels clicking against the smooth stone when I heard panting between two walls. A man pulled a handful of blonde hair as he kissed a woman’s neck. I spotted the same emerald ring Florence had shown off earlier. She had no respect, and that man wasn’t even the duke.
Rolling my eyes, I pressed onward, deciding I’d use my knowledge of her secret rendezvous later.
I emerged into a main corridor. That part of the castle was better lit. A grand staircase of stone led to higher balconies. Red carpet covered the middle part. I paused at one floor, then caught my breath. I reached the top and hurried around the ledge.
When I approached the door to his private office, I heard muffled whispers escaping through the cracks around the thick wood. I pressed my ear against it, feeling the cool draft on my cheek.
“Send her on her way and make sure she looks good. Get her the best dress. She will leave tonight. All arrangements have been made.”
“The temperatures are much colder in Niferum, Your Majesty. She will freeze.”
My father let out a low growl, like he did whenever he was mad. “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Ashur. I gave you an order, now go and tend to it.”
I cleared my throat, then knocked.
The whispers stopped, and the doors opened.
“Daughter, please, come in.” He gestured for me to sit.
Ashur’s gaze flitted to me briefly, then he bowed to us both in turn. “Majesty,” he said to the king, then to me, “Your Highness.”
The door clicked shut, and we were alone. I placed my finger on the old, brown globe and twirled it around. Berovia was a lot bigger than Magaelor, but there were other islands surrounding a kingdom much larger than either. I shuddered at the stories I’d been told of that dark place. I was going to ask him about it, but my father slid parchment with my and Blaise’s names on it across the glossy mahogany, pulling my attention from the globe.
It was the treaty, written in deceit.
I ran my fingertip along the edges of the paper, holding onto the relief in the lie. It was easier to do nothing and win. I didn’t need to pretend to know anything about it, that I was innocent. Holding the deadly secret behind tight lips, I looked up and stared at the square window.
“Sign it,” he ordered, his lips curling back behind his teeth. My fingers prickled back to life from the warmth of the fire. Logs hissed and spat, turning into embers between charcoaling logs. I looked from the flames to his icy stare.
“We all must play our part.” He explained, mistaking my hesitation for wedding nerves. “It comes with being a royal. We have to do things we don’t always like.” His stare hardened. “It is your duty as princess and heir.”
My lips parted. He shifted his eyes to my fingers when I grabbed the pen. My heart pounded when I signed my name in cursive, the ink settling in blotches, I pushed it back to my father, realizing I had just signed King Azrael’s death sentence, wrapped up in lies of peace and unity.
He sealed the agreement with the royal crest in wax. “I will send this now by messenger to the border, and you will leave tonight.” He leaned back in his chair. “This will be our finest year yet. We will go down in history, daughter. Do us proud, obey Blaise, and make sure this wedding happens. It is our goal to unite our kingdoms. Niferum could become one with Magaelor.”
I scratched my wrist. He was lying, but I had to believe he had Magaelor’s best interests at heart and that was, after all, the most import
ant thing. “I will make sure this wedding happens.”
“Good girl.” He screeched his chair back and extended his arms outward, beaming. “Go, prepare.”
Bringing my hand up to my throat, I shifted my gaze from him to the frost-framed window. “This wedding is being done for the good of the kingdom, yes?”
He exhaled slowly. “You question my intentions again?”
I swallowed thickly.
Shaking his head slowly, he spoke before I could respond. “Everything I do is for Magaelor. I’m proud of you for the woman you’ve become. I know you can do this.” His genuine smile caught me off guard. “I trust you to do the right thing by us by marrying Blaise. Your brother would be proud of you too.”
His words melted my heart. My eyes widened and breath hitched. “You think so?”
“I know so.” He clasped his fingers together. “Get ready. Bathe, relax, and prepare for tomorrow. We are all very excited.”
I clutched my staff close to my chest. His change in attitude to me since I’d been back meant so much. I was finally the daughter he wanted and any doubts I had were put to rest. André would have been proud. My eyes welled with tears at the thought.
NINETEEN
I wore a floor-length, dusky-blue gown that fell around my feet in pools of silk. A thin slice of netting in the same color covered my arms. I felt lighter from the absence of pins and a crown. My curls twirled down past my shoulders, the color of night. The twilight sky was dotted with silver. A fierce wind blew through the mountains, sending shivers down my spine. The trees swayed gently, covered with dark shadows from the peaks crowned with white. They towered above us.
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