Cadell was trussed and ready for transport to the cells. Two blistered, red handprints were seared into the sides of his neck.
Kai let go of Rhys and crouched over the bound man, her voice quiet and harsh. “I did not give up everything and become practically immortal just so you could off him when I am just figuring things out.” She jabbed her finger into his chest, punctuating the last four words. Flames flickered around her hands, but she stood and backed off before Rhys could pull her away.
She had a temper, his tiny queen. But she also had the capacity for control. He was impressed.
Ashem handed Cadell over to a member of the Invisible. Juli was giving Kai a thorough once-over, checking that she was all right while she straightened and dusted off Kai’s dress.
“We need to get you to your rooms,” Ashem said.
Rhys met Kai’s eyes over Juli’s shoulder. Through the cracks in her shields—spaces he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed before—he caught a faint, So this is what it’s like to be queen. Glamorous.
His heart gave a painful thud. Her hair was mussed and she had a smudge on her nose. She’d looked beautiful before. Now, with that wry smile on her face, she was perfect.
“Rhys,” Ashem snapped.
Rhys shook his head. “No. This is important to the people, and I won’t be intimidated out of enjoying my own pledging. Neither will Kai.”
Ashem looked to Kai, who nodded decisively.
He swore, but only once, which meant the Azhdahā had probably seen this coming. “Then get inside.”
Rhys reached for Kai’s hand and felt the first drop of rain land on his arm. The perfect circle of sky overhead was gone, which seemed appropriate. Cadell’s attempt on his life was a reminder that the dragons of Eryri didn’t necessarily follow him because they loved him or agreed with his politics. Ultimately, they followed him because he’d promised to prevent a war with the humans.
Apparently, some thought Deryn would do just as well. His mouth curved at one corner. Good luck to whatever scalebrain put Deryn on the throne and assumed she would be easy to control.
He and Kai walked into the cave at the base of the mountain surrounded by half the vee and most of the Invisible. His pulse—which had settled a little after the attack—picked up again at the feel of her hand in his. Ancients, what he wouldn’t do to get her alone right then, and sunder everything else.
But word of the attack would spread. He and Kai had to show the people—together—that they were not afraid.
* * *
Seren folded her hands into her sleeves, pretending a serenity she didn’t feel. She sat with Deryn, Rhys, Kai, a few Council members and the rest of Rhys’s vee at a table on a rock shelf ten feet above the rest of the room. Below, a thousand dragons laughed and ate along the shore of the subterranean lake. Everyone had taken part in the preparation, as custom dictated. Juveniles scurried here and there between tables, refilling drinks and carrying steaming trays of food.
Multihued lanterns of lightning or fire drifted above the dark water—the lake here was twice the size of the one outside—and the massive cavern echoed with the sounds of laughter, half-sung songs and the noise of eating.
But all was not well.
Oh, there was genuine celebration here, to be sure. A heartsworn king was stronger, and tradition held that his mate was good luck. News of Owain’s heartswearing, which had spread weeks earlier when Rhys brought Kavar to Eryri, had taken its toll on morale. For many reasons, tonight was good.
Earlier in the afternoon, however, a dozen more dragons had gone. How many more would disappear? Would they join the rogues, or would Rhys’s mistakes be enough to send them to Owain?
Seren left her seat by Iolani and took the empty chair next to Kai, settling her skirts and veil. Her stomach rumbled. Tradition forbade her from removing the stupid thing in public, and she couldn’t eat underneath it without looking like a fool, so she had to wait until she and Iolani returned to her rooms.
“How are you?” Seren asked, touching Kai’s arm with a gloved hand.
Kai’s eyes flicked to Rhys and her lips curved sweetly upward. “Okay, all things considered.”
“I’m glad.” Seren tried to ignore the familiar, longing ache. Presiding over pledgings was a fickle thing. It brought her joy to see people in love, but it was a kind of love she knew she’d never have.
Unbidden, her thoughts turned to laughing amethyst eyes and a voice as rich as cream. To the warmth of a touch she could only imagine. Cadoc. If he’d been here, would so many have left? The smooth-talking bard had charmed the hostility out of situations like this in the past. Well, not quite like this. But his presence wouldn’t have hurt.
“What do we do now?” Kai murmured, bringing Seren back to the present.
“Each clan will present some form of entertainment,” Rhys said in a low voice. “More people will want to see you. It will be a long night.”
Kai groaned.
“You did so well with the Council yesterday, Kai, and with the pledging. There’s no need to be nervous now,” Seren said.
Kai shook her head. “That was a fight. This is a bunch of people expecting me to be regal or something. Like it’s a story and I’m the chosen one. But I’m not chosen. I was just...there.”
Seren looked out over the room. “I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of visions, and I’ll tell you a secret: There is no ‘chosen one.’ Not ever. Destiny is in our choices, not some pattern in the stars.”
Kai smiled bleakly. “Thanks.”
Rhys stood and signaled. Silence fell over the huge hall, and dragons waiting around the edges of the crowd began a rolling beat on man-sized drums. Chairs and tables were pushed to the sides of the room. Music started, and dragons and Wingless spilled into the cleared area to dance.
Seren rose, looking for her sister. She hadn’t had a vision since she’d returned to Eryri, but something about Deryn’s behavior the other night still nagged at her. Deryn usually visited once or twice a week, but she hadn’t been to see Seren since their argument.
Deryn was nowhere to be seen.
Seren pressed her lips together and sat by Iolani again. “Do you see Princess Aderyn? She needs to be here. The people admire her. They need to see the royal family united.”
“I don’t, kaikamahine,” said the Protector in a low voice. “Aha, wait. There she is. She’s by the door that leads out into the main shaft.”
Seren pressed a hand to Iolani’s. “I need to speak with her. I’ll be right back.”
“Seren!”
Seren ignored Iolani and hurried down the stairs and along the edge of the room to Deryn, who, thank the Ancients, had been waylaid by Citlali, the Quetzal councilwoman.
“Princess Aderyn.” Seren tried to hide the fact that striding across the room so fast had left her out of breath. “Councilwoman Citlali.”
Deryn’s lip curled the way it always did when anyone used her full name, and she bounced on the balls of her feet. “I’m sorry, S—my lady. I was just telling the honored councilwoman—”
“She’s trying to leave,” Citlali hissed. “She’s being quite ridiculous.”
“I saw,” Seren replied. She tilted her head toward the interior of the room. “Where are you going? Rhys needs you here. We must appear united.”
Deryn rolled her eyes. “He does need me, that’s why I have to go. I haven’t had a minute to breathe since yesterday and this may be my only chance to get away.”
Citlali threw up her hands. “I don’t understand. First an attempt on the king’s life at his own pledging and now you’re sneaking off. I’ve had enough of secret combinations. You need to stay.”
“Seren.” Deryn leaned toward the door, her voice urgent. “I need to leave. No one will notice unless the two of you keep acting like I’m trying to
meet Kavar for a secret tryst.”
Seren shook her head. “Every dragon in Eryri is here. Whatever it is, it can wait. And aside from that, I need to speak with you.”
Deryn’s brows drew together. “Someone tried to kill Rhys tonight. Some idiot who wanted me on the throne. I can stop that from happening again. If you don’t want people to notice that I’ve gone for an hour, don’t make a scene.”
Angry voices rose above the noise. Seren turned to see Ashem and Evan arguing with Powell. Evan broke a plate over the Draig councilman’s head. When Seren turned back to her sister, Deryn was gone. “Ancients. That girl.”
Citlali nodded sympathetically. “Still, be grateful for the family you have. Trust me, they could be far worse.”
Seren glanced toward the darkened corridor. Something important was happening here, she could sense it. If Deryn wouldn’t tell her what was going on, Seren would find out herself. She’d had the juveniles on lookout for anything strange in Deryn’s room for days.
It was time to find out what they’d learned.
Chapter Nineteen
The Bard
Cadoc leaned on the staff, panting.
The woman across from him, a scarlet-eyed, dusky-skinned Naga named Rajani, stood back and regarded him. She whirled her staff, the hoop in her nose glinting. “Shall we stop?”
“No. Again.”
She planted the butt of her staff on the ground with a thud that echoed through the bare stone room. “I’ve heard rumors that you’re stupid, awenydd. Until this moment, I thought they were wrong.”
Cadoc clenched his jaw at the sound of the nickname. He pulled his glove from his mangled right hand and held it at eye level. “Do I look like a bard to you?”
Shrugging, she raised the staff. “Again, then.”
She struck.
Cadoc hefted his own weapon and blocked her first attack, using his height and strength to match her as she came at him, hit after hit. But it was impossible to win. Without a second hand, he was useless.
Rajani’s staff connected with his temple. Pain exploded in Cadoc’s head. He dropped the staff and bent over, groaning.
Rajani let out a long-suffering sigh. “There are one-handed weapons you could try.”
“The staff is my weapon. It always has been.” Frustrated, Cadoc straightened.
Rajani indicated a long-hafted, single-bladed ax balanced by a wicked-looking spike. “Try a parashu. You’re strong enough to wield it one-handed.”
He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. “I don’t know how to use one.”
She jerked her head toward a rack of weapons. “I’ll teach you.”
Cadoc shook his head, throwing down the staff. “There’s no point.”
Rajani glared. “Perhaps we should call you mūrkha, since you no longer wish to be bard.”
“It’s not about wishing.” Cadoc didn’t speak Sanskrit, but he’d heard the insult before. Mūrkha. Fool.
“You have your voice, have you not?” Rajani demanded. “You can sing. You have your dominant hand. You can write music and play some instruments at least a little. Thank the Ancients Owain didn’t know you were left-handed instead of wallowing in your bitterness.”
Cadoc barked a laugh at the Naga woman. “Cut off one of your hands. Then talk to me about gratitude.”
Music jangled in his head, discordant and cruel. And still so lovely. If he’d had both his hands, he could play that tune. Release it into someone else’s ear so it would stop torturing him.
Ophelia came into room and nodded coolly to Rajani before turning to Cadoc. “Mair wants to see you.” One corner of her mouth curved up. “We’re ready.”
Ready. This could be it. Cadoc leaned the staff against the wall and strode after her. The training room, while not at the lowest level of the caves below Mair’s home, was still located underground, about halfway between the surface and bottom, where the hot springs were.
Fear and excitement boiled in his blood. The sooner he broke the curse, the sooner he could go home, where he was supposed to be. With the people he was supposed to be with.
Emerging into the cool, pine-shaded light of the upper floor, Cadoc passed Ophelia and shoved open the door to Mair’s office. It bounced off the wall with a crash.
Mair jumped and dropped the weirdly broken gemstone Cadoc had seen her with before. “Cadoc!” She scooped the stone from her desk and dropped it into the keeping box, her carved rings glinting blue-white and red. “You came more quickly than I expected.”
Had she thought he would dawdle? “Ophelia said you’re ready.”
Mair rose. “Yes. Five of my people have volunteered to go with you. Including Ophelia. She’s studied magic in-depth, and I’m confident she’ll be able to break any warding spells set around the cache.”
Cadoc nodded. It was enough. “I’d like to leave immediately.”
She smiled, the skin around her eyes creasing. “Of course.” She signaled to Ophelia, who stood in the doorway. “Tell the others. You leave at once.”
Ophelia gave a single, sharp nod and disappeared. Cadoc went to follow.
“Wait.”
He turned back. Mair frowned. She started to speak, then hesitated.
“What is it?” The charm was almost within reach. He needed to leave.
“I was thinking,” she said, delicately. “You told me the Quetzal said that only family or heartsworn can break the curse.”
Cadoc nodded.
“Well...” Mair’s eyes clouded with tears. “You’ve always been like a son to me, bach. Truly. I thought, if you retrieved the blood charm, we could try to dissolve it in my blood. You could be free in a few days.”
Cadoc gaped. “Your blood?”
It was insane. But...might it work? He’d hardly thought of Mair as family, but if she loved him... The curse is bound in pain, in coming apart and destruction. To untether a binding that dark and that strong, you need creation and love. You need the blood of your family. The blood of your heartsworn...
He shrugged, trying to smother his idiot hope. “If you’re willing, I’d be glad to try.”
If it didn’t work, there was always his future heartsworn.
Mair beamed. “All right, then. Let’s get you on your way.”
Chapter Twenty
A Kind of Tension
Kai stumbled up the steps into the vee’s rotunda and sat stupidly. “I think I’m dead.”
It was dawn. The clans’ entertainments had lasted hours, and then there had been more food and music. Then gifts—or promises of gifts, in most cases. The ceremony had happened too fast for anyone to get together anything “appropriate” for the pledging of a king and queen.
As he had after Juli and Ashem’s ceremony, Evan swept Deryn up and carried her past Kai, bride-style. Deryn gave no more than a sleepy protest.
“Sleep well, fy frenhines,” Evan said, managing to touch the first two fingers of his left hand to his forehead in the same salute she’d seen people give Rhys.
Juli prodded Kai with a toe. “Get up. You’re almost there. Ashem can carry you, if you want.”
“Gross.” Kai struggled to her feet.
Juli laughed, and Kai saw her surreptitiously slide her hand into Ashem’s. “See? It wasn’t as bad as you thought.” She and Ashem slipped away toward their own door.
Ffion had gone to bed hours ago. By now, she’d be awake again and in her spot outside Rhys’s caves. Which was probably a good thing, since Jiang had stayed with Kai through feast and dancing and everything else and looked like she desperately needed sleep.
Kai blinked blearily at the two dragons standing guard at the foot of the stairs. This was, as far as Kai knew, the only way to get to Rhys and Deryn’s rooms from inside the mountain. She wonder
ed if the guards had always been there, or if they were there because of her.
She watched Rhys greet the man and woman on duty, then climb the stairs. He stopped next to her and wordlessly offered his arm. Kai took it, leaning on him all the way through the rotunda, up the next flight of stairs and into his—their—rooms. Outside of her bedroom door, he leaned against the wall. “You did well.”
Kai licked her lips. Did he want to come in? Or kiss her? Or...something? “I didn’t trip or spill food on myself.”
He gave her a hint of his heart-stopping smile. His eyes lingered on her face, and he brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Perhaps all isn’t lost.”
Kai dropped her eyes, pretending to study her dress. Seeing it, she realized there would be no getting her hair undone or escaping the intimidating swath of fabric by herself. “Um. Do you think you could help me?”
“With...?”
“With getting out of this.” She gestured at herself.
“I can.”
The dress hadn’t felt too tight to breathe a second ago. But Rhys hadn’t been looking at her like that a second ago, either.
“Okay. Great! Um. I’m going to take off this jewelry and get some pajamas and I’ll just be a second, okay? Okay. Thanks. ‘Bye.” She darted into her room, whole body jittering. Damn it. How many times had she said “okay”? Don’t dwell on it, you’ll only act like a bigger bimbo than you already are. Kai pulled off the armbands, rings, necklaces, bracelets and circlet and set them carefully on her bedside table. She didn’t know who they belonged to, but they had to be worth a lot.
She kept Rhys’s necklace on, though. Now would be as good a time as ever to give it back. She grabbed a pair of pajamas and poked her head into the hall. Rhys wasn’t there, so she knocked on his door.
He opened it, and all the blood left Kai’s head in a rush.
“Um. Hi.”
He was bare-chested, wearing only loose, dark pants that sat low on his hips. The crimson scales of his indicium gleamed against his skin, rippling along the muscles of his chest and stomach. She’d seen him without a shirt before. He’d been shirtless after the phone call debacle. But it had been a long time since she’d been able to appreciate his shirtlessness.
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