by Amy Miles
I yanked out of her grasp and rounded on her. “Since when do you give a rat’s arse about my mother?”
Taryn glanced behind her. All eyes were on us. Devlin, Tris, and the human, Seamus, that she housed were among the onlookers.
“Bloody hell. There’s more of them!”
“Aye. Now pipe down before you get Seamus and Devlin in trouble.” Another tug pulled me into a small side room better fit for brooms and mops rather than a conversation with a prince. Crossing my arms over my chest as she closed the door, I glared at her.
“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
She nodded. “And I will tell ya all I know, but ya ’ave to promise ya won’t get angry.”
“It’s a bit late for that.” I needed to move, but this blasted coat closet wasn’t more than a couple metres wide.
Taryn sighed. “Fine. The truth of it is I didn’t know about Seamus and Tris. At least, not at first. When Devlin spoke about Seamus bein’ sick, I thought that meant Tris was takin’ the herbs back to him.”
I turned and leaned against a row of wooden shelves, gripping them tight enough to make my fingers turn white. “As would have been my assumption. Tris isn’t the sort to act so rashly, is she?”
Taryn snorted behind me. “She’s not me, Aed. If she brought Seamus through the veil, it was for a good reason.”
“No reason is good enough for that,” I snapped back. “Don’t you get it? If my parents find either of the humans…” I chose not to finish that statement. I knew it would only upset Taryn.
“I know what will ’appen to them, Aed. Your da tried to behead me, remember? That’s why they ’ave to come with us. They won’t ’ave you to save their necks.”
“To come with us where?” I turned to face her again. “What is all this? Why are the king’s guards preparing for battle? My father would never part with them unless…” I trailed off.
Countless scenarios raced through my head, but none of them made any sense. My father hated Taryn and made no qualms about letting the entire kingdom know it. And my mother would never stoop so low as to barter with Taryn...unless there was something she really wanted.
“Of course.” I closed my eyes in resignation. “What did you promise her?”
“Excuse me?”
I shook my head as I opened my eyes to look at Taryn. She had never played me for a fool before. Her words were always true and reliable. I could trust her to tell me the truth, even when it struck like a heated blade.
“What did you promise my mother?” I repeated, needing to hear her confess her sins.
“I…” She couldn’t seem to meet my gaze, but she didn’t have to. Guilt already stained her as crimson as my mother’s hair. “I had no other choice.”
“Blast it all,” I raged. It had been coming on for ages. The hopelessness, anger, and frustration over having my strings pulled like a bloody marionette. I was sick and tired of other people controlling my life. And now, the one person I trusted not to do that very thing, had done it to me. The hurt was deeper than I would have imagined. “I trusted you. We made a pact, remember? No matter what, we would stick together.”
“I know,” she whispered.
I wanted to hit something. I needed to watch something break. But her next words stopped me from grabbing a broom and hurtling it at the door.
“I didn’t do it for me. It’s all for you.”
My hands shook at my sides. “For me?”
“Aye.” When she stepped closer to me, I noticed the moisture on her lashes and felt a pang of regret for having made her cry. “And for Alana.”
I sucked in a breath. “Alana?”
Taryn pressed her hand to my chest. I wondered if she could feel the broken pieces of my heart through her palm. They were so bloody sharp it hurt to breathe. Just the mention of Alana’s name brought instant pain.
“So, my mother told you about her...ailment?” I whispered.
“Alana did, actually.”
My eyes jerked up to meet hers, and I found a small smile on her lips.
“Oh, come on, Aed. Ya canna expect a few guards to stop me from talkin’ to her.”
I laughed. It was a hollow sound, but a laugh nonetheless. “No one could stop you when you’ve got a mind to do something.”
She patted my chest, no doubt implying that meant me as well. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her into my embrace.
“You’re trying to save her, aren’t you?” I whispered against her hair.
“Tryin’, aye. Only the fates will know if I will succeed.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this afraid before, or this weak,” I admitted. “Hearing that Alana is going to vanish…it wounded me far deeper than any blade or lorcan poison. I realised there are things even a prince can’t undo.”
Taryn pressed her cheek to my chest and held me. “I know how much you want to save her, Aed, but your plan to return her to Eimear canna work. Even if there were no hiccups along our way, there isn’t enough time. Alana would fade away long before the boat brushed along the Isle’s shore.”
“I know.” I blew out a breath. “But I had to try something. I couldn’t just… I couldn’t sit with my hands useless under my arse while she died.”
“Too right.” She pushed back and looked up at me with her beautiful teal eyes. They were no longer brimming with tears, but with a hope I needed to cling to. “That’s why I found another way.”
My fingers flinched against her back as trepidation slammed in to take the joy of that hope. I knew by the tension twisting like a coil within her that I wasn’t going to like what she’d come up with. Not one little bit.
“We make for Cathal,” she said.
I was right.
“No, Taryn. You can’t even think it. The Wall, the lorcan…no.” I pushed her back a few steps. “You will never make it. There are too many lorcan between here and there. Not to mention Cathal is riddled with the lorcan who posed the greatest threat to our lands. Not even the reapers wanted to escort them. That’s why they were taken by boat instead of land. Taryn, this is a suicide mission.”
“I’m touched that ya care so much, Aed.” She smiled. “But I’m not askin’ your permission.”
There was that damnable rebellious glint in her eye I so loved to hate. “I forbid it.”
She laughed. “I thought ya might be sayin’ that. Which is why I went to a higher authority.”
I reached out and seized Taryn by the arm. “Whatever my mother promised you, you know she lied. She has no intention of following through on them.”
“Aye, I do know that. Under normal circumstances, that is. This time, I found somethin’ she cares more about than double-crossin’ me. You,” she said. “Which is why ya won’t be joinin’ us.”
My eyes widened. “Like hell I won’t. Those are my men out there. They are under my command.”
“No.” Her vehement denial stopped me in my tracks as I headed for the door. “Those men belong to the queen and they ’ave been given strict orders to obey only me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Oh, Taryn. Do you know nothing about loyalty?”
“I do.” She shoved into my face and jabbed me in the chest. “Which is exactly why you are goin’ out there to tell them ya give your blessin’ on my little adventure.”
“Like hell I will.”
Taryn set her jaw with determination. She planted her hands on her hips and faced off with me. It was a battle of wills I wasn’t sure either of us stood a chance at.
“If you want Alana to live, you’ll do as I say,” she demanded.
“Taryn, you need me with you,” I protested, but she held her hand up to silence me. I obeyed, but not without a few curses uttered under my breath first.
“This isn’t about you or your damn pride,” she snapped at me. “I get that ya want to be the hero, to save the lass and feel like ya did somethin’ worthwhile, but ya ’ave to stay here. To cover for us. If you go off halfcocked and g
et us found out, what do ya think will ’appen? The king will only send his men after us. People will die, both ours and his. We canna draw attention to ourselves and that’s exactly what we’ll have if you’re with us.”
“So, you expect me to stay behind and smile like nothing happened?”
“Aye. That’s exactly what I expect.” She reached up and pressed her hand to my cheek. “I know it’s not easy. Just as me playin’ the charade for you these past months has been hard for me. Savin’ Alana isn’t somethin’ I need to do for me. It’s for you too, Aed. Ya do what ya must for the people ya love.”
I blinked. “Did you just say you love me?”
Taryn laughed. “You can be so thick-headed when ya want to be. Of course I do, Aed. But not like ya deserve. I care about ya and I want the best for ya.” She frowned and looked away. “Which is why tonight I will denounce any attachment to ya at the king’s party.”
“You can’t! Your family—”
“Will still fall under your protection as long as you are here.” She tapped my cheek. “I’m no fool. I know your ma won’t hold up her end of the bargain to keep them safe in my absence. Not even when I’m givin’ her exactly what she wants.”
I looked long and hard at her. “There’s something else, isn’t there? My mother wouldn’t agree to give you men only for your agreement to walk away from me. She already believed she could attain that on her own.”
“Aye.” She sighed and lowered her hand, taking mine in hers. “I had to agree to try to talk you into marryin’ Hadley.”
And that was when I exploded. If the walls had not been made of stone, I dare say they would have shaken. I knew this was exactly the outcome my mother had been vying for, but how could Taryn agree to it? She knew I despised all Hadley stood for. That this would be giving my parents the leverage over me they wanted most. I couldn’t understand her reasoning when she’d fought for so long against this very thing.
“Never. I won’t agree to such a distasteful union. That would be… It would…” I was at a loss for words, too stricken at the thought of being forced into such a marriage. At least with Taryn, I would have had a partner, someone I could trust and respect. A friend I could grow old with, but Hadley…there was no way I would agree to it.
“It would give Alana the chance she needs to escape,” Taryn said in a soft voice. “You love her, Aed. As do I, in my own brief way. She is Devlin’s kin. A girl with the biggest, kindest heart I know. We canna wrong her by takin’ away whatever chance she has to live.”
“But Hadley?”
“I know.” She nodded. “I told your mother as much, but she wouldn’t hear reason. She and the king believe she’s the best bride for you.”
I didn’t bother suppressing a shudder. Though the girl was fine in figure and pleasing to the eye, but the thought of taking her to my bed instead of Alana was soul-crushing. I slumped back against the wall. Alana’s fate depended on this one decision.
“I have no choice, do I?”
Taryn smiled. “Aye, ya do.”
“How do you figure?”
“I only agreed to try to convince ya to marry that witch. Which you can agree I did, but I never agreed I wouldn’t come up with another plan to get ya out of this mess.”
Wiggling her finger towards me, she beckoned to me to listen to a delightfully twisted plan that only she could come up with. The more she spoke, the wider my grin grew.
“Aye.” I nodded with vigor. “I’ll go tell my mother at once that I consent to the marriage. She’ll have quite the surprise during the royal announcement. Oh, Taryn, you are wise beyond your years.”
Taryn grinned, squeezing my hand one last time before she let go and stepped away.
“Oh, and, Aed?” she called when I reached for the doorknob. “Try not to get into trouble while I’m gone. I know how much ya love causin’ a spectacle.”
I grinned back, feeling lighter than I had in quite some time. “No promises.”
Chapter 22
Alana
It had been a long day since Taryn and Devlin left my balcony window. No word had been sent. No news of how I was to be saved from this nightmare. Each day, more and more of me was slipping away. Now my entire left hand was gone. I could still use it, though. I could pick things up and it looked like they were floating. I knew there was some level of mass there, which gave me hope that whatever I had might be reversible. I was trying hard not to allow myself to sink into despair. The solitude and the transformation of my body was making it harder and harder to avoid.
All day long, there had been a buzz around the house. Not that I was allowed out of my room. But I had pressed my ear to the door. From that I picked up enough to know there was going to be a statement from the royals this evening. Something big had happened.
I tried to get some more information out of the kitchen maid who brought my bath water, but she wouldn’t say a word. She was likely forbidden to speak to me. Given the sheer size of the guards outside my door, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to hold her tongue. Still, it was infuriating not knowing what was going on. Did Taryn or Devlin have something to do with this? Had they been caught?
From my window, I could see people setting up a staging area. It was shaped like a U in front of the manor gates. Already, the townspeople had begun to gather to watch the men work, but also to get their place in line. Whatever it was, this news was big. Please let my brother and Taryn be okay.
Just then, the guards came in. Their giant ax-like swords lowered across their chest in a menacing way.
“Get moving,” the one on the right said.
“Where are we going?”
“The queen wants you to see something. Now, move,” was his only reply.
Not wanting to test his use of that sword, I left my room and allowed myself to be herded outside. All around me, several people were making their way outside as well, from those who lived in the house right down to the staff. Everyone was being directed to the stage.
I knew better than to ask the guards what was going on, so instead, I listened to the whispers of the crowd. From what I overheard, the prince was about to finally announce his future princess. Despite all effort not to, my heart pinched with jealousy. While I knew Prince Aed had to choose Taryn to save her life, the unfairness of the situation caused my stomach to lurch. I chided myself for being ridiculous. Even if the prince didn’t have to marry Taryn, why did I think he would have chosen me? A human spirit not meant for this world? That’s when it dawned on me. That’s why I was being ushered into the crowd. The king and queen wanted me to see with my own eyes how stupid I had been. It was clear that was their intent when I saw the queen smirk at me from her chair on high. This was to be a public humiliation.
The guards shoved me into a spot near the front where the queen could keep her eye on me as the crowd swelled around me. I scanned the platform, looking for Taryn, but only the royal family was there. I forced a smile on my face. I was determined to be happy for Taryn even if it meant she was taking my heart with her. I tried to reason with myself. After all, I didn’t hold any claim on him. Aed had never been mine. Sure, we had shared a few wonderful moments together, but I was human, or what was left of being human, and he was not. By week’s end, I could very likely cease to even exist on any level. If that happened, he wouldn’t even remember me. In the end, maybe that would be for the best? I wasn’t sure I could endure eternity in the Isle of Glass knowing I could never see Aed again. Taryn told me my memories of my life on Earth would fade once I reached the Isle of Glass, but what about the memories I’d collected in Netherworld? Would they remain with me? Torturing me for all time?
Out of the crowd, I heard my name being shouted in the crowd.
“Alana!”
Bodies near me started to step aside as a mop of curly hair came my way.
“Devlin!” I tried to move forward to pull him into a hug, but the guards lowered their axes in front of me.
He seemed quite put off by thei
r refusal but no less determined.
“I’m so glad I found you. I wasn’t sure if we’d see each other again before we left.”
Cocking my head to the side, I blinked at him. “You’re leaving me?”
“Taryn hasn’t told you the plan yet?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No. I have no idea what’s going on,” I confessed, though I was grateful a plan was in motion.
Devlin lowered his voice so I could barely hear him over the hum of the waiting crowds.
“After the announcement, we’ve been granted leave to bring you over the Wall to Cathal. There is a closer port there that we can get you passage on. It will save us several days of travel.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” I said but stopped myself. “But why wasn’t that option considered first?”
Devlin’s eyes lowered a moment. I knew that look well. It meant he didn’t want to tell me something.
“What’s wrong with Cathal Port?” I asked.
He scratched at the back of his neck. Something he only did when he was nervous.
Oh, this is going to be bad.
“Isn’t the safest port. We have to go over the Wall to access it.”
“Oh.” I knew exactly what sort of danger lurked now. Living next to the Wall these last few months, I’d been privy to lots of horror stories from our side. I couldn’t imagine the things that went on beyond it.
There was no time for me to react to that horrific tidbit because at that moment, a horn blared. The king had stood. The announcement was about to occur.
The queen sat up higher as Prince Aed joined them on the platform. My heart leapt at the sight of him. He was dressed in regal black. The lines of the suit lay snug against his chest. My fingers ached to rest upon his strong form again.
A moment later, the other two girls that were vying for princess came onto the stage one at a time. Each of them dressed in elegant ball gown. I looked down at my own tattered gown I’d arrived in. Betha’s gown had been stripped from me the moment they locked me up. Compared to those women, I looked like a common street rat, which was what the queen wanted. I waited for Taryn to appear last, as she was going to be his choice, but she never emerged.