by Kiera Cass
Dedication
For Tara, who has been listening to my young adult stories since we were actual young adults. My Sunshine, there are too many inside jokes to insert, so just write your favorite one in the space below:
Ha ha! Oh my goodness, same!
Map
From the
CHRONICLES OF COROAN HISTORY,
BOOK I
And so, Coroans, preserve the law,
For if we undo one, we undo them all.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Map
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
About the Author
Books by Kiera Cass
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Copyright
About the Publisher
One
AS THE CARRIAGE ROLLED ON, I looked over my shoulder out the tiny rear window, as if someone might be coming after me. I reminded myself the notion was ridiculous; there wasn’t anyone left in Coroa to follow me. Not anymore.
Silas—my husband—was dead, as were my parents. I still had a few friends at court, but they were far more loyal to King Jameson, and that would be especially true in the wake of me jilting him the very night he planned to propose. As for Jameson himself . . . at least it seemed I had his forgiveness for running away with a commoner—a foreign commoner, no less. Even so, Delia Grace had taken my place by the king’s side, and I didn’t want it back.
That was everyone. The only other people I cared about were in the carriage beside me. Still, I looked.
“I spent the majority of my adult life doing the exact same thing,” my mother-in-law, Lady Eastoffe, commented, placing a hand on my lap. Across from us, my sister-in-law, Scarlet, slept on the other bench. Even in sleep, there was something about her posture that said she was ready to wake in a split second, a demeanor she’d adopted since the attack.
Just out the side window, Etan, proud and irritating on his horse, kept watch. He surveyed the thin mist, and I could tell by the way he kept tilting his head that he was listening for signs of danger.
“Hopefully after this trip, we can all stop looking behind us,” I commented.
Lady Eastoffe—no, she was my mother now—nodded, looking solemnly at Scarlet. “Hopefully, once we reach the Northcotts, we’ll find a way to confront King Quinten. After that, everything will be settled . . . one way or another.”
I swallowed, reflecting on the finality of those words. One day, we would either walk out of King Quinten’s palace victorious, or we’d never walk out.
Studying my new mother, it was still shocking to know she’d willingly walked into a marriage that tied her so closely to such a wicked king. But, then again, I’d unwittingly done the same.
The Eastoffes were descendants of Jedreck the Great, the first in the long-running line of kings on the Isolten throne. Isolte’s current ruler, King Quinten, was descended from the first son of Jedreck, but not his first child. The Eastoffes were descendants of Jedreck’s third son. Only dear old Etan—a Northcott—could boast a lineage dating back to Jedreck’s firstborn child, a daughter who had been passed over in favor of a boy.
Whatever the history, Quinten saw all Eastoffes and Northcotts as threats to his reign, which was coming to a swift close unless his son suddenly took a turn to better health.
I didn’t understand it.
I didn’t understand why he seemed intent on driving away—no, murdering—men who held royal blood. Prince Hadrian was not exactly the stoutest of souls, and when King Quinten himself died, as all mortals do, someone would have to take the throne. It made no sense to me that he was killing off everyone with a legitimate claim to it.
Silas included.
So, here we were, determined to ensure that the ones we lost didn’t die in vain and painfully aware of how likely we were to fail in the process.
“Who goes there?” We heard the barking call over the squeaking of the wheels. Instantly, the carriage pulled to a stop. Scarlet was immediately upright, her hand pulling out of her skirts a small knife I didn’t know she’d been hiding.
“Soldiers,” Etan murmured. “Isolten.” Then louder, he called: “Good afternoon. I am Etan Northcott, a soldier in His Majesty’s—”
“Northcott? That you?”
I watched as Etan’s face softened, his eyes squinting. He was suddenly much more at ease.
“Colvin?” he called back. There was no answer, so I took it to the affirmative. “I’m escorting my family back home from Coroa. By now you will have heard about my uncle. I’m bringing his widow and daughters home.”
There was a pause, hinting at the confusion this created, when the soldier started speaking again.
“Widow? Surely you don’t mean Lord Eastoffe is dead?”
Etan’s horse bucked beneath him, but he steadied him quickly. “Indeed. And his sons. I was charged by my father to bring the rest of the family back to safety.”
There was an uncomfortable silence.
“Our condolences to your family. We will let you through, but we must do a security check. Protocol.”
“Yes, of course,” Etan agreed. “I understand.”
The soldier approached to examine our carriage while another walked around the outside, looking beneath the frame. By his voice, I recognized that the one looking in on us was the one Etan had been speaking with. “My Lady Eastoffe,” he said, tipping his head toward Mother. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“We thank you for your concern. And for your service,” she replied.
“You ladies are lucky to have been met by the best regiment in Isolte,” he said, puffing his chest. “This road is usually crawling with Coroans. They set fire to a border village not two weeks ago. If they’d come upon you, I don’t know what would have happened.”
I swallowed, looking down, then turned my eyes back to the soldier. The connection of an additional lady in the Eastoffe family and the direction we were coming from all came together for him in an instant. He squinted at me and then looked back to Etan for confirmation.
“My cousin Silas’s widow,” he explained.
The soldier shook his head. “Can’t believe Silas is gone . . . or that he married,” he added, looking back at me. In his head, he seemed to be amending his thoughts, tacking on that what he really couldn’t believe was that he’d married a Coroan.
Not many people could.
His eyes shifted from slightly judgmental to entertained. “Can’t blame you for wanting to get out of there,” he said to me, lifting his chin to the road behind us. “I don’t keep up with much going on in Coroa, but it’s impossible not to hear how your king has all but gone mad.”
“Really?” Etan asked. “It’s not as if he was that sane in the first place.”
The soldier laughed. “Agreed. But apparently
some girl rejected him, and he’s been erratic ever since. Rumors are he’s taken an axe to one of his best boats, right there on the river where anyone could see. We’ve heard that he’s got someone new but isn’t faithful to her in any sense of the word. Heard he set his castle on fire a few weeks ago, too.”
“I’ve been to Keresken,” Etan said flatly. “A fire could only improve it.”
It took everything in me to bite my tongue. Not even at his worst would Jameson want to destroy the pinnacle of Coroan craftsmanship that was Keresken Castle.
The only rumor that might pain me if true was the thought of Jameson seeing other girls behind Delia Grace’s back. I hated the idea of her thinking she’d finally gotten what she wanted and being so very wrong.
The soldier barked a laugh at Etan’s quick wit, then became serious. “With how unpredictable he’s been, there’s talk of a possible invasion. That’s why we have to check the carriages, even with those we trust. Seems Crazy King Jameson could do anything at this point.”
I could feel myself blushing and hated it. None of this was true, of course. Jameson wasn’t crazy or planning an invasion or anything of the sort . . . but the look of suspicion on that man’s face told me to keep my thoughts to myself.
Mother placed a comforting hand on my knee and spoke out the window to the guard. “Well, we certainly understand and thank you again for your thoroughness. And I will make sure to say special prayers for all of you once we’re safely home.”
“It’s clear,” the other soldier called from the opposite side of the carriage.
“Of course it is,” he replied loudly. “It’s the Eastoffes, you nit.” He shook his head, then backed away from the carriage. “Move the barricades!” he called to the others. “Let them through. Stay safe out there, Northcott.”
Etan nodded to him, keeping his thoughts to himself for once.
As we came upon the border, I could see dozens of men outside the window. Some saluted, showing their respect, while others simply gawked. I feared that maybe one of them would connect me to the girl who had allegedly driven her king to madness, that they’d demand that I get out of the carriage and go back to him.
No one did.
I’d walked into this journey willingly. More than that, I’d chased it down. But that one incident made me aware that I wasn’t just crossing a border; I was stepping into a different world.
“It should be smooth sailing to the manor,” Etan said when we were clear of the crowd.
Scarlet placed the knife that she’d kept tucked under her demure little hands beneath the folds of her skirts again. I shook my head; what exactly had she planned to do with that anyway? Mother reached over and wrapped an arm around me. “One obstacle down, countless more to go,” she joked.
And, for what it was worth, I laughed.
Two
IT TOOK THE BETTER PART of the day moving at a much faster pace than we had previously taken to make it to the Northcotts’ manor. I knew we were getting close when Scarlet started paying attention to things outside the carriage and almost smiling, as if the area brought back happy memories.
The transformation of the climate and terrain happened quickly, as if acting by some unseen trigger. There were many rolling fields, the wind making the tall grass dance before us. We passed several rows of windmills that were taking advantage of the never-ending source of power that blew across the roads and up into the carriage. And then there were interesting little pockets of forests, with trees growing in small patches, as if they were huddling together in one place to keep warm.
Finally, the driver turned, leading the carriage between two rows of tall trees that lined a drive and led up to the front of a manor. Spotlights of sun filtered through the branches, making even the plainest objects sparkle. The way the stones that lined the drive had been worn round, the way the ivy climbed to the very top of the sides of the house, told me what I already knew: this family had been here forever.
Mother had been lost in thought the majority of the ride, but she finally let a glimmer of a smile reach her lips. As we neared the house, she poked her head out of the side window in the most unladylike fashion, waving with a fresh level of enthusiasm.
“Jovana!” she called, bounding down from the carriage as soon as we had come to a stop.
“Oh, Whitley, I’ve been so worried! How was the trip? Were the roads bad? Scarlet! I’m so happy to see you!” Jovana gushed upon seeing her niece, not waiting for answers to her questions.
“We have an unexpected guest,” Etan informed his parents, his tone communicating his continued disapproval.
Raised to be a gentleman, he still lifted up a hand to help me out of the carriage. Raised to be a lady, I took it.
“Lady Hollis?” Lord Northcott asked, surprised.
“Oh, Lady Hollis! You poor thing!” Lady Northcott rushed to embrace me. “I can’t believe you came all this way. Did you have nowhere else to go?”
“She’s the mistress of her own estate now,” Etan shared. “She has a very comfortable manor; I’ve seen it myself.”
“But it’s lacking a family,” I added quietly. “I had to be with my family.”
“How brave,” Lady Northcott commented, running her hand down my cheek. “Of course you are always welcome at Pearfield. Now, what you need is some rest. You are most welcome—and safe—here.”
Etan rolled his eyes, spilling the truth with a single motion: we weren’t really safe anywhere.
Lord Northcott walked over and took Scarlet’s hand. “We’ve prepared the room overlooking the forest for you. And Lady Hollis, you—”
“Just Hollis. Please.”
He smiled. “Certainly. We’ll have fresh linens brought into the room right across the hall. Such a wonderful surprise.”
Etan huffed.
His mother elbowed him.
I just let it all go.
“Let’s get you settled in,” Lady Northcott insisted. “I’m sure it’s been quite the journey.”
We were led upstairs to a branch of the house with four rooms, two on either side of the hallway. Mother was taken to another wing, presumably to have some peace, while Scarlet and I were left with Etan, whose renewed frustration was instantly clearer. Not only was I staying under his roof, I was in the room beside his. He glared at me before walking into it and shutting his door with so much force I felt it in my bones.
My room overlooked the front of the estate, showing the sweeping plains that welcomed guests to the Northcotts’ home. There was no denying it made an impressive statement. If I wasn’t so obviously out of place, it could almost remind me of home.
I peeked back into Scarlet’s room and saw that she had gotten a view of the back stretch of the property. Most interesting to me was the line of dense trees to the one side that had an unmistakable gap where a well-worn path carved its way to the back of the house from the forest.
I left the door to my room open so I could listen to Scarlet across the hall. Her door was open as well, and I could hear her putting things away and moving furniture.
Scarlet had her own sounds. I knew her footsteps and breaths as I knew no one else’s. Perhaps I could pick Delia Grace’s determined march out of a crowd of others, but it was nothing like how I knew Scarlet now. Maybe it was a few weeks of sharing a bed, but she was a kind of home for me, a safe place. If I hadn’t thought that she needed some space for herself right now, I’d have asked to stay with her.
Lady Northcott appeared in my doorway, a pile of gowns in her hand. “I hope I’m not disturbing you,” she said, holding up the dresses. “I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t bring much in the way of clothes. I thought maybe we could recut some of these. I fear that eventually we’ll have to go to court, and I thought it might make you more comfortable if you had . . . not that there’s anything wrong with your clothes! It’s just . . . oh dear.”
I walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder. “This is very thoughtful. Thank you. I happen to be handy with a
needle, and it will do me good to have something to focus on.”
She let out a sigh that spoke of a lifetime of sadness. “We’ve lost so many over the years, and I still never know what to say to those left behind.”
I shook my head. “I’ve never gone through anything like this. . . . Does it get any easier?”
She pressed her lips together in a tight, sad smile. “I wish I could tell you yes.” She rebalanced the dresses in her hands. “There’s good light in the drawing room. Do you want to come with me?”
I nodded.
“Very good. Let me just go get Scarlet and Etan. It’s been too long since we’ve all been in the same room.”
Annoyed, I followed her into the hallway.
The air in the room was unmistakably tense. Etan was on the prowl, scowling and shooting glances at the door like he was waiting for an appropriate time to run. Scarlet, too, was clearly counting the moments until she could escape, and Mother was speaking to Lord Northcott in hushed tones, making plans they weren’t quite ready to share.
“Those two have always been plotters,” Lady Northcott said, noting my stare.
“Plotters? What are they working on?” I kept looking between her and them. She was struggling to get a thread into the eye of the needle, and I watched as she adorably stuck her tongue out a bit as she focused. “Here,” I offered. “I’ll thread, you can pin.”
I glanced up to see Etan walking behind her, glowering as he watched us. My hands weren’t nearly as steady when he looked at me like that. His eyes landed on the ring on my right hand, the one that Mother had given me. It had belonged to Jedreck, and it had been passed down through the Eastoffe family over the generations.
He didn’t think I should have it, and, for that matter, neither did I. But I wore it with love. Receiving that ring had saved her life and mine.
“Thank you, dear girl. Oh, they’re working on the same thing they’re always working on. They—”
“Mother . . .” Etan looked between her and me hesitantly. “Are you sure you should be telling her this?”
She sighed. “My darling boy, she’s in the thick of it now. I don’t think we can keep her in the dark.”