I hardly blink as I watch every movement of every guard, seeking any sign of my sister.
Foxglove gasps, then points toward the beach. “The cave. Look.”
I watch as the rolling waves pull away from the shore, revealing movement at the mouth of the only visible cave. A guard pulls himself from the opening just as another wave crashes into him. He holds his ground until the water pulls away, then he reaches into the opening. His arms wrap around something that he hoists forward, a blur of white and blue. Another figure emerges from the entrance, pushing the bulk of their burden to the shore. Once the two guards are free from the cave, several more follow, all dripping seawater.
The first two guards reach for the bundle they’d pulled ashore. One lifts a set of pale arms. The other hoists up her legs. A third spreads a thin, blue fabric—what remains of a tattered dress—over her body like a shroud, covering even her face. What I can see of her hair looks nothing more than a mass of dark tangles, heavy with water and kelp. Still, I know it’s her.
It’s my sister.
She’s dead.
My scream splits the air.
Chapter Twenty
My feet fly beneath me as I tear across the dining room floor and down the stairs. I follow twists and turns, descending more stairs, taking any path that seems to lead me farther down in the palace. Shouts of caution follow me, but I ignore them. Ignore Cobalt as he takes hold of my arm and tries to make me stop.
I shake my arm from his grasp. “Let me go!”
He obeys but sticks close to my side as I take off running again. “My brother won’t let you down there. As soon as he sees you, he’ll lock you in your room again.”
“I have to see her. I have to see my sister.”
“There’s nothing to see, Evelyn.”
A fiery rage boils my veins, and I round on him. “Nothing to see? That was her body they pulled from the caves! How is that nothing to see?”
He opens and closes his mouth a few times. “It’s just…why would you want to see that up close? You know she’s…dead, right?”
His words drain the fight from me. The blood leaves my face, sending a wave of dizziness through my skull. I collapse to my knees, head hanging as tears obscure my vision. It’s not that I didn’t already know, but hearing him say it shatters all that remains of my feeble hope. “No. This can’t be. She can’t be gone.”
Cobalt crouches next to me and places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Evelyn.”
“Did he do it?” My voice comes out small. “Did Aspen have her killed when she was found? Or did she drown?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. He’s capable of anything, and if he finds you here, he’ll have you sent back to your room. Or worse.”
I wipe the tears from my cheeks and force myself to my feet, willing my mind to push emotion aside and find logic instead. I steady my expression beneath my surgeon’s calm. “I still need to see her.” At the horrified look on Cobalt’s face, I add, “It’s a human thing. We identify our dead.”
“You know my brother won’t let you see her right now. In fact, we need to get you higher in the palace before he—”
Footsteps sound down the hall, and before I can so much as think, Aspen rounds the corner, followed by a retinue of guards. He freezes when he sees me and Cobalt. “What is she doing here?”
With a deep breath, I square my shoulders and face him. “Where is she? My sister? What did you do with her body?”
A flash of surprise crosses his face. “You know about the body?”
“I saw her.”
He takes a few steps toward me. “Did you, now?”
“I have a right to identify her body. Take me to her.”
“You said you already saw her. Does that not qualify as identifying her?”
I stumble to find my reply. “It’s—no, I—”
He turns to his guards, motions at a pair to his left. “Take her back to her room and make sure she stays inside this time. The Council of Eleven Courts will be here any moment.”
The two guards surge forward, but I don’t balk or argue or run. I simply burn Aspen with a hateful glare, then turn on my heel and begin walking in the opposite direction. I pay the guards no heed when they catch up.
“Don’t touch her,” Cobalt barks, when one tries to grab hold of me. “You may follow my brother’s orders and accompany us, but I’ll be walking her back to her room.” Cobalt puts a hand on my lower back, his touch a steady guide as we make our way through the halls.
Only when I’m alone in my room do I let myself fall apart.
* * *
A day passes, then a night. I don’t sleep and I don’t receive any visitors. I refuse the trays of food the guards push inside my door, letting the uneaten plates pile up on the floor. When morning breaks, my well of tears is fully dry and my sensible side tugs me back to reality.
My sister is gone. Dead. And there’s nothing I can do to bring her back.
I’m tired.
I need to eat.
With shuffling feet, I cross the floor from the bed to the door, where the leftover food remains untouched. On my way, I find my dagger, lying useless on the floor where it landed after Aspen kicked it away. I retrieve it, then investigate the plates of food, finding a roll of bread as the only appetizing feature. I bite into it, not even caring that I haven’t salted it. Luckily, the bread appears harmless, as it does nothing more than slightly quell the aching hunger in my stomach.
A knock sounds on my door, making me jump. Lorelei peeks inside, then enters, closing the door behind her. She meets my eyes with a look of apology. “Are you all right?”
I puzzle over the question before I answer. “I guess so,” I lie. In truth, I’m not even close to all right. But she probably knows that.
“You are requested at breakfast,” she says.
I set down the bread roll. “Just like that, my appetite is gone.”
“I’m so sorry. I know the king is the last person you want to see right now, but his temper has calmed regarding you. By now he must realize you had nothing to do with your sister’s disappearance.”
“Yes, but how do I know he had nothing to do with it?” I mutter.
“He couldn’t have wanted things to turn out the way they did,” Lorelei says. “After every Reaping, the hosting court of the Chosen is put under deep scrutiny. The month leading up to the wedding that secures the treaty is a precarious time. Whatever happens between the hosting court and the Chosen is the difference between peace and war. You must see these mishaps have done nothing to benefit the king. They only make the council question his competence as a ruler. He could lose his throne if they find him unfit. Do you think he wants that?”
“Perhaps that’s for the best.”
Lorelei bites her lip before replying. “You know, he isn’t so bad as you think he is.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Amelie said the same thing. And she’s now dead.”
“Fair enough,” she says with a sigh. “I can’t sway your opinion, especially when your loss is so raw. I, more than anyone, can understand that. But you must go to breakfast. Follow his summons. For now.”
I meet her eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
She shrugs. “The council left at first light. That means they came to some conclusion about the treaty. For all you know, what happened with your sister could have broken it. Aspen could have been forced to step down. You might even be sent home.”
Sent home. Relief washes over me, then terror. How can I return home without Amelie? How can I face my mother and tell her what happened? Something else tickles at my mind. “Wait. If the treaty is broken, wouldn’t that mean war?”
She nods solemnly. “Yes.”
I’m struck with a sudden resolve to know the truth. If there is to be war, I don’t want to linger here any longer than necessary. Beyond that…I don’t even want to think about it. “Fine, I’ll go.”
* * *
Once I’m bathed
and dressed, Lorelei leads me to breakfast. I’m surprised to find it held in a smaller dining room, one I’ve never been to before. Whatever the reasoning for the change, I’m grateful for it. I don’t think I could look at that open expanse in the formal dining room without remembering my sister’s body. Not today.
Aspen hardly glances my way as I enter and take a seat at the small table, while Cobalt offers me a sad smile. The two brothers are already eating, and a plate of food has been laid out for me next to a bowl of salt. Once I salt my food, I push the items around the plate, but can’t seem to bring any to my lips.
“I’m sorry about your sister.”
I’m shocked to hear the words uttered from Aspen’s end of the table. I look at him, but his eyes are on his food. My mouth feels too dry to respond.
“I shouldn’t have locked you in your room either,” he says. His words are strained, like it pains him greatly to admit his fault.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” I say. My voice comes out weak, but my anger is helping clear my mind from its daze. “Are you going to let me see her body?”
He takes his time chewing his food before answering. “No.”
“Then your apology is wasted on me.”
Silence falls over the table again, my scorn hanging over our heads like a shroud. I can feel Aspen’s anger rolling in waves, but I try to pretend I don’t notice.
Cobalt leans toward me, his voice low. “You should eat. The guards say you haven’t touched the food that was brought to you.”
I open my mouth to reply, but Aspen’s voice halts my words. “Maybe she’d prefer wine,” he says. With a snap of his fingers, a servant steps forward, decanter in hand.
My eyes jolt to the face of the servant, expecting to find the handsome male, but this one is unfamiliar to me.
“In fact,” Aspen says, “all servants who have served me or any of my guests wine since the Fairfield girls arrived, please step forward.”
The servants exchange hesitant glances. Then, one by one, several step forward from their places along the walls. I eye them all, then meet Aspen’s penetrating gaze.
“Do any of these servants spark recognition?” he asks.
I’m about to say no, when I think I see the handsome one I remember from the other day. He shifts anxiously from foot to foot. “I don’t understand,” I say. “Why are you asking me this?”
Aspen narrows his eyes, fingertips steepled together as he leans back in his chair. “You seemed to suspect one of these servants after your sister went missing. Since you never explained yourself, I’ve come to suspect them too. Why did you ask me about a wine servant? About seeing something I didn’t like?”
My mind goes blank as I seek an explanation. What can I say that won’t condemn me or any innocent person? I have no idea if my suspicions are valid in the first place. Besides, it’s him I’m more wary of.
I take a breath to calm myself, then meet his gaze. Two can play at this game. “You mistake me, Your Majesty. It wasn’t your servants I suspected, but you.”
A flicker of surprise crosses his face before he steels his expression. “Explain.”
“Well, you see, I only brought it up because I thought perhaps you were a jealous male. There are many handsome fae here in the palace, but none could match the beauty of my sister. It made me wonder if you disliked the way they looked at her.”
“You specified a wine servant. Why?”
I lift my shoulder in a casual shrug. “They seem to me more beautiful than the rest, that’s all. If I were a jealous male, I might feel inadequate around them, king or no. And clearly,” I wave my hand toward the servants around us, “they have you riled up indeed.”
His knuckles go white as his fingers curl into fists. Perhaps I went too far. “Guards,” he growls. Fae guards enter the room from the hall, bronze armor glistening in the light of the morning sun. “Take these servants to the dungeon. Execute them.”
The guards surge forward to obey, and I leap to my feet. “What? Why?”
Cobalt stands as well. “This is absurd, brother. What did they do wrong?”
He says nothing as the servants are taken hold by the guards.
The horror on the servants’ faces makes my stomach churn, heart racing as I watch their arms wrenched behind their backs as the guards shove them forward. I don’t know why I should care. These fae are nothing to me. Yet, for some reason, I do care. The servants are likely innocent and are only being condemned because of something I said.
Before I have time to consider my actions, I’m rounding the table to approach the king. I place my hands on the tabletop as I lean toward him, lowering my voice to a furious whisper. “I’ll admit, I suspected Amelie was in love with someone. I hoped it was you, but part of me wondered if she had feelings for someone else. Now that she’s gone, we may never know. However, the truth remains that I was never worried one of these men would do her harm, but that you would. If you execute them all, it proves you have something to hide.”
His lips return to their twisted smirk. “You want me to show them mercy, do you?”
“Yes,” I say through my teeth.
He holds my gaze a moment longer. “Did you hear that?” His voice echoes through the room, stopping the guards in their tracks, freezing their attempts to funnel their prisoners into the hall. “Miss Fairfield requests mercy.”
Silence answers. No one moves.
He returns his eyes to meet mine. “Fine. I’ll heed your advice. I’ll show them mercy. Considering you’ll soon be their queen, I’ll allow this choice to be yours.”
His words send a wave of confusion through me. Their queen? Me?
He addresses the guards. “Take them to the dungeon for questioning only. At sunset tonight, release them and allow them to return to their stations.”
Sighs of relief escape the prisoners, and the guards leave with them. The tension eases out of the room, yet I remain in place next to Aspen. Finally, I discover my words. “What did you mean about me becoming their queen?”
He smiles a devious grin, making my stomach drop. I know what he’s going to say. “You’re going to be my wife.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“No!” Cobalt and I shout at once.
Aspen seems unperturbed by our outbursts and returns to his meal, fork in hand. After taking a few bites, he says, “It’s what the council thinks is best for the treaty to remain valid. A marriage must still take place.”
“Then Evelyn can marry me,” Cobalt says. “There’s nothing in the treaty that says who the marriage should be made to, only that it is made to a fae of the hosting court.”
Aspen fixes his brother with an indignant stare. “Yet, I am king, so I decide who she marries.”
Cobalt’s shoulders heave, and I expect him to shout. Instead, he lets out a growl of frustration and storms from the room.
“You get your way yet again.” My voice is quiet, filled with iron. “Another potential bride. Another waiting victim. Another way to punish me.”
He throws his fork down, letting it clatter on his plate. “If I wanted to punish you, I wouldn’t marry you. Is that what you want? For the treaty to become invalidated? For war to rage over the isle? For every person you love to die?”
“You could allow me to marry Cobalt instead. The treaty would remain valid.”
“I could,” he says, face smug, “but I won’t.”
My fingers curl into fists, nails digging into my palms. “You have no claim to me just because you’re king. I am not a thing to be owned.”
He closes his eyes and rubs his temples with a groan, as if I’m the impossible one. His words come out strained through his clenched teeth. “I’m starting to believe war wouldn’t be the worst idea. All I do is maintain the safety of the isle, yet I’m repaid with treason at every turn.”
“Treason? You’re out of your mind! No one is committing treason against you. If you had any sense at all, you’d see the real terror to the isle is you.”
&nb
sp; He rolls his eyes. “I don’t care what you think of me. The choice is yours. Either you marry me, or the Fair Isle reverts to war. I’m getting tired of caring one way or another. What’s it going to be?”
Fury roars through me, making my limbs tremble with rage. “I hate you.”
His face twists into something between a glower and a menacing smile. “So much that you can’t fathom marrying me for the sake of your people?”
I lean toward him. “So much that I will carve out your heart if you try to take me to your bed. I’ll marry you. I’ll sign the contract. But don’t think for a moment we’ll be anything more than cold allies.”
His expression doesn’t falter as he brings his face closer to mine. “So you accept my proposal?”
I hate the way my eyes are drawn to his mouth, the way he drags his tongue over his bottom lip, as if he’s savoring the anger radiating off my skin. I want to shout at him, to slap the smug look off his face as his eyes rove over me, claiming me.
But I’ll never be his.
With some effort, I push away from the table, away from him. Even when I turn away, I can still feel his eyes burning into me.
* * *
The coolness of the hall outside the dining room is a welcome comfort. I didn’t realize until now how warm I’d become. Sweat drips down my neck and beads at my forehead. I quicken my pace, not quite knowing where I’m going. My only thought is to widen the distance between me and Aspen, to forget his words, to shake his face from my mind.
I don’t even see the pair of arms that reach for me from the shadows of the hall. With a squeal, I leap back and draw my dagger, only to realize it’s Cobalt.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says, palms forward in surrender as his eyes dart from me to the dagger.
“It’s all right,” I say, releasing a heavy sigh and returning my blade to its sheath beneath my skirts. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
To Carve a Fae Heart (The Fair Isle Trilogy Book 1) Page 14