CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Mistress, I suggest we wait until the palace is asleep,” Alaric said.

A small flicker of hope sparked inside me as I watched Katen consider his proposal.

After an agonizing few seconds, Katen nodded. “You’re right. Less chance of Shale sensing the transfer.”

I let out my breath, my heart beginning to slow once more. Across from me, Katen slumped into a chair and sighed. “Well,” she said. “Alaric’s bought you a few hours yet.”

Anger burned through me. I could think of nothing that would save me now—and if I was to die soon, I wanted to tell this woman just what I thought of her. “You’ve ruined my entire life.”

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she looked at me. “Is that what your parents told you? That I tricked them, that I ruined their lives and yours?”

“You know they had no choice. My mother was dying!”

She snorted in disdain. “Eighteen years ago I was sent to hunt your mother down and kill her. I found your parents in the Mundane. But instead of facing their fate with honor, they begged me for lenience. Anything, they said. They would do anything to be spared. So I asked—anything? Even give up a child?”

Her eyes flashed to mine. “You should have been there to see how quickly they accepted. The tears of joy they shed. So you see—I am not the reason you’re in this position today. Your parents were more than happy to participate.”

That couldn’t be true. “You’re lying,” I said faintly.

“Why would I lie to you about that?” Katen waved her hand dismissively. “It matters little to me one way or the other. Alaric was there, he can tell you.”

Alaric? I met his anguished gaze. “Your mother was not ill,” he said reluctantly. “It happened as my mistress says.”

I suddenly felt as though I couldn’t breathe.

“I suppose it was a life-and-death situation,” Katen continued. “But the sort of life-and-death situation where I was going to kill her. And she chose you instead.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, utterly remorseless.

They made the bargain to save your mother’s life, I remembered numbly. And the worst part of it was—it was still true. “But—but why?”

“Humans have an incredible capacity for selfishness, child. Though I suppose they thought they might buy themselves time to weasel out of the bargain.” She smiled, amused, perhaps, that two mere humans had thought they could thwart her.

“No,” I said. “Why would you be sent to kill my mother in the first place?”

Something—surprise?—flickered behind Katen’s eyes. “Your mother committed treason against my father. Did your parents tell you nothing?”

“They told me you were a monster,” I said. “That’s certainly true.”

“You were at the revel, weren’t you?” She smiled grimly at the revulsion that must have shown on my face. “Shale has been my father for over one hundred years. He is vain, jealous, paranoid—he always has been. I was afraid that he would kill me. So I did what I had to do, to survive. That doesn’t make me a monster.”

“I was an innocent child,” I spat. “You don’t know what your curse has cost me.”

“You don’t think it cost me anything?” Katen barked, sitting up straighter—adopting the demeanor of a princess of the Gather once more. “Imagine, if you will, having one talent. One thing that was an inextricable part of you. And then imagine having to cut it out of your body, one thread at a time. I’ve forced myself to release it in dribs and drabs for the last eighteen years, keeping myself weak.”

She shuddered, remembering. “And all because my father would have me killed, if he ever discovered how much more powerful I am than him.”

I watched Katen’s shoulders sag as if under an invisible weight. Despite myself, I was tempted to empathize with her. After all, I too was well versed in being trapped by fathers.

“If you were truly so powerful, you could have broken from your father and left the Gather,” I said.

“No, I couldn’t,” Katen said. “My father may have founded this city, but it is my birthright. I will not allow anyone to take that away from me.”

She stood up. “I tire of this. Alaric—stay here and keep watch. On your life, do not allow her to escape.”

Katen swept from the room, leaving Alaric and me alone at last.

He whirled on me immediately, clearly furious. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Wolves abducted Miranda from Fallyne’s house,” I said. “She would have died!”

“Better her than you,” he shot back.

I let that go. “Never mind, we’re wasting time. Check my cloak pocket—I have your wings.”

Alaric bowed his head. When he looked at me again, his expression was mutinous. “I can’t,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I cannot touch the box,” he said. “Even if I could, the only way to open the box is with Katen’s blood. And I cannot lift a finger against her.”

He sprawled into a chair and buried his head in his hands. “And all of this I would have told you, if you had told me you had it.” He looked up at me. “You lied to me. Why?”

“Perhaps for the same reason you withheld this from me,” I snapped. “I wasn’t certain I could trust you. Clearly, you decided you couldn’t trust me, either. Why else wouldn’t you tell me the truth about my own mother?”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “You had no right,” he said softly. Dangerously.

“You are bound to Katen! You cannot claim there was no reason to have doubts about you.”

“I claim nothing but what is mine,” Alaric growled.

“Then it’s too bad you didn’t trust me enough to follow through.”

He closed his eyes. “You’re right,” he said. “I am not blameless. And I apologize… for not trusting you. And for laying the blame entirely at your feet.”

My anger melted away, and my shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry too,” I said softly. “But what do we do now?”

“Nothing,” he said after a while. “Katen has ordered me not to allow you to escape. So this is the end.”

The end. I’d entered the Silence to take my life into my own hands. Instead I’d only discovered that the cage I’d been born into stretched so much further than I’d imagined. I’d never had a chance.

I bowed my head and waited for the inevitable.

---

The door opened, and Katen entered, looking tired but resolute.

“I’m glad to see you haven’t become entirely incompetent,” she said to Alaric. “Give me the knife.”

This was it. My entire life punctuated by this one moment, and I’d had only days to live on my own terms. I would never break the curse. Never visit the dragons and tell them my story. Never see Miranda again. My heart started to race as Katen bound up her hair. Alaric handed her a knife. She approached me, angling the blade down toward my arm. I watched as the knife met my cloak—but the fabric did not yield.

Katen frowned and grabbed the fabric, rubbing it between her fingers. “Magic,” she muttered. “I should have known.”

She nodded at Alaric. “Take off her cloak.”

Alaric’s hand came down on my shoulder, squeezing minutely. I looked past him to Katen, watching us intently, the shut door, the desk I’d hid behind, a delicate green glass goblet on the far end… glass.

Alaric knelt, freeing my legs. Then he pulled me out of the chair and cut the ropes binding my hands. I pushed him away, sending him stumbling back as I sprang across the room. I picked up the goblet and smashed it against the desk, then seized a glass shard and drew it across my palm, hissing in pain. Help! Please!

“Stop her!” Katen cried, but it was too late. My blood dripped onto the floor, running into the clay seams between the stones….

Enormous vines tore up around me, lashing out at Alaric and Katen.

For a moment I was too flabbergasted to move.

Run! the voice shouted. My legs obeyed.

I sprinted out the door and down the hall. The walls seemed to be closing in around me as I fled, my sense of direction dissolved by panic. I was lost in the heart of the Gather, and there was a monster at my heels.

Suddenly a thick fog rolled through the hall, obscuring my vision. I stumbled to a halt.

“Who is running in my palace?” a soft voice crooned. My chest seized in terror as Shale emerged from the fog, a streak of blood smeared across his cheek.

“Who are you, pet?” he said.

I raised my hands carefully. I was close enough that perhaps I could catch him off guard.

“No one,” I replied, my voice shaking.

“No one who has been badly frightened by someone,” he said, his gaze falling to my bloodied hand. He was no fool—I could almost see the gears turning in his head. “You know, a surprising amount of blood magic passed through the gates tonight. But I wasn’t able to put a face to the power… until now.” His eyes narrowed. “Who is your master?”

Now. I darted forward, reaching for him. He sidestepped me with ease, moving faster than I thought a human could. Something hit me hard in the back, and I fell, sprawling across the floor. I cried out in pain as my injured hand hit the stone.

More vines burst forth—but Shale was better prepared than either Alaric or Katen. A funnel of flame shot out from his hands, burning the vines until they turned black and shriveled on the floor at my feet.

“Did you think I would not sense the Hand of Mora on you?” Shale said. “I would have thought my enemies would choose a more competent assassin.”

Another blow from an invisible force hit my stomach and forced the breath from my lungs, leaving me gasping. I turned onto my side to see Shale pull a blade from the very air and level it at me. I would be dead in moments, unless—

“Wait!” I cried. “I have information—I can tell you—”

He paused. “Yes?”

I swallowed. “I am not your enemy,” I said. “But someone in this palace is. If you grant my friends and me safe passage out of the Gather, I will tell you who placed the Hand of Mora upon me. I will give you their name.”

Shale smiled. “I think you had better tell me now, and I’ll decide if the information merits your freedom.”

He raised the sword, preparing to strike. “Katen!” I gasped. “Your daughter, she did this to me. She is working against you.”

Shale’s amusement vanished, leaving behind a face like stone.

“Please,” I said. “I’m not lying, I swear—”

The fog began to dissipate, and I could see the hallway once more. And there, coming around the corner behind Shale, was Katen.

“What is going on here?” she said, her face the perfect picture of concern.

Shale glanced at her, keeping the blade steady on me. “I’ve just had a very interesting conversation,” he said. “This urchin”—he kicked my leg, and I winced—“claims that you, daughter, are plotting against me.”

The blood drained from Katen’s face. “That is not true. Please, Father, believe me.”

“Silence!” he said. Katen was still, but when Shale turned to look down at me, her expression turned murderous. “It is an interesting story you tell,” he said to me. “But there are inconsistencies.”

Inconsistencies? But every word I’d said was true.

“My daughter lost the majority of her magic many years ago, but it was a formidable amount of power. If you were carrying that much magic, you would surely be dead from blood plague by now. But you are not.”

My heart sank. Whether or not he believed Katen to be plotting against him, it was clear that he did not believe me.

“However,” Shale continued. “You must be valuable to someone, since they have gone to the trouble of placing the Hand of Mora on you.”

“Clearly she has been put up to it by a true enemy,” Katen said quickly. “Whoever it is must be hoping to drive a wedge between us by telling the girl to repeat such a ridiculous lie.”

“Perhaps,” Shale replied. “And yet she is clearly in distress. And you are the first person to find us here.”

Katen reached out her hand, palm up. “Take my hand and feel the truth for yourself. I would never lie to you. I would never turn on you.”

Shale ignored her hand. Instead he withdrew the sword from my neck.

“What is your name, girl?”

I didn’t know the scope of Shale’s powers. What if he could tell a lie if it fell from my lips? “Lena,” I said softly.

“You remind me of someone…,” he said, his eyes narrowing. I worried for a moment he might know of my parents. But then he shrugged. “Who are the friends for which you seek safe passage?”

“Miranda,” I said quickly. “And a man named Joren. They were the two other prisoners at the revel tonight.”

Katen stiffened. Had she recognized my father’s name?

Shale raised his eyebrows. “Interesting,” he said. “I don’t remember Miranda having such… dangerous friends.”

“She is a new acquaintance,” I said hotly.

“Is she? Well then, I make you the same offer I made to her. You can win your safe passage… if you go to the castle of briars and kill the princess sleeping within.”

Miranda had told me this quest was tantamount to a death sentence. Was Shale just trying to dispose of me, or did he really think I stood a chance of killing the princess? Or was this all a ploy to get Katen to react and give herself away?

I realized I didn’t care. I would do anything to save our lives.

I took a deep breath. “If you will allow them to accompany me on this quest, then I accept.”

“She is lying,” Katen broke in. “They will not go to the castle. They will run.”

“My daughter makes a good point,” Shale agreed. “There is nothing holding you to this bargain but your word.” After a moment, he snapped his fingers. “Miranda may go with you. But I’m keeping your other friend here. If you do not bring me proof of the princess’s demise in five days’ time, his life will be forfeit.”

Katen nodded approvingly. “You should send someone along with them to make sure they don’t lose their nerve. I offer Alaric’s service as a sign of my enduring fealty to you.”

“Really,” Shale said, clearly delighted by Katen’s offer. He turned back to me. “Very well. The raven will assist you on this quest. And I will grant you a compass that will point toward the castle no matter how the Silence tries to hide it. Let it not be said that the ruler of the Gather does not make fair bargains.”

He sheathed his sword and called for the Wolves. When one appeared, he addressed him. “Go to the dungeon and fetch Miranda. Bring her here unharmed.”

As there was no longer a sword pointed directly at me, I took the opportunity to stand. Shale snapped his fingers, and a silver compass appeared, floating in midair before me.

“Do not lose this,” he said. “It will not go well for you if you do.”

I plucked it from the air and pocketed it, feeling uneasy.

Shale turned to Katen. “And where is your raven?”

Katen started. “I didn’t think that you would send them off so quickly,” she said. “Alaric is handling another matter.”

Another lie. He was likely still battling the vines.

“On a revel night?” Shale said. “Summon him.”

Katen frowned but did as her father demanded. After a moment Alaric appeared, a little disheveled but otherwise unharmed. His gaze flicked between the three of us, but he remained silent.

“You will accompany this girl and her companion to the castle of briars,” Katen said. “Do not leave them under any circumstances.”

The Wolf returned to the hallway with Miranda, still in chains. She gaped at me in surprise—I shook my head subtly, trying to tell her not to speak.

“The three of you are hereby ordered to storm the castle of briars,” Shale declared. “Do not return to the Gather until you have slain the princess.”