“You are being foolish, brother,” she snapped. “The girls have only just started their lessons—”
“I will not let you finish them,” he snarled, sounding less mad and somehow more furious than ever. “I will not let you do to them what you did to Gwynnie.” He took a lumbering stride toward her, wobbling and nearly tipping over but somehow managing to stay upright. “And I will not let you do to me what you did to Mynot.” He looked back over his shoulder with the fiercest expression I had ever seen. “You cannot drive us all to madness just to get what you want, Vanna. Just to have what has never belonged to you.” To us, he said, “We are leaving, girls. Get your arses in the carriage before I carry you there myself.”
It was too low to be understood correctly, but I would have bet the Crown of Nine that Ravanna whispered, “It’s too late for you,” to Tyrn as he passed.
He seemed not to hear as he stalked out of the library, yelling obscenities the entire way.
Katrinka grasped my hand, and we stood frozen, unsure what to do.
“You better go with him,” Ravanna finally coaxed. “He refuses to see reason when he’s like this.”
“Back to Elysia?” Katrinka asked, and I could tell she needed to be sure we were heading someplace safe.
“Yes, yes. Back to your home. I will join you there when I can.” She held my gaze. “Before your coronation. Keep practicing what I’ve taught you, but do not let Tyrn find out. He... he does not appreciate what we’re able to do since he himself is not capable of it. Keep it secret. But stay persistent. You have much to learn before you wear the Crown of Nine, Tessana.”
I nodded obediently. “Yes, of course.”
“Should we tell our maids of our uncle’s plans?” Katrinka asked.
“They’re already packed and waiting. Tyrn began your departure procedures without telling me.”
Katrinka and I shared a look. Had Tyrn really needed a break from the capital? Or was this his way of keeping us from Ravanna? Of collecting us after he’d been the one to send us with her?
Or had she been the one to orchestrate our company?
I was beginning to think Tyrn was more of her puppet than a freethinking man. Whether by potion or position, he seemed to struggle against her will.
Out in the hallway, our guards waited for us. I had not seen them since we arrived, yet here they were. I wanted to ask where they had been, but it seemed foolish to need them now when I had fought to be free of them for so long.
Ravanna walked us to the carriages. Clesta was there too to hand over Shiksa. We had never traveled at night before, but we had the safety of the Blessed Road at least until we were out of Blackthorne.
I took comfort in that. My ancestors might have been the ones to curse the land, but they’d also been the ones to fix their mistakes. At least in part. It wasn’t just magic that we would be using to escape Blackthorne.
It was power from my bloodline. It made me surprisingly confident in our departure.
Finch was standing at the door of my uncle’s carriage, holding a hand for me to take. I tried to smile at him, thinking I would warn him of the letter for Taelon I still carried in my pocket, hoping to find a better time to hand it over to him. But he would not look me in the eyes. He was obviously distraught, flexed from head to toe with tension. But his hand was gentle around mine as he helped me into the carriage. And I could have sworn he sighed audibly as I passed by him.
It wasn’t until I was seated next to Katrinka inside the coach, across from my uncle, that I noticed the note he’d managed to slip me, tucked into the sleeve of my gown.
I let it be for far longer than I thought possible while the horses took off and we met our traveling speed. Soon enough, my uncle fell asleep, his legs curled against his chest and his cheek resting against the window. He looked like a tortured child like this. A toddler desperate to rest without the threat of nightmares.
When I was confident he was truly asleep, I pulled the note from my sleeve and held it to the window. It was not easy to read in the moonlight, but I struggled and shifted until I could see just enough to see the message. Then when I could finally make out the words, my mind refused to accept their truth.
Heprin has fallen.
The Ring of Shadows rules.
The Temple has been burned.
The Brotherhood of silence is dead.
Will come to you soon.
Trust no one.
ChapterEighteen
The castle was in an uproar when we arrived back in Elysia. Preparations for my coronation had begun. The last celebration felt like it happened last week, although it was well over a month by now. But it was hard to reconcile that we were already preparing for a new one.
