Viv blinked, surprise lining her face as her eyes flicked to mine. I silently nodded before looking back at Samian. “I’ll meet you in the passageway tomorrow night. We’ll make her talk tomorrow.”
I’ll do more than that, I smiled to myself. This time, I won’t allow her to run away.
Chapter 13
Sybil
Walking down the hall to the Great Dining Room felt awkward, to say the least. The dress Ivara picked out for me wasnothinglike anything I had ever worn before. I felt naked—exposed. The dress itself was beautiful. Made of sheer layered fabric, the dress was rich teal green, lightening toward the bottom, where the layers grew thinner. The bodice was tight, showing off my plush body, dipping into a low V, while the rest of the dress flowed around me. A high split showed off my leg and the rose gold chain that hung around my thigh. The teal gossamer swept across my chest, over my left shoulder, curling down my back.
Ivara had clearly planned every detail—right down to the shoes. She even fixed my hair, leaving half of it in loose curls while weaving the other half into small, intricate braids. She tucked little trinkets into them, though she refused to let me see either them or the dress in the mirror, knowing that if I saw my reflection, I’d never make it out of the room.
While I had finished dressing, Ivara had also changed into a dark lavender dress fashioned similarly to mine, except for thetop, which tied around her neck, leaving her back completely bare. She looked like a goddess whose rich bronze skin was kissed by the sun.
Daelan had only whistled when he saw us, his eyebrows waggling, though he slipped into a mask of boredom when Ambrose and Arianna came out of their room. Their clothes complemented each other, making it clear they were a united pair. Arianna’s silk gown was a deep blue that gracefully fell off her body, whispering with every move she made. Ambrose wore a closely fitted tunic of the same blue, though golden threads were woven into the fabric.
Our eyes met, and Ambrose frowned, his gaze raking down my body. Panic jolted through me, and my palms stung. I looked away, unable to hide how my face paled under his icy gaze. I stared at the floor, unwilling to watch them pass by, to see how his arm linked him to Arianna.
Ivara’s hand settled on my back, gently guiding me to follow behind Ambrose and Arianna. I felt her warmth seep into my skin, calming the tension gathering in my shoulders.
We walked along the hallways until we reached the Grand Dining Room. A large oak table sat in the middle of the room, set with white dishes painted with red designs. Vases and marble sculptures lined against the walls, while more paintings of various landscapes hung above them. Lord Lowell stood near the head of the table, bowing low when Ambrose entered the room.
My nose crinkled. Everything about this estate felt odd—peculiar—from the paintings that littered the walls to the way everything was a brilliant red. It made me feel uneasy.
With a wave of a hand, Ambrose dismissed the greeting, and everyone took their seats. Lord Lowell sat in the chair at the head of the table, with Ambrose to his right and Daelan to his left. I sat between Daelan and Ivara with Arianna across from me. Ambrose looked at me, his eyes flicking between Daelan andIvara. He sneered as if he knew they were protecting me from him.
As soon as we settled in our seats, the servants brought out course after course. The food looked mouthwatering, but none of it could distract me from why we were here. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering who would be chosen as Ambrose’s martyrs. Studying the servants who stood along the wall, I realized their eyes were blank, their bodies wracked with tension, and I wondered if one of them would be among the damned. I ate in silence, forcing myself to swallow each bite until I couldn’t eat anymore. It all tasted like ash, sinking hard in my stomach.
Ambrose, Lord Lowell, and Daelan all conversed quietly, though Arianna and Ivara would chime in now and then. Yet, I couldn’t speak. No words came except for the ones that screamed for us to stop this charade and go home. That we had no right to kidnap and harm these innocent people. However, I stayed quiet, knowing that if I opened my mouth, I wouldn’t be able to escape the punishment that followed.
The servants delivered the last course, a sweet pudding that tasted like butterscotch, and laid out cups of coffee for everyone to sip on. The bitter smell stung my nose, snapping me out of my thoughts and forcing me to pay attention to what was happening around me.
“I believe we will need about three or four to arrest. I think that amount will push the people into truly believing the rebels have infiltrated our army and towns,” Ambrose contemplated.
Lord Lowell leaned back in his chair, his face set in a mask of boredom. “Just take a few of the servants. I can always get more. There are a few here that I’ve been wanting to get rid of, anyway.”
The servant pouring Ivara more coffee flinched but kept his face void of all emotion. The food I ate threatened to come backup, and my magic thrashed under my skin. When I looked up, I found Ambrose’s icy stare fixed on me. “What do you think, Sybil?”
I swallowed hard. I could feel the blood leaving my face. “About what?”
“About our taking a few of the servants. It would certainly make things easier for us. We wouldn’t even have to search the town. We could return to the palace tomorrow morning and get on with our day. Don’t you agree?” The last few words felt loaded, though slightly edged.
“If you think so,” I muttered, hoping that he didn’t hear the slight tremble of my voice. I kept my breathing steady, my hands tightly clasped together under the table.
Ambrose set down his cup; the small clink set my heart racing, and I straightened in my chair. “I want to know whatyouthink,” he stated, tilting his head to the side. His mouth thinned, his eyes becoming razor sharp.
The air in the room grew colder, and goosebumps rippled down my skin. Keeping my voice calm and my words careful, I said, “I’m not here to think, am I? I’m just here to do as you command.”
The silence stretched taut between us; the room growing colder still. I felt a needle-like sensation along my palms, but I didn’t dare move. Ambrose's eyes went distant a moment before he slammed his hand on the table, the sound making me flinch. “Tell me!” Ambrose roared, his chest rapidly moving up and down.
My blood pulsed in my veins, pushing out all the words I tried so desperately to hide. “I think this is insane,” I blurted out, unable to stop myself. I couldn’t play the game that Daelan and Ivara were playing. I couldn’t slip into the mask Samian used to maneuver within Ambrose’s circle. “I think what you’re planningis insane. These are innocent people who don’t deserve what you’re going to do to them.”
“Do you think we should use prisoners?” Arianna cooed.
“No, I don’t think we should do this at all,” I hissed back. Ivara put her hand on my leg and gave me a slight squeeze. A warning to tread carefully—to stop my outburst—but I couldn’t. I couldn’t keep hiding behind these masks as they did. “I know you want to rule the realm, Ambrose, but this isn’t what rulersworthyof their title should do.”
Ambrose vanished from his chair, reappearing beside me. I gasped at his sudden nearness, pushing myself out of my chair to stay out of his reach, but he moved faster than I could track. Grabbing my face, he pushed me back against the wall, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. I heard Lord Lowell’s chuckle, his murmuring words of me being a foolish child, but I couldn’t look away from Ambrose, from the cold fury burning in his eyes.
My body locked up from fear, my lungs refusing to take in air. The ice in his veins froze his fingers, the cold burning my skin. I whimpered against his touch, my breathing becoming erratic and sharp. The shadows around me grew along the wall, readying to strike when a hand grabbed hold of Ambrose’s arm.
