“Yes,” Samian breathed. “Do you remember what I told you about Dryden? How he stayed on Mide?” I nodded, vaguely remembering Samian mentioning him during our first lesson and how he seemingly vanished from the world. “Dryden stayed in Mide for his mate, though her name was lost in time. However, what I do know is that you, Sybil, are his descendant.”
Aster inhaled sharply, the only sound I could hear as I held Samian’s stare. I could feel everyone’s weighted gaze on me, and I swallowed. “What does that mean?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
“It means that you are part of the royal family. It's why you are becoming less human. That’s also why your magic is so powerful. The wild magic of the Seelie Court runs in your veins. Though there is something else peculiar about your blood, one that we still haven’t found the answer to. You have blood cells that pulse. It’s something that we’ve never seen before, but we are researching it. We think that’s why your bargain isn’t complete.”
I looked down at my wrists, twisting them until I could see the sliver of skin unmarked by the band. I rubbed the spot with my thumb, not knowing what to say or ask.
Ezra grunted, running a hand over his face. “Why is the queen in the dungeon? We were told she was on a trip somewhere in the realm.”
“Ambrose wants to become king, but he knew that if he outright killed her, there would be an uprising too large to deal with. He needed to bide his time, so he hid her away in the dungeons while he met with the lords of the land to gain their support, which they readily gave him. They didn’t like that the queen was giving more power to the people. Ambrose also needed the towns and villages to be weak. He knew that if he bled them dry, they wouldn’t be able to stand against him. For the most part, it worked. The people were scared to rise up in fear of retaliation and needed to focus on paying the higher taxes and tributes he demanded. He kept them starved and powerless until he would have the control he needed to make himself king and stomp out any uprising that would occur in the process.”
Kieran swore and leaned back in his chair. “And now he has a descendant of Dryden to do his dirty work.”
I stared at the table, shame coiling inside of me, my heart squeezing so tight that I couldn’t breathe. My own stupidity gave Ambrose everything he needed to become king, and now the queen…
“I’m sorry,” Kieran’s deep voice echoed through my mind. “I didn’t mean to word it that way. It’s not your fault this happened.” My eyes burned from the sincerity in his voice.
“It is my fault,” I whispered silently. “Samian warned me. I should have listened.”
A knock sounded at the door, and I twisted in my seat while Kieran stood to open it. Two females came into the room, each carrying a large tray stacked with bowls of food. The first was tall and devastatingly beautiful, with copper hair that warmed her pale skin and blue eyes flecked with gold. Her gaze met Aster’s, who flinched and twisted back to the table. Her face blanched asshe looked at Samian, with shock filling her eyes. I looked away, not wanting to see their silent conversation, pushing away the jealousy that was rising inside.
The second female was shorter, with shoulder-length chestnut-colored hair. She felt younger than the rest of us and had a bounce in her step that could easily put anyone at ease. Her amber eyes found mine, and she flashed a wide grin as she set the tray down beside me.
“This is Bryony and Amara. Bryony,” Kieran said, motioning to the female with copper hair, “works with Vivi to administer medicine and cooks for the camp. And this is Amara,” he said with a jerk of his chin. “She’s the youngest of everyone here and the camp troublemaker. We have her help wherever she’s needed.”
I gave Amara a small wave while she passed out bowls of stew. Samian and Aster were still having their silent conversation, so I picked at my food, waiting for Ezra. He grunted out a quick thank you to Bryony as he took a large spoonful of stew and sniffed before putting it into his mouth. Following suit, Kieran murmured his thanks to Bryony and Amara as they quietly left the room.
“What are we going to do now?” Ezra asked after his second bite, giving Samian a pointed stare.
Ending his conversation with Aster, Samian glanced at me before nodding to Kieran. “He is the only one who can make that call.”
Kieran sighed, setting down his spoon. “We already know that something isn’t right with Sybil’s bargain. I have my people researching that, along with her abnormal cells. Until we hear something, we continue as we have been. Samian will stay in the palace to find out any information he can regarding Ambrose’s plan, and now that Sybil can get close to the bastard, you two might be able to get more out of him. Sybil,” he said, focusingonly on me. “I would like you to meet with us during the night to train. I doubt Ambrose will continue your training now that he has you shackled to him, but I would like for you to carry on with learning.”
My body tensed at the reminder of how Ambrose now controlled me, but I nodded. I knew it was essential to keep learning how to use my magic, even if it was only to dull that agonizing pain. I cringed at the memory of writhing on the dungeon floor, feeling like my power was ripping me in two.
“Good,” Kieran smirked, his eyes darkening. “I’ll enjoy spendinglongnights together.”
My face burned while Orin and Ezra snorted. I didn’t dare look at Samian, though I could have sworn the wood of the table rippled again.
After finishing our stew,Vivi and Orin took Ezra to a room further inside the manor. Kieran had deemed it too unsafe for him to be surrounded by the other rebels, but Ezra said nothing or refused. He just threw his bag over his shoulder and patted my head as he left the room.
Kieran led us out of the camp, talking with Aster about the different medicines the camp needed, while Samian and I followed behind. We were both too lost in our thoughts to speak. Once we passed the gates, Samian transferred Aster and me to the entrance of the hidden passageway in the field. I fought the wave of queasiness that rose from it as we followed the darkened hall to the medical wing. From there, Samian and I said our goodbyes to Aster and returned to my chambers.
It was still dark out, the moon low in the sky. In just a few hours, the sun would rise, yet I couldn’t go to sleep. I was adescendant of Dryden—Dryden and his mate, who may still be alive. And Queen Cassia, she could see the future. It made sense now why she looked as if she knew who I was. She knew I would come, knew I would agree to that foolish bargain with Ambrose.
Sitting in my bed, I mindlessly turned a page in the book that rested against my lap. Samian was on the chaise, looking out the large window into the gardens. I watched him, curiosity eating away at me, and I wondered what had him so deep in his thoughts. The look Aster gave him while they had their silent talk had me sinking further into the bed, green with envy.
“Samian,” I said, his name feeling awkward on my tongue.
He glanced at me and chuckled softly. “You look like you tasted something foul. Go ahead and ask what you want to know.”
I could feel my face turn redder with every beat of my heart. I took a shaky breath, swallowing down my nerves. Cringing slightly, I said, “The bond that you have with Aster and Ezra, if I wanted to have that too, would you? Form one with me, I mean?”
Samian’s eyes widened. “You want to form a bond with me? Even after all of this?” Biting the inside of my cheek, I looked down at my hands and nodded. “Are you sure this is something you want to do?” His voice turned rough, and I shivered.
“It is,” I whispered. “If that’s okay, I mean.”
Samian stood and made his way to the bed, sitting beside me. He stared down at the book resting on my lap. “We already have a bond,” he murmured, taking the book and setting it on the bedside table.
