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 thatnothing 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.
