“Speak,” Divina shouts, even though my lips were already parted in preparation to do exactly that.
My eyes lock on the king’s. I keep my voice even, steady, ignoring the circle of blades that still surround me as I deliver my calculated lie. “The princess will stop breathing by midnight unless I counter the command and revoke it in person.”
Divina’s eyes widen, her cheeks reddening with anger while Horus goes a shade of pale gray. “When did you issue this command?” the king asks.
“It was merely a failsafe I put in place at her birthday party. One that would prevent her from speaking against me if she’s ever imprisoned by her family.”
The lie pinches my heart. I would so much rather tell the truth—that I never gave such a horrendous command. That I no longer have the power to command her at all. That I gave up my birth name, my affiliation with the Lemurias, to rid us of this dangerous bond.
But they would never believe that. Why would they? I’ve managed to deceive them once before. They may not know the full truth of my half-human parentage, but they must suspect I can lie. It’s better to tell one they’ll believe.
“I know you love your daughter,” I say, “so let us make a bargain. Release her from the tower, promise to never lock her up again, and I will revoke every command I’ve ever made of her and promise never to command her in any way for as long as I live.”
The king and queen assess me in icy silence.
Finally, Horus speaks. “Why? You are our enemy. If we refuse this bargain, our daughter will die, and your family will have another tally against us in their revenge schemes. So why offer this bargain at all?”
I bristle at how easily he speaks of his daughter dying. Though I suppose I spoke smoothly of the same topic. Is his indifference a bluff like mine is?
“Answer the question,” Divina says through her teeth.
I release a heavy sigh. It’s time to weave truth into my lie. To bare my heart.
“Because I’m in love with your daughter.”
* * *
BRIONY
Thorne’s words wrench my heart, halting me in place. He’s too far down the hall for me to see him, what with the dim lighting and the guards surrounding him, but his voice…
Stars above, that voice. Those words.
I know I shouldn’t stop. I should move. Flee. I’m so close to freedom. All I have to do is round the corner of this corridor and sneak down the next. After that, it’s a short sprint to the garden door. This is my chance while the guards and my parents are distracted. While all eyes are on Thorne.
My enemy.
The man responsible for my current plight.
That’s what my mind says, at least. My heart is another matter. It swells with warmth at his words, stripping more and more layers away from that dark veil clouding my memories. I cling to the wall at the corner of the dark hall. Minka nudges my ankle, silently prompting me forward.
But I can’t move.
As the warmth spreads from my heart, shearing back more and more layers of that veil, memories flood my mind. They strike me one after the next with dizzying force, completely out of order. My knees tremble, and I clasp the wall tighter. It’s all I can do to keep from sliding to my knees.
My memory of the colorful night sky spreads out from beginning to end. I see Thorne’s beautiful smile in full, one I only glimpsed briefly earlier today. Then I recall the gazebo. The feel of his lips on mine. I remember the dancing slippers, the kissing game. I recall the first time I ever saw him, standing in the Starcane field at the convent. How I captured his likeness in a frame. How I dreamed of him often in the two years since.
Andthat one dream.
Stars, that dream.
Then him cleaning my wound in the kitchen.
Him making me flustered again and again.
Him stealing my heart.
Everything collides, shifting into place in my mind. Finally, my most recent lost memory surfaces. Of him commanding me to forget I loved him. Of him putting my happiness before his own. And his confession.
