A thrum of annoyance roils within me. The fact that both Korvane and his son think the only reason Jonas is at my side is so he can screw me says far more about them than us, and it’s taking every bit of willpower I have to bite my tongue.
The king straightens as he draws in a breath, causing the obnoxious stones in his crown to glint. ‘I’ve not seen your father yet this evening,’ he continues to Jonas. ‘I assume he will be bringing his wards with him to watch you and your new friends’ progress in the trials. There’s one you’re particularly close to, isn’t there? I can’t recall his name?’
Jonas pales. ‘My father has several wards,’ he finally replies. He stands a full head taller than the monarch, but his shoulders have curled inwards, diminishing his height in a manner I could never have believed possible were I not witnessing it now. ‘I like to consider myself close to them all.’
‘How generous. I’m sure that is exactly what they need – a brother who loves them. I pray they all remain safe when you are in the trials. It would be terrible if anything happened to them.’ The threat is unsubtle, just like the man making it.
Heat surges through my body. If evilness has ever taken on a corporeal form, it is surely standing here, right in front of me. He killed a baby boy, and he’s near enough threatening to do the same to Jonas’s brother, just because Jonas is standing at my side. How the Gods can allow such a man to rule is beyond me. My teeth grind together but before I snap, the king dips his chin slightly, flashing his most demure of smiles, which fools precisely no one.
‘I will let you enjoy the rest of your evening,’ he says, with one final glance at me. ‘It is time I attend to my more … esteemed guests.’
And with that final insult, he spins on his heel and leaves.
Chapter 17
Istay for another hour – long enough to see a stocky bald man with a wiry beard and a tattoo across his scalp guide a swaying Kyor out of the room after fruitlessly trying to make him eat something. More than once, the prince’s gaze sweeps across the room and his eyes meet mine before I hastily look away, and each time there’s a burning in my chest that’s made of anger and hatred, but also something else.
Guilt.
Guilt at the way my eyes grazed across his bare chest before I knew it was the chest I wanted to plant a dagger into. At the way my pulse stuttered when he ran his finger across my palm, or how I let those icy eyes drift into my imagination in ways I would never dare share with anyone. And all that time, he knew who I was. He was toying with me like a cat plays with a mouse until it has broken every bone in its body. Well, he’ll find this mouse has sharp teeth. I may be little, but I can still do some damage. Let him underestimate me, let them all underestimate me. Etta doesn’t.
Kyor’s departure should have given me a reason to relax, and perhaps even enjoy the ball a little – though possibly not as much as Coulter, who, with his new alcohol-infused confidence, took it upon himself to start requesting particular tunes from the musicians. I have no doubt that the sight of me, relaxed and merry, would be enough to make King Korvane’s blood boil, and for that reason alone, it would be worth it, but no sooner has the prince left than I get bumped from behind.
‘Queenkiller’s bitch!’ a woman’s voice hisses.
As I regain my footing, I spin around, trying to see who spoke and where they went, but the crush of people has swallowed the woman up. Besides, I’m not sure what I would have done anyway. I should have known that this was what balls would be like. Sometimes a big party really is just a trussed-up hellscape. Devils in stilettos. Still, it’s not as though I came here to dance. I came here to win, and sometimes that’s knowing when to leave.
‘I’m done,’ I announce, placing my glass on a nearby table. ‘I’ll see you all tomorrow.’
‘Already?’ Jonas’s eyebrows rise. ‘These things go on for hours.’
‘I’ve already seen enough.’
I offer Benny and Llinos a quick hug, but when I turn to Jonas to do the same, he holds out his arm for me to take instead.
‘I’ll walk you back,’ he offers.
‘You don’t need to do that.’
‘I know, but I want to. Besides, it’s a big place. You could easily get lost.’
It’s a little patronising, but I don’t bother arguing again. Instead, I take his arm, aware of the smirk and eyebrow-waggle Llinos shoots me as we walk away.
Jonas and I are silent as we head back towards the barracks, and though there’s a definite tension between us, I can’t quite tell if it’s the good type or not. After all, the king did just threaten his family because of me. I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if this is the moment he tells me that any form of alliance or friendship is off the cards. I’m surprised by how sad this makes me. And not just because of how good he looks tonight.
Having Jonas by my side makes me feel like my mother hasn’t been judged wrongly by the entirety of the High Hold. That there are still people on the inside who believe she was innocent. I’d hate to lose that feeling.
When we reach the dining room, I slip my arm out of his and prepare for him to give me his excuses. Not that he needs to. He can make alliances with whoever he likes.
‘You should go back,’ I tell him. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Actually, I was going to ward your door. I found a spell before the ball. Thought it might help you sleep a bit better if you knew people couldn’t get into your room at night.’
‘You can spell?’ My gratitude for the sweet gesture is supplantedby complete surprise. When I lived in the High Hold, people always considered spelling to be a lower form of magic. Weaving the residual tendrils that drift through the air is – according to the haughty majority – far less impressive than channelling magic yourself. It’s a reason that my mother’s magic was considered lower in some situations, even though it came from Etta herself. Sure, she could grow vines fast enough to strangle a man before he even had a chance to draw a dagger, but she very rarely – if ever – did. She preferred using her knowledge of plants and combining it with spell work.
‘My powers took so long to settle that my father thought it was a good idea to learn,’ Jonas explains. ‘He thought I stopped when my magic came in, but honestly, I find it so useful. I’m surprised more people don’t learn to do it. So will you accept my help?’
There’s pride and there’s stupidity, and while I may have a little of the former, I’m trying to keep the latter to zero.
