“Just because you walked the others out doesn’t mean you have to do the same for me.” Hurt echoed through his voice.
“It’s not like that,” I continued. “I thought I was clear, but?—”
He shook his head, walked past me, and went into the narrow hall. I followed close behind, quiet and careful not to wake my father. Jaspar pulled open the front door and walked down the steps without another word or glance.
“Uh oh, trouble in paradise?” Hunt grinned and elbowed Fisher.
I stomped across the porch where Hunt stood leaning against the post and swung a right hook across his face. “Tell Prince Sutton I’ll be ready in the morning.”
I could’ve sworn I heard a chuckle from Fisher as I slammed the door behind me.
10
AUDRYN
The morning arrived quicker than I had hoped, the air crisp and clean with a salty breeze blowing through. The sun crested over the hills immediately after I’d fallen asleep, or at least that’s how it seemed. I took a cup of hot citrus tea to the back porch instead of spending the early morning packing. Despite its destruction, I wanted one last glimpse of my once-beautiful garden.
I played with my mother’s floral pendant hanging from the chain wrapped around my neck. Though I enjoyed making jewelry with Torin, I would have returned sooner had I known the time I had left with my mother was limited. My mother was more important than any of my own desires. She was my best friend, the other piece of my soul. Each breath I took without her felt like I was a gasping fish out of water.
All our lives we were taught that our biggest threat was from the witches on the continent of Oras, when in reality the biggest danger had come from within. We didn’t need the Macabre magic of the immortal witches to harm us when the leaders of Rivale could destroy our families without the use of magic at all.
The door behind me opened, and I didn’t move to look,knowing my father spent the morning with his eyes set on the field instead of a book. I think it was the only way he remained connected to my mother. For me, it was letting the dirt of the garden glide through my hands just as she had every day for so long.
“I brought a couple of things,” a voice, not my father’s, said behind me, “for you to take to Sutton Castle.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled, wishing I could erase the mistakes of last night. It wasn’t the invitation to my room that I regretted the most, but the physical contact I’d initiated, and I so badly wished I could take it back.
Jaspar sat next to me and let his knee settle against mine. I needed to apologize, but I wasn’t sure how.
“I … I need to—” My words faltered.
“Don’t,” Jaspar interrupted, “that’s not why I’m here.” He turned his beautiful cerulean eyes to me. “I wanted to give you this.” He extended his hand with a small vial palmed within. The liquid was light amber and thick like syrup.
“And that is?” I took the vial. My nose scrunched as I tilted it side to side, watching the liquid move.
“If you get close enough to the king, you need to weaken him first. His magic is potent—air magic he received from both his mother and father. Slip some of that into a drink or soup and he’ll be retching thirty minutes later, maybe sooner.”
“Will it kill him?”
Jaspar chuckled. “No, the healers use ipecac when they suspect someone has been poisoned. It’s used to induce vomiting. It’ll weaken him and distract him, giving you a brief window to act unimpeded by his magic.”
The vial wasn’t big and had a cork sealing the top of the tube. A small red gem adorned the glass. The same ruby stone I’d seen worn by every member I’d known to be part of the resistance. Whether hidden in a pin on their clothes, embedded in a piece of jewelry or camouflaged into a belt.
“Which leads me to this.” Jaspar removed a black-hilted dagger from a thick leather sheath. “Should you have the opportunity, I’d like you to use this.” He took a minute before continuing, rubbing the gold J etched into the oval red stone. “It’s mine. And if I can’t be the one to kill the king, allow my weapon to assist you in doing so.”
He sheathed the blade and extended it to me. Tentatively, I palmed the hilt in my hand. It was heavier than the ones I carried, but I supposed it should’ve been considering the ornate design along the hilt. I ran my free hand over the sprawling gold design.
“Do you think you’ll be able to do it?” His voice was soft—not full of doubt, but instead posing a genuine question. “Have you ever killed anyone before?”
I shook my head and shrugged. “What better place to start than with those responsible for Kam’s death?”
“Let me know when you get the name of the executioner,” he continued. “I have people who will help locate him, and I want to be there when he takes his last breath.”
Staring out at the field, I nodded, stunned by my life’s direction. I hadn’t expected my attendance at the ball to result in a request to stay at Sutton Castle. While others might’ve been flattered, I was annoyed to have my life interrupted. The only perk was the opportunity to gain access to the king.
Jaspar wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him. His warm scent drifted around me, full of herbs and cologne. I’d started noticing the fragrance more recently. He was only a few years younger than me, and I’d always thought of him as my brother’s friend, but suddenly he was my friend too. Perhaps he had been all along.
He released his grip and stood.
