Leland stands with his back to the door and turns slowly, a grave look on his face.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” I say, the disappointment in my tone all too clear.
He nods and gestures toward a small wooden table with two rough chairs. “Leave us,” Leland orders the guards.
“Your Highness, we have our orders.”
His face tightens into hard lines I’ve never seen on my old friend. “He is a friend of the crown of Icelantica, and we will not be threatened by you.”
The guards bow their heads and close the wooden door behind us.
“Well, at least you’re in one piece,” Leland remarks.
“Where is Gen? Is she alright?”
Leland gives a curt nod. “She’s being monitored closely. We both agreed it was best for me to see you.”
I nod, knowing Leland would never harm Gen or put her in danger.
His voice sharpens. “You came here knowing you wanted her back, didn’t you?”
My defenses rise, but this man—this friend—may be the only one who can save me. And I betrayed him in the most egregious way possible.
So I tell him the truth.
“I came here wanting to ruin her. I’ve wanted my revenge for so long, but it was ill placed. It wasn’t her I wanted revenge on.”
Leland glances at the chains on my wrists. “Queen Penelope, is it? Yes, well, you played your cards poorly, old friend. Do you still love her?”
“I—” The words stick in my throat. I don’t want to admit this to him. I can’t show weakness now, and what is my love for Gen but my greatest weakness?
“Yes, you do. It’s been evident for some time. For a man who’s hidden so much of his past, you do a poor job hiding your feelings for her.”
I huff out a breath. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“Then why encourage our engagement? If not to harm me in the process?”
I turn from his harsh gaze, those Frostclaw eyes cutting straight through me. I don’t have an answer—because part of me has always known this was my chance to return to Gen. Sure, I hoped to hurt her in the process, but instead I’ve damaged one of my closest friendships.
“What’s next?” I ask. “Will Penelope bother with a trial, or go straight to placing my head on a spike?”
“There’s a trial set for two days’ time. Execution scheduled for three. Then Queen Penelope expects Princess Genevieve and me to marry in five.”
So that’s how it will be. I’ll be dead and out of the way in time for the happy nuptials. I think of Gen—how she won’t be able to control her gift, or Leland’s—and a vicious urge flares in me. I want to hurt him, to drag him down with me for even considering touching her again.
“You’re going through with the wedding?” I seethe. “Even with her gift?”
He shakes his head sharply. “Of course not. The queen is mad to think I’d bind myself to Genevieve after knowing what her curse does to both of us. Our gifts are incompatible. I make her lose her ability to reason, and she turns me into something I’m not—something I could never tolerate in myself. It would be disastrous.”
“When do you plan to tell the queen?”
“You must truly love her if your questions are all about her and not your impending trial and execution.” He exhales. “I’ve hired a teamof lawyers—billed to Blackwell Industries, naturally. They’ll meet you in the morning to prepare your case and gather evidence to clear your name. Is there anything you can give me now to pass along to Genevieve? She’s desperate to help your case and see you freed.”
I think of the rot spreading, the servant’s death. “Someone is misusing helachite in the palace. Find them and you’ll have your answers. As for kidnapping Gen—you can attest to what really happened.”
His jaw clenches. “My word has already been questioned. Servants claim you forced her into the carriage while I stood by. Some think we were working together. And Queen Penelope has threatened to use the accusation against me if I refuse to marry Genevieve.”
“And what does Queen Kalise say to that? I can’t imagine she tolerates her devoted brother being threatened by another monarch.”
