“You wore a wedding ring last night.” I gaped at him. How did he notice everything? “And it’s from the prince. It’s not a request.” He rocked back on his heels preparing to leave. “Also, just a warning, Tam, it’s going to be weird.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Any time the guards and the servants”—I scowled at the word ‘servant’ in reference to me—“are invited to a celebratory feast, rather than just watching from the edges, it’s awkward. Just...” He took a deep breath, his head cocked to the side as he scrutinized me. “Try to go unnoticed by the prince, okay? For all our sakes?”
“I’m not sure I can?—”
“And next time,” he turned to leave, his voice floating down the corridor, “maybe you should take me up on my offer of a night out. You’d get into less trouble.”
“I’m not in any trouble,” I yelled after him.
“Yet.”
I rolled my eyes at the empty hallway. I closed the door and peeked my head in to check Lilyanna was still sleeping and hadn’t overheard. The sheets lay flat where I’d left them and her soft breathing, broken by an occasion wheeze, was consistent. Outside the thick window, a stray ray of sunlight broke through the swirling clouds and tickled the gargoyle’s face. It shifted, its hollow eyes staring directly at me. I shivered and backed away, leaving Lilyanna’s door ajar.
I freed one of the small knives from my boot and hurried down the spiral stairs to my unused room. The fire crackled softly having barely burned through any of the kindling I’d set yesterday. Pressing my back to the door and using the edge of the hearth to block my body, I speared the tip of the knife into my wrist.
“Siobhan,” I whispered.
A fat drop of blood rolled down my arm. I dabbed at it with my sleeve before it could spill onto the floor. Beside me the fireplace stuttered, and I pressed further into my recess.
“Siobhan,” I hissed louder. Where was she? I’d found the Sheriff and completed my bounty. She must know by now the Collectors were dispatched and a name permanently crossed off her list. If she would just hurry up and appear, I could sweet-talk my way out of setting up the prince’s murder and then beg Lilyanna to leave with me. At the rate she was going, it wouldn’t be long before she was killed too.
Seconds ticked by, dragging into minutes. The fireside beside me devoured the kindling, suddenly ravenous. My heartrate accelerated and sweat dripped down my spine.
She wasn’t coming.
A gust of stale air rushed down the chimney and the fire went out. Smoke coiled, creeping around the hearth and toward my hiding place. I bolted for the stairs, keeping my thumb pressed over the wound on my wrist.
Siobhan had left me here, abandoned me in this cursed castle. If I wanted out, I’d have to murder the prince and do so before Lilyanna suffered the same fate as all the others.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE CHOSEN ONE
Lilyanna and I were the last to arrive for dinner that afternoon. She paused before the large carved doors of the dining chamber, her fingers fluttering over her neck.
I slapped her hands away. “Stop fiddling with it. It covers the marks perfectly, but it won’t if you manage to break it before we even arrive.”
The prince’s gift to her had been an elegant choker constructed of three rows of golden satin ribbons with small twinkling diamond crystals between them. It stretched from her collarbone to just beneath her chin, perfectly obscuring the angry red slashes from the twisted bed sheets.
My wrist jangled as I reached up to smooth back a strand of blonde hair that escaped the knot I invented for her. My gift was more subtle. A simple gold bangle with a diamond clasp. It weighed more than it should and kept bashing against my wrist whenever I moved, sending small jolts of irritation through me.
“Alright, let's do this,” I sighed, opening the door and ushering her through.
I wore my usual uniform of a sapphire sweater and black leggings, so no one paid me any attention as I scurried in behind Lilyanna. She, however, was ravishing. Her midnight blue gown was so dark it looked black except when it caught the flickering candlelight. Shards of diamond were sewn into the bodice and trailed down the flowing skirts like moonlight sparkling off ocean waves.
I smiled. I needed to get her out of this place as Siobhan wasn’t going to save either of us, but she could at least enjoy herself first. She really was remarkable. Quite at home dressed up like royalty and equally talented when parrying with a razor-sharp saber. Unfortunately, she was stubborn as a mule, and it may well be the death of both of us.
The dining table was laden with steaming platters of meat and vegetables. My mouth watered as I caught sight of roasted lamb shanks, the bones pared and shining. Fresh mint jelly I hadn’t tasted in years lay in a small dish beside the lamb, its surface reflecting the expansive candelabra above in a peppered green hue.
The prince rose and kissed Lilyanna’s hand while I remained fixated on the feast. He turned to me and held out his hand for mine, a roguish smile on his face. A golden waistcoat peeked out from amongst the dark double-breasted suit, a diamond pin in his lapel. A picture-perfect gentleman.
My nails flexed automatically. Clement didn’t usually let me get this close. How easy it would be to deliver a scratch to the small band of flesh between his thumb and finger when he gripped my hand. But could I then sit through dinner? What if the Collectors descended on the feast, stirring up every guard in the castle and town? I’d never get away. I’d be held, questioned, and probably hung alongside Lilyanna just to prove to the queens they were doing something.
The prince’s hazel eyes, flecked with gold today, bored into mine. An invitation? A challenge? Something had shifted between us in the alley at the lunar festival. A creeping unease filtered down my spine.
I reached for him, my nails unsheathing like a tiger. My heart pounded as my vision tunneled upon his hand. The magic stirred, barely a flicker traveling through my veins. Shouldn’t I find out if he’d really done anything first?
