Clement cleared his throat. “Does Lilyanna like her gift?”
I stared at the gold choker. How perfectly it obscured the grooves carved into her flesh. Clement had chosen it? Clement had chosen it.
I shivered. “It’s a perfect fit.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BLOOD MAGIC
Lilyanna and I walked arm-in-arm behind the prince. As usual, Clement and Bryn flanked him, their shoulders tight, backs straight. The prince had dressed all in black, pristine layers of velvet and silk draped over his body in perfect proportions. He carried himself taller, his presence larger than before.
We moved toward the old section of the castle where the stone floor ceded to wooden planks and the temperature turned glacial. The ground outside rose higher in the rectangular windows, partially covering the thick panes, then half-obscuring them before fully blocking the daylight out.
I shifted Lilyanna further into the center of the passageway and away from the sconces which leaned out from the walls, billowing toward us as we passed. She tugged the neck of her sweater up to her chin, its white wool covering the bruises but accentuating the pallor of her cheeks.
The prince stopped before a narrow, single door and addressed Lilyanna. “Thank you for accompanying me today, my lady.” He bowed his head, lips tight, but his eyes sparkled.
Bryn twisted the diamond knob and pushed open the door. Stale air rushed out, the rose scent that permeated everything unable to bloom down here.
“You may not enjoy what you are about to see, but it is essential business when running a city. We are all, of course, doing the queens’ work, and you will be joining me in that venture soon.”
He offered his hand, and she reluctantly unwound from my arm and placed her fingers in his. He raised her hand to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles. She lowered her head as a smile crept upon her face. The prince’s eyes darted to mine, a grin flashing briefly before he resumed focus on her. A chill shot through me.
They walked through the narrow door with Bryn following. Clement blocked my way as I moved forward.
“Move. Don’t you dare think you’re leaving me outside while she’s in there alone.” I swatted at him, barely even appreciating the tense muscles under his tunic.
“Calm down, you’re coming in, he wants you there.” He glanced over his shoulder before hurriedly whispering, “I’m begging you, Tam. Stay quiet. Don’t do anything.”
“What? Why?”
He looked behind him again. “Because you’ll look guilty.”
I folded my arms. “I haven’t done anything. I told you.” Indignation swirled inside of me. Why was he always lecturing me?
He forcibly uncrossed my arms and gently held my hands by my sides. “I believe you.” His dark eyes were earnest, pleading as they darted between mine. “But the others won’t.”
I pulled my hands from his and twisted the gold bracelet around my wrist. My finger absentmindedly landed on the diamond clasp, and I trapped it against my skin. My pulse throbbed beneath the needle, the magic in my blood tiptoeing around the obstruction.
I frowned. What was he involved in? What did he know? He kept going to great lengths to warn me about something; to tell me to leave. He even gave me the bangle to protect myself. But all this without telling me why. It was infuriating.
I nodded. “I’ll try.”
I pushed him aside and hurried after Lilyanna. He let out a frustrated groan behind me as he followed.
Though my body screamed at me to run, I forced my feet to keep moving evenly. From the look on Lilyanna’s face, she was trapped in the same dilemma.
Two carved benches ran in a circle around the room bisected at four points by a narrow aisle. In the center, the floor fell away into a rank void. Sweat, rot, and decay belched from the opening. Except for the void, the room was well lit. Hundreds of candles lined the edges and hung from the ceiling. The wicks were different colors—crimson, midnight blue, bruise green, but the heat crinkling the air above the flames was a mirage. Only chills laced their way through the air.
A handful of people were seated, one with a quill and parchment balanced on their knee. I hadn’t seen the prince invite any of the townsfolk into his castle so far, so he must be making a point about something.
I crept up alongside Lilyanna and we perched at the back, our weight solely in our feet, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. The prince circled around to the opposite side while Clement and Bryn walked down the aisles on the right and left. They all stopped at the edge of the darkness.
Clement’s hand feathered the hilt of his saber, his fingers drumming a tune which matched the pounding of my heart. Bryn smoothed back her perfect hair, keeping her body devoid of emotion.
The door snicked shut behind us. Lilyanna and I spun around, her hand locking with mine. I realized too late that I should’ve sat on her other side so I could access my knife. I pulled one of the small blades from my boot with my left hand. Resting it back in my lap, I closed my fingers around it and forced the whirring adrenaline in my body to calm.
A priestess glided slowly over the floor. Her long, sheer robes matched the prince’s midnight black ensemble. A thin layer of diamonds clung like gauze to the fabric, making her shimmer in the multi-colored glow from the candles. The crystals absorbed each hue as if it were their right.
