“Sorry for what?”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that attack. I only heard about it afterwards. Now my father wants you dead for killing his pride of manticores... and for making threats against his life.”
She resisted the urge to look in Kaelan’s direction.
“Did you come here to warn me?” she asked.
“What happened to him?”
“To whom?”
“My brother. His body.”
“Why do you want to know that? He’s dead, isn’t that enough for you?”
“He may be dead, but he’s still my brother. He deserves a proper burial.”
She surged up to her feet, but she couldn’t see over Gur, who watched the exchange through slitted eyes.
“Your family had him assassinated. They murdered him. Even if I had his body, I would never give it to you.”
Endreas rose as well, languidly. “He is a Prince. He should be buried with the rest of the family.”
“Are you insane? You’re not his family. And I can’t believe that you have the nerve to come here and make such a request in the first place. Do you know what he went through? Do you know much he suffered? Do you have any idea what it feels like to be poisoned? To be slowly suffocated to death as your throat swells shut?” She unleashed her blades, all except the ironwood. She would keep it hidden, until she needed it. “Leave.”
He glanced warily at her blades. “I understand that his death has caused you a great deal of pain. I probably understand better than you think.”
“I doubt that.”
“My sister told me he made a heart-place of you before he died.”
Her jaw clenched. “Your sister doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
His eyes narrowed, searching her face. “I think she does.”
“I don’t want to talk—”
“It has left a wound,” he cut in. “It will never heal—”
“All death does that, if you have a heart.”
“This is different,” he said with a sudden ferocity that left her momentarily stunned. “You think this is normal grief, but it’s not. If you’re not careful, it could kill you too.”
“What?”
He ran his gloved hand over his mouth. “By giving you a piece of his heart, he... connected your life forces. Like how the Crown and the Throne are connected. When one fails, the other suffers. Normally, a Prince would not make another person into a heart-place. It’s too dangerous, especially if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
She held up her hand. “Wait. You’re saying what? That if he dies... since he died, I’m going to die too?”
“Not necessarily, but it’s possible. The reason a Prince doesn’t make another person his heart-place is because when one dies, if the other doesn’t, it usually leads to some form of madness and, eventually, death—”
“You’re saying I’m going to go crazy, and then, what? Kill myself?”
“Or many others. I don’t know what will happen. Since he gave it to you so shortly before he died, it’s possible it never took root and you’ll be fine. But it’s also possible it is slowly eating away at you. Inside.”
Like a hollow gnawing.
“Is it?” he asked.
