I spend the next moments gathering provisions for my ride. I hurry through the corridor, my riding cloak fastened at my neck, and I’m almost through the front doors when a voice stops me.
“Dante.”
I freeze.
It’s the king.
I turn slowly, every instinct telling me to keep moving, but there’s no ignoring him.
My father strides toward me, Farvis trailing two steps behind. The king’s cloak billows behind him, the polished hilt of his sword gleaming at his hip. His expression is as sharp as a blade.
“You’re in quite a hurry,” he observes, his voice cold and cutting.
“I have something I need to attend to,” I answer, careful to keep my tone even.
He narrows his eyes, stepping into my path. “You can’t leave now. We have guests. Guests who have traveled from afar to see the new prince.”
I stiffen. “Father, it’s important. I have to go.
He studies me for a moment, his thick brows plunging down over narrowed eyes. Then he scoffs, a humorless sound. “She left, didn’t she?”
My stomach twists, but I say nothing. Silence is answer enough.
The king’s face darkens, thunderclouds gathering in his expression. His voice is a low, dangerous growl. “I knew she would betray us. I’ve always found her a conniving bitch.”
“Father, no,” I say quickly, forcing myself to meet his gaze, “I don’t know that she has. Let me find her. Let me bring her back.”
“‘Back’?” He laughs bitterly. “You still think she wants to return? Foolish boy. She was agreeable when it came to marrying Torbin, but perhaps she couldn’t stomach being stuck with the spare. She’s spat in your face—and mine. She broke our agreement.”
No. That’s not what happened. But how can I convince him?
Farvis shifts slightly, but he doesn’t speak.
“If she’s broken the deal,” my father says, his voice rising, “then Delasurvia belongs to Hedera by right.”
“No,” I say, stepping forward before I can stop myself. “Please. Give me time. Give her a chance to explain. It doesn’t make sense. Her horse is here. She knows what would happen to Delasurvia if she left. She wouldn’t do that to her people.”She wouldn’t abandon me.
The king sneers. “You think you know her? You think a few kisses and doe-eyed glances mean you know the heart of a woman?” His lip curls. “They are all the same. Selfish. Deceitful. And weak.”
My fists clench at my sides. I want to strike him, but I hold myself back by the barest thread.
“Farvis,” Silas snaps, turning away from me. “Come. We will convene the council. It’s time to discuss how best to take Delasurvia before the vultures circle.”
“No,” I say again, more quietly. More desperately.
The king doesn’t even spare me a glance. “She betrayed us. She lied, as all women do. And now she will pay for her treachery.”
The words echo down the corridor long after he’s gone, a poisonous brand searing into my skull.
I stand there for a long, aching moment, the fire inside me threatening to consume everything.
She didn’t break the deal. She didn’t abandon her people. She didn’t leave me.
Something is very wrong.
And I need to find out what happened, to make sure she’s safe.
I stride back toward the stables, cutting through the castle corridorslike a man possessed. My boots strike hard against the flagstones, and a few servants scatter from my path, their faces flickering with wary glances.
