I closed my eyes as I sat down. If I lost my temper now, no matter what boons my intended had offered in return for my freedom, I’d be sent back as Tribute.
‘I’m sure I heard Pablo earlier,’ Enfys whispered. ‘And I’ve definitely heard the guards talking about him. I think they may be a tad scared of?—’
‘Enfys.’ Romero’s tone softened as he reprimanded his daughter. ‘It’s a wolf. It can take care of itself. I knew I should have sent Danté instead. We’re to pass the site of a new mine we’ve discovered. A rich source of Vyrium could sway the fate of this war. I’d like to take the chance to personally thank my engineering master for all he’s done.’
I clutched the seat, dug my nails into the soft velvet.
‘My liege,’ I said, ignoring the king’s long exhale, ‘would that be the site my research indicated?’ I braced for his bitter words. As if he’d ever credit my research.
The king snorted. ‘There’s a reason you were a Tribute, Sorrow.’ He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. ‘As a favour to Queen Mercy, bless her memory, you were provided with the gilded opportunity to prove your worth. After the…accident, after Evella stripped you of whatever gift you should have possessed, I thought you could still have some use in this world.’
‘Father. This isn’t charitable. Sorrow has gone above and beyond to help you in your search for the fabled site.’
‘Hah. You would think that. It’s lucky your brother will take the throne and not you. You haven’t the backbone for the crown and all it entails.’ He turned his sharp stare back to me. ‘And withoutyoursight, your pace has been useless.’
I swallowed, praying the colour on my cheeks wasn’t as visible as I suspected.
‘I can still see…most things.’
He moved forward swiftly. Biting my lip, I lowered my head, as I’d been taught to do as a child.
‘You’re still rude, rebellious. Evella knows whyhechose you for a wife.’
‘Father!’ Enfys’s voice cracked.
‘Enough, the pair of you.’ The king sat back and picked up a yellowing parchment. ‘You seem unaware that the empress is poised to invade our shores. I’ve meetings to prepare. An Alliance to organise, and I need to concentrate. You, go back to your book of Gods.’ He nodded at Enfys, then sneered as he glared at me. ‘Andyou, ensure you don’t embarrass me or my throne as a bride. I don’t want to hear another word. We should reach the inn at Stalmire soon. I can get some rest from your incessant chattering.’
I dug my nails into my palms. Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I steadied the tremors working through me. Was Isupposed to merely sit here, accept days of this abuse, while he delivered me to my husband?
I lay my head back against the carriage, allowing the gentle sway to lull me back to sleep. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I wondered if I could sneak Pablo into Romero’s rooms, leave a little present on his bed? As I drifted off in a dreamless sleep, a tiny giggle rippled through me.
CHAPTER 5
Just as shattered Vyrium from the meteorite blesses the chosen with gifts, the same cannot be said for the corrupted beasts roaming our world. Afflicted by Vyrium, it is no longer a blessing, but an all-consuming curse.
— LORD SILAS VANCOURE, SELECT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DIAFOL HUNTERS
We’d spent the previous night in a fairly comfortable inn. Despite the softness of the pillows, my churning thoughts made sleep elusive. Now, we once again hurtled towards the rendezvous point. I’d failed to prise the lock on my window open and despite the fact I was about to marry another, my thoughts kept flitting to the man my stepsister would wed. A muscle ticked in my jaw as I tried yet again to force the image of Matthias out of my head. How the tears had blurred my already faltering vision as his swirling form embraced Enfys. I squirmed in my cramped seat, biting my already ragged nails.
‘Stop that.’ Enfys tapped my hand with her leather bookmark.
I wriggled again, desperate to stretch my aching legs and escape the suffocating space. Enfys’s attempts to engage me in conversation were met with short, clipped responses. Romero refused to acknowledge our existence. He studied missive after missive, a permanent scowl marring his face. Rolling my shoulders, I stared at Enfys. Tears shone in her blue eyes as they remained locked on her Holy book. Full, pink lips moved, shaping the words the Gods had left us. I blew out a long breath. Life would have been so much easier if the series of painstakingly printed letters on thin butter-yellow pages were all they’d left us.
Evella, the guardian Goddess, may have destroyed the meteorite her angry lover Vyrus sent to destroy our much-coveted planet, but in doing so scattered the sought-after fragments across our world’s surface. The volatile metal within – Vyrium – was worth more than a king’s soul.
For eons, only Anomalies were able to harness the bronze flecks of Vyrium, but then unblessed humans discovered they too could manipulate and utilise the cursed substance in everyday objects. Lights burned brighter, the walls of their homes stronger. Even farmers’ scythes cut twice as much.
Tenner flashed a blade imbued with an alloy of steel and Vyrium, one which made his weapon almost undefeatable. It would take the strength of a diafol to break it. His strikes would be swifter, deadlier, his aim truer. And if a mortal were to receive a nick from the toxic steel and it entered their blood? From what I’d heard, their slow death would be like nothing else.
The fact he was an Anomaly meant although he looked like his mother still washed behind his ears, he’d be a worthy warrior. Depending on their gift, an Anomaly could demand a fair amount of coin in return for their service. I’d never met one, but a rare Deviant – one who was blessed with two gifts – would be sought by those with the heaviest purses. Most Anomalies,like Tenner, ended up as a lowly guard. Some, mainly healers like Enfys, offered their lives to serve Evella as a Sister in one of her churches.
Sometimes, I wondered what path I’d be walking if Matthias hadn’t dared me to jump. If I hadn’t been so stubborn. If Mama hadn’t breathed her last…
I dragged in a shuddering breath. Enfys wiped a tear from her cheek, a smile of joy on her face. She lifted her soft gaze towards me and then scowled, slapping my hand from my lip. I hadn’t realised I’d been picking my skin again.
‘What will the king…the king…think when you turn up full of holes?’ she chided.
‘I doubt he’ll care. I don’t think it’s my looks he’s interested in.’
