I turned away, my chest constricting as I recalled the last time I’d seen them together. One of those long days convalescing with neither start nor end. I’d convinced myself the room where my shattered body rested was too dark; that was the reason I couldn’t focus on the faces of the doctors and servants, their heads hung in my presence. Romero had warned me to stay in bed, but the urge to go to the window, to look upon the grounds and prove I was fine, had overwhelmed his instruction to obey.
I’d slipped from the covers. Clutching the walls to steady my trembling legs, I staggered to the window, only to findthe gardens I knew so well were hidden behind a veil. A veil stubbornly swirling with dizzying patches of shadow, then light.
I forget how long I stood there, tears streaming down my burning cheeks. My vision had fluctuated between an almost clear image, flaring a hope I wasn’t losing my sight, and a blotched nightmare. When two hazy figures moved under the shade of the conifers, my breath hitched. Blinking, a wide smile lit up my face at the sight of Matthias and my spoilt little half-sister.
A part of my soul had lain hollow. Matthias’s absence cast a shadow across my heart. I blamed the king. I knew Matthias would never willingly stay away. I grabbed the handle of the window frame. Shoved. Slamming my hands against the glass, the need to reach him overwhelmed any fear of shattering it. I’d climbed onto the ledge, crashed against the rattling panes, when I froze. Blinking, I’d tried to make sense of what the shadowy forms were doing.
Matthias,myMatthias, had embraced Enfys. He was only comforting her, I thought. He was always kind. Then, a tattered sob escaped me as he placed his hands on her face and laid a gentle kiss on the top of her gilded hair.
I have no recollection of how I returned to my bed. Only snatches of falling onto the sheets, tearing at pillows sodden with my tears. Matthias always despised the broken toys Romero had begrudgingly given him, tossing them aside as he sought a replacement. If the prince had Enfys, why would he ever want me?
I’d spent the rest of the day rehearsing all the things I’d say to him. My mind buzzed and coursed with the questions and accusations I’d make when I finally saw him.
Only he hadn’t come that day.
Or the next.
Or ever.
My Matthias. My friend and soul had gone. In his place was a king as cold and harsh as Romero. He’d chosen the gilded path of duty, relegating our friendship, our adoration for each other to history. Every bit of hurt, shame and ire coursing through me was shoved in a box I daren’t open. I swore I’d shed my final tear over him.
Not long after, when my shattered body and soul were repaired, I’d told Romero all the signs that indicated I was emerging as an Anomaly were gone. That my gifts were lost. Romero had sneered, convinced Evella deemed me unworthy of her blessing. I’d cited the parable of the barren Anomaly, the cautionary tale of how Evella could still tear away her gifts if she saw fit, begging him to work in his library.
I’d find his Vyrium. I’d make him the most powerful king on all Eusis. But best of all, I’d never see Matthias or Enfys again.
And now here we all were.
And they were still embracing. Still clutching each other with an ease that gnawed away at the hollow in my ribcage. I bit the inside of my cheek. Romero coughed, and Enfys stepped back, still holding my former friend’s hands.
‘Sorrow. You found Pablo!’ Enfys let go of Matthias and hauled me into an embrace I found myself unable to return.
Matthias approached my stepfather, who kept his stare firmly on my face.
‘Do you need help, Romero?’
‘I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon,KingMatthias. I told you, you’d have my Tribute, even if it’s taken you almost a decade to bother with her. One could almost suspect you questioned my word.’
Matthias and his captain exchanged a glance.
‘Of course not.’ Matthias plastered that damned smile on his face. I doubted it would have the desired effect on my stepfather.‘We’re all under pressure with this situation the Empress of Carush has put us in. I simply wanted to save you precious time.’
I wasn’t sure if it was my shaky vision or if Romero’s lips curled in a sneer. ‘How very chivalrous of you, but if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to spend more time with my stepdaughter. I’m certain you wouldn’t begrudge me a few more days?’
He regarded me with his icy gaze and I turned away. He’d been suspicious since the horses bolted. I often called the Drufaeran king rather rude names – fool was not one of them. If I didn’t get away now, he’d have me questioned, thrown into his army and forced to serve. Ribbons swarmed through my lungs as I stared at Enfys. I had to get away.
‘I’d prefer to go with Matthias,’ I said, battling to keep my breaths steady. ‘Now. This moment.’
‘You would?’ Matthias turned to me, brow furrowed, then shook his head. ‘My bride’s spoken, my liege.’ He cast another curious glance my way, as though he couldn’t believe I’d actually chosen him. I bit back the urge to tell him it was a piss poor choice. A volcano, a cruel stepfather or the boy who’d shattered my heart. ‘We’ll be on our way once we’ve helped fix your carriage.’
Despite the fact Matthias had grown taller than the king who’d once been his warden, my stepfather still managed to look down his nose at him.
‘We don’t require assistance, Asmar. My guards are impeccably trained. This carriage will be fixed by morning, if not before. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous point as arranged. I don’t wish to separate my girls so soon after they’ve been reunited.’
Enfys’s brows knitted together as her eyes searched me, before kneeling to heal my ankle, her magic sweeping through my body. I closed my eyes as the cool soothing waves carriedaway the pain. She stood, a wide smile lighting up her pretty face. There was a knowing glint in her eyes as she squeezed my fingers.
‘Surely you’ve covered the last eight years in the journey from the Tower?’ A hint of darkness entered Matthias’s tone. ‘The Tower where she was your sacrifice.’
‘I bestowed a great honour on her. At your behest, I’ve risked upsetting Vyrus. We’re already threatened by the empress and now I’ve risked the ire of a God. Perhaps I should?—’
