CHAPTER 77
Rosalina
“Your plan isn’t going to work,” I snarl as Wrenley—asthe Nightingale—snaps steel manacles around my wrists. Her prismatic thorns erupted me upward into what must be her private room somewhere in the Serenus Dusk Chambers. Tall windows show a perfect view of the arena. Chains attached to the stone wall snake down across the floor, leading to the steel manacles that clasp my wrists. I stand, tugging on the shackles, pulling the chains taut, but it’s no use.
Wrenley laughs. “Isn’t this such an adorable coincidence? We both figured out each other’s disguises at the same time. Too bad I’m just a tad swifter. The siren ears were a nice touch though. I figured you would be too precious for our chivalrous High Prince of Summer to drag into the arena. I should have known nothing stops the indomitable Rosalina O’Connell!” Her tone is mocking, condescending.
I’ve let my siren disguise drop, coiling every bit of my magic deep inside. With a sneer, I say, “I guess spending all that time with us didn’t teach you anything about what it means to care for other people. To have a heart.”
Wrenley’s laughter dies. “It’s a privilege to have a heart, Rosalina. Count yourself lucky for possessing one for as long as you did before I tear it out.”
Even disguised in the white and gold acolyte robes, I can’t unsee the frenzy in her eyes. We led a snake right into our nest and fed her with our secrets.
It all makes sense now. Wrenley posed as an acolyte who served Kairyn because it allowed him to keep the Nightingale close.I’d never seen the Below’s assassin at the same time as the acolyte and there were all these little inconsistencies in her story. No wonder I could never shake the feeling that Wrenley hated me; even she wasn’t that good an actress.
But it was those eyes that finally gave it away. That look of frantic intensity, completely set sail from any sense of peace.
“So, what was your plan?” I spit at her. “Kairyn and Perth Quellos not good enough company? Couldn’t make friends in the Below so you had to masquerade as one of us?”
“See, that’s the thing about you and all the other puppets playing house in Castletree. You’re so eager to believe everyone wants to hold hands and sing songs together. The world doesn’t work that way, Rosalina. Trust is why you’re in chains and I’m not.” She shakes my steel manacles.
“Fine. You wanted to trick us. Well, you succeeded. But why pretend to be mates with Dayton?”
As the words fall out of my mouth, a ridiculous feeling overcomes me.
I’m imprisoned by an assassin who’s tortured me and threatened my life. Yet, I feelrelief.
She’s not Dayton’s mate. It was a lie. He doesn’t belong to anyone else. He could still be mine—
My joy fades to fear. If that’s true, he could have unlocked his true power. Would have had a chance in the arena tomorrow.
“You’re asking why I went to all the trouble of seducing Dayton?” Wrenley blinks her eyes.
“You didn’t seduce him,” I snarl. “You tricked him with a fake mate bond. It’s different.”
“One of the simplest concoctions I’ve ever whipped up.” She taps the golden nautilus shell still around my neck. “The Friar’s Lantern did it all for me, truly. It was so simple; it almost makes me sick to think how easily he fell for it!”
“You played on his desire to save his realm. That’s not weakness.”
She rolls her eyes. “Ugh, don’t you ever tire of being so righteous? You’re so similar, the two of you. Honestly, the hardest part of the last few months was keeping that doe-eyed look around him when he was acting like such a heroic fool.”
“Was this all because you hate me?” I whisper. “You wanted to take him away just to hurt me?”
“Everything’s not about you, Rosalina.” She says my name likeit burns her mouth. “This is about something bigger, about the realms. They’ll soon all belong to us, and your princes will be nothing but memories. Your precious Spring Prince was the easiest target. Kairyn was his only heir. Would have been easier to kill Ezryn outright, but so it goes, the ending was the same.”
“Don’t talk about Ezryn like that.” I jerk forward, the steel manacles biting into my wrists.
Wrenley smiles and pats my head, despite the fact I’m taller than her. I step back against the wall to get away from her. “Simmer down,” she says. “You’re lucky Kairyn’s soft. Now, Daytonales proves a different challenge. If we kill him outright, the Blessing will pass to his sister, which would just pose another problem. The only option is to have him pass the Blessing willingly. But who would he trust to receive such a precious gift?”
“His mate,” I whisper. “Well, you’re stupider than I thought. Dayton will never pass the Blessing to you, even if he believes you’re his mate!”
She smiles. “He will if he thinks there’s no other choice than to pass it to me or burden his beloved sister. See, there’s this thing called ‘subtlety,’ dear Rosie. You don’t seem to understand it, but trust me, I’m a master at it. These last three months I’ve reminded Dayton that passing the Blessing of Summer to his sister would not only be a horrible burden on her, but also her death sentence. I’ve told him how all his enemies will converge on her if she were to bear such a responsibility. Trust me, Dayton’s too soft a man to let that happen to her.”
“You’re insane,” I breathe.
“I’m efficient. The Summer Realmwillbe mine. Pathetic Perth Quellos may have failed his takeover of Winter and Autumn, but with Kairyn controlling Spring, myself controlling Summer, and Mother’s new plans for Winter, it will be all too simple to make Autumn fall in line.” She sticks out her bottom lip. “Though, I doubt you’ll be around to see it.”
Panic rises in my chest. The thought of Castletree’s dark lines of rot fill my mind. If the princes lose control over two Blessings, what will become of our home? Of all the people who live in Castletree?
