“You’ll succeed, I know it,” she whispered, then urged me to lie back to tuck me in.
I didn’t believe her words, but I appreciated the sentiment. I had only known this woman a few days, and she already saw more than those who had known me for years. Past my walls to the deep scars tarnishing me—the kind not visible on the outside.
“Tomorrow, the king will request you join him for your midday meal, use it to your advantage.” Her words were a warning and an opportunity. I could wither in my despair and let it consume me into ultimate failure, or I could fight. Fight for my freedom, my life, Eleanor.
And I would.
“Thank you, Wistari.” Emotion clogged my throat, my voice raw with it.
“Call me Wista,” she murmured, sending me a small smile I returned.
I wanted to offer her the same, to allow her to call me Lia, but I couldn’t. Not with the memories that name pulled from me every time Eleanor used it.
“Then you must dispense the title. We’ve already established I’m not a lady.”
She chuckled before she doused the lamp, flooding the tent with darkness.
The day had brought many new revelations, most of them bad. Others, though, were good, like the friendship I found in Wistari.
Wista.
Something I hadn’t ever experienced. All my life, I had been alone. Even before our parents died, I had been the oddball, the weird girl who followed her father as he delivered his handcrafted furniture. The other children hadn’t liked me, only Eleanor, but she didn’t count.
I would do as she said. When I met with the king, I’d find out more about the curse, about what he expected from me, so I could prepare, becauseIwouldn’t fail.
Chapter 6
Apit of writhing snakes had taken up residence in my stomach when I followed Wista through the bustling campsite the next day. I had dwelled on the meeting with the king all morning, no closer to a solid plan than I was when I awoke. Since Wista’s reveal last night, I loathed leaving Eleanor, but Meline would be keeping her company, with Pierce close by, both of whom were incredibly fond of my sister.
I couldn’t blame them; she was easy to love. Her pure outlook on life was a breath of fresh air. Not yet corrupted by horrific trauma and nefarious deeds, she took everything in stride, determined to remain positive and see the best in everyone around her.
She was ten when our parents died. At that age, of course she’d been affected, felt the loss keenly, but Eleanor hadn’t been the one to come across their bodies. She thought it was a freak accident, and I had done everything to not divulge the sinistertruth. I kept thatwonderfulexperience locked away in the deepest, darkest part of my mind.
The king’s obnoxiously large tent was positioned dead center of camp. Four circular tents the size of the one I stayed in were joined together to make one massive space. Guards flanked the entrance, and even with it pinned open, I couldn’t see within.
“Miss Adelia Masters, here to see King Terym,” Wista said to the guard who’d stepped forward at our approach. He inclined his head and let us pass.
The ridiculously pretentious interior came as no surprise. A large solid timber table dominated the space—it must have taken twenty men to lift it in—set for two at one end while the other held a variety of maps and scrolls. A heavy navy curtain portioned off a large section of the area. Though partially drawn, I could make out the end of a bed.
A cozy sitting chair placed next to an overflowing bookshelf drew me in. The kind of space I could see myself snuggling in with a good book and eventually falling asleep. Everything about the setup was far nicer than our childhood home, and we hadn’t been poor by any means.
“My dear Adelia, thank you for joining me.” The king stood beside a long serving board spread with an assortment of cured meats, a roasted fowl, and a variety of vegetables. Had my stomach not been twisting in on itself, I would probably stuff my face full of the delicious food. “That will be all, Wistari.”
My palms grew clammy at the king’s dismissal of my only friend. It was foolish to hope she would stay, but I had done it anyway.
She sent me a reassuring smile and offered Terym a small curtsy before turning and exiting the tent, leaving me alone with the king.
“I hope you’re hungry, the cooks went all out today.” His expression was impassive as he waited for my response. I hadn’tsaid a word since I arrived, nothing good could come from the words I wanted to spew, so I nodded instead.
Terym chuckled lightly and filled two plates from the board. Unsure what to do, I waited off to the side, twisting my hands in my skirts, my body wound tight and ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
“Come. Sit,” he ordered, placing both plates on the table.
I offered a silent prayer to Roburvirtus, the Wielder of Strength, before I joined him at the table, sitting at the edge of my chair. The perfect gentlemen, Terym poured two glasses of red wine from a dark bottle, only the expensive kind from Mortremon came in such a color. When he took his seat next to me, he raised his glass in toast, and I hastened to follow.
“To changing the fates.” The king’s eyes sparkled as he took a deep sip of wine. I hesitated, waiting until he placed his glass back on the table before I gulped half the drink. The king tucked into his meal, either oblivious to my unease or simply ignoring it. I followed suit, not tasting the small pieces I picked at.
The excruciating silence dragged, and only when Terym had cleared his plate did he speak. “How do you find the camp? Are your lodgings comfortable?”
