Caelian looked pointedly at Ariesian. “And that, dear brother, is solid fact.”
She was not soon going to let him forget that it was his idea to have Sarelle parade around in an attempt to woo the notorious Prince Aspen and learn his secrets.
From behind her, Nyxian laughed, quickly smothering it as a cough.
Tovian cleared his throat. “Shall I postpone my sailing trip?”
Caelian twisted to glance up at her brothers who stood behind the settee. Tovian and Nyxian, both scarcely a year apart in age, had attended the assembly at Ariesian’s request. While Tovian was planning to set sail soon to the Fair Isles in the south, Nyxian was busy doing everything within his power to avoid having to marry one Lady Aria Galefell.
Prickling awareness crawled along Caelian’s spine, and though she was looking up at her brothers, she could feel the heat of Kjeld’s gaze searing through the silk of her gown. She wondered if he was imagining her in the tub again, remembering all the ways he had touched her. All the ways he humiliated her. She twisted around to face him, rolling her shoulders back in a show of pride, and clamping her hands together tightly in her lap. She expected to find him scowling in her direction, as was usual, but the expression on his face gave her pause.
Kjeld looked positively stricken.
He shaved this morning, the hardened features of his face smooth yet rugged. Now that she actually had the nerve to look at him, there was no mistaking the lines of worry carved into his golden skin. Etched deeply at the corners of his eyes and across his brow, they aged him in the most endearingly attractive way. His teeth scraped his bottom lip, snagging on the scar that sliced to nearly his chin. Not once did he blink, his gaze steady and fully focused on her. Concern haunted the bright blue of his eyes, but there were shadows of something else.
A more powerful and dangerous emotion.
Desire.
She recognized it easily and heat bloomed low in her belly, forcing her to cross one leg over the other.
“If you want to postpone, Tov, that would be your choice.” Ariesian’s clear, unbothered voice cut through the thickening tension between them, and Caelian suppressed a shiver, looking away. “Though instead of sailing at the start of Midsummer, you could wait until the end and then leave right after Nyxian’s wedding. We are not going to allow this vile plague of dark magic to prevent us from living our lives. That being said, I have every intention of finding the source and destroying it.”
Next to Caelian, Sarelle stiffened. She ducked her head as the conversation carried on around them, twisting the skull ring around her finger. “I know Prince Aspen is innocent in all of this. This violent discourse is not the nature of his magic. He is grounded too closely to the earth. He cares for the world around him too much to see it destroyed.”
Caelian glanced over at her sister. She dropped her voice lower, lifting one hand to her mouth to disguise her words. “You think the queen is to blame?”
“Perhaps.” She lifted one shoulder, then shifted, rolling it back. “But we all bore witness to the same event. At Novaliseand Asher’s wedding, Prince Aspen did not create the corrupt creatures of twig and vine. He destroyed them.”
Though Sarelle spoke the truth, the prince’s triumph over the grotesque creatures did not eradicate him from all guilt. In fact, there have been whispers among the five houses of Aeramere that it was done on purpose, that his participation was willful in order for him to play the part of the hero. In an effort to distract from the truth of the matter—that unrest was once again spreading through the realm, except this time it was as though the land itself was being turned against them. Like it was being poisoned.
“You should make your sentiments known, Sarelle.” Caelian fiddled with the sheer sleeves of her periwinkle gown, running her finger back and forth along the inside hem. “I’m certain Ariesian will hear you out on the matter.”
“It’s possible,” she murmured, tucking her inky hair behind her ear as flecks of stardust fell around her like glitter. “Though I would prefer to wait until I have hard evidence, undeniable proof of his loyalty to Aeramere.”
Again, Caelian tugged at the roughly annoying hem. “And when do you think you will have such proof?”
“Not soon enough.” Though Sarelle’s deep blue gaze was trained on her lap, the corner of her mouth quirked slightly, tugging upward into a smirk. “But I have a plan.”
Well, at least one of them did.
Caelian’s current plan consisted of abandoning this family meeting as soon as possible in favor of her bedroom, where she could remain out of sight and avoid having to spend any more time in a shared space with Kjeld.
“Ah yes, and Caelian.”
Her head snapped up at Ariesian’s lackadaisical tone. “Yes?”
“You should go pack for your travels, you’re set to leave at dawn.” He smoothed the navy and gold threaded lapel of hisvest, his cold silver gaze drifting to the corner of the room where Kjeld stood in the silence of shadows. “It appears you and General Holtstrom have quite the adventure set before you.”
Tomorrow. She was leaving tomorrow. She wouldn’t even have time to breathe, much less pack.
“Adventure,” Caelian repeated numbly. She’d nearly forgotten the fact that she was meant to accompany him to Brackroth, and that he’d agreed to take her to Wenfyre to help her uncover the truth behind her mother’s violent deception. She swallowed the knot of nervous energy building in the back of her throat. “What sort of adventure?”
“The kind where you go to Brackroth and learn what you can about this new witch queen while playing the part of a proper lady whose reputation would never be doubted.” Ariesian ran his thumb along the edge of his smooth jaw. “I’d rather avoid having to deal with another queen who poses a threat to Aeramere. One is enough.”
“Let me make sure I’m understanding you correctly. You want me to spy on this new queen?” Caelian rose from the couch, clasping her hands before her. She’d never been asked to do anything that could possibly put her life in danger. It was both thrilling and terrifying all at once.
Ariesian chuckled, shaking his head softly. “Stars above, Caelian. I would never ask you to take such a risk. It is General Holtstrom who will be performing the dangerous task of eavesdropping and gathering what information he deems worthy of note to relay back to us. You, on the other hand, will serve as a pretty distraction.”
