A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1) (128)

We didn’t have time for any more words. With a nod, he was gone.

Now it was time for me to do my part. But first…

I darted back into the ballroom. I had to release my grasp on my magic soon, or time would resume with no input from me. And I’d have no power left for my own desperate retreat from the castle.

But the king’s assessor? This was personal.

He stood just foot-spans away. I smiled, stalking up behind him. And then I released him, allowing him to know a tiny hint of the confusion and terror that his victims had felt.

He stiffened, but I was already swinging my blade. My knife sank into his side, and he screamed. “This is for Ardaric,” I hissed. “And his parents.”

I ripped the knife free and stabbed again. “This is for Thayer and Dashiel.”

He fell to his knees, and I dropped with him.

“And this? This is for everyone else you murdered.” I slashed my knife over his throat, something in me awakening at the sound of his gurgles. Something vicious and deadly.

Something that craved the blood of my enemies.





Prisca would owe me for this. Not only was I on horseback, along with Rythos, Marth, Galon, and Cavis—all of us killing anyone who attempted to stop the carriages from reaching the city walls—but behind me, Tibris and Demos bickered relentlessly on the horses Marth had stolen for them. I should have locked them in a carriage together.

“You seriously think Prisca’s going to stay in the city?” Demos laughed.

“I think I know her better than you,” Tibris ground out. “She won’t leave. Not while there are other hybrids needing help.”

Demos went quiet. “Then you should be convincing her to leave. She needs to stay safe.”

I shook my head, barely restraining myself from informing the two idiots behind me that Prisca wasn’t going with either of them.

I was taking her with me.

“What makes you think we can’t keep her safe here?” Tibris asked.

I caught Galon rolling his eyes at that. Meanwhile, Demos had lowered his voice, although I could still hear every word.

“Are you insane? Prisca will be hunted night and day. You know why? Because not only is she the only one who has ever managed to humiliate the king, but she’s also the heir to the hybrid kingdom.”

My hands tightened on the reins, and I fought to keep my face blank. The heir to the hybrid kingdom.

She didn’t know.

But my brother must have known. The way he had insisted on learning about her magic…

Some magic was hereditary.

He had known, and he hadn’t told me.

Tibris didn’t say a word. Likely, he was too stunned to speak.

Rythos threw me a look before turning his attention back to the guards ahead. One of them jumped out in front of Galon’s horse, and Galon used his power to fill his lungs with water. The guard fell to his knees, and I directed my horse around his body.

The heir to the hybrid kingdom.

I ground my teeth. Ultimately, it didn’t change my plans. But it did mean I had new considerations.

The next guard who got in our way was dispatched with my sword. Rythos sent me a look. “Bad mood?”

“You have no idea.” My brother had always dealt in information. But this? This felt like a betrayal.

The seamstress stuck her head out of her carriage. I narrowed my eyes at her. “And why didn’t you tell Prisca the truth about her heritage?”

She looked down her nose at me, which was impressive, given she was half my size and I was on horseback.

“That was a conversation I had planned to have with Prisca in private,” she said, turning her head to where Tibris and Demos trotted behind her carriage. Both of them went silent.

I would have to think about it later. Because the city walls were just a few hundred foot-spans ahead of us. And they were surrounded by the king’s guards. Next to the guards, several stone hags stood waiting.

I should have turned those bitches to rubble when I had the chance.





CHAPTER THIRTY





I tore through the servants’ halls, wishing I could slam my hands over my ears to drown out the screams from downstairs. I’d dropped the thread of time the moment I’d made it to the first set of stairs. I wouldn’t be surprised if the nobility were screaming over the loss of their jewels and not the sudden appearance of the king’s assessor’s corpse.

By the time I got close to the queen’s chambers, the guards had already abandoned their post, likely rushing downstairs in an attempt to protect the queen.

Pushing open her door, I crossed the sitting room in three steps and dragged an armchair over to the queen’s mirror. Hopping up onto the chair, I studied the blue stone. The middle of the jewel was a blue so dark it looked almost black, while the outside was so light, it seemed to melt into the whorled silver of the mirror’s edge. I pushed it out of the silver casing, and it slipped free easily. The mirror’s edge had cleverly hidden the top of the stone and the long silver chain connected to it. The stone glinted in the light, strangely warm in my hand.

“I knew you would come here.”

I jolted, almost falling off the chair.

Auria stood between me and the door. The innocent smile was gone, and in its place was a wide grin that didn’t reach her eyes.