A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)(70)

“Good. Work quickly.”

“I will.”

And so I spent the next several hours in the queen’s wing. First, I swept the nonexistent dirt—whoever used their magic to clean had likely been here just hours before I arrived—and then I got to work mopping the already spotless floors.

At least it gave me time to think. Time to remember everything I’d seen last night.

I kept my head down, but my body shook.

Rage burned through me, so brightly, I felt as if I might explode with it.

Seeing Asinia in such a state, coming face-to-face with the condition of the prisoners…not to mention Demos’s wound…

Bile burned up my throat at the thought.

It wasn’t enough to kill us. The king had to bring us so low, we longed for death.

All so he could keep our magic.

Could I really free two of the prisoners and leave the rest to rot?

I lifted my head and caught sight of my reflection in one of the mirrors. Apparently, the queen liked to be able to gaze at herself wherever she went.

I looked nothing like myself with my dark hair and brown eyes. I also looked pale, shell-shocked. But my eyes burned with vengeance.

Ivene’s voice had been playing in my head over and over again since I’d seen the dungeons.

“One day soon, you will have to make a choice. Be a torch for just one soul in the dark…or burn like the sun for all of them.”

The thought of leaving the others here made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t know how, but I was going to free all the prisoners the king considered corrupt. And I was going to do it before Gods Day.

A door opened, and the swish of long skirts warned me to step out of the way.

I froze. The queen. It was the first time I’d seen her, and I stood with my head bowed, hands behind my back as I’d been instructed.

She ignored me, and I dared to glance at her face as she swept past.

She was beautiful, as I’d expected. What I hadn’t expected was the smattering of freckles over her nose, which gave her an almost childlike appearance. Her eyes were dark gray, wide and solemn.

Her ladies trailed behind her silently. Six of them, walking in pairs. I recognized the one with the flame-colored hair, and she sneered at me as she met my eyes.

The beginnings of a plan started to form in my mind. A dangerous plan. But a plan that could change everything.

The queen continued her stroll, and I got back to work, my mind whirring.

“Prisca,” a voice hissed.

I jolted. Tibris was standing in the closest room, the door cracked open. I gaped at him.

“How—”

“Servants’ hall. Did you see Asinia?”

“Yes. She’s sick. Burning up with fever.”

He lowered his brows. “I need to heal her.”

I nodded. I’d planned to make the same suggestion. My brother could at least buy us time. “Tonight. There’s something else. I need you to get a message to Vicer.”

Voices reached us, and Tibris closed the door. I lowered my head once more, sweeping my mop over the stone. Eventually, the voices quieted, and Tibris cracked the door open again.

“What are you thinking, Pris?”

I handed him the note I’d written earlier. His eyes widened as he read it. He’d been using our code for much longer than me, and he instantly understood what I was asking for.

He lifted his head, eyes incredulous. “It will never work.”

I felt my chin jut out—my usual reaction to being told I couldn’t do something by my brother. But this time, I knew it could work. “Let’s wait for Vicer’s reply.”





Dear L,

Our mutual friend should be allowed his freedom for now. Let us keep a close eye on him so we can see who he is talking to. Congratulations on securing the invite to the castle. The temptation to let an arrow pierce Sabium’s heart must have been…great.

While I cannot begin to understand how difficult it will be to interact with those loathsome creatures, I beg you to leash your temper.

One day, we will have our revenge. We will watch Sabium’s head roll free and know he has paid for everything he has done to our family.

That time is not now. As much as both of us would wish it otherwise.

Your appreciative brother,

C





“Shh,” Tibris soothed Asinia that night. The devastation had been clear on his face when I’d opened her cell door. Now, he was crouching next to her, attempting to heal the worst of her sickness, while I handed some of the smuggled food through the cell bars to Demos.

His mouth had fallen open when he’d seen me again. Obviously, he hadn’t truly believed I would return. Now, he was shoving bread and cheese into his mouth.

“Don’t eat too much,” Tibris warned. “Or it’ll come straight back up.

Demos nodded, taking smaller bites. My chest clenched.

“I’ll try to bring some meat tomorrow,” I told him.

I turned to Tibris. His expression was grim. I’d told him about the iron, and he was studying the slice along Asinia’s shoulder.

“We need to get this out. I can’t heal her with the fae iron in her body.”

Slipping into the cell, I knelt next to Asinia. She’d gotten worse overnight, and now she was so pale, it seemed as if she was moments from death. A chill slid over me. We couldn’t have gotten here just in time to watch Asinia die. We had to be able to save her.