11. CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11

DANIELLA

“Just who I was looking for,” Cardian said, wearing a thin smile.

How was he here? And with so many guards? My stomach tumbled, and I felt sick.

I took several steps back and tried to run the way I’d come, but Cardian flicked a hand at one of the guards, and he jumped to block my path.

I flexed my fingertips. Cardian was about six feet away from me. That wasn’t much—not when death dwelled in my hands. I lunged in his direction. Cardian’s eyes grew wide with panic, but the guard was faster than me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and held me back, while I kicked and wriggled, trying to get free.

“I’m going to kill you,” I cried out.

The commotion was enough to draw the remaining Sub Rosa out of Cylea’s chamber. Kryn and Silver came running down the corridor, their swords raised, battle cries issuing from their throats.

“Kill them,” Cardian ordered his guards, then pointed at the one holding me. “You, let’s go. You, too.” He pointed at a second guard.

They marched in the opposite direction of my friends.

“Stop!” Kryn shouted as the sound of steel against steel filled the air.

“Kryn! Silver!” I kept fighting, kicking and jabbing my elbows backward, doing my best to hit the guard. But he was tall and strong, and my efforts were in vain. “Let me go, you bastard.” I tried clamping my hands around his forearms, but he was wearing leather gauntlets, and I couldn’t make contact with his skin.

If only I’d had some of the light magic I’d used against Varamede, I would’ve blasted Cardian to the confines of hell. But I needed to kill someone in order to harness that kind of power.

As we turned the corner, I caught a glimpse of Larina. She was coming around the bend in a hurry. I shook my head, warning her to stay away. Cardian marched in front of me—not in the least worried about the scuffle taking place behind him.

Down the hall, we ran into a second group of guards.

“Go help the others,” he ordered.

They ran past us, drawing their weapons. There were at least ten of them. The Sub Rosa would be utterly outnumbered.

“Let. Me. Go.” I pounded on the guard’s arm.

“Quit it, you whore.” He shook me violently.

My brain rattled. I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something, then felt a slight touch on my shoulder. I glanced over and found Larina scampering along my collarbone, and sliding into the breast pocket of my tunic, unnoticed by anyone but me.

As she fell inside, she wiggled. A fresh rush of panic hit me. Her precious wings would be crumpled. What was she doing?

I waited for something to happen. Maybe she could help me get free with her magic. But a few beats later—the guard carrying me down a set of steps and jarring my teeth—I realized I didn’t really know the extent of Larina’s magic. I’d seen her appear and disappear things like food and Shadow’s spear, use her pixie dust to fluff my hair and speed up her pace, but maybe she couldn’t do much more, especially not against someone so big.

Part of me was glad for her company. Wherever Cardian was taking me, I wouldn’t be alone, but I was also afraid for her. She could get badly hurt, crushed. I shook my head. No, nothing bad would happen to her. I would make sure of that.

After traversing several long corridors, we entered a waiting room outfitted with armchairs and tea tables. A large painting in a style I recognized hung on the wall across the door. Cardian came to a stop in front of it and regarded it, hands clasped behind his back.

The guard tossed me into a chair as if I were a misbehaving child. I rolled to one side, making sure to land on my back so as not to hurt Larina.

He took several steps toward the door, waiting for Cardian’s orders.

“Don’t leave and remain vigilant.”

“Afraid of me?” I asked as I stood and straightened my tunic.

“You do have powerful magic, but Cedric is a neutralizer. So don’t try anything stupid.”

I frowned. What was he talking about? Glancing back at the guard, I figured he must be Cedric. A neutralizer? Within this context, it wasn’t hard to figure out what the brute was capable of doing. He dampened magic. So even if I had been able to touch him skin to skin, he would’ve been all right. Even if I had been able to grab Cardian by the neck when I lunged for him, I would’ve accomplished nothing. Maybe that was why Larina hadn’t been able to do anything either. I could only guess.

“Where’s the king?” I demanded.

Cardian turned from the painting—a scene depicting a castle built on top of fluffy white clouds. “You are looking at him.”

“It can’t be,” I said under my breath.

Jeondar had said that he’d left everything in order with the council members and generals. How could Cardian be back?

The answer came to me in an instant… because he had more allies in Elyndell and inside the Vine Tower than we ever imagined.

We had underestimated the weasel. I imagined I could feel Larina’s tiny heart thumping against mine.

“It can be, and it is,” he said. “Kalyll is a fool. He assumes there’s loyalty where there’s only greed. More than half of the council members are mine. That means that their men—the guards that you see around the palace and elsewhere and who belong to those council members’ houses—also answer to me.”

Kalyll was surrounded by traitors.

“You see,” he went on, “while Kalyll went on battles and charity missions around the realm, I garnered the favor of the people who truly matter. I didn’t ignore them as he did. I promised them they would get their due when the time came. Loyalty is a mirage. Everyone has a price in the end. Wouldn’t you agree?” His question was suggestive, and the way he emphasized the word price made me pause to ponder his exact meaning.

I bit down on my tongue to contain the urge to curse him and tell him exactly what I thought of his philosophy and where he could shove it. Instead, I held his gaze, wondering how much he knew about me.

Unless his spies had provided him with better information, he thought I was the daughter of a Jovinian dignitary and a scheming opportunist who had ingratiated herself with the new king. Likely, he also thought I was Kalyll’s lover—not that he was wrong. In all, it wasn’t a far-fetched theory, especially since, as far as he knew, Kalyll and I had just met.

He had no idea who I really was.

Cardian didn’t know that Kalyll and I had been through hell and back and that something deep had developed between us during the hardships we’d endured together. Adversities have a way of bringing people together—not that we wouldn’t have fallen in love if we’d met in line at the DMV. We were mates, after all.

Still holding Cardian’s gaze, I pressed my lips together. Did I have a price? That was what he wanted to know. I let my silence be its own answer, an answer left to his sole interpretation.

He narrowed his eyes and hummed, taking a few steps to one side and regarding me from head to toe. “You have a very interesting skill, Lady Fenmenor. You went against Varamede Elis, the most powerful thunderlord in the realm, and you nearly beat him. He was hard-pressed to admit it, but I was there. I saw what happened. Try as he might, he couldn’t lie to me. For a moment there, he thought you would win.”

If I had killed and sucked dry someone else, I would have won. The thought came from Dark Dani, and though I hated the ease with which it pushed through my mind, I couldn’t deny its veracity.

“I don’t know if you realize this,” he went on, “but there are few people in this realm or any other who have that kind of power.”

A frown cut across my forehead involuntarily.

“Ah, I see you had no idea.”

There were plenty of powerful people in Elf-hame and my realm, so Cardian’s assertion sounded ridiculous to my ears. There was no way I was more powerful than the many midnight mages and witches that roamed the human world. Or the mighty sorcerers and sorceresses of Elf-hame.

As if he’d read my thoughts, he said, “You might think others are more powerful because they can perform many different tricks, while you only have one.”

Cardian inclined his head to one side. He was asking if I could do more than blast pure energy. What if he knew my real power was healing? Would he be so interested in me? On the other hand, my ability to shoot beams of light clearly interested him. I hated to think of his fascination if he ever learned I had to murder someone with my bare hands in order to charge my batteries and shoot.

I gave him no answer other than a chagrined sniffle to let him think I had no other skills.

“Oh, you shouldn’t be embarrassed, Lady Fenmenor. What you can do is outstanding. Don’t ever think otherwise.” He frowned. “Do you mind if I do away with formalities and call you Ylannea?”

I shrugged like it made no difference to me.

“Good. So… why don’t you explain to me the nature of your relationship with Kalyll? Why would you risk your life for him?”

“What does it matter to you, Cardian?”

He raised his nose in the air, clearly bothered by what he considered irreverence. What did he want me to call him? King Cardian? I wouldn’t even call him prince at this point. I could, however, offer him a list of alternatives he might not be familiar with: prick, douchebag, dickwad, asswipe.

Eyes narrowed, he considered me, then decided to let it go. He had been the one wishing to do away with formalities, anyway.

“It matters to me because you could become a valuable weapon in my arsenal.” He raised an eyebrow, wearing an expression that seemed to say you could profit from this too if you’re smart.

As difficult as it was, I feigned intrigue. Leisurely, I strolled around the room, picked the most comfortable-looking armchair, sat down, and crossed my legs.

“I’m listening.”

Cardian smiled with satisfaction. He took the chair across from mine, then tapped his ear. “I’m listening first.”

“Fine.” I waved a hand in the air and tried to think of something that would explain why I would jump in front of Kalyll to save his life. “He promised to… make it worth my while when he became king.”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“He said he would help my family.”

“How?”

“The Fenmenors would get preferential treatment in the wool trade.”

“And you risked your life for that?” Cardian scoffed. He cared nothing for family, so of course, this reason sounded like a lie to him.

I pushed to the edge of the chair and looked him straight in the eye. “That is my inheritance we’re talking about. Of course, I would risk my life for it.”

His eyes sparkled. Now, here was something he fully comprehended. Everything he’d done so far had been for what he considered to be his due.

He placed an elbow on the armrest and tapped his jaw with an index finger. “Unfortunately for you and your family,” he chuckled at this, “Kalyll will never be king.”

Of their own accord, my teeth ground, and a muscle jumped in my jaw. Fortunately, this natural reaction served me well because Cardian thought I was frustrated that my plans had been foiled.

“But maybe there is no reason for you to fret,” he said. “Maybe you can still be friends with the Seelie King.” His satisfied smirk stretched for a mile.

This time, I stopped my true feelings from revealing themselves. Instead, I lowered my eyes to the floor and let them wander as if I were deep in thought, considering all the ramifications of this new and unexpected boon.

Before I opened my mouth to speak, I considered the type of things a ruthless person might say in a situation like this. Would they express relief? Would they make demands? Would they appear suspicious?

I settled on the latter, snapping my gaze to his and holding it. “How can I trust someone who so easily stabs his brother in the back?”

His hands took hold of the armrests and squeezed them hard. “He is not my brother.”

Holding my breath, I hardened my expression, trying not to appear intimidated by his sudden anger, letting Dark Dani tighten her grip on the reins.

There was so much hatred in his eyes, a clear desire to hurt anyone who dared link him to Kalyll, that I worried he might take it out on me. Obviously, he didn’t care that they did share blood, shared the same mother. Denial made it easier for him to justify his actions, and he would cling to it if it was the last thing he did.

There was a knock at the door. Cardian looked annoyed but gave Cedric an indication to answer. The neutralizer opened the door cautiously. He peered out and after confirming that whoever was on the other side was an ally, he moved out of the way.

Varamede stepped into the room. Hands restless at his side, he gave me a wary once over. I did the same.

Blinding light flashed before my eyes, conjured by my memories. This male had nearly killed me.

“What is it?” Cardian asked, irritated.

“They escaped.”

“What?! They were outnumbered.”

“Transfer token,” Varamede informed him.

Cardian growled and pounded the armrest.

“Go.” He dismissed Varamede. “I’ll find you soon.”

The thunderlord backed out of the room, never taking his eyes off me, and left.

Cardian seethed for a long moment, then took a deep breath, gathered his wits, and returned his attention to me. “Where were we?”

“I asked you a question,” I said. “It still stands. How can I trust you?” I was grateful for the steadiness in my words. Perhaps, some months ago, and without my darker side at the helm, I would’ve melted from fear, but this cruel, dark court had taught me many lessons, and maybe, just maybe, I was learning to play the game.

“Moreover,” I glanced toward Cedric, “you don’t trust me. Not exactly the basis for a productive alliance.”

“Trust is earned,” he said.

“So first, why don’t you earn mine? Why don’t you tell me where Kalyll’s cronies went?”

I answered without hesitation because a better situation couldn’t have fallen on my lap. The alliance Cardian was offering me was the best way to find and free Kalyll.

“If they kept to the plan, they went to Nerethien.”

There was a small tremor in his expression, which let me know we were on the right track. Kalyll was in the Unseelie capital.

“We discovered your mole in my chamber. The crystal bird.” I was playing a dangerous game telling him the truth, but it was the best way to earn his trust. “We used it to make you think we were going to Imbermore.”

“Why Nerethien?” he asked.

“Because the Envoy said he was there,” I lied.

“That’s not possible.”

I frowned and did my best to sound skeptical. “You mean the Envoy is wrong?” I huffed. “I always thought she was some sort of charlatan. I guess I was right.”

“Not exactly a charlatan, but…” He rubbed his knuckles.

“But what?”

He waved a hand in the air. Of course, he would not share any details, especially when they highlighted a failure in his schemes. He had probably transferred Kalyll out of Nerethien during the time we were with the Envoy.

“Anything else you can tell me?” Cardian asked.

I shook my head. “No. That’s all they know. Their plan was to find an inn, then go from there. They think he’s being kept somewhere in Highmire.”

This time, even though I watched him closely, I detected nothing in his expression to assert or contradict that this was actually Kalyll’s location.

“I told you what I know,” I said. “How will you earn my trust now?”

Cardian rose to his feet and looked down at me with cold blue eyes. I wanted to stand and hold my own as he glared at me, but instead, I relaxed further into the chair, acting the way a person who could shoot laser beams—nullifier or not—should act.

He thought for a moment, then turned to Cedric. “You may leave.”

“Are you sure, my king?” Cedric asked.

“Of course, I’m sure. Don’t question me again.”

“My apologies.” The man bowed and retired from the room.

I blinked as a feeling of well-being flooded me, and suddenly I realized that the sick feeling that came over me when I first spotted Cardian and his guards had been due to Cedric.

“Feel better?” Cardian asked.

I stood up very slowly, my legs firmer than they’d felt a moment ago. A tingling sensation began in my hands. All I had to do was leap forward, wrap my hands around his neck, and drain every bit of life out of him. Except I couldn’t do that, not when Kalyll was still a prisoner in Nerethien, not when Cardian was the one who could take me to my mate.

“I do feel better.” I smiled in a crooked way that wasn’t me at all.

“Good.” Cardian matched my smile, and I had to admit I was surprised he hadn’t shown even an iota of fear after Cedric left.

He really was certain I wouldn’t hurt him. That was how blinded he was by his poor assessment of people. He measured everyone using his own standards. He was a slimeball, so therefore, everyone else must be a slimeball too.

“What now?” I said.

“You can return to your chamber. I will call you when I need you.”

The chamber with the crystal bird that he could use to spy on me.

Without a backward glance, he hurried to the door to find Varamede, I assumed. There, he paused, his hand on the knob.

Over his shoulder, he asked, “Why did my brother have you up on a pedestal while you lay there frozen?”

Oh yes, a strange thing to do for someone Kalyll barely knew.

My thoughts raced at a million miles per hour, trying to figure out the appropriate response to this question. I snatched the first one that seemed reasonable and delivered a Hollywood-worthy performance.

“The fool fancies himself in love with me.” I struck a femme fatale pose that made me feel absolutely ridiculous.

At first, he didn’t appear to buy it, then he said, “Ah, the female guiles. You have plenty of them, Lady Fenmenor, and Kalyll can be such a trusting fool. Our alliance might be even better than I thought.”

He left the room and closed the door behind him. I stood frozen for a long moment, then collapsed on the chair, a wave of exhausting relief washing over me.