Chapter 53

53

Ella

An hour later, I plunged down the forest path on Thisbe's back, my saddlebag stuffed with Pip and the things I might need for the break-in. A grudging accomplice, the mare tried to accidently rub me off on the passing branches every chance she got.

"Work with me, here," I pleaded as I gently pulled on the reins. "We're almost there."

You're terrible in the saddle. The horse snorted. Absolutely graceless.

Like a spoiled child, she'd adopted my stepmother's worst tendencies.

As hard as it was to remember, there was good in my stepmother. The sting of her betrayal lingered, but I knew that she was trying to restore hope to our people, even if it cost her life.

But it wouldn't just be her life. It would be scores of lives, if not the life of every human in the city.

And Cassius's life.

The trees thinned, and Siggy's ramshackle cottage came into sight. Thisbe slowed as we rode into the clearing. Siggy was sitting on the front porch at a small table with two chairs and two tall glasses of what looked like ale.

I dismounted and tucked the reins. Typically, I would have tied Thisbe off or hobbled her, but I was a whisperer , for Fates' sake. I'd convinced the prince's warhorse to lose a race with a glance. I could deal with Thisbe. "Stay here," I said.

She huffed. You're not my owner.

"Just—" I sighed. "For Lucille's sake, please stay. I won't be long."

I headed up the steps and onto the porch before the horse could respond.

Siggy beamed at me and raised her beer glass, a far more pleasant greeting than being shot at. "Ella, what a surprise! I thought you'd be busy at the ball tonight."

The corner of my mouth quirked up in a half smile. "That's what I came to talk to you about—but seeing as you've set out a couple of drinks, it seems you might have been expecting someone. Me, perchance?"

Her smile morphed into a foxlike grin. "Expectations and reality are two very different things, at least for most people."

"But not you?"

She shrugged and motioned to the chair beside the table. "You never know when someone important will stop by, so it's best to be ready. Now sit and have a drink, and tell me what's on your mind."

I glanced wistfully at the welcoming chair. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay long. I've got some trouble and not a lot of time to fix it."

She stood and put the glass of beer in my hand. "What's the problem?"

The problem was I couldn't tell anyone about the damned Triad, and I had no idea how to convince them I wasn't crazy without that information. I took a long swig of the ale. Sweet and malty and surprisingly cold, it reminded me of how parched I was.

"I got let go from the castle."

Siggy snorted. "Fools. The immortals wouldn't know a good thing if it hit them in the mouth."

"And I need to get back inside tonight."

She raised her bushy brows. "Why?"

I hesitated for a second. "I can't tell you half of it, so I'm going to need you to trust me."

"Of course. I'll help however I can—just tell me what you're able."

Sadness tore through me at her warmth and instant acceptance. Shouldn't my stepmother have offered those? Then again, I hadn't ever asked her to trust me, had I? At least, not outright, not in those words. I'd grown so used to fighting over the years, I'd assumed she never would. Now, I'd never know. That bridge was burned.

I took another long drink and set the glass down. "There's a plot to kill the prince, and I need to save him."

Siggy sighed and shook her head. "That's princes for you, always in need of saving. You'd think they'd show a little initiative every once in a while and save themselves."

Her expression danced with light, and I narrowed my eyes. "Why does every conversation with you feel like it's part of some kind of inside joke, which I am neither part of nor meant to be?"

"That's because it is, honey." She drained her glass and wiped her mouth. "You need to learn to laugh when the world gives you the chance, or else things get a little dark."

I crossed my arms. "Things are going to be very dark if I can't stop the assassins. The immortals will retaliate, and I think the court will burn the town down."

"Likely," she mused. "Is this your stepmother's work?"

I gaped. I knew she had the gift of sight, but her uncanny intuition startled me every time.

"Don't look so surprised, honey dear. My job is to know things—and I know that protecting your village isn't the only reason you want to save him."

My cheeks flushed. "I think he could change things if he became king."

"The way you're trying to?"

"Yes. I believe he's more than what he seems. He's different than the rest."

Siggy nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that makes two of us. His father was a shit, and his brother a rake, but he's a far better man than either. Do you know what he's doing out here, riding the forests every day?"

I shrugged. "Escaping the palace?"

"Hunting."

"For his brother."

Siggy shook her head and looked out toward the woods. "For all kinds of monsters. Anything that slips across the border that could threaten this kingdom and the people in it—and he kills them. It's the only reason I can live this far out, or that the Bloodvale knows any kind of peace."

"That's what he was doing the day he met me—hunting a feral immortal."

Siggy released a dismissive grunt. "There's far worse things out there."

I shivered, thinking of the beast I'd faced in the woods, with its razor-sharp teeth and savage tusks and horns. How would a man, even an immortal, fight a monster like that and live?

"He never mentioned it," I said, trying to think back on all the times I'd saddled his horse. "He'd just ride off into the woods alone. Said he was going hunting, but never what for ."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Some men hunt for glory or for the thrill of the kill and then brag about it later. He doesn't care about any of that. All he cares about is protecting this kingdom." Siggy looked at me pointedly. "You two have that in common."

There was something heavy in her gaze, as if she were placing an unseen burden on my shoulders. Perhaps it was the burden of finding a way to make peace and have someone on the throne who thought of us as people instead of cattle.

The ceilings of the castle recorded the path of war. Somehow, we had to find a path toward peace.

"I think he would make a good king if his hands were free," I said.

If the Triad were gone and his bloodthirsty court were on a leash.

"Then what do you need to do?"

I released a heavy breath. "Well, I have to break into the castle and stop the assassins. If I can't do that, I have to warn the prince."

Siggy's expression darkened. "You know this could be a one-way trip, don't you?"

I straightened my back and met her eyes. "People I love could die. I'll take the risk."

She crossed her arms and glanced at Thisbe. "Then what's your plan to get in? Charge in on your mighty mare like a knight out of legend?"

Grimacing, I replied, "I was hoping you might have an idea."

She chuckled. "No, you weren't. Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought that big saddle pack with you. You've got something up your sleeve, and you want me to tell you which of your near-suicidal ideas is going to work."

I narrowed my eyes. "No one plays cards with you, do they?"

"Not if they've played me before. Let's hear your plan."