Page 67 of The Shadow Heir

I couldn’t help but worry each day that Ariana did not return. I half-considered asking Casimiro if she’d been poisoned and if he’d healed her, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak to him. His words had rattled me, and I feared the weightless feeling that washed over me every time I thought of him. I couldn’t be feeling this way about the prince of shadows. It was wrong. And I’d vowed to never be wrong about a man again.

So, I busied my mind with imaginings about what Ariana had been trying to show me, and where she’d really gone. She’d left the stone for me, that I was certain, and there had been no chatter in the dining cavern about another poisoning. The mortal healer was reserved for the servants alone, as Erik had made clear in training, reminding us that if any of the entertainers were injured and wanted to be healed, our only option was to accept magical healing from the fae. Tomas had accepted this healing more than once, as had Samuel. Eudoria, however, had not, and her twisted ankle still plagued her—while my respect for her increased tenfold.

Since I couldn’t find Ariana, all I could do was focus on uncovering where she’d disappeared to that day in the hall.

Between training, which alternately involved physical tasks like running and weapons training, I found reasons to pass by the library and peer at the etching in the wall, looking for gemstones or hidden door handles. But no matter how many times I checked, I never found anything there. The library had two small windows, leaving no room for the mysterious etching on the wall beside the library to lead anywhere butoutside.So, after having no luck with the carving for several days, I took to once again exploring the network of pathways and balconies lacing the mountainside. This time, I wasn’t looking for a way out, but a wayinthat I hadn’t seen before.

Two weeks had passed since Ariana’s disappearance, and while I wanted to find her, our next trial was upon us. Only as I arrived early for the first meal of the night, putting my back to Casimiro’s table so I could avoid the magnetic way my eyes were drawn to him, did it occur to me that at dawn, I’d once again be facing a deadly trial. Neither Alba nor Casimiro had spoken to me since that day in the weapons room—almost like he was allowing me space to think about what he said. I was grateful for the space. But the next trial was upon us, and part of mewondered if he would again corner me to discover if I’d learned anything about the poisonings.

“It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve seen her,” I told Ivy as we exited the dining cavern. “And given what’s happening in the morning, I can’t wait any longer. I’m going to ask him about her.”

Ivy glanced at Casimiro and his sister, who strode up the steps ahead of us. I’d refrained from telling Ivy what I’d seen in the hallway outside the library, as it involved the ruby Cas had instructed me to keep secret. Also, if Ariana was attempting to reveal a secret of her own to me, I didn’t want to betray her trust by telling anyone, even Ivy.

“If you make them mad, you’ll pay for it tomorrow,” Ivy warned. She didn’t know Cas healed mortals. She still assumed he hated us all.

I swallowed and hurried forward to catch up with Casimiro. As much as I hated to seek him out, he would know if Ariana had been poisoned. And he would also know if she’d survived.

Part of me didn’t want to ask, afraid he would tell me she was dead.

I ground my teeth as I scurried up the steps, wishing Alba wasn’t with Cas, and wishing my heart wasn’t beating so mutinously at the thought of speaking to the heir again. He’d crafted another death trap for me and my friends, proof enough I was a fool to have any feelings for him.

The two royals heard me coming and turned, stepping away from each other in the otherwise empty hall. They said nothing as I approached, their expressions equally confusing. Alba watched me with a bright, close-lipped smile, and Cas stared at me with a flat, shuttered gaze. This place wasn’t private enough, but I was out of time.

“Tell me what happened to Ariana,” I said without pretense.

Alba blinked and looked at her brother.

“I believe she fell ill.”

“Stars above,” I breathed. “Don’t lie.”

“I can’t lie.”

I bit my lip. “She was poisoned, wasn’t she?”

Alba rocked back and forth on her heels, and I tried to ignore her.

“She was not,” he replied.

A tiny moan of relief leaped from my lips, but it was quickly replaced with dread. “Then where is she? Sickness doesn’t last this long.”

Cas shifted his weight forward, just enough to make me uncomfortable. “Do you know she isn’t ill?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not allowed in the infirmary. Entertainer, remember?” I snapped at him, attempting to remind him he’d planned another trial to kill us.

Cas didn’t respond, but his stern jaw flexed several times, like he was fighting to remain silent. I peered at the two of them, then Cas turned away, one hand raking through his hair.

“Considering what you will face in the morning, I wouldn’t worry about her,” he said to me as he walked away. His words stung, but he glanced up at the ceiling, and my gaze followed his. I saw nothing there but shadow, but perhaps he was telling me we were being watched.

Alba sighed heavily and followed her brother, leaving me standing alone under a glowing orb in what appeared to be an empty hallway.

I had to find Ariana. If she’d been trapped behind that door in the passage below, she couldn’t have survived for two weeks without water. My stomach dropped as I hurried down the steps, not caring at this point if a shadow was watching. I would open the passage, and I would find her.

The hallway outside the library was empty, or at least, it looked empty. The thick shadows at the far end of the hallcouldn’t deter me from running my hands over every inch of the artwork carved on the wall. I’d done this countless times already, hunting for a latch or hidden mechanism to no avail.

For what felt like the hundredth time, I pressed my fingers into the small indentation where she’d left the ruby. The cool stone did not respond to my touch.

I dug the stone out of my pocket, tucked it back where she’d placed it, and stepped away, expecting the image to shift or glow or open. Nothing.

---