Page 163 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

I don’t say anything else, I don’t need to, their expressions tell me all I need to know. They are aware of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting. Does the whole kingdom know, or is it just those who are close to the queen? I understand now why they are made to wear those large cloaks with the hoods hiding their faces. Nausea threatens to take over as I remember. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I continue, “Well, they removed their hoods. The queen told me there was more than one way to silence me if she couldn’t kill me.” A tense, heavy silence greets my words, and as I look around, I see even Naril appears angry on my behalf. Vaeril shifts, and I turn to face him, seeing his hands clenched into fists as he tries to control his temper, his fae instincts riding him hard.

They might be upset by that, but I’ve been threatened my whole life. The thing that truly scares me is the destructive potential she has with her power. “Her death magic scared me.” My admission is quiet, but I’m not ashamed to admit my fear, since any sane, rational person would be afraid of that.

“Wait,” Vaeril says, confusion clear on his face. “Death magic?”

Frowning, I nod. “Yeah, she touched the flowers in the garden, encouraging them to grow with her magic, but when I left, everything she touched was dead.” A shudder overtakes me as I describe what I saw, but the looks the three elves are trading distract me.

“That’s a new skill,” Naril comments casually, relaxing back in his chair with a thoughtful expression.

“She certainly couldn’t do that the last time I was here,” Vaeril agrees, looking troubled as he reaches up and rubs at his brow.

“Wait, the queen has new magic?” I ask. The prospect of gaining new magic is a confusing and scary thought. Can thequeen just continue to pull more magic towards her, becoming more and more powerful? “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It shouldn’t be,” Eldrin grumbles.

Everyone falls into silence again, and I notice Vaeril’s attention on my arm and the blood staining my dress. I’m surprised he’s managed to hold out as long as he has. “How did you get that cut on your arm? You said something about a sea elf?” he finally inquires.

“She stepped in front of the judgement guard,” Eldrin says in a despairing voice before I can say anything.

“You did what?” Vaeril turns on me, wearing an expression like he can’t decide whether to be shocked or angry. Naril flashes me an impressed look, but I almost miss it because when I glance his way, he’s just wearing his usual amused smirk.

I glare at Eldrin over my shoulder before turning to Vaeril in confusion. “Wait, what’s a judgement guard?”

“The elf with the dagger,” Eldrin tells me, and I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “He carries out the queen’s judgement, but mostly they collect taxes from those who fail to pay,” he explains, moving away from the wall and lumbering over to glare down at me. This makes me angry, so I push up from my chair and stand in front of him, crossing my arms over my chest to show he’s not going to push me around or make me feel bad about what I did.

“He was going to cut off the sea elf’s arm. No one did anything, they just stood by and listened to his screams,” I tell them, looking at the other two. “I may not know elvish, but I know a cry for mercy when I hear one.”

“She jumped in front of a swinging dagger, then, in front of everyone, paid the sea elf’s tax.” Eldrin talks over the top of my head as he addresses Vaeril.

Naril groans, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see him lowering his head into his hands. I know I caused a scene, but I also get the impression I’ve committed some faux pas. “Itwas the right thing to do. I wasn’t going to stand there and let that happen when I could help!” I throw my arms in the air in exasperation. I can’t believe their reactions and lack of humanity.

Vaeril shifts behind me, and the next thing I know, he’s at my side, pulling me away from the frowning elf mountain and into his arms. “Oh, Clarissa, my sweet mate,” he mumbles against my hair, and the bond between us hums with happiness. Something seems to have changed, like he’s finally letting himself follow his instincts. I’m curious as to what has changed, but I know now is not the time to ask.

“Stupid, more like,” Naril mutters from somewhere in the room. I want to throw something at him, but the desire fades since I’m too busy enjoying being in Vaeril’s arms, my anger melting away.

Unfortunately, he loosens his hold and pulls back, his expression turning into one of reproach. “Yes, you did a good thing, but did you not think what the queen might make of that?” he asks, and I frown. What does he mean? I don’t think she would be too happy, but she wouldn’t be upset about something so small, would she?

Vaeril notices that I don’t understand, his expression hardening. “You’re supposed to follow her bidding, and the first thing you do is publicly disagree with her judgement.”

It suddenly sinks in. She’s going to think I did this as an act of rebellion against her, especially when it was so public. Even if the guards didn’t tell her, there were so many watching that she’s bound to find out from someone. Panic sets in. “No—I… It wasn’t like that.” My voice is high as I adamantly shake my head, a fine tremble taking over my body. Vaeril instinctively takes a step closer, feeling my fear through the bond.

“I know that,” he says, his voice somber. “But she doesn’t, and what do you think the rebels will think?”

“Mother above,” I curse, the words breathy. Hugging my arms to my body, I hold them close, as if I can stop the trembling. I haven’t felt this small and uncertain in a long time. I flick my gaze up to Vaeril, hating the look of sympathy in his eyes. “What do I do?”

“We’ll leave in the morning and visit the wood elves for a couple of days. You’ll do as she asked, and when we return, she might have calmed down by then,” Vaeril answers with conviction, trying to reassure me, but his face is tight, and I know he thinks it’s a huge risk.

“Do you think that will work?” I ask the room. Naril won’t meet my eyes, but Eldrin is still watching me with an intense look.

“I don’t know, but we can pray.”

Idon’t sleep well that evening, plagued by nightmares. That night, I dream of the people I left behind. I see flashes of them all. Jayne and Aileen are being protected from some unseen threat by a furious-looking Wilson. Grayson creates a magical bubble around himself as he runs towards the edge of a cliff before falling off into the darkness below. But the dream that scares me the most is of Jacob.

The youngest Prince of Arhaven had been my friend when I first became Lady Clarissa. Just before I escaped, he was trying to warn me about something, but the next day he disappeared. I feel guilty that I’ve not thought much of them since I left, so maybe that’s where the nightmares are stemming from.

In the dream, his eyes are black, and he’s calling to me. His voice sounds different, like someone else is inside him. When he speaks, it makes me shudder as he throws accusations at me. And so it continues until right before I wake up, when something dark shifts behind him and wraps its shadowy tendrils around his body in a terrifying embrace. Jacob’s eyes suddenly clear, and I can see the terror in his face as he begs me to help him.

Then I wake up.

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