Page 55 of Of Blood & Stone

“Nowthatis privileged information.” He leaned even closer, her body shivering as his breath brushed her ear, “And I’d be careful if I were you. I’m exceptionally clever when it comes to identifying lies. So if you choose to do so, I’ll know.” He leaned back. “Although you can certainly try.”

Sylzenya surveyed his face. A roguish grin with severe eyes.

“You’re bluffing,” she said.

He raised his brows. “An interesting assumption. Would you like to test that theory?”

No, she wouldn’t.

“You forget the piece of leverage I still hold against you.”

“Ah, yes, how I’m here tocurseyour kingdom. Very well, you tell them I’m cursed, and I’ll tell them you don’t have any power to save them. Then we’ll both lose.”

“You’d risk that?” she asked. “Being arrested and thrown in our dungeons for a life sentence?”

“Maybe they’ll let us share a cell. Then we can be miserable together.”

“A punishment far worse than death,” she muttered.

“I’ll have you know I make a great cellmate.”

“Not surprised to hear it wouldn’t be your first time. Are you even a prince?”

He grinned. “I’m what people might call a man of many trades.”

“So you’re a liar.”

“Oh, I’m very much a royal by blood, although my lifestyle may not be a reflection most people expect from a man entitled to a crown.”

She stared at him in silence, the single flame burning to its final moments as she cursed this man and his godsdamn rope.

“So,” he said, stepping back, “What will it be? Tell me about Aretta’s Willow and its compass, or inform your people that their holy chosen one is a fraud?”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she stared into the prince’s green unwavering eyes. There wasn’t much he could do with the information regarding Aretta’s Willow, the excessive amount of willows in the temple making the search for the compass impossible. The consequences were minimal, if any at all, but if the truth about the cure got out… her people could lose their faith altogether.

She’d fail her task.

“Untie me and I’ll tell you,” she said, her arms no longer shaking, her heart having slowed, “But you’re not going to like it.”

His confidence didn’t waver as he released her from the ropes.

“Try me.”

Chapter 14

Change of Heart

It hadn’t taken long for the woman to tell Elnok everything regarding Aretta’s Willow. And while he found satisfaction in discovering her secretandlearning vital information about the healing tree, the search only seemed more difficult than before.

She’d said it’d be an impossible task to locate the compass. He’d challenged her limited thinking.

But, since being asked to take off his shoes out of respect for the goddess, and walking along the willow-infested temple hallways, he realized it’d been foolish to misjudge her assessment. Willows lined every blank space, save for the thin path in the middle of each hallway. And according to Sylzenya, these trees weresacred, which meant no one was allowed to leave even a scratch.

In other words, no digging through them to find an ancient, enchanted object.

“And this is just the main entrance,” Sylzenya said as she motioned him forward, “There’s over sixty rooms in this temple, each of them filled with willows.”

“Seems excessive.”

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