Page 109 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

A quiet rage slipped through me. I fistedboth hands then tucked them in at my sides. “You promised to help me,” I said quietly.

“And you gave your word that you’d marry me.” His words were carefully chosen. A reminder of the promise I’d made. I saw that in the flash of his bright eyes. “Are you no longer a fae of your word?”

“Are you?” I countered.

He didn’t answer.

I listened as the fire crackled in the hearth. Noted the rise and fall of his chest as his breaths came short and quick. The way his nostrils flared with whatever irritation he was struggling to keep hidden. And there, his magic, small and slippery, beneath his skin.

My own strained to the surface—wanting to taste his. To drink his life force like a nightcap. I’d never been so tempted to let it free in my life.

“You and I will wed in two weeks.” His voice was colder than I’d ever heard it. “And you will use the occasion to help me convince the other courts to ally with us in the battle coming.”

“Or what?” I tossed back.

Suddenly, magic, bright as a hot coal, shot from his hand to land on the rug at my feet. The small spark left a hole that smelled of smoke and burnt cotton. I wrenched my gaze from it back to where Callan watched me intently.

“I don’t like being lied to, Aurelia,” Callan said, his voice deceivingly soft. “Remember that.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Aurelia

The following afternoon, I stood still as Vanya fastened the ties of my new gown, her deft fingers working in practiced silence. I hadn’t seen Callan at all yet today. The only evidence of our argument last night was the sight of Fletcher standing outside my door. He hadn’t offered much more than a quick hello and had simply followed me around like a shadow while I wandered the small temple located in one of the castle’s towers. I hadn’t encountered a single priestess, but the small reference library’s door had been unlocked, so I’d helped myself to a perusal of the titles.

The oracle had only confirmed what I’d known and fought against for too long. That the key to saving the realm lay inside me. It was time I figured out how to truly unlock it. Even Sonoma’s letter had prodded me to seek the Fates’ gifts. I’d snagged a book calledEmbodying the Fates, but after two hours of flipping through it, I’d found only a recitation of godly characteristics all priestesses should strive to embody. Traits like faith, kindness, compassion, worship. Nothing thatremotely resembled how to access the blessings the goddesses had given me.

Callan hadn’t been in his study when I’d broken for lunch. He hadn’t been in the dining hall either. Nor had he made an appearance when the dressmaker delivered my new wardrobe, including my dress for the vow ceremony. After sticking his nose into every detail of my life during my first few days here, his absence today felt significant.

The events of yesterday, including my meeting with the oracle and Callan’s cold welcome when I’d returned, had reminded me I was completely on my own here. No allies. No resources. I might possess power to rival Heliconia’s own, but even the magic inside me was useless if I didn’t learn how to wield it.

First, I needed to figure out how to access the gifts I’d been given. I doubted anyone in Autumn had that kind of knowledge. But the other courts might. If not for that fact, I might have already left. But I needed to speak with the other courts just as badly as Callan and his father did.

So, I searched for whatever clues this castle might hold. And I planned. But even Vanya’s quiet presence did little to calm the knot of urgency twisting in my stomach.

“Are you sure it’s not too tight?” I asked, more to break the silence than out of any real concern for the fit.

Vanya smiled softly as she adjusted the laces. “You’ll barely notice it once you’ve been wearing it for a few minutes, my lady.”

I nodded, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. The heavy velvet gown, a deep autumnal green that matched the colors of the court, felt stiff against my skin, a far cry from the light silks of Sevanwinds.

Vanya finished up and stepped back. “You look lovely.”

I glanced at her through the glass and smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’ll set out your gown for tomorrow before I leave for the day.”

“Why would you do that?”

She bit her lip. I caught the worry in her eyes as she shifted from foot to foot.

“What is it?” I asked, turning to face her fully.

Her gaze dropped to the floor as she pretended to straighten the edge of my gown. “I won’t be here tomorrow morning, my lady.”

I frowned, surprised by the sudden announcement. “Why not? Are you ill?”

“I have to report to the donation center,” Vanya said quietly, her fingers still fussing with the fabric. “For my tax payment.”

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