Page 38 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

“What the fuck?” Slade said as we both stopped.

“Wards,” I reminded him quietly, unsure if they muted sight and sound. We’d scouted these borders too many times to count over the years. The fact that there were wards here had become obvious. How to get through them less so. Some said they contained a layer of poison that would kill anyone who tried.

A few years ago, Slade and I had camped in what was once the neighboring city of Rosewood for a week. We’d sent all sorts of small game scurrying to the ward line, only for every one of them to be shoved back or turned away. Not even birds had been able to penetrate what was apparently a completely enclosed bubble of protection over the entire castle grounds.

“How the Hel did she get through them?” Slade wondered.

“They’re clearly spelled to allow her access.”

“No way she created them herself. They’re too powerful. I can’t even feel them,” he said.

“They’re made from strong magic,” I said, my senses straining to find the invisible ward line where iron-clad magic guarded whatever was on the other side. But even with my shadows cast out, I couldn’t recognize the signature.

I’d never been able to get anywhere with them.

It was frustrating as Hel.

Whoever had created them had to be powerful. Even Heliconia hadn’t been able to breach them. Nor had any of her Obsidians. But if Amanti had known the princess lived, something told me the Aine herself had ventured to the other side of these wards. She’d been too injured to tell me anything when we’d found her and handed her off to healers. Now, I wondered if we should have stayed nearby long enough for her to offer some answers.

“They’re clearly made with something not from this world,” Slade said.

“The Aine,” I said with certainty.

I’d always suspected it. The memory of Amanti and her friends barreling through Heliconia’s smokescreen seven years ago came to mind.

Protecting her, I realized now.

Somehow, Amanti and the other Aine had saved the princess from that killing blow. And then they’d cast these wards to keep the world out.

“It makes sense.” Slade turned back to the spot where the princess had vanished. “You think she’s been right here all this time?”

Anger rose inside me, and I nodded. “Like I said, a coward.”

“What do you think will happen if I try to go through?” Slade took a step forward then another.

He slammed into an invisible wall, his forehead taking the brunt of it. He stumbled back, rubbing his face and wincing. “Well, shit,” he grumbled. “I guess I have my answer.”

“Come on,” I said, shaking my head. “We need to meet Daegel and the others.”

We headed back the way we’d come, careful not to leave tracks.

Slade was quiet for once, and I knew we were both thinking over everything we’d witnessed. The princess I’d seen today was nothing like the one I’d met on that rooftop. That girl had been naïve. Clever but completely unaware of who and what she was. This one was secretive and ruthless. This one had power and wasn’t afraid to use it.

The way she’d taken out that Obsidian, demanding answers, was proof of how far she’d come. And those answers had stung more than I cared to admit. Her destiny remained tied to Callan’s. It was a bitter truth, knowing my spoiled half-brother remained the key to saving the realm. Or that she would end up at his side before it was done. But who shechose for a mate wasn’t my concern. Nor did I have any interest in such things for myself.

I had a job to do. A blood vow to fulfill. And a kingdom to inherit. So why did I care so much about one long-lost princess—even if she did haunt my dreams to this very day?

Chapter Thirteen

Aurelia

Two hours later, I felt the magic in the air that marked the powerful wards encircling the castle. Stepping through, I shuddered as the magic clung to my skin, prodding at me until it determined I was welcome inside its boundaries. I exhaled, glancing behind me one last time to be sure Rydian hadn’t followed—but the way was clear. I was safe now, even if it meant spending yet another night in the tomb I called home.

The carcass of the rabbit I’d trapped was slung over my shoulder. My sword—wiped clean of Obsidian blood—and the dagger I’d taken from the Obsidian were both tucked away.

Hopefully, I looked none the worse for wear. With any luck, I could convince Sonoma I’d never even stumbled into one of the monsters. Or Rydian.

He was just as handsome as I remembered. And just as mean.

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