Page 72 of Bride of the Midnight Prince

I briefly let my eyes shutter closed. Pavi can never hurt another soul. That will cost her dearly if she stays at Nothril. Silently, I berate myself for not having caught the Ivy Mask already. Pavi could be out of here by now. That little servant girl could still have her hands.

We reach the door to the throne room. Yelling penetrates the thick stone. Pelarusa and I share a look. Then I shove open the door.

“We didn’t mean any harm!” Pavi cries. She stands before the two thrones, her hands extended in pleading. The tears are evident in her voice. “It was just paint! It washes off!”

“That warrior has sworn to give his life for you, and you humiliate him with tricks like this?” Lord Nothril shrieks back at her.

“I see that now, but it wasn’t even Kava’s idea! She just went along with me. How could you be so cruel? You should have taken my hands instead!”

“She is aslave girl.She doesn’t matter. I find your care of her to be extremely disturbing, and I will gladly take your hands too if it will ingrain this lesson in your thick skull!”

“Lord and Lady Nothril,” I call, my voice slicing through the storm cloud of fighting. I bow. “I pay my respects.”

“What are you doing here?” Lord Nothril spits. “The High King’s lapdog has finally returned home, but has he brought his quarry? It does not look like it.”

I clasp my hands behind my back, bracing my legs wide. I can take Lord Nothril’s redirected ire. Distraction is the name of this game—not trying to reason with either Lord Nothril or Pavi. I need only to revert attention to me long enough for Pelarusa to get Pavi out.

“I do not have the Ivy Mask yet, but there have been some interesting developments.”

“Do I look like I care about updates on your errands?” Lord Nothril’s vitriol is biting. If I was not used to it, I might have retreated a step from the force of it. “I want the Ivy Mask. I want him cut to pieces at my feet. I do not care about yourdevelopments.”

Lady Nothril, who has been sitting silently on her throne in a gown of deep purple, taps one nail on her armrest. We all, as one, swivel our attention to her.

“I would like to hear,” she says calmly.

I incline my chin slightly. “I have been able to effectively trace the Ivy Mask’s movements to the Revar Court. I have also confirmed that he lives in the human world—and I have pinpointed the city. It will not be long before I collect him.”

Lady Nothril’s mouth twist upward. “The vigilante must be quite skilled to be givingyousuch a challenge.”

I keep my voice devoid of emotion. “There is a reason he has gone so long without being caught. But I will catch him. I am close on his trail even now.”

As we speak, Pelarusa drags Pavi out of the throne room. Pavi doesn’t seem inclined to go at first. She does not know that there is nothing to be done for her friend. All there is, now, is the preservation of her own life.

But, being Pavi, she still has not realized that.

Lord Nothril does not seem to notice, but Lady Nothril’s eyes flick from me as I speak to watch her youngest daughter leave. She returns her gaze to me. She strips me bare with that gaze, reading exactly what I am doing, and exactly why I am doing it.

This is why I bear the blood oath tattoo on the back of my neck. Because I cannot be trusted to act without consideration of the few I care about. Even though Lady Nothril herself is the softest on Pavi, the viperlike expression she shoots me is one of disappointment.

I can almost hear her voice slithering in my ear:“You have never had what it takes to rise to the throne of Nothril.”

“Why are you not just sniffing the creature out?” Lord Nothril demands, missing entirely that Pavi is gone.

“The Ivy Mask does not leave a scent trail, but he is still trackable. I—”

“Then why have you not tracked him already?” It comes out in a violent shout. “You do realize your sister will die if you do not finish this—or are you too stupid to realize that is what a blood oath is? If you drag your feet, she may even be dead before you return.”

My throat closes. I measure my breathing carefully. When I have regained my composure, I say only, “I will hunt him down. Have no fear.”

“Have you at least finished the High King’s errand?” Lord Nothril growls, flopping into his throne and running a hand down his face. “No, do not answer that. I already know.”

“I will finish both of these things within the time specified,” I say coolly.

Lord Nothril flicks his hand. “Then begone and finish your tasks.”

I gladly turn on my heel and march from the throne room.

Pavi waits for me outside. She stands by the servants’ door, ready to flee into it if it was not me who exited. Her shoulders are curled inward. She gnaws on her fingernails until her eyes fall on me. Tears bubble to the surface. She breaks into a run and throws her arms around my waist.

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