Page 99 of The Gilded Cage

“Torell —” Jaren tried again, but again Tor interrupted him.

“Thank you for doing what I couldn’t,” he whispered, as if he couldn’t manage anything louder. “Thank you for protecting her, for freeing her. I wish —” His voice broke. “I wish I’d known. I would have — I would have —”

Jaren placed a hand on Tor’s shoulder. “I know that now. I’m sorry.”

Torell only nodded, wiping his face and murmuring quiet goodbyes to the silent Mirryn, Caldon, Tipp, and Naari, unable to even glance at Kiva before spearing a look at Zuleeka and storming off in the direction of the stables.

“You’ll have to forgive my brother,” Zuleeka said after a long pause. “He can be emotional sometimes.” She sent them all a smile that no one returned, not even Tipp, and finished, “I’d best follow him. We’ll look forward to seeing you at the masquerade.”

And then she dipped into a quick, almost mocking curtsey, and hurried after Torell.

Without looking at anyone, Kiva croaked out, “Excuse me.”

She took off toward the stables, catching up with her siblings just as they reached the entrance and called for their horses to be brought out.

“What the hell was that, Tor?” Zuleeka demanded. “You —”

“Donottalk to me right now,” Torell cut her off, his expression livid.

Kiva moved closer and took his white-knuckled hand, opening his clenched fist and lacing their fingers together.

“Tor, it’s all right,” she said quietly, her throat thick with unshed tears.

“It is absolutely not all right,” he returned, quick as a whip. But then his features softened, and he whispered, “I’m so sorry, Mouse. I had no idea that —”

“I know,” she interrupted. “I know you didn’t.” She made herself turn to Zuleeka and say, “But you did. You and Mother.”

This time, without their royal audience, Zuleeka didn’t deny it.

Swallowing thickly, Kiva said, “You could have gotten me out. You wouldn’t have even needed to use force — they would have let me go.”

Zuleeka didn’t meet her eyes, instead looking out toward the manicured palace gardens. “I know you’ll have trouble believing this, but you were safer in there than out here.”

An incredulous sound left Kiva. “I waswhat?”

“You were saf —”

“Have youbeento Zalindov?” Kiva demanded. “Every day I had to fight for my life. Everyminutesometimes. And that’s not even counting the Trial by Ordeal that would have killed me if not for Jaren’s intervention inevery single task.It’s a miracle I survived at all, let alone as long as I did.”

Zuleeka chewed on her lip and looked down at the ground.

“Why, Zuleeka?” Kiva said, her voice breaking. “Why did you and Mother leave me in there? You have to tell me,” she begged. “You owe me that much.”

Zuleeka exhaled loudly. “This isn’t something we should talk about here.” She glanced pointedly at all those inside the bustling stable complex.

“Figure out a way,” Torell said in a hard voice. “Kiva deserves the truth. And I want to know, too.”

Shooting him an annoyed look, Zuleeka’s features gentled again as she turned back to Kiva and relented. “That problem you have, the one you’re working to control,” she said carefully, “that’swhy Mother thought it best you stay in there. She said you were protected behind those walls, safe from discovery. If anything happened, word wouldn’t get out about it and cause problems for our family or our ...friends.” She went on to say, “And even if you’d slipped up and someonehadlearned the truth, you were already locked away. Nothing worse could happen to you.” A pause. “But if it makes you feel any better, Mother always intended to free you one day. When the timing was right.”

Silence fell in the wake of her words, until Torell grated out, “That’s worse than I thought. Why didn’t I know about this?”

“Because you would have ignored Mother and gone to get Kiva out,” said Zuleeka.

“You’re damned right I would have,” Tor snarled. “Asyoushould have. I can’tbelieve—”

“What’s done is done,” Zuleeka interrupted, losing patience. “We can’t change the past, so there’s no point in regretting it. Kiva’s fine, she’s here, she’s safe, she survived. That’s what matters.”

Kiva couldn’t process how betrayed she felt — by her own family. Her own sister. Her ownmother.

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