Page 35 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
Minutes passed as I stood there, thinking. Plotting.
If I could get close to Mia or Xavier, then maybe I could use a weapon to end them. My magic was volatile, so it would be of little help, but blades were steady. Constant. Yes, I would just need to find a way to walk through the palace without notice.
“You sure are thinking hard,” Sterling muttered as he carried two enormous buckets of water to the bath. I watched silently as he dumped them, the steam enticing me to halt my planning in favor of taking a moment to relax.
“Are you positive they did not know I was here?” I questioned instead of responding to his comment. He shook his head, golden curls swaying with the movement.
Between chuckles, he answered, “Positive.”
Nodding, I walked towards the bath. I would clean myself then get out. There was no time to waste. Maybe Sterling could help me find a way. He seemed to believe me. Or at least, he appeared willing to go along with my beliefs. That was enough.
“I will be right on the other side of the door if you need anything,” he said. His steps back towards the door were slow and measured, the same way one might walk away from a monster they feared would attack.
“Well, if I drown, slip, or die suddenly, then my ghost will tell you first.” Laughter and a salute were his only responses before he slipped through the door and shut it behind him. A moment later, the door swung open again, and he set down a small pile of clothes on the floor before closing the door again.
It felt wrong to laugh. To be anything but miserable when those around me attempted to steal Bellamy and my family from my memory.
Still, I allowed myself to feel the amusement as I stripped from my dress and stepped into the scorching water. Then, like a flower basking in sunlight, I vowed to never wilt again.
Chapter Seventeen
Asher
While he might not have had any memories, Sterling was still an excellent companion.
After my bath I had quickly dressed, the forest green top and black cotton trousers fitting me rather well. When I had pulled the door open, Sterling’s body had careened backwards. No amount of sleep would have given me the strength to stop myself from saying, “Ah, it seems you have discovered gravity.”
Sterling, ever the partaker in wit, simply stared up at me from the floor and said, “It is painful being this brilliant.”
We now sat on his bed, playing cards and eating what I used to callthe trifecta—buttered bread, pastries, and cheese-stuffed rolls. Sterling had lost four games in a row, which was trulyjust the product of me having been bored for two centuries and getting good at nearly useless things. Which was why I took pity on him and let him win.
“Finally! You know, I got rather good at cards while I traveled,” he commented, smacking his hands together as if to dust them off. I froze, my mind adjusting to his comment at rapid speed. Yes, I had known he traveled despite him never telling me before the wedding, which was proof I had not made any of it up. Tangible proof!
“Yes, your travels. I know all about those. You told me about them, do you have any recollection of when?” I asked, knowing he would not remember our times in the cells. To my surprise, though, Sterling nodded his head.
“While you were unconscious. Queen Mia suggested I speak to you of myself as you slept so that you might wake up sooner. I think it worked, oddly enough. You were conscious a week later.”
“No, Sterling. The reason I know those things is because you told me when we were in the dungeons together. I do not know what they did to you, but I can show you what I mean—the memories. Would that be okay?”
Sterling nodded, unflinchingly curious. Today that would be in my favor. With a deep breath, I pressed out my magic. It hurt, the act making my head pound and my stomach roll, but I pressed on, projecting my memories of our time beneath the golden palace.
Emotions flashed across his face: confusion, surprise, horror, heartbreak, fury. When I had finished, tears welled in his eyes and anger tightened his jaw.
“Do you believe me?” I asked cautiously.
He gave me no answer other than reaching forward and wrapping me into a tight embrace. My muscles tensed at the contact, memories of horrors committed by those hands but a different being entirely flashing behind my eyelids. The momentI reminded myself this Sterling was different—good—I melted into the hold and returned the embrace. Even if he did not necessarily believe me, at least he was there.
A knock disrupted the moment of peace. We parted quickly, my mind instantly on edge.
“Who is that, Sterling? Did you tell someone?” I did not wait for him to answer my panicked accusations. Instead, I reached out my magic, gasping at the pain of it as I searched for who it was that stood on the other side of that door.
Relief cooled my blazing body. Nicola. Leaning back against the headboard, I slowly massaged my temples. Sound that I had not realized I had blocked out came back to me, Sterling’s terror loud in my ear.
“Asher, did you hear me? Asher! It is just Nicola.”
Everything was hurting. My body, my mind, my heart. I felt like I might explode from how badly my own magic pierced me. A war drum seemed to beat at full speed beneath my eyes, pain shooting down my spine. Clawing at my skin, I tried to dig out the source of the pain—to do anything other than just sit there.
Then a hand touched my shoulder.
