Page 16 of The Curse of a Kingdom
“Your fiancée?” Arkimedes echoed, and warmth pooled in her stomach with an unwelcome churn that didn’t belong to her.
“Recently matched, I’m afraid. She is a spirited little thing. I can’t leave her out of my sight.” Devon nodded, and his onyx eyes came to her, a brow lifting at what was surely her dumbstruck expression. An unpleasant shudder ran through her.
“You shouldn’t take your eyes off her. Humans with magic so earthy are hard to find." The king took a step toward his throne. His hand moved dismissively at them. "The Society must be rejoicing at the possibility of an offspring of you two.”
She was going to throw up all over this polished ground, whether it was from anger or disgust, she didn't know. They spoke about her like she was a decorative piece and not a person. Was it common in the cities? Her scowl deepened, and she gave Devon her best murderous look.
"They're most eager." Devon's lips twitched with contained amusement. Arkimedes’s complexion became sickly pale, and his scowl deepened.
The soft buzzing of a bee landing on top of her finger was a wake-up call. She swallowed down the rage burning through her. It wouldn’t be helpful if she called on a swarm of insects and revealed that her magic was very much awake.
“You will join us for a banquet tonight. Orion can show you to the guest quarters. Take a couple of guards with you, son.” It was an order, and a clear sign he didn’t trust them.
Which made it mutual. Nava now knew who the kidnappers were. The reasoning was obvious, though murky. Arkimedes nodded and stepped away from the king, beckoning them to follow.
“Oh, and, Orion, make sure your guests get their jewels.”
Arkimedes turned to face the king and his expression sobered. His eyes came to Devon, avoiding her entirely.
Guilt.
Whatever the jewels were, they weren’t good.
This whole thing was bizarre, as if she had stepped into a different dimension. She blinked and wished to soothe her aching soulmate mark. It burned under the linen fabric of her shirt, like the first time it appeared a decade ago.
* * *
Nava dragged her feet past the heavy doors of the grand throne room, trailed by a couple of guards. She had found Arkimedes in less than a day, and that alone should be a cry of triumph. Had she stayed in the Northern Village, she would likely not have made it past tonight.
Arkimedes talked with Devon in a hushed tone that left their conversation in the shadows. The sounds around her were magnified, the clicking of their boots over stone, the guards’ armor screeching with each step, the buzzing inside her ears.
Nava rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the pressure forming in her neck. Maybe if she focused on that woe, she might not obsess over the glaring issue walking in front of her.
She studied her soulmate’s clothes; they were finer than anything she’d ever owned, the crown polished. Her brows furrowed as she focused on his hair. It was longer than she remembered.
How could that be?
The wind howled between the cracks of aged stone. They walked to an area of the castle with warmer, more inviting furnishings. Different from what she’d seen earlier that day. Clearly, these were areas of the palace meant for visitors, not prisoners.
The halls consisted of long, unbroken walls. Hanging tapestries of midnight shades decorated the place, and fancy arrangements of violets, white camellias, and other greenery stood on each side of the corridor.
Fae walked around, wearing silk clothes in similar shades of burnt orange, with delicate embroidery details of gold tones. Based on the tasks they were handling, these were palace staff. Some were carrying buckets and sweeping the floors. She even saw one lady cleaning cobwebs that had accumulated in a corner.
Didn’t they use magic for these things? Nava had always assumed in these cities they would use magic for everything. She guessed that was the main issue the crowns were facing. Magic was disappearing. Nava had never considered it would affect the fae, as well.
She rolled her shoulders again. The dull ache in her joints wouldn’t go away.
“Release them from their binds,” Arkimedes commanded and turned to the guards, crossing his arms over his chest.
The guard nearest to her fumbled over his feet. He reached her in a matter of seconds, and the smooth texture of his gloved fingers touched her wrists. After Arkimedes’s earlier demonstration of magic with Herous, this poor soul was terrified.
“The woman is a witch, sir. Should we fetch the jewels first?” the second guard asked.
Arkimedes’s aura exploded around him. Dark tendrils of magic emanated from his body, showing his temper. Both the guards shrank back. “Get the jewels, bring Callisto, and do not question my orders again, Rilu.”
It was a part of him she had never seen before, Arkimedes Valeron the Crow. Someone she’d assumed he had left behind after a decade away from the kingdom.
“Yes, sir.” Rilu’s voice shook before he rushed past them and down the corridor.
