Page 70 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
“No, but they will do whatever it takes to keep her from becoming your queen. The laws and customs are clear. The three tests must be performed, even if you’ve already crowned a queen.” Bryn wrinkled his nose. “To defy the trials is to spit in the face of Fate.”
I bit back my retort. Fate hadn’t been kind to me of late, but in that moment, I could see his commitment to her.
Lifting a hand, Bryn clicked his tongue. “These enemies will assume that she will not survive the test, and they will also take steps to ensure she does not make it through. They’ll want to make it appear as if Fate struck her down to prove, once and for all, she was guilty. But we will counter them so their plans fail.”
I clenched my hands, wanting to fly from this room and whisk Briar away from the prison at once. Of course these monsters wanted her dead, and they wouldn’t stop until she was.
“Well, that sounds great and all, but we have no idea what the trial is.” Thalen arched a brow. “So do you plan on sharing?”
“If the two of you would be quiet, I will inform you.” He looked down his nose.
Thalen snorted and opened his mouth, but I smacked him in the back of the head. He glared at me, but I gave him a stern expression.
That was enough for Bryn, because he finally continued, “The contestants will meet in the Ascension Hall as in the previous two trials. From there, each woman will be portaled alone to a single chamber. Unlike the first two trials, this one will take place in the Shadow Kingdom, which is how we’re going to save Briar.”
My kingdom? That surprised me. Holding a trial in the land of the ruler-to-be wasn’t unprecedented, but it wasn’t common either. Most trials were held in neutral territory to prevent corruption.
Clearly, the Aureline were as corrupt as, if not more than, any other fae.
“Its purpose is to reveal the character of the candidate, and it is closed to outside viewers, also unlike the first two. You’ll be able to see the candidates enter, and should they survive, you will be able to see them exit.” Bryn shrugged. “What happens inside that chamber remains inside that chamber. If a candidate does not reappear, all will assume she died. A body won’t be expected…this particular environment is an especially harsh one.”
Of course it was. I wanted to ram my head into the wall. I suspected they’d lure Briar into the most dangerous part somehow. Her heart and the way she cared were both a strength and a liability.
“You can’t force them to go through the third trial,” Thalen rasped, looking from Bryn to me. “It isn’t right or fair. Not just for Briar but for others who aren’t fully healthy. L-like Rhielle?—”
“If Rhielle is alive when the competition starts, she will participate. There arenoexceptions. Fate cannot be mocked any further.” Bryn jabbed his finger in the air. “What must happen is simple. The three trials must conclude. We get Briar here, and then we get her out and to her home. I will see to that myself while you go to your coronation and choose your queen.”
The words were a blow that rocked me to my core. There could be no queen for me other than Briar. The hollowness in my chest expanded, my lungs tightening. My shadows surged and coiled around me as if they, too, struggled to comprehend a kingdom…a realm without Briar as my queen.
Bryn drew closer, his eyes flashing like lightning, and gestured to the top of my head. “You will accept your crown and choose someone else as the Shadow Queen, Your Highness, or your kingdom will fall. And from there, things will only get worse.”
“There has to be another way.” My wings tightened and flexed as I tried to think of something—anything. If we could catch the people behind this, then there would be no risk to Briar at all for taking the throne alongside me.
Wagging his finger in my face, Bryn glared at me. “If you defy Fate enough, Fate will strike back. You and so many of these leaders and council members do not even come close to perceiving how fecking fed up Fate is with all of you. Donotdraw Fate’s ire, Your Highness. Your father already risked it. But even he had the good sense to not scorn all traditionandFate. No one keeps Fate from having her say.”
I firmly believed Briar was meant to rule alongside me. The awful sensation that had hit me when I’d made that vow—it couldn’t be coincidence.
“You cannot stand in the way of the third trial, and if you wish to protect Briar, your duty is simple. Assist in rescuing Briar, and let her go. Allow the trials to conclude, and either accept the will of the shared council, or make your second choice.” Bryn scowled. “She isn’t an option, Your Highness.”
My chest constricted to the point that I couldn’t breathe. There was no one else for me. No one but Briar. There was no second, third, or fourth choice. There was only one. My beloved.
Still, Briar being alive was the most important thing to me, and I’d made that damn vow, even if it had been the wrong decision. “I will let her go,” I gritted out, the words bitter on my tongue. “But I won’t ask her to go through another trial. If you can get Briar back here within three hours, then do it, but she must have time to recover?—”
“My authority allows me to do only so much, and you don’t have days to waste.” Bryn’s face reddened. “The third trial is a proof of judgment. It’s said that Fate herself will strike down anyone who kills the family of the one who seeks a bride. No one will question why her body is not found. All she has to do isstay in the opening circle in the third trial, and we will get her out. It will look as if she died in the trial, and all threats will be eliminated.”
“Then people will assume she is guilty of killing my father.” I clenched my fists. No, this didn’t sit well with me. Her innocence had to be known. I wanted her name cleared for everyone to see.
Bryn flung out his arms and stalked back toward the washroom. “What others believe of Briar is far less important than her safety and well-being! Better to be living and scorned by people you will never see again than dead and exonerated. And she will survive the trial so long as she retains the sense her mother gave her.”
“The Shadow Council will have to?—”
“I have already spoken with Vyraetos. He also disagreed initially. His loyalty to your family is commendable, even if his foresight is short. But after this earthquake and the dimming of the water, he cannot deny it any further.” Bryn swept his left arm across the room and turned the tap on once more. As crimson water spilled out, he leaned close. “Who knows how long the stabilization will continue. Your enemies have been advancing faster than they should.”
Panic clawed my insides. “Is it possible they’re using life-draining magic to enhance their powers and manipulate this entire situation for their own purposes?”
His head snapped in my direction. “What?” Bryn straightened and crossed to the doorway. He set his hands on the door frame as he peered out, scowling at me from beneath heavy eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
I set my hands on my belt. “There’s a prisoner on the other side of Briar’s cell wall in Firellan’s Spine. His name is Elias. He’s a Terran fae with four bear claw tattoos on his throat, and Briar says they’ve been draining him slowly. If there’s any way to get him out, she wants him rescued too.” The image of howshe’d looked last night when I’d visited her shredded my heart. Even suffering, she’d been thinking of others. If anyone deserved happiness, it was her…even if it had to be without me.
