Page 70 of A Cage of Crystal

With nothing else to do, he climbed upon the mattress, sank into his sleeping form, and tried to become one with a body that was no longer his own.

30

Morning dawned, but peace did not rise with the sun. Cora stayed in bed as sunlight streamed through her window, crawling up the walls and dancing over her ceiling. All the while she hoped she’d feel some of that light reflected in her heart. But she didn’t. She remained burdened with the same dark revelations she’d stumbled upon last night. No matter how she wished otherwise, a curse placed by a dead man had invaded her life, throwing all her carefully laid plans into disarray.

And yet, when it came to said plans, she had to admit some of the folly lay with her. She’d been naive to think she could easily exit her role as princess. That all she had to do was ensure Dimetreus was secure on his throne. There was more to this political game than she’d anticipated. A game of heirs and royal bloodlines. Now, because of Morkai, she was unable to play the game at all. She’d lost the one piece that had made her a contender on the board.

The ability to further the Caelan bloodline.

She hated that something so small—something so intimate and personal—determined her worth as a royal woman. Hated it so much that it burned away the edges of her sorrow, replacing them with something sharper. Wilder. Fiercer.

Where last night she’d felt pain, only anger existed in her now.

It was enough to drive her out of bed, to make her throw back the bedsheets with awakening resolve. She stomped over to her vanity, splashed water on her face from the ewer, and set about getting herself dressed. Sera hadn’t returned since Cora had sent her and Mareleau’s other two ladies away when they’d tried to fetch her from the tower last night. Cora hadn’t even deigned to deny them to their faces. Instead, she’d ordered the stairwell sentry to forbid anyone from coming upstairs. By the time she’d gathered her composure enough to leave the tower room, the three girls were long gone. Perhaps they’d been offended by her refusal to entertain their efforts, but Cora didn’t have it in her to care.

She donned a linen summer dress that laced up the front, tightening each row with far more force than necessary. Each pull was infused with her rage. Her hatred.

How dare Morkai. How dare he make a lasting impact on her life in such an invasive, perverse way. How dare he have so much influence beyond the grave, great enough to shatter Cora’s heart. To break what she and Teryn were beginning to forge.

Teryn.

Her hands went slack on her laces, and her shoulders dropped. The thought of him broke through her anger, blunting it with sorrow yet again.

Her eyes went unfocused as she tried to imagine what she should say to him today. How she should act. She couldn’t avoid him after insisting she only needed one night alone. Yet she didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know how to tell him about Morkai’s curse. Sure, she knew the words she needed to say, but it was one thing toknowand another to actually confess something so deeply intimate, something that pertained to the inner workings of her body. Her heart. Her soul.

Her chest constricted, but she breathed the tightness away. Shifting her gaze to the morning light streaming through the window, she called upon the element of fire.

Light. Heat. Warmth.

Passion. Anger. Rage.

Life force. Strength. Transmutation.

The sunlight heated her insides, evoking her anger. It surged from her chest to her palms. With renewed vigor, she finished lacing her bodice and tied off the ends. Then, closing her eyes, she strengthened her connection to the other elements.

She rooted her feet to the stone floor.

Earth. Safety. Protection.

Took a fortifying breath, in then out.

Air. Thoughts. Intellect.

She acknowledged the element of water—feeling, emotion—but it was already too strong. She needed less water right now. Less emotion and more strength of will. Steady logic. Keen insight.

Calm settled over her. It wasn’t the most peaceful calm, for she still didn’t know how to express herself to Teryn. A night of agonizing over the situation hadn’t given her any answers. Perhaps there weren’t any. None that were easy, at least.

But she knew what shecoulddo. What shemustdo.

She’d funnel her rage, her attention, and her energy into the only suitable recourse: clearing Morkai’s tower. And maybe—just maybe—if she was willing to take a risk and do something just a little reckless, she might be able to find the information she needed to break this damn curse.

* * *

Teryn hated sitting still.He’d forgotten this feeling. Forgotten the anxiety that had plagued him in the wake of his father’s death. The time between Centerpointe Rock and Cora’s official release from Verlot had been pure agony when he hadn’t been moving. Doing. Fixing. He’d felt some relief after Cora had been given back her title, and every moment since had been filled with distraction—first helping his brother step into his role as king, then focusing all his efforts on reuniting with Cora.

Now sitting still was all he could do.

And it was torture.

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