Page 67 of A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty

“Thank you so much. What is in that powder?”

“It’s enchanted. Incredibly expensive, but I stole it from the queen when I knew we were leaving.” She winced, and I grinned at her.

“Of all the things to steal from that woman, this was what you chose?”

She grinned, flashing that chipped tooth, and gestured to the satchel. “Oh no, that’s not all.”

My aunt studied Erea, and I could tell she was pleased. “We will find you new supplies when necessary.”

Now probably wasn’t the time to tell my aunt that all the jewels we’d taken had gone missing. I was still hoping Madinia returned before I had to makethatadmission.

Getting to my feet, I slipped on a pair of shoes and rolled my shoulders.

“You can do this,” Telean said. “Remember, you are equals.”

The thought was so ludicrous, I almost snorted. Telean shook her head at me and waved at me to leave.

“Can you please find a tent for my aunt?” I asked Erea.

“Of course. Good luck, Prisca.”

“Thank you.”

One of Conreth’s guards was waiting outside my tent. Broad and stocky, with the kind of shoulders that made me picture him swinging an ax, he nodded at me, instantly turning to lead me in the direction away from the arena. Ah. Conreth didn’t want to draw attention from the fae yet, so he was spending his time on the hybrid side of camp. Since the hybrids weren’t exactly best friends with the fae, it would take some time before Lorian learned he was here. I thought back to my training this morning. Galon, Cavis, and Marth hadn’t been there, but neither had Rythos. Come to think of it, other than Lorian—who’d only trained me for about an hour—none of the fae instructors had been in the arena. Had Conreth arranged that? The thought made my skin itch.

I nodded at the guard as he waited in front of the tent and gestured for me to enter. I hesitated, well aware that the guard would be watching me and reporting my every action back to the fae king. But I took a moment to collect myself anyway. My heart hammered against my rib cage, bringing a surge of nausea with it.

Several deep breaths later, I stepped inside the tent.

Conreth’s retinue had been busy. My feet sank into a thick rug, and several orbs of light hovered in the air around the tent, giving it a warm glow. A map of the continent had been hung on one of the canvas walls, and I longed to study it. In front of the map, a small table had been set with two plates, a platter of meats and cheeses between them. Conreth sat at the table, his expression distant. His pale gaze met mine, and he nodded at the seat across from him.

I surveyed him, looking for any similarities between him and Lorian. Where Lorian was dark-haired and built like he’d been born to rage down a battlefield, Conreth was slightly shorter, with longer limbs and those cold eyes. Despite their differences, I could see the family resemblance in their high cheekbones and the shape of their eyes.

“Please.” The fae king nodded. “Eat.”

I sat, but there was little chance of my eating unless he wanted to watch the hybrid heir lose her stomach.

“I was hoping to meet you sooner,” Conreth said, stretching out his legs. The movement was casual, as if we were two friends catching up. But I had no doubt that everything he did was purposeful.

“I’m grateful to Lorian for bringing me here. To my people.” The words tasted like ash on my tongue, but Conreth was expecting to talk to the hybrid heir. So that was who I would give him.

Conreth studied me for a long moment. “You’re a very beautiful woman,” he said, although there was no heat in his eyes. He was looking at me clinically, as if attempting to see beneath my skin. “You helped return a great amount of power to the fae with your actions in Regner’s castle. And of course, you freed the hybrids in his dungeon. But I admit, I’m unsure exactly why Lorian would choose to commit treason for you.”

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly bone-dry. “Treason?”

Conreth reached for his plate with a nod. “Our kingdom has long had strict laws when it comes to defying the will of either the king or the generals. The fae are powerful, often wild, and so must be ruled accordingly, with a firm hand.”

A dull ringing sounded in my ears. Lorian had committedtreasonfor me? “And the punishment for treason?”

He spread soft cheese onto bread. “Consequences vary from imprisonment to death.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. I hadn’t seen Lorian for hours now. Had Conreth had him arrested?

Getting to my feet, I reached for my power, holding it ready.

“What did you do to Lorian?”

CHAPTERTWELVE

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