SWNOVELS Court of Ice and Ash: Chapter 25
Sol whispered. His lips had gone blue, and his thick black lashes were crusted in frost. “You h-h-heal the land.”
“Stop,” I said. My voice hardly more than a whisper. It hurt to speak, as if each word peeled layers off the back of my throat. “Don’t t-talk like this.”
Sol cupped a hand around the back of my head. His muscles convulsed in the cold, but he managed to draw my forehead to his. “P-P-Promise me V-V-Valen. Promise me when they f-f-free you, promise me you w-w-will take back the throne.”
“Shut up.” I slung my arm around his thin shoulders and held him. “Shut up, Sol.”
“I am a threat to them, b-b-brother. I frighten them. I knew when they t-t-took Daj they’d kill me too. We cannot s-s-save Etta. Not like your f-f-fury. They will want to use it.”
“I won’t s-save it. Not for them.”
“For us, Valen. For our p-people.”
“Fate chose you.”
Sol closed his eyes, exhausted. I understood. Staying coherent for too long was taxing. Most days we took turns in our winter cage trying to stay awake and make sure the other didn’t stop breathing.
“Fate chose you,” I repeated, my palm on the side of his face. Sol would be king. He would take back what was stolen.
Still, something in my bones told me fate was only just beginning with her wretched plans.
The sun had chased away the dawn mist. Outside the chatter of the people of Ruskig gave away that morning was well approaching midday.
I had yet to step outside.
From the chair at the small table, I had a perfect view of her sleeping face. Elise smiled as she slept. Her hair was messy, and I could not remember seeing anything so beautiful.
All night the honor of sleeping beside her, her body in my arms, belonged to me. I’d hardly moved. Until a thought kept nagging in the back of my mind. Perhaps it was what triggered one of the final memories of my brother.
I needed to speak with the others, but I didn’t want to leave.
My fingers traced the rim of the wooden cup in my grip; the herbs were potent. As if she sensed my stare—or perhaps it was the herbs—Elise’s eyes fluttered against the morning light. She stretched her arms above her head, looking around until she oriented.
A soft grin spread over her pink lips when she saw me. “Waking to a half-naked prince—I am a lucky woman. Fully naked would be better, but I’ll take what I can get.”
I narrowed my eyes and went to the bed, kneeling beside it. My fingers tangled in her hair. I drew her mouth close to mine, so my lips caressed hers as I spoke. “Do not tempt me, or I will never leave.”
“Then I plan to tempt you all morning.” She kissed me, slow, sweet, and sincere.
I held out the cup of herbs. “I, uh, I made this for you. Not to be presumptuous, but if you want it.”
She wrinkled her nose. “What is it?”
“My sister used it.” I scratched my face. “So a child isn’t . . .”
Elise lifted her brow and took a drink. “Wise. I don’t want to imagine what Runa would do if I had a child.”
My thoughts exactly. “It’s not that I wouldn’t . . . with you, it’s—”
“Valen, please,” she said, resting a hand on my arm. “You should be so lucky to father my young ones.”
I sneered, snatched the cup from her hand, and pinched her sides until she went red in the face from laughing. When I pulled back, we settled into a comfortable silence. After a moment, Elise stroked the side of my face. A delightful habit I didn’t know I wanted. Her smile faded. “What troubles you?”
My shoulders sagged. I sat on the floor and leaned back against the edge of the bed. Elise’s fingertips scraped over my scalp, sending a thrill dancing down the back of my neck. Her touch soothed, and I cursed myself for trying to go without it all this time.
“Valen,” she whispered. “I see it in your eyes. Something is bothering you. I cannot forget last night if you are—”
“No.” I turned quickly and silenced that terrible line of talk with a kiss. “There is no going back, no regrets, Elise.”
“What is it?”
“I need to speak with the guild, you, and I suppose Siv since she knows who I am. No one else.”
Elise propped onto one elbow. She didn’t question, simply said, “When?”
“As soon as possible.”
“I’ll go find them. No doubt if you show your face half of Ruskig will want to strategize with you, or Ari will send you on some other dangerous adventure.”
I smirked but didn’t disagree. The king would not free me from the constant burn of the bindings, yet he wanted me to behave like his first knight, or royal assassin.
She tore the furs off her body and hopped out of the bed. Her pale skin stole my breath. I must’ve made some feral noise because she glanced over her shoulder, a flush to her cheeks. “What is it, Night Prince? Does the sight of me unsettle you?”
“Captivates is more like it, and I doubt I will be thinking of anything else but the sight of you from here on out.”
She laughed and hurried to dress in a simple gown. Before she left the shanty, Elise came to me and pressed a kiss to my mouth, then went to find the Guild of Shade.
I paced the small room, fidgeting, wondering if I’d lost my mind. I made up the bed, tried to hide the evidence of what happened here. I was unashamed, but I didn’t know how Elise would feel if everyone suddenly knew we were lovers.
Though, I was sure most suspected.
I even tried to brew tea, but something scorched on the bottom of the pot, and I gave up.
Not long after, the door opened, and Junie led the way inside. Siv followed, then the rest of the guild. Elise locked us in and invited everyone to find a place to sit. Casper and Stieg looked half asleep. Halvar searched for ale which he insisted Elise was hiding. Siv and Junie sat on the bed, and Tor stared out the window.
He’d know if I was losing my head or not.
“Ari is looking for you,” Elise said, pressing a hand to my heart as she retrieved the ewer she kept in a chest. Halvar sang her praises when she poured him a horn.
“He can wait,” I said.
“Well, you better get to it, then,” Junie said. “I think he’s rather jumpy since last night and will likely come breaking down doors.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at the floor. The thoughts were hard to gather because I didn’t know where to begin.
“Something has troubled me since Elise’s sister took her father’s eye.” Tor closed his eyes. His jaw pulsed. I wasn’t insane. He thought things, too. “You all saw the darkness that spread, right?”
“No, but it’s all Frey and Ari can talk about,” Casper said. He shuddered. “Gives me the bleeding chills. What sort of fury does that?”
I pinched my lips, daring to look at Tor. He was pale, and dark circles puffed under his eyes. No doubt, he had little sleep last night.
“Valen?” Elise said when I remained silent too long.
“I’ve only seen that kind of dark fury—blight is what we called it—in one person.” I paused. How would I explain this? It was a secret, only those closest to the Ferus line knew. I hated keeping it, like it was a shameful thing. It wasn’t. Simply different. I lifted my eyes, finding Elise. She was the calm in a storm. “My brother.”
Elise’s mouth opened. “He did have fury then.”
I nodded. “He did, but no one spoke of it.”
“Ridiculous,” Tor grumbled. “As if Sol would ever bring harm to anyone.”
I gave Tor a look to keep calm. “Sol was to be king, through counsel from their seers, our parents thought it best to keep Sol’s fury secret. Probably why my mother never truly mentions it in her journals. He was the Sun Prince, the hope of Etta. And his fury brought death, disease, and darkness.”
“Only Prince Valen could counter it,” Halvar said grimly.
“Wait,” Elise said. “The diseased Agitators—on my land. Do you think—”
“Hells,” Halvar said. “I’d nearly forgotten, but . . . yes. Valen, I think you took it from them. You were changed through the curse then, but I think somehow you stopped it.”
“I don’t heal bodies,” I said.
“You don’t remember, but you drew the blight back and it . . . it didn’t heal them, it killed them. It must’ve been manipulated somehow, but your fury still drew it back.”
Elise rested a hand on my arm. “How do you counter such a thing with earth fury?”
“Sol and I were opposites.” I shook my head, a burn in my chest. Gods, I missed my brother. “I could bring the world to bloom; he could destroy it. What concerns me, now more than ever after hearing of the Agitators, is that Ravenspire has somehow manipulated blight and has the power to use it against us.”
“Sol,” Tor said, his voice soft and raw. “They manipulated Sol, and this is his legacy. What is left of his magic is used for evil.”
‘“We don’t know that, brother,” Halvar said, clapping Tor on the shoulder.
“We don’t,” I agreed.
“Do you think—” Stieg hesitated. “Do you think they have a dark fae with the same talent?”
“It’s possible, I suppose. But last night was still different. I’ve never seen it bottled in such a way. I have no power over the body, at least not with Sol’s magic. Sol brought disease to the earth, so I could counteract it. But if Ravenspire knows how to kill by fury poisons—we are at greater risk than I thought.”
“We need to find the fae they are using,” Stieg said.
“And slit his throat,” added Casper.
“Or the poisoner,” Elise suggested. “Who knows if they have found a way to manufacture this blight through their experiments.”
“I tell you this to be on guard,” I said. “We need to prepare healing potions. Moonvane is powerful and may be our only chance against blight in the body. Everyone should have a supply.”
Elise came to my side. “We need to tell Ari.”
“Do so, but don’t mention Sol,” Tor said. “His name will not be muddied by stupid folk who fear fury they don’t understand.”
Elise left me and went to Tor. He was not one to accept pity, but he gave her a small smile when she clasped his hand and squeezed.
“I think we need to get our fearless king to stop fearing your fury,” Halvar said. “We need to get these bindings off.”
“You could tell him the truth,” Casper said.
I shook my head. “Nothing has changed. I do not want the crown. Ari can lead.”
“But Etta did not choose him,” Halvar said.
“In time she will,” I insisted. “Besides, right now we need the people focused on surviving. Ravenspire will come again, and we need to be ready. Not lost in a battle of who wears the weak crown of an uprising.”
The looks on their faces made it clear not one person in the room agreed, but for once no one argued. I had seen what became of people who didn’t want to give up power. Ari was not cruel and ambitious, but he was creating a thorn in the side of Castle Ravenspire. I would overturn all the efforts made by stepping forward.
But the fool could take off the bleeding bindings.
If this blight was a remnant of my brother’s magic, I might be the only one who could destroy it.
If it was something else, then I prayed to the gods we’d find a way to survive it.