Page 82 of A Dance Macabre

Wolfgang will never be capable of loving anyone but himself.

I feel sick. The idea of Wolfgang betraying me slithers through every single insecurity I’ve held on to so tightly during all these weeks with him.

Maybe it meant nothing.

Maybe our fate was our demise all along.

The echo of Dizzy’s words continues to ring shrilly in my ears. And maybe a Crèvecoeur will never be capable of trusting anyone else but themself.

By the time the city has donned its nightly cloak, I know what must be done.

44

WOLFGANG

There’s something about the sounds of Mount Pravitia in the dead of night that are distinctly different from the whispers of Vainglory Tower when darkness descends. The silence howls like the restless wind outside the window. It groans as if alive with a bellyful of memories from every ruler who came before me.

If the walls could talk …

The tales would be thick with blood, murder, and betrayal.

I wonder then, if the sounds currently keeping me awake are sounds of betrayal too.

The lights are off in the ruler’s bedchamber, Mercy’s side cold and vacant. No sign of the dogs either. It’s raining again. It batters against the windows adding to the ghostly melodies of the oldest building in Pravitia.

I pretend to sleep.

If I can even call it that.

My eyes are closed but I’m wide awake.

Listening. Seeking.Feeling.

Does she know I feel her when she’s close?

But she’s not the one opening the door right now. There’s barely a sound. I wouldn’t have discerned it if I were asleep—if I wasn’t seeking the tell-tales of deceit.

My breathing slows, and I try my hardest to keep myself relaxed. A slumbering body under a heavy velvet duvet. My adrenaline spikes, and the subtle sounds in the room amplify.

Soft steps on thick carpet.

The rustle of clothing against skin.

A long, slow inhale followed by an even slower exhale.

Soon, I’ll need to reveal my hand. But for now, I lie in wait, like a predator masquerading as prey. I will strike when the time is just right.

But the time never comes.

Instead, the walls of Mount Pravitia hear a series of different sounds.

Ones of surprise.

And of treachery turned into blinding vengeance.

The lights are flicked on, and I am momentarily blinded.

My eyes crash into Dizzy who is standing at the foot of the bed. She looks just as shocked as I feel, but our reasons for the feeling are worlds apart.

---