Page 89 of Kingdom of Locks

Aurelia stared at him, too stunned to speak, and he went on blithely.

“I don’t know how, but it seems your brother has become aware of your survival. He has sent messages all over the land, encouraging his neighbors to poke and pry and examine things that don’t concern them. We can’t have that, I thought to myself. You wouldn’t like it, my dear—your father was a nasty man, everyone knew it. And your brother is just the same. I knew I had to protect you from him. But then I realized…what does it matter if they find our tower, if we’ve already emerged from it?” His eyes were gleaming once again. “What do you think, child? Would you like to emerge from your seclusion, re-enter the world in triumph at my side?”

Aurelia drew back involuntarily. “I don’t want to go anywhere at your side,” she said simply. “Not even if it meant finally leaving this tower.”

Cyfrin’s eyes narrowed in anger. He took a step toward her, but Aurelia didn’t pull back this time. She stood tall, looking him in the eye. Her defiance had given her the boost she needed, and she didn’t even feel fear.

All her life she’d been trapped by this man, with no control. But the knowledge that she could have escaped that very day, that she had chosen to remain in order to set her mother free, made her feel empowered, strong. Cyfrin might not realize it, but he no longer controlled her. She had been given a choice, and she stood by her decision unreservedly. Somewhere in her heart she knew, whatever happened, she would never truly be in his power again.

“Honeysuckle, do not defy me, or I—”

“That is not my name,” she said coldly. “My name is Aurelia, and I won’t respond to anything else.”

He gave a nasty laugh. “You think you’re so—” The enchanter broke off, his eyes widening as they roamed over Aurelia’s form. “Where is it?” he demanded. “Where’s the magic?”

“What do you mean?” Aurelia asked, in an attempt at confusion that she knew had fallen flat. She drew her hair into her hands. “The magic in my hair, you mean?”

“No,” snarled Cyfrin, his rage growing. “The magic in your hair is still there. Where is the magic I transferred into you?” He stepped forward, seizing her by the shoulders and shaking her roughly. “Where is it?” he roared. “Tell me!”

“It’s gone,” said Aurelia, her face white but her voice quite calm. “You gave me the key, and I unlocked it. I set it free, where you can never claim it. Its power would never have been yours. You ensured that the moment you put it in my core.”

“WHAT?!”

Despite her sudden confidence, Aurelia had to admit to herself that Cyfrin’s fury was terrible to behold. For a moment she was sure he would hit her, but instead he seized a chair and threw it forcefully against the wall. Aurelia flinched as the wood splintered into pieces, but still she stood firm.

“But this is impossible,” Cyfrin declared, calming down as his mind caught up. He ran a hand over his closely cropped hair. “You can’t have used the key. There’s no one to—”

“No one but you?” Aurelia asked coldly. “You had the audacity to think, after everything you’ve done, that I would willingly give my first kiss to you? That I wouldmarryyou? You are as foolish as you are evil. I would rather die than marry you. And you’re too late. I’ve already given someone else my heart, and my kiss. Your power is his now, and I would trust him with it as I would trust him with my life.”

Cyfrin’s face drained of all color. He stepped up to her again, but there was no more shouting. Now his voice was low, almost too quiet to hear. And infinitely more terrifying.

“Who?”

The single word made Aurelia’s blood run cold, but she forced herself to look her captor in the eye.

“Someone who is a hundred times the man you are.”

“You will pay for this,” Cyfrin said, his lips white with rage. “You’ve taken what I care about, and I’ll take what you care about. I’ll kill that servant woman you call mother, and then I’ll find the man who dared to claim what was mine and kill him too!”

“I don’t think you’ll find that so easy, in either case,” said Aurelia coldly.

Without a word, Cyfrin strode across the room and tore open the door to the bedroom. His eyes scanned the empty space, and he let out a cry of fury.

“Where is she? Where?”

“Far away,” said Aurelia, hoping fervently that the words were true.

“Impossible!” Cyfrin cried.

Aurelia shrugged, spreading her hands wide. “And yet…”

Cyfrin began to pace, his rage momentarily held at bay as his mind began to work, clearly trying to figure out how to salvage the situation.

“My plans have been compromised,” he muttered angrily, to no one in particular. “It’s time to move.” He glared at Aurelia. “With half—HALF—of the power I should have had!”

Leaning into her face, he growled. “You are a simple, weak child. What a mistake it was to ever think you could be trusted with the smallest role. But don’t think you’ve bested me, little rat. The power in your hair isn’t dependent on you doing anything. It’s mine, and I’ll take it.AndI’ll see you pay for what you’ve done!”

Without warning, his arm snaked around Aurelia’s neck, and he pulled her against his side.

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