Page 111 of Crown of Briars
“She’s taken my blood before. And, if what you say is true and you don’t keep secrets from each other, then she would have told you by now.”
His lips thinned. “I should not have said that earlier. Tislora and I are… friends. We work together. But you are my wife, and my loyalty is to you. There was a time when I did not keep secrets from her. But that time has passed.”
A knot formed in my throat, and I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“I’ll give you some privacy to dress before bed,” Varius said. “I won’t be long. But I’ll make sure a soldier I trust is guarding the door.”
My response was stuck in my throat. I couldn’t form a reply before he opened the door and disappeared from view, leaving me alone in his chambers.
Still dazedfrom my confusing interaction with Varius, I strode into the bathing chamber and began to disrobe. When my cloak fell to the stone floor, a heavychinksound echoed in the room.
My heart seized.The gemstones.I’d forgotten they were still in my cloak pocket.
I knelt to the floor and grabbed the pouch. I was about to tuck it back inside my cloak when I recalled what Azure had said. The strange black stone had emitted the same ringing sound as the gleaming red-jeweled rose in the Noxen Forest.
But they were clearly different stones. The black stone was quite different from the ruby-like features of the rose buried in the earth.
If I pulled out the dark stone, would the ringing noise return? Would other fae nearby hear it?
I certainlywasfeeling bold tonight. Despite the warnings blaring in my mind, I overturned the bag, dumping my gems onto the cold stone floor.
It called to me at once. The black jewel gleamed in the low light of the bathing chamber.
And once my eyes locked onto it, the searing ringing sound split the air.
With a yelp, I snatched the stone on instinct. I didn’t know why I did it; all I knew was I had to silence it.
As soon as my fingers closed around it, the ringing stopped. The jewel began to warm my palm, sending heat up my arm and into my chest. I gasped from the intensity of it, prepared to drop it to the floor again.
But I didn’t want that sound to return. I was sure Varius or Clermont or someone would come bursting in at any moment, demanding to know what was going on.
“She agreed,” said a soft voice.
I jumped, whirling around. My hand went behind my back in an attempt to hide the stone from whoever was here.
But the bathing chamber was empty.
Heart racing, I looked around, wondering if someone was using magic to hide themselves.
“Are you serious?” asked another voice, this one female.
“See for yourself,” said the first voice.
I wet my lips, my frantic pulse fluttering. The voices soundedso close. Once more, I surveyed the room, and my eyes snagged on the large oval mirror hanging on the wall.
It wasn’t a mirror, but awindow. I peered into it and made out two familiar figures: Varius and Tislora. He was holding out the vial to her.
Tislora’s silvery eyes darted up to meet his. I quickly ducked to the side, worried she would see me.
But she didn’t even glance my way.
With a frown, I glanced around the bathing chamber a third time, trying to figure outwhyVarius would have a looking glass in here.
But… it had been a mirror before. I was almost certain.
My breaths came in short spurts as I slowly lifted my free hand and waved it around my head, trying to get Tislora’s attention.
She didn’t even blink.
