Page 20 of Crown of Briars
“I’m sorry,” I said with a quick shake of my head. “I only just arrived, and I am still adjusting. That’s all.” I frowned at her. “But why do you need my blood now? I thought the blood vows would be exchanged at the ceremony.”
“You are correct.” Tislora lifted a hand and began cleaning her sharp claws. The sound of the talons scraping together rang out in the room, reminding me of how easily she could slice open my throat. If she wanted my blood, she could take it by force. To ask was a courtesy I should be grateful for. “But Iwould like to inspect your blood first. The more potent and untainted the blood is, the easier it will be to bond with the king.”
My mouth went completely dry, and my stomach tumbled painfully within me.Inspect your blood.
I didnotwant this sorceress scrutinizing my blood. She would almost certainly discover I was part fae.
And what did it mean tobondwith the king? Would these vows ensure I would be unable to cause him harm?
Fear and terror washed over me like a tidal wave of icy water. My pulse quickened, my heartbeat thundering loudly in my ears.
Tislora dropped her hands and cast me a bemused look. “I can hear your pulse, human. There is no need to be afraid. The blood exchange is simple, and it will not cause you any severe harm. It’s merely a cut across your palm. You share it with Varius. And you utter the vows.”
“Will—Will the words physically bind me?” I knew how fae bargains worked. With my fae blood, I would literally be bound by whatever words I swore to the king.
“Yes,” Tislora said, her tone serious. “But as I said, it will not cause you harm.”
“But will it… willhe… be able to control me?” My words came out as barely more than a whisper. “Will it make me become someone else? Or something else?”
Tislora’s eyebrows lifted. She almost looked impressed that I would ask such questions. “It is wise of you to be wary of fae bargains. But I can assure you, the vows are only uttered to ensure the safety of the Shadow Court.”
This did nothing to alleviate my concerns. Too late, I realized Tislora would notice that my pulse was still racing.
Her eyes narrowed. “This does not reassure you?”
“I—what aboutmycourt?” I asked.
Tislora pursed her lips. “Ah yes. TheEarthenCourt.” Shesneered at the word, and I stiffened. Clearly, she detested my court as much as my people detested the Shadow Fae.
“It’s my home,” I said coldly. “You don’t have to like it to respect that I am loyal to it.”
Tislora’s gleaming eyes sharpened as they fixed on me with predatory intensity. “If it pleases you, human, I will add to the vows that your precious human wasteland will be protected as well. Does this appease you?”
I took a moment to consider my words. Technically, I was notappeased—I was still concerned that something would happen to me during the vows, since I intended to destroy the Shadow Court. If the vows were meant to protect this kingdom, then I feared what that magic might do to me. Speaking carefully, I said, “I appreciate the addition. The change is acceptable to me.”
“Good.” Tislora drew closer to the bed. “Which arm should I take your blood from?”
I lifted my left arm, which was my non-dominant hand. I forced myself to hold her gaze, not even flinching when her sharp claws sliced into my wrist. With supernatural speed, she drew a glass vial from her black cloak and lifted it, catching every single drop of blood as it spilled from my arm. When the vial was full, she closed her fingers around the wound and whispered, “Belech.”
Warmth seared into my skin, and I almost jerked my hand back in alarm. A searing red glow surrounded my flesh, and when she removed her hand, the wound was gone. Not even a scar marred my skin.
I stared at my wrist, turning my arm over in awe. Her magic was flawless. There was no evidence at all that she’d taken my blood.
Tislora lifted the vial of blood, peering through the glass as if she could ascertain everything about me with a single look. Perhaps, with the magnitude of her power, she could.
Her eyes met mine, and she said, “I’ll see you at the ceremony tomorrow, human.”
Before she could sweep from the room, I said loudly, “My name is Sybelle, by the way. Nothuman.”
She paused but did not look back before exiting the room. From the hall, I could have sworn I heard a flutter of wings and an echoing caw.
Feverish nightmares claimed me,my head spinning with the delirium of the wretched curse. My father’s face swam into view, his eyes all black as he summoned his shadows around himself like a cloak. The shadows swelled, rising higher and higher until they drowned him completely. His anguished cry echoed even long after the darkness had swallowed him whole.
I saw Tislora’s face, then Clermont’s, as the curse consumed them, too. Their tortured screams echoed in my mind, reverberating into my skull. My bones quivered from the intensity of it, my stomach curdling. I had already expelled what little food and drink I’d managed to take in during my stay in the cave. But even so, the nausea rose up until bile crept into my mouth.
So many lives lost because of me. Because of my incompetence. My powerlessness.
I couldn’t break the curse. I couldn’t save them.
