Page 28 of Crown of Briars
Though she spoke in my language, the king still understood. His shadows shifted, and a hand emerged. My eyes flared wide, and a surge of horror rose up inside me. His hand was covered in scarred skin that was the exact shade of my blood. Long, black claws extended from his fingernails. A narrow gash still bled freely from the center of his palm.
I felt Tislora watching me, so I forced myself to inch forward, reaching for the king’s hand. I paused a few inches away from those sharp talons, revulsion and unease churning in my gut. With my other hand, I gripped the dagger hilt more tightly, relying on the diamonds for strength, then placed my palm against the king’s.
His skin was smoother than I expected. I was anticipating his flesh to be rough and scaly, like a reptile’s. But it was as soft as my own, and warm as well. His sticky blood mingled with my own as our hands clasped together, his fingers interlacing with mine. I flinched, waiting for his claws to slice into me, but they didn’t. In fact, he seemed to be taking extra care to ensure they did not touch me at all. They were extended in the air, hovering away from my hand, his fingers taut and outstretched.
Between our palms, the combined blood began to sizzle and burn. I hissed in pain, shutting my eyes as the smell of charred flesh swelled around me.
Tislora murmured a few words I did not recognize and waved her hands in the air, forming a circle between myself and the king. White sparks ignited from her fingertips, and the air hummed with power. I stiffened, my back arching as the heat of our blood seemed to boil right through my body. I gritted my teeth so hard my head began to throb. Surely my skin was melting away. Surely when I withdrew my hand it would be a blackened husk.
In Agnarrish, Tislora said, “The vow is complete.”
King Varius immediately dropped my hand, withdrawing his own into the safety of his shadows. With a gasp, I sheathed my dagger so I could cradle my hand and inspect the injury. To my utter shock, the skin was clean and unmarred. Only an echo of the warmth from earlier remained. Even the cut had been healed.
Mouth agape, I looked up at Tislora, who had a glint in her eyes that told me she enjoyed my bewilderment. She lifted herchin, and, her voice echoing in the courtyard around us, proclaimed in Agnarrish, “Behold, the King of the Shadow Court and his new bride!”
Behind us, cheers erupted, and the people chanted a single Agnarrish word: “Benedor.”
Freedom.
Slowly, I turned to face the crowd, my eyes wide as I took in the joy and excitement on their faces. Were they truly so happy about this union? I was a stranger to them.
Freedom.Some of the fae had tears in their eyes as they clapped their hands together.
A knot formed in my throat. What did this ceremony mean to them? What didImean to them?
I turned to look at the Wraith King, wondering what he thought of all this, but his shadows were moving away from me. Gradually, the king made his way back up the aisle, pausing occasionally to grip the hands of his subjects. I caught a glimpse of those red fingertips as they emerged from the shadows, only to be swallowed up once more after he moved on.
I stood there, feeling like a complete fool as my husband abandoned me and disappeared through the door built into the wall. My body was frozen, rooted to the spot, unable to move. What was I to do? I was the queen… Or was I? I hadn’t been officially coronated. And this was all very unorthodox. Generally, the husband and wife joined hands and addressed their people as a united front. Oftentimes, there was a celebratory ball afterward.
And, of course, the consummation.
At the thought, I felt the blood drain from my face. For years, my father had instructed me on how to properly tend to my husband’s carnal needs.You are to please him as often as he desires of you,he had told me.You are never to complain and never to refuse. Use your body to satisfy his demands so he does not detectyour duplicity. Do whatever it takes to make him happy so he does not suspect what you are up to.
Stomach churning, I turned to look at Tislora, unable to hide my panicked expression. “What happens now?” I whispered.
I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. I knew how important my mission was, but Stones, I didn’t know if I could bed him. Not now, with my nerves so wound up.
The gleam from Tislora’s eyes was gone. She gazed at me with a solemness that made me wonder if she guessed where my thoughts had turned. “Now, you are free to return to your rooms.”
I blinked. “That’s it?”
She smiled. “Yes. That’s it. For now.”
For now.What exactly was in store for me from here on out? Nothing about this was clear. I didn’t even know what the expectations were for the queen of this court.
Ramia appeared by my side, her expression stony as if we had attended a funeral instead of a wedding. She linked her arm with mine, and I sensed she could tell I was on the verge of fainting. I was tempted to grab hold of my dagger, just for strength, but I didn’t want to alarm anyone.
“Are you well, my lady?” Ramia whispered.
Weakly, I nodded, leaning into her. She was stronger than she looked and was able to bear my weight as we made our way up the aisle. “I just need to rest.”
Vaguely, I wondered if Tislora’s magic had done something to me. Had she siphoned the energy from my body? Were the unseelie fae some sort of soul-sucking vampires?
I supposed there wasn’t anything I could do about it if they were. Even with my half-fae blood, I was no match for them, and I was drastically outnumbered. If they wanted to feast on my flesh, nothing was stopping them.
I stared at the door where the king had disappeared. A servant stood next to it and opened it for us. The hallway of theguest suite waited for us on the other side. I nodded my thanks to the fae, and Ramia and I stepped through.
Once the door closed, all the sounds and smells of the courtyard vanished, leaving only the darkened corridor leading to our rooms. It was almost a relief, to blot out the cheers and voices of the crowd. The silence was a comfort to me.
