Page 48 of Crown of Briars
At least, I told myself he wouldn’t.
“Watch yourself, human,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “There are worse things than death.”
“My name isSybelle,” I snapped. “Not human.”
“And I am nowraith,” Varius spat. His shadows darkened further, and I gasped as his eyes shifted to all black, leaving no traces of white.
He looked all animal now. Nothing but a deadly predator.
“Fine,” I said, my voice slightly higher than normal as I tried to force a bravado I did not feel. “I’ll call you Varius, and you’ll call me Sybelle. Agreed?”
Varius blinked at me, the darkness in his eyes receding until they looked normal once more. Still coal black, but the whites of his eyes made him seem less monstrous. His shadows curled inward, the darkness thinning and allowing light from the windows to seep through.
A long, tense moment passed between us. I stood there, rigid and waiting for him to advance on me. He pinned me with his loathsome stare, fangs still bared.
At last, he said gruffly, “Agreed.” He turned away, then said over his shoulder, “Sybelle.”
He went through the door connecting our rooms, and it closed shut after his departure. I let out a long exhale, my frame sagging and my pulse racing. For a moment, I sank to the edge of my mattress, pressing a hand to my chest as I waited for my heartbeat to slow.
I still wasn’t sure why Varius had come to my rooms at all. Had he only wanted to fling accusations at me? Or was there something else?
Either way, I was regretting moving to the queen’schambers. He was a brute, and every encounter only revealed how loathsome he was.
Shaking my head, I moved to the writing desk and scribbled out themean old codgerpart.Next to it, I wrote,He is exactly as we thought he would be. Only more frightening.
After penning the rest of my letter, using vague references to our past conversations, I sealed it up and put Eira’s name on it, hoping Enzira would be able to mail it for me.
I honestly wasn’t sure if I would ever get to see my friend again. But it would be nice to know that we could still correspond with one another.
I grabbed my shift and made my way to the bathing chamber. After glancing behind me to ensure Varius hadn’t returned, I removed my clothing and approached the gaping hole with trepidation.
I was trusting in Varius’s inability to lie; if this weren’t actually a hot spring, he wouldn’t have been able to tell me so.
But despite the logic behind this, my heart still hammered painfully in my chest at the prospect of stepping into a large, black abyss.
With a shaky breath, I sank to the ground, sitting with my bare bottom on the stone floor. It was warmer than I expected.
I frowned, scooting forward until my legs dangled over the edge of the hole. Steam and heat swirled around me, making the skin on my thighs pebble. I inched closer to the edge, and my toes met bubbling hot water. I gasped at the contact, jerking my feet back. After a moment, I eased them back in, then sighed with pleasure. It was hot, but not painfully so, and the water was close enough to the edge of the floor that I knew I would be able to climb back out with ease.
Assuming the bottom wasn’t too deep. If this place was suited for large unseelie creatures, would a tiny human like me be able to stand?
Only one way to find out,I thought before sliding all the way in.
The jolt of sudden heat around my body made me stiffen and gasp, my legs flailing and my skin burning. I scrambled for purchase, my head going underwater for a few seconds before my feet met solid ground. I came up for air, choking and sputtering, then swam toward one end of the cavern. I hit the wall, and my feet bumped against a thin ledge that had been built into the ground, almost like a small step for the fae to climb out of the springs.
Relief spread through me as I put my weight on that ledge, allowing me to stand up high enough for the water to rest just below my chin.
I could make this work.
I lifted my arms, barely able to see them in the darkness of the hole. Bubbles continued churning around me, tickling my skin and making my stomach rumble. A small smile spread across my lips, and I flicked the water, then dove underneath once more, allowing the heat to rush over me.
When I emerged once more, a laugh burst from me, echoing in the small cavern.
Varius might have been an ass, but he was right about one thing: The hot springs were delightful.
Still fumingfrom my encounter with Sybelle, I paced the length of my room, my shadows swirling chaotically around me as I waited for my temper to cool.
The nerve of her… To ordermearound, like her servant? And then to act affronted when I reminded her I was her king?
