Page 93 of Crown of Briars
“Even when the truth is disgusting and horrific?”
“Especially then! Because if you are honest with me about the terrible truths, then I know you’ll be honest with me abouteverything.”
Varius fell silent at that. His face was still hard and unyielding. Our gazes locked, and neither of us looked away.
But he did not argue. I waited for him to defend or excuse his actions again, but he didn’t.
To my utter shock, he said quietly, “All right. I can do that.”
I blinked, stunned. “You—what?”
“I said, I can do that.”
My mouth opened and closed.
He sighed. “I will be completely honest and forthcoming with you from now on, Sybelle. Or at least, as honest as I can manage. Is that sufficient for you?”
I swallowed, an unexpected warmth creeping up my throat. “Um. Yes. I think so.”
“Good. I’ll start right now. I believe the castle has been warning us from the beginning. Do you remember when we ended up in the training yard?”
“Yes. That was when Warwick threatened me.”
A low growl rumbled from Varius’s throat. “He didwhat?”
I quickly told him about my first interaction with Warwick. Varius’s nostrils flared, and his dark shadows spilled over the floor, creeping toward me. I knew by now that they weren’t dangerous, but I still edged away from them.
“That bastard,” Varius hissed. “I’ll snap his neck. I’ll rip his arms clean off.”
“As delightful as your threats are,” I said, “I need to know what else he said to you at the revel.”
Varius heaved a deep breath, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I can… only tell you part of it. The magic of this land prevents me from speaking about certain things.” He gritted his teeth as if he were physically held back from saying more.
I bit down on my irritation, knowing it was not his fault. “All right.”
“He has information for me about—about—” He broke off with a curse, and I recalled how he’d said there were certain things he could not utter because of magic that had bound him. “About how to stop the Necro Shadows,” he finally said. “And he told me he does not belong to this court. He is not under my jurisdiction.”
I gasped, raising a hand to cover my mouth. Warwick did not belong to the Shadow Court? Then, where the hell was he from?
The look of confusion and frustration on Varius’s face told me he had no idea either.
“So, he is blackmailing you?” I asked.
“Essentially, yes.”
“And you think the castle was leading us to the training yard to warn us about him?”
“Yes. In fact, when I was searching for you, every open door revealed the training yard. Even now, in the dead of night.”
I glanced at the window, which showed the early rays of dawn.
“Or rather, the early hours of the morning,” Varius amended, following my gaze.
Stones, we both had been up most of the night. And yet, the adrenaline coursing through my body made it impossible for me to sleep.
“But it doesn’t make sense,” Varius continued, rubbing the back of his neck. “Warwick is in the dungeons, so why would the castle send us to the training yard again?”
I straightened, leveling a determined look at Varius. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out. Let’s go to the training yard.”
