Page 55 of Mirror of Malice
I pushed my stew aside while Jasper continued to spoon his into his mouth. “Listen, we need to create a plan to overthrow my stepmother. Once we take back the earth court, we can rebuild Elwen’s army and then defeat the sorceress and save Seraphina. Elwen will not turn its back on Gilraeth.”
Jasper coughed, and I moved to stand and help him, but he thrust out a hand, keeping me back. “No, I’m okay,” he rasped. “Just a little caught off-guard.”
“About what?” I asked.
“The whole defeating your stepmother thing?”
I sat back in my chair. “I don’t understand.”
“Liliath, the earth court has been destroyed. It’s Shiraeth all over again.”
My body grew cold. “No, it’s not. The star court was completely annihilated by Sorrengard. Elwen is still full of people, my people. The magic can be restored once my stepmother is gone. It’s not a lost cause.”
The look in Jasper’s eyes told me he didn’t believe a word I said.
“Jasper, that’s my court, my home. I can’t just give up on it.”
He reached across the table and patted my hand. “You can have a life here, Liliath. No, you won’t be queen or rule over a court, but maybe you can help me fight this sorceress. I’m next in line for the throne, you know. All I have to do is kill the sorceress, and then I can rule over Gilraeth myself.”
“What?” I shot to my feet, my chair tumbling back. “How can you even say that? Your cousin is stuck in some curse. You can’t just forget about her.”
“She’s already been forgotten about,” Jasper said. “We’ve lost hope she’ll recover. My betrothed thinks?—”
He stopped himself, but the words had already been spoken.
“Your what?” Ice frosted my words.
“Uh.” He ran a hand over his hair. “Well, Liliath, I had to move on at some point.”
I crossed my arms. “When did you get betrothed, Jasper?”
“Just a few months ago.” His eyes darted to the side. He was lying.
The realization hit me then. “You were never coming for me, were you?”
“Liliath, don’t be silly.” Jasper waved his hand in the air. “We can find you a new husband here. A nice man who will take care of you and?—”
“I don’t want a husband! I want to save my court!”
He threw down his napkin. “Stop being a brat. Your court cannot be saved, and you are not a queen or a princess of anything. You’re now in Gilraeth and under our jurisdiction.”
I stepped back, his words like a punch to the gut. “How can you be so cruel?”
He stood, straightening his beige tunic. “I was supposed to be king. Then you went and let your court go to ruin, so now I have to find another way to become king.”
“That’s what you care about?” I asked. “What about all the people suffering? What about Princess Seraphina? She’s your cousin!”
This wasn’t the Jasper I knew. I thought about Driscoll and Jillian, all their comments over the years about Jasper, how much they disliked him. Maybe this had been who he was the whole time, and I’d just refused to see it, refused to see anything other than my duty to marry him.
“Well, then I guess I’m leaving,” I said.
“And where are you going to go?” Jasper took a step toward me. “Back to the earth court? By yourself? Back to the king of thieves? Admit it, Liliath, you have nowhere else to go. Besides, it’s dangerous here. Wouldn’t want to risk you getting caught by the sorceress.”
“Why would you care what happens to me?”
Jasper’s gaze softened. “Now, come on. We once loved each other. I still want what’s best for you, and I just happen to know better. If I let you run off to the earth court and get yourself killed, I’d never forgive myself.”
I clenched my teeth. “That’s not your decision to make.”
