Page 140 of Crown of Darkness
“Besides,” Eris says with a smile. “Why would we flee when we’ve got such a pretty hostage?”
Andraste growls under her breath. “I can’t be caught here!”
“You should have thought of that earlier.” Eris withdraws the blade, hauling my sister’s arms behind her back. She takes a thin leather cord from behind her belt and binds Andraste’s wrists together.
“Vi!” Andraste looks to me. “If Mother knows I was here—”
I ignore her. The coincidence is just a little too uncomfortable for my liking. “Let’s head inside the ruins. We can set her free in the forest on the way out.”
“Insidethe ruins?” Andraste gapes at me. “The keep is haunted by the Briar King. Only the outer towers are safe to enter. Fae who try to explore the ruins never come back out.”
Eris hauls her to her feet. “It’s all right, bitchspawn. I’m the scariest creature in these woods. Nothing’s going to get the slip on me.” And then she gives me a certain look. “And we can decide what we’re going to do with her later. There’s no need to set her free. Not just yet. She’s your mother’s heir. If we have her in our grasp, then your mother’s not going to strike the first blow, is she?”
This is the sort of ruthless decision I need to make. I’m still acting as though Andi’s my sister. “Fine. Let’s go get the crown. We’ll work out what to do with her once we’re done here.”
* * *
It all goes backto the start.
The Briar King sits on his dusty throne, his hollow skull pierced with brambles that twine through his empty eye sockets and out his mouth. It looks like he’s screaming, and perhaps he was when my mother killed him with her thorns.
Each bleached hand lies on the arms of his throne, his fingers curled around the arms, but it’s the crown on his head that draws my eyes.
Black as my mother’s soul, when the light of my torch shines on it, it doesn’t so much reflect the light as it absorbs it.
“What if there’s a trap?” Andraste asks as Eris shoves her into the throne room.
“Then I’ll send you in first to spring it,” Eris says.
“Vi, I need to talk to you,” Andraste says urgently. “Alone.”
“There’s nothing you can’t say to me that Eris can’t hear,” I reply.
“Yes, thereis,” Andraste stresses.
“Permission to gag her?” Eris asks.
I stare at the Briar King, trying to work out if there’s an easy way to approach him. “You’re actually asking for permission?”
“Well, you are my queen.”
I shoot Andraste a look. “No more talking, or I’ll let her stuff a sock in your mouth.”
Andraste glares back.
All lies still.
Grimm suddenly appears, sniffing around the base of the throne, his nose itching. “It took you long enough.”
“Where have you been?” Eris demands.
“Investigating,” he replies, and the spider webs clinging to his whiskers tell the truth of his tale. “There’s something in the ruins, and I haven’t managed to work out what it is yet.”
“You’re right.” Eris shoves Andraste forward. “Therewassomething in the ruins, and we had to deal with it.”
“Oh, her. She’s harmless. It’s not she who makes the hairs down my spine creep.This smells like a trap.”
“A trap in particular, or is it the situation setting your hackles on edge?”
