Page 21 of The Court of Secrets
His eyes lit up. “You’re a little scary when you’re being devious.”
The darkness inside of me agreed, building slowly while Cedric finished eating. The room was alive with people bustling for their food. I spotted Florence a few tables over, her blonde waves pulled into a high bun. Adius sat next to her, dressed head to toe in red and gold. They must have come in while we were talking. He was probably on a break.
I scanned the room for Morgana, but as always, her absence was felt. I wanted to talk to her about what was happening. I was queen, we’d won the battle, and I was alive. Yet every time I went to find her in the few moments I had spare, she had avoided me. I swore I had caught her crying one time she hurried out of the room before I could catch her, but she turned away too quickly to know if what I’d seen was simply light catching against her eyes.
“Are you not feeling well?” Cedric asked, pulling me from my thoughts. “You look sickly.”
“It’s probably something I ate.” I said lazily, not wanting to show the growing faintness in my bones. Whatever was in me was getting stronger by the day.
“Excuse me.” I said before I ran to my chambers.
The room was dimly lit. The area where my father had fallen was darker than the rest of the stone floor. The four-post bed beckoned me. Tears fell down my cheeks. I wasn’t sure what I was crying about; the list was long. Being alone for the first real time had my thoughts racing. Recently, I was passing out as soon as my head hit the pillow from exhaustion, but as I lay down, I felt more awake than ever.
The feelings bubbling below the surface grew stronger. I couldn’t cope with them. Jolting, I sat up, then jumped off the bed and to my drawers. I sifted through my old belongings until I found the drawstring bag. Inside were the capsules filled with crushed herbs that Morgana had given me the last time I was here. I swallowed them with a cup of lukewarm water, but a small part of me knew they wouldn’t work. Things felt different now.
The darkness in my body sent shockwaves through my fingers and toes, numbing them cold, then stinging them back to life. With my mouth agape, I tried to reason it was simply a sensation of anxiety, but the feeling felt forced.
A voice tinkered in my mind ever so softly, like a name caught in a breeze. I couldn’t make it out, and it left as quickly as it had come.
Was I going mad?
“Knock knock.”
“What?” I snapped, feeling my rage pour over. “Who says ‘knock knock’ instead of actually knocking!” I twisted the ring on my index finger, rolling my shoulders as I did. I wasn’t in the mood for visitors. I whipped my head around at the sound of footsteps.
Corbin. Lord Abor’s eldest son. The candles caught the light on his cocoa-brown waves, which reached his shoulders. The green in his eyes were so deep, they reminded me of the Forest of Tranquillium. He stood lean and taller than I remembered from the last time I was here, sporting a devilish smile. He was an image of his mother. “I heard you were back,” he said with a casualness that could outdo even the likes of Blaise. “How are you fairing?”
“Some would greet me as Your Majesty.” My eyebrows raised.
“Some would.” He smiled.
The boy who’d once played with my brother, sword-fighting in the gardens, had filled out. Muscles rippled beneath his white shirt.
“How did you get up here?” I didn’t know why I bothered asking. He could get around anywhere. He knew the castle better than most. “What do you want?”
“Ah, a better question.” He placed a finger in the air. “Lady Avery.”
“What about her?”
“I like her.”
“Straight to the point.” I pursed my lips. “Nothing changes with you.”
“Yes, well, I like to get what I want.”
I huffed. “She is ex-mistress to the former king. Would you rather not have someone untainted?”
He gasped, feigning shock. “How judgmental of you.”
“She whored herself to my father to get what she wanted,” I said snarkily. “Why would I ever grant you permission to marry her, which is why I presume you’re here? You need permission.”
He chewed on a nail. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“You didn’t think about being nice to try to get your way?”
He tapped the side of his head. “It did cross my mind.”
“The answer’s no.”
