Page 86 of The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
“All right,” Eris said, nodding. “It’s bad, but it doesn’t have to stay bad. You should go to her and—”
“It’s not that easy, Eris. We’ve agreed to keep up appearances, but—”
Eris hissed out an angry breath. “Please, don’t talk to me about appearances! Everyone can see through them. They’re as worthless as shoes on a snake. Don’t—”
The ballroom door slivered open, and Madame Chastain emerged, her condemning gaze landing first on Eris, then on Tyghan. “Must you be late everywhere?”
“When you can add ten hours to his day, the king will be on time,” Eris snapped. “In the meantime, give us some privacy. Our conversation does not concern you.”
Tyghan wasn’t sure if he should duck or run. Madame Chastain shot Eris a glare so sharp, he expected Eris to be cut in half, but before blood was shed, she turned and went back into the ballroom.
A clumsy silence followed. “What was that?” Tyghan finally asked.
Eris’s brows pulled together, a crease forming between them. “I suppose we’re at odds too. More than at odds actually. We’re not together anymore.”
Tyghan thought he had shared the most stunning news of the day, but Eris’s was a close second. “You’ve been together for seven years.”
“Eight,” Eris said, his eyes drilling into the ballroom door that the High Witch had just disappeared behind.
“You’re not going to tell me what happened?”
He looked back at Tyghan. “It’s what didn’t happen. Words that were never said between us. Actions never taken.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We should go inside.” But with his first step toward the door he added, “You were wrong earlier about Kasta. She’s not the best. I am. If you decide you need a new First Officer, I can step in.”
CHAPTER 65
The ballroom burned with curiosity, everyone waiting for the extra twenty witnesses, or the “Noble Knights,” as they were now being called, to join them.
Hollis and Quin held hands near the ballroom entrance, ignoring the excitement, far too enraptured with each other. Not far away, Melizan and Cosette sipped strawberry mint mimosas, their little fingers hooked together, looking like the very picture of newlyweds. Apparently, mimosas were the festive brunch choice for the morning gathering. Bristol passed on them. Esmee had given her something for her stomach, and it worked, but she wasn’t ready to press her luck beyond the dry toast she had for breakfast. Not to mention, she didn’t want to be the least bit relaxed by a mimosa, not with Kasta hovering near the entrance to the ballroom. Their gazes had met twice, and it hadn’t been pleasant. Bristol remained on alert.
“What do you think the big surprise is?” Rose asked. “Monsters?”
“I’m afraid twenty monsters wouldn’t impress Kormick,” Julia answered, sipping some nectar. “He has plenty of those already.”
“There he is,” Avery said. “I was beginning to wonder if the Knight Commander was going to make it at all. You know what a punctuality freak he is.”
Sashka tapped an imaginary watch on her wrist and laughed. “Five laps!”
Bristol glanced up. Tyghan and Eris walked through open ballroom doors that were immediately closed behind them by guards. He was greeted by a few of his officers, and he stopped to speak to them. The Knight Commander. The one who led thousands of troops.I was the one covering his back . . . until you interfered.
How could she believe him? Why wouldn’t he just tell her?The same way you told me about Kasta?Their words warred in her head.
Tyghan stepped away and scanned the sea of faces in the ballroom, and his eyes landed on Bristol. After two seconds and no acknowledgment, he looked away and engaged Eris.
Bristol’s face burned.
Avery startled, thinking the flash of color on Bristol’s cheeks was because of her remark. “No insult intended, Bri. Really. I was only—”
“No—no—I know that. It was only a joke,” Bristol said, her voice a touch too breathless.
Julia hooked her arm through Bristol’s, claiming she needed to show her a piece of art on the other side of the ballroom, and dragged her a safe distance away. “What’s going on with you two?” she asked.
Julia waited while Bristol squirmed for a moment, hugging herself like it would keep everything trapped inside. Julia wished they weren’t in a crowded ballroom. She longed to draw Bristol into her arms and let her collapse, to carry her load for a while, because Julia had never seen any woman burdened with so much. The future of twelve kingdoms rested on her shoulders in this world, and an orphaned family needed her in another.
“Can you see through me that easily, Julia?” Bristol finally asked.
“No. Not at all,” Julia answered softly, aching at the pain she saw in Bristol’s eyes. “You’re an incredibly complicated and smart woman who excels at keeping things in check. And you’re quite possibly the bravest one I’ve ever met, but don’t forget, you and I have a history of sharing, and I saw the signs in you the minute you walked through the doors of the ballroom. You’re struggling with something. If it’s none of my business, just say so, but if you want to talk, I’m here.”
Bristol’s heart tumbled, like everything inside her was coming loose. “You were right, Julia. About me and Tyghan. Our differences caught up with us.”
