Page 8 of To Wake a Kingdom

Kianna chewed her lip, caution in her eyes. “But you did fall asleep on the day before your twenty-first birthday.”

“Yes, but so did everyone else. Was that the plan?”

“It wasn’t. I don’t know how that happened.”

“Could it have been Mare?”

Kianna shook her head. “No. My sister wanted you very much.”

“Why did she want me? Why give me to my parents only to take me away?”

“I don’t know that, either,” Kianna said. “Mare was always…different from the rest of us. More ambitious. More ruthless. More cunning than me and my sisters.”

I snorted. “So it would seem.”

We sat in silence for a moment. I held the bottle of wine out to Kianna, who gave it a careful look. Then something flicked in her expression before she smiled. She grabbed it and took a long gulp, tilting the bottle back.

“So, tomorrow is my twenty-first birthday, then.”

“Yes, I suppose it is, Your Highness.”

“Stop that.” I scowled. “We’re the only two people here. Call me Thorne.”

Kianna nodded, that wary look in her eyes returning. “What do you want to do for your birthday?”

I bent my leg and pressed my chin to my knee. “I don’t know, Kianna. Maybe we should have a party. Just you and me, in a castle full of cursed humans. It can be the most depressing celebration ever.”

Chapter Four

Stillcradledonthestone dais at my parent’s feet, I awoke. Kianna lay nearby, breathing softly, her head pillowed on top of her hands and her knees tucked up to her stomach. She’d stayed here with me last night, instead of finding her bed, and something soft condensed in my heart, like clouds whipped from the finest cotton.

We had never been close. None of the Faeries had been here for companionship, but the thought of losing the one person I had left stuck in my chest like tar.

The air in the room was frigid, the wind battering the windows. Once the snow fell, the enormous fireplace along the wall would need to be lit or we’d both die from the cold. She must have been freezing lying on the stone floor. I pushed myself up and shook her gently awake. Kianna blinked, her large brown eyes dreamy with sleep.

“You should go to your bed,” I said. “You’ll be more comfortable.”

She nodded and stood, padding out of the throne room on bare feet.

I watched her leave, summoning my strength to face another day with all the potent ferocity of a wounded lion cub, and then headed to the kitchen. I dug into the bread and cheese from last night. A cup of tea would have been nice, but I didn’t know how to light the stove. Maybe Kianna could do it later.

After eating my fill, I picked up my father’s sword and headed back through the castle, stopping in front of a sleeping guard. A shock of red hair sprouted from his head, his trim body slumped against the dining room wall.

Careful not to disturb him, I untied his sword belt and wrapped it around my waist, sheathing my father’s blade. The heavy weapon pulled on my hip like a weight, dragging me to the bottom of a turbulent ocean. Andrick had only taught me to use a knife, but that didn’t feel like enough. A knife could kill a man—I’d already proven that. But premonition told me men would become the least of my worries.

Soon, I would have to face down monsters.

I also pilfered several knives and daggers off the guard, tucking them into my belt and tunic. Branded with my skirt of steel, an insignificant sense of security wrapped around me, as flimsy as a cage made of wheat. I had no idea what lingered outside the castle walls, but I couldn’t sit here waiting for it to come find me.

Exiting through the large castle door, I stepped into the morning light. Frost clung to the grass, delicate white tips sparkling in the sun like sugared emeralds. The sky was an icy blue, wisps of clouds streaking across it. As I made my way down the path, I rubbed my arms against the chill, my breath fogging the air.

Peering into the trees toward my haphazard graveyard, I was satisfied I couldn’t see my way to the clearing. Stands of royal birch grew thick, preventing anyone from witnessing something I couldn’t afford. Set into the castle wall was a wide-open gate, and I passed through it into the village that lay beyond.

Everything was quiet, the air distended with heavy apprehension. Drips of fear beat a steady pattern in my chest. After a pause, I took a deep breath, gathering the shreds of myself. One foot in front of the other, I continued walking, balancing on a razor-fine edge. I peered into the window of the first house I passed, the glass warped and cloudy. It sat empty, as did every house, belongings carted away along with whatever hope I’d kept clamped in my fist. Of course, everyone who’d lived here had abandoned this place while we slept.

The reality of our absolute solitude coalesced into a flash of electrified panic. My pulse quickened, spurred to life by the stark understanding that Kianna and I were completely alone.

Where had everyone gone? To nearby towns? Or had they deserted Ravalyn entirely?

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