A Crown of Cursed Hearts (Kingdom of Blighted Thorns #3)

7. Tempest

7

TEMPEST

B rodine was back.

Complete joy.

Vexxion was not.

Endless sorrow.

I’d saved two of my friends, and I would never give up on the man I loved. This showed me it could happen.

While Airia gaped at him, we filled Brodine in on what happened since the Claiming, including the flying dregs.

“Wings, huh?” he growled. “Why would anyone give those nasty things the ability to fly?”

“To capture more Nullens,” Reyla said. “And, boy, doesn’t this make it much easier for them to hunt us.”

After we’d finished catching him up, Brodine huffed out a sigh. “I still can’t believe it.” His fingertip traced across his neck that held a pink mark from where he’d scratched it. “You’re sure the collar I’m wearing now will come off? ”

“Take it off if you want, though you’ll probably need to wear it until we leave faerie.” Would that time ever come? If we succeeded in killing Ivenrail and placing Zayde on the throne, assuming he would take it, would we need to leave or could we remain here forever?

Vexxion would come back to me, and we’d decide what we’d do together. I wouldn’t believe anything else was possible. I suspected he’d want to live at Weldsbane. This meant I might need to wear the fake collar forever.

I didn’t know how I felt about Lydel, the court that should’ve been my home. The place was a great unknown, an island covered with thorns that may or may not protect a people turned to stone. Even if I could wake them, was I foolish to think I’d find welcome there?

“The clasp is in the back,” I told Brodine.

Frowning, he ran his fingertips across his nape, stopping in the middle. A subtle sound rang out, and he pulled the collar away from his skin. It had remained invisible while he wore it. I wasn’t sure how the fae would know it was there, though they must possess magic that would tell them.

I was fae. I had to keep reminding myself that. But I didn’t see the collars or the ownership marks on everyone’s forehead—assuming they were there now that our Claiming collars had been removed. There must be a way to tell.

Brodine stared down at the thorny vine with red flowers. “I don’t like wearing anything, but you’re right. We can’t risk anyone seeing that we’re not collared.” As he returned it to his neck, he shot me a goofy grin. “All the gorgeous guys are wearing them.” His smile wavered when his gaze fell on Vexxion. “Seeing him staring at nothing like that reminds me of these odd dreams I’ve been having. I feel like I’ve been lost forever with only silence echoing around me and fear clawing down my spine.”

I hoped I never had to visit the ether.

“Was Vexxion drained like me?” Brodine asked softly, as if he didn’t want to wake the other man up to the reality of his current situation.

My love was inside his body somewhere. Reyla said she didn’t remember much of that time, but she’d interacted as needed. She’d occasionally responded when I asked her a question. She’d obeyed commands. Did those lost in the ether hold onto a fragment of themselves?

“Ivenrail did it,” I said. “Like he did with you.”

“Is that who collared me?” Brodine scowled. “I remember a man stalking over to me. The slick smile on his face.” His brow furrowed. “Him reaching toward me and then . . .” His frown didn’t lift. “Not much after that.” His gaze sought Vexxion again. “I wouldn’t wish this even on my worst enemy.” Back at the fortress, he hadn’t liked Vexxion, but his feelings had been driven by jealousy. Had he forgotten that he liked me in a way that made me uncomfortable? I hoped so. We had enough to deal with. Cluttering up our lives with stuff like that would only make this a bigger challenge than it already was.

“I’m going to bring him back like I did with you and Reyla,” I said softly.

“I’m still stunned by all this,” Reyla said. “If collars like Brodine’s exist, why isn’t everyone talking about them?”

“Because they aren’t freely available,” I said. “The last thing the fae lords and ladies want is for their collared Nullens to slip out of their grasp.”

“Where did you get the collars?” Airia asked.

“From Vexxion, though he didn’t tell me where he got them.” He’d traded away something vital to obtain them, though he hadn’t shared what it was. I sensed it would soon come to haunt us. If only I knew how to prepare.

“I heard the Lieges create all the collars,” she said. “Maybe he got them from a Liege.”

“If Kerune killed them all,” Brodine said, “how will they get more collars for the Claiming?”

A good question. Maybe they had a huge stock of them somewhere inside Bledmire.

“We’re basically food to the fae,” Reyla said with a twist of her lips. “And in between the random draining they subject us to; we work as their servants.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way any longer,” I said.

Reyla swallowed hard. “If they catch us, it will be.”

Or worse.

“That’s why we’re going to escape, regroup,” I said. “And come up with a plan.”

“It’ll need to be a good one,” Brodine said. “I’ll help.”

Airia and Reyla nodded.

“Thank you,” I said. “All of you need training in how to use your magic.”

Brodine snorted. “It wasn’t long ago you reminded him,” he jerked his head toward Vexxion, “that we’re Nullens, incapable of doing magic.”

“It’s a lie. Our magic was suppressed. ”

“Well, fuck them,” he snarled. His gaze tracked to Reyla. “You were doing magic before the Claiming. I saw it.” Rubbing his nose, he sent me a rueful look. “You too. About that . . .”

“It’s in the past.” I took Vexxion’s hand. “He’s my fated mate.”

Brodine’s attention fell to the mark on my wrist and traveled to find its match on Vexxion. “That means you’re fae.”

“I think we all are.”

“What?” Reyla shouted. “We’re Nullens. Suppressed magic, I’ll believe, but—”

“I think Nullens are actually some sort of lesser fae. They knew it at one time, but it’s been forgotten.” Or they were forced to forget.

“This sounds like something from a story.” Humor shone in Brodine’s voice.

Maybe it was a story. Ember’s Shadow could be fiction, tales made up to entertain whoever read them, though they hadn’t seemed that way to me. I’d used a spell from the book to bond with Madrood. No one could deny that. This suggested that everything else in the book could be factual.

“So we have magic, huh?” Brodine held up his finger, narrowing his gaze on it. “Light up for me, would ya?”

Nothing happened.

“You need the spell,” Reyla said, sharing it with him.

Soon, he and Airia were spinning their glowing fingers around and laughing. It felt good to join in with them, to let some of my tension slide.

“How do we make our fingers shoot lightning?” Brodine asked .

“Another spell.” Reyla shared it, but neither Brodine nor Airia could do it—yet.

“It takes practice, Bro,” I said. “Work on it later. Right now, I need to teach you how to guard your mind.” I glanced at Airia. “You too unless you’ve already been taught. I showed Reyla how to do it already.”

“The only thing I learned was how to work with dragons,” Airia said. “And most of that, I taught myself. Although, no one needs training in how to shovel dragon shit. Will,” she pinched her eyes closed before opening them again, “taught me how to care for their scales and claws. Prenton too.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “I hate how the fae have manipulated us. They killed Prenton and Will.”

“We need to find a way to remove every Nullen’s collar, and then make sure they can no longer tell we’re not wearing them,” Reyla said, her gaze seeking mine. “Ideas?”

“I don’t. Sorry.” If Vexxion was here, he might have suggestions. I needed him in so many ways, not just to stand by my side or to love me. Since we’d met, we’d barely been apart. Was it only this morning that I was with him, that I told him I loved him?

What would I give to bring him back?

Anything. I’d even give up my quest to kill Ivenrail if I could have Vexxion back in exchange.

“We’ll find a way,” I finally said.

“About that guard training . . .” Brodine’s gaze swept to the darkened windows. “I have a feeling we should master that as soon as possible.

“Or someone’s going to spy on us,” Airia said .

I told them how to do it.

“I’ll practice,” Brodine said in complete seriousness. “You don’t need to worry that I’ll give us away.”

Airia nodded, but her frown fell on Vexxion. “He’s still collared, you said by the king himself. How long do you think it’ll be before Ivenrail tracks him down to this location?”

He may have done so already.

“I’ll strengthen the wards Vexxion placed around the manor,” I said.

Brodine scrubbed his face with his palms. “How do you know how to do something like that? I understand the need to guard my mind, and I’ll work on building the forest with my supposed power, though I don’t see a well inside me like you described. Who’s going to teach us the spells we need to protect ourselves?”

“They’re inside you already.” It sounded lame even to my own ears. “Think about what you need and cast the spell. Some of the time, it works.”

Bro’s lips twisted. “Some of the time?”

“Some things will come easy. Some won’t. Magic isn’t a perfect science. Most of all, it takes practice.” I’d trained numerous dragons over the years, but that didn’t mean I could teach my friends how to perfect their magic. “We’ll start simply. In the morning, I’ll share a few spells, and you can try them while we fly.”

Brodine flashed me a grin. “I’m warming up to the idea that I can do magic.” I was so grateful to have him back, I wanted to cry. “Until I can figure out how to send bolts of lightning around like a badass, I’ll need weapons. Leathers. This stupid tunic,” he plucked at it, “will catch flame if a dragon blows sparks my way. I feel naked without leather covering my body.”

“I’m sure Vexxion has a few things you can wear. I’ll look in his closet.”

He peered around, his attention falling on Vexxion’s family sword mounted on the wall. “I could use that.”

“No,” I barked, then lowered my voice to a reasonable level. “That belonged to Vexxion’s family.”

“It was a weapon before it became an ornament mounted on the wall,” he said with a huff.

“I said no.”

“Alright.” His scowl didn’t fade. “You two . . .” His swallow went down hard. “You really are one of them?” A subtle sneer came through in his voice.

“Do you have a problem with that?” A challenge came through in mine.

“No.” He blinked. “I guess not.”

“You don’t need to come with us. The collar will protect you. You can travel to Nullen territory and disappear. I’ll give you coins for a new start.”

“No, no. I’m sorry,” he said.

The thought of never seeing my friend again tore something deep inside me, but if he was going to judge me for loving Vexxion, let alone for my parentage, then he wasn’t a true friend to me any longer.

Funny how the thought of losing him would’ve gutted me this morning. But something was hardening inside me. Perhaps it was past time. When it came down to it, I had two things to do.

Bring Vexxion back.

Kill the king.

I hated to think I might have to sacrifice Bro’s friendship to do it.