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

28. Tempest

28

TEMPEST

W ho betrayed me? I asked, tightening my fingers on his shoulder spike to the point they ached. I wanted to pull a blade and slash out at someone, but I didn’t know who to gut.

I don’t know.

Then how do you know someone betrayed me?

I didn’t tell you to look for Prager, but someone did. Think back. Who was with you when I suggested you look for her?

We’d just landed in the meadow outside the village. All my friends were there, getting ready to walk to the inn. You and I were still chatting and . . . I frowned. I could swear you told me to look for Prager.

Few who seek Prager live to tell about their interaction, he said. They sent you to an almost certain death.

Maybe it was someone in the forest nearby. We could’ve been followed .

Perhaps.

It couldn’t be one of my friends. But a worm of distrust started squirming through me, seeking something vital. My aunt told me only those who love Lydel could get through the thorns to reach me. The spell let all of them pass.

The person could still be on the mainland, then.

Then they can’t hurt me here.

Remember, loving Lydel doesn’t necessarily mean they love you , he said.

I’m Lydel, I snapped, frustration grinding through me. I can’t believe it’s one of my friends.

I’d be wrong not to mention the possibility.

Threats were coming at me from all sides, but I’d thought I would be safe here until I was ready to attack the king. If it’s one of my friends, and I can’t believe it is, it can’t be Vexxion. Even if he doesn’t love me, he wouldn’t betray me.

It’s not him. This I know for a fact.

How do you know that?

He flew for a few moments before he sighed. I’ve been in his mind.

What? I barked. I didn’t think our bond allowed you to speak with anyone but me.

I can communicate with your fated mate. We three are connected in a way no others have been for many generations.

When did you speak with him? I asked.

Not long ago. He’ll find his way back to you. This, I know in my heart.

I wanted it more than anything.

Zayde adores his father despite the evil the king has shown to the world, I said. But he must see that his father needs to be controlled if not outright killed. Zayde could be clinging to a misguided notion that he could convince his father to give up his plan to rule the world, but that didn’t mean he’d try to kill me. Alright. I can’t completely discount Vexxion’s brother. Who else? Layla will never go back to Ivenrail. She’s mated to Zayde. She’s my sister.

If Zayde has decided to work with his father, would she go with him to Bledmire?

She and Ivenrail are married. He has more claim to her than Zayde as far as fae law is concerned. The only way she could safely go with him was if she found a way to hide. I couldn’t see her taking that chance despite her love for Zayde. Layla’s Lydel, but we’ve only recently connected.

We can’t discount the feelings she has for you already.

I could feel the pull between us. A sister! I’d never dreamed I might have surviving family. Would she betray me to gain her Nullen father’s help? Vexxion told me the Nullen king’s new bride was pregnant, that this meant he might replace Layla as his heir. She must realize he sent her to an almost certain death. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t run to him if he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, especially if that meant she could remain with Zayde.

Would I betray her if it meant I could finally be with Vexxion again?

No. We were still growing close, but I could never do that to her even if it meant I’d lose the only man I’d ever love.

If you’re dead, he said, Layla will be the heir to your court. That prize alone would be worth ending your life.

I didn’t want to think my sister would betray me .

Madrood swooped low and coasted above the city. Even from here, I could see people standing mid-task. Some kneeling. Even one person sitting, leaning against a wall with his head tipped back. He’d fallen asleep and had remained that way for twenty years.

Back at the fortress, I said, Brodine had started to develop feelings for me. To me, he always was and always will be like a brother to me, but he refused to listen. He kept pushing and pushing until I broke and shot power at him, scorching his nose.

Is he someone who could be motivated by revenge? Madrood asked.

He apologized and said he won’t push me for anything like that again . I’ve known him since I was little. I can’t imagine why he’d want to betray me.

Only if he had something to gain.

What could that be?

We both thought for a moment.

We won’t discount him , Madrood said.

No, we won’t. I’d have to watch everyone. I don’t know much about Airia. Do you know who collared her? As far as I know, she’s still wearing one, which means her fae lord can track her.

Ask her. No, make her tell you. Use force if you have to.

Really? I reeled backward, nearly unseating myself off his spine, something that hadn’t happened with a dragon in so long, I couldn’t remember when. I can’t do something like that.

One day soon, you may have to. What will you do when you discover who it is? A sneer came through in his voice. Ask them to stop trying to kill you ?

Fuck. You’re right. I could send everyone away from Lydel.

What’s stopping them from coming back when you’re not looking?

Other than a few friends and allies, everyone wants to kill or betray me. What’s one more in that mix?

He grunted. Don’t you think it’s strange that Airia suddenly decided to flee Bledmire with you?

She said she hated it there. She’s a decent person.

So was Delaine, on occasion.

Good point. I’ll make her tell me who collared her. I’ll watch her.

It wouldn’t be easy to kill any of my friends, but I had the least relationship with her. If need be, I’d gut her before she could betray me again.

How could I so easily contemplate killing someone? I felt the same as before I met Vexxion, but I’d drastically changed. Had I changed enough to drive a knife into the chest of someone I considered a friend?

Reyla, I said. Like Brodine, I’ve known her most of my life. I love her. She’s more a sister to me than Layla. I can’t believe she’d try to kill me.

Motives. Think of motives. What could be hers?

She knows I came here to kill the king. She hates him as much as I do, so I can’t imagine she’d want to stop me. She has nothing to gain by my death.

Unless she made a deal with Ivenrail.

She wouldn’t.

Or would she? I told him about the book and how I thought I’d seen it in her bag .

Why would she hide it from you? he asked.

After I saw it, I asked her, and she denied having it. She packed her bag that morning. She’d know if it was there. I can’t imagine why she’d lie.

Question her, and you may learn not only why but the reason she’d betray you.

The only other person here is Aunt Vera , I said. She wasn’t with us earlier.

She can flit wherever she wants, even to the dense woods along the edge of that meadow.

I know nothing about her, but I was inside her mind, and I didn’t sense any malice toward me. I told him about the pixies and the bones.

His wings faltered. You have some of the king’s treasure with you? Interesting.

What does that mean?

Nothing—yet. I’ll let you know after I’ve given it thought.

They’re grisly. I’ll be happy if I never have to look at them again.

Keep them close. You may still need them.

I patted my pocket where they rested—if bleached white things stuffed inside a small leather sack could be considered finding rest. Should I touch them again?

They may not tell you anything else or they might reveal a clue you’ll need to end this.

Then I’ll do it.

Did Vera know who you were when you were inside her mind? he asked.

I believe so. Her finger bone brought me to that moment for a reason. A twisted one since it made me believe Brenna and Vexxion were betrothed. It made me doubt him for a short time.

Unless I was meant to see it in a different way. She may have assumed I’d know I was Brenna. She hadn’t asked my name, and I hadn’t offered it. If I’d known I was Brenna, the dream would’ve given me reassurance.

Pixies were known for being twisty. The bone was their gift, not my aunt’s.

There are no other suspects, I said.

You need to watch everyone.

I will.

He soared up over a series of hills peppered with small homes and people frozen outside them. On the other side, he coasted over more of the city.

You said you needed to tell me two things, I said.

Turning away from the city, he aimed for the aerie. Your mate was there. He knows what I did.

An ominous feeling growled through me, and I sensed what he had to say would change things. Tell me.

He swooped into the aerie opening and landed lightly in his stall, curling his wings down at his sides.

I burned your mother, he said.

Voicing a guttural cry of pain, I flitted off him, landing near the gate. Nausea washed over me, and my guts clenched. You . . . Why? Tears trickled down my face. You killed her?

Grief and rage collided violently inside me. I couldn't catch my breath, couldn't think. All I felt was raw anguish consuming the trust and affection I’d felt for this dragon .

I told you I’ve done things for the king that I regret, he said in a cracked voice. This is one of them.

He commanded you to do it. The words jerked out of me in a desperate rush. You didn’t want to murder her.

There was a time when I didn’t care. Fae and Nullens meant nothing to me then. Now, they do.

Shock and dismay stabbed me over and over again.

Like when I first arrived at Bledmire and Madrood burned the emissary, I could picture her kneeling before the king and him crooking a finger. Terror suffusing her face as her heart slammed against her ribs.

Even if anger coursed through her veins, she’d still be afraid. She was alone and she knew no one could save her.

Madrood oozing forward. His neck coiling and flames licking through his eyes.

One blast and she was gone, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ashes that were snatched up by the wind and shoved across the big open room.

Ivenrail cackling while Madrood returned to his waiting position.

Did she feel it when it happened or was it so sudden she could barely absorb the shock and pain of that moment? What were her last thoughts, her final wishes?

I could picture the pretty mother in Vera’s vision, the love in her eyes when she gazed at her daughter— me . Her sadness about the loss of her fated mate, and her fear that Ivenrail would find her children, that he’d use them, drain them, and toss them away .

Would you happily burn me like you did her if we weren’t bonded? I croaked.

I won’t burn you, Madrood growled.

What if Ivenrail asks you to do it?

My bond is with you, never him.

For now.

Forever.

Is that how it goes? I don’t know anything about bonds. To think I was excited when it happened. It was a new way to interact with a dragon. And honestly, I’d felt cocky that I could not only bond with the king’s dragon but also steal him out from beneath the king’s thumb. Now I wasn’t sure I wanted this bond. Please don’t tell me I’ll die if you do.

That’s not how this works. Either of us could live on without the other.

Then what use is this bond? I snarled. I don’t need a tutor or someone to chat with. I have Vexxion and my friends for that.

I can give you something no one else can.

What’s that? A blast of fire at my command? If so, I don’t want it. When I feel someone needs to die, I’ll deliver the blow myself, not stand back and make someone else do it for me.

He didn’t say anything.

What is it? I asked again. You can tell me. After all, you shared that you fried my mother.

I can help you kill the king.

You should’ve done it before we left Bledmire.

And kill your mate? he asked.

You don’t care if Vexxion dies .

I care because you do, he snapped.

Thanks for that, I guess. Anger and dismay twisted inside me, so tight the coil would soon snap. Then what would happen?

I’d rage and the world would feel it.

Why did you do it? I whimpered. I dropped to my knees and held my face, not wanting to look at him ever again. My mind screamed in disbelief while my heart bled agony. A thousand knives twisted inside me, gouging through something vital. Why?

She refused to answer his questions.

So you said to yourself, okay, here’s some fire. That’ll teach you not to share where you hid your daughter.

I don’t believe she knew where you were , he said .

Vera hid my sister and me. Then my mother couldn’t be tortured for that information. While I’d only seen my mother in a vision, I sensed Vera was much stronger, more powerful. Better able to resist him. He’d put her in a portrait when she wouldn’t tell, perhaps to bring her out again and torture her some more for the information. Then he forgot she existed because he believed he had the Lydel heir in hand.

I was told my mother gave her life to protect this court, I said.

I saw the spell gathering in her eyes, he said softly. And I waited until she’d cast it.

How thoughtful of you.

I told you I didn’t want to do it.

Why, then? It wasn’t like the king could torture you like he has so many others. Did he place a collar around your throat like he did Vexxion?

No collar .

Why didn’t you refuse him? You could’ve flown through the door or blasted your way out of the throne room, but instead, you stepped forward and turned her to ashes.

Ashes I couldn’t bury. A body I couldn’t bathe and dress and prepare for a funeral pyre. I’d only recently found her, and I felt like I’d lost her all over again.

I had to remain there, or I wouldn’t bond with you.

Let me guess, you can foretell the future like Vera?

Iasar told me I must wait for you. That you were coming. That this world needed you. His body sagged to the floor, and he dropped his head onto his front legs. I’m sorry.

You murdered my mother. If he was a beast who acted on instinct or who slashed out without realizing he could cause harm, I’d find it easier to forgive him. But this? You killed her with intention.

I did.

Would you burn someone for me if I asked? My words came out as a taunt. I tilted my head, watching him. I knew dragons, or I thought I did. I could almost sense what they’d do before they acted. Would I sense if Madrood planned to turn me to ashes or would it be over before I noted the flicker of his inner eyelids closing to protect his eyes?

No. He turned his head away from me and eased his body over to lay looking out at the sea.

We’re bound for the rest of our lives, I said. I should walk away. Never return to the aerie. Block him from my mind.

You’re a beast master even if you don’t know it, but a bond goes both ways. I could’ve refused it, but I didn’t .

Did you think that would make it easier for me to accept you murdering my mother?

I bonded with you because I owed her for what I did , he said softly.

A thought occurred to me. Are you my betrayer, then?

Not any longer.