House of Secrets and Vows (Crown of Deceit #1)

39. The Pawn

39

THE PAWN

M y cheek presses into the cold earth as I awake inside a dungeon.

Mavet betrayed me, a fact that doesn’t surprise me. Still groggy, I push myself up as the lingering cries of humans echo from the other side of the stone door. The cells Mavet had shown me on the tour must be close, but only Zariah and I are in this small cell.

As my mind pieces together the events at dinner, Zariah's confession surfaces first. She is fae, well, half-fae, and she lied about it.

A headache spreads across my temples, likely from the poison on the small arrow those vampire bitches threw at Zariah and me. She’d been out cold within seconds.

I managed to pull out the small arrow and throw it in Mavet's direction as the poison took hold of my mind. The bastard dodged the retaliation, with the cruelest of grins plastered on his face.

I stare at Zariah, still unconscious on the ground.

Thoughts about her secret fester, bouncing through my mind fast enough to make me dizzy. She has fae blood, which she conveniently never shared with me. But can I really blame her for keeping a secret like that close?

As a child, my older brother River and I were taken to the market in the Silver District by our nanny and a group of guards. We’d been gifted twenty coins each by the visiting Falenmount emissary, and we were eager to spend it on whatever our hearts desired.

Before we made it to the market, our carriage stopped at a commotion on the street. A man had been tied up and dragged through the dirt by a mob of Valazican commoners.

River told me to stay in the carriage, which I very much didn’t do. I hopped out and peeked around the front of the carriage just as the guards approached the man.

What could the man have possibly done to make everyone so angry?

I didn’t have to wonder long because as soon as the guard arrived to break apart the mob, someone shouted, “The man is fae.”

I’d never seen one of the creatures from our enemy kingdom before, so I hurried around the carriage to get a closer look. But as I made a step in that direction, one of the guards drew a sword and beheaded the fae right there on the street.

I stood, frozen, as blood poured to the ground around the headless fae.

With tears pooling in my eyes, I sprinted back into the carriage. By the time River returned, I’d slipped on a mask of boredom and pretended I stayed put just as my brother had insisted I do.

I pretended not to care when Mavet so eagerly revealed her secret, And now, as I watch her so peacefully in sleep, I’m still not sure how to feel.

Within a few minutes, Zariah sits up, rubbing at the dirt-imprinted circle on her cheek. "A dungeon. Lovely. So fucking lovely.”

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, unable to keep quiet.

"Well, at first I'd planned to kill you.” Her mouth quirks into a smile, then falls into a frown, and she pulls her knees to her chest. "And then I didn't want you to hate me. I came to Valazica when I was eleven years old, and I never shared where I came from or the truth of my heritage. Humans here hate the fae. If anyone had known my secret, I would have been killed."

"But you've known my secret the whole time.”

"Exactly. And before I got to know you, I thought you deserved to die. I believed the worst in you because of what you are. It isn't right. I should have been slower to judge you with my own castle-sized closet of secrets, but I didn't. How could I trust you would see past what my blood says I am?"

I don't know what to say. I understand her fear, but I’ve risked my life to help her find her friend, and she couldn't find the will to tell me she wasn't human? Not to mention what was about to happen before dinner when Colesef interrupted us.

"Your secret, your business," I mutter, kicking at a small stone.

"Do you hate me?"

"It's a lot to take in. I don't know how I feel right now."

We fall into silence as we wait for whatever will come next.

I should have seen this coming.

It had been too easy to get an invite into Mavet’s secret palace beneath the kingdom. Even if Zariah and I had been blindfolded on the way here, even knowing of the Blood Den’s existence is a threat to Mavet.

The place has been kept secret for centuries. Of course, Mavet will protect the knowledge at all costs. He hasn’t survived as long as he has by trusting Valazican princes just for the possibility of an alliance.

Pondering all the mistakes I’ve made to end up in the dungeon is a waste of energy, and so I push the regret away.

Zariah stares at the ground as she leans against the stone wall across the cell. The space is dimly lit with three sconces, one of which highlights one side of her face.

Dirt is now sprinkled through the half of her hair that had rested on the ground before she awoke. The skirt of her dress is bunched around her legs, but the slit on one side reveals her slender calf.

Just as I am about to tell her I don’t hate her, not at all, Colesef barges into the room, followed by four burly vampires.

"Cuff them," Colesef commands, standing by the door as the guards oblige.

There’s no point in resisting, so I put my hands behind my back and let them snap steel cuffs around my wrists. I don't know what Mavet plans for us, but until we have a real chance to escape, I’ll reserve my energy.

Zariah seems to share this thought, and soon we are led back to Mavet's throne room.

We walk single-file down a narrow corridor. From the sounds of screams and cries, I guess that the prison I toured is on the other side of one of the walls.

I should have paid better attention on the tour, but if my memory serves me right, the dungeon is two levels below the room where Mavet greeted us on our arrival.

One of the burly vampires shoves Zariah forward. “Walk faster, bitch.”

She stumbles forward, catching her balance before she falls into Colesef.

I clench my jaw so tight that pain shoots through my teeth. Any reaction from me will only make the bastard push her again, but gods do I want to gouge out the bastard’s eyes.

Instead, I will myself to stay calm and carefully map every turn we make in my memory.

The narrow corridor leads to a nicer hallway that Mavet had already taken me through. We pass the small ballroom with the embellished ceiling and ascend two flights of stairs before taking one more hallway and end up in the throne room.

Just as when we’d arrived, Mavet waits on the onyx throne.

"It seems like you were just walking through those doors and first entering my humble abode.” Mavet taps his fingers on his thigh. "Coming here to deceive me and get my hopes up that the future might include an alliance between us."

I’m growing tired of Mavet's theatrics. "You knew the entire time that I would never ally with you, so why wait so long and be so fucking dramatic about it all?"

"Don't press your luck, Princeling. My dramatic nature is the only thing extending your precious lives.”

Zariah releases an exasperated sigh. "I think death might be preferable."

Mavet cuts her a steeled glare, the first real show of anger I’ve seen from the Blood King.

I tense as Mavet's fists curl before he leans forward to stand, but the front doors to the palace room swing open.

All the tension in my body disintegrates as Maddox struts into the room in full fighting leathers with a sword strapped at his side as if heading off to battle.

Blaise follows a few steps behind, his attention settling straight on Zariah, and a hooded figure waits by the door.

Had Mavet's plan been to extort the crown for my release?

The Blood Den is extravagant, which means Mavet has expensive taste that requires coins to meet. And it isn’t as if the Blood King can go find a job in the kingdom.

Mavet relaxes back on his throne, his demeanor returning to its usual casualness. "Hello, Prince Maddox."

My brother bows slightly to the Blood King. "Hello, Mavet.”

Suddenly, my tension returns with a vengeance.

Maddox doesn't acknowledge me, and it isn’t anger or fear on his face. No, my brother looks pleased.

He wouldn't risk his own capture by coming so far underground to save me. My younger brother isn't foolish; he knows the disadvantage he faces here, leaving me to question why he’s come at all.

Mavet grins at Maddox. "I think wheels are turning in your brother's mind. Yes, Princeling, your brother is here for me, not you."

My chest tightens like a fist. "I don't understand."

Maddox glances at me but quickly returns his focus to Mavet.

I tug at the iron cuffs around my wrists, but they are too strong to break. Beside me, Zariah remains stiff, her expression emotionless.

Mavet, true to form, continues gloating. "I was surprised when the youngest prince wanted to meet with me last winter, soon after the eldest prince's death. My curiosity led me to accept the request, and that's when I learned not all Valazican princes are dull."

Maddox steps forward, attempting to interrupt, but Mavet cuts him off. "Don't be ashamed of the mastermind you are. Your brother should know who to thank for his current situation, should he not?"

Rage erupts within me, and I test the cuffs again, hoping my anger will make me strong enough to break them. "What did you do, Maddox?"

He avoids my gaze, confirming his cowardice.

As memories piece together like a puzzle in my mind, Mavet shares the entire scheme. "Maddox knew your father would pass the crown to you and that, with a little help, you were reckless enough to ruin the opportunity. So, our plan began. I invited you to meet, your brother eased your fear with fae brandy, and you arrived ready to take the Blood Oath."

Maddox has always joked telling me not to do something is the surest way to get me to do it. I’ve always denied the accusation, swearing I’m not some defiant fool. But when Maddox confronted me about the whispers he’d heard about an invitation to meet the Blood King, he’d shared all the reasons I should decline the offer.

I had considered his words, and I was going to ignore the invitation, until on the very night I was invited to meet with Mavet, Maddox had insisted we take shots of fae brandy to ease the grief of losing our oldest brother.

My gaze snaps between my brother and the Blood King, understanding just how foolish I’ve been.

“That was only step one. Horrified at what you'd done, he convinced you to confess to a priestess he’d hand selected.” Mavet smiles at Zariah. "A priestess who worked for the resistance, already convinced nobles were spoiled and selfish. And at your House of Blood initiation, you happened to feed from her best friend."

I spin toward Zariah, wondering if she’s been part of the plot. The thought that she’s played me as the biggest fool of all turns my stomach.

But it isn't guilt that twists her face; it's grief and betrayal, not directed at me. Her focus is on the hooded figure by the door.

As I catch the figure's scent, I understand Zariah is as much a pawn in this game as I am.