There was no mistake, no misunderstanding.
She knew.
Helaina tried again, hoping she had interpreted wrong. “Tell me it’s a lie... Say it’s a lie.”
Please.
The queen glared at her. The words that followed made Helaina’s chin quiver.
“This is how things are done. We wanted to give you time to mourn... but I fear mourning will never end for this family if you stay here. It’s what’s best... for everyone.”
Helaina let out a strangled sob, the anger burning in her veins. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why now?”
The queen offered no explanation.
“You’re sentencing me to death if you send me out there! Not just me. You’re putting others at risk! You can’t do this!” Helaina had never screamed at her mother, but this betrayal cast away any thoughts of respect.
“It is a risk to keep you!” the queen replied sharply, then turned away, dismissing Helaina altogether.
Helaina pushed off the ground and ran for the door.
Her mother didn’t chase after her.
This was madness. Helaina hurled her body down the dark stone halls and embraced the cool wall, begging the chilling stone to soothe that burning anger climbing up her throat.
She had to speak to her father. He was her last hope.
She never came close to the kind of relationship with her father that her siblings shared. They had spent far more time together out on the road, traveling to distant kingdoms. Helaina was always left here. They didn’t have much time to strengthen a father-daughter bond.
But her father loved her—surely he did.
Heart pounding out of her chest, she turned to face the king’s personal guards.
“Open the door.Now,” she commanded, more conviction in her words than there had been in months.
The guards looked bewildered at the request, but they didn’t budge. “You know we can’t, Your Highness. He sees no one.”
The king had once considered these men his friends. He had fought beside them in his youth. Now they were stationed here day and night, rotating nonstop to keep him completely isolated in grief.
“I am your princess. Open these doors or I will throw myself from the highest watchtower. I swear it on my brother’s grave.” She eyed them back and forth. “Do you want that blood on your hands?” she finished coarsely.
It was an empty threat, she would never do something so horrid. She couldn’t, but for some reason, when she spoke those words aloud, the idea of ending it sounded very freeing.
Everyone would be better off if you were gone, that ugly inner voice of hers whispered.
The guards glanced at each other, then stepped aside without further argument.
“Thank you,” she gritted out.
Helaina opened the door and found darkness. No signs of life, only an inert, stale presence. The curtains were drawn while two candles flickered on both ends of a long oak desk. The massive chair behind it was turned away from her.
“Father?”
“Leave.” His voice nearly cracked with the command. She couldn’t see him.
Even though they hadn’t shared a conversation in months, it appeared she wasn’t worthy of a face-to-face conversation.
Helaina snapped.
