Page 2 of Bride of Ash & Dust

“Elrick might make it to Vsenrog in time for the wedding,” he says.

With that, he waves his hand, and my father’s personal guard, a battered mountain of a man, steps forward. He gives me a small bow.

“My lady,” he says, with a glance at the women standing behind me. “You are dismissed.”

I nod in response, then gulp for air. The room seems to be spinning. Elrick left to tour the borders, what, two days ago? Maybe three?

He and our father did not part on good terms. I’m not supposed to know anything about it, of course, but this is a small castle, and it was hard to miss all the screaming. Elrick accused our father of clinging to what little power the Council of Mayors left him instead of defending his own country, and he said Elrick couldn’t wait to rest his own ass on the throne.

I thought they were arguing about the new mine, of course. The entire kingdom has talked of little else since the first chunks of ore were discovered.

But they weren’t arguing about the mine, were they?

No. I’d bet all the horses in the royal stables on it. They were arguing about this arrangement, this marriage between one of the princes of Vsenrog and me. That’s why Elrick was sent on a diplomatic tour of our borders. So he wouldn’t be here to object when the king pronounced my fate.

My father’s second clears his throat, snapping me out of my thoughts. My lady-in-waiting, Anura, steps forward and then offers me her hand. It’s a sign, I know. My father’s patience wears thin. It’s time for me to leave.

I stand up. The room is still spinning.

As Anura puts her hand on my arm, I try to remember the names of the princes of Vsenrog. There are four of them, I think. One of them is still unmarried, surely. The youngest had a name that started with L. Lucas? No, Lucian.

My hands are still shaking. I twist my fingers together, then take another breath and turn to face my father.

“Thank you, my lord,” I say with a bow, still smiling even as my heart screams inside my chest. “I’m sure Prince L-Lucian will make a wonderful husband.”

The king laughs. Even his guard smiles, although with all his scars, a smile is almost as terrifying as a scowl.

“Prince Lucian?” my father rasps. “That’s funny. You think Vsenrog would match one of their crown princes with you?”

I keep smiling. I feel like something is breaking inside of me.

“Girl,” my father continues, with that terrifying smile spread across his face. “You’re betrothed to Zarek.”

I collapse back in the chair. Anura takes my hand and whispers something, but I can’t make it out over the thunder of my own heartbeat.

Zarek?

He isn’t one of the king’s sons, not even a bastard. He’s a hostage, isn’t he? Taken from one of the rebel mountain kingdoms as a show of submission, before the armies of Vsenrog wiped that kingdom off the face of this earth. Zarek stayed in the castle after the war to serve the king who raised him. I don’t even know what his role is in the royal family.

But I do know they call him the snake.

Chapter 2

Zarek

A DAMN SIGHT BETTER THAN FIGHTING

“Excuse me?” I ask as politely as I can.

The king leans forward, then belches over the dinner table. It’s a rather disgusting show of power. No one else would dare to be this rude in public.

Then again, we aren’t exactly in public, are we? No, I was summoned for a private meeting in one of the king of Vsenrog’s lesser rooms. I know them well.

King Malrik leans forward again, waving his hand over his wine glass. One of the servants, a slight man with a limp, comes forward with the wine and refills both our glasses. The king doesn’t like to drink alone.

“Congratulations,” Malrik repeats, lifting his glass.

He holds it out to me. I take mine, tap the rim to his, and then take another drink. The room is pulsing slightly around the edges now, which only makes me feel more like this is some sort of bad dream.