Page 29 of Bride of Ash & Dust

He’s silent as he leads me down the corridor. A maid appears in one of the darkened doorways, then pulls back as soon as the pale oval of her face turns toward the king.

“Tell me, my dear,” the king says, as the hall twists toward an open doorway. “When is that brother of yours going to pay you a visit?”

I blink as the king leads me through the door and into sunlight so bright it’s almost blinding. My feet crunch on a gravel path as we enter the garden. Where my husband said conversations are less likely to be overheard.

“My brother?” I manage to say.

King Malrik growls lightly, like he’s disappointed in my response.

“It’s bad enough your father was too ill to attend the ceremony,” he says. “But for your brother to be absent as well?”

I frown, then catch myself and smooth my features into another polite smile. My father isn’t ill. Is he?

No, he didn’t attend the wedding because he didn’t care to. Not because he couldn’t.

“I-I’m not sure, Your Highness,” I reply, as lightly as I can. “I’m certain he has more important duties than visiting his sister.”

King Malrik makes a low sound in the back of his throat, almost a laugh. He stops walking, then tightens his fingers around my arm. He turns to look at me, and I glance away.

Anura isn’t standing behind me. Panic flashes in my chest.

I’m alone with the king.

“You be sure to let me know when you hear from him,” Malrik says. “We want to prepare an appropriate welcome.”

Somehow, his words feel like a threat. I smile, then bow again.

“Of course,” I say. “You’ll be the first to know.”

King Malrik releases my arm. He steps back, then shakes his head.

“So docile,” he mutters. “Such a shame.”

He gives me the kind of smile he might give a favorite hunting hound, then turns on his heels and walks back toward the palace. For the first time, I notice two armed guards flanking the door. They follow Malrik into the hallway, then close the door behind him.

I breathe for what feels like the first time in years. What in the nine hells was that about? Why does everyone keep insisting my father is ill? And why would the king care if my brother was coming to visit me?

My hands are shaking. I twist my fingers together until they ache. Birds flit through the air, dancing as they explore the fresh green leaves that have just exploded on the branches above the garden. Somewhere, I hear the laughing melody of flowing water. They must have filled the fountains.

I cannot tell King Malrik anything about my brother.

The realization is so sudden, so unshakable, that it feels like it’s coming from somewhere outside of me. I gulp another breath. My heart thuds against the inside of my chest like it’s trying to get away.

There’s a soft creaking sound, then the clatter of footsteps on the gravel. I turn to see Anura coming toward me, her lips pressed together like she’s trying to hold something back.

“Are you okay?” she whispers once she reaches me and takes my hands in hers.

“Yes,” I reply. “But if this is about Elrick, don’t tell me. It’s better if I don’t know.”

She frowns, but only for a moment.

“No,” she says. “It’s Blayne. He’s here.”

“Oh, thank gods,” I gush, before I can stop myself.

Anura leads me past a little hill swelling with the bright, bulging buds of tulips. Once we round a fountain topped with a grinning fox, I recognize where we are. We walk back to our quarters through the garden, and my heart runs the entire way.

I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed Blayne until Anura said his name. I’ve been so bored these past six days, memorizing the layout of the castle, trying to find new excuses to visit the stables and talk to Alia, and failing to learn even a single useful thing about the opaque motivations of King Malrik.