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CHAPTER 2
I left the men in the room to rot as a warning, feeling only slightly guilty for whomever had the unfortunate luck of stumbling upon them. I walked back to the castle as the sun began to rise, feeling the ocean breeze pull loose strands of hair from my braid. I waltzed through the portcullis and into the castle grounds as if I owned the place, hearing my bed call my name.
I adored the grounds of the castle just as much as the castle itself. The queen's garden stretched all the way around the vast structure, with almost every kind of flower and plant imaginable. There were verandas, fountains, and—my favorite part of the grounds—the small lake that could be found behind the castle. The memories I had on the docks with Amica were some of my favorites. Sometimes, we would sneak out for a midnight swim and bring Miles along, too.
The Veladin castle was perhaps the most beautiful and intricate structure ever created. The castle practically took up the entire top of the hill that looked down upon the kingdom and the adjacent sea. With seven stories, hundreds of rooms, multiple towers—including the astronomy tower—and a tunnel system, it made me wonder how many years it took to build. The castle was mostly made out of stone that had vines of roses growing up the sides. You could see the peak of the astronomy tower, which was my favorite part of the castle, from pretty much anywhere in the kingdom. It was that tall. Even though I’d lived here for the past eleven years of my life, it was still hard to believe that this was my home.
I walked through the heavy oak doors, which automatically opened for me as they sensed my Artis blood. I passed the grand ballroom, waving at the many busy servants preparing for whatever the king deemed worthy of celebrating this week, and made my way up to the west wing of the seventh floor, where the king’s personal office and chambers were held.
I completed the special knock the king had me learn so he would know that it was me.
“Come in, Rhia.”
I walked into his office and immediately plopped down on easily the most comfortable settee in this whole castle. I loved King Pater’s office. I always felt comfortable here, as if the room also belonged to me. It was by far the largest office with a grand fireplace in the far corner of the room, adjacent to the deep velvet settee I was sprawled on. There was a large oak desk with stacks of papers and letters the king would need to see to and a bookshelf that stretched from the floor to the ceiling behind it. On the left side of the room were two glass doors that opened up to a balcony overlooking the ocean, and on the opposite wall was a door that led to a personal meeting room for businesses of the court.
“Please, don’t make me go back to a dirty parlor ever again,” I complained, letting my head fall over the arm of the settee.
Pater chuckled. “You know I have no control over when and where the Red Bones meet.” He sipped from his glass of whiskey. “And you know the drill. What information did you find out, and did any Red Bones walk out of there alive?”
I scoffed dramatically, placing a hand over my heart. “Pater, you have such little faith in me. I’m hurt.”
Pater was like a father to me and really the only parental figure I’d known. He cared for me, not only because I was his personal assassin, but also because he saved me from a life of abuse when I was nine. He practically raised me, and I loved him, as if I was his true daughter. I closed my eyes at the sound of his laugh and remembered the day he and his family found me.
I peeked through the curtains, eyeing the crowd, and spotted the royal family in the stands. My heart was beating so hard I thought it was sure to bust. The sound of a whip cracked, and a quick jolt of fear rushed through me as I turned to my master and ringleader, Saeva.
“I know you’re aware of who sits in the audience tonight,” Saeva sneered, his greasy hair falling into his eyes as his lip curled in disgust, “Don’t even for one second think about using your craft in front of them. You know what I will do to you if you reveal yourself.” He raised a hand and I flinched as he grabbed my hair that was pulled back into a tight bun. “At the end of the show, you are to come straight backstage and interact with no one. Do you understand?”
I nodded, avoiding his eyes. He grabbed my chin and aggressivelyangled my head to look at him.
“What did I say about speaking when spoken to, Rhiannon?”
“I’m sorry sir, I understand.”
He jerked his hand away, leaving my neck slightly sore.
When the show began, I patiently waited backstage for my turn to perform. I’d been trained to walk the rope since I was five and was known as a prodigy in balancing. However, since my accident last month, I could hardly control my nerves. Just looking at the rope above the flames made me want to run away and hide, but I had no one to run to.
“Welcome the child prodigy and tightrope extraordinaire, Rhiannon Rey.”
I swallowed my fear, stepped into the tent, and smiled without showing my teeth like I was instructed to do. I watched Saeva light the pit under the rope, and I wanted to scream, but my feet kept walking to the ladder. I made my way up to the rope, took a deep breath, and slipped on the mask that I was the child prodigy and not the abandoned child.
I performed flawlessly, walking the rope back and forth, completing the tricks with little effort. I tuned out the audience and pretended that I was alone in the tent. When I completed my routine the crowd cheered, and I walked down the ladder, waving to those in the stands, my mask slowly slipping off.
My eyes scanned the crowd and landed on a boy who looked about my age, with black fluffy hair that practically covered his eyes, and I smiled a real smile that showed the tips of my teeth. His eyes widened and he smiled back. He began to run towards me, pushing past the people in the stands. I heard shouts of annoyance come from the people he shoved.
“Rhiannon, return backstage now!” Saeva snapped. I clearly had a death wish because something in me hadn’t allowed me to listen. I knew the consequences of disobeying, but my focus was on the boy and the joy that radiated from him.
As he made his way to the bottom of the stands, he tripped on the final bench and fell onto the dirt floor, landing hard on his knees. I rushed over to him, blocking out the shouts from Saeva as all of my attention went to the scraped knee that started to gush blood, covering the hint of a white bone underneath.
The boy looked at me, struggling to hold back his tears. He must have been in intense pain, but he didn’t shed a single one. He was strong when he didn't need to be, and I wasn't sure if I admired him for it, or if I pitied him instead.
I knelt beside him. “It’s going to be okay, I’m gonna help you.”
“It’s nothing but a scratch,” he said, attempting to shrug. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“No, you’re not, your kneecap is broken.” I looked over my shoulder and saw Saeva crossing the stage to get to me. I didn’t even think about the consequences, I just acted upon sheer instinct. The Golden blood in my body started to hum and had a mind of its own. I knew I had to act quickly before I was snatched away, so I placed both of my hands—one below and one above—his knee and began to use my craft. My eyes shifted from green to gold as the shattered bone corrected itself and the surrounding skin mended back together. All that was left was dried blood.
I healed him, aside from the consequences I knew would come. Ever since my craft was unleashed the previous month, I had been forbidden to use it, threatened with more punishments than what I already endured. I was afraid of the whip, and it hurt worse now with the burns that covered my back, but that didn’t matter when I saw the boy in pain. I wanted to heal him, I needed to, and it sent a jolt of joy through my blood when I did. He was the first person I’d ever healed with my craft, and I didn’t regret it.
