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Chapter One
Zaina
Inever intended to plan my own death.
But then, so much of my life had been beyond my control, it seems only fitting that at least I will have some choice in this.
My eyes flit to a shadow hovering just outside the outer wall of the castle, one I might have missed entirely had I not known he would be waiting for me.
Damian.
The detached boy had turned into a sadistic man, one who had the nerve to call himself my brother just because we were both taken and raised by the same monster. I can’t help but be happy that the world will be rid of him soon.
Still, I wouldn’t have chosen to meet my end at his side, if there were any other way.
I hadn’t found one, though.
“Do you have the rose?” Damian’s voice is barely above a whisper, only audible because he has pressed his head close enough to mine for his dark locks to brush my forehead.
I shudder in revulsion, backing away as I pull the flower out of my pocket.
It is impossible to discern his expression in the shadows of the towering pines, but I can imagine he is glaring at me for my show of disgust. He says nothing, though, only runs his fingers over the rose in an intentionally suggestive manner, but I know what he is doing.
Aside from taunting me, he is checking it for authenticity, ensuring it isn’t the artificial replica he gave me yesterday.
“If you’re finished fondling the flower, we should get going.” I pluck the rose neatly from his hand, grateful that I took the time to procure the real thing.
“Wearen’t going anywhere,” he says, making a grab for the rose.
“We are,” I counter, placing it safely in my cloak pocket. “Unless you’d like to walk to the alchemist’s house from here. The only hestrinn that will go unmissed is mine, and he only listens to me.”
Damian can sniff out a lie an ocean away, so I stick closely to the truth.
“I’m sure I’ll manage.” His tone is as neutral as ever, but I sense impatience brimming under the surface. “You’ll be missed.”
“My hestrinn is fast.” I carefully avoid commenting on his last statement, avoid thinking about it at all.
Because I certainly will be missed, and so will this rose. I made sure of that when I left a very clear trail of clues alerting Einar that the one I left behind is fake.
My thumb absently rubs at the place where my wedding ring rested for nearly two months. A small indentation remains, serving as a reminder of a life and a marriage that was never truly mine.
When Einar discovers my deception, so soon after our single night together, he will be furious. Devastated. But he and his people will be safe, and so will my sisters.
“There is too much at stake for me to entrust this mission to you, Damian, not when you so often let your baser instincts get the better of you.” I give him another truth.
“I would never jeopardize Mother’s plans,” he says with a deadly calm that sends shivers creeping up my spine.
“Then you’ll quit wasting time.” I stalk off toward the trees, hoping that he will follow me. This is the crux of my plan, that Damian will relent and allow me to come along.
Half a heartbeat later, his footsteps crunch through the snow behind me, and I fight not to sigh audibly with relief. My spirited hestrinn Gideon is tied to a trunk only a few paces away. His handler is the only person who might suspect I am leaving tonight, but I trust Sarah Agnes to keep her silence.
I have no choice.
I heave myself onto Gideon, who is easily twice as tall as the average pony, and Damian slithers in behind me. Gideon shuffles his feet, and I wonder at Damian’s acquiescence to my plan until he speaks.
“I can’t wait to see what this little rebellion costs you.” His voice is a hiss in my ear, Gideon’s lumbering steps giving him the excuse he needs to press up against me. “I wonder if it will be as exciting as the last one.”
At his words, I see my younger sister lying in a pool of her own blood. I see Damian’s smirk as her last breath left her chest.
