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Morgan nodded. “It turned out he used a decoy, a girl from your village with the same hair. That’s why she was so bloodied and bruised. He wanted you to think she was Nellie.”
“Oh.” I sagged against the bars. “That would have been Sanya.”
For a moment, I’d had to wonder—was this the doing of the god? But as relieved as I was that I hadn’t unintentionally released her onto the world, the truth was no better. It meant an innocent girl had died.
“I’m afraid so. Were you close?”
“We grew up together.” Frowning, I searched Morgan’s face for more answers. “I don’t understand. Why would Oberon have done that? Why not just…?”
I wouldn’t say it out loud, but Morgan heard my question. If Oberon had wanted to break me, why had he only pretended it was my sister he’d killed? He didn’t care about her life, and he’d made it more than clear that mortals were meaningless to him. Instead, he’d put on an elaborate ruse and kept her trapped in a dungeon.
“Honestly, Tessa, I have no idea,” Morgan answered.
I opened my mouth to ask for more, but she took a step back, glancing down the corridor. A fae soldier was striding toward us, his face hidden behind a metal helmet painted crimson.
“Morgan,” he barked, his hand on hilt. “King Oberon has ordered us to get the mortal to sleep. You know how he is about these things. The girl has to recover, despite what she did.”
“I understand.” Morgan gave me a silent nod and vanished down the hallway, leaving me and Nellie to deal with the soldier alone. Another guard trailed behind him, his arms full of pillows and blankets and what I assumed was valerian-spiked wine.
“You’ll drink this,” the first one barked. “And then you’ll sleep. Any questions?”
Stomach in knots, I shook my head. “There’s not much to ask. I’m to obey the rules so that I can become the king’s silent broodmare.”
“Say another word and we’ll inform the king,” the pillow-carrier said in warning.
“I don’t really care,” I hissed back. “There’s not much more he can do to me.”
“He’ll kill your family.” The soldier unlocked the door and motioned the other to dump the blankets just inside. “Your sister in there can be first.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
“Good girl,” he said, and then slammed the bars in my face. “Now, go to sleep.”
They resumed their watch beside the dungeon doors and left me to sort out the bed myself. Nellie joined in to help, draping a blanket across my mattress. The soldiers had been surprisingly generous with the pillows, and the resulting nest swallowed my aching body like a cocoon of clouds. I still wore the Mist King’s cloak. Despite the scent of mist and snow that followed me around, I couldn’t bring myself to take it off.
Nellie climbed back into her bed and curled up on her side. She hadn’t been given any wine, and she stared at mine with a frown. “Are you going to drink that? It’ll knock you out.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good.” She smiled, and the sight of it tore at my heart. Even now, hours later, I could scarcely believe she was alive. “I’m glad you’re with me. I’m just sorry it has to behere.”
“It’s not your fault.”
She sighed into her pillow. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I fisted the blanket, picturing Oberon’s wicked face. “But I’ll figure something out. I won’t let him do this.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. Nellie didn’t look convinced, but could I blame her? She’d been stuck down here for well over a month by now. Mother and Val had been here for weeks. I’d have lost hope, too.
I reached a hand toward my sister. Her fingers wound around mine, clutching tight. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Tessa.” Closing her eyes, she relaxed against her pillow. I watched her for a good long while, holding tight to her hand, until sleep dragged her into peace and her breathing deepened. Something dark stirred in my heart as I stared at her dark lashes flared across her cheeks. By trapping my family, Oberon thought he’d won. What he didn’t know was that he’d made me more determined than ever.
I grabbed the chalice and mimed taking a sip before brushing the back of my hand across my lips. Heaving out a sigh, I flipped over so that my back faced the soldiers. And then I poured the wine onto the floor, letting it trail down the wall beside the bed. After a few moments, I flipped back over, my heart hammering, and placed the empty chalice on the table.
Soon, sleep claimed me. I was too exhausted to fight against it anymore.
The dream began with the cool brush of twilight. Night encased the forest, splashing moonlight onto the drooping branches. I rose from the long swaying grass and stared ahead at the dense evergreen trees so unlike the oaks and the blackthorns back in Teine.
A cool wind whipped at my braided hair, and a cloud of mist rushed toward me from the forest.
My body tensed, and a part of me wanted to run. I’d been waiting for this moment ever since I’d learned the truth. I’d been counting down the moments until I could dream again.
But now that I was here, fear snaked around my heart.
“Hello, love.” The Mist King strode out of the shadows. “Surprised to see me?”
* * *
