AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Well?" she prompted. "Have you discovered anything?"
Elijah's chair slid away from the table, and he stood to face her, his red eyes alight with sorrow. "I am sorry, dearest sister. We've tried everything possible to reverse the blood bargain, but it is beyond our power. Even when we combine our strengths... it's not enough without the correct components to dispel the spell cast. King Castor must have gone through significant effort to ensure this could not be undone."
Ianora stared at him, refusing to react. She had known it would come to this, each day passing feeling more like a death sentence. "I see," she said at last. "Then I suppose it is time for me to meet my husband."
Five other chairs pushed out; one by one, her brothers Aleister, Xavier, and Nikolas came to offer their condolences, love, and strength. Aleister's wife, Lila, and Nikolas' wife, Tatiana, also came to give her hugs and wishes of strength.
Tatiana squeezed Ianora's shoulders. "I wish I had known it was King Castor behind the assassination attempts far sooner. Had I been able to connect the dots ... perhaps your family could have stopped this marriage from happening long before the curse fell upon Elysium."
"I know you've only done your best for us. Thank you, Tatiana," Ianora said. "There is no point in dwelling on the 'what ifs' and assigning blame anywhere other than where it belongs. Firmly on King Castor's shoulders." A small smile grew on her lips. "And my parents. I don't know what they were thinking."
"You could always ask them, you know," Xavier suggested. "I see no reason for them to deny you the truth of why they decided to wed you to him without your consent. Surely there must be a good reason for such a drastic measure?"
"You would think, but mother and father have decided they would rather never speak to me again than tell me the truth. That is their choice. I hope it was worth it."
"It could be as simple as an attempt to heal old wounds between our families," Nikolas suggested. His gray eyes studied Ianora. Of all her brothers, she suspected he knew the most about the real story of what had happened between Ianora and Castor thirty-four years ago. "They wouldn't have known about King Castor's plans until it was too late."
"If only."
Ianora's stomach clenched with worry that Nikolas would reveal to their brothers her role in that history, but thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. Ianora didn't want to consider how her parents' plan to marry her to Castor could be a four-decade too late attempt to make up for previous erroneous ways.
Had they talked to her, they would have known it was too little, too late. “The simplest truth is that King Castor played them. As he has played us all by being passive these past few decades," Elijah said. "We misunderstood his docile nature for an attempt to let bygones be bygones. When he was secretly planning our annihilation in the background, he would not have been satisfied until he humiliated and killed all of us."
"Instead," Ianora sighed, "I am the only one humiliated on our family's behalf."
"I would take your place gladly, sister, were I able to." Aleister placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It is my duty as your eldest brother to protect you, and I have woefully failed you."
"It's not your fault. It's ..."Minewas what she wanted to say, but there was no use trying to explain the sick feeling in her gut that Castor had been planning this for a very, very long time. "Well, there is no point in drawing this out any longer. It is time for my departure."
Ianora steeled herself. She had been pushing this moment back for weeks, as long as she could reasonably manage. But with only a week left before the designated wedding date, she had no choice but to go to King Castor's palace in Pheazar.
It was all for the best at this point, anyway. If Elijah and Esmeralda's magic couldn't help her, then the only way Ianora could save herself was by convincing Castor himself to nullify the agreement. The only way to do that was by trying to show him what an unsuitable bride she was.
Oh, how she would have fun finding creative and horrible ways to show him just how much she despised him for forcing this fate upon her. Only the worst scheme would convince him to let her go, so she would go at him swinging from the moment she entered his castle.
She turned to Elijah. "Elijah? If you would do the honors?"
"Of course, sister."
He snapped his fingers, and an orb of blood red and black energy manifested in the air in front of them. Ianora's eyes widened slightly at the sudden appearance of the portal. After having lived with her brother for almost a hundred years, she had never believed that he would truly unlock the magical abilities hidden in his blood. But as it turned out, finding his mate had been the key to unlocking the true extent of his power.
And as he had only married Esmeralda earlier that year, his power was growing daily. If anything, perhaps she could cling to the hope that, if she was forced to go through with the wedding, maybe one day Elijah's power could grow to the point that he could break the marriage pact.
The portal expanded and winked open, revealing a mirror-like surface of fluctuating red and black light. Ianora wished to glimpse the castle beyond for any sign of comfort, but all she saw was the unforgiving reflection of blackness and despair.
Elijah stood beside her. His fists remained clenched at his sides. "I'm sorry it's come to this. I assure you, I won't stop trying to find a way to stop this. Until the day I die, I will search for a way to free you from this.
She hugged him one last time. "Thank you for trying, dear brother. The greatest boon of immortality is the patience of our vengeance. King Castor will pay for this, I am sure, one way or another. If anything, I wish I had more time to bask in yours and Esmeralda's happiness, but it seems fate has other plans for me."
On her other side, Esmeralda's brown curls and light-filled eyes came into view. "You are strong, Ianora. If anyone can handle this, it's you. Remember, the king is cursed. He cannot harm you himself, or by proxy, whether he wants to or not. You will be safe from physical harm ... but guard your heart and mind at all costs, especially if you intend to break free of him in the future."
Ianora nodded and positioned herself in front of the portal. Her bodyguard, Elan, stood beside her with his long silver sword at his waist. He was a handsome man who, when she was a girl, she had fancied running away with during a brief period where she'd wanted to be anything but a princess. But he was a man of duty, sworn to protect her and her family, and protect her he had, regardless of the personal cost to himself.
She had a sense she would need Elan's support and guidance when she went to Pheazar, home of King Castor, the man who had conspired against her family. It was a wicked and cruel twist of fate that his treachery had only been revealed after the deal for Ianora's marriage to him had been solidified.
And yet, when Ianora thought of the worst matches she could be given, King Castor was not even close to the top. She had, long ago, had a brush with the worst fate she could have had.
If she could not convince Castor to release her, then perhaps, somewhere in his dark, cursed heart, she could find the love that had once flourished between them. But Ianora had never fancied herself lucky before and now was no exception.
