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Silence was heady, but after a moment, Elise lifted her chin andunlatched the door. “Thank you. That is what I wanted to know. We will send for you soon.”
“Queen, don’t leave me here.”
The lie taster was already out the door, but Elise hesitated. “I might trust your words, but I will take no risks when it comes to retrieving my daughter, nor will my husband. Do not forget you made us your enemy.”
The queen abandoned the room, shoulders curled in a bit of defeat, and snapped the lock into place.
Alone, the cruel clutches of desperation throttled me from behind. I picked up a wooden chair in the corner of the room and threw it at the locked door, then slowly slid my back down the wall until I was on the floor.
I buried my face in my hands, breathless, furious, more broken than before.
Songbird. Nothing.
For the first time since tales were told to a lost boy in a prison cell, Livia Ferus felt utterly lost to me.
CHAPTER NINE
THE SERPENT
“Whoa, shit, I mean . . . close one.”
My head snapped up. The back of my neck throbbed. I didn’t know how long I’d remained against the door, but my dark solitude was interrupted by a soft, young voice outside the window.
Somber dawn was breaking through the velvet night, but the window was still shaded in thick clouds from the sea. Clicks and scrapes came from the glass, but I saw nothing until the pane groaned in protest when it was cracked open.
I stood abruptly, gritting my teeth against the white-hot spark of pain shooting through my bones.
From the misty dawn, a hooded head poked into the room.
A small body rolled over the windowsill. Ungraceful, and with more than one uttered curse followed by prompt corrections, as though he thought I might take offense. In the next breath, the hood was tossed back, and Livia’s young brother glared at me from across the room.
What the hells?
“I got better.” He drew a small carving knife from his boot. “So don’t try nothin’.”
“Prince.” I held out a hand. “Does your mother know you’re here?”
The boy kept his scowl, slashing the knife with mock battle sounds, and shook his head. “What do you think? I’m dressed like I’m gonna ass-in-ate you, like Maj would even let me do that yet.”
“Is that so?” I tried to keep the smug laugh from my voice. If Livia’s brother wanted to attack, let him. He’d opened the window. I had my out. I’d leveled the boy once. My songbird would need to forgive me, but I would do it again.
The young prince huffed, then stuffed his knife into his belt, frowning. “Everyone thinks you’re the only one who can get us to Liv.”
“Oh? And what do you think?” I took a slow step toward the open window.
The boy shrugged and kicked at the floorboards. “Maj seems to think so. She was arguin’ with Daj about you. Thought I couldn’t hear them, but Uncle Sol said everyone’s restless waiting for the rest of the kings and queens to come. Says everyone is sort tempered.”
I assumed he meant short-tempered, but I didn’t correct him. I didn’t have time for this. Still, something in the boy’s voice, be it the subtle quiver or the determination to learn a new truth, brought me to a pause.
“Why are you here, Prince? Have you come to assassinate me, or is it something else?”
The boy paused. “I’m gonna get in a lot of trouble, but Alek, he says you gotta get gone. I think my maj and daj thinks so too, but there are rules and shit—I mean,things—since every king and queen rules equally. They gotta make a plan before kings and queens leave, so bad folk here don’t try to take the thrones.”
“Sounds like a predicament but does not explain why you’re here.”
The boy rolled his eyes and seemed to forget for a moment he despised me. “Jonas said you looked ready to cry when they said you couldn’t go get Livie in the great hall. Was that true?”
“I did not cry.”
