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The doesn't answer, but the huge sobs finally fade.
I still hear her breathing on the other side of the door, otherwise I'd fear she's decided to find another entrance after all.
We remain in silence until,in the distance, the screaming and the singing comes to an end, as the light of dawn rises over the lake.
I can hear the disappointed crowd disperse, the lords returning to their camps, empty ended.
There's no point asking myself what happened to the humans. If they'd been captured by one lord, perhaps they would have had a chance. They're a good bargaining tool. But given how bloodthirsty and excited the crowd was, there's no way either of them survived the start of the day.
"Go inside. Get the crown," I remind her. "It'll take the lords a while to work out the castle's open. Rest. I'll come later and you can take your due."
I'll bow to her and recognize her as our high queen before handing her the knife to take my life.If she's smart, she'll do it right in front of the lords, a warning to anyone who wish to wrong her.
"I need you to remember this, Darina. This world is broken, at its very core. And the reason why is because it didn't have you." I slowly stand, pressing away from the door. "I believe in you."
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
ONE PREDATOR AND SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY
Darina
I'm cold. Frozen, in fact. That's what I get for spending the entire winter-night out in a flimsy gown. I didn't feel it for most of the night, but as I force myself to drag my ass from the ground where I spent the last hour silently crying, I notice it.
I'm cold. And I'm also an orphan.
I don't doubt they're dead. And they suffered before the last blow. Endlessly.
I've been at the mercy of the fae for a couple of days, but I'm one of them. My broken bones mend in hours. I can take kicks and punches a lot better than a human.
My parents suffered all night and died alone.
I hate everyone responsible, which is everyone I know in this world. Ryther and Valdred worked together to stop me from helping them, choosing my life over theirs. And they did nothing to stop this.
I refuse to listen to the voices in my mind whispering that even Ryther couldn't fight dozens of lords by himself to free two humans—not before someone would snap their necks. I reject the memory of Valdred's promise. He believes in his choices so much he's willing to die for them. And I absolutely don't want to think about what would have happened if I'd made it to them.
They died alone.
I feel like a ghost as I cross the empty courtyard towards the arched doors of the deserted castle.
Shouldn't this place be dirty? Dusty? It isn't. It looks pristine, like it has been swept just hours ago.
The large double doors are green, with symbols drawn in gold. I think it's a form of language, but I don't care enough to decipher it.
I take the first step leading up to them, and both large, heavy wooden panels swing silently inward on their hinges. And a good thing, too; I don't think I could have pushed them open. They look like they weigh a ton each.
Beyond, I find an elegant vaulted hall, tall and as elaborate as an ancient cathedral. A long carpet leads up to a great set of staircases that plunge down under the castle, and up, towards the higher floors.
Even in my numbness, I have to admit this place is unbelievable. Too majestic, regal, and imposing to be beautiful, it's a symbol more than a house. A seat of absolute power. The idea that it's mine makes me utterly uncomfortable.
It's hilarious that Valdred believed I'd find anything here in a few hours, or even days. I might as well have been sent out on a mission to find it in the Met, in the dark, without a map or a guide. But still, I wander through endless beautiful halls. It feels wrong that such a place should be empty and silent. It looks and feels like it's meant to be filled with music, laughter, dancing, and whispers.
I force my mind away from the screams. Junis and his whip. Valdred and his promise. Ryther and his darkness. I just visit the High keep, like a tourist.
By the time I reach the first bedroom—a small chamber, with a beautiful, small canopy bed, covered in light blue velvet—I realize I'm drained. More than that, I welcome the oblivion of sleep. I'm out before my head hits the pillow.
* * *
I wake to an unfamiliar sound that immediately has me on high alert. Whoosh. The room is still mostly dark, though I can see it's daylight through the thick curtains hanging from the windows.
