‘Your Queen is a monster,’ Ava said flatly. She was a burning flame of rage. Her eyes had gone very white – terrifyingly white – and I realised this was the colour of hatred.
I could feel her heart beating quickly. ‘Easy,’ I murmured to her. She swallowed, and turned away from us all.
‘Why do you hate her so?’ Thorne asked suddenly, and it hit me like a blow that he didn’t know. He didn’t understand what had happened, why Ava was the way she was.
There was a chilling quiet in the cabin then. Abruptly, I wanted to be away from here – far, far away from this moment.
Ava dragged her eyes up to Thorne’s. ‘She stole something from me. With your help.’
Thorne shook his head. ‘Speak plainly.’
Ava smiled, but it was the kind of grimace that pulled at her scarred skin, making her face ugly and malicious. ‘As you wish. You’ve probably forgotten the day a young man entered your fortress and climbed to the very top, to where your mother was slaughtering innocents. You’ve probably forgotten the moment this man stole into that beautiful room and was caught by you – by your boorish hands and your savage teeth. And you’ve probably forgotten how you held him down and watched as your mother stabbed him to death on the marble floor. I’m sure you’ve forgotten, because I’ve heard how common it is for you to murder Kayans. But I have not forgotten. No, Your Majesty, I have not.’
Thorne didn’t move. He’d stopped pacing and was so still it was as though he was made of stone. ‘The black-haired one?’ he rasped suddenly. ‘The boy who threw a knife into her side? The one with the golden eyes?’
Ava’s mouth dropped open and I saw her scarred hands start to tremble.
‘Who was he to you?’ Thorne asked loudly. When she didn’t answer, he shouted. ‘Who was he to you?’
‘My mate!’ Ava hissed. ‘He was my bondmate.’
A sound left Thorne then. It was a kind of hollow sigh, like something had escaped from his soul – a wounded, weary thing. I watched, stunned, as his shoulders sagged and his eyes closed.
‘You remember him?’ Ava whispered.
‘Yes,’ Thorne murmured. ‘I remember him.’
There was a long, long silence. I waited for him – we all did. At last he gazed straight at Ava and said, without any animosity or hatred, ‘I will help you kill my mother.’
Thorne
Here I sat with his widow, his other half – a girl whose eyes changed to white because of what my mother and I had done to her. I’d killed people, plenty of them. I was aware of that, but until now it had never occurred to me that I’d destroyed someone’s soul. I’d never seen the evidence of my destruction beyond the execution room. I’d condemned this girl to a half-life, a life of emptiness, and in doing so I’d condemned my brother to the agonising task of loving such emptiness.
I ruined everything I touched, and I had the ghost to prove it.
‘What was his name?’ I asked, and was dismayed to hear how my voice sounded. It was a whisper, the hint of a voice, the echo of one.
The Kayan woman glared at me again. Her eyes had been white since the moment I’d tried to strangle her, but now, as she stared back at me they shifted to that impossible shade of purple once more.
‘Avery,’ she told me.
I felt it take root inside me, a gift and a curse all at once.
Ambrose went to my pack and pulled out a flagon of wine and some cups. He passed one to each of us, and then held his aloft. ‘A toast,’ he murmured, his voice rough.
I thought Ava would refuse to drink with us, with me, but she simply turned to Ambrose and asked, ‘To what?’
He met the girl’s eyes, and he gazed at her in such a way that it made me embarrassed to witness it. ‘To Avery,’ he said, ‘the man who brought us all here.’
My eyes were drawn to where the Kayan man now appeared beside the fire, pale and ethereal as he always was. We looked at each other, he and I, and as I returned the gaze of his golden eyes, I raised my cup to him, and spoke a toast – a promise, deep inside my soul, where I knew he could hear it best. To redemption.
I thought I saw him smile then, and I felt my heart change rhythm as I drank that cup of wine, understanding, as I did so, that Avery’s ghost was the best part of me.
Chapter 20
Ava
What I loathed most was the pity in his eyes. Prince Thorne, slaughterman of Pirenti, did not get to pity me. That was not the way this world ought to work.
A plan was being formed. I didn’t talk, but listened to the brothers as they strategised. They were very clever, I realised quickly. I had known Ambrose was smart, but there was something about the way he interacted with his older brother that made me realise why Kaya had been on the losing end of a very long war. They knew each other – knew their people, their army and their realm – and they were cold and ruthless. They were more similar than I had realised. Seeing this changed things – it was a brand of knowledge like the ones on my body: I would never be able to love a man who was so much like the beast that had killed Avery. I wouldn’t allow myself to. I started closing doors in my heart.
In terms of the plan, it became clear to me that there was one main problem. The Barbarian Queen had six personal bodyguards who went everywhere with her, and they were not normal men.
‘Hold on,’ I interrupted as they were going through the particular talents of these six men. ‘Your kind use magic?’
‘It’s not magic,’ Thorne snapped bluntly.
I allowed myself a cold smirk. ‘As you wish.’
I saw the way this notion rattled him and it satisfied me, but then I looked at Ambrose and saw how sad he was these days, and all my satisfaction vanished.
‘Vincent has magic,’ Roselyn whispered suddenly. We turned to her, but she was lost in some distant thought. ‘Dark magic. Soul magic.’
‘It’s called warding,’ I supplied.
‘You’re a fool,’ Thorne snarled at me. ‘No Pirenti man or woman could ever be a warder. It’s unnatural.’
I shook my head. ‘Whatever. How do you expect to beat six of these guards with only the two of you?’
Instead of answering me, Ambrose and his brother smiled at each other, wearing identical, wolfish grins of anticipation.
‘We’ve wanted to fight Vincent and his gang our whole lives,’ Thorne growled softly, his blue eyes flashing to match the expression in his brother’s. They laughed, both of them, and I felt a chill run down my spine. I suddenly felt sorry for the poor bodyguards.
‘And the Queen?’ I prompted.
‘Is the property of the realm,’ Ambrose told me firmly. ‘You’ll not kill her. Thorne and I will execute her formally. Do you understand?’
Our eyes met. ‘Of course,’ I lied. He didn’t believe me, but it didn’t matter.
My own plan was forming in my mind: I would kill the Barbarian Queen, and then I would kill Thorne – of that much I was certain. All I had to do was wait for the right moment.
‘What is it that you think will happen when we’ve taken over?’ Thorne asked me.
I didn’t answer because I didn’t really know what he was asking me.
‘Do you think this war is just going to fall away? Do you think that everyone in the world will forget so many generations of bloodshed?’
‘Not forget,’ I said softly. ‘Never forget, but we can try to forgive, if you’ll let us.’
Thorne shook his head. ‘I won’t. I can’t.’
‘Why?’ Ambrose asked abruptly, loudly. ‘What happened to you up there, Thorne?’
He didn’t answer.
‘Up where?’ I asked.
‘In the ice caps, under the berserker mountain,’ Ambrose said. He turned back to his brother. ‘You returned and you were never the same.’
I thought the older prince wouldn’t answer, but when he did, he looked straight at me, disconcerting me with the directness of his stare. ‘My job was to torture warders,’ he said, his voice empty. I felt immediately repulsed. ?
??I have a whole bag of tricks for withstanding their black magic. While I worked I learnt things that can never be unlearnt.’
From the horrified expressions on Ambrose and Rose’s faces, this was news to them, too.
‘Things like the real truth behind the bond.’
My heart lurched. ‘What truth?’
He was silent a long while before he finally spoke. ‘That a way to break the power of it exists. There is a spell – a piece of magic. A way to stop the people of Kaya from dying in pairs.’
I shook my head blindly. ‘No. You’re lying.’
‘This magic exists – it is hidden, but it exists – and yet none of your rulers, in all these long, long years, have ever tried to find this solution. They’ve never tried to save you. And so I’ve made it my mission to one day rule the Kayan nation, and find that damned spell so I can end this madness.’
My eyes found Ambrose. He looked as stricken as I. It was impossible to fathom the words Thorne was saying – I couldn’t find a way to make them seem real. Bluntly, stubbornly, I refused. ‘No. We would know. This could never have been kept a secret. I would know about it.’
‘How would you?’ Thorne scoffed.
‘Because Emperor Falco is my cousin!’ I hissed, then snapped my mouth shut in horror.
Oh, good Gods, I was an idiot.
There was silence in the hut.
‘You’re of noble birth?’ Ambrose asked me, sounding betrayed, though I don’t know why since he’d kept the exact same secret from me.
‘I was,’ I snapped. ‘It makes no difference anymore – I was cast out. All it means is that I would know if the magic to end the bond existed. Kaya would be torn apart by the knowledge, and utterly divided.’
Thorne didn’t say anything, but I could see the truth in his eyes. I could begin to see where his hatred came from, and if what he was saying was true, then I might even be able to carry a little of that hatred with him.
‘Then wouldn’t it stand to reason that the warders kept it a secret just so that would never happen?’ Rose asked softly into the silent hut, and I realised she was the smartest person in this room.
Ambrose
The next morning Ava was strong enough to walk from the hut. We all watched as she approached her pegasis. Migliori beat his wings wildly, rearing once and whinnying in sheer joy to see her. As I watched, Ava started to laugh, tilting her face up to his, rubbing his nose and whispering to him. I realised I had never once seen her this happy. Though that understanding hurt, it confirmed one thing in my mind – even if I had to sell my soul to the Gods themselves, I’d get Ava through this alive.
We hadn’t spoken anymore about Thorne’s claim – there was nothing we could do right now to prove it, and it made no difference to our plan – but I could see Ava was riddled with doubt, and I wished she would focus on the task at hand.
She rode her pegasis out of the bay, over the hills and into the forest beyond, while Thorne, Roselyn and I rowed the small boat around the mouth of the cove. I watched my father’s house disappear around the bend in the cliffs with an uneasy ache in my heart.
We found Ava waiting for us in the forest that surrounded the fortress.
‘Ready?’ she asked calmly.
All three of us nodded.
‘Farewell, then. I’ll see you on the other side, if we’re all still alive.’ And then, just like that, she turned and started leading Migliori into the trees.
My chest lurched painfully. ‘Hey, pretty boy!’ I shouted, somewhat panicked.
She paused and turned back, shielding her eyes against the sun.
I opened my mouth but nothing came out. She seemed to understand, for she raised her hand once, then turned and disappeared. I felt gutted by it, by her.
Thorne signalled for us to wait and then followed Ava into the forest. I frowned, instantly apprehensive – it wasn’t the best idea for the two of them to be alone together. I looked at Rose, but she was lost in a daydream and hadn’t noticed. It didn’t take long for Thorne to return, but when he did I couldn’t read his expression at all. We stepped into stride next to each other and walked towards the fortress.
‘I wish I were a better liar,’ Rose said softly, then blinked, realising she’d said it aloud.
Thorne glanced sideways at her. ‘No you don’t, darling.’ Then he added, ‘I like it when you say your wishes out loud.’
Rose looked surprised. ‘You know about my wishes?’
He smiled a little. ‘Of course.’
‘Silly,’ she muttered. ‘It’s just a silly habit.’
I watched Thorne watch Rose. He cracked the knuckles in his hand. ‘Do you know what a person who makes wishes has?’
She glanced sideways at her husband.
‘Hope,’ he told her. ‘And hoping is brave.’
Roselyn appeared utterly astonished. She swallowed, hesitated, then took her husband’s hand as they walked.
I couldn’t help but smile to myself. It was like I’d come home to a new brother – a new man. The boy I’d grown up with had returned, the one who’d taught me what life meant and how to survive a mother who hated her sons.
Inside the walls of the fortress it was chaos. Stalls were set up along the main street, selling all kinds of wares, and people milled about in crowds. It was pushy and rough. The men were hopped up on the prospect of the afternoon’s violence – restless, aggressive and more dangerous today than on any other day. Fights kept breaking out, but so far they seemed to be just scuffles.
Hoards of soldiers had travelled down from the army barracks at Vjort. These were the biggest men in the country – scarred and brutal giants covered in animal skins Women knew to stay indoors today. This was not a pleasant festival – it was violent; it was where men proved their strength and took what they thought they deserved.
Roselyn walked between Thorne and I, where no one would dream of disturbing her. The pushing and shoving was inevitable, though, and everywhere Thorne walked he battered people out of the way to make a path for his wife. Those who realised his identity scrambled to avoid his mighty shoves or sank low at his feet. I watched them, these soldiers, watched the way they feared and loved him equally.
They didn’t look at me with the same fear, of course – some of them believed that my smile and my kindness made me weaker – but most had heard enough stories or fought in enough battles beside me to know I was not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be said for all of them.
A big man stepped in front of me, holding his axe towards my chest. ‘A challenge, Your Majesty!’
Thorne sighed and folded his arms. ‘Every damn solstice.’
I looked at the man. ‘You sure you want to die today? I’m busy, and not in the mood for killing.’
He snarled savagely. ‘I want your throne, and I always get what I want.’
‘Do it formally, then.’
‘I, Sergeant Hallas of Svaart, son of Mellos of Svaart, formally challenge Prince Ambrose, son of Queen Eloise of Pirenti, for his throne. Have I a witness?’
Nobody said anything, watching me nervously.
‘Fine then,’ Thorne grunted, bored and disinterested already. ‘Crown Prince Thorne as witness. Go ahead, fool.’ He turned Rose by the shoulder to face her away from the fight, then held her to stop her from peeking.
I undid the sheath at my waist and dumped my sword on the ground – he who was challenged wasn’t allowed a weapon when facing his foe. Not to start with, anyway.
A small circle formed in the crowd and Hallas stepped forward, raising his axe.
I nodded once and he attacked. It took me only moments to duck beneath the axe swing and slam my elbow into his forearm, shattering it and disarming him. I picked up his fallen axe, kicked his legs to drop him to his knees, then swung a mighty arc that sliced his head clean off.
I dropped the bloody axe on the cobblestones and nodded at my brother in the cool silence that followed. He nodded once in response, then led the way through the
crowd towards the main building. As I turned to follow him, the spectators erupted in wild, raucous cheers. I frowned – violence like that only heightened their own battle-lust. The fortress was going to be a very dangerous place tonight. Not a good place for a woman, even one dressed as a boy.
Once inside, Rose went straight to her chambers while Thorne and I kept climbing to the top of the fortress. Our mother was standing at the huge window in the execution room. All six of her bodyguards were positioned around her. Vincent was at her elbow, as usual. Loathing pulsed through the vein in my neck.
‘Look who I found wandering the forest,’ Thorne announced.
‘Ambrose!’ Eloise exclaimed, spinning to face us. ‘What’s going on? How have you returned already?’
‘Our ship sank, so I rowed a dinghy out and around the oyster farms to reach the prison isle from the south. From there I made my way around the coast of the island to the prison. As waiting for a ship would delay me beyond my patience, I caught a wild pegasis and flew it back. Magic.’ I shrugged, my expression flat.
She eyed me closely. ‘I don’t like that word,’ she murmured, leaning down to stroke her wolf. She always did that when she wanted to intimidate people. I could have smiled – she was an open book.
‘We do not ride the pegasi like the Kayan witches. You will be punished for this. What of the prisoner?’ she asked calmly.
‘Perished with every other soul on the ship.’
She searched my face. I gave her nothing. I was probably the only person to ever look at her like this.
‘Convenient,’ she murmured finally.
‘The opposite, actually,’ I said mildly. ‘Have you ever had to survive in the wilderness with nothing to eat? Ever skinned a stag on your own, or caught a fish with an arrow? Fought off a wildcat? Climbed a mountain? Rowed for a day and a night?’ I smiled a little, a crooked quirk of my lips – all Ava’s feats.
‘That’s why you’re a prince of Pirenti, dear,’ she told me. ‘I’d expect nothing less from you. We’ll discuss your failure to finish your task at another time. For now, at least you’re in time for the solstice.’ She grinned wickedly. ‘We have a surprise for you, don’t we, Thorne?’