“Of course. Now, what was your question?”
“The man told me to get Raffe? Who is that?”
Taranus stops and turns me to face him. His expression darkens, eyes hardening. I almost regret asking at all, but I need to know everything I can. And if Taranus can give me anything at all about the prisoner beneath the castle, I want to know.
“Rafferty is—was—my brother. He tried to have me killed when he was not chosen for the throne. His jealousy—” Taranus closes his eyes tightly, and I find myself even more grateful that I met Rafferty first. Because this show? It’s damned convincing. “He was killed when he led an army to our castle in an attempt to kill me.”
I feign surprise, covering my mouth with one hand and gasping for an audible effect. “Your own brother tried to kill you?”
He nods. “We’d lost our sister a few centuries back, and Rafferty was never the same afterward. Seems he lost his mind.”
“I am so sorry, Taranus. That is horrible.”
“I appreciate that, Ember. While I never wished for my brother’s demise, I truly am grateful he is not here to threaten you.”
“Why would he be a threat to me?”
“Because I adore you, and my adoration makes you a target for anyone who wishes me harm. It’s why I took the threat earlier so seriously.”
“You adore me? But you barely know me.”
He stops in front of a door. “You are a kind woman, Ember. I can see that much in your gaze, and you would treat my people with kindness they have not known in quite some time.” Leaning in, he presses a kiss to my cheek, then knocks on the door. “I will escort you back to your room when you are ready.”
The door opens, and Taranus steps aside as an older woman with a hollow smile answers the door. “May I help you?”
“Heelean, so good to see you. Ember is in need of an exam. I fear she tripped outside in the garden and injured herself.”
Heelean swallows hard and nods. “Then I shall see to her.” Stepping to the side, she gestures for me to enter. The soothing scents of lavender and vanilla fill my lungs as she quickly closes the door and moves swiftly across the room to a table on the opposite side.
As she messes with something in jars, I study the room. A small bed sits on one wall, a countertop on the other, and an empty tray that looks as though it was brought to her in here with food sits on the countertop. “Do you live in here?”
“I do,” she replies. “Come sit so I can take a look at you.”
Obeying, I sit down on a chair beside her countertop. The short woman is the only one I’ve seen not wearing white. Instead, she wears a black gown that hugs her waist and falls down to her feet. “You aren’t wearing white.”
“I am in mourning,” she replies as she tilts my head to the side and dabs something on my injury. The sting shoots through my head, and I wince. “You poor dear, seems you took quite a fall.” She reaches for a pair of tweezers then plucks something from my wound.
“What is it?”
Heelean doesn’t say a word as she studies it for a moment. Then she takes a seat across from me. “Where did Taranus say you fell?” she questions, her golden gaze narrowing on my face.
I clear my throat. “The gardens.”
“Hmm.” She studies the dark shard between the tweezers. It’s no bigger than the end of a pen, but I get the impression that it completely undid my lie. Heart in my throat, I can only hope that she is not loyal enough to rat me out. “This is iron-laced graphite,” she finally says. “The only place you can find this is in the dungeons below the castle.”
Fucknugget.“I—”
“Don’t panic. This room is soundproof, even for fae hearing. It’s just you and me.”
“Maybe some managed to make it outside.”
“Doubtful,” she says as she stands and moves across the room. After messing with some bottles, she comes back with a small vial in her hand. Then, she drops the sliver into a clear liquid, and I watch in awe as the evidence disappears. “Now, how about you tell me how Rafferty is doing.”
“You know him?”
“I do.”
“He’s not doing great,” I tell her, honestly. “He’s pretty banged up.”