My mouth slackens, and he claps his hands and smirks. “Ah, yes, it seems he did not tell you. A shame, especially since he knew who Grace was and had tried to capture her himself.”
When Niethal’s invitation arrived, my father was overjoyed at the chance to get inside Selen. He acted as if he had no idea what the treasure was, but if what Niethal says is true, he may have known all along.
A lump forms in my throat.Ifmy father knew who Grace was,what she was, what else did he know? Did he know we would be bound as we are?
“Is that why you killed him? To keep me from bringing Grace to him?”
He lets out a cruel laugh. “Sometimes even kings must die to serve the greater good. I would have killed your father had he come to the ball, but his absence only altered my plan’s location. You fleeing with Grace, however annoying, was not why I killed him, so you can take that off your conscience. Soldiers were sent the day before you ran. Your parents were dead when I saw you that morning in the hallafteryou left Grace’s room.”
His admission hollows out my chest. My parents were only a step in his plan.
“So, my mother knew of Grace as well?” I hate asking Niethal anything when this should have come from my father. But the thought of her withholding the information hurts enough to drag the words from my mouth.
“To my knowledge, your mother knew nothing of his plans. Her death was an accident, and though you may not believe me, I am sorry she was a casualty of this. I placed her and your father in your family’s royal tombs; she deserved as much. And while your father was a bastard, I am not so cruel as to separate them in the beyond.”
Knowing their bodies weren’t discarded eases my mind, but my temper flares again when Niethal smiles, as if this kindness should earn my forgiveness. I glower at him before he continues speaking. “But back to the point. I killed your father so I could open Anaeris and take the bloodstone unimpeded. He knew I had Grace. His spies were always lurking in my woods, noting my movements. So while you were at the ball, your father raised Daminae’s legion, readying to attack and prevent her from performing the ritual. But it’s lucky for Grace and you, I suppose, that I took her when I did. He came close to getting her and would have killed her to keep the city sealed.”
Niethal looks at me for a reaction, seeing if his story strikes a nerve. But it’s so absurd. If what he says is true, my father sent me to discover what Niethal’s treasure was.Grace. The room spins as the realization hits. I nearly delivered her to her potential death.
“Why should I believe anything you say about my father, especially now that he is no longer alive to give his side?”
Niethal taps his knuckles on the bars. “You have no reason to, besides my desire to keep Grace alive. She can’t marry me if she’s dead, and I can’t access the bloodstone unless we complete the blood tie during the wedding ceremony.Ihave a reason for her survival. Your father wanted to prevent anyone from ever breaking the borders and opening Anaeris. He, Gabriel, and Alessandra believed that the Fates’ balance of magic was distorted by the fighting between humans and fae or some virtuous rhetoric.” He shakes his head and huffs. “But if you still don’t believe me, once you’ve agreed to my terms, search your father’s office. There are interesting journals you should read.”
Niethal steps back from the bars, turning to leave, but stops. “You and I have one commonality: Grace. She wishes you alive, and I wish for her to be happy. Choose the path that gives everyone what they want.”
His steps retreat down the hall until I stand in silence.
There is so much I don’t know. Niethal could be lying about everything, but why bother? To get me to agree to capture the human lands? That could be it, but having Grace is threat enough, and he knows it.
My father rarely spoke about the war. I knew Daminae stayed neutral, but nothing more than what history tells us from there. Could he possibly have known Anaeris was not lost and that Grace was the key to everything? Someone would have had to tell him to search for her, but who? Gabriel and Alessandra themselves? And how would he know to raise the legion to stop Grace from performing the ritual if her coming wasn’t forewarned?
There are too many questions, and he’s no longer alive to answer any of them.
I lie on the cot and drape an arm over my eyes.
Minutes pass before Mikal’s voice carries down the corridor. “He’s always been a bastard.”
“Yes, but he’s a bastard who knows more than we do, and I don’t like it. We are at a disadvantage in what we don’t know.” I sigh. “Tomorrow, we get out of here. Hopefully, the others will be ready.”
Mikal grunts in agreement but doesn’t say more.
Niethal may think he has me under his thumb, but what he unknowingly has is a flame at his back, waiting to ignite.
CHAPTER 29
GRACE
“T
his should be everything you’ll need for the journey,” Delphina says as she braids my hair. “I wish I could come with you now, but once Anaeris is livable, I’ll join you as your handmaiden. Isn’t that exciting?”
I smile at her, but it lacks any genuine joy. My nerves consume my every waking thought. I could barely eat breakfast for fear it would come back up. A cup of tea and a piece of toast were all I could stomach.
We’re leaving for what used to be the outskirts of Anaeris, or where Niethal believes it is, in the human realm. My only comfort is knowing Reagan should have already unlocked Mikal’s, Thom’s, Corren’s, and Liam’s gates.
A single loud knock on the door fills the room before Reagan enters. “It’s time to go. Are you ready?”
I stand and glare at him. “No, but I have little choice now, do I?”