Promising Hope (39 page)

A shudder went through her. If she hadn’t taken the
counterpotion with Sashe, things would have gone much differently
that night. She sat on the edge of her bed. “Thank you. But I’m
still wondering who you’re working for. Who made you my
maidservant?”

Marisa let out a breath. “Tisha recommended me. My
parents were killed by Avialies and when he knew me, I wanted
revenge. That was years ago, but he must have thought I was still
in the same mindset. I needed the job, so I pretended to be. But
I’m beyond blaming an entire family for the actions of two people.
I thought I could help Tisha on pretenses and just do my job as a
maidservant. But I was in much deeper than I thought.”

“You gave me more love potion.”

Marisa nodded, her cheeks going pink. “Yes.”

“But when William tried to kill me, you fought him…
you tried to protect me.”

“I may be small, but I’ll do what I can to keep you
safe from him, Lady Grace.”

Grace smiled weakly. “I’m not the one who needs
protecting. He’s threatening my mother now. And Lady Sashe.”

Marisa drew in a small gasp. “He wouldn’t touch
Sashe.”

Grace shrugged. “I don’t think I’m willing to risk
it.”

“No, I know Ronu. He may be young, but he’s never
failed at his job. No one will hurt Sashe while he’s her
bodyguard.”

Grace let out a relieved breath. “Good. I hope you’re
right. If only I could find a Ronu for my mother.”

“Will your father protect her?”

“I don’t know… he’s gone from the house so often,
training and recruiting.” Grace licked her lips. “I can’t do this
forever. The king may be on the Avialies’ side now, but what about
when William becomes king? Everything’s going to change again. He
wants me here, but I want to be with the Avialies.”

“With Dar?” Marisa asked softly.

Grace closed her eyes and pictured him in her mind.
His soft smile and his black curls; his determination and courage;
his loyalty and love for her. “Yes.”

Marisa softly touched Grace’s shoulder. It was a
surprisingly gentle gesture, and Grace opened her eyes and smiled
at her. Her smile faded after a moment as she realized she had no
idea if she could truly trust Marisa. “You say you’ve moved on from
revenge. Where do you stand with the Avialies?”

“Honestly… I don’t know. I don’t agree with Tisha or
Kilar,” Marisa said, “but I need this job and I’ll do what I need
to to keep it. I was working at the tavern before, and you couldn’t
imagine the nonsense I had to put up with.”

“You’ll help them, then, to keep the job?” Grace
asked, a note of accusation slipping into her voice.

Marisa tensed and took a small step back. “Not with
everything. I won’t hurt anyone.”

Grace studied her thoughtfully. That didn’t give her
much more information about Marisa, but at least she knew someone
was looking out for her, trying to keep her safe from the prince.
Since the love potion had worn off, she felt like she’d been
swimming against the current of a river, trying her hardest to go
forward while the rest of the world pushed her backward—the prince,
Tisha and Kilar, Gregorio. But now Dar was free and Grace had an
ally. Perhaps her own escape wasn’t as far as she thought.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dar paced in front of the fireplace. The fire chased
away the coolness of the room as the seasons changed and winter
seeped in. The study was empty but for him. Books and parchment lay
untouched, slightly dusty from the weeks that Lisbeth and Jeshro
had been gone.

Two months ago, he and Grace had sat in this room
with the elders. He’d pretended to be on their side, told them he’d
meet with her until she got pregnant. Lies to keep her safe. His
attempts to keep her safe had failed again and again.

They arrived late last night. At the castle, Dar had
been sleeping on a tiny cot in a smelly room with other servants
and prisoners. Last night was the best night of sleep he’d had
since before all of this started—before Grace showed up at the inn
in Gladin and told him she was going to help Sierra and Evan. He
had no choice but to go with her. They usually ended up sleeping
side by side over those few weeks. In Vin and Amina’s cave, in the
tents on the way to Aron, in Di’s house. He missed the warmth of
her body next to him, missed being able to reach over and wrap an
arm around her, missed her sigh of contentment as she snuggled
closer to him.

Even without all that, last night he’d slept like a
log and he felt more rested than he had in weeks. Part of him felt
guilty for it—he hadn’t tossed and turned, hadn’t had nightmares of
her at the castle. It was nothing like being awake, when his mind
would wander into that dark territory where he imagined William
hurting her.

The door opened, and Sierra and Evan walked in. They
looked rested, too, their faces bright, their hands clasped.

“Morning,” Evan said.

Dar nodded.

“Did you speak with Angela at all last night?” Sierra
asked.

“No,” Dar answered. “Why?”

She told him that Angela had explored Wendy’s mind
last night and explained all she found out. That Marisa was the one
who’d given Grace the sense-dulling potion, that she believed the
royal edict was genuine because the king was tired of the violence,
that Tisha and Kilar were split on their attitudes toward magic
folk.

“I can see that,” Dar said. “When William was
questioning the servants about the sense-dulling potion, Tisha said
it undermined everything they were working for. Kilar said he was
narrow-minded.” He motioned to Evan. “And of course, he wants the
ancient texts.”

“I’m not sure which one is more dangerous at this
point,” Evan said, his arms crossed. “One of them thinks he can use
magic; the other one wants to eradicate it completely.”

“And Jeshro… he thinks we can smooth this all over
with the king, with the edict.” Dar paused, rubbing his forehead.
“But it doesn’t change the fact that Tisha and Kilar both have
power.”

“Too much power,” Sierra added.

Would Kilar tell the others in the castle that Grace
had helped with the attack on Gregorio? She had no charges, but
maybe she was being punished in some other way. He tensed as he
thought of it, and he paced as he waited for Jeshro to arrive.

A few minutes later, Jeshro joined them, closely
followed by Matilda and Angela. “Good morning,” he said. “I hope
you’re all feeling rested.”

“We are, thank you,” Dar said. “Where’s Adrian?”

“He’ll be here soon, I’m sure,” Jeshro said, lowering
himself into one of the armchairs. “We’ve spoken with the Avialies
in Jolen. Some of them are returning home, but others are staying
behind, waiting until I’ve met with the king.”

“What are Vin and Amina doing?” Sierra asked.

“They’re staying in Jolen,” Jeshro replied. “It’s
quite wise, I think, especially if Lady Grace told anyone about
Amina’s role in the prophecy.” He glanced at Dar. “Do you know if
she did?”

Dar shook his head. “I think if she had, they
wouldn’t have let Amina survive. So I think she knew not to tell
anyone.”

Jeshro nodded, pursing his lips. “I hope you’re
right.” He rubbed his hands together. “Well, I tried to have Angela
contact someone in the castle, but they’ve blocked Zinna
communication, so I sent a messenger to the castle to request a
meeting with the king.”

“What do you hope to accomplish?” Evan asked.

“I want to see if this is genuine, if we can truly be
assured legal protection if we are forced to protect ourselves. I
remember he wanted us to reach a compromise at the last
meeting.”

“If he’s still under the influence of Tisha, though,
it might not last,” Sierra said.

“That’s what the meeting will be about,” Jeshro
said.

Adrian came into the room. He seemed to have a frown
permanently fixed on his face. Dar remembered when his wife died in
Dar’s family manor. He’d never seen Adrian with another woman since
then. Even with the curse lifted, Dar doubted Adrian would marry
again.

Jeshro repeated his hopes for the meeting with the
king for Adrian. Adrian’s frown deepened as he listened.

“I can give you three of my men for the meeting,”
Adrian said, “if the rest of us can go after Kilar.”

Jeshro signed. “Another murder. More crimes and—”

“We can make it look like an accident,” Adrian said.
“You said you have allies with the other magical families. We can
use their magic.”

“Adrian, I want to work
with
them.”

“You’re being idealistic,” Adrian said, his voice
sharpening. “I believe the king will compromise, but Tisha and
Kilar? No. They’ve waged war on our family for more than a decade.
One royal edict is not going to change anything.”

Jeshro stood and paced for a moment. He finally
turned to Adrian. “I’m afraid you’re right. But I’m also afraid
we’ll lose any ground we may have with the king if we keep acting
like assassins.”

“That’s why it needs to look like an accident,”
Adrian said.

“I said it yesterday,” Evan said, “but it’s still
true. Kilar is going to do anything he can for the ancient
texts.”

Matilda looked skeptical. “He threatened you, yes,
but how do we know it’s something he wants badly enough to do
anything
?”

“He said he’d kill Sierra and Sashe and my
mother—”

“I know,” Matilda said, putting her hands up. “I’m
not defending him. I’m merely saying we don’t know he wants them
badly enough to rely on another plan. You may be his only one.”

“I don’t know,” Angela said slowly. “From what Wendy
knows of him, he doesn’t seem like a man to rely on one plan. He
kept asking her about the Cosa’s ancient texts, too. I don’t think
we have any, really, at least not like the Avialies.”

“He’s dangerous,” Adrian said, raising his voice.
“Perhaps even moreso than Tisha. Tisha wants to banish us, wants to
keep his people safe from magic, but we’re more powerful than him
and we always will be. Kilar wants to find a way to use that magic
even though he’s not born into this, and the desire for power
always corrupts.”

“The things men will do for power.” Jeshro shook his
head. “He must know there’s no possible way he will find what he
wants. The magic is in the blood, despite what any silly story
said.”

“But there’s Sierra and Grace,” Dar said.

“Well…” Jeshro trailed off. “They’re marked. They’ve
had those birthmarks since birth. It’s not something they attained
themselves.”

“I think he’ll use Grace, too, if he can.” Dar
glanced from Adrian to Jeshro. “I’m with Adrian. Kilar’s at the
castle, and Grace is, too. That’s where I want to go.”

“Will you give me a chance to meet with the king
first?” Jeshro said. “Give me twenty-four hours. If he writes back
and we arrange a meeting, I’ll request Kilar and Tisha be
present.”

Adrian huffed in exasperation. “That could be days.
We could be—”

Jeshro raised his hands. “Listen. Until we’re assured
a meeting with the king, you do not carry out any attempt on
Kilar’s life.”

Evan and Adrian both protested, but Jeshro continued,
“You can investigate him. Gain information on his dealings. Figure
out what he wants and how far he’s willing to go for it. Find out
how well he’s protected. I give only the people in this room
permission to do this. You may go to Renaul, but if you’re found,
you will deny working within the wishes of the elders. Do you still
have your poisons?”

Evan and Adrian nodded. Sierra and Dar exchanged
glances. Dar didn’t like the sound of that.

“You will take it if you think we will be exposed. We
must work with the king as much as we can, do you understand?”

“When can we kill Kilar?” Adrian asked, his eyes
narrowed.

“When I say you can,” Jeshro said.

Adrian studied him, his jaw twitching. The Avialies
always followed the wishes of the elders; it was the way of
hierarchy, the way of the family. But Dar wondered if Adrian would
go around Jeshro this time, if he would find a way to justify
it.

“What about Grace?” Dar asked.

“You may look for ways to rescue her, too,” Jeshro
said. “Find out how the prince is coercing her to stay there and
eliminate those chances for him.”

Sierra’s brow furrowed. “Eliminate them?”

Evan motioned to Dar. “He was one reason she stayed,
but now he’s out of the prince’s reach. Who else do you think he’s
threatening?”

Dar shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Her parents. Maybe Sashe.”

“I’ll kill that slimy beast if he touches Sashe or
Grace,” Sierra muttered.

“I may get him first,” Dar said. He turned to Jeshro.
“When can we rescue her?”

“When I say,” Jeshro said. “If we work with this king
and make enemies with his son, everything will be undone when
William takes the throne.”

Dar clenched his teeth. He glanced at Adrian. The
thought of leaving Grace with that monster made him sick. He could
easily justify going against Jeshro’s wishes if it meant keeping
her safe.

* * *

Adrian’s men got ready to leave soon after the
meeting with Jeshro. He and Evan chose three men to stay with
Jeshro. Evan and Sierra walked back to their bedroom to pack up his
things. She hated that they had just reunited and were already
separating, but she’d be more useful with Jeshro as they spoke with
their allies again and hopefully went to the castle to meet with
the king in a few days.

Wendy, too, would stay with Jeshro at the manor with
Matilda and Angela keeping watch over her. She’d made an escape
attempt during the meeting, but Matilda and Angela’s Cosa magic
together had revealed her as she’d fled through the corridors.
Sierra doubted she would have been able to find her way out,
anyway. The place was a labyrinth.