The Bound (Ascension #2)(125)

“For conspiracy to murder Queen Cassia and King Tomas.”





“I didn’t conspire to kill anyone!” Cyrene cried for what felt like the hundredth time.

Dean had said the same thing over and over to his men, but ultimately, their orders had come from the Queen. So, there was nothing to be done about it until they got back to the capital.

Faylon and Clym had taken her below deck and chained her to a thick wooden bed. There was no way that she could get away. Not that she was going to try since she hadn’t done anything wrong. She had no idea why she was even being accused, and Faylon and Clym wouldn’t speak about it in front of her. They’d just shoved her into the room, chained her to the bed, and locked the door.

The worst part about the whole thing was that she couldn’t be up there with Dean while he dealt with the deaths of his parents. No, not the deaths. The murder of his parents.

She couldn’t imagine what that must feel like. And to have to go through it alone on top of the death of one of his oldest friends. Even if he had eleven sisters to mourn with…none of them were here now. But she was, and she wished with everything that she could be up on deck with him right now.

Cyrene wasn’t sure how much time had passed while she was stuck below deck when she felt the boat slow and then finally stop.

Faylon came to collect her. “Don’t try anything,” he warned her.

She held her arms out where they were chained in front of her. “These don’t exactly give me the opportunity,” she sneered.

“Just don’t do it.”

“I didn’t do anything. I was with Dean this entire time. I have a solid alibi for this. I’ve been here for months. Why would I conspire to kill the Queen and King?” she asked him.

“I’m just following orders, and you should, too.”

He chained her hands behind her back and then ordered her to go above deck. She was placed into a small boat. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. She had done nothing wrong.

Her resolve broke a bit when Dean got into a different boat. He sadly glanced at her but then was rushed away. Cyrene’s gondola followed behind Dean’s.

The canals were empty, and Cyrene could see the result of the hurricane. Debris was everywhere in the water. Some of the houses were crumbling. Others had completely collapsed. People were somber as they transferred precious belongings to other locations. Still, others helped the people who had lost everything.

A few people noticed Dean as he passed by, and a cheer rose up in the crowd. “Prince Dean!”

He managed a small wave, but Cyrene could see how defeated he looked, even just in the set of his shoulders. To her surprise, she heard her name again. Just like she had yesterday on their way to the Bride of the Sea ceremony. It was hard to believe that had only been yesterday.

Then, she heard it again.

She glanced over to the crowd, and another cheer went up. “Princess Cyrene! Our new Princess!”

Tears welled in her eyes at their cheer. They were…applauding her. Excited to bring her into the royal family. She tried to smile at the crowd, but soon, the boats were whisked away, and the cheers disappeared. None of them had any idea that she had been arrested. She hated to think what they would say if they saw her passing by after they’d found out.

She wouldn’t think about that right now. She would talk to Brigette and figure all of this out. Brigette couldn’t seriously believe that Cyrene had done anything to hurt her parents. She hadn’t always gotten along with Queen Cassia, but Cyrene didn’t want her dead.

Dean would convince them. He knew her. He knew she would never do this. It would all work out. Just a misunderstanding. They had no proof.

The boats meandered onto palace grounds and docked on the lake. A retinue of soldiers was waiting for them on the dock. Once she was off the boat, Faylon and Clym took either of her arms and hauled her toward the palace.

Dean grabbed Faylon. “Unhand her. She can walk on her own. I won’t have my fiancée being treated like a criminal with no proof.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Let’s just go,” he said, moving forward.

She swallowed hard and hurried to catch up with him. It was awkward, walking with her hands bound behind her back. She almost reached out for her magic, but instead, she just sent up a call to Avoca. Cyrene couldn’t sense Avoca nearby, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t. After the amount of magic Cyrene had used, she didn’t know what was normal.

Instead of walking inside, the soldiers hurried them into a packed courtyard. Nobles filled the space, jockeying for the best view of whatever was happening. When they saw that it was the Prince, an alley opened up for Dean to walk through.

None of the cheers from the outer wall were heard in here. Most people glared at her, and a few people even threw things at her. She kept pace with Dean and felt utterly humiliated by the walk of shame for something she hadn’t even done.

When they finally reached the front of the courtyard, the crowd had gone deathly quiet. Cyrene’s eyes found Brigette seated on a dais, overlooking the crowd. She seemed to have aged fifteen years overnight. Dark bags were under her eyes, and she appeared worn and hardened.

“Prince Dean,” she said when she finally saw them.

He bowed deeply, and Cyrene dipped into the best curtsy she could manage with her hands tied behind her back.