Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(22)

I rose, staring out at the forest of glittering lights and the stones beneath them. “How did you dig up all their names?”

“I remembered them. There wasn’t much else to do in the dungeon except think of their names, engrave them on my heart, and promise to avenge them.”

I swallowed hard. “You were only five.”

He slid his hands into his pockets, his expression serious. “I had Ashur to help me remember every name.”

My heart felt like it was cracking. Orion would never break his promise to Ashur. And I wasn’t even sure I could blame him, but I’d try to stop him anyway.

Closer to the river, demons were filling the forest. He turned away from me, and his face fell into shadow. “We should join the others for the memorial songs.”

Mom must have known all the words to these songs once, but she’d never taught me.

“I don’t know the Lilu songs,” I whispered.

“You’ll learn them,” he said quietly.

Those didn’t sound like the words of a man who intended to get rid of me. Then again, how could anyone ever really know what someone as unpredictable as Orion was really thinking?





13





ROWAN





I stood on the balcony outside my room, staring at the sea. After the challariu, I felt emotionally drained. I think I was exhausted from the mental puzzle of trying to figure out what was real and what was a lie. So I’d eaten by myself on the balcony, under the stars. Orion’s servants had brought me a bottle of Malbec and grilled salmon with delicately spiced rice.

Now, my head was swimming, my mind racing with worries about the upcoming trial. On the one hand, I’d demonstrated a bit of control today. Just before the memorial, I’d managed to make a piece of paper float across the room to Shai without lighting anything on fire.

On the other hand, Orion was such a wild card, I couldn’t predict him as well as I’d thought.

As the sea wind skimmed over me, I poured myself another glass of wine. Sipping, I glanced up to the sky. Clouds were creeping over the moon now, and the wind started to pick up. A sudden gust of wind knocked over the wine bottle, spilling a little stream right onto my dress.

Yikes. Had I already finished most of that bottle? On my own? Let’s hope demons didn’t get hangovers like mortals did.

As I hurried to clean it up, lightning speared the sky. Clouds had blotted out the stars, and a heavy rain started to fall. I grabbed my glass of Malbec.

I needed to get my shit together and clear my mind. I could win this and become queen.

Except at this point, I was certain of only one thing: despite all my warnings to myself, Orion was deeply, firmly messing with my head.

When I thought you were dead—

Something was making my cheeks heat, and that was bad news, indeed.





*



Damp from the rain, I lay in bed with the sheets pulled tightly around me. A storm was raging outside, and the sea sounded violent and angry. Thunder boomed across the ocean, making the walls rattle. Every time I started to drift off, a flash of lightning ignited the sky, waking me again.

I rolled over, imagining the gentle bobbing of the silver boats down the river. I closed my eyes, listening to the rain hammering against the windows and the stone walls.

At last, I started to drift off, and I almost thought I could hear the funeral song of the Lilu washing in from the sea…





*



My heart skipped a beat as an unnamed panic stole my breath. The room felt unnaturally cold.

My eyes snapped upon, but shadows had consumed all the light. I started to sit up in bed, but when I was only halfway up, my airway constricted sharply. What the fuck? Someone or something was crushing my neck, and I started to thrash wildly, unable to see my attacker. Fear snapped through my nerve endings. Already, my lungs were burning from the lack of air.

Panic summoned my magic, and golden light flared from my body—enough of it that I could see the person choking me. Pale skin, long black hair, and eyes to match. Jasper. The king’s right-hand man. How was he so fucking strong?

With one hand around my throat, he raised the other above me. Long ivory claws shot out, aiming for my heart. Frantic, I blocked the strike, and his claws carved into my forearm, slicing against the bone.

Pain electrified my arm, igniting my survival instincts. I kicked at Jasper as hard as I could, knocking him off the bed. When I summoned my fire, it raced down my arm to my fingertips. But as I did, the room went cold, dark…and the flames snuffed out on my fingertips. Shadows enveloped me.

Shit. I could no longer see Jasper. Glacial air stung my lungs as I inhaled.

When lightning flashed again outside, I caught a glimpse of him.

Flames burst into life in my palm, and I hurled a fireball at the corner of the room where I’d just seen him. But before the fire met its target, the flames sputtered and died in the icy darkness. Arctic air stung my lungs and skin, making my limbs shake.

My heart was a wild beast. “Why are you trying to kill me, Jasper?” Somehow, the cold air seemed to swallow up the sound of my voice.

“Because I follow King Orion’s orders,” he hissed.

“The king?” Heat started to erupt inside me. Cracks of light were splintering my skin. Once I let go, I could burn the world to ash. Flames rose and guttered to life on my fingertips—