A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers, #3)(23)

“Magic,” someone hisses.

“Not magic,” Noah says emphatically. “This was done on purpose, but it wasn’t magic.”

“How do you know?” demands Nolla Verin.

“The prince was using fire on the training fields,” says one of the advisors. “Perhaps his magic went awry—”

“It wasn’t magic!” Noah snaps. “If you bring me a bottle and some lantern oil, I can make another one right here.”

They gasp. “The healer has made a threat—”

“It’s not a threat,” I snap. I look over my shoulder at Jake, but he’s already beginning to move the crowd of people out of the room.

More carefully this time, I pull at the soaking linens. The skin underneath is badly burned, the smell sickly sweet. Smaller bits of glass cling to the skin.

Lia Mara winces, then tries to shift. Her eyes flutter open. A sob escapes her throat.

“Easy,” I say softly. “Easy.” I take a breath and press my hands against the worst of the damage, closing my eyes, summoning the stars of my magic. Her breathing shudders, and I wish for my magic to be faster, but I know from experience that if I try to force it, the stars will scatter away into nothing.

There’s so much damage, though. I can feel her anguish. I can hear it in every breath.

“What happened?” I say, and my voice is rough and low.

“A girl,” says Nolla Verin, and her voice is fierce, but tears sit on her cheeks, too. “She came up to the dais, under the guise of making a plea. She said she had a gift, and it looked like a lantern. But then she threw it at her feet, and it—it burst. Lia Mara’s robes caught—the draperies caught—fire was everywhere—”

“Where is the girl?” I say.

“She’s dead, Your Highness,” says one of the guards who’s remained in the room. Her voice is nonplussed, as if there would be any other fate for someone who’d dare attack their queen.

I understand the impulse, but when I was in the Royal Guard, we’d try to leave someone alive to question. Now we’ll have no way of knowing who sent her or whether she was truly working alone.

Lia Mara takes a slower, steadier breath. The skin of her calves is no longer red and raw. The remaining bits of glass have slipped free to land among the bed linens. I glance up and find her eyes. “Where else are you hurt?”

She shakes her head quickly. “I’m not. I’m—I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” says Nolla Verin. “You were attacked.”

Noah draws the wet cloths away. He looks at the guards. “Send for fresh linens.”

The guards hesitate. Exchange glances.

I don’t know if it’s about me or if it’s about Noah, but it’s definitely a hesitation born of mistrust, and I’m glad when Nolla Verin snaps, “Now.”

Attendants bring fresh linens and new robes. Nolla Verin pulls into the corridor to speak with Ellia Maya. Jake tells me he will inquire as to what happened, then he slips out of the room as well. I stand with folded arms and watch as the sheets and blankets are replaced. Noah waits by my side.

“You are certain this was not magic?” I say to him quietly.

“I think it was made to look like magic.” He pauses. “When people are afraid of something, it’s easy to bolster their fear.”

I think of the soldiers on the field, shifting uncertainly when we worked through the drills. I think of the voices of Lia Mara’s advisors when Noah mentioned the weapon.

Now that the immediate danger has passed, the fear in my chest has dissipated, allowing room for anger to crowd in.

No one should have been able to cause so much damage.

It’s probably better that Jake is going to make inquiries about what happened. As Prince Grey, I am expected to be political and controlled.

Right now, I want no part of either.

Once the attendants leave, Lia Mara looks at Noah. “You have my thanks, as always.”

He smiles, then claps me on the shoulder before turning to leave. “It was all Grey this time.”

She looks up at me, and I’m sure my mood is no secret. “Forgive me for interrupting your training sessions,” she says. She pauses. “You may return to the fields if you like.”

I can’t tell if she’s teasing me or if she is trying to put on a brave face, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t be dismissed as easily as Noah and her advisors. “You were attacked. I will not leave this room.”

“You will have to leave eventually,” she says.

We’re alone now, but her guards wait just outside the open door. It’s rare that we have complete privacy, and even so, there is much gossip about my relationship with their queen. “If you wish to rest, I will remain in the hall.”

She puts out a hand. “No.” Her eyes find mine, and in that moment, I see her fear, her uncertainty. “Stay.”

I step forward to take her hand, easing onto the side of the bed, sitting beside her in the silence of her chambers. She should have moved into the queen’s rooms months ago, but she still resides in the same space she occupied when we first met, when she was not a princess, when Nolla Verin was destined to be queen.

Her wounds have fully closed, and her linens have been changed, but blood stains her robes and marks of soot linger on her skin. I should call for an attendant, but her fingers wind tightly through my own, so I do not move.