Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, #2) (100)

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep the questions from spilling out. Anir leaned across the table, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “Power is currency here. Mortals accumulate wealth; our royals do the same with magic.”

“Can the princes of Hell be dethroned by lesser demons?”

“No. They always rule their circles. It’s basically a test of who holds the most power amongst them. Sibling rivalry, if you will.”

“So the devil is a title that can be passed to different rulers.”

The princes near us stiffened, but Anir paid them little attention. “Not always. It more or less influences different eras on Earth. You can see through the ages which of the seven princes held the most power and influence based on the mortal world. Wars, greed, sexual awakenings. And yet,” his whisper was anything but soft, “I cannot seem to recall an era of envy.”

Envy slammed his wineglass onto the table. “Mind your tongue, mortal.”

“Or else…”

Before they came to blows, the chef reappeared, his voice carrying over the chamber. “The third course is our most interactive. I ask that you place the slices of raw, marinated beef over the coals and quickly sear them on each side. Once the meat comes off the coals, sprinkle the frozen bleu cheese crumble across the strips.”

Wrath shifted on my right, drawing my attention. He was focused on the door, where Greed had just walked in and bowed politely. He was in a bronze suit, his hair and eyes matching the exact shade of the metal he seemed born of. There was still that sense of wrongness in his sharp gaze, as if he were not quite as accustomed to the pageantry as his brothers were.

He gave Wrath a small nod before taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. “Apologies for tardiness. Do not stop the feast on my account.”

“Fucking sit, already,” Gluttony muttered. “Chef! Bring out another dish.”

Taking advantage of family dramatics that diverted Wrath’s attention, I leaned over to whisper in Fauna’s ear. “Have you ever heard of the Stars of Seven?”

“Oh, you mean the Seven Sisters. Of course. Everyone here has. In old legends, they appeared to travelers in need, their forms no more substantial than shadows. Some say encountering them is a blessing, but most here believe it’s a curse.”

“Why?”

“If you interrupt their celestial spinning, there’s a chance they may pluck and weave the wrong thread of fate. Sometimes the results of such interferences are immediate, and others take decades.”

“How… intriguing. If they weave threads of fate, they must be able to recall the past. See the threads they’ve already spun.” Fauna gave me a wary look but nodded. “So if anyone would know where lost objects are, it’s the Seven Sisters.”

“Emilia…” Fauna warned. “You cannot seek them out. Asking about a living being can cause damage to both the past and future.”

“I wasn’t planning on asking about a being. Only an object.”

“Whatever you’re scheming, stop. It’s too dangerous.”

Dangerous or not, I would find the mysterious spinners of fate. One of the enchanted skulls had mentioned “Seven Stars” and “Seven Sins.” I’d immediately guessed the demon princes, but hadn’t known what the seven stars meant. Now I was fairly confident I did. And the demon who Envy asked at the start of dinner had mentioned a forest.

Excitement thrummed through me. When I’d visited House Envy, he’d made it a point to tell me about Bloodwood Forest. I never did piece together why he wanted me to learn about the Curse Tree fable. I was beginning to suspect he’d also been hinting at something else.

His choice of topic this evening also was no accident. Envy wanted me looking for the Seven Sisters. And I’d wager it definitely had to do with the magical objects he was after; the Temptation Key and Triple Moon Mirror. For whatever reason, he must believe I’d have a better chance at gathering the information from them. Regardless of his motives, this information played into my own quite well.

I tried to recall the map I’d seen in House Envy. I could see the forest but couldn’t remember where House Gluttony sat in relation to it.

“Where is Bloodwood Forest from here? The Prince of Envy mentioned it’s not part of any royal land, but you have to pass through a territory to get there.”

“From here?” Fauna contemplated. “The fastest route would be through Pride’s circle.”

I glanced around the long table. Wrath, Greed, Envy, Gluttony. I didn’t see Sloth but recalled what Wrath had said about him slipping in before the fear ceremony. I sipped my wine and let my gaze travel around the other side of the room. Lust smirked at me from the far end of our side of the table, crooking his finger in a mocking wave.

Ignoring him, I asked quietly, “Has the devil arrived yet?”

Conversation ceased. Hands holding utensils and glasses paused mid-mouth. I might as well have cast a spell to freeze time. Apparently asking about the devil was a taboo subject.

“For our final course,” the chef’s voice cut through the silent room, “we have a combination of fire and ice together. Crème br?lée, fired right at your seat, topped with a garnish of frozen raspberry pearls and shattered mint leaves.”

Once the chef left us to our dessert, warm fingers brushed against my wrist. I glanced up into Wrath’s face. “Dance with me tonight.”