AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course, my lady.”
She could tell he was genuinely hurt. Maybe his relationship with Tessa was a positive one. Nevelyn could not spare time to consider it further, as she began her descent of the carriage steps. It was a struggle to keep the edges of her long dress from dragging in the mud.
As soon as she was clear, Len had the carriage moving. It glided up and out of sight, and Nevelyn found herself standing outside the looming gates of the Brood estate. She waited there for as long as she dared. Making sure that she was visible from the forests to the north. Her eyes darted briefly that way. There, between the branches, she saw a single, bright slash.
Nevelyn smiled to herself and turned.
Guards watched her from the ramparts. All of them would instantly recognize Tessa Brood. The great heiress to the unspoken throne that was House Brood. She adjusted the straps of her black dress and started walking forward. But now came the final test of her magic.
This had been Ren Monroe’s only fear. The magic protecting the Broods’ estate was ancient. Layered and harvested over centuries. Magic like that often moved past its original designs. It took on a sort of sentience. Ren’s fear had been that the magic would know Tessa was no longer Tessa. Nevelyn could show no hesitation.
She walked straight up to the waiting gates. In the very center, binding them together, was the great emblem of House Brood. An image of four hawks, all facing outward, circling a smaller emblem that represented the city. Their wings and talons had been drawn at such an angle that there was no gap in their ranks. The perfect emblem for the house that had long been Kathor’s first defense. But who will defend you from us?
Nevelyn reached out with a hand she did not recognize. She whispered a prayer and set her palm to the waiting stone. The door rumbled to life. The magic was actually working. All of this plotting and practice, the sleepless years in a dozen different homes, and it had actually worked. The impregnable gates of the Brood estate groaned open. Nevelyn stood there in triumph.
Her part of the plan was finished.
She did not look back. She did not want to give away the surprise. But as a pair of guards came forward to greet their heiress, she knew hundreds of soldiers were sprinting down the forested hills. They would undoubtedly use the trees to cover their approach until the very last possible moment. Nevelyn walked forward, pretending to be Tessa Brood, chatting loudly enough that she would draw the attention of all the surrounding guards.
Not one of them knew the wolves were inside the house.
Time to feast.
39 REN MONROE
Ren had been watching the sky.
So far, she’d seen two carriages arrive. One landed by the southern gates, where she’d entered. A second was landing to the north. She had no way of confirming who was inside either of them. Thugar had not returned, though a servant had been tasked with meeting her every need. Ren suspected this was partly to do with good manners but mostly to do with having someone keep an eye on her. Maybe they thought she was going to steal a golden paperweight on her way out. The servant vanished, however, when they heard the sound of boots echoing down the hallway.
Landwin Brood had arrived.
In the carriage that landed to the south.
“Apologies for my delay,” he said, crossing the room. “I had matters to attend to in the city.”
He slid out of a coat, draping it over the back of his chair. He was holding a lone satchel that appeared to be empty, except for a few papers. He set it down in his lap.
“I don’t mind the wait,” Ren answered. “I know you’re a busy man.”
“I am. Like you, I’ve been so very busy.” He patted the satchel in his lap. “Now. I understand that you’ve been rethinking your position. It’s also my understanding that you visited my son in Nostra.”
Ren’s throat bobbed only slightly. She’d known there was a possibility that he would figure that out. His spies were good at what they did. Not to mention the Hairbone Valley was very much Brood territory. Most of the locals in those towns would see them as one of their main benefactors.
“I visited him, yes. I needed to really know what there was between us. We met in the middle of a tragedy. One that we barely survived. And when we got home, I had just a few months with Theo. Most of them full of various obligations. We were not given much time to enjoy a normal relationship.” Ren heaved a pretend sigh. Like it was all so very difficult. “At the Collective, I met other people my age. It was… easier to imagine another life. I felt like I needed to go visit Theo and really figure out if we were meant to be with each other. Especially considering what being together would mean. I was in Nostra for a few days. Long enough to make up my mind.”
Landwin Brood snorted. “And what? You found my son to be lacking? Gods above. I wish he was here to witness the reward for this kind of foolishness. He stoops to bond with you. He stubbornly resists a severance. A boy who is destined to be matched with any number of princesses, and he chose you. But you will not choose him. What a humbling moment this will be for my son. Good. He is long overdue for such a lesson.”
Ren knew it would not serve the show she was putting on, but she felt a burning need to defend Theo. She liked him too much to let his father talk that way about him.
“You make it sound like this is his fault. I would choose Theo if that meant I was just marrying him, but to marry him is to marry your family. The choice isn’t between Theo and some other person. It’s between him and enough money to secure my entire future. What father bids against his own son’s affections?”
That drew a real smile out of him. It was as if Ren had finally struck a chord that Landwin Brood liked. He reached for the satchel, extracting a few papers. He set them on the table.
“I’m glad you brought up the subject of your payment. After all, we are here to negotiate the terms of your severance. Your letter mentioned that you hoped I might find it in my heart to be a little more generous. I was willing to do that—until some of my own research finally came through. I had a full magical analysis run on the waxway room at Balmerick. Borrowed a friend of yours, actually. A boy named Pecking? He’s fully synesthetic. Quite a gift.”
Ren had felt so in control. Now the conversation turned—and it was not turning in her favor. “Pecking is no friend of mine.”
“That’s true. He’s not. Which made him even more eager to help me. Remarkable that you could make such an enemy in such a short span of time. Bravo. Now, while the results were not perfectly conclusive, we did manage to determine that someone cast a coil spell in that room. Do you know what coil spells do?”
