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He pointed to the crest. “This is Pelenor, throughout time, and I. We are the mountain—strong and unyielding, born of the earth and reaching for the sky. We are the tree—life and vitality ever thriving. We are the stars—everlasting in our magnificence and power, always enduring.” Toroth stood tall, filled with his own esteem.
Harper dithered. Am I supposed to say something?
“Stoke his ego,” Dimitrius replied with a sigh—to her relief. “Tell him how strong and powerful he is and always shall be, or some such useless sentiment.”
“You are all of those things indeed, sire,” she said dutifully to the king. “I am honoured to have an audience with you.”
“Yes, you are. Perhaps we shall speak again.” She did not like how his eyes, his cold, dark eyes, fixed upon her with a hunger that had not been satisfied, but he turned away after a second, leaving her containing a sigh of relief. “You are dismissed. I have more important business to attend to.”
It was clear from the way his gaze had lingered that he did not wish to finish with her then, but she was glad for the interruption of his next business. She bowed and was escorted out. When she returned to the great hall, Dimitri met her with a tight-lipped smile of relief.
“Come,” he said coldly, then turned without another word. The hall had started filling with others—lords, ladies, and every manner of servant. Harper stared after him for amoment, wondering what she had done to earn his coldness, before hurriedly dodging through the throng before she lost him amongst the bobbing heads. She chased his long strides all the way back to his quarters, down cold galleries and passages, which would have had her lost in a heartbeat, until she espied the familiar door with relief.
Dimitrius closed it behind them and leaned against it, his eyes closed. Harper waited. He finally sighed and opened his eyes, looking at Harper with tired relief. “You did very well, Harper. Just as I planned. The king is placated, though I sense he is not done yet. We shall deal with him as it arises.”
She watched him. He was so hard to fathom, his mood as slippery as water.
He raised an eyebrow at her blank stare. “I apologise for being so cold, but you must understand. Out there, I have a façade to present, a reputation to uphold.”
“But you’re sweet and kind behind closed doors?” she added with a bite of sarcasm.
In a flash, he was upon her, backing her to the wall. His hands crashed to the stone at either side of her head as he leaned in close, his eyes flashing and his mouth twisted in a snarl. “Do you not realise how hard I’m working to keep us both alive right now? You would already be ashes without my intervention. We balance on a precipice, Harper. Do you want to die?”
With Dimitrius suddenly so close, Harper felt a swoop of surprise, fear, and something unfamiliar—exhilaration—overtake her as his sweet, citrus scent surrounded them both. Her fingers bunched in her cloak with the shock of his advance and the sensory assault of his nearness. That tart, alluring scent wrapped around her as his gaze captured hers and refused to let go. He breathed so heavily that every warm breath ghosted over her skin, and this close, his violet gaze consumed her.
“You have no idea of the danger we are both in, Harper… from all sides. We do not leave the palace because we are not permitted. I am not permitted.” His nostrils flared. She could not look away.
“If even the slightest whiff of any of this escaped, we would be worse than dead. So I will act however I damn well need to in order to make sure I survive, as I always have. You’re welcome to your freedom once this is done, but for now, we have an act to play. So be done with playing the innocent, naïve girl and start running with me. Stop being so open. I can read you like a book. You might not know this court, but I do. Learn how to play; otherwise, we will die.”
He stormed away, leaving her pressed against the wall and blinking after him. Harper had stopped breathing. Dizziness passed over her. She gulped in a deep breath before letting it whoosh out.
This place is full of secrets, lies, and games—with people’s lives. How do I survive it?
62
HARPER
They ate dinner in silence. Harper picked at the fine foods, but the succulent meats melting on her tongue and the berries bursting with juices were hard to enjoy. Not when they came with such a steep price. Part of it awoke a yearning within her to live this life, to be able to enjoy such food every day. Was it not everything she had dreamed of in Caledan? She was safe, warm, dry, and fed. It was hard to wish for more. She had never been so clean or worn such fine clothes made of materials so cosy and soft they felt like kisses raining upon her skin. She had not felt the bite of the autumn chill since arriving.
At the same time, she had never been in so much danger. The more she partook of this other life—the food, the strange politics, the confinement of the luxurious palace—the more she longed to escape back into the woods. It was a harder life, but a simpler one. One where she knew the trees, the animals, and her own land. One where survival was earned with earnest toil. One where she did not feel as out of place as a fish up a tree. She felt a nobody—and meant to remain that way. She wasn’t meant for these schemes and this place, where everyone had a hidden agenda, and where words were veils of lies that she struggled to unpick. It was impossible not to think of Aedon and his companions, out beyond the tall walls and stone of Tournai, living the life she had imagined, adventuring without restraint.
Life was so much simpler. I miss them. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She had been so foolish. The irony was not lost on her. The criminal seemed more trustworthy than the king. Though she could still not figure out Dimitrius’s agenda. He had seemed despicable since the moment they had met and yet he protected her now, when she could see no obvious reason for him to do so. It left her uneasy. That, and the overpowering effect he had upon her with the proximity forced between them.
“Are you all right?” His voice broke through her reverie and she jumped, clattering cutlery on the table and knocking a knife to the floor.
Harper bent to retrieve it with burning cheeks. “Fine. Just thinking.”
“Coin for your thoughts?”
“Oh, nothing.” At his expectant silence, she continued, “I wish I had never come here.”
Dimitrius regarded her solemnly. “Truly?”
“Yes. It’s a hopeless case, returning home. They warned me. I should have listened. I thought I would find a benevolent king, but instead, I?—”
“I would not finish that thought aloud,” Dimitrius said lightly. “Ears everywhere, even here sometimes. I know what you mean. I did not think it would be this way, either.”
“It?”
