Page 70 of To Save a Kingdom

“All of the hostages,” Aliya corrected, not wanting to give him any wiggle room for squirming out of their bargain.

“Fine. All of them,” he agreed, waving his hand dismissively. “Then you will marry me and unite our kingdoms?”

Taking a deep breath, Aliya nodded. “Yes.”

He clapped so loudly, she jumped.

“Excellent,” he said. “We will sign the contract now, and perform the formal ceremony as soon as this situation with your former king’s Arcane Inquisitor is resolved.”

Behind her, the door opened and the same elf who had summoned her stepped inside, carrying a piece of parchment. Laying it on the desk and smoothing out the edges, the servant moved back, his hands clasped in front of him.

Roland produced a silver blade the length of his hand from his belt. Slicing a thin line across his palm, he held the dagger toward her. “It is traditional to sign royal marriage contracts in blood, and to accompany them with an Elven Blood Vow.”

Aliya took a step back, memories of her Irrevocable Vow with Jalius swirling through her mind. The last thing she needed was to get entangled in another agreement that could kill her.

Roland’s features hardened at her hesitation. “Are you refusing?”

“Do you doubt my honor?” she asked. But as she asked the question, she realized the practicality of it. She didn’t trust Roland, nor he, her. “This binds both of us to our word?”

“It does,” he confirmed.

“And if one of us breaks this bargain?”

His eyes darkened. “I wouldn’t recommend it. Breaking a blood vow results in a slow, very… painful death.”

Biting on her lower lip until she split the skin, Aliya took a deep breath. She could practically hear Elessan’s voice screaming in her head to refuse, that he’d find a different way to save her kingdom. She’d already nearly lost her life to one life-binding vow, the last thing she needed was to agree to another.

But if this was the only way to liberate Elessan’s mother, Brielle’s elf, and to protect her people…

Flaring her nostrils, she snatched the dagger from Roland’s grip and slashed it across her palm before she could register the sharp sting of pain.

Eyes flashing, Roland held out his hand to her, his smile curved in victory. “Now, we seal the agreement to marry and sign the marriage contract in blood.”

Chapter 27

Aliya

Aliya slunk up the hallway toward the library. She’d convinced her guards she was going out again to search for Zadé, this time near the stables, then ditched them as soon as they entered the building ahead of her to clear the stalls of potential threats.

Part of her felt guilty for leaving them. After all, they were only trying to protect her. However, she’d be much more likely to get close to where Brooks was keeping the hostages without a retinue of bodyguards following her every move.

She flexed her left hand. It still ached from where she’d sliced it for Roland’s vow, though all that remained was a thin scar.

“Princess!”

Aliya almost cried out in relief as Zadé stepped out from behind a tapestry. “Zadé! Where have you been?”

“Investigatin’ the murder o’ that noble. Mach-whatever.” She gestured to the wall hanging that still rustled from her passage. “Th’ secret tunnel he was stashed in had a passageway that led me here!” She presented a flour bag, painted with black and crimson. Cerel colors. “‘N lookit what I found!”

Aliya blinked as her thoughts screeched to a halt. In all the chaos of this morning, she’d forgotten Lord Macherall had been murdered yesterday and Elessan framed for it. Aliya would bet her right leg Brooks was somehow involved with Macherall’s death. The timing was too perfect.

She raised one eyebrow and nodded at the cloth. “What’s that?”

Zadé displayed it in front of her like a piece of parchment. Two holes were cut out, their position suggestive of eyes. “‘S a mask that was left in th’ passage, might be worn by th’ killer!”

Aliya held back a sigh. They didn’t have time for conjecture and guesswork now.

Grabbing Zadé’s arm, she tugged the other woman to the side so they weren’t standing in the middle of the hallway. “Forget about that for a moment, Zadé. Something’s happened.”