Page 100 of Blood Ties

Stellan walked towards the throne with the chain pulling him faster than either of us wanted.

I stayed beside him and held the loose links away from his legs. The black blade felt warm where I’d tucked it under my belt. Lenora remained in my room with the door open, close enough for us to hear if her breathing changed.

The chain scraped around the edge of the throne and disappeared into a narrow slot under the seat. A silver raven covered the locking plate, its wings spread across the stone.

Stellan stopped on the dais. The collar loosened enough for him to breathe properly, although the iron still rested against the wounds it had opened earlier.

“Don’t use that blade on the collar,” he said. “It cut Adrian’s blood because his command came later. This chain belongs to the Crown. Cut the iron, and the court may push the restraint inside my body permanently.”

I took my hand away from the blade. “Then tell me how to open it without turning you into a prisoner I can’t see.”

“Use the anchor. Give the raven willing blood and name only the physical chain. Don’t ask the court to release my sentence or swear me to you in return. If Harrowmere offers more than the iron, refuse it.”

That was direct enough. I unwrapped the strip of cloth around my palm and found the cut almost closed.

Stellan caught my wrist before I reached for the sword. “You’ve bled enough tonight. The mark may open for what remains.”

“And if it doesn’t, I’ll give it one drop. I’m not slicing my hand open for dramatic effect.”

“I’m glad imprisonment hasn’t damaged your sense of proportion.”

I pressed my palm over the silver raven.

The metal warmed. White light filled the old cut and pulled one bright bead of blood to the surface. The raven drank it before it could run down my hand.

A voice whispered from inside the throne.

Free him and take his oath.

The words entered my thoughts in a voice that wasn’t mine. Power filled the lower court. For a second, I knew where every locked door stood and how to open it. I could remove the collar, bind Stellan to me and make certain he never chose another path.

My fingers tightened against the metal.

Stellan watched my face without touching me. “What did it offer?”

“Your oath. It wants me to trade the iron for control.”

“Then take your hand away. We can find another method.”

The Crown had used freedom against Stellan and power against me since I arrived.

I kept my palm on the raven. “Harrowmere, release the iron collar and its physical chain. Take no oath. Add no command. Stellan keeps every choice that belongs to him.”

The throne pushed back. Cold travelled up my arm, and the whisper sharpened.

He will leave you.

“He had the chance,” I said aloud. “He came back.”

Stellan’s attention stayed on me. He didn’t ask what the Crown had said.

The raven seal opened under my palm.

The chain ran loose through the slot. Stellan caught it before the weight pulled against his throat and fed the links through both hands until the final length lay across the dais.

The collar clicked.

He went still.