Signe gave a single, almost pained nod. “My hope is that you will come to love me the way that I already love you. However, if you bear witness to what the light does to my skin, I fear it would only serve to frighten you.” Curiosity tugged at Kestrel, and she opened her mouth to reassure the queen that it wouldn’t change her opinion, that she understood it wasn’t her choice, but Signe snapped her fingers and set her servants to work instead. “But here, we can warm you up in other ways.”
Servants swarmed from the shadows, from every corner of the room. They gathered the candelabras that had been lining the walkway up to the throne and brought them all nearer, until Kestrel was encircled by torch fire.
“There, how’s that, my darling?”
“Better. Thank you,” she said, a bit uncertain. Having the light so close to her eyes made it even harder to be aware of her darkened surroundings.
The queen’s smile widened though, a thin crack of a line that looked like shattered glass. The woman had been nothing but kind to Kestrel so far though, and if what she was saying was true, if she really did want a loving relationship with her niece, then Kestrel wanted that as well. It wasn’t like she had many contenders for family. Especially none that had the power to do what she needed them to do.
Kestrel hovered her hands by the torchlight. “Why have you imprisoned Thom—I mean, Darius?”
Through the flames, Kestrel thought she spotted the woman admiring her sharp, pointed nails. “Well, it’s quite simple: he’s a traitor.”
“He’s my father.”
Queen Signe barked out a laugh. “Oh no, my darling. You have been entirely misinformed. Your mother was married to King Everard of the Caeloran kingdom.He’syour father, I would presume, as well as one of the many victims of the curse that Darius Graeme is responsible for.”
Kestrel tried wrapping her head around what Signe was suggesting.
When the prince had told her about her lineage, Kestrel hadn’t wanted it to be true. She didn’t want to even consider the possibility that she might have a father other than Thom. Thom had been there for her throughout her entire life. He was the one who comforted her during the storms and the scourge attacks. The one who provided for her. Kept her safe. Taught her how to cook and care for herself. The very notion that this could be yet another one of his lies made her stomach twist and knot itself.
But perhaps even more alarming than that was hearing someone claiming that Thom was responsible for the curse, not her mother.
“But I thought everyone blamed theCorrupt Queen,” she said, the moniker burning like acid on her tongue.
“Most do, perhaps. But need I remind you that she was my sister long before she was a queen. I knew her better than anyone else, and she would never have done such a demented thing if she didn’t have another choice. When the traitor absconded with Queen Aenwyn, I had always wondered how he’d convinced her to use her magic to curse all of Grimtol. Now that I’m meeting you, I think it’s quite obvious.”
Kestrel thought she was following. “You think he used me? To coerce her?”
“It’s the only thing that makes any sense. Queen Aenwyn was a gentle and just queen. Even before her marriage, she had a kind heart and would’ve never performed such brutal magic upon her people—upon innocents—if she hadn’t been forced to.”
Kestrel was shaking her head. Not that she wanted her mother to be viewed as some demented witch, but Thom wasn’t a manipulative mastermind either. Well, okay, maybe he had been in ways. But not like this. Besides, if he had wanted to curse the lands, then why had he spent her entire life trying to put an end to that curse? It was one of the reasons he insisted on going out on his missions, to find a way to end the dark magic.
Unless…that had been part of an act too. A way to ingratiate himself to her. To cement him as a hero in her eyes. As a leader worth heeding.
Knowing about the monsters had kept Kestrel locked away in that tower. And knowing he was out there looking for a way to stop them, had assuaged her wanderlust and made it easier to endure the long days and nights without him. It had given her no reason to insist he stay whenever heneededto go. After all, who was she to prevent the future savior of the lands from rescuing them all?
All the while, he’d kept her hidden away from the rest of the realm. From her real family. From a father she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing.
The pieces were beginning to fall into place, only instead of making Kestrel feel complete, they made her feel like a boat riddled with holes, slowly sinking into a lake.
Kestrel tried shaking her despair away. These questions didn’t change anything. She still had one purpose.
“Can I speak to him? To Darius?”
The queen swiped her slender nails through the air. “Must we continue drudging up such dreadful memories when we have so much more important issues to discuss? You are a princess—an heir to the Caeloran throne. Your mother might not have survived, but you did, my darling. With proper training, you could be the savior our kingdoms need. The savior your father has been waiting for.”
Doubt twisted inside her.
“I tried that already. With King…” Kestrel couldn’t remember his name, but fortunately the queen understood what she was trying to say.
“King Ulfaskr. Yes well, between you and I, the realm is likely a better place without him.”
Kestrel blanched at Signe’s boldness. She didn’t know much about royal politics, but she was fairly certain speaking ill of a king, even a late king, was not generally advisable. The queen waved off her concern.
“Oh honestly, Kestrel, there is so much for you to learn about the innerworkings of this realm. Perhaps when you are betrothed yourself, one day you will understand.” Signe’s black eyes fell to a ring on her hand. She rolled the band this way and that, the gaudy gemstone catching the refracted lights from the flames and making it dazzle like a determined star on a cloudy night. “Of course, it is a tragedy that King Ulfaskr could not be returned to us as his former self, and we shall mourn for him and the loss of our kingdom in due time. However, make no mistake, my darling. You did not fail because you are incapable. You failed because you do not yet understand your magic.”
“And—” Kestrel squinted through the fire, daring to feel a flicker of hope “—you can help me?”
