Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
Tristam watched the emotions flicker across her face—anger, confusion, and regret. She was quiet for a long time, and even as Tristam’s skin crawled from the trap he’d woven around her, he realized that he hoped she’d agree. Not only because he wanted to defeat the Demon Riders, but because if he could convince her that she wanted this, she’d hate him less for playing along with the Palace’s games.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
He thanked her. She didn’t look at him as he left.
As the door closed behind him, their earlier conversation about James drifted back to him. James is a strong leader, she’d said. He manipulates people and uses their emotions against them. At the time, he’d thought James cunning and ruthless, a dangerous man with no principles. But as Tristam entered Willem’s study to deliver the news, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been too quick to judge.
Twenty-five
T W E N T Y - F I V E
“Watch out!” shouted Tristam.
Kyra jumped back, barely avoiding the mare’s flailing hooves. The horse tossed her head and rolled her eyes, and Kyra backed even farther away, trying not to imagine what would have happened if she’d been just a hair slower.
“I told you horses don’t like me.”
The mare stopped kicking, though she stamped her feet and snorted in Kyra’s direction.
“Now I believe you.” Tristam inched closer, cautiously reaching out to take the horse’s reins.
The young man Tristam had introduced as Martin whispered to the horse and stroked its mane. “If Muse won’t take her, I don’t know who will. We in’t going to find a gentler horse.”
It annoyed Kyra to be talked about as if she weren’t there. “Forget this,” she said. “I’ll take my chances with the poison.”
Tristam raised his eyebrows and turned back to the mare. And he was right not to believe her. As much as she resented the Council’s games, now that she was in the stables, so close to the open air, there was no way she was going back to her locked room.
They fared no better the second time. The third time, Muse’s hoof clipped Kyra’s shoulder, and she stumbled back against the wall.
“Kyra!” Tristam reached a hand to steady her.
She shot him a furious look.
“That didn’t sound good,” said Martin.
“May I?” Tristam asked, motioning toward her shoulder.