A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty (Kingdom of Lies, #2)

by Stacia Stark

Sabium’s fury was delicious.

“How,” he said quietly, “did a mere girl manage to align with the fae, empty my dungeon, rob my court, and steal from me?”

The Bloodthirsty Prince had been in full fae glamour when he was in this castle. Not just the glamour they used to appear human. But the kind of glamour that required blood. The kind that was impenetrable—except in the rarest of circumstances. And yet the hybrid heir had seen through that glamour. He knew. Without a doubt, the Bloodthirsty Prince knew exactly what that meant. But he was a man with secrets. According to my spies, Prisca hadn’t even known he was fae. Which meant he was still keeping her in the dark.

does it mean they are mates and mates see through spells?

The boy’s gaze dropped to the amulet in his uncle’s hand. And he knew.

“It’s still me, darlin’,” he’d said. But when he’d reached for me, I’d flinched. I hadn’t meant to. He’d just been so big. His eyes were … glowing. And those ears … Galon had given me a disappointed look that had speared me, while Rythos had turned away. But not before I’d caught the flicker of hurt in his eyes.

I wanted you to be able to enjoy your victory for a few days first. But your big-mouthed brothers let the fae learn who you were.”

“Either way, you would have ended up in the fae lands at some point.” “Why?” “Because once—before they left us to die—the fae were our allies.”

“And you’re hoping they could be our allies again?” “Your people deserve a home.”

“What makes you think I’d be a good queen?” “Even before you knew they were your people, you were fighting for them. You got three hundred of them out of the king’s dungeon.”

“I know you hate Lorian for lying to you. But by the time you get to the fae lands, you must no longer see him as the man you—”

“You must see him and his brother as potential allies. As hope for your people.”

It would be so easy to hand Prisca off to my brother—directly after I gave him the punch in the face he deserved. Then, I could return to the life I’d been created for. Killing my way across this continent. But the thought made my gut clench. Made my mouth dry. The wildcat was mine, and I would protect her until she came to that exact realization.

“The queen hasn’t found her sea legs yet.” If Prisca learned that people were already referring to her as queen, she might just jump overboard.

She frowned. “Whatever you’re thinking …” “I’ll continue thinking it.”

“Only one human kingdom was chosen. Why?” She shrugged. “In the eyes of the gods, it’s likely they’re all considered one people.” I frowned at that, storing the information away to consider later. “What were the fae given?” Telean smiled, and I rolled my eyes at myself. “Amulets,” I muttered. “They were given the amulets, which is why Lorian didn’t kill the king. He needs the other two.” “Yes.”

“And the hybrids?” “Our gift was given by Bretis, the god of protection. At least, according to myth.” “What was it?” “An hourglass.” “To represent our time magic.” My heart tripped in my chest at the thought. She nodded. “And to make it easier for your ancestors to wield that power to keep their kingdom safe. Using your power won’t always be as difficult as it is now. Once you find that hourglass, you’ll be a true force on the battlefield.” My aunt’s eyes lit with a dark fire. Using my power had always drained me. Sometimes, it took such a toll that my nose bled until I became dizzy. If the hourglass could help, maybe I really could help the hybrids survive. “How does it work?” “It allows you to stretch time for longer. Allows your power to drain more naturally, instead of its being pulled from the depths of your being. The other powers are only legend—and apparently dependent on the ruler themselves.”

“Rythos will live,” was all he said. “Your dragon turned three of the iron guard to ash. The other hybrids rallied, and Rythos dispatched the remaining iron guards with his sword.” “Dragon?” “The fae believe those with exceptionally strong fire magic are descended from dragons.”

Prisca watched the approaching warship. And I watched her.

“Why would you do this?” Because I was tired of seeing the shadows beneath her eyes. Tired of seeing my wildcat grow depressed and withdrawn. I wanted to see her smile just once, even if she would never again smile at me. “I don’t think you’re ready for that conversation,” I said. “Do you?”

First, I wanted Prisca separated from her aunt. I wanted her to make her own decisions, uninfluenced and unimpeded. I’d eavesdropped on some of their lessons, and Prisca’s clever mind had soaked up Telean’s history and information like a sponge. But her aunt had clear ideas about who and what she wanted Prisca to be. I just wanted her to be mine. That brought me to my second point. I’d have unrestrained access to Prisca while we traveled completely alone. She’d be forced to deal with me. Just like she’d had to when we’d traveled to the city. But most of that trip had involved either attempting to ignore her or attempting to get her to wield her magic. In the castle, we’d both been consumed by our separate tasks. Any time spent together had been stolen. This was my chance to learn about what Prisca enjoyed. The small things that made her happy. Her habits. How she relaxed. In my darkest moments, when I missed her the most—even as she sat right next to me—I listed what I did know. And I wondered if those small details would be enough to carry me through the rest of my life.

I knew she was cunning and clever, and that she would do anything for the people she loved. What would it be like to be counted among those people? It wouldn’t happen. But if the coming weeks were the last we’d spend together, then I was going make them count.

“Oh no.” I gave her a wide smile. “I’ll do that myself.”

“You can tell yourself whatever makes it easiest for you to hate me, wildcat. But it was real. All of it.”

Hoped she removed his head from his neck and spiked it on the castle gates. Just as long as she was dead soon after. So my son could take his crown.

“It makes me hard when you defy me, wildcat. One day soon, I’m going to make you suffer for every snide comment you’ve said. For every moment you refused to listen.” I curled my lip at him. “Threatening torture? And you wonder why I don’t trust you?” “Oh no,” he purred. “You know I’d never torture you, wildcat.”

“Ah. You’re jealous.” My heart raced in my chest, but I managed to give him a flat look. “I’m glad you’re jealous,” he continued, voice dripping with satisfaction. “It’s about time you stopped pretending not to care.”

“Hate me, rage against me, refuse to admit what you feel. But don’t you dare treat me like a stranger.”

“You are a stranger.”

“Keep pushing, wildcat, and see what happens.”

“I knew you had to live, so you could save us all. But first, you must find the prince. Find him and meet your fate.” Was Lorian the prince she had meant?

C’s spies have learned of the hourglass. His suspicions were correct. C advises caution and silence for now. It is possible the hourglass will soon be moved. —P

“This is never going to work. You and I. We’re doomed. You know that.” He sighed, and I closed my eyes, basking in the feel of his breath against my neck. “I know.” He slowly drew back. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t wish for you with every fucking breath for the rest of my life.”

“He shouldn’t have survived,”

“Perhaps we should count ourselves lucky that most of his power was taken,”

“When it comes to your survival, you cheat,” he snarled. “You cheat and you lie. You fight dirty. And you do whatever else it takes to stay alive.”

If Lorian’s brother died and he had to take the throne, I had no doubt Lorian would make an excellent king. Because he knew basic things about our world like what the barrier was. And why warships couldn’t dock in Gromalia. And what made the pirate queen so dangerous.

“The iron guards,” he snarled. “How do you know?” The arm around my waist somehow became even tighter. “I recognize those fucking arrows.”

“Don’t cry. Gods, don’t cry.”

“Why? Are my feelings too much for you?”

“No. Because I want to gut anyone who made you cry. And I don’t want to have to impal...

Each time I was close to giving up, when all I wanted to do was hide beneath my bed, something would arrive from Conreth. Something small. A letter. Perhaps a new knife. Encouraging words.”

“I want to tell you about Crawyth.”

“Regner happened. He learned that the hybrids had made it a sanctuary of their own—your mother had made that happen. Even the priestesses were hybrids, and all of this was happening in his own kingdom. After the events the night my family was killed—and the way residents had found me on the outskirts of Valtana—Regner had been sure to keep rumors of the Bloodthirsty Prince alive. “He fed stolen power to one of his own people who could harness lightning. It didn’t matter that Regner’s puppet couldn’t use other elements like I could. Those who lived in Crawyth just saw buildings exploding. They saw the sky lit with lightning, and they saw a man who appeared to be fae, riding a dark horse. It was easy for them to believe it was me. But we had our own spies. One of them had warned Conreth of what Regner was planning.”

“I got there in time to witness the last of the destruction. The destruction happening in my name. Regner had used the reputation he’d created over and over, until I was known as a monster. A butcher. I found the impostor dressed like me, wielding less power at his best than I could at my weakest. We … fought. I attempted to shield the buildings around us from the worst of it. I could hear screaming. I knew the people were fleeing. I killed him.

“When I pierced the impostor’s wards, he threw his power out in a wide arc. He died, but I’d dropped my ward. Regner still had most of my power, and I was drained. I couldn’t hold the ward and attack. There was a child nearby.”

If she chose to take her throne, those around her would try to change her. They would try to harden her. To make her into a monster like me. I would do whatever it took to protect her from that.

“You seem changed.” “I haven’t seen you for three years.”

“You ignored my order.” His voice was carefully neutral. I just raised my eyebrow. “You told me to bring Prisca to the fae lands. I did.”

“My little friends are the reason you’re still wearing that crown,”

Conreth swept his gaze over me. “You’re different. I don’t like it.”