Glass Princess E-Book

M. Lynn

• Herausgeber: M. Lynn
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

A vengeful princess. A man who wants to save her.
On the shores of Madra, rebellion has won. 
Her family dead or missing, Helena seeks help from the kingdom across the sea. Bela. She knows it from stories of magic and war but now finds herself at the mercy of the intimidating Basile queen. Etta is everything Helena wishes she could have been for her family and everything she hopes to be still. Convincing the foreign warrior queen to let her stay is easy. Convincing her to train a princess she barely knows is something else entirely. 
When shocking news comes out of Gaule, Helena realizes the fight for Madra hasn’t ended. It has only just begun. 

Escape into the rebellion of Madra where they're fighting for much more than a crown. Full of romance, adventure, and intrigue, Glass Princess is book five in the Fantasy and Fairytales series.

Leseprobe

Glass Princess © 2019 M. Lynn

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Edited by Melissa Craven

Proofread by Patrick Hodges

Cover by Covers by Combs

Contents

The Six Kingdoms

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Epilogue

What’s Next?

Noble Thief

About M. Lynn

For Robin and Mackenzie.

The reason I know how to write meaningful sibling relationships. I learned the easy way - by having sisters who would fight for me if anyone ever tried to tear us apart.

Chapter One

Thunder split the sky, crashing down around Helena. The roar echoed among the trees, but she didn’t turn back.

Freezing rain pelted her pale face as she made the daily trek.

Thirteen long days. They’d been in Bela too long, and all she knew to do was wait.

“Len!” Dell ran to catch up to her, his long strides matching hers. “You can’t keep doing this.”

His words barely made it past the drumming of the rain, but she knew what he meant. It wasn’t the first time.

Her feet picked up speed. “I have to,” she yelled back.

A bolt of lightning lit up the gray morning sky.

“No.” He grabbed her arm, yanking her back. “You don’t.”

She turned to face him, pushing at his chest until he released her. “My brother is out there. Quinn is the only one left besides me and Kass.”

He didn’t say the words they were both thinking. He didn’t have to. His eyes said it all. If he’s not dead. If he hasn’t joined his twin’s side in Madra, then where is he?

She shook her head. “No. He’ll come.”

She turned and trudged up the hill to Bela’s lookout post.

Before he betrayed them, she’d thought Cole would always be by her side. How well did she really know her brothers?

Her fists clenched at her sides. She couldn’t think that way. Estevan gave his life to save her and Kassander, he was too good to betray his family. She knew them. She knew Quinn.

He’d come.

At the top of the hill, a small shack sat with a deck surrounding it. Helena had spent each excruciating day since her arrival sitting there. Waiting.

She wiped the rain from her face and yanked open the door. Aron turned at the sound of her entrance, a grim set to his handsome features. Shaking his sopping chestnut curls out of his face, he regarded her with surprise.

Dell pushed through the door behind her. “I thought you’d finally gain some sense and stay inside today.”

Helena moved to one of the windows spanning the far wall. “I’ve never claimed to have sense.”

Aron nodded as if that was a perfectly acceptable answer.

“I tried to stop her.” Dell wrung water from his dripping tunic.

Helena grunted.

A scowl marred Aron’s face. “She has her own mind. Let her use it.”

Helena barely heard their continuing conversation as her eyes scanned the countryside. She’d never seen anything so beautiful as Bela, but it wasn’t the vast thriving forests or plains of wildflowers she searched for today.

“Anything new?” she asked.

“Nothing more than a few traders from Dracon. The roads are clear.” Aron stepped closer to her near the warm hearth. “We’re unlikely to see much on a day such as this. Even with my gifts.”

Helena would never grow used to the incredible powers existing within Bela. Aron’s gift allowed him to see things others could not, and at great distances. Queen Persinette enlisted him to watch for the last Rhodipus sibling in case he did not arrive as a friendly visitor.

Still, Helena had faith in Quinn.

Aron moved around the small room with confidence, sliding chairs out of the way as he set about to stir up the small fire attempting to thrive in the stone fireplace.

Dell’s gaze held thinly veiled hostility. He’d never warmed up to the young man, and Helena knew he didn’t trust him. Then again, he didn’t trust anything in Bela, much to her annoyance.

Helena couldn’t fault him for that. She had a hard time believing Persinette and Alexandre had no motives other than helping them.

Aron turned from the fireplace. “I really should get back outside.”

“But it’s pouring rain out there.” Helena gestured to the window.

“I have a job to do and I see much better outside. My queen has entrusted me with this and I will do what I must.” He dipped his head once before slipping out just as another crack of thunder shook the walls.

“That man is crazy.” Dell flicked his eyes to the window.

Helena couldn’t disagree. The people of Bela had an unwavering loyalty to their king and queen. She’d seen nothing like it. It was… unnatural. In Madra, the people obeyed her father, but only because they feared what would happen if they dissented.

Was Cole now ruling with the same methods?

Anger seared through her blood when she thought of Cole. Her breath clogged in her throat. “I can’t stay here.” Before Dell could stop her, she ran out into the storm, finally able to breathe once she was outside. She dropped to her knees, her entire body shaking as images returned to her.

Flames. Flames. They seared across Helena’s vision until she saw nothing else.

Death. Her family was dead. Mother. Father. A sob caught in her throat. Estevan.

Arms wound around her, but they couldn’t hold her together.

Her ebony hair stuck to her lips as she sucked in a breath. A single rebellion had torn down everything she’d known in one night. Had it all really been that fragile?

“Helena.” Dell’s words warmed her otherwise icy skin. “Len, it’s okay. You’re here. We’re in Bela. It’s over. We don’t have to fight anymore.”

His words were meant to soothe her, to stop the panic clawing at her chest.

But he was wrong. Nothing was over. Their fight had only just begun.

* * *

By the time they returned to the village, the storm had moved on to ravage some other unsuspecting landscape.

Another day. Another disappointment.

Every morning, Helena woke with a small hope in her heart that it would be the day Quinn came for her.

Every night, she went to bed with the weight of defeat crushing her.

Dell walked beside her, a silent companion. They’d struggled to find much to say to each other. Both lost their families, but he didn’t feel it the way she did. His family wasn’t dead. They’d joined Cole in betraying the king, in killing her parents.

The palace of Bela sat on the edge of great white cliffs, across a small stream with a bridge connecting it to the rest of the village. Calling it a palace was generous. In truth, it only comprised four small bedrooms, a common space, kitchen, and a throne room lacking in any kind of grandness.

Just like the rest of Bela, its beauty lay in its simplicity.

Queen Persinette, who insisted on being called Etta, allowed Helena, Dell, Kassander, and Edmund to stay with her and her husband, King Alexandre.

The queen’s horse, Vérité, grazed outside the door as they walked up and Helena headed toward him. Dell walked by her without a word and went inside.

Vérité raised his head, fixing her with a golden-eyed stare that calmed her for the first time all day. The horse had taken an immediate liking to her as soon as she’d met him.

And she’d fallen for him when he’d bitten Edmund.

“Hey, buddy.” She reached out to dig her hand into his damp mane. “You stay safe in the storm today?”

Vérité stepped forward to nudge the side of her head with his nose.

A tear slipped from her eye as his understanding gaze pulled every bit of emotion she’d pushed down right up to the surface. Vérité dropped his nose to her shoulder.

“I’m okay, Vérité. Or I will be. One day.” She shook her head. “Why am I talking to a horse?”

“From my experience…” Etta stepped from the doorway. “It’s because there’s no better listener than Vérité. No judgment. Only comfort.” A smile curved the queen’s lips. “And he’ll never repeat anything you say. He’s honorable that way.”

Helena met Etta’s soft gaze. She’d heard the stories of the Belaen queen who’d fought La Dame… and won. Anyone who had doubts of the tales need only to look at the woman and they’d become a believer. Fierceness emanated from her.

In all honesty, Etta terrified Helena.

When Edmund appeared behind Etta, Helena’s shoulders relaxed.

“Supper is ready,” Edmund said, his voice as lifeless as it had been since they’d arrived on Bela’s shores.

At least one person felt the loss as strongly as Helena did.

She nodded to the queen as she walked past her to wrap her arms around Edmund’s waist. He stiffened in surprise before returning the hug and resting his chin on her head.

“No luck today, then?” he asked.

Helena shook her head against his chest. “Sorry I’m getting you wet.”

Helena could feel Etta’s eyes burning into her back. The two royal women experienced a strange tension every time Helena was around Edmund. Was the queen jealous of their friendship?

Edmund hadn’t told any of his Belean friends what Estevan had truly meant to him, and his morose demeanor put a barrier between them because they couldn’t understand the gravity of what he’d lost.

She walked further into the palace, one arm still hooked around Edmund’s waist. King Alexandre, Dell, and Kassander sat near the fireplace with full plates of boar steaks and some kind of leafy vegetable in front of them. Alexandre said something that made the other two laugh.

Helena’s arm tightened around Edmund.

“I know,” he whispered. “I feel it too.”

She tried not to hate them for their joy, but it had already entered her mind.

“I’m not hungry.” She released Edmund. “I think I’ll just change into something dry and lay down.”

He brushed a hand over her hair and placed a kiss on the side of her head. “I promised Stev I’d keep you safe, Len. Just remember, whether or not Quinn comes, Kassander isn’t the only brother you have left.”

She turned away before he could see the tears shining on her face. “Thanks for saying that, Edmund.”

After rushing into her room and shutting the door, she leaned up against it, whispering to herself.

“I’m not alone. I’m not alone.”

She stripped the wet clothes from her body and pulled on a sleeping gown before collapsing into her bed. Her mother would have chastised her for planning to sleep the day away, but she didn’t have it in her to rise again.

Tomorrow would be another long day of waiting for someone who might never come.

Chapter Two

“Use your sword, Dell, not your body!” King Alexandre rubbed his side where Dell had rammed him.

Dell stopped. “Shouldn’t I use anything that will help me win?”

“Of course. But in most fights that’s going to be the blade you have in your hands.”

“Unless I’m awful with the blade.”

Alex grinned. “Unless that. Take it from someone who knows, you don’t want to be awful with the blade.”

Dell groaned. He was a boxer, a brawler, not a swordsman. “Why are we doing this again?”

“Why indeed.” Etta clapped from her position at the side of a large oak that had shielded her from their view.

“Here we go,” Alex grumbled. “Aren’t you supposed to have meetings all morning?”

“Still no word from Ty, so Matteo and I postponed a few until tomorrow.” She turned to Dell. “Did you know, Mr. Tenyson, that you have the great pleasure of being trained by Alexandre Durand, worst swordsman in Bela.”

Alex shook his head. “I’ve trained for years to get rid of the title and she won’t let me.”

Etta walked toward him and patted the side of his face. “He’s lucky he has a wife who can protect him.”

Alex trapped her hand against his cheek. “Very lucky.”

She grinned and kissed him before disarming him and shoving him away. Picking up his discarded sword, she passed it between her hands.

Dell backed away as she advanced.

“Sword up,” she commanded. “Stop staring at the blade. It can attack from any direction before you get the chance to react. Watch my feet and my body position. They will give you warning.”

She shifted her feet forward and lunged. Dell only had enough time to block the attack before she made her next move. He ducked out of the way, almost falling to the ground.

Dell had never considered himself unskilled and had even done okay against Alex, but Etta moved with the stealth of a cat while using the strength of a boar.

She peppered him with attacks before finally stepping back and wiping sweat from her brow. “I never feel right if a day goes by where I don’t hold a sword in my hand.”

Dell chuckled. “Bet that works great as the queen of a peaceful kingdom.”

Etta’s smile spread across her face. “I like you, Dell. Come. You and I need to have a talk.”

He looked to Alex, but the king only shrugged.

Etta started down the forest path without glancing back to make sure he was coming.

“I don’t have much time.” She pushed open the palace door. “But we can’t go on as we have been.”

He followed her inside. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sit.” She pointed to the table on her way into the kitchen. When she returned, she carried two mugs brimming with ale.

“Thanks.” He chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I may have been fathered by a powerful man, but I basically raised myself on the city streets. Now I’m having an ale with a foreign queen.”

“And protecting a princess.” She raised an eyebrow.

He took a long drink, avoiding her gaze. As much as he tried to help Helena, the princess wouldn’t let him. It was as if she’d forgotten everything that happened before the rebellion. He no longer existed for her.

“Look, Dell…” Etta sighed. “Bela has been through a lot, lost a lot. So, I know the toll it takes. It hasn’t been easy rebuilding our kingdom, but this peace is our reward. I lived most of my life beholden to others, but more importantly, beholden to my own secrets. I recognize the signs. I have tried everything I can think of to get my Edmund back. There was a time when he saved me, kept me sane. When he chose to become our ambassador to Madra, I felt every moment of his absence. But it’s as if he’s still gone. He returned to us, but part of him is still across the sea.”

Dell almost told her. Of Estevan and his relationship with Edmund. Of everything Edmund had done to prevent the rebellion.

But those weren’t his secrets to tell.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty. I can’t help you. Just… don’t give up on him. Edmund is the only reason I’m sitting here today. He’s the reason Helena and Kassander made it out of Madra. I’ve never met anyone like him… but the sacrifices he had to make…” Dell shook his head. “I know what it’s like to watch someone you care about lose bits of themselves.”

Etta put a hand on Dell’s arm. “Then I’ll tell you the same thing. Don’t give up on her. She’ll come back to you.” She drained the rest of her ale and stood. “I must attend to a few things. Thank you for this.”

Before she made it to the door, a frazzled Matteo rushed in, his blonde hair disheveled from the wind and his cheeks rosy from the cold. “Tyson has returned.”

“About time.” Etta followed him to the throne room.

Dell joined them as the young man burst through the door and rushed to his sister, throwing his arms around her.

Was nothing formal in Bela?

Helena appeared at Dell’s side. “I was with Aron when they rode through the valley. For a moment, I thought it was Quinn.”

“I’m sorry.” Dell gripped her hand. She stiffened but didn’t pull away.

Alexandre appeared and reached Tyson is three long strides. “You were supposed to return two days ago.”

“You know mother.” He grinned. “She wanted to fatten me up.”

Dell would never wrap his head around the dynamics between Bela and Gaule. Alex and Tyson were the sons of the Gaulean queen but had different fathers. Tyson shared a father with Etta who married Alex. And then there was Camille who was still in Madra and the sister to both princes.

Alex’s smile dropped. “You went to see her, didn’t you?”

Dell had spent most of his time either following Helena to the lookout post or among the people of Bela. It was there he learned everything he needed to know about the family they now relied on for protection.

The young prince Tyson was in love with a girl who’d only ever been his friend. Once Dracon suffered defeat, the girl returned to Gaule to run her family’s estate.

Tyson studied the ground. “Amalie wasn’t at her estate. I tried, but…”

Alex put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, brother. What word do you have from Gaule? Does mother know of the happenings in Madra?”

A guilty expression flashed across his face. “She knows of the takeover. The new king has reached out to her and assured Camille’s safety and the continuation of the treaty. Mother intends to honor it.”

A stream of curses flitted through Dell’s mind, but he didn’t voice a single one as Helena squeezed his hand, the first sign she wanted his support.

The only hope they had of a peaceful resolution to this problem was if the other kingdoms put pressure on Madra. Gaule was the key to that.

“It’s happening again,” Edmund said. When had he arrived?

“No.” Etta’s braid slapped her shoulder as she shook her head. “We can trust Queen Catrine.”

“Can we?”

“Watch it,” Alex growled.

Edmund held his hands in front of his chest. “Look, I don’t mean to say Catrine is against magic-folk in the way your father was. But you have to see the signs. Non-magic kingdoms allying in fear of us? If Cana or Andes joins the alliance…”

“Cana will never ally themselves with anyone.” To Dell’s surprise, it was Helena who spoke up.

“We can’t know that,” Matteo chimed in.

“Actually, I’m the one person in this room who probably does. You say your friend is in Cana?”

“Ara,” Etta confirmed.

Helena continued. “That doesn’t mean you know anything about it. Most of the kingdoms live in blissful ignorance of what goes on beyond those borders because foreigners rarely make it out.” She breathed deeply. “Cana has no loyalty to one king or queen. They are separated into clans who are too busy fighting one another to worry about other kingdoms. You should certainly fear the individual Canaans with their assassin’s skill, but don’t worry about them signing any treaties.”

“How do you know all that?” Dell asked.

“It’s not important.”

Etta eyed her curiously. “Okay then. We need to maintain a close watch of Gaule and Madra. We have another matter of import.” She nodded to Tyson.

Tyson pulled out an unsealed letter. “They allowed Camille to write to my mother.” He held it toward Helena.

Helena snatched the paper, unfolding it rapidly. Dell read over her shoulder, his eyes only catching parts of it.

…

honor the treaty, mother. It’s the only way to ensure peace with Madra. The new king is an honorable man.

That didn’t sound like the princess at all, at least the Camille he’d met. “She didn’t write this.”

Most of the letter meant nothing to him until he came upon the words he knew would break Helena in two.

Prince Estevan died in his cell three days ago of illness. Cole was going to let his brother live.

The paper fell from her fingers, fluttering to the floor as tears cascaded down her face.

Dell tried to pull her to him, but she put up a hand to stop the movement.

“You could fix this.” Helena’s voice was so quiet, Dell wasn’t sure anyone else heard her until they all stopped. She lifted her eyes to scan the room, finally settling them on the queen. “Madra would be no match against Bela.”

“No,” Etta cut her off.

“But your magic—”

“I said no.”

“You won’t help? You’ll let me sit here idly for what… the rest of my life?” Helena straightened her spine, sending the queen a scathing look. “Madra is mine. Not Cole’s. Mine. My father is dead. They murdered my mother as I hid. I’m not hiding anymore. I am now the heir to the Madran throne.”

“We can’t.” Remorse mixed with stubbornness filled Etta’s eyes. “We have a responsibility as magic-wielders not to use our magic to overrun other kingdoms. We aren’t tyrants.”

“They. Killed. My. Brother.”

Edmund dropped to the ground at the words, needing to see the letter for himself. A strangled cry escaped his lips.

They’d all assumed Estevan wouldn’t live much longer, but the confirmation brought every emotion they’d hidden since the rebellion crashing into the room.

Edmund held the letter to his chest for a moment before ripping it in two, standing, and stalking from the room.

Etta and Alex’s gazes both followed him.

“Oh.” Understanding lit in Etta’s eyes.

“Len,” Dell whispered.

She shook her head, stumbling back until she reached the door. Dell didn’t follow her as she disappeared.

“I wish we could help them.” Etta leaned into Alex.

“Would it really be so bad?” Tyson asked. “We can’t let Camille marry a usurper.”

“Ty.” Alex fixed him with a stare. “If Bela marches into kingdoms to fix them or use the magic to subdue them, it sets expectations. Etta won’t live forever. We won’t begin down the road of dictatorship. That was how La Dame became so powerful. Magic cannot be used against non-magical folk. It isn’t right.”

Tyson sighed. “Sometimes, I wish you guys didn’t always do the right thing. I want to march into Madra and gut the king who killed Edmund’s boyfriend.”

Alex reeled back in shock. Matteo turned away.

Tyson looked between them. “You guys didn’t know?”

“You did?” Etta asked.

“From the first time I saw him. I know Edmund almost as well as I know myself. He loved the prince.”

Alex cursed. “I need to go find him.”

Dell blocked the door. “Your Majesty, the only person on this earth right now that Helena will let in is Edmund. Let them be there for each other. Just for right now.”

Alex looked as if he’d protest.

“He’s right,” Etta said. “If Edmund wanted us to help him, he’d have let us. That girl means as much to him now as you or I.”

Alex’s shoulders dropped.

Dell left them in the throne room to find some solace of his own. Estevan’s confident face flashed through his mind. Dell went against his family and joined Edmund because Edmund was so sure Estevan would do great things for Madra.

He’d been the hope for many people.

And now, like a candle in the night, he’d been extinguished, and all Dell could see of Madra’s future was darkness.

Chapter Three

For weeks, Helena assumed Stev was dead. She’d seen Cole taking him prisoner in the moments before she’d succumbed to her injuries. One of Cole’s men had stabbed her, and the last thing she’d seen was Dell hovering over her, shielding her from her brother’s wrath.

But something nagged at the back of her mind. She had to know what really happened in that hallway. Every excruciating detail. Estevan was really gone, and she had to know why.

Why didn’t he escape with them? Why did he stay? Why did Edmund let him?

The questions were the only things keeping her from dipping her head under the current of her grief and refusing to surface again.

A freezing wind whipped her hair from her shoulders, and she pulled her cloak tight around herself. In the distance, a lone figure sat at the edge of the cliffs with his legs dangling over the side.

Edmund hunched his back, collapsing in on himself. As Helena neared, she took in the sound of violent waves crashing on the rocks below. Fitting.

She approached Edmund silently and lowered herself beside him, glancing over the edge of the cliff before inching back. “How are you not terrified of falling?”

Edmund continued to stare out at the churning sea. “I fear many things, Lenny. Falling to my death is not one of them.”

“That’s… morose.”

He finally turned to face her, but his eyes held a faraway look. “My greatest fear has already happened.”

“Mine too.”

His lips tugged down, and he ran a hand through his blonde hair. After a beat of silence, he slid back from the edge of the cliff and pulled Helena against his side. She buried her face in his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

“I wasn’t only afraid of losing Stev,” he whispered. “It’s anyone I love. So much has happened in the past few years. Bela’s war with Dracon. Turmoil in Gaule. The Madran rebellion. I’ve been living in constant terror of the people around me dying. Etta, Alex, Tyson, Matteo, Stev, You… Even Camille. At this point, I’d probably even get upset if Vérité died, and I hate that blasted horse.”

A sound between a laugh and a cry escaped Helena’s mouth. “I’ve never experienced fear like that. My entire life, I’ve been protected, shielded. Now it’s all I can think about. How do you live like this, Edmund? With your heart ripped out of your chest again and again.”

“I’m still trying to figure that out.” A tear tracked down his face, and Helena wiped it away with her thumb.

“I keep wondering if it would be better for Quinn to be dead or for him to have chosen Cole.”

“Not dead.” Edmund shook his head.

“But if he betrayed us too… I can’t live with that.”

“Yes, you can. It’s amazing the kinds of things we can live with.” He sucked in a breath and fell silent.

Helena shivered, and Edmund pulled her closer.

The words she wanted to say next clogged in her throat. Edmund’s eyes held so much pain. Was it right for her to make him relive it?

His entire body shook, and she knew he was reliving it anyway.

“Edmund.”

He didn’t respond for a long moment as he got his breathing under control. “Yeah, Len?”

“I don’t remember being taken from the palace. My final moments with Stev are just… gone.” It took all her effort to keep a quiver out of her voice. “I need to know everything.”

He sighed. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised you haven’t asked before now.”

“My brother wasn’t dead before now.”

Edmund’s gaze wandered away from her again. “Don’t fool yourself, Len. He’s been dead to us since we left that palace. We always knew we wouldn’t get him back.”

She pressed her lips together. “Please, just tell me.”

“Cole…” He cleared his throat. “He was going to arrest us all. You and I had been captured. One of Cole’s men threw a knife at you.” He rested his cheek on her hair. “I thought you were dead.”

He stopped speaking, and she squeezed his hand, urging him to go on.

He did. “Stev thought you were gone too. But Kassander wasn’t. He and Dell had hidden him. Once the healer said you wouldn’t live, Stev made a deal.”

Helena tilted her head up to look at him. “What kind of deal?”

“If Cole allowed me, you, Dell, and Kass to leave, he’d give himself over willingly and tell his people to stand down.”

Helena leaned away from him and scooted back. “It’s all my fault. He’s dead because of me.” She got to her feet.

Edmund followed her. “No. He thought you’d die whether we got you to Corban or not. Stev sacrificed himself for me and Kassander. Every bit of fault lies with me.”

Helena couldn’t hear any more. She turned on her heel and ran back to the palace. Etta and Alex stared at her as she sprinted toward the room she was staying in. She searched under the mattress for the only piece of her mother she had left.

Her knives.

Two golden-hilted blades came free, and she tucked them into the bodice of her simple shift dress before leaving the same way she’d come. Anger churned through her veins, and if she didn’t let it loose, she’d do something she regretted.

She reached the clearing behind the palace and pulled the knives free. Centering her body with the base of a tall pine tree, she raised one arm. Inhale. Exhale. Flick the wrist. Release.

The knife stuck in the tree with a thunk. She didn’t pause before sending the second in the same arc.

She ran to the tree and yanked them free before finding a second target. Anger and desperation fueled her drive, making her forget everything but the weight of the blades in her hands.

As Helena released the first knife again, someone screamed, ducking out of the way. The knife hit a tree and clattered to the ground.

Kassander’s dark head appeared in the clearing, his eyes wide.

Had she been so focused, she hadn’t seen her brother there? She ran forward. “Kass, you okay?”

He lifted his head, a grin spread across his face. “How did you learn to do that?”

In that moment, Helena realized Kassander didn’t know. No one told him about Stev. She pulled him off the ground and hugged his lanky frame, ruffling his familiar curls.

“Hey.” He pulled back. “What’s wrong, Len?”

Her face fell. Even her little brother could read every emotion in her eyes.

“I need to tell you something, Kass.”

“If it’s about Quinn…”

“It’s not. It’s about Stev.”

Kassander’s brow furrowed.

“He died, Kass.”

Kassander grimaced. “We already knew he was dead.”

“No, we’d only assumed.”

“I don’t see the difference.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I thought you were going to tell me we lost another brother.”

Helena bent to peer into her brother’s eyes. She took his chin between two fingers, forcing him not to look away. “Do you have faith in Quinn?”

He nodded.

“So do I. And Kass, if he never comes, you still have me. Okay, kid? You’ll always have me.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “You’ll always have me too.”

Every bit of anger she’d felt seeped out of her at those words. She wasn’t alone. Madra hadn’t only been her kingdom. She wasn’t the only one who would one day want it back.

* * *

Nothing changed in Bela as the days turned into nights. Helena continued watching for Quinn alongside Aron, but he never came. Edmund still went off on his own most days, but in the evenings, he’d sit with Alex and tell him of his time in Madra.

Kassander and Corban had taken to following Alex around, fascinated by the confident king, the man without magic who lived among the magic-folk.

Dell improved with the sword. Not like he’d ever get the chance to use it.

And each moment they sat across the sea, the people of Madra were ruled by a usurper, a bastard prince.

Helena tried to push thoughts of the brother she’d loved from her mind. Still loved? Was that even allowed? She couldn’t reconcile the brother she’d grown up with and the man who killed her parents.

She turned over in bed as light streamed through the window. The smell of bacon hit her as soon as she opened her eyes. The normalcy of that smell was like a shock to the heart. Nothing was normal.

After pulling herself from the bed, she changed into a pair of woolen pants and a heavy shirt before padding across the cold stone floor to the kitchen.

The king of Bela stood shirtless in front of the stove, sweat dripping down his back as he turned over griddle cakes and bacon.

Helena froze, her jaw falling open. Alexandre Durand was a beautiful man. In Madra, the royal family had a host of servants preparing every meal. It had taken quite a bit of getting used to over the last few weeks to have the king and queen do everything for themselves.

It was the way of Bela. Etta may lead, but she did not rule. And her people were more loyal because of it. Because she was one of them.

The queen in question stepped up to Helena’s side. “He wanted to cheer you guys up, make you feel more at home, after…” She didn’t need to say it. After they learned of their brother’s death.

Edmund appeared behind them. “So he decided to walk around shirtless? That’s one way to cheer us up.”

Etta pushed his shoulder. “No. He made breakfast.”

Edmund laughed, the sound making them all pause. He’d been in such pain he hadn’t so much as cracked a smile recently. He froze as if realizing what he’d done. That for just a moment, he’d forgotten what he was supposed to be feeling.

Alex turned. “If I knew all it took was bacon to hear that sound again, I’d have made it every morning.”

Etta covered her mouth with her hands and pretended to cough. “Wasn’t the bacon.”

Helena smiled, thankful for the lightness she’d missed so much. She’d always joked around with her siblings, but never had friends of her own.

Edmund blushed, but shrugged as if he wasn’t ashamed. Helena wished she knew herself so well. She spotted Dell sitting near the fire, his gaze trained on her. His eyes darkened, and Helena pulled hers away.

What would it be like to give in to her desires like everyone else around her? Stev had been so brave, so strong in being with the person he loved. She could only imagine what their father’s reaction would have been. The two men would have been separated at the very least.

What had Helena ever been brave about? She lived her life behind a mask, never showing who she really was.

Stev lived freely. He may have been stiff and formal at times, but he defied their father to give food to the people. He fell in love with another man. He protected her at all costs.

She turned to Etta who still stood ogling her husband. “Are you busy today?”

Etta raised an eyebrow. “Nah. I’m not the queen of an entire kingdom or anything.”

“I’m done watching for someone to come help me. Quinn may be out there still, but I can’t keep wasting time. You say Bela won’t aid Madra, but Madra isn’t alone. They still have me. Train me to fight.”

Dell choked on a laugh. “Len, what do you know about fighting?”

She scowled, swinging her gaze around the room. Tyson, Alex, and Matteo glanced away. Edmund stayed quiet.

Etta considered her response. “When I turned eighteen, I had to enter a tournament, fighting to the death to protect that oaf.” She pointed to her husband. “Every single man I met laughed at me.” She leaned forward. “And you know what I did?”

Helena shook her head.

A gleeful glint entered Etta’s gaze. “Beat them.” She turned to the others surrounding them. “Matteo, clear my calendar. I will be occupied today.”

The queen’s cousin shook his head. “Not today, Etta. We have meetings all day with the traders from Dracon and Gaule. Then you’re scheduled to hold court this afternoon.”

Etta waved his words off. “You can handle the meetings, oh trusted one. Alex will join you. Take Edmund too. He knows this kingdom as well as anyone and it’ll occupy his mind.”

Edmund started to protest, but one look from Etta shut him up.

“Grab some food, Helena. I don’t intend to be easy on you.”

Helena piled food onto a plate and took her seat next to Dell.

“You sure about this?” he asked.

“Never been more sure of anything.”

“Persinette Basile is one of the greatest fighters there is.”

“Then there’s no one else I want training me to return to Madra.” She bit into her food.

“You really want to go back?” He eyed her skeptically.

“Do you believe in me, Dell?”

He nodded without hesitation. “Of course I do.”