CHAPTER 7
THEY PUT HER IN A CELL BY HERSELF. Gains strung her up against the cold stone wall, forcing her to stand with her arms above her head, her ankles shackled now, too. She was alone except for a black bird that watched her closely from a perch over the door. She recognized it as Reighven’s familiar.
There were half a dozen heart magic spells she could do from this position, but all she could think of was the life draining from Eden’s eyes.
And the other two? Velicity and the black-haired woman whose name she didn’t even know? What had become of them?
She thought about the Heartstop that she hadn’t been able to complete.
You have to really mean it, Princess, Reighven had said. She knew that to be true. To use the darker magics, one had to channel that darkness inside of oneself.
Reighven had killed Eden because she was nothing to him. The hate that burned in her heart now was enough to squeeze the life out of him. If she had the opportunity again, she wouldn’t fail.
Standing upright with the feeling drifting out of her hands, Briony finally had a moment to think.
Why did she have her magic? No, not her magic. Her magic was mind magic. This magic was the thing she rarely tapped into, and then only when she needed to help Rory.
Did this collar only work on mind magic? No. Larissa was also wearing a collar, and she was a heart magician. Unless Larissa was there to deceive them...
Briony tugged on the magic in her chest. She twirled her fingertips and felt a breeze cast its way through the dark empty room. She felt the pulse of it
in her chest, thick like honey.
It made her think of Rory.
Rory was dead. Her father was dead. There were no other Rosewood men that she knew of. The line was gone. Her entire realm was ended. Despite many other countries moving past patriarchal succession, though slowly, Evermore had never budged. There was only the king, and then his male heir.
There would never be a queen. Any time in the past that Evermore had been left in a position like this, with no male heir, the women in the family had scrambled to produce one while the cabinet ruled as regent. Briony didn’t even know how many cabinet advisers had survived. Any? Even so, it would take a male heir from Briony, Phoebe, or Phoebe’s sister, Finola, to reinstate their line.
Where was Finola? She hadn’t been in the dungeon with the other women.
The last time Briony had seen her, she was portaling out of the Claremore courtyard, carrying out a mission. Could she hope that Finola hadn’t been captured at all?
Briony created lists upon lists of questions that didn’t have answers. She created lists of those who possibly survived. Sammy, Didion...Was Sammy’s father still alive? She couldn’t imagine letting someone like General Billium Meers live. Perhaps he was being tortured for all the realm’s military information.
Briony tried to let her mind center on immediate problems, like the auction.
Would the Bomardi really sell them like animals?
But she didn’t have to think on that long. She knew it to be true. The final year at the Bomardi school, before the attack, the Bomardi boys had whispered about it. She’d heard more than a few numbers thrown around
when one of their prettier classmates walked by. Numbers they would pay to
own her.
Briony shivered.
Perhaps she’d seen Toven Hearst talking numbers less than the others.
Maybe she’d imagined it—the way he’d tell his friends to knock it off, the way he’d had to tell Collin Twindle to shut up about how much money he
had to spend.
Maybe she just wanted it to be true.
Liam Quill had gotten into a fistfight with Didion in the final year at Bomard, and when they’d been separated—with Liam the worse off—Liam had given one parting shot: “When the walls come down in Evermore, you best not let me find you,” he’d hissed. “I won’t even sell you off. I’ll keep you, chain you, bleed your magic dry”—he’d nodded at Briony in the crowd —“and make you watch as I fuck your girl every night.”
Briony had scarcely known what Liam was talking about then, only that she was suddenly a part of the narrative.
Didion had bellowed at him, fighting off the tutors holding him back.
Toven had stepped in, shoved Didion back with magic, and quick as lightning wrapped his hand around Liam’s throat. He whispered something into Liam’s face that had the boy snarling, and Briony had been swept into the retreating crowd as more tutors had appeared. All three boys had gotten demerits.
Briony had thought a lot about Toven’s reaction, both then and now. He hated vulgarity—always had. Toven’s mother had been a socialite from across the sea, a dignitary’s daughter. Briony thought perhaps Serena had raised Toven quite differently from the other Bomardi boys.
But of course, there were times he’d proved her wrong...
The black bird cawed, making Briony jump. The door opened with a creaking sound, and adrenaline flooded Briony’s tired body. She stood upright, having started to sag.
Reighven slid into the cell with a coy grin, leaning against the door to close it. He crossed his arms, and it wasn’t lost on Briony that she was alone
with a dangerous, lecherous man.
“I appreciate your fight, Princess.”
She said nothing, just watched him.
He sauntered closer, and Briony’s eyes flicked to the crack in the door, begging someone to come in.
“I always have,” he said, tilting his head. “Appreciated you, I mean. It’s a shame you couldn’t kill me back there. For you.”
He stopped in front of her, and she had to press her back against the stones to keep from brushing him as she breathed. He lifted a hand, and her blood froze in her veins. He trailed a finger over the thin sleeve at her shoulder.
“Gains won’t sell you to me privately. He thinks the Princess of Evermore will fetch a high price at auction.” His fingertip slid down her dress, following the fabric. “But don’t worry, pet. I’ve been saving for this for a long time. You’ll be mine.”
His hand passed over her ribs, over her hip.
“So I don’t think there’s a problem with an early taste.”
The chains rattled as she shook. “Get your hands off me,” she snarled, far braver than she felt.
He smirked at her, his rancid breath puffing against her face. “We’re going to have so much fun together.” His hand cupped her between the legs over her dress.
Briony gasped as every muscle in her body turned to ice.
“I wasn’t aware Gains was open to negotiation,” said a voice from the doorway. Reighven removed his hand and stepped back, and Briony’s knees gave out in relief. Until she realized who it was.
Orion Hearst stood in the cell entry. Toven’s father—and there was no doubt about it. He’d given his son that preternaturally silver-gray hair and his towering height. Orion was not only the richest man in all Bomard, but also the most ruthless. Over the four years that Evermore had warred with Bomard, Orion Hearst had been on every major front line. With an unheard- of skill to split his casting against multiple opponents, he was the most feared fighter in Bomard. And since Mallow had come to power, he had started increasing his power, now no longer feeling his heart rip with every kill. The price of Heartstop was something Orion Hearst no longer had to pay.
Rory once asked Briony why Orion Hearst was only eighth in line for the Seat. “With so much power and so much money, why is he so low on the succession line?”
“Self-preservation,” Briony had guessed. “Any higher up and he’d be a target.”
Rory hadn’t understood that, but Briony, who’d hidden herself for years as something unremarkable, had a certain respect for someone who knew they deserved more but held themselves back for whatever reason. Briony’s reason was Rory. She wondered what Orion’s reason was.
Reighven frowned at Orion. “You got my message?”
Orion pulled a vial from his pocket, twitching it slightly. “The Gowarnus herb mixture.” Orion stepped into the room, his form backlit from the hallway torches. “So good of you to keep her company, Reighven,” he said silkily. “I’ll be sure to let Gains know that his lot has a friend in you.”
Lot. As in, a lot up for auction.
Reighven sneered and stepped away from her. “She’ll be mine soon enough. I would have paid Gains the five thousand gold.”
Briony’s brows jumped at the sum.
“I’m sure,” Orion hummed. He turned his eyes on Briony as he stopped directly in front of her. “Miss Rosewood. Lovely to see you again,” he said mockingly. “I believe the last time we met was the day the Bomardi school fell.” His brows lifted in fake realization. “Ah, no. I’m thinking of someone else entirely. Aren’t I?”
Briony pressed her lips together. The other thing people said about Orion Hearst was that he liked to play with his prey.
Briony met his gaze with more bravery than she felt. “Mr. Hearst. It’s kind of you to call,” she said, her voice steady even as her stomach turned to ice.
His eyes narrowed on her, and for a moment she felt examined, flayed open. He looked so much like his son, but where Toven lacked patience, Orion Hearst was nothing if not patient.
He uncorked the vial and tipped it to her lips. She pressed her mouth closed, shaking her head, but with barely a flick of his fingers, her mouth was
magically wrenched open. She tried to close her throat, but she coughed on the sour elixir all the way down. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to hold on to the vein that channeled her heart magic, searching for the pulse in her chest. But with a final flutter, it was gone. There was nothing there—it was dormant now.
“Why didn’t the collar work on her?” Reighven asked.
Orion lifted a pale finger and traced the metal around Briony’s neck. A ring with a black gemstone glinted. “It could be any number of things.
Rosewoods are known for their protective magic. She could have blocked the collar somehow.” Orion glanced at Reighven. “It’s a predicament for her future warden. For now, the Gowarnus elixir will render her innocuous.”
“For how long?” Reighven asked.
Orion turned his eyes on Briony. “They all will need to be dosed every three days. Just to be certain.” He capped the vial and tilted his head, speaking to her now. “Miss Eden Wincet is dead. Miss Velicity Punt is injured. Miss Katrina Cove is badly wounded as well. Why do you insist on hurting your own people, Miss Rosewood? What a waste of Eversun blood, one would say—if one cared for Eversuns, as you claim to.”
Briony swallowed, knowing what mind game he was playing. “Eden Wincet was scarcely more than a child,” she hissed. “And you—you proud and loyal Bomardi—were going to sell her off like livestock.”
His brows furrowed in mock concentration. “No, no. I treat my cows far better than I’d treat an Eversun. Mark me.”
Briony spat in his face.
Orion Hearst didn’t blink.
He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her saliva without
looking away from her.
She’d spat on his son once.
He’d had an entirely different reaction.
Orion looked down as he folded his handkerchief and put it back in his pocket. “I should have you killed for that.” He looked up at her. “But I don’t spend my money on slaves, and I’d hate to have to pay Gains thirty thousand just for slashing your throat.” Briony sucked in a shaking breath, and Orion
continued, raising his voice to address Reighven, “That’s how men like me stay rich, you see. We don’t need to waste money on magic heartsprings.”
“Only one of the reasons I want her, but thank you for the tip,” Reighven said venomously.
“Ah.” Orion glanced at the other man. “Men like me don’t pay for that, either.” He sent Reighven a withering smile. “Now, Miss Rosewood.
Someone would like to see you. I hope you’ll pay them a bit more respect.”
Briony’s heart twisted. She looked up into Orion’s eyes and only saw Toven, wondered if he was here, if he was coming to see her— The door opened, and Veronika Mallow stepped inside.
Briony’s muscles locked in terror.
“Briony. It’s good to see you again.” Mallow’s voice was smooth and sinuous, as if it could wrap around a person and squeeze. She moved into the cell like a nymph through water, her long black robes flowing behind her.
Gains followed her in, and then four of the most dangerous people in all Bomard were gazing upon Briony.
Adrenaline flooded her, and Briony swallowed around the fear in her throat.
Mallow tilted her head, catlike. She was thinner than Briony remembered.
Her long black hair was pin-straight and fell like a sheet. She had a necklace of onyx stones and earrings to match. Her eyes traced down Briony’s body, taking in her dirt- and bloodstained dress.
“The escape attempt happened before bathing, I presume.”
This woman had killed her father, killed her brother, and still had the audacity to care about the grime on Briony’s skin and clothing.
“We were on our way to the baths and the medics when she organized her little stunt,” said Gains.
“She’s feisty,” said Reighven. “She got another killed—”
“Silence,” Mallow all but whispered.
Briony noted the reaction—the immediate way the men quieted. The way their breaths caught in the chests, waiting for instruction.
Mallow’s lips twitched. She stepped forward, and Briony could see the endless tunnels in her eyes.
“Isn’t it fascinating to see that she bleeds just the same as we do?” she said to the others. She gripped Briony’s jaw and turned her face, examining the bloodstains on her. “Not a speck of gold anywhere. Makes you wonder why there’s such a fuss about the Rosewood bloodline after all.”
Briony pulled her face out of Mallow’s grip. It was a common legend that the king and his family bled gold. It was founded on nothing but the presumption that the king was predestined to rule by the nobility of his bloodline.
Mallow tilted her head. “Miss Rosewood, I am only letting you live because my followers have requested it. It seems you haven’t kept from catching the eye of all the Bomardi men since the last time I saw you.”
Briony shivered.
Mallow reached up a bony hand and traced one of Briony’s curls.
“You still intend to put her up for bidding, Gains?” she asked.
“Yes, Mistress.”
Briony’s eyes flicked to him at the use of the title. Seats of Bomard went by “High Seat” or “Sir” or “Madame.”
“All right,” Mallow said. “We’ll need to spay her.”
Briony’s stomach dropped. Her mouth opened. She couldn’t mean— “Wait.” The words rushed out. “Please—”
“Do you wish to have Reighven’s children, Briony?” Mallow said with a twist to her lips. “I hear he’s the most likely to win you. And I think he’d find it hard to keep his hands off a...prize like you.”
Briony swallowed, refusing to look at the man in question, who was probably smiling at her.
“He wouldn’t—He could use protection,” she mumbled.
She had always wanted children, always craved the creation of a family she hadn’t had. But not like this.
And more than that, she wanted to believe that this wasn’t the end of Evermore. That one day they would organize and rise from the ashes. That she would find a way to save her family’s future.
And Mallow stared at her, realizing Briony’s deepest desires.
“Oh. No, Briony,” she said softly. She ran her cold fingers down her
cheek. “No, it’s over, dear heart. I killed him. And I burned his body.” She leaned in to Briony’s ear and whispered, “There is no home to go back to.”
Briony saw red. She lunged forward, reaching out with her teeth for Mallow’s skin. There was bone under her grip, and she bit down as Mallow screamed.
Magic was flung at her from all directions. She was forced back against the stone, her head cracking. Her jaw was shoved wide, almost to the point of breaking.
Orion was at Mallow’s side, but Mallow wrenched away from his protective arm. A perfect circle of teeth was impressed on the corner of her dainty jawline.
If Briony could smile with her mouth winched open, she would have.
The men spoke over one another, snarling threats, but Briony only had eyes for Mallow. I’ll kill you myself one day, she thought, hoping the intention was clear.
Mallow stared at her in fascination, bringing her hands up to halt the men.
The spells suddenly released her. Mallow narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“You’ll have your hands full, Reighven. I like her.”
With a twist of Mallow’s hand, Briony’s mouth snapped shut, her teeth clicking loudly, and she was unable to separate them. She was muzzled.
Mallow stepped toward her again, only inches away. “Just so we’re clear.
I’m keeping you alive because you’re interesting and because my men wish it.” She shrugged. “I also happen to believe you’re headed to a fate worse than death. But bear in mind that there are no promises kept for the other women. If you try to run again, I will kill every Eversun in that cell. And I will start with Cordelia Hardstark.”
Briony’s chest shook, but she refused to cry.
“Do you understand me?”
Briony nodded. “Yes,” she said through her closed teeth.
“Good.” Mallow tugged her fingers at the air, and Briony felt something heat in her throat. “That’s the last word I want to hear from you.”
She’d taken her voice.
