The King's Cursed Bride

Seeking Justice: Part 4

Carissa closed her eyes, muting the fiercely bright light. Even so, it glowed orange against her lids, making pain shoot to the back of her skull. And then it was gone.

Carissa opened her eyes and squinted against the relative darkness. Everything was silent. "Elon?"

Someone sniffled. Judging from the high, soft pitch of the sound, it was likely Lila.

"I'm here, Carissa," Elon answered. "If you wouldn't mind, could you open the curtains?"

Carissa rose to her feet and fumbled around the room. Her fingertips grazed ripples of velvet fabric. She yanked the curtains to one side, and light ghosted into the room.

Elon stood next to the bed, holding Lila, who was whimpering. The edges of his clothes were mangled and black, the green of his shirt discolored. Lila's clothes were even worse, with large patches of her pearly skin visible.

Carissa moved towards him. "Elon, are you—"

Elon shook his head and mouthed, 'I'm fine.' Then he cleared his throat. "I think Lila needs some rest."

Lila fell silent, her whimpers fading. "You kept your promise."

Elon set her onto the bed and pulled the blankets over her. "So I did."

"But... how?"

"I have a power, just like you do."

Lila peered up at him. "I lied, about me murdering him."

"I know."

"The Reaper told me that if I told anyone about what she'd done, she'd kill them and then kill me." She stroked the covers covering her tiny body. "If I tell you who the Reaper is, will you have enough power to protect me? Will you have enough power to keep you from getting hurt?"

"Yes, Lila."

"Then I'll tell you." She fidgeted a moment before beckoning him closer.

Elon bent towards her, and she whispered something in his ear.

Carissa felt a brief burst of annoyance that Lila had befriended Elon and chosen to tell him—especially since Elon already knew who it was...

Elon straightened. "Thank you for telling the truth, Lila. You can stay here and rest. You'll be safe here."

She pulled the blanket to her chin. "Thank you."

Elon rounded the bed, "And Aleck—"

Aleck's gaze darted to his.

"—Lila is quite tired, as you can see. In this state, she'll need someone to protect her."

Aleck sat a little taller. "I'll do it—even though she called me a little eight year old."

Elon smiled faintly. "Thank you, Aleck. I'm sure she'll appreciate it." He gestured for Carissa to follow him and strode out of the room.

As soon as they were in the hallway, she snagged the edge of his sleeve. "Elon, who did she say—" Part of his burnt sleeve tore and fell to the ground, leaving her fingers smudged black. "Oh. Sorry."

He smiled and glanced down at his shirt. "It's quite alright. I don't think this is quite my color anyhow."

"What did she say, Elon? Who's the Reaper? And what happened in there?"

Elon stopped and turned to face her, his expression brimming with excitement. "She's a Radiant."

"A what?"

"A Radiant. She has the ability to manipulate heat and light. Unfortunately, whenever her abilities get out of control, it drains her rather severely. She'll need practice to fix that. I do have the power to contain her, absorb some of her excess energy, but she won't always have the luxury of someone with my abilities being around." Elon stared into the distance for a moment, a frown flickering across his expression, then a smile. "Actually, I take that back. Perhaps she'll have that luxury after all."

"Elon, but what about the Reaper?"

"Oh." The glow on his face dimmed. "You're going to be quite mad at me, you know."

She huffed. "Quit predicting the future and just tell me."

Elon continued walking. "Tervalyn."

"Terva..." Carissa grabbed his arm—making sure not to tear off a part of his burnt sleeve. "My lady-in-waiting­?" That was something Carissa wouldn't have guessed, especially given the woman's delicate sensibilities and shy demeanor.

Elon nodded.

Carissa stopped to lean against the wall. "My lady-in-waiting is a Reaper, and you..." weren't remotely concerned about my safety? She left the last part unsaid. Elon usually had a plan for these things, after all... but the gardener had been killed, and he hadn't wanted that to happen.

"When she murdered the gardener, the event increased the likelihood that she would kill someone else to hide her crime—hence my warning. And I have been protecting you from her. In the past week, how often has she been in your room with you alone? Or even been in your room at all?"

She cupped her forehead in her palm as everything clicked into place. "Never; you've always dismissed her."

"Exactly." He extended his hand to her, all four fingers splayed.

She grasped his hand, felt the gap where one finger ought to be and suppressed the usual wash of guilt. "Are we going to her now?"

"We are. Are you ready?"

"Always, so long as you're with me." What she didn't tell him was the mere thought of fighting another Reaper made her break into a cold sweat.

"Then follow me." He tugged on her head and led her down the hallway. The passages grew narrower as they neared the servants' quarters. Torchlight wavered against the wall, wooden doors running along either side.

Elon stopped in front of one and rapped on it twice.

"Who is it?"

"This is the King. I'd like to speak to you, Tervalyn."

A second passed. Then two. After five, Elon shifted sideways, lifted his leg, and kicked the door. The wood crunched, cracks webbing its planks. The door toppled backward.

Tervalyn sat on her bed, her hair in disarray, her blanket pulled to her chin. "Your–Your majesties? Is something amiss?"

Elon strode over the door, the wooden splinters crackling beneath his boots. "Yes, Tervalyn, there is. A Daughter of Darkness roams the palace, and she's taken the life of one of my own."

Tervalyn blinked. "Are you referring to the murdering of the gardener?"

Elon unsheathed his sword. "You know what I'm referring to."

"I... do?" Tervalyn glanced at Carissa.

Carissa glanced away. Elon had foresight; he knew what he was doing; he knew who the murderer was. At least Elon seemed to have this situation handled on his own. There was something about fighting her own lady-in-waiting that didn't sit right with her.

"Yes," Elon said.

Tervalyn fell silent for a moment. "Does this mean I'm going to be killed?"

He nodded.

Tervalyn scooted backwards in her cot. "I mean no disrespect, but you can't kill me for a crime I didn't commit."

"I'm not going to kill you." Elon gestured towards Carissa. "She is."

***

Author's Note: I found time to write a sneak peek again! I'm actually skipping sessions at a writing conference right now to finish this up... but you guys are totally worth it. 😉

UPDATE: I have the real sneak peek up now :)