Treason: Book Two of the Grimoire Saga (a Young Adult Fantasy series) Read online

  Gavin turned to Kara for confirmation, but she didn’t answer. He might be confessing, but he wouldn’t get anything from her.

  He shrugged and continued. “I was just wondering. It doesn’t matter. Frine watched you while you were in Losse, fascinated as you tore through his gardens on the first day. A spy of his saw what you found—that little blue square—but he didn’t know what to make of it.

  “Aurora apparently told Ithone that your pack was heavier when you left the garden and hung lower on your shoulder. He was furious that she hadn’t discovered what you took, but he didn’t dare challenge you for it when he was still uncertain of your abilities. He let it go.”

  Kara’s gut twisted. And here, she’d thought she’d been clever in finding the map pieces. There was still so much she didn’t know.

  “Aislynn just gave me the Ayavelian piece,” Kara finally said.

  “She said she didn’t know what it was, back then. Richard did, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The Hillsidian bit of the map just appeared for you, didn’t it? Without explanation?”

  Kara bit her cheek to suppress a gasp. “That was Richard?”

  Gavin nodded. “There’s an old rumor that started around the time the Vagabond went into hiding. It claimed that, should the first Vagabond ever die, there was a blue map that would lead his true successor back to the village. I always thought it was ridiculous and just gave fools false hope, but Richard believed it. He believed you were that true successor. He confessed later to leaving you the map piece, which had long been in the Hillsidian vaults. Richard has always believed in you, even more than he believes in me.”

  Gavin looked at the ground again. He hunched his shoulders in defeat, but Kara didn’t set a comforting hand on his shoulder. She couldn’t bond with him, not with Gavin. She just couldn’t trust him. This could be yet another of his ploys, though it admittedly wasn’t likely. He slouched too much. His head hung with a weight that didn’t come without authenticity.

  No. She couldn’t trust him. Not after everything he’d done. She could pity him, though.

  “Did you tell anyone the village’s actual location?” she asked, forcing herself to be still even though she wanted to shake him and slap him all at once for knowing.

  “Not yet, but it’s just a matter of time before I can’t tactfully avoid answering them.”

  Kara buried her head in her hands and pulled her knees to her chest. She didn’t know what else to do.

  He sighed, sounding far older than he looked. “I brought the Bloods together, and I have since lost all control.”

  Kara shook her head and laughed.

  “Why are you laughing?” Gavin asked, watching her with a suspicious glint out of the corner of his eye.

  “All I wanted was to unite you all. And I did. I just didn’t expect to become the thing you united against.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  He set his head in his hands. Despite everything he had done to prove the contrary, she believed his new remorse.

  Kara didn’t respond, though. Sure, she believed him, but she wouldn’t forgive him yet.

  He rested one hand on his cheek and stared at the floor. “This has all gotten out of hand.”

  “No kidding,” Kara said.

  “We sent Braeden to the Stele,” Gavin confessed.

  She cursed. Gavin flinched, and she cursed again—louder this time. Braeden’s goodbye, the sense of loss, that painfully terrifying kiss—it suddenly all made sense.

  “You’re all insane! Why would you do that?” she snapped.

  “You disappeared from the room where Braeden left you after his trial. We figured you would be weak immediately after that possession and that it would be easier to use you as bait, but we couldn’t find you anywhere. I was desperately trying to get to you first, to get you away from them. I knew if they went through with this plan, that I’d lose my last chance of getting your help in this war.

  “But Aislynn knew what I was doing. She wouldn’t leave me alone. And when we found you, I tried to tell you—”

  Kara rubbed her face. Of course, hindsight was twenty-twenty. “She told me you all thought less of her because she stood up for Braeden. She made you out to be the villain. She’s clever.”

  “Aislynn was just happy to have found you, though admittedly disappointed you were awake. I think she ordered me out because she figured out what I was trying to do. She wanted to lull you into a sense of security while she figured out what to do next.

  “But then you left. Gone, just like that. The Bloods didn’t know what to do. I was relieved. I thought maybe you’d figured everything out and went back to the village. But no. No, you’d gone to help Braeden.” Gavin said the name with disdain.

  They both sighed before Gavin continued.

  “Aislynn insisted we have a backup plan, just in case you returned. At her recommendation, of course, we agreed to give Braeden false information should he return from rescuing the Heirs. And imagine our surprise—my frustration!—when you returned with him.

  “We reconvened as soon as you and Braeden left the throne room, just us Bloods. Aislynn claimed Braeden couldn’t be trusted, especially not after returning from the Stele. So I told him to lead Carden’s forces to a camp, where I claimed we’d be waiting to surprise them. We will ambush them much sooner, in a ravine that serves as the only entrance to the camp. The location will leave them virtually defenseless. I don’t expect Braeden or Carden to survive.”

  Kara’s heart skipped a beat, and it was all she could do not to punch Gavin in the face and run for the door. Since it was locked, that would be useless. Punching him would feel pretty good, though.

  “You all are disgusting,” she said instead.

  “Let me finish.”

  Kara leaned against the wall, but wouldn’t look at him. How there could be more was beyond her. She motioned for him to continue.

  “What I didn’t realize was that Aislynn was just tricking me into getting Braeden away from you. She knows he loves you. I think all the Bloods do at this point, though we still aren’t sure of how you feel about him. Frine thinks you’re using him.”

  “I would never—!” She stopped, but too late.

  Gavin watched her through the corner of his eye, and she sighed. She had walked into a trap. So much for him not manipulating her.

  He leaned back. “I know what you must be thinking, and even though you have every right to believe I’m tricking you, I’m not. You just genuinely care for him. You can admit that now. There’s no use in hiding it any longer.”

  “You’re mistaken,” she said softly. She had to at least try to cover her tracks.

  Gavin shrugged and continued without pressing the subject. “Everything Aislynn told me about the ambush was a lie to make you vulnerable. Braeden trusted her to protect you from the rest of us, but in the end, Aislynn is the one to be feared.”

  He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes before he continued. “In the morning, Kara, they will spike you again so that the poisons prevent you from resisting. They will do it daily until Aislynn is well, unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless you escape or align yourself with one of the kingdoms.”

  “I don’t suppose you’d just let me walk out?”

  “I will, but I want you to consider to my proposition first. Will you do that?”

  Kara caught his eye. “You would really let me leave? Just like that?”

  “Yes, as long as you consider what I have to say before you go.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “If you leave, Kara, you will be hunted down like an escaped animal. When they find you—because they will—you will be chained and caged. Whoever catches you will have the most say in who controls you once Aislynn is once more well, which means there will be a full-on hunt once the Bloods realize you’re missing. It will become sport.”

  “And you’ll join them?”


  He looked at the wall, but eventually nodded. “Kara, it will mean declaring war on you. Any other vagabonds you’ve turned will be killed. Twin will be killed. But if you stay in this tower to wait it out, I have no doubt that Losse or Kirelm will ultimately win the duel to control you. Ithone and Frine are stronger than me. I don’t stand a chance against them.

  “The only way for you to avoid that fate is to align yourself with one of the kingdoms and become a Blood’s wife”—he paused—“my wife.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “You would be royalty, and they would be forced to treat you with respect. They would have no right or ability to control you.”

  “And you would?”

  “No. Instead, I’ll make a bargain with you. Your village will be safe, your vagabonds safe, if you help me avenge Mother.”

  Kara pushed herself to her feet and ran her hand through her hair.

  “This has to be the worst marriage proposal ever,” she finally said.

  “Braeden’s not coming back, Kara, not from the Stele. We sent him there knowing that. I knew that, but I did it anyway because it’s just a matter of time before he accepts what he is. As good as he tries to be, he was born to destroy. It’s in his blood!”

  “And you don’t destroy?”

  “This is different.”

  “It isn’t different at all! Braeden is one of the only people I trust, Gavin. Especially after this.”

  Gavin grimaced. “He will break your heart. He can’t fight what he is, and no one’s going to save you from this. You have three choices: slavery, running, or me. Is this really a contest?”

  Kara walked to the fireplace, stretching her stiff arms as she did. The poison still swam through her blood, but thankfully didn’t hurt anymore. She waved her hand over the cold logs, and a lavender fire danced to life beneath her fingers. The rush of magic and heat further cleared her head.

  The mattress squeaked as Gavin shifted his weight on the bed. “All I want is justice for my mother, Kara. You can help me find it.”

  Revenge—Kara could appreciate that. Deirdre still had her dad’s soul locked away within her, keeping him from resting in peace. But Kara had exposed him. It was her fault he’d been in harm’s way at all. Hating Deirdre—killing her—wasn’t going to make that guilt go away.

  It wasn’t any different for Gavin. Not really.

  She stared into the fire, the flames leaving twirling imprints on her vision. “Peace is something you have to find for yourself, Gavin. No amount of revenge will ever give you that.”

  He stood and walked slowly closer. “Please, Kara. I will forever protect you if you will only help me kill Carden. You can even turn Braeden into a vagabond if you like, if he’s not too far gone. I can bring him back from the battle if that’s what you want. This is no small favor I’m asking of you, but it’s one I will forever reward.”

  She sighed. He hadn’t listened to a thing she just said. It wouldn’t be any different if she agreed to this crazy little scheme of his. He would never listen.

  “And what happens after the war? You and I go our separate ways?” she asked.

  “No, Kara. Yakona bond for life.”

  “This is ridiculous, Gavin. I can’t even give you an Heir!”

  “You probably could, actually, but Evelyn’s new bloodline has proven that to be a moot point. I’ve thought this through. I don’t offer it lightly.”

  “Do you still love her?”

  His jaw tensed, and he didn’t breathe for a moment. Eventually, he nodded.

  Kara leaned against the wall. “So you’re giving up on ever loving someone else because she broke your heart?”

  “Hardly. I’m sacrificing a marriage based on love so that you and I can destroy the Stelian race and mend an evil that has plagued Ourea for too long. I’m not saying you have to be faithful to me. You don’t have to hate me for it.”

  “That isn’t going to work, Gavin.”

  “Kara, listen!”

  Hot anger flashed across Gavin’s face, and he reached a hand to either side of Kara’s head. She flinched, unprepared for the outburst, but he seemed to contain his temper just as quickly as it flared. His fingers rested lightly on her cheeks instead of grabbing them.

  Gavin leaned in close. “I cannot kill Carden on my own, Kara, especially not with Braeden at his side. Even though draining the muse failed, the Bloods are still going to go ahead with the plan to kill Carden’s forces when Braeden leads them into that trap. When I face Carden, I’ll need extra power on my side to actually defeat him. If you aren’t there, I can’t do that. Your Grimoire is incredibly powerful, Kara, and the Vagabond is a serious enemy. I need you to win this.”

  “I don’t even have the Grimoire. Evelyn stole it.”

  “She will be forced to return it when you become my wife.”

  Kara’s heart skipped a beat at that word—wife. It terrified her. She set her hands on Gavin’s chest, and his heartbeat quickened under her fingertips. His hands slipped lower, cradling her head with a more tender caress than she’d imagined him capable of achieving.

  But that wasn’t what she’d meant when she touched him. She pushed him away.

  “I can’t give up that easily,” she said.

  “Marrying me isn’t giving up. It’s fighting!”

  “No, it’s giving up. I would rather take my chances than be your pawn.”

  “But I can’t protect you when you’re caught, and you will be caught if you leave. This is your one chance to have a voice in the yakona court—your one and only chance.”

  “Since when are the royal spouses at the war room tables, Gavin? I wouldn’t have a say. I’d be playing along, useless and unhappy. Compliance isn’t going to change anything. That’s exactly what marrying you would do—nothing.

  “Ourea is broken, Gavin, and whenever I play by your rules, it gets worse. Uniting the four kingdoms was meant to eradicate Carden because he’s murderous and cruel, but all it did was give you a common enemy to hate. Two enemies, if you count what you all did to me. That was my fault, really, for not seeing it sooner. But what happens when you kill Carden? If you kill Braeden?”

  Her lip trembled ever so slightly at the thought of someone running Braeden through with a sword. She took a deep breath, hoping Gavin hadn’t noticed. According to what he said earlier, though, it didn’t matter if she showed how much she cared.

  She stepped closer to the door. “Even if the Stelians all die, the yakona kingdoms will be down to four and you all will just continue bickering. Maybe they’ll turn on you, Gavin. Maybe Hillside will become the next ‘threat.’ It won’t get better. It won’t stop.”

  Gavin ran his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. “So what are you going to do, Kara? Run around Ourea, picking fights? Will you make more vagabonds? At least you have a direct line to the Bloods if you stand beside me!”

  “I’d stand behind you, Gavin, not beside you. They won’t listen to me just because you make me go through the motions of a wedding or whatever it is you all do here. They don’t respect me. Ithone thinks I’m obstinate because I won’t wear a dress. Frine thinks I’m a weak tool and no amount of training will ever change his mind. Aislynn has already made it clear what she’s willing to do to further her own agenda. And you…”

  Gavin arched his back and crossed his arms. “Yes?”

  “You want me to kill the man who killed your mother. I’m just a weapon to you. You’re no better than them, Gavin. You’re just a little nicer about it.”

  Gavin didn’t respond for a while. He didn’t even breathe. It wasn’t until he rubbed his face and sat back down on the bed that he moved at all. He waved a hand toward the door, which swung open on its hinges at his command. A stairwell disappeared into the shadows of a dark hall.

  Kara knelt until she was eye level with him. Gavin looked up at her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You should really go before I change my mind,” he ans
wered.

  She couldn’t. Not yet. She needed her Grimoire pendant back. “Can you tell me where Evelyn’s room is? I assume you must know by now.”

  His shoulders sank lower, and he nodded. He pulled out a small piece of paper covered in elegant script.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “Evelyn slipped that to me at dinner. It has the directions to her room, from the dining hall, which will be on your right as you walk out of this stairwell. She’s expecting me, not you, so you’ll have the element of surprise on your side when you see her.”

  “Thanks again,” Kara said.

  She grabbed Gavin’s shoulder and smiled, but he shook his head. That was likely her cue to leave.

  The only guiding light in the stairwell came in a cold, blue stream from a few small slits in the wall below. She hurried down the steps. The outline of a door appeared as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She set her hands against the wall and peeked through the slits in the stone.

  The room beyond her hidden cell was none other than the grand hall. Though she couldn’t see it, Kara knew the throne room was to her left and the dining hall, as Gavin had said, was to the right. No one stood in the massive hall, so Kara pushed the door open.

  The stone grated against the floor. She cringed, but she had no other way out. The door scraped against the tiled floor, and she only stopped when she could slip through into the hallway. She had to hurry in case anyone heard the noise. Kara looked again at the paper Gavin had given her, but she didn’t have time to read it.

  “You!”

  Kara looked up to see Evelyn standing opposite, blocking the only way out of the hall that Kara knew.

  “Guards! G—!”

  A blinding light pushed past Kara, knocking her to the ground as Evelyn’s voice cut off mid-sentence.

  Kara hit her head against the wall. Her vision blurred again. The world came slowly back, first as black and white dots, and then as gray blurs. When Kara could fully see, Gavin sat across the hall, kneeling by Evelyn’s unconscious form.