Page 35 of These Vile Hearts
He lowers his obsidian scythe and relinquishes her arm, retreating a single pace away from her. Maddox takes three careful steps back, facing both of us as she cradles her right hand in her left.
“Your…Majesty?” Tamarind says awkwardly. “May I speak with you a moment?”
“Certainly.”
He steps cautiously away from Maddox, keeping his eyes trained on her. I follow him to the top of the stairs—her only exit unless she wishes to dive over the balcony to her death.
I cast vines of silence and turn my back to the mortal, knowing full well that Tamarind won’t look away from her.
“Not an inch of me trusts that girl,” he says in a quick whisper, though she couldn’t hear him if he were screaming.
“Quite wise of you, Tam. Neither do I.”
“If I hadn’t been watching in the shadows of the next mezzanine up, she’d have already buried that blade in you.”
“Likely.”
“Clearly, she came here with intentions to harm the king, if not kill him outright.”
“That is clear, yes.”
“And she believesyouare the king.”
“Yes.” A wicked grin curls my lips. “It appears she does.”
“That means—”
“Itmeans”—I glance over my shoulder at the girl scanning the room as if she is seeking a way to escape—“I’ve found the perfect candidate to fulfill my pact, don’t you think?”
A mortal with the Sight who sneaks into a dryad kingdom, caught with a golden dagger in hand as she tries to woo the man she believes is king, surely deserves the lethal fate of falling in love with the cursed prince. Far more than any other mortal who’s crossed my path.
“I suppose…But how are you going to keep up this charade? Durian will shatter that facade rather quickly, I imagine.”
“At first chance, yes, he will.”
Truthfully, I have not thought any of this through. A common occurrence as of late. I try not to think at all if I can help it.
“Perhaps you could send her to be locked up in another district?” Tamarind suggests. “And you could visit her at your leisure?”
“I can’t lock her up if she is meant to fall in love with me, can I?” The dimmest outline of a plan flares in my mind. “You’re right,though. She can’t stay here…but I think I know where I can send her.”
Tamarind pulls his focus off the mortal long enough to assess me. “Where?”
“The only place in this kingdom with an ounce of loyalty to me.”
Without further explanation, I dispel the vines of silence, facing the corrupt girl I must somehow trick into falling in love with me.
“Maddox, you can prove to me that you were, in fact,nothere to take my life by staying in the Nightshade District and working for Evodia Debray at Magesté.” Tamarind’s eyes snap to mine. I ignore him. “Her establishment is understaffed and in need of an extra pair of hands during the lead-up to the Sylveris Solstice. You can be of assistance to her for the next fortnight.”
Maddox notes the dagger still in my hands. “What is Magesté, exactly?”
“It’s an entertainment venue.”Of sorts.
For once, the mortal—Maddox—seems at a loss for words. Even now her expression betrays nothing. It is evident she’s pondering all of this. Masticating and digesting it. But whether she is relieved, terrified, furious, or resentful, I know not.Howdoes she do that? Even now, I’m thankful for the actual mask I wear, though I fear half of my face is displaying every convoluted emotion waiting just below my skin. If only it were thicker.
“Perfect.” Something shifts in her eyes. “Do you visit this entertainment venue much? How will you ensure I’m proving my trustworthiness if I’m working in another district?”
“Let’s just say I am at Magesté more than I am here.”
