Page 33 of Once Written in Gilded Blood

He lets out a snort. “Let’s not find out.” Nikolai glances back and shoots me a smile.

“It’s not something to make light of. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I narrow my eyes at him and slow my stride.

He hooks his arm around my shoulders and forces me forward. “Nope. You don’t get a choice. You’re going.” His tone hardens, and he speeds up.

I reluctantly allow it. If Nikolai is willing to go against his king, it must be for a good reason. Whatever thoughts he read in King Achill’s head must’ve been bad enough to make even the worst punishment worthwhile.

We keep heading down the long stretch of cells until we reach the end and come to a small storage room. Nikolai goes in first and I follow. He shuts the door and casts us into the dark, but the dimness doesn’t last. A beam of light trickles in from behind a large metal rack, revealing a small boxy tunnel.

“This will lead you outside of the veil. It’s the only other passage besides the front bridge. You will follow this tunnel all the way through. Don’t turn back. Promise me, Alira.” Nikolai takes both of my hands in his. A weak grin tugs at the corners of his mouth.

Tears stream down my cheeks. “You were the only one who trusted me.” I choke out the words.

He wipes my tears. “That’s not true. It’s fear that clouds their minds, Alira.”

“Nikolai. I’m giving you two seconds to disappear.” Tessa’s voice cuts through the room and makes my skin prickle.

My eyes widen, and so do Nikolai’s, as we look toward the dark corner of the storage room.

Tessa stands in her imperial armor, with a passive look that I’ve never seen on her before. She looks at me as if I am not a living, breathing being with a heart and a soul, but a thing that stands in the way of keeping her kingdom safe. I know this look. It’s how I used to look at the demons.

It hurts more in person, seeing the way she’s turned me into a monster in her mind. She was one of the first kind demons I met.

“Tessa, I’m not letting King Achill lock our friend in a cell down here just so he can torture her. Move out of the way,” Nikolai says in a stern, smooth tone that sends chills up my spine. It’s the leveled anger that makes it sound so threatening.

She doesn’t budge. Tessa only sets her hand on the hilt of her sword. “Last warning.”

Nikolai’s eyes fill with hurt, but it’s quickly replaced with rage. His hand goes to his sword as well. Ready to fight his comrade on my behalf. But he’s a healer, not a knight trained to kill like Tessa is. She’ll kill him in a heartbeat.

I step between them, not looking at either. I keep my head dipped. “I will go to a cell. The last thing I want is for the two of you to spill blood from one another over me.”

“Alira—”

Nikolai is cut off by Tessa’s laughter. “At least she has pity for us. We will see how long that lasts.” Tessa shoves me hard with one hand in the center of my back. It sends me straight to the cement floor and cracks my forearm.

Pain shoots through my body, but I pull myself up and ignore the gilded blood dripping from my wrist and making a trail to my cell. I sit on the bed and finally meet Tessa’s gaze.

All I know is that a darkness spreads within me at Kalel’s and her betrayal.

Nikolai gives me a somber look as he passes, guided by Tessa, who I hear scolding him all the way back up the stairs.

It’s so dark and grim down here. Mildew grows between the stones, and a wet dripping sound echoes somewhere in this tomb, along with a few hushed cries from other cells down the way.

I sit in silence as my arm heals. Then I firm my lips and reach into my pocket, swallowing the herbs I got from the tea shop.

“I unbind the sacred oath to Kalel Lornhelm. Let our ties be severed.” I close my eyes with the prayer and feel the mark on my chest warm slightly as it lifts from my skin.

With the oath broken, our lives will no longer be tied. The guilt that tugged at my heart has been drowned in hurt.

I take out the laurel from my other pocket and look down at it. A golden glow halos the metal leaf. Power of the gods themselves.

It’s so quiet down here, I swear I can hear it whispering.

“Are you ready to see what they’ve done?”

Chapter 12

Alira