Crown of Coral and Pearl

“Then how did you get a position here?”

“I used a different surname. Ceren had never seen me before, so he had no reason to think I was related to Aro. That’s my brother.”

“You took the job so you could be close to him?”

Ebb nodded. “I never imagined I would be so lucky to work for a mistress as kind as you.” She placed her fingertips on the edge of the window, and I covered them with mine. “I went to find Grig as soon as I heard Lady Melina’s claim that Prince Ceren had murdered Queen Talia. In my heart, I knew it was true, and that someone had to fetch Prince Talin as quickly as possible. He never would have stood for you being locked up if he’d been here.”

“Thank you, Ebb,” I breathed. “If he hadn’t come back when he did, I would be dead.”

“I don’t believe Prince Ceren ever intended to kill you, milady,” she said quietly. “His lookouts reported that Prince Talin was returning, and because the king was dead, he knew he had to find some way to claim the throne without fighting his brother for it.”

“What way?” I asked, dread creeping up my spine.

She was quiet for a moment. “Prince Talin gave up the throne to save your life.”

A chill passed over my entire body at her words. “No.”

Somewhere in the distance, a door clanged shut, followed by the low rumble of male voices. “I should go, milady. Prince Talin will come for you in the morning. It’s going to be all right.”

“How?”

She squeezed my hand. “Just trust me, milady.”

“Thank you, Ebb.” My voice broke again, and tears filled my eyes. “For everything. I couldn’t have survived here without your friendship.”

She smiled and kissed my fingers. “Neither could I.”

* * *

I was dreaming of my sister again when something startled me from my sleep. I bolted upright, hand already at my boot, and peered into the darkness.

“I’m glad to see you were able to get some rest,” Ceren said, his voice close. Too close. “You look beautiful when you sleep.”

Where was his torch? How could he possibly see me in the inky darkness?

“My vision is poor in the daylight,” he said, once again gleaning my thoughts without me having to voice them. “But I can see quite well in the dark.”

I slowly drew my hand away from my boot, afraid I would give the knife’s presence away.

“I can hear well in the dark, too. It’s how I knew you were following me down to the lake that night. Your heart is beating so fast right now, like a bird’s. Are you afraid of me, Nor?”

His breath brushed against my cheek, and I shrank away from it. He was in the cell with me. How had I not heard him come in? The guards had unbound me when they tossed me back in the cell, but without light, I would be a fool to try to stab Ceren. I’d just as likely end up stabbing myself. The idea that he could see me while I couldn’t see him made me tremble.

Something soft brushed my arm and I lunged forward, toward where I hoped the door was. But Ceren’s arms circled my chest before I’d gone two feet, closing around me like a steel trap. “Shhhh,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m going to set you free, little bird.”

“What are you talking about?” I breathed.

He stroked a finger against my cheek. “Did you really think I’d have you killed? That I would waste such beauty, such strength? When I heard my brother would be here in time for the duel, I had no choice but to use you as bait.”

“And now?” I said through gritted teeth.

“Now I’m here to offer you a bargain.”

I scoffed. “A bargain? Didn’t you already make a deal with your brother?”

His warm chuckle made me shudder. “Everything has always come so easily to my brother. Strength, kinship, women. But you were never meant to be his.” Ceren loosened his grip to reach for something, and I took the opportunity to go for my knife. But before I could free it from my leather boot, he lit a torch that illuminated the entire cell, revealing just how disgusting my living conditions were.

He held a crown in front of him like an offering, a crown unlike anything I’d ever seen.

It was made of blood coral, raw and red, twisting and tangling to form a circlet. Studded among the coral branches were bright pink Varenian pearls that gleamed in the torchlight. The contrast between them was startling, yet stunning. I’d never seen them together before, and the sight took my breath away.

I’d always thought of the blood coral as sinister and ugly, but next to the pearls, it no longer looked menacing. It was beautiful, I realized, the perfect complement to the smooth pink spheres.

Nor and Zadie. Coral and pearl.

Powerful and beautiful because of each other, not in spite of each other.

He handed me the crown. “Take it, Nor. It belongs to you.”

I gasped. “What? Where did you get this?”

“Ilara’s mother had it made from the blood coral that grew from her daughter’s heart. It’s never been worn, because no woman, Ilarean or Varenian, was deemed worthy of it. But you are different, my darling.”

I turned the crown in my hands. The coral wasn’t poisonous dead, Father had said. Only if it broke the skin could it inflict any damage. I ran my fingers over the pearls, some of the pinkest and most lustrous I’d ever seen. I couldn’t help imagining what all the girls in Varenia would think if they saw something so rare.

“Why are you offering me this?” I asked finally.

“I’m giving you the chance to be the queen of Ilara. Marry me, and I won’t harm your people. I will have everything I need right here in New Castle. Together, we can face the woman king and any other threats to our kingdom. Our sons will be the strongest and healthiest to have ever ruled. We can conquer the world together, Nor.”

I blinked in disbelief. “You want me to marry you for the crown?”

He smiled. “I’m not foolish enough to believe you’d marry me for love. No, I know that honor goes to my brother.” A flicker of sadness crossed his face. “And it should. He is as good and beautiful as you are. But you didn’t just come here to marry a prince. You came here to see the world, didn’t you? I can give that to you, Nor. And in exchange for becoming my queen, I can give your people their freedom.”

“Their freedom.” I eyed the crown skeptically. “How?”

“They can leave Varenia, if they choose. They can trade at the port like everyone else, and receive fair market value. No one will ever again cut off their food or water supply. Varenia will be a sovereign kingdom in its own right.”

My pulse sped up at his words. Varenia, free and independent—it was more than I could have hoped for. “And no more diving for pearls for you?” I asked cautiously.

He shook his head. “I don’t need them anymore.”

“But if you don’t eat the pearls, won’t you grow weaker?” I asked, confused. “I thought you wanted to be physically strong.”

He smiled again, that dark, sinister smile that always made me cold with fear. “I do. And I will be, thanks to you.”

My stomach clenched in horror. My blood. He wanted to keep me as his source of blood. “But what are you going to do with me?” I asked. “Bleed me every day for the rest of my life?”

“Oh no, my dear. I already have everything I need.”

What was he talking about? What had he found in my blood? I looked down at the crown. The blood coral had given me my healing abilities when it entered my bloodstream. Was it possible that those same healing properties could be passed from my blood to Ceren’s? Had it already worked?

I studied him again. There was more color in his cheeks and lips than I remembered, and the hard lines of his face looked less pronounced. As if sensing my appraisal, he raised his chin and pushed his shoulders back. He looked strong, powerful. Ready to conquer the world, as he’d said.

“How?” I breathed.

“The same way I get what I need from the pearls.”

He read the horror and disgust on my face...and smiled.

I didn’t know the limits of my powers, but I knew, based on my encounter with Salandrin, that I was difficult to kill. An ability like that, in the wrong hands, could be disastrous.

And in that moment, it became clear to me that it wasn’t enough to just free Varenia. As long as Ceren lived, he would exploit anyone he could for his own aims. Even banishment wouldn’t be enough to stop someone like him.

“I won’t marry you, Ceren,” I said coldly. “The only threat to our kingdom is you.”

The proud smile faded from his lips. “You would refuse the bargain without hearing the terms?”

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. “Terms?”

“You have two choices, Nor. Marry me, or die.”

The blood rushed from my head. I should have known he wouldn’t let me refuse him.

But Ceren didn’t realize that I had a third choice. And right now, that choice was the only path I would willingly follow.