I can’t repeat what happened in the bathtub last night. Today, I push back with everything I have. I touch the flower clasp in my hair again, the pointed edge sharp enough to keep my mind focused.
Leo locks the door as we leave, standing in front of it to hide the combination, a sobering reminder that he is no friend of mine. I swallow a strange swell of hurt and hurry down the hallway. Once again we pass the plain wooden door, and once again it gives me pause—this time it’s slightly ajar.
The smell of old books and dust wafts from the opening, more powerful than any memory. I remember reading books on a long chaise against the tallest window. The only friend I had in the palace, a young boy, would sneak in and pass the time by rolling dice across the floor. I take in a sharp breath and place my hand on the open door. My heart races in my chest. I need to remember, need to see, and yet the memory of this room is suffocating.
But before I can peer inside, Leo is with me.
“My, you are in a hurry now, Lady Renata.” His green eyes glide toward the door but he doesn’t appear fazed at the idea that someone is in there. “Shall we?”
A headache threatens at my temples, and so I give a quiet nod.
We take the sky bridge that leads to the new northeast tower. Here, the design is different. The colors vibrant and blue, as if dedicated to the nautical and river towns and villages of Puerto Leones. Real shells and pearls embedded in the stone.
I stop for a moment in front of the pillars that mark the entrance of the northeast tower. I have a sweeping sense that I’ve been here before. Unlike the adjacent pillar covered in deep blue mosaic tiles, this one has muted, softer blues, as if it once belonged elsewhere. Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps it’s part of the design. The feeling prickles my skin.
“A word of advice, Lady Renata. Always address King Fernando before anyone else, even the prince,” Leo rattles off. “Prince Castian likes to be addressed as Lord Commander, not Your Highness or even Your Grace. Don’t look at him directly in the eye unless you’re ready for the longest staring contest of your life. Understood?”
Without waiting for my response, Leo tugs my gloved hand around the pillar and back on course. It’s strange to have someone I don’t know holding my hand like this, but I force myself to not pull away.
I see the massive doors at the end of the corridor and my heart flutters at my throat because I can see myself in their mirrored surface.
“That’s a new design,” Leo says as I stare ahead. He leans into my ear as if to fix a tendril. “He can see you from the other side.”
I keep one hand on Leo’s arm and the injured one rests over my stomach, where everyone can see. I wonder, who is behind those doors other than the king and the justice? There are no guards posted. No need—not when they can see you coming.
“Ready?” Leo whispers. He reaches for the door handles, a set of lions with open mouths, bodies midpounce.
I shut my eyes for a moment and see Dez instead, clear as glass, backlit by hundreds of stars. My heart thrums in my chest. I’m back here for him. I’m back here so his death matters. I can feel the pin against my scalp like a branding iron. Opening my eyes, I nod.
Leo yanks the door open.
The small court that’s gathered ceases its chatter. Whispers are traded from across the room. The sound of it is like wasps gathering around my head, ready to sting.
I keep my eyes on the ground because I’m afraid my feet are going to give out beneath me. There’s something equally unnerving about the sound of my heels, clack clack clack, echoing in the deadly silence of the room. The sound of a sword hacking away at bone. The sound of a mallet crushing a skull open. I think of terrible things to keep my mind sharp because when I stare into Prince Castian’s eyes, it’ll take all of my willpower not to immediately slit his throat. First, find the box.
I do as Leo instructed and keep my hands clenched in front of me. He stops a few paces ahead. My cue to look up.
I feel myself sway, but Leo subtly