“I knew you were mine,” he said, staring right at me, but I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me or Kash.
“The rest of you.” He turned to the four remaining chosen. “Failures, all of you.”
“Your Majesty, what you ask is impossible.” Benton stepped forth and tried to reason with the king.
“Silence!” King Goddrick screamed so loud, spit covered his chin. “You,” he pointed to Kash, “will not leave her side. If there isn’t a tent filled with gold by morning, I want her dead.”
I felt my knees go weak, and they would have buckled if Kash hadn’t grabbed my elbow and pulled me to his side. To the onlooker, it would have appeared as though he shook me like a giant rag doll.
Goddrick was no longer speaking to me. Instead, he had turned and was now talking to the air.
“Yes, yes. I know. Very troubling. But won’t be long now. You’ll see. All will be well, and then we can both get what we want.”
“King Goddrick,” I called, but he was no longer attentive. He walked behind his chair and into a sectioned off area of the tent, pulling the sides down to give him privacy.
I tried to free myself from Kash’s grip, but he wouldn’t let me. Instead, he pulled me into the frosty air, and my tears froze on my face.
“Pull yourself together,” Kash hissed. “It’s not too late to run.”
“What have I done?” I pulled the wax balls from my ears and the world suddenly became overly loud. A noisy ruckus drew our attention, and a man pushed a vendor in the chest. They quarreled loudly over the price of a sweet bun. The vendor grabbed his tray and hit him in the arm. Other discontented voices joined in a chorus of anger. One woman tried to steal the other’s cursed bracelet. Screams followed, and one attacked the other, trying to rip her hair out.
“It’s starting,” I gasped. “I’m too late.”
We passed another group of angry festival attenders, and Spencer stepped in to break the crowd up. A mug of ale flew at his head, and he ducked.
“Get Rhea out of here!” Spencer called out as he took a punch in the stomach.
My feet became like lead, heavy, and each step felt impossible. Kash scooped me up in his arms and carried me. As he did, I could see the barest flicker of red in his eyes. Greed was not as dormant as the princes believed.
Kash carried me into his tent, the one he shared with his brothers. It was set up like the others, with chaises, cots, and various blankets. He set me down on the nearest fur covered cot and kneeled in front of me.
“Don’t blame yourself,” he whispered.
I wiped the tears with my sleeve. “I should have done something sooner.”
“Rhea, this has been going on longer than you even know. Long before you arrived that day in Verdan. Today is the culmination of a longstanding problem.”
“Then why didn’t you stop it?” I turned on him, letting Kash be the focus of my rage, which I knew was wrong.
“He’s our father,” Kash said, the word father with grief. “One does not simply disobey the king, especially when he holds our fate in the palm of his hands. We are nothing more than puppets that he controls. We were disobedient young men. Troublesome, and lackluster in our desire to serve the king or country. Spencer was more interested in his studies. Damon cared more about becoming a knight. I—” He broke off. “I had no desire for throne or kingdom. I preferred hunting and searching the Ragnar mountains for the lost kingdom of Ter Dell more than princely duties.”
“When did it all stop?” I asked. “When was the last day you were yourselves?”
“It was the day that a dwarf with a black beard appeared on our doorstep. He swore he knew where Ter Dell and the lost treasure were. He proved it by providing my father with a ring.”
“The gold ring he wears on his left hand?”
Kash nodded. “The dwarf gave my father three finely crafted blades and presented them to each of us. When we unsheathed them, our curse began, and it’s continued every single day since. I don’t remember the last time I saw the midday sun.” He gazed into the brazier; his eyes unfocused. “Every day, I lose more of myself to the blade’s wishes, and withdraw further into the recesses of my mind to escape the taint. Some days I struggle to awaken and put the blade side away.”
Kash’s right hand balled into a white-knuckled fist. “One day, I think I won’t wake up.” He raised his hand and uncurled his fingers. “And I’ll cease to exist.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I retorted. “I’ll break this curse.”
Kash shifted on the seat, his thigh brushing mine as he drew close. He pressed his forehead to mine, and whispered, “Ever since that first night where you attacked me with a book and tied me to a chair—”
“I believe we’re both guilty of tying each other to chairs,” I interrupted.
He smiled, pulling away, his eyes dilating, his breath warm on my lips. “True. And at the same time, you’ve tied my heart in knots. I’ve only known you for those hours we shared during the night, but let me tell you, each one of those minutes was precious to me because I was with you. You’ve awoken something within me. A yearning to fight back the darkness, to live each day for you. I dream of you during the day, and I wait anxiously to spend every moonlit moment with you.” Kash’s hand cupped the back of my neck, his thumb brushing my lips.
I was impatient. There was tension building between us, and if he didn’t quench the fire, I would. I reached up and pulled him into me, pressing my lips to his. My initiation surprised him, and I grinned in triumph as I was the one to claim him as mine.
He pulled me onto his lap, his hands wrapping around my waist. “Rhea,” he breathed out my name, his voice husky, “I have a confession. I want you to be mine.”
A thrilling knot built in my stomach at his words, but Kash broke the kiss, quickly depositing me on the chair and moving across the room, creating too great a distance for my taste. It felt like he was worlds apart.
“Kash.” I swallowed, trying to catch my breath and settle the frantic beating of my heart. “I want that too,” I said courageously and stood, crossing the room to wrap my arms around his waist.
Kash shook his head and broke my grasp, and I felt my heart flutter with fear.
“No, you don’t understand. That’s the problem. Because I want you, the blade wants you. My desire for you is feeding the blade’s power, and I can’t control that monster during the day. I can feel his longing for you growing because of me.”
“You said want—not love,” I whispered as my heart slowly broke. “Greed feeds on human desire, and it’s your desire for me that’s feeding it.” Now it was my turn to back away from Kash. “It’s not real,” I said in disbelief as my eyes stung.
“I don’t know?” Kash looked at me, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I want it to be real, but I can’t tell what is truth or lie anymore. What are my feelings and what are the blade’s. How can I know the truth when I’m possessed by a curse of greed?”
“Then you’ll have to believe me when I say that what I feel is real.”
He nodded, his lips pulling into the slightest of smiles that didn’t reach his eyes. “That will be enough for me, then.” Kash grabbed a pack off the ground and stuffed items in it. Blankets, gloves, hats.