Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 30: Chapter 30
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The moment my feet touched the courtyard stones, the chaos shifted. Guards parted before me like waves before a ship's prow, their fear of my reputation stronger than their orders to capture the intruder.
Kael stood in the center of their circle, breathing hard but still deadly, his dark eyes finding mine across the distance.
"Stand down," I commanded, my voice carrying the authority of executioner and princess both. The guards hesitated, torn between duty and terror.
Kael's lips curved in that dangerous smile I'd come to know too well. "Princess," he called out, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "I was hoping we could talk."
"Talk?" I drew my ceremonial dagger, its blade singing as it cleared the sheath. "You infiltrate my home, attack my guards, and want to talk?"
"I brought you a wedding gift." He reached slowly into his coat, and every guard tensed. What he withdrew made my blood freeze—a piece of parchment sealed with the Thornfield crest.
"Lower your weapons," I ordered the guards. They obeyed reluctantly, forming a wider circle but keeping their steel ready. I approached Kael with measured steps, acutely aware of how the silk of my wedding dress whispered against my legs.
"You're either very brave or very stupid," I said when I was close enough to see the fresh cuts on his face, the exhaustion in his shoulders.
"Both, probably." He extended the parchment toward me. "This arrived at our safehouse this morning. I thought you should see it before tomorrow's ceremony."
I took the document, our fingers brushing for an instant. Even that brief contact sent fire racing through my veins—a weakness I couldn't afford, especially not now. The seal was genuine Thornfield work, and the writing inside made my stomach drop into my boots.
It was a letter from Lord Cassius to someone signed only as 'M'—discussing my mother's murder in casual terms, as if they were planning a hunt rather than regicide. But it was the final paragraph that stole my breath:
The daughter suspects nothing of her true parentage. When the binding ritual is complete, both bloodlines will be severed permanently. The skull king's heir will finally join her whore mother in death.
My hands shook as I read it twice, three times, the words burning themselves into my memory. Skull King's heir. Not my father's daughter after all, but something else entirely.
"Where did you get this?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"Does it matter?" Kael stepped closer, his voice urgent. "Seraphina, they're planning to kill you. Not eventually, not politically—tomorrow, during the ceremony itself."
The courtyard spun around me. Everything I'd thought I knew about my identity, my purpose, my father's plans—all of it crumbling like parchment in flame. "The skull king died twenty years ago. His bloodline ended."
"Apparently not." Kael's hand touched my elbow, steadying me. "Your mother wasn't just a noble's daughter, was she? She was his bastard child, hidden away until she was old enough to be useful."
Which made me a granddaughter to the most powerful necromancer in recorded history. No wonder the skulls spoke to me so clearly, no wonder the dead whispered secrets in my presence. I wasn't just communion with spirits—I was their rightful queen.
"This changes nothing," I said, forcing steel into my voice even as my world collapsed around me. "The wedding will proceed as planned."
Kael stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Did you not understand what I just—"
"I understand perfectly." I folded the letter carefully, slipping it into my bodice next to my heart. "But running would only confirm their suspicions. Better to let them think their trap will work."
"And then what? You can't fight an entire kingdom alone."
I smiled, and saw him take an involuntary step backward. Good. Let him remember what I was capable of when properly motivated. "Who says I'll be alone? The dead make excellent allies, and I have twenty years of ancestors eager for vengeance."
From the palace windows above, I could feel eyes watching—my father, probably, and others whose loyalties remained questionable. This conversation was already too public, too dangerous.
"Go," I told Kael, my voice carrying enough for the guards to hear. "Tell your master that his assassin failed. Princess Seraphina Blackthorne fears no blade, no matter how prettily it's wielded."
But as he turned to leave, I caught his wrist in a grip that looked casual but felt desperate. "The east tower," I whispered. "Midnight. If you want to save my life, be there."
His eyes widened slightly, then he nodded once before melting away into the shadows with the fluid grace that had first caught my attention. The guards relaxed, probably thinking they'd witnessed another of my legendary displays of dominance.
If only they knew how thoroughly my world had just shattered.
Kael stood in the center of their circle, breathing hard but still deadly, his dark eyes finding mine across the distance.
"Stand down," I commanded, my voice carrying the authority of executioner and princess both. The guards hesitated, torn between duty and terror.
Kael's lips curved in that dangerous smile I'd come to know too well. "Princess," he called out, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "I was hoping we could talk."
"Talk?" I drew my ceremonial dagger, its blade singing as it cleared the sheath. "You infiltrate my home, attack my guards, and want to talk?"
"I brought you a wedding gift." He reached slowly into his coat, and every guard tensed. What he withdrew made my blood freeze—a piece of parchment sealed with the Thornfield crest.
"Lower your weapons," I ordered the guards. They obeyed reluctantly, forming a wider circle but keeping their steel ready. I approached Kael with measured steps, acutely aware of how the silk of my wedding dress whispered against my legs.
"You're either very brave or very stupid," I said when I was close enough to see the fresh cuts on his face, the exhaustion in his shoulders.
"Both, probably." He extended the parchment toward me. "This arrived at our safehouse this morning. I thought you should see it before tomorrow's ceremony."
I took the document, our fingers brushing for an instant. Even that brief contact sent fire racing through my veins—a weakness I couldn't afford, especially not now. The seal was genuine Thornfield work, and the writing inside made my stomach drop into my boots.
It was a letter from Lord Cassius to someone signed only as 'M'—discussing my mother's murder in casual terms, as if they were planning a hunt rather than regicide. But it was the final paragraph that stole my breath:
The daughter suspects nothing of her true parentage. When the binding ritual is complete, both bloodlines will be severed permanently. The skull king's heir will finally join her whore mother in death.
My hands shook as I read it twice, three times, the words burning themselves into my memory. Skull King's heir. Not my father's daughter after all, but something else entirely.
"Where did you get this?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"Does it matter?" Kael stepped closer, his voice urgent. "Seraphina, they're planning to kill you. Not eventually, not politically—tomorrow, during the ceremony itself."
The courtyard spun around me. Everything I'd thought I knew about my identity, my purpose, my father's plans—all of it crumbling like parchment in flame. "The skull king died twenty years ago. His bloodline ended."
"Apparently not." Kael's hand touched my elbow, steadying me. "Your mother wasn't just a noble's daughter, was she? She was his bastard child, hidden away until she was old enough to be useful."
Which made me a granddaughter to the most powerful necromancer in recorded history. No wonder the skulls spoke to me so clearly, no wonder the dead whispered secrets in my presence. I wasn't just communion with spirits—I was their rightful queen.
"This changes nothing," I said, forcing steel into my voice even as my world collapsed around me. "The wedding will proceed as planned."
Kael stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Did you not understand what I just—"
"I understand perfectly." I folded the letter carefully, slipping it into my bodice next to my heart. "But running would only confirm their suspicions. Better to let them think their trap will work."
"And then what? You can't fight an entire kingdom alone."
I smiled, and saw him take an involuntary step backward. Good. Let him remember what I was capable of when properly motivated. "Who says I'll be alone? The dead make excellent allies, and I have twenty years of ancestors eager for vengeance."
From the palace windows above, I could feel eyes watching—my father, probably, and others whose loyalties remained questionable. This conversation was already too public, too dangerous.
"Go," I told Kael, my voice carrying enough for the guards to hear. "Tell your master that his assassin failed. Princess Seraphina Blackthorne fears no blade, no matter how prettily it's wielded."
But as he turned to leave, I caught his wrist in a grip that looked casual but felt desperate. "The east tower," I whispered. "Midnight. If you want to save my life, be there."
His eyes widened slightly, then he nodded once before melting away into the shadows with the fluid grace that had first caught my attention. The guards relaxed, probably thinking they'd witnessed another of my legendary displays of dominance.
If only they knew how thoroughly my world had just shattered.
End of Princess Of The Skulls Chapter 30. Continue reading Chapter 31 or return to Princess Of The Skulls book page.