Book 2: The Viper Pit

Lex

I had expected the court of Scarlett Thunder to be an unpleasant place to be trapped in, but I hadn’t counted on boredom. For all the whispers behind my back and the fake smiles, the courtiers do not have the gall to directly harm me.

As often as King Peter likes to throw threats in my direction, he has kept his part of the bargain with my brother. I get to skulk through the dark hallways of his castle and hide away in a comfortable suite instead of locked up in the dungeons with the other prisoners.

Opal vacillates between antagonizing me and pretending I don’t exist. Her morning sickness still makes it hard for her to do anything but be miserable in her room. I try to visit her to make sure she’s not dead, but she refuses to let me in. When she does decide to talk to me, it’s only to shout insults in my direction before shutting the door to my face.

King Peter has forbidden me from leaving the castle to take walks on the grounds, citin