"How dare you," I scream. "You don't care about me or Kane. All you care about is the throne! That's all you've ever cared about."
Willem put up his hands. "Briar, calm down."
I move toward him, snarling my lip, the light in my hands beginning to shimmer. "Don't you tell me to calm down. Riordan told me that you've been plotting against Kane for a very long time. That you, and him, and an entire group of rebels have been planning to usurp Kane for longer than I've been alive. You are a disgrace to your family. You are a coward. And I know now why you have cowered to whoever has taken Kane's body over and lapped at his feet. It's not because you're trying to save yourself, it's because you want me to kill him."
Willem scoffs. "And how do you know that there is some other magical Kane inside of his body? How do you know this isn't the real Kane? You haven't known him as long as I have. You don't know what he is capable of."
I nod, my whole body shaking with anger. "You're right. I don't know what he did in his past, and I don't know what he's fully capable of yet, but I do know that I just spoke to the old Kane. Somehow, he managed to break free from where he is being held captive within his own body and for a split second, told me that he is still here. And all the while, you have been trying to convince me to kill him and you know that'll kill me too. How easy for you is that? Two birds with one stone."
Willem waves his hands at me, shaking his head. "Kane hasn't been the same since you arrived."
My mouth drops open, not believing that he is actually blaming me for any of this. As if I am the one who caused this whole mess. But before I can say a word, he continues. His voice lowers, and his shoulders slump. "The real truth is Kane hasn't been the same since he seized that crown. From the moment he put it on his head he became someone else. And yes, I've seen Kane be at his worst, and I've seen Kane be at his best, but this is not Kane at all. This is someone else."
I swallow down my anger, seeing the first flicker of emotion I've ever seen from Willem. I slowly walk toward him, standing at the back of the wrought iron bench watching as he stares down at the ground. "Then help me. We can fix this but I need your help in doing it. I cannot do this on my own."
We stand silent for several moments and then Willem shifts his eyes up toward me. He presses his lips together and nods his head. "I will help you. But if I take him down, it will be when he is himself, not when someone else has taken him."
I put my hand to my chest, pushing away the tears, and closing my eyes for a moment. "For the first time since all of this has begun, I finally feel like there's a glimmer of hope."
Willem walks toward me, holding me by both shoulders. I look at him surprised. His face is serious but not angry. "Hope isn't something everyone can have in the Underworld. You have to be realistic."
I pull my shoulders away from him. "I know you live in some sort of sick and twisted existence, but there's no difference between the Underworld and the world up there when it comes to hope. Maybe if you had a little bit, instead of plotting to kill a man you call brother, you would be building this empire with him."
Willem's lips snarl and he rolls his eyes. "You'll never learn. You never learn because you're vapid and useless."
I walk toward the hedges and stop as they open, turning back toward him. "You keep thinking that but I promise you, by the end of all of this, I'll have proven you wrong. You'll be eating those words."
Chapter 18
Briar
I fully expect for whoever has taken over Kane's body to come after me, especially after what I saw. But the Kane imposter was nowhere to be found for several days. I am fearful of his retribution, I'm not going to lie. I know that whoever's inside of him, and I have a good idea of who that might be, they aren't going to give up so easily. I figure that after seeing Kane's true self come through, the imposter would assume that I was definitely against him. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
This morning I woke up, had breakfast, even though Kane was not there with Willem and I, and got dressed for the court gathering that we have to attend. I don't know whether to expect Kane or not, and in fact I don't know what to expect at all. I dress for the event in one of the pieces from my wardrobe, a navy-blue satin dress that drapes across my chest and over one shoulder. The material is light and airy, keeping me cool under the pressure. I pull on the pieces of jewelry that have been sitting in my room since I arrived. A set of pearl bracelets, black ones, and a matching necklace. On my head, I set the tiara and pin it to my long flowing hair.
Arriving at the court event, my heart skips a beat as I see Kane standing, waiting for me at the entrance. He smiles at me, and I smile back, nodding my head. When he takes my hand it's stern, with a serious lack
