by Lisa Dawn
Some of the horses were now unattended as several knights allowed their injured comrades to ride with them. One stray horse seemed particularly distressed as he jumped around and neighed violently, refusing to follow the others. I had some experience with horses from my riding lessons. He calmed down as I walked up to him slowly. I pet his muzzle. He gave my hand a friendly lick.
“Don’t worry, boy. I won’t hurt you.”
“What are you doing?”
Braydon had followed me out of the tree.
“The captain is going the wrong way. I have to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone.”
“We’ve already won. Don’t put yourself in more danger.”
I needed to protect my kingdom’s monarchs, just as any loyal citizen would do. Henry did his best by warning them about the attack, but what if it wasn’t enough? Saving them could be my chance to redeem myself. I jumped onto the horse and rode away.
Sorry, Braydon.
I stayed a safe distance behind the captain and followed him around the border of the castle. Just when I worried that he was going to try to sneak in, he turned down an abandoned path, one that no one had used since the war. That path led to the mines, where the runes were cultivated. What did he want there? It had been sealed off for years. My first official proclamation as queen was going to be to open them back up and excavate new runes. Is that what he was after?
I halted the horse behind some trees that gave me a good view of the entrance to the mines with plenty of coverage so I wouldn’t be spotted. My new companion neighed at me and leaned down so I could climb off. I ran my fingers through his lustrous mane.
“You’ve been a big help,” I said.
“That was my horse,” said a gruff voice behind me.
“He didn’t seem very fond of his owner,” I said defiantly.
I turned around to find the knight that I had manipulated at the inn. He did not look happy to see me. The blade of his sword was wedged under my throat. How did I always get myself into situations like this? I did my best to appear unfazed. I couldn’t really blame him for wanting to kill me after the way I’d humiliated him earlier. The knight, who was now in full plate armor, leaned toward me so he could get a better look at my face. I felt the jagged steel pressing beneath my jaw line each time I gulped.
“I remember you. You’re that tramp from the inn. I still owe you a little something for my stay.”
He pulled his sword back gain momentum to strike a clean blow. I used that brief moment of freedom to my advantage and dodged his attack by twisting around to the other side of the tree. The slash mark he carved into the bark proved that my quick thinking had saved my life.
“You’re not getting away that easily.”
I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this. Maybe I deserved it after how I’d betrayed my kingdom. I attempted to make a run for it, but he was too fast. He yanked the back of my cloak, knocking me onto the gravel below. My ankles and knees became covered in dirt and scrapes as he dragged me across the ground, but I wasn’t ready to give up yet. I released the clasp of my cloak from around my neck and kept running. The going was even slower due to my new injuries and fatigue.
As I limped away from certain death, I saw my life flash before my eyes. So much wasted potential. I knew I could have been a great queen if I had only been given the chance. I could only hope that Braydon would take care of Krystal and the rest of my family and that Edgar would find a suitable replacement for me at the inn.
The sharp blow of steel that I anticipated with bated breath never came. Instead, I heard a very unmanly scream from a few feet behind me. I turned around to find Braydon standing over the unconscious knight with a freshly stained sword. I could not have been more grateful to see him. I limped over as fast as my injured legs could carry me.
“That was close. Thanks,” I said.
“That was stupid,” he responded.
“Princesses don’t get combat training.”
“Where are we anyway?”
“These are the mines,” I explained, “the most magical place in Klingland.”
“Do you hear that?”
I listened carefully and realized a horse was approaching from the mine entrance. Braydon pushed me against the tree so I wouldn’t be seen as the captain I had been tracking galloped away.
“Drat!” I cried.
“I take it you were unsuccessful in finding out what he was doing here.”
“Regrettably, my mission was interrupted by his little friend.”
“Who goes there?”
I flinched, thinking I had been spotted, but it turned out the Klinglish guard was talking to a different pair of intruders. Braydon helped me climb into the tree like before so we wouldn’t get caught. I squinted down toward the mine entrance to see who was causing the trouble. It appeared that Krystal had gotten quite friendly with King Mercer during the time I was away.
“There’s no need to make a scene. We have every right to be here,” said Krystal.
“You know the mines are strictly off limits, Princess Krystal,” responded the guard.
“You poor confused simpleton,” said Mercer.
To my horror, Mercer pulled out a dark red glowing jewel. My worst fears were confirmed. He had the mind control rune. That must have been why my aunt’s eyes flashed red on the night of my engagement ball. Who else had he used it on? Braydon didn’t show any signs of manipulation, and he’d already proven I could trust him. If Klingland and Dorraine formed an alliance and Mercer had the ability to control both sides, his reach would be limitless.
“It’s time for you to take a little break,” Mercer told the guard. “When you return, you will have no memory of us being here.
The guard’s eyes flashed red in the moonlight.
“Of course, sire. Take your time.”
The guard left the mines to Mercer’s whim. He was not going to get away with this. Without another thought, I tried to climb out of the tree, but Braydon blocked my path. His arm was locked firmly around my waist.
“Why do you always go looking for trouble?” he whispered.
“He has the mind control rune!”
“All the more reason to stay!”
I huffed and watched helplessly as my cousin conspired with my worst enemy.
“This is it,” Krystal said exuberantly. “Soon all of this will be ours.”
“Only if you can ensure your family’s fealty to me. Any idea how that brother of yours found out about the attack?”
Wait. Did they know about the Sederians before I told Henry?
Mercer dangled the rune threateningly in front of Krystal.
“How dare you threaten me! Even if I did know, I wouldn’t be able to tell you as a mindless zombie.”
“At least I was able to keep the Sederian captain quiet. After tonight, Dorraine will henceforth be regarded as the brave protectors of Klingland.”
I couldn’t believe it! Mercer had hired the knights to put my family in danger just so he could waltz in at the last minute and make himself look like the hero. How disgusting!
“It was a setup?” I said a little too loudly
Braydon covered my mouth as I became aware of our proximity to the mines.
“Did you hear something?” asked Krystal.
Oops.
“Do not be paranoid,” Mercer responded. “No one would dare traverse this close to the forbidden mines in the middle of the night.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
That was close. Krystal looked hungrily through the cracks in the boarded up entrance to the mine. I had no idea she was interested in magic. Apparently there was a lot I didn’t know about her. Maybe if I had spent some more time with my ladies-in-waiting instead of obsessing so much over my studies, I could have seen this coming.
“Just look at all of these rare and precious jewels. My foolish cousin wanted to use them to protect our weak land when she could have had countless armies under her control!”
> “Magic belongs in the hands of those who know how to wield power,” sneered Mercer.
It was a good thing Braydon was here because I felt a very strong urge to run up and smack some sense into both of them. As it turned out, I didn’t have to. When Krystal tried to slide her fingers between the nailed up boards, she got zapped by a sharp bolt of magic purple electricity.
“Ouch!” she shrieked.
“Fool!” shouted Mercer. “Don’t you know that only a powerful mage can break the seal on the mine?”
“I am a powerful mage! I’m the princess of Klingland!”
“Never fear. Soon all of the mages will be put to work while you and Braydon revel in their spoils.”
Krystal crossed her arms.
“I don’t like to share.”
“Are you saying that my son isn’t good enough for you?”
“Of course not! After we’re married, I will mold him into a worthy king.”
“Be patient with him. His shell of naiveté will not break easily.”
I heard a crunch behind me as Braydon made a fist around some dead leaves. Their conversation made me uncomfortable as well. If I wasn’t sure how I felt about Braydon marrying Krystal before, this sealed it for me. It was a real shame I had gone and messed up our engagement.
“Did you know?” I whispered.
“I had my suspicions, but I never thought he would stoop this low.”
“I knew Krystal was petty, but this is a whole other level.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with determination. “They will not succeed.”
Chapter 20
Braydon insisted on walking me back to the inn, not that I put up much of a fight. All the walking I had done combined with the scrapes on my legs made me feel as though every step I took was like walking on broken glass. I leaned on Braydon so hard that he determined we’d make more progress if he carried me. I listened to his heartbeat as we entered the sleeping village.
“You have nothing to worry about,” he insisted. “There is no way I’ll agree to marry Krystal, so the alliance simply won’t happen.”
“Mercer will find another way. He’s relentless.”
“This is the only way. If I refuse in front of the entire procession, there’s nothing my father will be able to do about it.”
“What if he uses the rune on you?” I asked.
“I know it’s hard to believe after what you just witnessed,” said Braydon, “but I know how he thinks. He sees me as his legacy and everyone else as his pawns. He wouldn’t use it on me.”
Braydon set me back on my feet in front of the inn. The pain in my legs went numb.
“But what if—”
Braydon interrupted my thoughts with a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Don’t trouble yourself worrying. You’ve had a long night.”
A warmth filled my heart that reminded me of the rune’s energy. Love had its own sort of magic. I had been afraid of admitting my feelings for Braydon because I didn’t want to hurt Krystal, but that no longer mattered. Krystal might be my cousin, but she wasn’t my friend. Tonight confirmed that without a doubt. My cheeks flushed as I leaned in toward Braydon.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you for saving me,” I said.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders pressed my lips against his. For a moment, it was as if all the drama with Krystal and the runes and King Mercer disappeared. I was no longer a rejected princess who could never reach her full potential. All that existed in the world was our love. As long as we could be together, everything would turn out okay.
Neither of us wanted to let go, but it was getting late. Braydon held open the door to the inn. It was eerily quiet and surprisingly clean. It looked like Edgar was able to handle the wedding rush after all. Braydon grabbed my hand before I went inside.
“Don’t do anything stupid like that ever again,” he whispered in my ear.
“I can’t make any promises,” I said.
“Good night, Princess.”
It was odd hearing him refer to me that way when I had spent so much energy letting go of that part of my identity. Yet, when Braydon said it, it didn’t feel like it was about my past. In his eyes, I was royal not because of the role I was born into, but because of who I was, and that was something no treaty could change.
When I entered my room, I got the sense that something was wrong. In the dim moonlight through the window, I could see that my sheets weren’t folded the same way Greta had taught me, and their color was slightly off. Someone had changed them while I was gone. That meant they could have discovered the rune I was hiding in my pillowcase!
No! No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
I tore my bed apart as I dug through every nook and cranny to see if it had fallen out somewhere. The pillow was soft all over. It didn’t seem to be under the sheets either. I tore then off. Could it have fallen into the mattress springs? I knelt down and crawled under the bed, trying to reach up and feel under the mattress.
“Looking for this?”
In my shock, I jumped up too quickly and hit my head on the box spring. I did my best to slide out across the floor without injuring myself further. Standing in my doorway was a very displeased Edgar, dangling the truth rune on the gold chain I had affixed it to. So much for smoothing things over with him later.
“Edgar, I can explain,” I insisted.
He didn’t want to hear it.
“I let you stay here out of the goodness of my heart.”
“I only used it once. I have no regrets.”
“I even shared my secret scrolls with you.”
“I had to do something! I couldn’t stand by while the people I love were in danger.”
“Is this how you repay me?”
Edgar activated the rune. I felt the same compulsion to speak my thoughts as I did when Krystal touched my necklace at the ball. A pulsating warmth filled my eyes.
“Braydon brought it for me. He wanted to protect me, and it worked. I uncovered a conspiracy that affects the entire kingdom.”
“Am I just a pawn for you to manipulate to your own whims?”
Again, I felt the magic pulsating into my brain.
“When I found out you were a mage, I wanted to stay here and learn more about magic. Maybe I took advantage of your kindness, but I was going to tell you eventually, I swear! It just didn’t seem like the right time. I’d already shirked my duties twice today.”
Edgar threw the rune on the floor. I stared at it, making no effort to reach for it. All that mattered was that I had betrayed two people I cared about. First Denise, and now Edgar. Maybe the kingdom really was better off without me.
“Eventually isn’t good enough. I trusted you with my secrets, yet you refused to trust me with yours. Take your contraband and leave.”
Hot tears overflowed out of my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I had finally found a new home, and promptly lost it for the same reason as before. Maybe Aunt Denise was right about magic after all.
“Where will I go?”
“That’s no longer my concern.”
I picked up the rune. It glowed dimly in the moonlight as my teardrops fell onto its smooth surface. The rune itself was not inherently dangerous. All it did was allow people to say what they were truly feeling. It was the law that caused all of this, not magic. Denise had amplified her fears about the dangers of magic onto her own people. Edgar wasn’t scared of the rune. He was scared of what might happen if he got caught hiding it. I could still fix everything. All I had to do was stop the wedding. Then Mercer would have no power, Krystal wouldn’t become queen, and I could persuade Aunt Denise to change the law. I became more determined than ever.
“I will keep my promise. I’m going to bring magic back to Klingland. You’ll see. I won’t let them use you and the other mages for their own selfish gain.”
Edgar turned away from me so I couldn’t see his face. I suspected he didn’t really want to throw me out. It was fear that got me kicked out of both my
homes.
“This room will need to be empty by morning.”
Edgar left me alone with my stolen jewel. I longed to keep apologizing until we made amends, but I knew that wouldn’t resolve anything. I had to go to the wedding. At least he gave me until morning. That would give me a chance to sleep my injuries. I would remember his compassion if I ever managed to get back my place in the monarchy. Sleep overcame me the moment I made contact with the bed.
Chapter 21
The audience chamber is filled with well-dressed guests. Assorted flower petals are scattered down a long aisle. At the end of the aisle is Prince Braydon, looking dapper as he awaits his bride. But where is she?
“Charlotte, you’re up,” Lily whispers from behind me.
I look down at my elaborate mint green dress embroidered with pink roses and realize that I am the bride. Lily holds my long train behind me as I make my ascent down the aisle. Just before I reach my groom, Denise wheels herself in front of me, blocking my path.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asks.
“It would appear that I am getting married.”
“Did you really think you that you would get a happy ending after what you did?”
Her eyes flashed red.
“This isn’t you, Aunt Denise! Mercer is controlling you. You must fight it!”
Mercer appears at her side. He holds up the mind control rune, bathing the room in an eerie red light.
“Klingland is mine now,” he says.
“No!” I shout. “We will never join forces with you.”
“Haven’t you realized, dear cousin? We already have.”
Krystal appears at Braydon’s side in a wedding dress that is far more elaborate than mine. She takes his arm. Braydon’s eyes glow red as he pulls her toward him.
“He doesn’t love you! Tell her, Braydon!”
“Krystal is my beloved wife. Together, we will lead both our kingdoms into a new age where magic will belong only to those in power.”
“You know that isn’t right. Magic belongs to the people.”
“The people don’t want a nobody like you interfering with royal affairs,” snarls Krystal.