by AE Watson
“I suspect that is the only behavior you have, my lord.”
He chuckled louder. “Indeed. My days of fun and ease are behind me.” His voice lost the humor and his eyes filled with trouble. “As I said before, I should like to see Prince Thomas, if possible. Not here, obviously.”
“That can be arranged.” I glanced at Mani whose dark eyes glistened with worry. “When he is a bit better. He’s not strong enough right now.”
“Well then, I suppose you and I should get to work so that when this army arrives we have instructions for them.”
I nodded and we sat at the table and began to plan the welcomed invasion of my army into his lands.
Chapter 14
The smell of seaweed and treachery was greater than I recalled from the last time I was in Firth but being seated next to Egar as my brother Ed waited for his fiancée to walk to him was a nice difference from my last visit here.
The side-eye and glares from the nobility of Firth were something I wished had changed.
But they still hated me.
The slaughter of their military was something they hadn’t gotten over in the time since I’d last been here.
Michael, wearing his regalia and crown, stood in front of us all, prepared to marry our brother to Keanna. He glimpsed my way, his eyes twinkling with delight as he too noticed the disdain I received from nearly every seat in the room.
Egar chuckled. “Are you this well-loved in every corner of Enderoth?” he whispered but Ed and Michael heard it. They both wrestled with grins.
“Pretty much,” I muttered and turned, seeing the one face I had wished to avoid.
Maddox and Keanna entered the great cathedral, her in a fine silvery gown and him in the nicest clothes I’d seen him wear. He was shaved clean and styled, suggesting someone had perhaps taken the liberty of preparing him for the royal wedding. He escorted her, as was tradition, down the aisle to my expectant brother.
Ed’s eyes widened when he saw her, and the love he felt was palpable. So much so that everyone who watched his response was softened by the look.
My brother was smitten.
Michael stood a bit taller and wider when Maddox approached, and I wondered if that was for me.
Maddox kissed his sister, whispering something in her ear. Michael’s eyes darted to mine. He winked subtly as Maddox handed Keanna to Ed. Maddox took his seat, avoiding me and my stare.
Ed and Keanna beamed at one another, and I selfishly was transported to the last moment I felt that giddy excitement. Me and Grayson in Watergate City, dancing and drinking and kissing.
I was a girl and he was a boy and everything was a lie.
But by the gods, I loved that lie.
I missed it.
The same way I missed Maddox. Being the girl in the woods always chasing after the boy with the red cloak was a memory tainted with betrayal. His feelings for me would forever be ruined by his mother’s control over him. It was a wound I couldn’t quite heal. Maybe I didn’t want to heal it.
I forced my attention back to my brother, a lump forming in my throat when I saw the way he stared at her as he spoke the words. Ed meant it. He truly loved her, which I found surprising. Just when I thought I might cry, Egar sniffled as Michael spoke with gentle authority and kingly words, joining two houses.
My gaze roamed the people of Firth, finding faces filled with awe and excitement and bliss. These people had been won over by Ed and his charms. They were happy for him.
“Will you marry your tavern wench now?” I asked Egar as Ed pulled Keanna into his arms and they kissed, sealing the deal. “Become a proper gentleman?”
“Yes, yes.” Egar sniffed and wiped his cheek.
“I’m happy you have love, cousin.” I leaned in and kissed his cheek, snuggling into my beast of a cousin.
Ed and Keanna turned to us all and we stood, clapping wildly for their union.
They clung to each other, walking back down the aisle, giddy with excitement.
Michael followed, his face flooded with pride. Egar waited for me to walk but I didn’t. I stayed put, letting Maddox leave the cathedral behind my family.
Egar peered down on me. “All right, Millia?”
“Of course,” I lied, ignoring the battle of anxiety and regret inside me.
“Egar!” a voice called, forcing us to turn our heads. Egar smiled and I scowled when we saw Prince Erick across the massive cathedral. He waved but didn’t dare move across the sea of people leaving after the happy couple.
“Erick,” Egar called back, also waving. “I didn’t know he would be here!” Egar was far too excited about this.
“Me either,” I muttered, wondering if he had been with Michael when the aunts came or if they had taken a special trip to fetch the young prince from Montagne. Either way, it was trouble for me that he was here.
“Oh, don’t be so glum. I’m sure Ed’s marriage will buy you some time.” Egar nudged me, teasingly.
“You aren’t funny,” I said and got up to join my family. “I’ll see you later.” I waved back at Egar and entered the stream of people exiting the cathedral.
The air was cold here. Much more so than Marana had been.
Trying to blend in, I made my way to the castle and snuck in a back entrance I’d discovered when I was living here with Ed. Everyone else came up the massive stairs to join the reception line for the ball.
“There you are,” Michael said loudly when I entered the hallway to the ballroom. “Join the line with the family.” He wasn’t negotiating. “I can’t believe you didn’t walk out with us.” He gripped my arm like I was twelve years old again and he’d been sent to fetch me as usual. He pulled me to the enormous entrance of the dank castle.
Ed smiled at me but Keanna ignored my presence, something I had expected.
Michael dragged me gently, his fingers biting in just enough to do the explaining for them, and forced me into the line next to Ed. My place was technically next to Keanna but at least he understood how awkward that would be.
Ed slipped his fingers into mine and squeezed once. I clung on for too long.
The line began and people acted as they always did.
A nervous smile for Michael with a deep bow.
A frightened stare for me with an uneasy bow and a bit of distance.
A wide smile for Ed with a friendly bow.
When they got to Keanna, they were genuinely happy for her but unsure if they had to bow to her. Some did, others didn’t.
My feet ached.
My stomach was twisted in knots.
And my heart sat in my throat, creating a burning sensation.
It took hours to get through them all. Michael maintained his composure. Keanna was done but trying desperately to stay peaceful.
Ed leaned into me and whispered, “Are you staying for the ball?” he asked.
I shook my head.
He didn’t argue or try to persuade me. That made the ache worsen. His thoughts had to be for his bride now. Not me. She was his family. His first thought. And she hated me.
Finally, Maddox came to the line.
Michael shook his hand.
He walked to me and bowed too deeply. It was a knife; the deeper the bow, the heavier the wound. He didn’t speak and I couldn’t.
He moved on to Ed who hugged him.
I stared, wondering if this was truly the last time I would see Maddox.
He had requested it be.
As he made his way into the ballroom, I leaned into Michael and whispered, “I am leaving to go with Mani.”
He nodded though he greeted the person in front of him. When they passed, he muttered, “I think that is for the best.”
I wanted so badly to fade into the background and leave, but I forced myself to do the one thing I should and spoke softly to Keanna, “Congratulations.”
She curtseyed but there was nothing in her eyes for me.
“I love you,” I said to Ed who offered me the best he could without offending h
is bride.
“Be good,” he said and turned his eyes to the next person in line.
“I’ll try.” I hurried off, finding my way back through the hallways toward the meeting place.
“Princess,” a voice I recognized called. I paused, took a breath, and turned to find Prince Erick. He had to have followed me. “Leaving so soon?”
“I’m not welcome here,” I accidentally said aloud.
He chuckled. “Why does that not surprise me?”
“Enjoy the party, Your Grace.” I bowed but he walked toward me.
“I was surprised by the news coming from Marana,” he said, starting a conversation.
“Why? Me murdering people—”
“Royalty, you mean,” he added.
“Right, me murdering royals is nothing new. I don’t see how that would surprise anyone.”
He leaned against the wall next to us and tilted his head, narrowing his gaze as if confused. “No, I was surprised that again you allowed the blame to land at your feet, and you made no excuses for yourself. Your brother and Lord Enderby have defended you but not once have you made a statement about being innocent.”
Being so close to the edge of my emotions, literally on the precipice of coming apart in front of him, my voice was raw when I muttered, “Perhaps my words would fall on deaf ears.”
“You are not what you seem. Not what you allow people to describe you as. What are you?” he asked as if he desperately wanted to know. His eyes burned holes in me.
There was something about him, no doubt attraction from the magic within me. I found my resolve and strength and managed to speak clearly, “You’re mistaken, Your Grace. I am death. And I am everything they say I am.” I turned and hurried away, practically running until I found the room where Mani waited with the door already drawn.
“Took you long enough,” she snapped.
“I know I said no more trinkets for emotions, but I need a new necklace,” I grumbled and followed her through into the darkness.
But as the surrounding area cleared, I realized we were not in Marana.
This was something else, somewhere else.
Chapter 15
“Where are we?” I asked, wishing I had my swords on me. This was neither Firth nor Marana. The air was strangely cold and refreshing, but it was too dark for me to see our surroundings. Though I smelled trees, pines.
“It’s time,” Mani said without answering me. Typical. She walked away and I followed, letting the brightness of her cloak be my beacon.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I realized we were in a cave. A vast cave with a high ceiling with foliage and fauna inside. The air changed, getting close and smelling of something I didn’t know. It was rich and taunting the way it promised to grow stronger if I followed it further in.
“I told you when the wedding was over, you needed to meet the coven. Claim your magic.” Mani turned as we rounded a corner and a light ahead offered a view of exactly what was around us. Trees and bushes and even stars in the sky above us, and yet I felt the cave. It was an illusion perhaps. “They’re waiting for us.” She sounded different, emotionless and cold.
Was she scared for me?
My stomach was already a mess with the emotions of the wedding. Adding this surprise was unnecessarily cruel.
Wanting to turn back, but unsure where the cave would lead me without Mani, I followed against my better judgement. My fingers tickled my sides, feeling for my hilts every few steps.
My heart raced in my throat where it had sat for most of the day.
We turned another corner and what I saw was beyond comprehension.
We stepped from the cave of mystery and magic into a town of sorts. Small houses lined a cobbled street older than any I’d seen before. Lanterns lined the road, leading us deeper in to what could only be described as a village though it was empty. Not a soul lingered on the streets but there was music in the air—a soft voice, a woman. She whispered words that the breeze carried. They were spoken as if to no one and everyone.
The air was different here again, warmer and salty with the freshness of a sea nearby. The village was encased in trees, taller than even the elven forest. And the air sparkled as if there was a massive fire nearby sending tiny sparks everywhere. They glowed orange and yellow and glittered like firebugs.
As if unable to turn away, Mani walked through the streets, her feet leading us to the edge of town where a vast sea was. An ocean I didn’t know. The waves were soft as if it were a lake but the smell was telltale of the sea. On the sandy beach, in a massive stone circle surrounding a fire, was a group of women. They had their hair down, letting the soft wind lift and toy with it as they chanted and danced amongst the stones, as if worshipping them as the flames licked at the rocks. On the horizon far away, across the ocean, a strip of blue light was their backdrop, as if the sun never fully set here though the sky was dark and speckled with more stars than could be named.
My necklace began to hum and buzz against my skin.
Someone was trying to use magic on me.
I peered down to the seaside and saw her. She was in the middle of the women, standing and not dancing or chanting. Her fiery eyes were set on me. A sharp stare that could pierce a soul. I was aware she knew me better than I knew myself as Mani walked for her, lacking the hesitation I felt.
The wind brought that rich smell with it. They were burning something on the fire and it was haunting the air around us with a promise I didn’t understand.
“Amillia,” the lady whispered. Her lips moved and her words brushed against me. “You have finally come.” Her eyes widened and the flames grew and the women danced faster and chanted louder. Their voices were one, the song on the wind.
My heart raced and my mouth dried, but like Mani, I walked forward. Though I was not in a trance. I was scared of this place and these people.
We stepped onto the sand and the dancing stopped.
Everyone froze and slowly lowered their arms and turned their heads to face us.
“Sisters, I bring her as you have asked,” Mani said.
All eyes flickered to me.
Mani walked to the stones and sat on the edge of one, as if it were a chair. The others did the same, leaving one seat for me. I knew it was Katy’s chair I was borrowing for the evening. I walked to it, fighting every urge I had to run away. The necklace fought so hard it burned against my skin, but I dared not remove it.
The stone had a small lip for me to sit on, as the others were.
They watched me too keenly, eyes lit with flames. The look was familiar to me after so much time spent with my aunts.
“Welcome, Princess. We have been waiting for you,” the one who had been in the middle spoke softly.
“Why does magic not work on her? She is still afraid. My calming isn’t hitting her.”
“The necklace,” Mani replied coolly. Did she not like these women? I was so confused. “She was gifted it by the Queen of the Elves. No magic will work on her.”
The necklace went cold and the humming stopped.
“What a mighty gift,” the leader said but there was the typical witchy double meaning. “You are your mother’s daughter, there is no denying it. Have you come to claim your magic then, child?”
“The only magic I need lies within the steel of my sword and this trinket around my neck,” I answered carefully. “Magic has done no good in my world.”
The woman’s eyes darted to Mani’s. “She is aware of the prophecy, is she not?”
“I am aware of one thing as far as you witches are concerned, and that is your want of my dragon. But he is my brother, and I will not betray him for you or all the souls in this world. I will let this world burn before I allow anyone to harm him.” I leaned into the stone and sighed. “So no, I will not claim my magic or be under your control. I want nothing from you and will offer you nothing in return.”
“Surely, you are aware we know the dragon is in your hands. He was given to you by his mothe
r to protect. As was customary in the old days, before the kingdom broke into seven.” The leader waved her hands at the fire and a picture began to grow in the flames. Images danced and moved as if I were looking in a window at strangers who weren’t aware I could see them. “Long ago, the old dragons would bring their kin as a gift to the human ruler who was rightfully next in line. The dragons made the king strong and the king put the dragons in an elevated place, as the rightful rulers alongside them.”
She twisted her hands and the picture changed from a kingdom in daylight to a man sitting on a stone throne with a large orange dragon next to him. He could have been Artan’s brother, they resembled each other so well.
“But one day, the dragon came and tried to give the egg to the second-born son, as she could see there was no seed inside the crowned prince. He would provide his wife no sons. No heirs. And he would be killed and his brother would take his place. The dragon saw this. So she wanted to gift the egg to the second born.”
As she spoke the images danced and changed, bringing her words to life.
“But the crowned prince was his mother’s favorite of all her other sons. She had heard that the dragon’s tears and blood had brought a man back from death and healed fatal wounds. It was believed the dragon’s tears and blood could save her boy his fate and fix his body. So she let her second son take the dragon but she devised a plan.”
My breath hitched as I realized where this was going.
“She wounded her son, her second born, and his dragon wished to heal him. He offered his blood and tears, but she took them and used them to heal her eldest, letting her younger son die.”
Hatred and disgust brewed inside me.
“The crowned prince, drunk on power, immortality, and magic, killed his father and took his throne. He waged a war on the dragons, stealing their tears and blood for his own benefit. Using them to create terrible magic and weapons of war. It was a time of great darkness and hopelessness. The dragons fled, leaving man and the bloodlines of kings to their own devices.”
She moved her hands again and the image changed to one I recognized.