“Forever and always,” he murmured as he slipped a plain aged and worn silver ring on my finger.
“Always and forever,” I murmured back as the woman asked if I entered into this union, free of spirit and whole of mind, ready to bind myself to the man in front of me.
Slipping an identical silver ring onto Rafael’s finger, he pulled me in close and dipped his head, taking our first kiss as a mated couple. Claps and whistles broke out behind us as we ended our kiss and faced the witnesses to our union. I laughed, a blush caressing my cheeks as Rafael stole another kiss. We finished the ceremony quickly, planting the blooming trees before heading down to the banquet hall where the rest of the Stronghold was waiting to congratulate us. I blushed even harder when the Queen pulled me aside explaining the custom to come next.
“You and Rafael will greet everyone. After such, traditionally speaking, you two will retire early to your chambers,” the queen murmured in my ear before waving to an older couple a few tables down.
I waved also, plastering a smile on my face. “Rafael told me what you did,” I said through gritted teeth, still smiling. Oh, yes. Did I not mention that I blamed the queen, rightfully so, for the predicament she put Rafael in. She was starting to remind me of my father with her scheming, which was not a good thing in my book.
Rafael’s mother continued smiling, snagging a glass of wine as a server passed by. “You should not be so quick to lash out, Princess. We are all pawns in the game fate plays.”
I frowned, wanting to ask her to elaborate when the knight caught my eye. She was tall for a woman, athletically lean, dressed in a blue and silvered decorative armor, but most of all she was staring directly at me. Once she noticed my attention had been caught, she raised her arm to wave at me. An icy, silver tattoo mimicking leaves and vines started at her shoulder and cascaded down to her fingertips, standing stark and bold against her ebony dark skin. She winked and headed my way, stealing a fig as she passed the fruit table.
The whole room seemingly stopped, looks of shock crossed with admiration springing across everyone’s faces. The knights smile was full of warmth, and I swear I knew that face from somewhere. I just couldn’t place it. She glided to a halt and took a knee, grasping my hand in hers. If I had thought the room had gone silent before then I stood corrected, because I was sure everyone had stopped breathing between one heartbeat and the next. I stood transfixed as she looked up at me.
“My apologizes, Your Highness,” she said. “But I come with a message from the Mystics. They bestow upon you a mission of grave importance.”
The queen’s sharp gasp broke the spell everyone seemed to be under, and the sudden onslaught of whispering assaulted my senses as the knight stood. Rafael finally made his way to my side, and I slid my hand out of the knight’s grasp and into his.
“Let us take this somewhere more private,” Rafael murmured, tugging me away.
The knight shrugged and stood, snagging more food from a table as we passed by.
Rafael led us out to the balcony, the queen and king not far behind the knight. The knight slammed the balcony doors shut in their faces, locking them inside the hall and us outside with her. Rafael stepped in front of me, pushing me back as shouts and banging echoed from behind the closed doors. The knight walked over to the edge of the balcony, looking over.
“The guards will be here soon. I must make haste.” She turned, and with the snap of her fingers, everything froze. Reaching for my hand, she tugged me away from Rafael.
“What did you do?” I whispered, lifting my hand to touch Rafael’s frozen face. It was as if she stopped time.
“It will only last a moment. This mission is yours, and the prince doesn’t need to learn of it quite yet.”
Unspoken words froze on my tongue, and instead I nodded for her to continue.
The knight smiled and truly looked at me then, mahogany brown eyes seeming to bore right into my soul. “A Realm will crumble, along with it a warrior fallen from grace. You will travel to the gatekeeper’s home, and a sacrifice will be made. The hound will bring the weapon. One misstep and all the realms in this galaxy will fall to the coming plague.”
I took a deep breath. “That sounds more like a quest.”
The knight barked out a laugh. “Mission...quest... call it whatever you would like. They chose you to complete it. It is pivotal that you know what’s coming.”
She had looked up when saying ‘they’, and for some reason that unnerved me more than being chosen for a quest. The knight turned, lifting her hand once more, fingers poised to snap, but I stopped her.
“It would be pointless to ask why they chose me, wouldn’t it?”
She turned back to me, giving me a wicked smile, “I wish I could tell you but know this, you always did the right thing.” She nodded to Rafael. “Both of you. You make mighty fine rulers. Don’t ever doubt the actions you took.”
I shook my head. “Are you from the future?”
The knight chuckled. “Yes, no...I’m from the future and this present.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will soon enough when the time is right, Your Highness. And hopefully this go around, we don’t meet again.”
I was still staring slack jawed when the knight winked at me, snapping her fingers once more, causing a fiery white light to engulf the entire balcony.
Chapter Eighteen
Rafael
Rafael stumbled forward, unfrozen on the now empty balcony, Maribella and the Knight nowhere in sight. His Dragon reared up in his mind and they simultaneously let out a roar, energy expanding and exploding outward, crashing like a tidal wave against the balcony doors. Glass and wood exploded outward, throwing anyone who was too close backward across the polished stone floors. Eyes glowing like amber coals, Rafael stalked into the silent banquet hall, raw, primal energy rolling off his body in visible waves.
“Where did they go?” Rafael roared, his human and Dragon voice intermingling, guttural and loud, echoing across the room.
Eyeing the guards, who had been too close to the balcony doors, struggling to stand up, Rafael strode over to the closest one and grabbed him by his leather armor, hauling the startled guard up to his face.
“Where did they go?” Rafael emphasized every bitten-out word with a shake.
The man’s face paled in response. “Sire...I don’t...they...they...I...,” the guard stammered, and Rafael sneered, dropping his hold. The guard stumbled but regained his composure.
Fury rose, fueling Rafael’s entire body, and his Dragon’s desire to rampage through the entire Stronghold had him stepping forward, readying to grab one of the tables filled with food and throw it against a wall.
“Ildrex! Report!” The barking command from the King had Rafael and his Dragon snapping their head around. Struggling against his Dragon’s urgency to take control, he pushed back, gaining some traction. They needed to listen—needed a clear mind to understand what was happening. Rafael’s Dragon conceded, but not before the image of the entire realm burning to the ground flashed before Rafael’s mind. His Dragon had just given him an ultimatum. His Dragon would rage if Rafael failed them and did not bring their mate back. Rafael’s human mind snapped back to the forefront; hushed whispering assaulting his ears. Taking precious seconds, he looked around the banquet hall, taking in the destruction their blast of energy had done to the room and balcony door. The floor was littered with debris. Glass, wood, and chunks of stone from the wall littered the floor. A minimal amount of blood splattered the light grey stone tile, and Rafael grimaced when he looked up noticing the bruising cut across his mother’s forehead. She seemed no worse for wear, and Rafael strode over to her and his father who was picking pieces of glass from her hair.
“Where is Ildrex?” The Queen barked out, looking around the room and ignoring Rafael and her husband.
Where in the realm was the captain to the Stronghold guards? Rafael looked around the room, his mind spinning with questions. Seconds later
, Ildrex furiously stalked into the banquet hall, barking orders to the scrambling guards trying to control the growingly upset crowd.
“Sires. My Lady.” Ildrex halted in front of Rafael and his parents, slamming down into a kneeling position before them. “We don’t know how the knight arrived. We also don’t know how she got past our defenses, but heavy, wild magic was and still is at play.”
Rafael’s control started to fray, and he reached down to grab Ildrex by his armor, demanding to know why he could have allowed this. Everyone knew humans were not Ildrex’s favorite race, but if he purposely sabotaged the Stronghold’s future queen, he would pay heavily in his betrayal. It was the king who snapped out his hand, grabbing Rafael’s arm and pulling him backward. Rafael almost snarled but managed to bite it back. Barely. Even so, his mother looked at him, her frown deepening.
“I recognized the tattoo,” the queen whispered, and Rafael, Ildrex, and the king focused on her. “Coupled with the colors of the decorative armor and wild magic you report, I know who just snapped Maribella out of existence. We just met one of the elusive knights from the Mystic clan.”
RAFAEL PACED, HIS DRAGON simmering with rage, just like how Rafael felt at the moment. This was taking far too long, and he needed to be out there looking for his mate. Instead, he was still in the banquet hall, unenthusiastically listening to the guards and king going over strategy. His mother, on the other hand, was trying to calm the frantic guests while simultaneously questioning them to make sure nobody was in league with the knight. Turning swiftly on the ball of his foot to pace down the center of the room once more, Rafael almost ran over the person standing in his way. He snarled down at the female in front of him. “Why do you interrupt? Do you have news?”
The female’s face pinched in worry, and Rafael racked his brain trying to remember her name. It took a minute but then he remembered. Selene, the healer from Sheharla and Maribella’s best friend. What was she doing blocking his path?
“One of the workers in the castle informed a guard that Amelia is also missing,” Selene said.
Rafael blinked, stumped as to who Amelia was.
Selene stared at him before sighing. “Amelia? Small, tiny little thing assigned to Maribella yesterday? Training to be a lady in waiting?”
Rafael growled, not understanding why she would interrupt him with this useless information. “Why does this matter?”
An exasperated frown crossed her face, but she didn’t back down from the way Rafael towered over her. He knew Selene was scared from the way her heart rate kicked up, but she stood her ground in the wake of his fury. It was mildly impressive.
“Cool it,” Selene snapped. “Your mate is my best friend. I’m just as worried as you are, but you don’t see me being an ass about it. So check yourself.”
His Dragon chuckled in his head briefly before going back to simmering in frustration, and Rafael couldn’t help the way the side of his mouth kicked up in amusement.
“I apologize, Selene. I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” he murmured.
She shook her head.“Apology not needed. I’ve handled worse brutes than you. But Amelia matters because I think she is with Maribella. The castle worker who reported Amelia missing also said she saw Amelia speaking to an unknown male.”
Her words had Rafael and his Dragon focusing all their attention on Selene. “When?”
She shook her head. “We all heard the Queen and Ildrex. Wild magic and Mystics. Would it be too far of a stretch to say this mystery man could be someone working with the knight?”
Rafael pondered her words before shaking his head. “I’ll inform the queen and king, but this means that not only are we looking for a knight with wild magic, but an unknown male entity wandering the castle. It also means another person is missing now instead of just my mate.”
“It also means Maribella is not alone.”
Rafael stilled as the meaning of Selene’s words hit him, and a small shred of relief flowed through his body. His mate would not go through whatever the Mystics had in store for her alone, and for that he was utterly grateful. Rafael murmured his thank you and watched relief cross Selene’s face before she moved out of his way. Pivoting once more on the balls of his feet, Rafael strode over to his parents. “Have you been informed that we have another interloper and Amelia is also missing?”
The queen threw her hands up in dismay, and the king rubbed at his temples. “We already have guards canvassing the castle looking for anyone unfamiliar, but I feel like this is a moot point if we have two people wielding wild magic and working for the Mystics. We will only find them if they want us to find them.” The king’s words made all the sense in the realm, but Rafael and his Dragon were not happy.
“So we do nothing? We just sit here and wait while the Mystics roll the dice in whatever game they are playing?” Rafael’s fury choked him.
The king shook his head, remorse filling his face. “Son, we must be careful in how we proceed with this matter.”
“Call in our witch then. We can use her and Nikola. Fight magic with magic.”
The queen stiffened at Rafael’s suggestion. “Absolutely not. Not only does Katrina’s magic not work in the manner you are suggesting, but it’s also dangerous. Witch magic is addictive, and Katrina works hard to not succumb to its nefarious ways.”
Rafael’s frustrated growl echoed across the chamber, and he stalked away, needing fresh air. The castle workers had already done their due diligence in cleaning up the mess Rafael had left behind, and his path to the balcony was unobstructed. Grinding his hands into the thick stone railing, his Dragon alerted him to a glimpse of silver and blue obscured by tree covering in the distance. The second he caught the glimpse it disappeared. It didn’t matter as Rafael was already launching himself over the balcony, landing into a roll to break his momentum from the two-story fall. He was quick to use the shadows surrounding the castle to mask his approach into the woods, and from there he allowed his Dragon to rise up in his mind, sensitive ears picking up low voices to the left of him. Stalking as silently as he could through the denser part of the woods, Rafael paused, dropping into a squat beside one of the scrub bushes native to the mountain. It obscured his form just enough to where someone would have to be looking for him to see his hiding spot. Yet from his position, Rafael was able to make out the two figures in front of him. His Dragon fought to take control, to march right out to the figures and rip both their heads off their bodies. They had facilitated in the taking of his mate. It was pure willpower on Rafael’s part to push his Dragon back down, leaving him a sweating mess.
No, Rafael murmured to his Dragon. We need to listen, gather information to find out where they sent Maribella.
Rafael’s Dragon simmered, not liking his nonviolent approach, but grumbled he would behave for the time being. Satisfied, Rafael refocused on the figures in front of him. The knight in her decorative silver armor, inlaid with the same design as her tattoo, leaned against a boulder, picking at her nails while her accomplice paced the tiny clearing. The individual wore a dark gray cloak with a deep hood, showing only his chin and bottom lip. The cloaked individual paused in front of the knight and she gave him a wink. Her nonchalance attitude made her companion release an aggravated sigh.
“Why are we still here? Do we have more orders, or are you going off the books again, love?” The cloaked man’s voice was full of worry and aggravation at the same time.
Rafael could relate.
The knight shrugged. “After all these centuries together, I would of thought you of all people would know the answer to that question.”
The cloaked man stiffened, and Rafael held his breath to hear the mans lowered response.
“Last time I assumed you had something up your sleeve on a mission, it almost ended in our death.”
The knight chuckled. “I wasn’t wearing sleeves on that mission.”
Her companion raised his gloved hand, pointing a finger at the knight. “You are forever making my life a
living torment.”
The knight snickered before pushing herself off the boulder. “It’s why you love me. Now, let’s not have the prince wait any longer.”
She turned, looking directly at the bush Rafael was hiding behind. “Come out, Rafael, we need to speak before you start a war burning the Old Lands to the ground.”
Rafael’s Dragon chuckled in his mind. With a sigh, he stood but kept his distance. He still wasn’t confident in his ability to keep his Dragon contained.
“Speak, then,” Rafael bit out.
The knight cracked a smile and chuckled once more, as if she was amused by Rafael’s fury. His Dragon inched up into his mind, lighting his eyes amber before sinking back down.
The knight’s companion tensed, hand twitching as if he wanted to go for a weapon. Rafael didn’t blame him, he was teetering on an edge at the moment. Which way he fell was dependent on the knight’s next words.
The knight looked between the two of them and snorted. “We aren’t fighting. It didn’t work last time, and it won’t work this time.”
The knight’s companion’s face lit up in shock. “Love! What in the ever-loving gods? You can’t go around advertising time magic like that.”
Rafael tensed and was about to take advantage of the disruption, but the knight stared him down. “This is the third time.”
Rafael frowned. “Third time what?”
The knight’s companion threw up his hands, muttering, “I give up.”
The knight smiled softly at her companion’s outburst before staring down Rafael once more. “Third time we have gone through this whole song and dance.”
The Rover Princess Page 12