by Ivy Clyde
“I am ready to fight her,” I said. “You’re on my side, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Then, what is there to fear?”
“I don’t know.” Cade chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. “Mother is in an unstable state right now. I can’t predict what she might do.” He looked up at me. “Whatever happens, don’t let things get too serious. No matter what, she is still queen. Her word has more power than you. I am already incapacitated. You can’t afford to be locked up either. Moira needs us right now.”
“Sshh!” Leon held a finger to his lips, glancing at both Cade and me with a cautious look in his amber eyes.
In the silence of the room, my ears pricked up at the sound of men’s voices outside the door, punctuated by the thin, shrill voice of a child.
Leon rose to his feet and moved toward the door. Opening a crack, he peered through the gap. Next moment, he slipped out.
I glanced at Cade. He lifted a shoulder in a shrug, his eyes glued to the closed door.
A few seconds later, Leon entered the room with a brownie maid whose face was completely covered by a veil.
Cade moved away the blanket covering him and moved toward the edge of the bed. “Is that you, Gilly?” he asked, looking toward the child-like figure.
“Yes, Your Highness,” said the maid with a low bow.
“You know her?” I asked.
“She is Moira’s personal brownie,” said Cade. “I helped Moira gain her.” Turning his attention back on Gilly, he said, “Do you know where your mistress is?” he asked.
“No, Your Highness, but I have a letter from her.”
Leon, Cade, and I exchanged looks between ourselves. “When did she give you the letter?” asked Cade.
“She had it sent to me with the message I must bring it to your highnesses. I received it this morning from another servant.”
“How do you know Moira sent it?” questioned Cade.
“Her message to me was marked.” She stepped toward the bed and held up a sheet of parchment to Cade. My brother glanced at it and then at the raised wrist of the brownie.
Leon and I moved closer to take a look at the mark on both Gilly’s wrist as well as the letter. They were both identical.
“This was definitely sent by Moira,” said Cade, handing the short note back to Gilly. “What letter did she have for us?”
Gilly reached into the folds of her sash and brought out a folded letter along with a marble-sized sphere filled with swirling white smoke.
“She sent you a directional globe?” said Leon, picking up the marble-sized sphere from the brownie’s small palm. “Who exactly came to deliver them to you?”
“A young man, Your Highness,” said Gilly with a bow of her head. A moment later, she risked glancing up at each of us. “If I may, Your Highnesses…when does my lady come back to the palace?” She stared at us expectantly as if we could give her the answer to this particular question.
Cade opened the letter. His pale violet eyes darted across the parchment for a few seconds before looking up at us.
“What does it say?” asked Leon.
“That she is safe and if we wanted to find her, we could use the globe.” He handed the scrap of parchment to Leon who read it quickly and handed it to me.
“Who was this young man?” asked Cade, staring at Gilly. “Where is he now?”
“I don’t know, Your Highness,” said the brownie maid innocently.
“Damn!” spat Cade, impatiently moving away the long, loose strands of hair falling into his face. “What if it’s some sort of trap? True, Moira sent these letters but what if someone forced her to write them?”
“At least, we are sure about one thing,” said Leon.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Whoever this person is, Moira is with them,” said Leon, looking between me and Cade. “She is also alive and in a well enough state to have written those words.”
A flicker of relief rushed through me at those words. Gratitude followed at the heels of that emotion. Without my renewed bond with my brothers, I would’ve felt completely lost and desperate. Leon’s coolness and Cade’s calculative thinking were helping me stay focused on the matter instead of focusing too much on my fears.
“When will my lady return?” asked Gilly in a small voice.
Cade’s grim expression melted away as he glanced down at her. “She is away on a bit of a holiday,” he said. “She should be back soon but you never know. She might like it too much and extend her visit.”
“I could go with her,” she said, hanging her head low.
“Maybe she will call for you,” said Cade. “Give her some time to get adjusted first. Anyway, go back to her chambers and make sure everything is in order in case she comes back sooner than we expect.”
Gilly raised her veiled face to him and gave a nod. “Yes, Your Highness,” she said in a more confident, cheerful voice and bowed low. She saluted both Leon and me before leaving the room.
“I had no idea you could be so sweet,” said Leon with an amused grin.
Cade shrugged. “Moira wouldn’t like it if that brownie suffers. She adores that little maid of hers.”
Surprise flitted through me. It felt like an age had passed since I saw this side to Cade’s personality. He could be amazingly caring and thoughtful. You’re not the only one who’s been masking your true emotions, a voice said in my mind. I suppose we were all pretending to be aloof and cold while internally we were still the same people.
A knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts.
“Enter,” Cade called out.
A guard entered the room. After bowing before us, he spoke. “Her Majesty has commanded your presence in the throne room, Prince Rowan.” He didn’t make any eye contact with me, keeping his gaze trained on the floor respectfully. It seemed like the word of my brutal punishment was already being passed around.
“I will go now,” I said, rising to my feet.
“Wait, Rowan,” said Cade.
I turned toward him. A determined look descended into his lavender-hued eyes. “I will go with you.”
“But you’re injured.”
“I am not handicapped!” He took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. “It’s not like I am following you to a battlefield. I’ll be able to walk and talk without coughing up blood. Mother has probably heard of Coran’s arrest by now. You need someone on your side. Since Leon refuses to attend any royal court meetings, I must accompany you, Brother.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Cade gave a nod. “There’s no point in keeping quiet anymore. I agreed to go along with Mother’s plans because she threatened me with killing Moira. She doesn’t really have anything else to intimidate me with.”
“Get dressed then,” I said. “We are not going to a battlefield but it won’t be any less daunting.”
“I will wait here until you both return,” said Leon.
My resolve to face Queen Brenna became stronger than ever. The situation was way too grave for her to act flippantly. The enemy’s soldiers were already inside our kingdom. What would happen if they attacked the palace this very second? Coran couldn’t escape my clutches this time.
My hands balled into fists as I prepared myself to face the court. Deep inside, I couldn’t wait to see the look on the queen’s face when her own son opposes her today.
Wait for me, Moira, I thought silently. I will come find you as soon as I take care of Coran.
5
Cade
Rowan and I walked side by side as we strode through the vast doors of the queen’s throne room. My gaze took in the half dozen nobles who were Coran’s strongest supporters in the royal court. Up ahead, Coran stood with his wrists bound by manacles of bacadh metal, a special alloy that absorbed a fae’s magical powers, rendering them completely harmless. My lips curved in a smile at the sight.
Moving forward, I was able to catch a glimpse of the fury reddening my mother’s face. Her dar
k eyes flashed as they met my insolent stare. The long gold talons adorning her fingers tips tightened over the armrest of her throne.
“Why aren’t you resting in your chambers?” she asked me at once. “Did he force you to come here?” She raised her chin toward Rowan.
“No, Queen Mother,” I said. “I came here to witness the mighty Lord Coran trussed up like a criminal with my own eyes.” I didn’t bother containing the chuckles escaping me.
Mother appeared to be chewing her tongue as she glared down at me from her throne. In the corner, the gang of court nobles shook their heads with sorrowful looks on their faces. I glanced at Coran. Even in a situation like this, the man had the balls to stare straight at me. What exactly did he hold over my mother that he could still be so confident of going free? His rebellious expression made me want to stab a knife into his eyes.
Moira’s disappeared for less than a day and we’re all feeling stabby and murderous, I thought wryly, remembering the way Rowan punished the two maids earlier.
“What is the matter, Queen Mother?” asked Rowan in a loud, clear voice. “Why did you summon me here?”
“Why have you arrested Lord Coran?” she demanded at once. “How dare you use your military powers to surpass my authority?”
Interesting…Mother already tried to free Coran but Rowan’s position as the commander of the royal troops in father’s stead stopped her from liberating him. I glanced up at her, wondering why she was bothering to save Coran when he clearly needed to be questioned and investigated. What power was he holding over her?
“Have you asked him about the matter, Queen Mother?” asked Rowan in a calm voice.
“He says he has been unfairly arrested,” shouted Mother from upon her throne.
“Is that all?” asked Rowan, feigning the calmest expression on his face. Only Leon and I knew of the storm brewing behind those cool silvery eyes.
“What else is there, Prince Rowan?”
“Hasn’t he told you of the lunar fae soldiers who suddenly attacked the feast at his manor last night?” asked Rowan in that same calm tone. “Have you even accounted for the lives lost there? Lord Coran has an army almost as big as the royal militia and yet, they were all missing when he invited so many distinguished guests to his home. I find these circumstances highly suspicious. Until there is proof of his innocence, he will be treated as a traitorous suspect to our kingdom and people.”
“Prince Rowan, it wasn’t Lord Coran’s fault the enemy soldiers attacked his home,” said one of the nobles. “He couldn’t have foreseen what happened last night.”
Rowan turned toward the man. “Oh? Were any of you present at the feast last night?”
The group exchanged glances with each other.
“I am guessing no?” continued Rowan. “So I assume you’re all in this scheme with him?”
“You misunderstand us, Your Highness.”
“We are the most loyal courtiers of the royal council. We would never be part of such treachery!”
“We are all innocent, Your Highness. As is, Lord Coran!”
I chuckled as the six men tumbled over each other to prove Rowan’s assumption wrong.
Rowan raised a hand, silencing them. “It doesn’t matter what any of you say. This is a matter of the kingdom’s security.” He turned his calm gaze toward my mother, meeting her furious glare without flinching. “Apologies, Queen Mother. I cannot free Minister Coran until I have finished investigating the case. Until then, he will be locked up in the dungeons.”
“Rowan!” shrieked Mother, punching the hand rest of her throne.
“Even if he is innocent,” said Rowan in that eerily calm tone. “He still needs to pay for the lives lost yesterday. Did you know the girl who you chose to be my bride is also missing right now? He even lost the woman you were so keen on bestowing upon me. It’s strange you’re so angry at me but don’t even frown at him. Why, Queen Mother?”
I couldn’t help but smile at Rowan’s prowess for being so calm when both the queen and half a dozen men were challenging his every word. He kept counteracting their every point with clear, logical facts.
This was the first time I was seriously watching and hearing him in court. Father had truly brought him up to be his next heir for the throne. No matter how much my mother cribbed, the fact remained that Rowan was a better politician than me. If only she’d accepted reality and not gone against Father, we wouldn’t be pawns at the hands of these insignificant courtiers.
Regret washed over me for the time I wasted pretending to be against my brother. If we’d continued to stay united, people like Coran could’ve never been able to manipulate my mother into being so blind to truth and justice.
“Will you not abide by my command, Prince Rowan?” asked Mother in a soft, lethal voice. I recognized that tone immediately. She was already planning to do something drastic to him.
“I have a suggestion, Mother,” I spoke up loudly from behind Rowan.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to me.
“What do you want to say?” asked Mother, narrowing her eyes in a threatening sort of way.
“How about you make me the head of the investigation team?” I said loudly. “Let me prove to you and the court that Rowan’s claims are utterly ridiculous!”
I chuckled internally as the six noblemen nodded and agreed to the suggestion immediately. These idiotic, traitorous bastards thought Rowan to be the main danger but they had no idea I could be twice as lethal as my brother.
I met Rowan’s glance and gave him an imperceptible nod before looking back toward Mother. She seemed to be considering my suggestion.
“I deserve a fair trial, Your Majesty,” said Coran in a sorrowful tone. “Please allow Prince Cade to look into the matter as well. I trust his judgment.”
You just think you can manipulate like a puppet who will dance to your tune, I thought savagely. You’re never getting out of those dungeons.
“I will agree to it,” said Mother in a loud, clear voice that rang all around the quiet throne room. “Prince Cade will be in charge of this investigation.”
Rowan and I lowered our heads and paid her a salute.
“Until the matter ends, however, Lord Coran shall stay imprisoned in the dungeons,” said Rowan. “Guards!” he bellowed before anyone could have a chance to say anything else.
Next moment, the doors to the courtroom opened and two guards trotted in, their armors jangling intimidatingly in the quiet hall. “Take the prisoner back to his cell. If he dares to protest or rebel, you have the permission to kill him.”
Coran’s face darkened with hatred.
I wanted to throw myself at my brother and hug him and kiss him at that moment. It was pure joy to see Coran being treated like a lowly criminal. He should have known this day would eventually come. I was going to make sure he suffered for toying with my family.
I gave a nod as Coran walked past me. His expression relaxed slightly.
Coran thought he won against Rowan but he had no idea what I planned to do to him. Not only did he smuggle the lunar fae soldiers into our territory, but he was also responsible for Moira’s disappearance. I was going to make him pay for everything.
Rowan strode out of the hall next.
I bowed toward my mother as was the custom of the courtroom and followed Rowan out into the corridor. He didn’t bother turning back to me but steadily walked in the direction of my chambers.
We stayed silent until we’d reached my quarters.
The sight of the armed guards and the group of maids lining the corridor irritated me. Mother was responsible for stationing them there. I couldn’t fathom what danger she expected to befell me inside the palace. Was Lady Cynthia’s death the cause for her paranoia? I tried not to think of the matter in Rowan’s presence.
“Well?” asked Leon as soon as the door closed behind us. “What happened?” His amber gaze was swirling with a mix of concern and curiosity.
Walking up to him, I clapped him hard in the ba
ck. “Coran is in our trap now.”
Leon frowned, moving away before I could hit him again.
“What are you planning, Cade?” asked Rowan.
Taking a seat in one of the chairs at the small dining table in the corner, I poured myself a goblet of wine and proceeded to fill two more glasses. I set them around and motioned for my brothers to join me.
“I am still injured,” I said. “There is no way I can search for Moira in this state. The two of you can go while I will stay back and keep Coran locked up in the dungeons.”
“Are you sure you can handle things on your own?” asked Rowan.
“My mother can’t hurt me the same way as you,” I said in a grim tone. “In the meantime, I will weaken Coran’s mind and body until I’m able to pry out all his secrets.”
“He didn’t think he would really end up being imprisoned,” mused Leon. “There is no way he would have let himself get arrested so easily otherwise. I am curious about where he gets his confidence from. You have to find out why he is so valuable to the queen.”
Unease swirled inside me. Part of me was afraid to find out what secrets Coran held over my mother. I loved and respected her, but could I accept it if she turned out to be the one behind Lady Cynthia’s death?
“Leave it to me,” I said. “He won’t escape the trap Rowan and I set for him.”
“You were quick to think about it,” said Rowan with a rare smile lighting up his handsome face. He raised his goblet to me and took a deep swig. Warmth spread through me at the gesture. He was finally beginning to see I was on his side.
“When do you wish to leave?” asked Leon, looking toward Rowan.
“By tonight,” said Rowan. “We don’t know how far we will have to travel, so we’ll take horses and supplies with us. And weapons, of course.”
Leon gulped down the wine in his goblet and stood up. “I need to make arrangements. Meet me in the west courtyard at eight tonight.”
“I will,” agreed Rowan. He got to his feet as well. “You should rest and heal faster. Coran and Queen Brenna won’t be easy opponents.”
I grinned. “I know, Brother.”