Princess

by Nicolette Andrews

  I wrenched my body in an attempt to lash out at him, but my arms were still bound behind my back and all I managed to do was hurt my shoulder. I glowered at him as he laughed and strolled away. My guard tied me to a post, my arms above my head and my feet tethered around the base. I watched as they set up camp. The men did not look at me, in fact, many gave me a wide berth, but I saw more than one make a sign of warding if their eyes happened to wander my way.

  My arms burned after a while and I could not find a comfortable position. After an hour or so my limbs went numb. I sagged in my bindings, and my wrists chafed from where I had pulled at my bindings trying to break free. I was weak and exhausted. My arms throbbed dully every time I tried to find a comfortable position.

  When the camp was set, an elderly Biski man emerged from one of the painted tents the Biski favored. He wore a long white tunic with a plain hem. He had gray hair, which fell over his shoulders nearly to his waist. He carried an odd assortment of items with him. He made marks in the soft mud at the lake’s shore and burned a bundle of herbs while mumbling in the Biski tongue. I watched him with sick fascination. I knew he was preparing whatever ritual they intended for me, and I hoped by watching I could discover what it was.

  I still had no idea by the time dusk fell. A pair of guards came and cut me loose. I fell to my knees and rubbed my wrists, glowering at them. I did not have energy for much more than that. I had not eaten or drank anything that entire day and my hands shook. They pulled me to my feet and yanked me towards a tent. Inside there was a bath and a maid waiting for me. She undressed me, since my arms were useless. I sank into the warm water and some feeling came back to me. Why tie me up only to bath me and pamper me? I did not speak aloud because the warm water felt too good to complain about.

  After I bathed, the maid dressed me in a white gown and braided my hair down my back. They gave me hot tea, which I drank eagerly. Once more my hands were bound, but this time in front of me. I was flanked by four armed guards, and they led me down to the lake’s edge. Even now I looked for a chance for escape. When I craned my neck behind me, one of the guards poked me with the tip of his sword. I swiveled my head forward and kept walking.

  Along the banks of the lake, the Biski men lined up. They wore dark robes, their colors near indistinguishable in the dying light of day. My captors led me to the water’s edge. I felt as if I was viewing the world through opaque glass. My reasoning was slowed. Though the bath had done wonders to ease my pain, I was still hungry and tired. My lids suddenly felt too heavy to keep open. The only thing that kept me from falling over was the guards urging me along.

  At the water’s edge, Celeste awaited me. She wore a blood red gown, her hair an elaborate crown on her head. She smiled at me manically.

  “The time has come at last, Princess,” she snarled at me.

  I was too tired to even argue with her. I felt as if my mouth would not even be able to form words.

  The gray-haired Biski man came forward and took my hand. I went with him without question. We waded into the water together, and when the water hit my thighs, I gasped as the chills ran up my body. The cold water sharpened my senses and some of the fog lifted. This was not an average lake; this lake was alive. A tingling sensation raced up and down my arms. Something tugged at me, calling me into the depths of the lake. It would be so easy to slip beneath the surface and go down into the dark. It sounded pleasant in that moment. No more worries, no more judgment and fear.

  The water reflected the orange, pink and purple of dusk. It was like I was wading into the sky, but at the center I felt the darkness calling, creeping in, wanting to drag me down. I have to get away.

  “No!” I shouted. I have so much more to live for. I will not give in.

  The Biski man smacked me across my face and I tasted blood. I managed to wrench my hand free, but the world spun around me. I realized too late that they had drugged me. I stumbled as I tried to escape, and water splashed up, soaking my front. The Biski man grabbed my wrist and pulled me backwards. I kicked my legs and swung my arms, trying to break free.

  He pulled me hard, and we sloshed through the water deeper and deeper. The darkness was twining at my ankles, caressing my flesh beneath my gown. I twisted and clawed at the Biski man. He pinned my arms to my sides by wrapping his arms around me. He whispered in my ear in what I am sure he intended to be a soothing tone, but it only sent me into a frenzy. They are going to sacrifice me, I am certain. He carried me deeper until the water was up to my chest. The cold water stole the breath from my lungs. I kept fighting until something grasped my ankle and pulled me under. I opened my mouth to scream and my mouth filled with water.

  It was dark beneath the water, a never-ending blackness. I choked on the water I had swallowed. I could not find the way back to the surface, and the thing in the darkness kept pulling me down. I felt it caress my face, trying to reach inside me. I felt so cold as if I had never felt warm before. My lungs screamed for air. I am going to die here! I thrashed about as the darkness closed in around me. I saw a glimpse of a face with dark endless eyes and a wide-open mouth grinning at me. My arms couldn’t move anymore. I was losing to death; I was slipping beyond the veil. I am sorry for all I have done.

  Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I thought it was the touch of death until I came crashing through the surface, hauled up by my armpits. I emerged gasping and sputtering for air. I saw the dying light of the day, the pink and purples bleeding into the velvet black of night. I was dragged through the water and landed on the shore. I took a few shuddering breaths just to prove I was alive.

  A woman leaned over me. Her silvery white hair was plastered to her skull. Half her face was burned.

  “Don’t worry, you’re safe now,” she said, and that was when I lost consciousness.

  Chapter 16

  When I woke, my body hurt all over. My eyes cracked open, and I stared up at diffused light filtering through the canopy of an unfamiliar tent. Symbols painted onto the fabric created shadows across my face. The room smelt like herbs and smoke. I sat up, my muscles protesting, and looked around. The tent was cluttered. Bundles of herbs hung from tent poles and jars crowded the corners. In the center of the room sat a stone basin with silver markings etched into it. Outside the door flap, a fire crackled. Where am I?

  My head pounded and my body ached, but other than that I seemed unharmed. A hand pulled back the tent flap and a woman strode in. She was taller than any other woman I had seen. Her white hair fell to her waist, gleaming and glossy. Despite the color of her hair, she did not appear to be more than thirty years old.

  “You are awake.” Her voice was smooth as honey, and when she smiled, it twisted the burnt side of her face.

  It wasn’t just the burned face that scared me, this woman exuded power. If I squinted, I could see a film clinging to her skin, giving her an unnatural glow. The power reminded me of the darkness I had glimpsed beneath the surface of the water. This woman must be connected with the Order. This had to be some part of their plan.

  She knelt down beside me and offered up a bowl. It was steaming and had an earthy smell. “Drink this. It will make you feel better.”

  I took it but did not drink. The warmth seeping from the bowl eased the pain in my fingers. I looked at her from the corner of my eyes.

  “There is no reason to be afraid. You’re safe here.”

  “You’ll have to forgive me if I do not trust you. I have found people tend to deceive and manipulate more than they help others.”

  She laughed and it sounded rich and melodious. “You do have the right of it. But I promise I want nothing from you but to see you get better.”

  I twisted the bowl around in my hands. It was already starting to cool. “What happened to the people who were holding me captive? Are you one of them?”

  “I am not and they fled. It will not be the last you see of them.” She said this with such confidence that I could not help but suspect she was one of them.

  “How did
you save me? I thought…” I trailed off, thinking of the darkness and the face that I had seen within it. They tried to sacrifice me to something evil. I cannot think of any other word for it. “They were trying to kill me,” I finished.

  “Not quite, they were trying to summon an ancient power.”

  “It sure felt like they were trying to kill me.” I touched my throat; I could still feel the crushing pressure on my windpipe.

  “Your blood is that of the first men. They hoped bringing you to the Mother Lake would summon the old magic. They wanted to summon something that the Mother locked away long ago.”

  My eyebrows rose to my hairline. This all seemed rather fantastical. I was more inclined to believe they wanted me dead. Why would they go to such lengths to murder me, then? I frowned and looked at my clasped hands. Celeste had said it was all Adair’s plan, but I found it hard to believe my brother would try to use me to summon whatever was lurking beneath that lake. “And what would they have done once they summoned the old magic?” I wanted to see if she would answer. No one ever seemed inclined to answer these sorts of questions.

  “They wanted to get you with child. They are trying to balance a prophecy that is soon coming with their own champion.”

  “What is this prophecy? Celeste mentioned it. She said Duchess Diranel the diviner foretold a war between four kings.”

  She sat with her hands folded in her lap and stared at me for a moment. Her eyes were a vibrant violet. I realized with a shock she was a diviner like Duchess Diranel. “She has had the dreams as well, then?” She sighed. “I have been studying the patterns myself, but I believe there is darkness coming. The Order of the Oak is damaged and desperate. They have started resorting to desperate measures, and I fear they will unleash something more dangerous than we can even imagine.”

  “Who are you? Are you a diviner?” I asked.

  “That is what they call me among your mother’s people. Among the Biski I am called the Oracle.”

  I wanted to ask her more about the ceremony, but a part of me feared the answer. Instead I asked, “Do you know Duchess Diranel? She is a diviner as well.”

  She nodded her head. “I know her.”

  I twisted a loose thread on the hem of my gown to avoid meeting the Oracle’s penetrating gaze. “She killed my brother.” I did not know why I said it. It just slipped out, but once I said it, the words kept coming. “Well, officially a Biski woman killed him, but I always thought she did it. He was in love with her, but she plotted against him and put his friend Layton on the throne. Celeste said that my brother planned to use me in this ceremony. She said he never loved me.”

  “Do you want to know if your brother intended to harm you?”

  I looked at the jars in the corner. They were made of red clay and one of them had a crack. “I don’t know if I really want to know. I always loved my brother, and I thought he loved me…”

  “I do not believe he intended that fate for you. The Order has grown more dangerous since his passing.”

  It was not a real answer, but I had a feeling, like Duchess Diranel, the Oracle also spoke mostly in riddles.

  I decided to change the subject. “Where do I fit into this prophecy, then?”

  “You are the mother of a king, one of the four who will save us from the darkness. That is all I know.”

  I bit my lip. Once upon a time, I would have rebelled at the idea of being the mother of a king. I had felt hedged into a marriage and life I would never have chosen for myself. But the truth was I had been happy in Reglabal. And now that I had glimpsed the evil waiting to be unleashed, I felt the weight of responsibility resting on my shoulders. Can I stay by Mathias’ side, love him, even if he does not return my feelings? Am I willing to sacrifice my happiness for the good of the kingdom? Not long ago that answer would have been no. Now I was not as certain.

  “Would you like something to eat?” she asked, interrupting my twisting thoughts.

  I nodded and she disappeared out of the tent only to return a moment later with a pan. Inside it were fried cakes that smelled heavenly. She handed me a cake hot out of the pan. I tossed it from hand to hand as it cooled before biting into it. It was made with some sort of grain and what tasted like wild onions. It was delicious.

  I ate several of them before I was satisfied. I licked my fingers clean and expected to be chastised for it. I glanced up at her, but she was smiling.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed my cooking,” she said.

  “Very much,” I said. I paused, uncertain of what else to say. I had so many questions to ask her; where did I start? I was confident she was not part of the Order. Celeste and her cohorts had never been this forthcoming. I asked her instead, “How did you manage to save me? There were nearly fifty people there, most of them armed. I cannot imagine how a woman alone could do such a thing.”

  “I had help,” she said as she picked up her cooking items to clean.

  “Then there are others?” I asked.

  “I am usually alone, but a young man came to me asking for a favor. His wife had been taken, and he was desperate to find her.” She spoke with her back to me, but I could feel her smile.

  I stood up without thinking. It cannot be possible. How would he even know to come and find me? “What is this man’s name? I would like to thank him.”

  She turned around. “I think you know his name.”

  Tears gathered along my lashes. Maybe it was all the trauma I had been through, but knowing that Mathias had come for me, that he had saved me from that darkness, was too much. I fell to my knees and let the tears slide down.

  “Why did he come for me when I have only ever pushed him away?”

  She came and knelt down beside me. “Because he loves you,” she said as she rubbed my back in circles.

  I looked up at her through my tears. “How can you be certain?”

  She tilted her head. “I have a way of knowing these things.”

  I laughed. She was a diviner, she foresaw potential disasters, and most likely knew more about me than I knew about myself. Of course she would know how Mathias felt. I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I am not one to normally cry.”

  She handed me a cloth that I used to dab at my eyes. “There is nothing wrong with tears. You are allowed to feel, Edalene.”

  “I want to see him. Where are they?”

  She stood back up and pointed to the door. “They are camped along the shore of the Mother. Go to him. He has been waiting for you to wake.”

  I ran out of her tent and was blinded by the noonday sun. I shaded my eyes as I looked around in front of me. Grass rustled in the breeze. The fluffy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. He loves me. Just thinking it filled me with hope for the future and for myself. I had spent so much time thinking I was unlovable. Now I had Mathias’ love. I climbed a nearby hill. At the top of the rise, I could see the Mother Lake set into the earth like a living mirror. The clouds reflected in its crystalline surface. There was a group of tents not far from the shore. I saw men moving about, tending to the horses and talking around a cook fire. Smoke drifted into the sky in a lazy trail.

  I ran down the hill towards the camp, scanning all the while for Mathias. I spotted him stepping out of a tent. His shoulders were taut and he was scowling. Seeing him that way, I slowed to a stop at the edge of the camp. My heart thundered in my chest. My feet refused to listen to commands. I was glued to the spot.

  Then Mathias looked up and saw me. I wanted to call out to him, but my voice was tangled in my throat. His hair was tangled, and there were circles under his eyes. His beard had grown out. Despite everything, I found him breathtaking. What if the oracle is wrong and he does not love me? What if he came looking for me because of the alliance?

  He crossed the distance between us. His expression was difficult to gauge. I held my hands at my side to stop myself from opening my arms to welcome him. When he reached me, he grabbed me by the shoulders. I stared up into his eyes. I should say something, anything. I
should apologize for the things I said, assure him I want to be a better wife. As I opened my mouth to say something, anything, his mouth came down hard on mine and he kissed me. He stole the very breath from me. I was too shocked to even think. I melted into his embrace and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on. He caressed my face, and sparks ignited where our skin met. He tangled his hands in my hair, and I thought I would get lost in him.

  He broke apart. He cupped my face and leaned his forehead against mine. Our panting breaths commingled, and I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

  “I thought I had lost you,” he whispered into my hair.

  I did not know what to say.

  He continued, “I returned for you. The attack was a ploy to get me and the men away from Reglabal, and when I came back… A part of me died when I thought I had lost you.”

  “You feared the alliance would fail without me,” I said. That was the only logical explanation. I still needed to hear the words from his mouth.

  He shook his head. He stepped back so I could see his face, but he did not let go of my hand. Our fingers were linked together. “No, because I never got the chance to explain myself.”

  I was dizzy, falling down and down, this was a happy dream or I had drowned in the lake and everything afterward was a cruel dream. “Explain what?” I said, breathless.

  “There has been too much misunderstanding and too many games. I should have told you I love you. I have from the moment I laid eyes upon you. I have been so busy trying to make you love me in return that I did not take the time to tell you. Even if you do not love me yet, I know I can make you fall in love with me.”

  I gasped. I grabbed his beard lightly and pulled him down to kiss him again. “You fool, I do love you. I have for a long time, though I was afraid to admit it.”

  He smiled and it was a glorious sight. “We have both been fools, the pair of us.”