Innocent Queen: A Court Intrigue Fantasy (The Forbidden Queen Series Book 2)

by R. J. Vickers

  “I need to speak to Prince Calden.”

  “One moment, please.”

  Instead of Cal, Ellarie appeared moments later, looking peeved. She still wore her ceremonial crown.

  “What do you want with my son?” she snapped, not bothering to use my title.

  I drew myself up to my full height—nearly a hand’s width taller than Ellarie. “I wish to offer him the position of my advisor on youth affairs.”

  “That’s absurd. No such position exists, and Cal certainly would not accept such an insulting title.”

  “I will speak to Prince Calden myself, Your Majesty.”

  “He’s away at the moment.”

  “Where?”

  “Studying with his peers.”

  “Please lead me to him at once.”

  “I will not—”

  Just then, Cal appeared behind his mother, looking surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  “I see he has returned from his studies,” I said pointedly. “Cal, I hoped you might take the position of my advisor.”

  “You—”

  “I’ll do it. It’s an honor, Your Majesty.” He gave me a formal bow, though he ruined it by bouncing on his toes at the end.

  “Would you be willing to provide your input on a new proposal now?” I asked.

  “Yeah, of course!”

  Cal slipped around his mother and joined me in the hallway, eyeing my guards.

  “If you think this will change the way I vote, Your Majesty, you are mistaken,” Ellarie said tightly.

  “No, not at all. I am fully aware you don’t listen to your son.”

  I turned away sharply and marched back toward the Cheltish wing. I should not have said that, especially since I needed all the support I could get from my holden monarchs, but the look of surprised glee on Cal’s face made it worthwhile.

  “I was listening from the common area,” Cal whispered as we climbed the stairs. “When Mother said I was off studying, I couldn’t resist going out there.”

  I laughed softly.

  “What do you want me to advise you on? I don’t know anything about politics, and I don’t know what you mean by youth affairs.”

  “That was for your mother’s benefit. What I want is your opinion on the current state of the magic races in Baylore. I know you’ve spent enough time outside the palace to get an idea of how the Truthbringers are affecting our magicians, and I want your input when I draft the first anti-discrimination laws.”

  Cal stared at me. “You’re actually going to do that?”

  “I intend to keep my promise.”

  Back in the Cheltish wing, I led Cal into my private office. Baridya and Deance lingered in the sitting-room just outside, embroidering—or rather, Deance seemed to be embroidering, while Baridya cursed and squinted as she fought to thread a needle. It was likely improper for me to invite Cal into my royal suite unsupervised, but my ladies-in-waiting could pretend they were with us if confronted.

  I pulled up a seat for Cal and drew out a clean piece of paper. “My ultimate goal is to throw the Truthbringers out of Baylore altogether, but I can’t move directly against them while they have so much support. I want to make sure the magic races are safe in the meantime.”

  Cal nodded. He seemed inexplicably shy now that we were alone; I realized I had only spoken to him briefly in the past. And I had danced with him at the Harvest Ball, which he had been very pleased about. Plagues—was he sweet on me? He was four years younger than me; I had to put the idea out of his head.

  “Deance!” I called. “I’d love your help on this too.”

  She joined us, leaving the door open behind her. “Baridya is going to poke her eye out if she’s not careful,” she said in an exaggerated whisper.

  “I heard that!”

  “Have you never touched a needle in your life? What sort of dignified young lady are you?”

  “I grew up on a ship,” Baridya shot back. “I’ve mended sails before, but the needles are huge, and no one cares if your stitches are sloppy.”

  “This is Deance, Cal, and that’s Baridya,” I said belatedly. “They’re my well-bred, sophisticated ladies-in-waiting.”

  Baridya snorted.

  “Anyway, Deance is a Minstrel. She knows more about the magic races in the Gilded Quarter than you probably do.”

  Cal nodded.

  “I want to hear from both of you—what changes have you observed in recent years, since the Truthbringers started gaining power? I want to be sure the new law covers everything.”

  “No inciting violence or discrimination against the magic races,” Deance said. “That should be the first condition. But I haven’t seen much else. Almost every family in the Gilded Quarter has one or more magic races in their family, so people are careful in that part of the city. Most of the wealth is concentrated among the magic races.”

  “Right.” I scratched her suggestion on my list. “Cal?”

  “Lots of the servants’ kids head to school outside the palace. Kids with magic blood have been bullied a lot more lately, and the teachers don’t seem to care. A few of my friends’ parents have lost their jobs in the palace too, and no one said why. They thought it was because of their magic blood.”

  I added a note to my list.

  “Oh, and one of my friends has an uncle who’s a Weaver, and his shop hasn’t gotten nearly as much business lately. His uncle thinks the Truthbringers are threatening anyone who buys from the Weavers’ Guild, but no one can prove they’re doing it.”

  “Hmm.” I added this as well, though I had no idea how I would turn it into a law. “Is anyone doing anything outright? Hurting people, raising prices for the magic races, that sort of thing? I would love to arrest whoever is doing these things, but it’s hard when it mostly amounts to hearsay and general fear.”

  “I know,” Cal said. “But that’s the thing, isn’t it? They’re not doing anything in the open. They don’t want people to realize how extreme they are until everyone’s on their side.”

  “That’s exactly it,” Deance said. “As long as the Truthbringers act in secret, you will look like the extremist if you make the first move against them.”

  “We have to be careful. Try to gauge what people are thinking without asking outright. Here, let me write something up and see if it sounds reasonable.”

  Cal and Deance waited in silence while I began painstakingly to write the first draft of the law, scratching out every other sentence.

  We hereby declare all discrimination and violence against minority groups of all sorts illegal within Baylore. This includes all non-forbidden magic races and all those with foreign blood.

  Referencing the original book of law set out by our founders, we have always striven to create a fair and equal society here in Itrea. Our country was created as a haven for those who were persecuted and exiled in Itrea. To deny our minority groups and our magic races equal rights would mean to betray our very reason for existence.

  The following are illegal and will be punishable within Baylore:

  ~Encouraging or inciting either violence or discrimination against minority groups

  ~Tolerating bullying or violence against minority groups when you have the authority to enforce non-violence

  ~Charging different prices on goods or services for minority customers

  ~Excluding minority groups from any public locations or societies, including schools, shops, parks, clubs, etc.

  ~Denying work to or dismissing qualified employees based on their minority status

  Violence against minority citizens is illegal as well, as per the Law of Safe Residence.

  “What do you think?” I asked Cal and Deance. “I can’t force people to buy from Weavers if they choose not to, but this should give people pause before turning the magic races away.”

  They leaned over my desk to read the law.

  “They will keep doing all of this, of course,” Deance said. “They’ll just work in secret again.”

 
; “I know. But if any of our citizens still question the Truthbringers, maybe this will make them reconsider before participating in whatever they’re trying.”

  “It looks good,” Cal said. “When will you pass it?”

  “I have to wait until the next Ilkayumsday vote. Then I have to hope someone supports it. If you could have a word with your mother…”

  Cal grimaced.

  “I can’t believe she would support something that endangers her own son.”

  “Sometimes I think she wishes I wasn’t her son. If my father hadn’t died and I had a younger sister or brother, she probably would have disowned me by now.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true.”

  Cal shrugged.

  “Well, I need to show this to my parents to see if they catch anything the holden monarchs might object to. Cal, if I need you again later, can I send a guard to fetch you?”

  “Yeah. I’ll make sure my mother doesn’t send them away.”

  Once Cal had left, Deance asked, “What did you drag me in there for? I had nothing to contribute.”

  “Cal seemed embarrassed to be alone with me. I didn’t want him getting any ideas.”

  “Oh!” Deance laughed. “You’re right, I do think he might have a soft spot for you. He’s such a sweet boy.”

  * * *

  I found Mother in the king’s study, reading through a stack of what looked like tedious legal paperwork.

  “Where is Father?” I asked.

  “Speaking with the Merchants’ Guild representative to see who might know more about the situation in Larkhaven.”

  I grimaced. That was another problem I had to solve as soon as I could; if I left it for too long, Larkhaven might give up on negotiating with me and cut off trade altogether. “Can you look this over for me? I want to put a stricter law in place against discrimination, but I don’t know if this would be enforceable.”

  Mother held out a hand for the draft of the law, which I passed to her before perching on my usual seat opposite the desk. I should be the one in Mother’s seat, since this was supposed to be my office, but this felt more natural.

  Before Mother finished reading the document, a knock sounded at the door.

  “Your Majesties?” My favorite guard, Quendon, peered into the study. “A man has come to the palace guards, begging for protection. He claims his life is at risk. He looks like a beggar, and my first instinct was to arrest him, but he seemed convinced you would spare him, Your Majesty.” He paused. “He’s an Extractor.”

  I leapt to my feet. “Send him in. I wish to speak to him.” I had never met another Extractor before; as far as I knew, most were killed at birth.

  Mother shot me a warning look, but Quendon had already gone.

  The man who shuffled into the study was covered in grime, his hair caked with mud, a long scratch down one cheek oozing blood. He favored one leg heavily, and when he bowed, pain flickered across his face. I winced in sympathy—this could easily have been me. Had I been born a commoner, and had I survived to adulthood, I would have faced violence and spite everywhere I turned. Though he was a stranger, I felt an overwhelming urge to protect this man.

  “Your Majesty.” He held my gaze, and beneath the grime his eyes were warm and intelligent. “I know this is a dangerous gamble, but I had no other choice.”

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “No one of importance. But I am an Extractor, Your Majesty. Until recently, I was traveling with a merchant caravan just outside Baylore, but a group of thugs set upon our caravan and beat me close to death. They were targeting the forbidden races, Your Majesty. They only injured one other person in our group, a woman with the Braider’s mark.”

  “And how did they know you were an Extractor?”

  He pulled up his sleeve to expose an X-shaped scar on the inside of his left wrist. It was old, just two puckered ridges, but the cut looked as though it had been deep. “This is how they mark the forbidden races. Any they can get ahold of, anyway.”

  I shot a surprised look at Mother. I had not known this.

  “And how did you get into Baylore?”

  “A member of my caravan smuggled me through the gates and left me here. I went to a medic, but he turned me away when he saw my wrist and threatened to send city guards after me. I didn’t know where else to go. I’d likely die if I left the city without seeing a medic, and with those thugs hunting the forbidden races, the countryside is no longer safe for us. Then I remembered you, Your Majesty. I hoped you would understand.”

  “Our medic can tend to you,” I said. “However, I can promise nothing after that.” I wanted to protect him, to give him a place here in the palace, but it was dangerous. I wasn’t sure if I could keep his secret safe.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much.” The man bowed twice, his face greying.

  I raised my voice. “Quendon! Please escort this man to our hospital room, and keep watch over him.”

  Once Quendon had led the injured Extractor from the study, Mother frowned at me. “Do you have any idea how much danger you are putting yourself in for the sake of a stranger?”

  “He’s an Extractor, Mother,” I said softly. “How is it fair that I’m allowed to live safely in the palace while others like me are hunted down and killed for their power? I can’t believe it has come to this.”

  “Send a force to track down the thugs, if you must. The forbidden races are perfectly within their rights to live outside Baylore. But we know nothing about this man. What is to say he wasn’t the one responsible for the death at the Queen’s Bed?”

  “I thought we agreed that was nothing more than a clumsy attempt to frame me for murder.”

  “And is this what your people will think if they learn of the fugitive you are harboring?”

  “I’ve promised him nothing, Mother. Only medical attention.”

  “What do you plan to do with him once he recovers? Throw him out on the streets, where the Truthbringers will likely find and murder him? Smuggle him out of the city and risk getting caught?”

  “If we keep him here, under guard, until the Truthbringers are gone—”

  “The Truthbringers have been gaining power for years. They won’t be dealt with easily.”

  I knew that, but the more Mother argued against me, the more my resolve strengthened. “I don’t care. I’m keeping him here until we can figure out somewhere else safe for him to go.”

  “You would risk your throne for a stranger!”

  “Not just a stranger. An Extractor. If I can’t stand up for those like me, what does that make me? A hypocrite and a monster. He’s not evil because of his power, Mother, and I won’t allow the Truthbringers to convince me otherwise. What if I had been a commoner? Would you have thought I deserved to be hunted and tortured by the Truthbringers’ followers, just like this man? I will take every precaution to make sure he remains hidden, but I will not throw him onto the streets to die. I won’t let people like me suffer while I rule.”

  “More than just this man’s life is at stake here,” Mother said softly. “I think you are making a grave mistake, perhaps one that might lose you your throne. But you are queen. I will leave this decision in your hands.”

  “And don’t tell Father,” I said quickly.

  “No. I won’t.”

  Leaving the anti-discrimination law on Mother’s desk, I swept away, doubt gnawing at me. I was not willing to turn against another Extractor—not when I had seen firsthand the hatred and violence we faced at every turn—but was Mother right? Could the Truthbringers force me from my throne? Did they have that much power?

  I felt I hardly knew my city at all.

  5

  No Safe Place

  “I think we can all agree that Baylore is in a dangerous state at present.” I rested my hands on the arms of my throne in the chamber of law, trying not to betray my nerves as I presented the anti-discrimination law before my holden monarchs. “It is not just the forbidden races facing violence and discrimination a
t every turn. Our ordinary magic races are being harassed and excluded from circles they once moved in. We cannot let this continue. And it is not just my ascent to power that has caused this. The Truthbringers were spreading lies against the magic races long before I returned to Baylore.”

  “Have you ever bothered to consider that maybe they’re not lies?” Dennoric said coldly. “And it’s not a result of the Truthbringers’ work, but rather a general realization that we’ve been wrong for centuries.”

  I wanted to strangle him. Of course he would say that—he was in the Truthbringers’ pocket.

  “Thank you for your contribution,” the Lord Chancellor said smoothly. “However, Queen Kalleah has not yet asked for questions on her proposal.”

  I shot him a grateful look. Clearing my throat, I forged on, though I had lost the thread of my original argument. “It’s not about the Truthbringers. This is not a matter of whose side you are on, but of basic rights for our citizens. As the ruler of Itrea, I have a duty to ensure my people can go about their daily lives without fear for their safety or their livelihood. All citizens deserve equal treatment, and we cannot allow recent events to change this.”

  “All citizens except the forbidden races,” Dennoric added under his breath.

  “I am not including the forbidden races in this generalization,” I snapped. “However, while they are not allowed within Baylore, they also have the same rights to live safely and freely as long as they obey the law.”

  Taking a steadying breath, I forced back my anger. I had to present a calm, rational argument if I hoped to gain support.

  I looked at Ellarie, who was pursing her lips in skepticism. “Holden Queen Ellarie—your son is a Flamespinner. Do you think he will escape unscathed if violence and discrimination against the magic races escalates?”

  “My son is a prince,” Ellarie said stiffly. “As long as he remains safe within the walls of Baylore Palace, he has no need to worry about unrest in the city.”