by LJ Rivers
“I hate having to tell you this, but I have to.”
“What? You’re scaring me, Ru.”
“Rowan was there. In the square. And I’m not sure if he wasn’t one of … the attackers.”
She let go of my arm. “Are you nuts?” she hissed.
Anwinar’s hoofs closed in, but I turned and held my arm up. “Stay behind us,” I said before returning my attention to Charlie. “He fired an arrow just as the attack started, and I fear he aimed it at the queen.”
“He would never!” Charlie tried, and failed, to keep her voice down.
“I can’t see why, either,” I said, regretting having chosen this moment to tell her. “But I don’t really know him. All I know is he promised to leave Avalon, and by showing up today, he broke that promise.”
“What’s up?” Brendan asked. He and the three wolves had stopped.
“Stay out of it, Juniper,” Charlie snapped.
I shook my head at him, waving him and the others forward. His eyebrows crept up, as if asking me if I was sure.
“It’s OK,” I said. “Wait for us outside the dining hall, will you?”
Reluctantly, he turned away. Jen was clearly not keen on leaving us either, but Erica and Jack took an arm each and led her up the hill toward the inner gate, with my boyfriend leading the herd.
Charlie and I, along with Anwinar and four Juniper guards, remained on the path.
“Princess?” Anwinar said.
“Stand back. I’m having a private discussion with my friend.”
Charlie scoffed. “Not much of a discussion. More of a backstabbing, if you ask me. How can you for a second imagine Rowan would harm the queen?”
“I can’t, to be honest. But I can’t ignore the fact that he was there, either. And whatever his reasoning, he should have told me. He broke his promise to—”
Charlie threw up her arms. “To the fudging princess, I get it. This whole royalty thing seems to be more important to you than you’ve let us believe.”
“That’s not fair, Charlie, and you know it. You can’t blame me for trying to protect my queen.” I bit my lip, dreading to push her like this. “When was the last time you spoke with Rowan?” I had to ask, but would have given my right arm to have the words unsaid.
My best friend retreated two full steps, and for a moment I thought she was actually going to fall. Her eyes widened behind her glasses. “Now I know you have gone absolutely bonkers. What are you really asking, Ru? I mean, Your Highness.” She might as well have stunned me with her electric wand.
“I was just—” I began, but my voice failed me. The lump in my throat was the size of an apple. “Please, Char. Don’t—”
“That’s Lady Carolina. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Your Highness, I don’t want to stay here a moment longer.”
She turned on her heel and ran up the hill. Some eighty yards ahead, Brendan and the three wolves peeked over their shoulders at the sound of her footsteps, but she blew past them. Jen reacted immediately and ran after her, and my two angels disappeared inside the inner gates to the castle with Jack and Erica close on their heels.
Brendan started towards me, but I shook my head. “I’ll be there in a bit,” I called. “Just go ahead and wait for me.”
He slowed at first, then stopped. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said, holding back the tears until he shrugged and turned away once more.
Ten minutes later, I had regained enough control of my emotions to join him outside the queen’s dining hall.
“Sorry,” I said and let him embrace me. I gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll tell you later, OK?”
“I guess. Sure you want to do this now?”
“Out of respect for Soleiny, I think I should. But I won’t go as far as to say I want to spend my evening with a lot of people, no.”
“Your Highness,” said the valet as we approached the door.
I nodded. “Thank you, valet.”
The young man opened the double doors and stepped inside in front of us. “Princess Ruby of Avalon and Swordmaster Brendan of Callaghan,” he announced.
I slipped my hand into the crook of Brendan’s arm. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Ah, there you are, Princess,” Morgana said as we stepped over the threshold. “Please join me. I have glorious news.”
Kit dashed out from underneath the table and jumped into my arms. He was getting extremely heavy, so I gave him a quick scratch behind his ears before placing him back on the white marbled floor. He promptly walked next to Brendan and me around the far side of the long table. We passed the primes on our way to the two empty chairs by the queen’s side, each of them bowing to me. Morgana herself was standing, which normally meant everyone else in the room would be too. By her feet sat her lynx-like Faeguard.
“I was just about to read this,” she said as Brendan and I took our seats. “Please, sit and listen.” She was holding a scroll of parchment. “Commander Taryn received it only moments ago from one of his messengers.”
“You mean—?” I began, then bit my words back.
Morgana smiled. “I do, indeed.” She unrolled the scroll. “I, King Auberon, Ruler of the Realm of Gwyn Fanon, have received your invitation. I accept, on one simple condition.”
Her smile vanished.
“What is it?” I asked. “His condition?”
The queen swallowed. “My daughter, Princess Ruby of Merlin’s blood, heiress to my throne of Gwyn Fanon, carrier of Elaine Morgana’s blood, shall be present at the meeting.”
“How dare he!” Prime Diwella shouted. “He has no claim to the thro—”
“That’s enough,” Morgana said.
I rose from my seat. “You have to accept, Your Highness. Disregard his words and foolish use of titles. I am of Merlin blood, as he rightly points out.”
“It’s too risky, Princess.”
I cleared my throat. “He will never harm me.” I hoped I was right. “Besides, you can’t say no. In the words of our mutual friend, Cropkeeper Halwyn of Crochan, if there is the slightest hope of sparing the Avalonians another war, that has to be your priority.”
“But you are too valu—”
“I am not, My Queen. No single Magical has more worth than the people of Avalon, no matter their bloodline.”
Her shoulders slumped, and she threw the scroll on the table. Her eyes filled with resignation, but only for a fleeting moment. When she turned her gaze back on me, they were again coloured by the determination I had seen so many times.
“Then it is settled. Lord Pullhelli?”
“Yes, My Queen?”
Morgana’s eyes never left mine as she spoke. “Send a reply to the Sorcerer king and set a time and place for the meeting. I suggest ten moons from now, on the Avalen Plains.”
“He will never agree to come here,” I said.
Morgana tilted her chin slightly upwards. “I know. He will suggest—no, demand—I come to some neutral place like the Talani territories. He will believe I have surrendered some major advantage already.”
“Splendid move, Your Highness,” Prime Sanctor contributed from somewhere down the length of the table.
I wasn’t so sure it would matter one bit to my father.
“And tell him my daughter, Princess Ruby of Morgana, will attend.”
Chapter Ten
Nine moons later, Amalli alighted gently next to Brendan’s griffin, Xavi, in the centre of Gwyn Tala Glade. My father had demanded a neutral setting, as predicted, and this was where we would meet come tomorrow. It was a large, open space between the trees, but the number of griffins with us made it difficult for everyone to land at once. Morgana, Taryn, Sanctor, Diwella and Pullhelli had already dismounted, their griffins now hovering above the treetops to wait for the rest of our entourage. Once everyone was grounded, the griffins would retreat to a mountainside not far from here. Even though plenty of our travel companions had wings themselves, nothing could quite compare to the strength and speed of a griffi
n, but the Fae, Pixies, and eagle Shifters abandoned their griffins in the air and flew the rest of the journey down, making the transition run more smoothly.
I patted Amalli’s thick neck, enjoying the feel of her soft feathers under my palm. “Thank you. You may fly now.”
She squawked quietly, then took off, making room for the next few griffins to land.
“I sort of imagined a fairytale forest,” Brendan whispered.
“More like something out of a Tim Burton nightmare.” I cupped my elbows as I surveyed the area. Blackened and ghostly white tree trunks surrounded us on all sides, cold and fragile wood. Here and there, dotted in between the others, stood a tree that had yet to die, its bark still brown, and its branches still carrying a few leaves. All in all, however, it was a dismal sight. The grass crunched under my feet as we went to the treeline where the others were gathering.
Jen, Erica, Charlie and Jack were standing between two trees, murmuring quietly among themselves as we approached.
“Was it like this in Zuwa’s Keep as well?” I asked Erica, trying my best to ignore Charlie’s evasive attitude.
Erica nodded. “Sad, isn’t it? There are still parts of Talani where the forest looks fairly healthy, but the animals and Changelings are struggling.”
“Lots of food for us wolves, though,” Jack said with an unconvincing smile.
“For now.” Jen leaned on the trunk of the nearest tree. It creaked as if in pain, and she quickly moved away from it. “Right now, the smaller prey are having a hard time, making them easier to catch. When they start to die, however, the larger predators might turn on each other.”
“If the people weren’t so preoccupied with borders and war, they might have thought to work on a solution to the … outage,” Erica grumbled.
She wasn’t wrong, but the war was just another side of the struggle. Besides, I knew Morgana had her erudites working day and night on the sun issue.
I decided to try talking to Charlie after all, but she turned away from me and went over to one of the erudites in our midst. I sighed, biting my lip. We had to find a way to get past this.
All three wolves straightened suddenly, turning to the darkness of the forest and sniffing the air.
“Someone is coming,” Jen said.
I moved into Brendan’s open arms when a variety of shapes appeared in the shadows. People and wolves. As they drew closer, I noticed that most of them were in their animal forms, maybe as many as fifty wolves, whereas only a handful looked like people.
“We are vastly outnumbered,” Jen mumbled. “Stay back and do not provoke them.” She was talking to Erica and Jack, and the three of them subsequently moved further into the glade and away from the newcomers. Brendan and I followed, neither of us wanting to stand too close to the giant animals sneaking out of the shadows.
The wolves stayed within the treeline as two women entered the glade with three men on their heels. Their skin was midnight black, but their features differed. The woman on the left appeared to be the person in charge, judging by her attire and the sharpness in her bronze gaze. Her bright hair was fastened with copper rings and bands of varying sizes, creating a silver waterfall from her forehead to the small of her back. The same kind of copper bands adorned her wrists and neck. Her bare feet glided through the grass, making her look as regal as Morgana, despite the difference in appearance. She carried a spear in one hand and a curved blade on her hip, attached to a leather belt above a pair of loose brown trousers with a wide waistband. Her matching top, on the other hand, was slinky and snug.
The woman on the right wore a similar outfit, though her hair was only a few shades lighter than the colour of her skin, fastened with what looked like copper strings to create something similar to a mohawk. The two of them briefly looked my way, then approached Morgana. The three men behind them, whom I assumed were their guards, followed.
Morgana bowed to the silver-haired woman and her companions, but the Shifter shook her head. “That is not our custom, Morgana of Fay.” She planted her spear in the ground and smiled. “You know that, old friend. I will not bow, even for a queen, but we welcome you, Queen of Avalon.”
Morgana’s face lit up. “I am grateful, Naheena of Gwylani, and I am glad to see both you and Evonny are safe and in good health.”
Evonny, the woman with the mohawk, raised her arms and pulled Morgana into a crushing hug. “We have missed you, Maggy.”
Maggy? I stifled a laugh.
The soldiers we had brought all raised their weapons as one single entity, and Taryn went for Evonny. He stopped abruptly at the point of Naheena’s spear.
“It’s all right,” Morgana said breathlessly. “She’s a friend.”
Taryn grunted but stepped back.
“We have prepared huts for Your Highness and her company,” Naheena said sternly, glancing at Taryn.
Morgana smiled. “Again, you have my gratitude.”
“Enough with the pleasantries,” Evonny chimed in. “I want to meet this princess I’ve heard so much about.”
“Certainly.” Morgana waved for me to come closer.
Reluctantly, I wiggled out of Brendan’s arms and approached the women. All three of them turned to me, and I gave them a sheepish grin. “Hi.”
Really? Hi? That was the best I could do?
“May I introduce my heiress, Princess Ruby of Avalon,” Morgana said, her pride washing over me in warm waves.
Evonny’s honey-brown eyes widened. “The tales of your beauty do not do the princess justice.” She winked.
I snorted, then quickly cleared my throat. “Uhm, thank you, Evonny of Gwylani, though I do not believe I can measure up to yours. You’re gorgeous.” She really was. High cheekbones and doe-eyes, complete with a dazzling smile.
Naheena huffed, placing a hand on Evonny’s shoulder. “She is spoken for.”
“Oh, I didn’t—”
“Evonny is Naheena’s mate,” Morgana explained, “and Naheena is the packmaster of the Gwyntali wolves.”
Pleasantries ensued as Naheena and her guards greeted the rest of our companions, despite Evonny’s blatant dismay. I found I liked her already. Meanwhile, my eyes were fixed on the wolves, who continued to keep a guarded distance. Their eyes glowed in silver and gold, the colour of their fur ranging from snow white to pitch black. They were bigger than most Shifters I had seen on Earth, and they carried themselves differently, too. More like actual wolves, predatory and wild. I shuddered as I caught a glimpse of their sharp canines, then glanced at my wolf friends, who all had their heads low in a submissive gesture. They were in another pack’s territory, so they were right to be respectful.
“My wolves will show you to your huts,” Naheena said.
“The King of Mynydd Dewin has announced his arrival at the eleventh awr tomorrow, but we’ll be having a hunters’ union in the evening, so whatever poison he brings with him will be forgotten by then,” Evonny said under her breath to me. “And tonight we must feast together.”
I had no idea what a hunters’ union was, but I was already looking forward to it. Any kind of celebration after seeing my father would probably be a good thing.
The Gwylani couple walked off with Morgana while the queen’s Crimsons gathered to follow. Brendan took charge of the twelve Junipers in our ranks, leaving me with Charlie and our Shifter friends. We walked somewhere in the middle of everyone, as it seemed I now had additional guards at my back at all times, Brendan among them. I found I kind of missed Anwinar, but a centaur was not fit for air travel, according to himself. Ever since the assassination attempt, security had been amped up considerably. It was far from the first attempt on Morgana’s life, but this one felt different, more personal. The fact that there had been so many attackers, and that they were a blend of commoners and people working for Morgana, whose family members she had sent to Earth, had rattled her more than she let on. She felt guilty about separating the families, especially after learning none would return. I knew because I recognised the
guilt. It mirrored the feelings I carried myself.
Charlie was joking about something. She made elaborate gestures with her arms at our surroundings, catching Erica’s and Jack’s attention.
“You feeling all right?” Jen asked me.
“Sure.”
She pursed her lips, linking her arm with mine. “What’s up with you and Char? She’s hardly spoken to you for days.”
I sighed, glancing at our human friend. “We had somewhat of a disagreement. I did something she didn’t like. I didn’t want to do it, but I’m bound by circumstances, and I still believe I was right. Charlie knows why, she’s just upset.”
Jen tilted her head thoughtfully. “What exactly did you do?”
I cast a quick look behind us where Brendan led the Junipers at a respectful distance. He smiled at me, but didn’t appear to be listening in on my conversation with Jen. No one ahead of us was paying attention to us either, though I was acutely aware that we were surrounded by wolves.
“Not here,” I said. “Too many ears.”
She nodded. “With all these wolves around, I’m feeling a little jittery myself. But was it really something so bad that the wolves can’t know?”
Leaning closer, I stretched myself to whisper in her ear. “There was a man. He shouldn’t have been there, but Char seems to care for him. A lot.”
“Oh.” Understanding flickered in her eyes. “It’ll blow over. You know how Charlie is in that department.”
“I hope you’re right.”
A wolf howled somewhere close by as we stepped through the line of trees into another glade. A large fire pit was lit in the centre, and a plethora of huts was scattered around the area. The smell of roasted meat crawled up my nostrils, making my stomach twist with hunger. Naheena disappeared into one of the larger huts with Evonny, leaving Morgana by the fire. She waved for us to join her.