Crown of Blood

by D G Swank

  “Yes you do. You blocked the power from my hand. Mages usually don’t know where it emanates from.”

  Lisa’s magic flowed through my head. I knew I should protect myself by controlling the flow of her power into my body, but for some reason I trusted her. The warm look in her eyes, maybe, or the fact that she’d helped Rowan.

  “Well, there’s your first mistake,” I said, still keeping my gaze on the door. “Working with mages.”

  Zane was out of the chair in a flash, pushing Lisa out of the way as he placed one knee on the bed in front of me, the other foot on the floor for balance. His eyes probed mine. “Why are you here?”

  I held up my right hand. Although I didn’t summon the orb this time, I let it release a pulse of light. “I have the Orb of Power.”

  “So why didn’t you steal Donall and Xavier’s power and run?”

  I gave him a half-smile and said in a sweet voice, “Because, as I mentioned last night, the Valerian government in its current form is doomed. Besides, what has Valeria ever done for me other than keep me tied to two hundred acres of land? I’m a firm believer in self-preservation, and the Dark Set seems the best course of action for that goal.”

  “Bullshit,” he snapped, then grabbed my chin. “What’s your game?”

  “And I could ask the same of you, Master Chambers,” I said slyly, letting him manhandle me.

  Groaning in frustration, he pushed off the bed and moved over to the chair.

  Lisa quickly took his place, resuming her ministrations, but she shot him a dark look. “Why are you in here, Zane? You need to leave.”

  “Unlike you, I have an actual reason for being here,” he snapped. “I’ve been sent to bring her to Donall.”

  “I’d always heard you were one of the most powerful mages alive,” I said condescendingly. “Yet you’re nothing more than Donall Cassidy’s errand boy.”

  The chair exploded into a thousand pieces. They shot out in all directions, then hung in mid-air, one large piece hovering in front of my right eye.

  “I am no one’s errand boy,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Is that meant to scare me?” I asked, pleased my voice was flat and unemotional despite my racing heart. I shot him the smallest of smiles, even if the wood sliver still hovered inches from my eye.

  He released a loud growl.

  “Zane,” Lisa pleaded, moving to him again, placing her hands gently on his chest.

  She loved him.

  Tenderness wavered in his eyes as he looked down at her, and the power filling the room began to ease, the wood splinters falling to the floor with multiple clinks.

  He loved her too.

  I filed that information away for later use.

  “I’ll take her the council,” she said softly.

  His back stiffened, and he took a step back from her. “It has to be me.”

  She stared up at him with worry on her face. “Let me finish healing her, then she’ll be ready for whatever they have planned for her.”

  He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll wait outside.” He turned to walk out of the room.

  “Zane, wait.” She grabbed his arm and tugged him back. “Let me heal you first.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You have two broken ribs.” When he didn’t protest, she placed her hands on his side. He hissed as her power eased into him, healing the broken bones. As soon as she dropped her hands, he bolted out the door.

  Lisa spun around to face me. “Please be kind to him.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Is he why you’re here with the Dark Set?”

  She looked surprised by my question, but then she nodded.

  “Is he kind to you?”

  Bewilderment filled her eyes. “Yes.”

  “If he attacks, I will defend myself.” Then I added, “And you.”

  Surprise flickered in her eyes, but she pleaded, “You don’t have to protect me. He won’t hurt me.” When I didn’t answer, she sat beside me, placing her hand on my arm. “Just don’t kill him. Please.”

  I didn’t understand why she would choose to love a misogynistic man so devoted to a group whose sole purpose was to make her submissive and subservient, but I’d always heard you couldn’t choose who you love. “I won’t kill him.” Then I added, “Unless he tries to kill me first.”

  “He won’t,” she quickly assured me.

  I’d seen the fury in his eyes. I wasn’t going to bet my life on it.

  Chapter Four

  “Will you behave?” Zane asked as I exited my room.

  I gave him a death stare. “Will you?”

  Groaning, he spun around and started walking the way we’d come the night before.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Maybe that had sounded a touch too much like gloating. I reminded myself that being confrontational would only hurt my true purpose. I needed to appear somewhat subservient, no matter how much it went against the grain.

  We continued down the hall but turned a different direction than the night before. Zane motioned for me to walk into a double-doored room, and I found myself in a small cafeteria. My father sat at a table with two plates of pancakes and bacon, one in front of him, one in front of the empty chair across from him. He looked much older than the last time I’d seen him as a teen six years ago, but then I was sure it was difficult trying to plan a revolution while living in hiding. That had to take a physical toll.

  I headed straight for him and took a seat in front of the other plate. “No Donall or Peter?” I asked.

  “No,” my father said with a frown as I approached. “I thought it might be better if we had this reunion with just the two of us.”

  I shot Zane a dark look. “What about him?”

  My father sighed. “Zane, you may leave.”

  Zane’s back stiffened. “Donall says I’m to stay.”

  “Donall is not in charge here,” my father barked.

  “No,” I said, my tone firm. “You are. You’ve been in charge since before Mother’s death.” The words were intended to both stoke his ego and shame him. They seemed to work on both counts. My father’s shoulders deflated slightly, not enough that most people would notice, but when you’re so different from everyone around you that you need to mimic “normal” people’s behavior, you become very good at studying and reading body language. His mouth twisted slightly in irritation at the man still standing behind me. My breath caught for a second when I realized Rowan made the exact same expression. That shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did—while my sisters had only just learned of our father’s treachery, I’d known for years.

  “Zane,” my father rebuked. “Go.”

  “He can stay,” I said, picking up a piece of bacon off my plate and taking a bite. “I have no secrets, and I’m guessing the Dark Set frowns on them anyway.”

  My father’s eyes narrowed at Zane, but I’d caught his attention, and he soon shifted his gaze back to me. “I was doing it for your own benefit. To make the transition easier.”

  “We’re all on the same side now, aren’t we?” I countered, taking another bite. “No secrets.” I held out my hand, still holding the floppy piece of bacon. “What do you want to know?”

  My father looked taken aback. “I thought you’d have questions for me.”

  “Oh, I do,” I said, placing the bacon on my plate as I grabbed the bottle of syrup that sat between us. “I’d like to play a little game called ‘How much did Celeste figure out on her own?’”

  He watched as I smothered my pancakes in syrup, then picked up my fork and sawed off a bite. “I meant what I said last night. Mother suspected,” I finally said. I popped the bite of pancakes into my mouth, acting as if the words meant nothing to me.

  “I know,” he murmured, not meeting my gaze.

  “Which is why you had her killed.” Statement, not a question. I’d always known, which had made it so hard for me to comfort my sisters after his fake death. It was yet another secret wedged between us.
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  “I didn’t have her killed, Celeste,” my father murmured with a worried glance at Zane.

  I turned at the waist and curled my fingers at the expression mage behind me. “Come join us, Zane. No need to hang back like a goblin.”

  Zane shot me a glare that let me know he was happy where he was.

  Turning back to give my father my full attention, I said, “You knew she was acting preemptively against the Dark Set, and when you reported her to your counterparts, you must have suspected what they’d do.” I didn’t name the Witches’ Council, but surely they knew about it. Mother had gathered an elite group of witches together to work against the Dark Set. They’d helped ensure a witch won the last election. They’d kept close watch on certain overly ambitious mages. But Mother hadn’t told them everything, and the group had all but dissolved after her death. She’d only told one person everything she saw, and that person was me.

  Not even Xenya knew the full truth, although she hadn’t exactly held me prisoner over the last week. She knew I had a special role to play, and she’d given me plenty of room to stretch my wings.

  “It wasn’t an easy choice, Celeste,” my father said, snapping me back into the present moment. “I assure you. Especially since you needed her, but I’d hoped you would seek help from an outside source. Your mother purposely kept your power stunted.”

  Rage slammed into me, hot and powerful, but I did my best to contain it. “Excuse me?”

  His eyes flew wide with fear, and I realized the utensils on our table were now hanging in the air, waiting for my command—subconscious or not—to impale him.

  So much for controlling my rage.

  “If you kill me, you won’t get the answers you seek.” His voice lowered to a soothing tone. “Put the utensils down, Celeste.”

  I sent them flying back onto the table, although one of the knives ended up embedded in the wood tabletop. Oops. I barely contained a chuckle. “You discovered that Mother planned to have me shipped off to France, and you refused to let that happen. You wouldn’t have been able to control what happened to me there,” I said, my voice tight.

  “I wanted you to go to France to train,” my father shouted. “It was my suggestion to send you there, but your mother wouldn’t hear of it. She refused to let you out of her sight.”

  “You lie,” I said, getting to my feet. “She wanted to help me.”

  “She wanted to contain you. When I tried to intervene, she shut me out.”

  “And you had her killed.”

  He looked me deep in the eyes. “I didn’t have her killed, Celeste.”

  “But you knew they would kill her.” It wasn’t a question. I only wanted him to confirm it.

  “Yes,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.”

  “As opposed to joining the Dark Set?” I asked. “That was easy.” What was I doing? But it was impossible to contain years of pent-up anger, and my father knew how close I’d been to my mother. If I’d pretended not to care about any of this, the lie would have been too blatant.

  “Celeste…” he moaned. “Perhaps it would be easier if I told you what happened versus you dragging it out of me.”

  “Would that be easier for you, Father?” I sneered.

  “Believe it or not, I’m trying to make it easier for you.” His tone was sad and resigned, but anyone could make themselves sound a certain way.

  “Just like your fake death made things easier for my sisters? For Rowan?”

  His face turned ashen, and I felt a twinge of satisfaction. Still, I needed to shut this down. I wasn’t endearing myself to the Dark Set, and Zane, who trusted me even less than Donall did, was standing right behind me. Zane. It struck me that my power had remained remarkably controlled considering the subject of our discussion. The silverware incident aside, nothing had happened. In any other emotionally fraught situation, the room would be nearly bursting with energy.

  Why did he affect me like this? Was it because his magic really was the counterpart to mine? Did I have the same effect on him? So many questions I didn’t dare ask.

  Instead, I sat in my chair and picked up another piece of bacon. “Losing you broke their hearts.”

  “I know,” he said, sounding broken. “But not yours.”

  “I knew you weren’t dead.”

  “And you blamed me for your mother’s death.”

  I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “I was a child, and yes, I’m still hurt that you were responsible for her death, but I realize the world is not black and white. Mother was trying to protect the old way of things, but the old way is broken. So, as hard as it is to accept, I realize she was ultimately responsible for her own death by supporting the inertia of the current guard.”

  I said it without stabbing him with any silverware. Mother would be so proud.

  I felt a subtle shift of power behind me. Zane had made some type of move, but my father hadn’t seemed to notice.

  “I know you and I weren’t close,” my father said quietly, “but it wasn’t the way I wanted things, Celeste. We could make up for lost time now, and perhaps we can convince your sisters to join us.”

  If I had anything to do with it, my sisters would never come near these imbeciles, but I simply nodded my head, saying, “I worry it’s too much to hope for a true family reunion.”

  “Only time will tell.”

  We were silent for nearly a minute while I ate several bites of my pancakes. I wanted him to make the next move. For him to try to earn back my love and trust. I needed to be in control.

  “Rowan is a vegetarian,” my father said, watching me. “But you’re not.”

  I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “She likes to cook, which means our diet is mostly meatless, but I appreciate bacon when I have it.”

  He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “For what it’s worth, I’m not sorry it’s you. In fact, I’m grateful.” When I didn’t call him on his bullshit, he said, “I’m not sure if you’ve come to realize this yet, but your mother was grooming you, Celeste. I never really understood what she was doing until the end.”

  I glanced up at him with a questioning look.

  “Why are you here, Celeste?” he asked.

  “Truly?” I said, hesitating for effect. “The book told me that my future lies with the Dark Set.”

  His eyes widened slightly. “Is this true?”

  “It speaks, you know,” I said, folding my hands on the table in front of me.

  He watched my hands, then looked up into my eyes. “It spoke to Rowan.”

  “The book is sentient,” I said. Perhaps it was unwise to divulge that information so soon, but it seemed useful now. Given my antagonism toward the Dark Set, which I couldn’t totally hide, I needed to provide a compelling reason for my cooperation. “It gave me the Orb of Power when I was with Donall in Kansas, but then it told me that I had to give it up. That I had to sacrifice everything to become worthy.”

  Every good lie contained a grain of truth.

  “Worthy of what?” my father asked.

  “It didn’t say, but it promised that I would find my true purpose through sacrifice.”

  “What kind of sacrifice?”

  “My sisters. My coven. The book itself. I did as it asked, but it still deemed me unworthy.”

  “Perhaps we should get your other daughter, Xavier,” Zane said sarcastically behind me. “Since the book seemed to find her worthy.”

  If I’d thought he was a real threat to my sister, I likely would have turned around and killed him on the spot, but I was certain Rowan was safe. As much as Brandon Cassidy had annoyed me at first, he’d come through in the end. With the Protective Force on their side, my sisters were a force to be reckoned with.

  “Perhaps you’re right,” I said, focusing my gaze on the stack of pancakes in front of me. “But she’ll never help you. So why waste time and energy retrieving my sister when I’m sitting here willing and able?”

 
; “Why the sudden change of heart?” Zane asked, walking over to the side of the table. “Why are you suddenly here offering to help?”

  “Suddenly?” I asked, cutting off another hunk of pancakes. “I’ve been in allegiance with Donall for months.”

  Zane rested his knuckles on the table and leaned over me, a show of dominance. What was surprising was that my father was letting him. Perhaps he wanted to know the answers himself. Or perhaps he just thought that every woman, his daughters included, needed to bow to men. “You didn’t know he was with the Dark Set when he first contacted you.”

  Releasing a heavy sigh, I gave him a withering glare. “I knew my father was in league with the Dark Set. I knew my mother had tried to keep my power hidden from the Dark Set. When Donall reached out to me, suggesting the Book of Sindal was the answer to my problem, do you really think I was too stupid to put two and two together?”

  Zane’s body tensed slightly, but my father watched me with hopeful interest.

  “I went willingly with Donall, knowing full well he was affiliated with the Dark Set. I willingly opened the book and created the Orb of Power, which the book granted to me as a gift.” I set my fork on the table and stood, eye level with Zane, who was still hunched over the table. “I gave the orb to Donall. I let him take my blood as a sacrifice. I could have overcome him at any time, yet I let him give my life force to the book. I even let him try to sacrifice my sister.”

  “And yet you overcame Donall and took back the book,” Zane said evenly, his eyes narrowed.

  “No, my sister and Donall’s own brother overpowered him. I was too weak to stop them, even if I’d wanted to.”

  “You didn’t go with Donall when he left.”

  “He transformed into a crow and flew away, leaving me behind. You should ask him why he didn’t take me with him.”

  “It’s obvious you don’t like me,” Zane said. “And it’s just as obvious that you hold the entire Dark Set council in contempt.” He stood at his full height, towering over me as he said through gritted teeth, “So. Why. Are. You. Here?”

  I held his gaze, his eyes so cold I could practically feel ice crystals. “You’ve heard the same story twice. I’m not repeating it a third time.”