by D G Swank
The room was silent and thick with tension as everyone waited for his response. My father, three seats down on Donall’s left, watched me with unrestrained horror.
“But of course,” Donall said, his voice tight. “It’s lovely to see where your priorities lie.” He gestured to the chair next to him. “Come sit by me, Celeste. You can tell us all about your day training with Zane.”
My smile widened and I moved toward him, leaving Zane to take the remaining seat on the other side.
Donall pulled out my chair and waited for me to take a seat, then slid the chair closer to the table. When he sat back down, his eyes drilled into mine. “Did you make progress today?”
“Yes,” I said, reaching for my water glass. “Much more than I could have expected.”
“Did you learn to use the orb without touching the person whose power you wish to take?” he asked.
I hid my surprise. I hadn’t realized he’d had an agenda for Zane. What was even more surprising was that Zane had never once hinted at it. Although I did want to learn how to use the orb—it would allow me to implement my plan without the book—I had no notion of how or when I’d practice such a thing.
“One must learn to ride a bike before one can enter the Tour de France, Donall,” I said with a smile. I’d smiled more in the last few days than I had in the past few years. Too bad most of them had been fake.
“You’ve had twenty-three years to learn to ride the proverbial bike,” Donall snapped. “It’s time for the race.”
I met his eyes, careful to keep my attitude in check. “There was a reason you reached out to me. Nothing has changed since you left me in Kansas.”
His face paled slightly, and I wondered if the people at this table knew he’d almost killed me. Did he want that fact hidden? He didn’t seem like he’d care.
“So what did you learn today?” Donall asked, picking up his wine glass and holding the stem so tightly I was sure it would snap in two.
“We started with fundamentals,” Zane said, sounding pissed that he was being asked to explain himself. “But she made much more progress than I’d expected.”
“That’s all well and good,” Donall said, focusing his anger on Zane. “But what specifically did she learn?”
“You trusted me enough to task me with her training,” Zane said with a tense jaw. “And it doesn’t seem like the right time for us to have this discussion.”
“Martin,” my father said in a tone a little too breezy to sound natural. “I hear you’ve had great success with your fall crop.”
Martin, an older man, nodded. “We’ve provided many vegetables to the kitchen staff to offset our bills.”
“We won’t have to worry about bills soon enough,” Donall said, his voice tight. “Soon we’ll have more money than we ever dreamed of.” He shot a dark glance in my direction. “Soon Celeste will even the playing field across the world. We will meet with the Large Council a week from today. They will bow before us, and the victory will be decisively ours.”
So he was ready to announce that he’d taken over the Small Council. Which meant he was ready to steamroll ahead with his steal-the-witches’ power plan. It struck me for the first time that his plan was completely dependent on my ability and willingness to use the Orb of Power. Which meant I was a precious commodity and Zane could have literally lost his head if I’d been harmed or run away.
As if Zane could read my thoughts, he lifted his gaze to mine.
A slow heat ignited in my core. At first I thought I was being attacked by magic, but then I realized it for what it was. I was sexually attracted to Zane Chambers. There’d been other signs, but this one was undeniable.
How in the hell had that happened?
Dinner was served and people began making small talk around me. After hearing a couple of remarks that made me want to either laugh or vomit, maybe both, I stopped paying attention. I didn’t care about the bountiful vegetables Martin would be able to grow once he had a power boost from the witches, although he surely did. It sounded like his ability was basically the equivalent of a good bag of fertilizer.
My mind turned inward, and it struck me that my magic felt different. Smoother. Although my focus was still drawn in half a dozen different directions, my thoughts were less chaotic than they’d been. Whatever had happened out in the woods had helped me—undeniably so—but I realized I could also feel Zane’s magic flirting with mine again, the cool, refreshing flow of it washing over me. Was my attraction to him based on magic instead of hormones and logic?
I’d like to think so, if only because I couldn’t trust him. And because I liked Lisa more than anyone else in this gods-forsaken place.
After removing the dinner dishes, the staff brought out dessert, and the woman Donall had called Marni brought out two bottles of champagne and set them on the table at his right. Her expression was even more sullen than it had been the day before, and she shot me look full of pure hatred.
He clinked his wine glass with a fork and the room hushed as he stood. “There was another reason for bringing you all here tonight. While we prepare to take over Valeria, we have something more immediate to celebrate.” He glanced down at me, and I was surprised by the affection on his face. He gave me a soft smile, then turned to the others. “I wish to announce my engagement to Celeste Whelan.”
Polite applause broke out around the table, and I tried to hide my shock. We’d discussed the matter on a theoretical level, but he’d never officially asked me. Then again, the whole point of the Dark Set was mages ruling witches, not just in magic but in everything. I’d never had a choice in the matter at all, and this was Donall’s way of telling me so.
The champagne was opened and glasses were filled and passed around—not by Donall, of course, but by the staff. My father lifted his flute and said, “To the strong union!”
“To the Dark Set!” someone else called out.
“To the strong union! To the Dark Set!” multiple voices called out enthusiastically.
I lifted my own glass and took a sip, keeping my gaze on Donall, but I could feel someone else watching me with his own dark gaze.
I turned to look at Zane, and he continued to watch me for several long seconds, his full flute still on the table.
Then he got up from the table and excused himself from the room.
My heart simultaneously sunk and soared. Why was he upset? Why did my heart leap at the thought?
I needed to keep my eye on the goal. My supposed engagement to Donall was bringing me one step closer to utterly destroying him.
Chapter Twelve
After dinner, Donall insisted on walking me back to my room, followed by four guards who stayed at least twenty feet behind us.
“How did your training really go?” Donall asked in a hushed tone.
“Honestly,” I said, “once again, better than expected. I was resistant to training with Zane, but his methods have been effective.”
“You weren’t seen all day…”
“I was training.”
“But Zane was seen.”
Was he hoping I’d rat Zane out? “Certain Druid methods leave a person…vulnerable until they master the art. Practicing in front of Zane would have exposed me to him in an uncomfortable way.” I stopped and turned to face him. “Zane gave me privacy to try his methods.”
His eyes darkened. “You were left unprotected.”
I gave him a coy smile. “I have magical ways of protecting myself, Donall.” He didn’t need to know the spirit of the Book of Sindal had stood watch for me. “He wouldn’t have left me unprotected. He knows how valuable I am to you. It’s never far from his mind.”
A possessive look filled his eyes. “Good.” But the dark energy radiating from him was anything but.
I started walking again, trying to shake off the discomfort of being this close to Donall. Mother had warned me that my job wouldn’t be easy, but she’d always reminded me the greater good would be worth the sacrifice. Something I stru
ggled to remember when Donall was close.
“I hope you’re not upset that I announced our engagement before asking you first.”
I looped my left arm through the crook of his right elbow. “We both know this is a union of opportunity, not love.”
“I think I could grow to love you, Celeste.”
Doubtful. He loved himself and his cause too much to make room for someone else, but I didn’t call him on it.
He turned serious. “I wish to be married soon after we conquer Valeria.”
The thought of actually marrying him made my stomach turn, and yet, perhaps I could use my forced engagement to my advantage. Although I’d considered wiping out the Dark Set at their big meeting with Valeria, innocents would get caught in the crossfire. This way I could attack the Dark Set on an occasion when only its members were present. Surely everyone would be expected to attend the leader’s wedding. I could do this.
I stopped again and glanced up at him with doe eyes. “No. I wish to be married before the takeover. When I redistribute the power in Valeria, I wish to do so as your wife.”
“But after I nearly killed you…how can you be so forgiving?”
Here we were again. Despite Donall’s ego, he wasn’t entirely stupid, although I wished it were otherwise. “I thought it was necessary,” I said. “The book needed a sacrifice and I gave it.”
“I still nearly killed you.”
I looked back up at him. “Which shows how far I’m willing to go for a cause I believe in.”
“You were trained by your mother, who hated the Dark Set.”
“My mother’s training was harsh and unforgiving. She didn’t understand how my magic worked, but she refused to let someone more knowledgeable help me. What she did was wrong.” I paused, making sure I had his attention, but also because something deep inside me had latched onto the words as I said them. Something in me believed them.
No. You have a purpose. You are destined to fulfill it. She had a reason for doing what she did.
His face softened. “Celeste.”
“My mother refused to listen to reason in regard to her own daughter, Donall. How can I trust her judgment on anything?”
“You know others will question your loyalty.”
“They already do. With time, they’ll realize where my true heart lies.” I lifted up on my tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
He snaked an arm around my back and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I resisted the urge to slap him, letting him take over for a few seconds before I pulled back and cast an embarrassed glance to the guards who stood in the hall behind us.
“Donall, we’re not alone.”
He nodded slightly, then ushered me down the hall toward my room. “We should continue this in your room.”
I remained silent until we stopped at the entrance, then gave him a weak smile. “I’m eager to explore this part of our relationship too, but I think we should wait until after we’re married.”
“Because you’re a virgin. I commend you for your chastity, but surely it no longer matters.” He reached up to trace a finger down my cheek, and I had to suppress a disgusted shiver. “We’ll be married soon enough.”
Thinking fast, I said, “There’s a spell you can use on our wedding night, Donall, one that will gift you part of my power.” I added in a whisper, “Surely you used a spell of your own to take the other magicals’ power, but this one won’t require you to kill or hurt me. The only requirement is that I must still be a virgin.”
His eyes lit up.
He leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. “We can discuss the past another day. Perhaps after our marriage vows. For now, you need your sleep so you can train even harder tomorrow. I need you to use the orb so you can draw power from people without touching them, Celeste. I need you to be able to do this with many in attendance. There are certain servants you can use as practice. They’d be happy to devote themselves to the cause.”
“You want to do the Reaping at the Valeria gathering,” I said. “When you announce that Lucia Hernandez is dead and declare yourself the king.”
“And you the queen,” he said, his eyes shining. “I’m even more certain than ever that you will be the perfect wife.”
He kissed me again, then watched me enter the null room.
As I shut the door behind me, I nearly sank to my knees at the sudden vacuum in my head. No matter what, I could never, ever marry Donall, but the pretense might just provide me with the perfect opportunity to stage my rebellion.
I didn’t plan on using the book unless I had no other choice, but if I had to, I’d summon the spirit on the altar.
Chapter Thirteen
Zane showed up at eight the next morning. I wasn’t ready when he first rapped on the door so I let him knock again without response, figuring he could wait.
I was tying my shoe when the door flung open as I was bent over. I glanced up to see his angry face. “Impatient?” I asked in a cold tone.
“You didn’t answer,” Zane said from just outside the doorway.
I stood and gave him an amused smirk. “Did you think I ran away?” His expression revealed that he had in fact thought that, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was locked in a null room. How would I have left? Not to mention I want to be here. I could have run away at any time yesterday when you left me alone all day.”
He frowned. “You need to bring a jacket. It’s even colder today.”
“So, back outside?” I asked as I picked up the sweater that I’d set on my father’s desk the night before.
“We need to be close to nature.”
I walked to the doorway and stopped, preparing myself for the rush of power. Zane extended his hand toward me, but I ignored it and stepped right through the doorway, crashing to my knees from the onslaught. It was worse than it had been the day before, and not just because Zane wasn’t touching me. Despite the time I’d spent communing with natural magic the previous day, the chaos in my head was worse than it had ever been. Whatever magic I’d soaked in must have dissipated in the night.
A jumble of dissonant thoughts clashed in my head, and the world around me lit up in an explosion of color and pain. Pinpricks of magic stabbed me all over, making me feel like I was being jabbed with thousands of needles. The orb in my palm throbbed, the pressure making it feel like it was about to explode.
My magic was going to kill me.
But then a cooling presence washed over me, pushing back the pain and the confusion.
“Celeste.”
Surprised at the urgency in Zane’s voice, I blinked my eyes open.
“Take slow even breaths.”
I did as he said, mostly because I didn’t have the mental capacity to do anything else. After nearly a minute, my mind cleared enough for rational thought to resume. I started to sit up, but Zane—whose hand was on my left arm—lightly gripped my bicep and helped me to a sitting position. Every muscle in my body was stiff and sore.
“I don’t need your help.” I tried to make the rebuke harsh, but it barely came out as a pained whisper.
“If you don’t need my help, then how about I let go of your arm and send you back to the nightmare you just emerged from?” He didn’t say it harshly—just as a blunt statement of fact.
The prideful, stubborn part of me wanted to tell him to go ahead and do it, but my mind and body protested, so I remained silent.
We stayed like that, probably for several minutes, while my mind and magic sparred for control in my head.
“Are you ready to stand?” he asked in a tone much kinder than I’d expected.
I nodded and he helped me to my feet. “What made this happen?” I asked. “Was it the Druid—”
“Not here,” he said in a hushed but still forceful tone.
I snuck a glance at the guard across the hall, who stood watching us with open curiosity.
I nodded, and we started walking down the hall together. The guard I’d noticed—and another one I hadn’t
noticed—began following us.
Zane stopped and gave them a stare so cold they had to feel the temperature drop, especially since I was pretty sure he’d accentuated it with a blast of cold air. “There is no need to follow us.”
“We have orders from Donall.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed. “And I’m telling you to leave us be.”
“We follow Donall’s orders, not yours,” one of the guards said, despite the terror in his eyes. No doubt they’d all seen evidence of Zane’s power. And mine.
“This is your future queen,” Zane snapped, “and her training is a crucial part of Donall’s plans. It needs to be done in privacy for her protection and your own. If you continue to follow us, I will be forced to tell Donall that your interference held back her training. Is that something you really want me to tell him?”
While one guard looked frightened, the other gave Zane a belligerent glare. I had to wonder if there was bad blood between them.
“What are your names?” I asked in a sweet tone.
The scared guard’s name seemed to trip on his tongue. “Ted.”
I waited a few seconds, channeling a patience I certainly didn’t feel, for the second guard to relent and say, “Vince.”
Concentrating on my magic, I smiled at both of them and infused my words with power. “I’ll be perfectly safe with Zane. You will leave us, and if Donall asks you about guarding me, you will say that I was well protected at all times.”
The frightened guard nodded, but the other guard seemed to resist.
“You will do as your future queen suggests,” Zane said in an even tone, and I could feel the power underlying his words too.
The second guard finally nodded, and both men turned and walked in the opposite direction.
I stared up at Zane in surprise, but his scowl told me he wasn’t pleased with this turn of events.
“Come on.”
He started at a brisk pace, but I couldn’t keep up. Without commenting on it, he slowed his steps to match my own.
“I’m not sure I can make it out to the lake,” I said, swallowing my pride. I hated admitting my weakness to him, but I reminded myself that my inability to control my power had been my admission ticket into this place. Still, for some reason, I didn’t want him to think I was weak.