Crown of Blood

by D G Swank

“Penance,” he said matter-of-factly. “But it’s not for long. We’ll all get new rooms once Valeria has been conquered.”

  I gave him a slow nod. “Actually, that’s why I’m here.”

  “Oh?” he asked, still concentrating on heating up his water.

  “Father, will you come sit down? There’s something we need to discuss.”

  “Yes, of course,” he said, ripping open a tea bag and putting it in a cup. “Just let me finish my tea first.”

  So I waited, watching him painstakingly make his tea and biting my tongue to keep from telling him to hurry up or let me do it.

  When he finished, he sat down, stirring the tea with maddeningly slow strokes of his spoon. “Very good, Celeste,” he said with an approving look. “Very good indeed.”

  I blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  “You. Your execution of patience. You’re improving.”

  “That was a test?” I asked in disbelief. “Must everything be a test or for the good of the Dark Set with you?”

  “Yes,” he said, putting his spoon on the saucer and taking a sip. “There’s no time for niceties, Celeste. We’re in the home stretch now. I need to make sure you’re prepared.”

  When the Dark Set took over.

  “Thank you for your compliment.”

  “It wasn’t so much a compliment as a report card. You must show infinite patience with Donall.”

  “Or he’ll have Zane punish me.”

  It was his turn to look surprised. “What?”

  “Yes,” I said nonchalantly. “I know part of the reason Zane is teaching me is so that he’ll know my strengths and weaknesses when it comes time for him to punish me.”

  His face blanched. “Celeste, my darling…it’s my fervent hope that you won’t need punishment.”

  “Well, of course,” I said. “And it’s mine as well.”

  “Congratulations on your engagement,” he said, sounding genuinely pleased.

  “Thank you,” I said demurely. “I’m sure you must be thrilled. No doubt it secures your place in the royal court after the Reaping.”

  “Celeste, I hope you don’t think that was my only motivation.”

  “No, of course not. And trust me, I understand. We all must think about self-preservation.” I tried my best to make him believe it, like the guards at the gate had believed that blank document was Zane’s carte blanche to leave the compound, but I reminded myself not to underestimate my father. His gift of persuasion probably allowed him to see right through my attempts. “But,” I continued in a hushed tone, “I worry about my sisters. They’re not safe.”

  He frowned. “I worry about them too.”

  “I’ve been thinking,” I said in a conspiratorial tone. “Maybe you were right. Maybe there’s still hope we can convince them to join us. Rowan was pissed at you for deserting us, just like I was, but she’s had time to get over her hurt and shock. Phoebe must want her power back. Both of them will listen to reason now, but I feel like it needs to come from me.”

  His face lit up. “Do you know where they are?”

  “No,” I admitted, and I was glad it was true. I wouldn’t communicate with the book again until I left this place. “But I know of a place they might go.”

  “The Dark Set has already checked the expected places. The farm. Brandon’s home. Xenya’s. They are nowhere to be found, and the Protective Force has made it clear they’re taking their captain’s side.”

  “The place I have in mind is somewhere else, but I’ll need a full day to find them.”

  “Donall will never let you leave, Celeste. Just tell him where to go, and he’ll have our guards check it out.”

  “That won’t work and you know it,” I said. “If a troop of guards shows up, they’ll never trust either one of us. It has to be me and I have to go alone.”

  “It will never work,” he said, looking anxious. “You can’t leave.”

  “Maybe not, but surely the two of us are smart enough to come up with a plan.” I leaned closer. “Father, don’t you want to save your girls? Rowan?” I placed a hand on his. “She loves you. She trusts you to protect her.”

  He looked away. “Not anymore.”

  “This is your chance to make it right. Please, Father. Help me.”

  “Celeste…”

  “Are you scared I won’t come back? I asked. “Do you think I’ll run away? Remember that I volunteered to come here. Trust me when I say I’m looking forward to my wedding with Donall.” Which was true enough, although not in the way he probably thought. “But I have to save my sisters, Father. I swear I’ll come back, but please let me try to bring them with me.”

  “I don’t see how to make this work,” he said, looking ill. “I don’t…”

  “You have the gift of persuasion,” I said. “If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

  He nodded and took a sip of his tea. “How is your training with Zane going?”

  “Better than I’d hoped,” I admitted. Although we still hadn’t attempted to practice with the orb, which was the only thing Donall seemed interested in hearing about.

  “He’s patient with you?”

  “Yes. Then again, it’s in his own best interest to teach me and learn about me himself,” I said in a cold tone. “Other than that, he’s a perfect gentleman.”

  “Do you like staying in a null room?” he asked. “I wish I’d thought of it sooner. Your mother might have considered it when you were younger.”

  “Were you the one to suggest it?” I asked.

  “No,” he said with a wave of his hand. “That was Donall. He wanted to make you more comfortable.”

  “And make sure I’m contained.”

  He started to protest, then stopped.

  “That’s okay,” I said. “I understand why he did it. I would have done the same in his shoes. But Zane thinks it’s too stressful for me when I emerge in the mornings.”

  His brow rose. “How so?”

  “The magic all comes rushing back in a flood. Zane says the stronger I get, the harder it will be for my magic to slip back in without causing any damage. Each time I leave the room, my mind and my magic fight for control, and this morning, the magic almost won.”

  Concern filled his eyes. “Have you told Donall?”

  “No, not yet. I suspect Zane will, but I don’t know if he has any say in the matter. Perhaps you could speak to him as well.”

  He was already shaking his head. “Donall doesn’t just hand out favors, Celeste. He has you in a null room for his own reasons. If you wish to change your situation, your best course of action is to talk to him directly.”

  “And my sisters?”

  His lips pursed. “I’ll think of something.”

  “Really?” I asked, excitement slipping into the word.

  “I love my girls. I want nothing more than for all of us to be one happy family.”

  “I want that too.” Which meant he wouldn’t play any part in it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Since I didn’t want to go to my room, I headed back to the library. Using my magic, I locked the door. It was time for me to explore the magic of the orb. I didn’t want to use the book to destroy the Dark Set, so I had to rely on the materials I already had.

  I concentrated on the natural elements around me—the two inches of water in the glass on one of the trays, the dirt Zane had carried in on his shoes, and the air around me. I connected to it easily; the orb had a soft, consistent thrum of power. There was a malevolent edge to it, a reminder of what it was and where it had come from. I’d expected one person’s power to be caught in the orb: Phoebe’s, but that wasn’t so. Several different specialties were represented in the stew of power contained in the orb. Ancestral magic—Phoebe’s. Glamour. Telekinesis. Telepathy. And several more. Some of the power, I sensed, had been in the orb for hundreds of years. The last person who’d used it hadn’t cleared it out. Maybe they hadn’t known how. My power strained for the orb, wanting what it held inside,
but I didn’t dare attempt to release the power. If I absorbed it, I wasn’t at all sure I could survive the flood.

  How could I practice with the orb without using it on living, breathing people? Donall had said I could—he’d encouraged it, but I didn’t feel comfortable using it on people of his choice. It didn’t seem right. After all, it wasn’t like Donall was going to let me experiment on his horrible friends. The people he would choose would be the most expendable. The witches.

  I could only hope my training with Zane would buy me more time. Maybe I’d figure out another way.

  Sighing, I let the orb sink back into my palm and unlocked the door. My eyes fell on the stack of books Zane had chosen for me, and I let my magic pick which one I should read. It settled on a book about the history of Medieval England. The pages fluttered open, stopping on a story about a woman whose neighbors discovered she was a witch. She was said to control the ocean waves, the weather, the crops. It seemed she pulled her magic from the very air, and she could do anything she pleased with it. Make fire. Heal illnesses.

  It came as little surprise that the villagers had thanked her by driving her out of the village. They’d attempted to burn her at the stake, but the flames had turned into a patch of red and orange wildflowers.

  When I was done with that passage, my magic let me know it was time to move on. I read section after section about expression witches and the occasional mage, learning about the things that were possible with my magic.

  Zane was right, it appeared, we could do nearly anything.

  Enough time passed that I got hungry again, and I ate the second lunch. I was opening a new book when the doors burst open behind me. Turning around, I expected to see Zane, but Donall stalked in through the doors.

  “Donall,” I said, shifting in my seat to face him. “What an unexpected surprise.”

  “You weren’t at dinner.”

  I lifted my brow. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know there was a dinner.”

  “We eat every night,” he said in an accusing tone. “And you weren’t there.”

  “You have a dinner like last night, every night?” I wasn’t sure I could handle that. There was only so much false flattery and bluster one person could endure.

  “No,” he said, his gaze wandering over the table. He was obviously curious what I was doing. “Last night was a celebration. But those of us in high positions always eat dinner together to discuss and plan.”

  “I’m sorry I missed it,” I lied. “I’ll be sure to attend tomorrow night.”

  “Zane should have told you. Why isn’t he here with you now?”

  Had Zane been at the dinner? Would he be in trouble for not showing if he hadn’t been with me? I shrugged. “He must have slipped out while I was absorbed in my studies.”

  “Why are you reading books when you should be training your magic? Working with the orb?” He didn’t sound happy.

  “I’ve trained all day, Donall,” I said sweetly. “I can only train so much or my body and mind become too taxed. So now I’m reading about magic in the past.” I doubted he’d be thrilled to learn I was reading about the possible uses of my magic. Better to keep it vague.

  Irritation covered his face. “Why are you wasting time reading about the past when you need to focus on the future?”

  “Because we must learn from our past mistakes, Donall.” On a whim I added, “I think it’s important for witches to see the harm we’ve caused. Perhaps it’ll make it easier to give up some of our freedoms if we know it’s for the greater good.”

  His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. “I wish I could read your mind to see if you’re being serious.”

  I feigned an innocent look. “I can let you in again if you like.”

  His lips curled up into a cruel grin. “I would like to do just that, my love, but I fear you might singe me again.”

  “Is that what happened last time? I can try to control it more, but my mind is so jumbled…”

  “No,” he said, looking down at me. Something flashed in his eyes. “Your father seems to think staying in a null room could be hurting you instead of helping. He was at dinner.”

  I glanced down at the floor. “The transition in the mornings is painful.”

  “A little pain is good for us,” he said in a seductive tone. “Pain makes us feel. It makes us alive.”

  I was used to pain. I’d used pain as a distraction more times than I could count, even before I started feeding my blood to the book. I had the scars from the self-inflicted cuts on my legs to prove it. But I’d always imposed my own pain. I’d been in control of it, or at least that’s what I’d told myself. Donall wanted to be the one to hurt me, and I fought the urge to shudder. Zane was right about Donall. Maybe I should rethink my strategy and run out on my “engagement,” but I still thought the wedding would suit my purposes nicely. How else would I ensure everyone from the Dark Set was gathered in one place?

  I held his gaze. “Zane thinks the null room is hindering my progress.”

  “Does he now? I’ll take it under consideration. For now, I’d like to take a walk with you outside.” He motioned to the sweater I was wearing. “Is that the only jacket you have?”

  “Yes, but I’ll be fine as long as we keep moving.” Dread licked at me, like a fearsome beast, but I did my best not to show it. Instead, I closed my book and stood, returning the history tome to the stack on the table.

  Donall’s gaze landed on the two plates on the table. “You eat meals together?” he asked.

  “We’re together most of our waking hours,” I said. “It only makes sense.”

  “I see.” But the way he said it sent another shiver down my back.

  We headed for the door, and once we were in the hall, Donall offered his arm to me—a courtly gesture that seemed completely at odds with the cruel, overbearing man who’d made it. I resisted another urge to shudder as I looped my arm through his, giving him a soft smile.

  Once we were outside, we began strolling on the thin gravel path on the perimeter of the overgrown and dead courtyard. We’d walked for nearly a minute before Donall said, “How was your day with Zane?”

  “Productive,” I said. “I’m gaining more control of my magic, and my mind is much clearer.”

  “And have you practiced with the orb? Have you tried absorbing people’s magic from a distance?”

  I looked up at him, trying to appear innocent, not wanting to give anything away. “No,” I lied. “But I suppose I need to prepare my mind to handle that much magic. I won’t be able to absorb it all, Donall. We’ll need some kind of a vessel to hold it in.”

  “The orb should contain it.”

  I thought he might be right, but I wasn’t certain, and I didn’t want to share any of my speculations with the very man I wanted to destroy. “I don’t know that the orb can absorb that much without affecting me.”

  His mouth twisted as he considered the problem. “I see.” He gave me a grotesque smile. “Let’s discuss our wedding.”

  The abrupt change in topic worried me. I doubted he was willing to let the question of the orb drop so soon, especially given how important it was to his plans. “Okay.” I tried to sound cheerful, but the thought of marrying him made me nauseous. While I knew we’d never see our wedding night, I’d always imagined me surviving the event. Now I wasn’t so sure. Everything had gotten unexpectedly complicated.

  “You’ll need a dress. Do you have one at your farm that you wish to wear?”

  “You mean like my mother’s?” I asked. “No. And it hardly seems like a good idea.”

  “Do you have flowers you want? Colors? Surely you’ve daydreamed about your wedding. All little girls do.”

  “No,” I said as he clutched my arm tighter. “I never thought I’d get married. I never daydreamed about it at all.” My mother had made it clear all along that I’d never have a family of my own. My fate was bigger than that, she’d always said. But even if I had wanted certain things at my wedding, I didn’t wan
t Donall to have any part of them.

  “But surely there are things you want,” he insisted. The way he said it implied there was something wrong with me otherwise.

  “I’m a pragmatist, not a romantic, Donall. Simple is fine with me. However, it occurs to me that the ruler of the New World should have a royal wedding, but I admit that I have no idea how to plan such a thing.”

  He patted my hand. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I have people to take care of it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course, my darling. But I’m sure you know the date of our wedding hinges on your ability to absorb power with the orb. We can’t marry until you’ve learned to take power from a large group and move it from one person to another.”

  Ice flushed through my veins as I realized Donall was up to something. This talk of our wedding had been leading up to this. Whatever this was. “I’m sure Zane and I will begin working on it soon, Donall.”

  He smiled. “I think we should set a baseline now.” Turning slightly, he called out, “Vince, bring them out, please.”

  My breathing turned shallow as the guard who had been posted outside my room that morning and another guard I didn’t recognize brought out five people—three mages and two witches, one of whom was Lisa. They’d been waiting in a little offshoot of the courtyard, a small garden with a few sets of benches facing each other. Donall had led me here.

  My heart skipped a beat. “What are you doing?” I asked, turning to face him.

  “I’m not doing anything, my darling. This is all about you. You will take power from one and transfer it to another.”

  I had no idea how to do such a thing, and I didn’t want to experiment with it on these five people. Lisa, at least, was an innocent. It would appear my time had run out. “Perhaps we should wait until Zane says I’m ready.”

  I tried to pull away, but Donall wrapped his wrist around my forearm and held on tight. “But Zane’s not here and I need a progress report now.”

  “Donall,” I said, trying not to panic. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, dragging me toward the group. “Have faith in yourself.”