How could we have overlooked her as a threat?
“Enjoying the view?”
Dev almost fell from his chair. Gripping the window bars, he managed to regain his balance. He stepped down from the chair with care and turned to face Ellaria.
“Have you come to drug me again?” he asked warily.
She smiled, but her dazzling beauty only made him shudder in revulsion. “My dear Prince Devaran, you’ve simply given me so many reasons to drug you. Perhaps if you were a bit friendlier…”
“I tire of your games. So you intend to march against Mallaric. Judging by your supplies and the troops I see riding in and out, I’d say you have enough support to make it a challenge for him.”
“I am not alone in my disappointment in Mallaric’s lack of vision, his lack of leadership.” The smile fell from Ellaria’s face, replaced by a hard look. “We will reclaim Moritan.”
“I understand your anger at Mallaric, but what have I to do with it? What has Jess to do with it?”
“It is time for a new order in the Realms.”
“With you on the throne.”
“Of course. I’m carrying on my father’s great work.”
“Ah, yes. Your noble father.”
Ellaria’s gaze went colder. “My father was a great man who saw how Mallaric the Elder refused to help the people who depended on him. Instead, the king was more concerned with his own greed, living an opulent life in the palace while his people slowly wasted away. Have you any idea how agonizing a death starvation is?”
Dev sneered. “That’s a nice story, but even if it were true, do you think you speak with authority on what’s happening in other Realms?”
“What do you think drove the bandits in the Carpesian Forest? And why should Corland be subject to the whims of a capricious, foul child like Toran?”
Dev’s own expression hardened at the mention of the bandits. “The bandits chose to defy both Lyranian and Estorian law. They killed, raped, and stole from innocent travelers along the Carpesian roads. I’d suggest you take up a cause other than theirs.”
“Are you too blind to see they were driven by desperation? When they found themselves unable to survive in Estoria or Lyrane, they did what they had to do.”
“So capricious monarchs aren’t justified in taking advantage of others but capricious criminals are?” Dev sneered.
“I don’t expect you to understand. You represent the old, stagnant order. There is little progress in the Realms because they’re controlled by relics like you, like Omar. If the Realms are to evolve there must first be upheaval.”
A chill raced up Dev’s spine. He had thought her sole focus was avenging her family. He hadn’t realized that her anger over her father’s punishment had led her to devise her own twisted logic to justify her actions. Even more disturbing was the idea that there were others who bought into that logic.
They’re not trying to take advantage of her because they stand to gain more by following her than they do by obeying the law. They actually believe in her cause.
It wasn’t a reassuring thought. Whatever their intentions, some of the Moritanian nobles had decided to take up arms against the people of their own Realm, and who was to say it couldn’t happen in Deshira, or Corland, or even Lyrane and Estoria? The thought of the chaos it would cause was enough to make Dev feel sick. Ellaria was a true believer, and if she was not stopped, she just might come to be seen as some sort of prophet.
“I’d say I feel nothing but disgust for you, but that’s not true. I pity you because you’re too mad to see the injustice in your own plan,” Dev spat.
“What you think matters nothing to me,” Ellaria said dismissively. “You are merely a tool, and I will discard you when you are no longer useful. It is up to you how you will spend your final days.”
“Well, my darling, if you thought I would just lie down and die for you, you’ve picked the wrong prince.”
“Oh, it’s not me I expect you to lie down and die for.”
Fury overtook him and he flew at her, but she anticipated his attack and he found himself on his back, the breath driven from his body by the force of the impact. She seized one of his arms, bending it in a way it wasn’t meant to bend, and the pain made him retch.
“Drugging it will be then,” she hissed in his ear. Barking out orders, she maintained her hold on him, not quite breaking his arm but causing him enough pain to let him know she wouldn’t hesitate to break it.
As he once more choked on the bitter sedative Ellaria’s minions administered, his mind drifted. He remembered long, sunny days on Moritan, its craggy remoteness taking on a severe beauty as he and Jess surveyed the countryside on horseback.
“It’s lovely, but I don’t think I could live in such a place,” she told him.
“Nor I. I’d miss the olive groves.”
“I’d miss the lavender blue spires of the palace. But more than anything, I’d miss the music.”
“The music is lovely,” he conceded. “But don’t you ever long for quiet?”
“When I’m in a place such as this I feel like I’m in a…a void. There are sounds, of course, but it’s like I can no longer hear my thoughts. I’m used to hearing them set to song, and when there’s no music…”
He studied her, watched the wind tug at long strands of her dark hair, sending them flying out over her shoulders like little banners. “You could never leave Lyrane, could you?” The sadness this thought caused him was profound.
She turned and smiled at him. “Not entirely, at any rate.”
His heart quickening, he smiled in return. “I couldn’t leave Estoria entirely either,” he confessed.
“Why would you leave? You’ll be the king,” she laughed.
“Don’t you ever want more than a throne?” he asked, changing the conversation abruptly. A weight pressed on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
“What do you mean by that?” Her voice was soft and she looked like she was considering his question. It made him bold.
“Don’t you ever want something that’s yours and yours alone?”
“Such as?”
“An occupation that makes you feel alive, an adventure in the barbarian lands?”
“I’m not very fond of barbarians.”
“I’m serious.” He turned away from her, looking out at the dim blue outline of the sea beyond the hills.
“I know.” Her tone was conciliatory and he returned his gaze to her. “What is it you want out of life?”
“To feel certain, to feel as though I belong,” he said without hesitation. It surprised him. He’d never articulated his feelings before, not even to himself.
“You belong on the throne of Estoria, Dev. I know you’ll be an exemplary leader.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I know what sort of man you are.”
“What sort of man is that?”
“A good man. A man of convictions. A man who will fight to his dying breath to prevent himself from being corrupted.”
“You see all that?” he asked, surprised.
“I do. I always have.”
His throat went dry and his heart began beating even more frantically. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
“What?” she asked, meeting his gaze. Her dark eyes were soft, inviting, and he wanted to lose himself in them and never return.
“I see my best friend. I see a strong, dedicated woman who can be a bit headstrong at times.”
She made a face at him. “So says the man who was forced to wear a hideous costume to his mother’s ball, all because he refused to go along with her wishes.”
“Guilty.” He smiled and she smiled back. “When you say these things, well, I can’t help but think they might be possible.”
“Don’t think they are, believe they are.” Nudging her horse so that she sidestepped over to Dev’s steed, Jess reached out and took his hand. He squeezed hers, feeling her warmth. He wanted to hold onto h
er forever.
“Do you want to get out of the castle for a bit tomorrow, with me? We can find a quiet spot and just talk.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“We’ll sneak out, avoid some of the endless pageantry.”
“Yes, please. If I have to listen to another epic poem about the wonders of Moritanian wool, I think I’ll go mad.”
He laughed. “You’re not alone in that.” Squeezing her hand one last time, he reluctantly let it go. “Race you back to the castle?” Without waiting for her response he spurred his steed and sped off over the hills, the wind stinging as it whipped his face.
“Cheater!” Jess cried, and a few seconds later she pulled up alongside him. “And, yet, you’ll still lose!”
With a look of triumph she flew past him, her horse’s hooves kicking up clods of dirt and grass, her long, green cloak snapping. Her hair rippled behind her, and the sound of her victorious laughter made the blood pound in his ears. He wondered if he would ever have the courage to tell her how he felt about her.
Chapter 24
“This is Ellaria Reykstend,” Jess called, her voice ringing through the bailey. She gestured to a sketch of Ellaria the court painter had finished earlier that morning. “It was she who snuck into our castle and abducted Prince Devaran, heir to the throne of Estoria. She did so under my watch. She did so while many of you stood guard. She humiliated all of us, made a mockery of our hard training, our experience.”
Jess scanned her troops, who lowered their eyes, unable to meet her gaze. The same humiliation written on their faces flowed through Jess, and it mixed with the hard, hot blade of her anger. “Ellaria Reykstend is about to make a play for the throne of Moritan and, if she succeeds, she will not stop there. She has set her sights on each of the Five Realms and is determined to conquer them all. She believes it will be as easy as taking Prince Devaran was. She believes our forces are inferior to hers. But she is mistaken. We will teach her just how mistaken she is. We will regain our honor, and we will make her pay the price for her treason.”
Turning, Jess pulled one of her throwing knives from its hidden sheath and whipped it at the sketch of Ellaria. It hit Ellaria between the eyes, and a murmur of surprise passed through her assembled troops. She heard one of them laugh, then they all began to roar, raising their weapons and cheering for their princess.
“You will train harder than you have ever trained in your lives,” Jess shouted, her voice cutting through the cacophony. “This is no epic ballad about heroes. We have one chance at this, and Prince Devaran’s life hangs in the balance. I want you all to remember that with each blow you deal and each drop of blood you spill. If you are here looking for glory, leave now. But if you are here to give your life for your princess, to give your life for Prince Devaran, you are welcome.”
Stalking down the line, Jess glared at each soldier, and each met her ferocious gaze. She returned to the center of the line, her hands clasped behind her back, and she glared at them for a full ten minutes, until their smiles disappeared and the gleam vanished from their eyes, leaving behind pure determination. Only then did she nod. Signaling to her captains, they broke the troops into ranks and the drilling began in earnest. Jess went from group to group challenging and instructing, driving her troops harder than they’d ever been driven before, and driving herself even harder. By the time they were finished, Jess was as sweaty as the rest of them and just as bruised and bloodied. Every muscle in her body ached as she dismissed her troops to their dinners.
“A rousing speech,” a quiet voice said from behind Jess as she watched her exhausted troops file away.
“I don’t care if it was rousing,” Jess said, turning to face Mahlia. “I’m only interested in the bald truth.”
Mahlia gave Jess a respectful nod. “And, yet, you took the bald truth and turned it into a rousing call to arms. I’m impressed.” Jess stared at Mahlia with a stony expression, but Mahlia didn’t look offended. “You are intent in your purpose, that much is clear. You always are. It’s a trait we share. And, since you have been so obliging as to offer me solid proof of your friendship, I am more certain than ever that we can serve one another well.”
Breaking Mahlia’s gaze, Jess rubbed a tired hand over her forehead, wiping away sweat and attempting to corral the loose strands of her hair. “I take it you have spoken with my father and my mother.” She held an arm out and Mahlia led Jess to the gardens.
“Indeed I have. I was most pleased to find that we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“Have you chosen a match, then?” Jess asked.
“Not as yet, no. I understand I am to have the pleasure of being a guest in your Realm, once this business with Ellaria has been settled. I must be honest, I would have preferred to marry before going to war, but I do understand the delicacy of this situation.”
“And the need for discretion?”
“Oh, of course. I do not think this news would please Regent Beland at all. He is ever mindful of his own opportunities, and I’m certain knowing of my match would make any proposal from Ellaria seem all the more enticing. Your father’s eloquent words helped me to see things from a different perspective.”
“I’m sorry you’re disappointed at the wait, but I am glad we’re all in accord,” Jess said, her tone bland.
Mahlia smiled. “I imagine you might have some concerns about my request, but I assure you of my sincerity when I tell you I have no designs on your throne, my dear Jessmyn. I’d have to be a fool to take on both you and your mother. I know words are cheap, but I hope you will take mine at their face value. I care only for my Realm, for ensuring that Toran and his uncle can never get their fingers on it.”
“When you speak like that, I hardly find you any less intimidating than my mother,” Jess replied.
Throwing her head back, Mahlia let out a rich laugh. “This is why I enjoy your company. There are so few who appreciate the subtleties of the mind.”
“I have quite a bit of admiration for them.”
“I believe you do. Now, as delightful as our conversation has been, I’m certain you wish for me to get to the point. Because you have been such a good friend to me, I aim to be a good friend to you as well, and to prove the sincerity of my friendship, I am here to offer you the use of my forty thousand troops.”
Jess had to fight hard to keep from raising an eyebrow. While she hadn’t thought Mahlia defenseless, she’d had no idea Mahlia could raise such an army. “That is most generous of you.”
“That is on the condition that Adar and Nishana can persuade Beland to part with his own troops,” Mahlia said, raising a delicate finger in the air. “You understand, I’m certain, that I can’t agree otherwise. I must first see to the security of my own Realm.”
“Of course. But were I to march without your troops, when the fighting was done and my own troops were rewarded with new lands and titles, it would perhaps be difficult to find you a suitable husband.”
Mahlia’s smile was languid. “Yes, I’ve always understood that the use of my troops is required in order for you to find me a husband. I just hope Beland won’t stand in the way of an arrangement that would be of such benefit to us both.”
“I thank you for this show of friendship,” Jess said. She turned, steering them back toward the manor. She was tired and sore, and the last thing she felt like doing was engaging in this verbal dance with Mahlia. No doubt Mahlia suspected as much and that was why she had chosen to speak to Jess when she had. But Jess wasn’t about to let down her guard. No matter how much she sympathized with Mahlia, she had a healthy appreciation for Mahlia’s wiles and would take care to be circumspect in what she shared with Mahlia.
“Princess Jessmyn,” Tanvir called, hurrying up the central path toward them. “Your lady mother has been looking for you.” As Jess’s gaze met his she sent him a silent thanks, and he inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Your Majesty, might I escort you back to the manor in Jess’s stead?”
; “I would be honored,” Mahlia said, her voice a smooth purr. She rested her hand in the crook of Tanvir’s elbow, and he maintained a passive expression, despite that Mahlia was looking at him as if she were a cat and he a bird for the devouring. “I look forward to seeing you at dinner, dear Jess.”
Though reluctant to leave Tanvir at Mahlia’s mercy, Jess was anxious to know what her mother had to say, and the look Tanvir sent her eased her guilt. He picked up his pace a little, sweeping Mahlia along the path and away from Jess.
Jess found her mother and father waiting for her in her chambers. “There you are!” Farah said, the tension in her face easing.
“I’ve already heard,” Jess said.
“How?” her father asked, looking worried.
“I had the news from Mahlia herself. She must have left your negotiations and gone straight to the bailey, as she was waiting for me when I finished with the training.”
“She’s canny, that one,” Farah said, the corners of her mouth turning down. “We can’t afford to underestimate her.”
“She insists that she wants to be friends, and she even went so far as to assure me she has no designs on the throne of Lyrane.”
“She’d be a fool if she did.” Farah’s voice was like ice, and Jess smiled.
“Don’t worry, Mama. She told me she has no desire to take either of us on.”
“Clever woman.”
“We’ll need to keep an eye on her,” Omar said, rubbing his chin, his eyes wary.
“If only Medhan weren’t tied up in Moritan,” Farah said. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I’ve never liked this sort of intrigue.”
“Nor I, but it’s a small price to pay to ensure Dev’s safe return,” Omar said, looking at his daughter.
Jess’s hands balled into fists as a wave of ferocity rushed through her. “I’d pay any price to get Dev back.”
“Have a care, my Jess,” Omar said, going to his daughter and taking her hands in his, his concern clear in his gaze. “Ellaria knows that, which is precisely why she took Dev.”
“Ellaria will find out soon enough that taking Dev was a fatal mistake,” Jess spat.
[Fairytale 02] - Asleep (2013) Page 14