“No…” he trailed off. His anger vanished. “Never mind. You take my breath away, Annabelle. You are so beautiful.”
“It’s good to finally be able to see again, albeit if it’s only for a short amount of time.”
“Yes. Shall we go down to the Dining Hall?” He extended her arm for her to take. She hesitated. “Thank you.” She placed her hand in his. He took it and hooked her arm through his.
“The wardrobe did a very good job in conjuring up a dress to fit your every curve. You look stunning, Annabelle.”
She wondered why he couldn’t stop complimenting her on her beauty. He seemed ill at ease, almost tongue-tied. But then, he was probably having his fair share of regrets. How could he possibly have wanted to marry someone from her class structure when he probably could have had any nobly born woman in Thaliana.
“Thank you.” Again, she kept thanking him, while he kept complimenting her, if they didn’t stop soon, they’d be stuck in a vicious circle, of which, neither of them could break.
“I’m famished. I’m actually looking forward to the meal. Your healing potion did wonders for my constitution.”
“You are welcome.”
*****
Malachi wanted to rip the spectacles she wore off her face. But if he did that, she’d be more wary of him then she already was. Why had she found them?
Of all of the magical items in the room for her to get interested in, she had to find his mother’s spectacles. If she knew that they only made the wearer see the true essence of a person, then she wouldn’t be so comfortable when wearing them.
It galled him to know that she was seeing him as he used to look. If she knew what he looked like now—she would be as repulsed as the ladies in the queen’s personal guard had been. He pulled her close to him before they walked down the steps. He fought the overwhelming urge to take the spectacles off her face. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. She leaned into his kiss, and closed her eyes.
“Ahem.” He pulled away from her and looked down to the entryway below. “Dinner is served, my lord.”
“Thank you, Ardal.”
“Was that an ancient Thalin Elf?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “They usually hide in their own realm, but Ardal’s family has been loyal to my family for generations.”
“So everyone in this castle, is magical?”
“Everyone that remained on when I returned from the war.”
“I’m sorry. I suppose some of your staff just had to return to their families to help them out in these terrible times.”
He remained silent, and started ushering her down the steps. She still didn’t believe him when he told her how gruesome he looked. If only she knew the truth. He could take her spectacles off when she was in the right light to see him, but what would he do if she recoiled from him in horror?
The spells his sister had been able to cast upon him when his guard had been down had disfigured him badly. Her betrayal still stung him to his very core. He wanted to see her suffer one day as much as he had when she’d broken his heart. He had gone to her, thinking Oliver had captured her. Only to find out that she had become his lover, and one of his most loyal followers.
He closed his eyes against the lingering sting of betrayal that he carried with him for the rest of time.
“You look pensive.”
He snorted, and led her to the dining table. “How do you see each other when you have one person sitting at each end? I’ve never seen a dining table so big—it must certainly make two of my cottages lengthwise.”
He smiled despite himself. Her refreshing outlook on life would always be a breath of fresh air for him. She didn’t have a cynical bone in her body, and he relished that part of her.
“I take it you wouldn’t like to dine at the other end of the table, as my staff originally intended.”
“I think not!” She sounded horrified. She stared around her at the gigantic portraits and the crystal chandeliers coupled with the massive amount of Thaliana marble that made the dining hall the thing of beauty that it was. “You shouldn’t call your home a castle—it’s a palace to be sure! I never dreamt that we had such a building of beauty so close to my village.”
“Ah, yes. It’s the castle, or palace as you like to call it, that magic built.”
“Magic? Are you telling me that someone conjured this piece of architectural beauty out of thin air?”
“Not out of thin air, per se. About a thousand years ago, my great-great-grandfather came to Thaliana to find a new life for his family. At that time, Thaliana was a much smaller kingdom—it was unique for our world in that it accepted magic kind and non-magic kind alike. They saw no difference, between the two. Over the years, those ideals have eroded to a certain extent,” he sighed.
“To a certain extent?” She shook her head. “It is sad how much the once great Kingdom of Thaliana has lost its way. But I feel that the queen will reunite her people. She said herself that she sees no difference in rank between a magic marked person and a non-magic marked person.”
“The queen is a woman of greatness. She has high ideals. She is a revolutionary of her day to be sure. She casts a blind eye to the class system we have slowly installed over the centuries. She truly does believe that everyone in her kingdom is on equal standing ground. Alas, the war might change her outlook.”
“How so?” They sat down at the table. He on the end and she on his right. She looked uneasy, almost as if she still wanted to run from him as fast as her tiny feet could carry her.
“I trust you know that most of the magic kind nobles are the ones that are fighting on the front lines? They are the only one skilled enough to cast protective charms, and keep the dark magic from killing our soldiers.”
“I didn’t know that. I thought that any subject of the kingdom could enlist and fight? Why then, are so many of our young men and women conscripted? What point does that serve if they can’t actually fight?”
“They can fight by aiding the nobles. They are essentially...”
“They are less than an apprentice rank. Do they have a rank?”
“They are simply given the title, Second Apprentice.”
“How nice for them. They are treated no better than the serf their magic kind lord thinks they are! This is why I was trying to practice magic. You can’t get anywhere anymore unless you can say you are magic certified. No one wants anyone born without the mark unless they want them as their slave!”
“Slavery is outlawed in Thaliana. You should be grateful that you do not have to live the life that King Roland’s serfs live. Ronderna is a miserable country. They do willingly allow slave trading. You are lucky that with your beauty you didn’t attract a slave hunter. They are vile nasty creatures, endowed with the most-wicked form of black magic.”
“What form is that?”
“They have the ability to totally brainwash a person. They can turn someone like you into a living automaton. They can turn them into lifeless shells, they essentially become willing slaves. They rape them—they do horrible things to them, and in turn they make them do horrible things to others. King Roland must be stopped. It is the only way.” He could hear his voice becoming hoarse. He had witnessed for himself the evilness of Ronderna…and he knew that there were many of King Roland’s subjects that existed in their own living hell.
A pregnant silence engulfed the room. “I see anguish in your eyes.”
He couldn’t believe that the enchanted spectacles allowed her to see that much truth.
“I was there. You must have heard…”
“Yes. I’ve heard that you were the pivotal force responsible for driving King Roland’s armies from our lands. Yes. The tales of your heroism are known far and wide—they also say you returned a broken man. But I see no evidence of that. You just need to recuperate and then you’ll be able to go back to the war.”
“No.” The intensity of his refusal surprised even him.
“But you must. It is your dut
y.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t go back to practicing battle magic again—I can’t.”
“I don’t understand why you are being so heartless about this?” She paused when one of the serving maids popped into the room pushing a trolley filled with fragrantly delicious food.
She waited while the rack of lamb was portioned out, along with the side dishes. “You have no idea what I did…”
“Or what you saw.” She frowned. “Yes. I admit, you probably are in shock, and you look fatigued. But you need to go back—you are the best that the queen has on her side. You said yourself that we can’t lose this war. If we do …if we do, women like me, will be at the mercies of men like King Roland and Oliver Blackthorn. You saw what King Roland did to the queen.”
He winced as he remembered the first sighting he’d had of the queen when they’d stormed the tower. She had been a living ghost. The only thing keeping her tethered to the living world was her fierce determination to see her husband pay for his cruelty to her, and to everyone else in her kingdom. She had healed on the outside, but he knew she would never heal on the inside. He looked at her again, an image of the Queen in her youth entered his mind. Something prickled at the back of his neck. He rubbed it.
“How old are you, Annabelle?”
“Now you think about age? I’m probably far younger than you—I know all too well the long lifespan the magic kind are blessed with.”
“How old are you, Annabelle?” He hated having to pressure her, and yet, he couldn’t help wondering. Her father was a thief, but would he steal a babe in arms?
“I am three and twenty.”
Relief flooded him. “That is a young age. You act far wiser and far more mature than your tender years.”
“Tender years…ah, yes, far too young to be married to a seasoned man like you.”
He laughed. “Not too young, I’d wager, and we’re already married, no use in trying to get away from me now.”
He watched her pick at her food. “Is there something wrong with the taste?”
“No. It’s just I’m finding it hard to digest.”
He heaved a great sigh. “I know you want me to be the hero you want to think I am. I assure you, I am not a hero anymore. I lost myself in King Roland’s Kingdom, and I have to have time to find myself again.
Don’t you understand? But you wouldn’t with those damn spectacles on. I need to find the human again—right now, all I am is beast!”
“You are no beast,” she said.
He sighed once more. “Come with me.” He gripped her hand, and noticed her wince slightly. Slackening his grip, he stood up and started to walk toward the room that housed his magic mirror. Even the spectacles could not hide the truth the mirror would reflect.
“You are walking too fast. I can barely keep up—you are nearly dragging me.”
“I could carry you.”
“I’ll keep up.” Obviously, the thought of being in his arms distressed her terribly. He grimaced.
*****
Annabelle couldn’t understand the sudden shift in his behavior. Melody had been wrong. She had no influence over him—he merely wanted her to serve him, Malachi couldn’t care one bit about her.
The door in front of them unlatched and swung open. He had to keep it locked at all times. He probably didn’t want his staff to accidentally wander in there.
“Please, stop this at once, you are starting to upset me. You just can’t be a veritable angel one minute, and then turn into a raging beast the next!”
“I can’t…well, the truth shall definitely set you free!”
He dragged her in front of a gigantic full-length mirror. It hovered off the ground in mid-air. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Unicorns had been carved on the four corners of the edge that framed the mirror.
“Mirror, show Annabelle my true visage.”
“That would be unwise, Malachi. Your passions are running high, please do not ruin what fate has brought you.”
“Fate turned me into what I am today! Show her, old man!”
“I am not an old man! I will have your respect, boy!”
“Do it! I am the lord and master of this castle, not you!” Malachi roared. She tried to wriggle free of his ironclad grasp. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t get free. Suddenly, she was reminded of how strong and powerful he was, and how small and helpless she was. But if it came to it, she wouldn’t go down without one hell of a bloody fight.
“Stop it! I’d like to go up to my room now. You have obviously been partaking of too much of the spirits tonight.”
“Perhaps you’re right. I have had my damnable fill of spirits!” He was still shouting. The sound of a glass shattering carried to her. His chaotic magic was starting to destroy things.
“Your emotions are starting to cause havoc with your magic.” Her voice had risen to a strained pitch. Her vocal chords felt red raw.
“Lady Markham is right. You do need to calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down, Mirror!” he punched the mirror with his fist. She screamed and turned away expecting to have shards of glass blowing out at her. Instead, she heard a hollow noise, and when she looked at the mirror it was still intact. The white mists still swirled in the mirror. Even though Malachi stood right in front of it, she could not see his reflection.
“Annabelle, might I introduce you to the Hawthorne Enchanted mirror? Many years ago, one of my ancestors was the recipient of a most foul curse. Not as bad as mine, mind you, but still quite horrible. He was cursed to live out his days as the master of this mirror. He will serve the Hawthorne Family until one day his curse is broken. Problem is, there is no prophecy for when that blessed day will arrive.”
“Cease your cruelty, Malachi. This is not the true side of you. You are speaking out of pain. You need to rest.”
“No. I’m perfectly hearty and hale. Nothing could ever harm me physically, unlike you, Annabelle. You are as fragile as crystal, and yet, you have a heart of pure granite.”
She gasped. The Mirror growled. “You stop this at once, boy, if only I had my full powers, I’d make you rue that malicious remark. You forget that you are speaking to your wife!”
“No. I don’t forget it. I merely choose to ignore it because in a few more minutes, she will want to be rid of me for good. She’ll be so frightened of me that she won’t be able to see straight. She’ll never want to share my bed. She’ll never want to allow me near to her. Thus, she will never truly be my wife.”
“We will learn to live with each other,” Annabelle soothed, attempting to placate him.
“Now you are being compassionate for me? Do not waste it on me. I am a monster. Mirror, show her! Now, I command it!”
The mirror shook. Evidently, the mirror couldn’t countermand an order. It had to be a stipulation in the curse.
“Now you have truly destroyed yourself, Malachi,” the Mirror lamented.
Her eyes widened as the white mists in the mirror cleared. When she finally saw Malachi’s reflection, she saw a beast of mythic proportions staring back at her. Her heart stopped. He was still in a human form, and yet his face was mangled and marred. His one eyebrow was burnt off, and he had an air of ferocity about him. He looked and seemed hardened.
“You are a Beast!”
Chapter Seven
Malachi watched that familiar look of dawning horror envelop her face. She pulled her hand out of his. He didn’t fight her withdrawal. He’d asked for this reaction and now he was getting it. Her enchanted spectacles proved to be no match for the truth magic the mirror possessed.
“You are also my husband.” He could tell she struggled to keep her voice level. Fear glimmered in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. Who did this to you? How could this happen to you? You are supposed to be the most powerful wizard on the side of the queen’s forces. If this travesty could befall you, then what is going to happen to us?” This time the strain in her voice caused it to go hoarse.
She clenched both hands at her sides, and kept looking at his reflection in the mirror. “The person responsible for this must be punished!”
“You don’t have to feel sorry for me, Annabelle. I’ve come to terms with my appearance, and the hand the Fates have served me.”
“The Fates have given you a second chance, Malachi.” He tried to ignore the voice of the mirror.
“You can’t idle away your hours in this castle just because you’ve been transformed into something you aren’t. You are still the same person on the inside, and there is no magic in any of the known worlds that could alter that. You only look like a beast. You do still look human. Your face might be marred with scars, but you aren’t furry like a beast from the forest. You are still a good man.”
“That is where you are terribly misinformed. In order to escape my sister’s duplicity, I had to do things that would curl your toes.”
“I doubt it. I’ve heard of some of the horrors of King Roland’s Kingdom straight from your mouth. What could you have possibly done that will shatter my image of you?”
“I killed hundreds of people.”
“No.”
“I did.” He failed to tell her that those hundreds of people were devout followers of King Roland, and that they were preparing to completely obliterate Thaliana. That made no difference now. He could have imprisoned them, instead, he decided in his rage to eliminate them en masse. Horrified by his own actions, he had retreated to Thaliana to live out the end of his days on his ancestral lands.
“I don’t believe you.” Her voice was soft, so faint that had he not possessed such keen hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to hear her.
“It’s true. We are standing in front of the Mirror of Truth, why would I tell you a lie?”
“I can’t stay and listen to you. You’re in a mood, and it’s quite apparent that I can’t influence that mood except to make you even more miserable.” She placed her hand to her temple. “Besides, I think I could do with a good night’s rest.”
“You are afraid of me.”
“No. Now you are putting words in my mouth. I am not afraid of you, I am only cautious of you. I don’t believe you’d hurt me, but there’s no telling what you would do to yourself in this condition.”
Enchanted Beauty Page 5