She turned her head at the sound of a knock on the door. “Come in.”
The door swung open revealing a timid looking maid. She, too, looked like she was an ancient Thalin Elf.
“Lord Malachi told us to bring you up your breakfast. He thought you could have breakfast in bed.” The girl smiled. “My name is Rainbow.”
“Hello Rainbow.”
“We thought you might like some eggs and bacon to start off your day.” Her stomach grumbled with hunger. Ordinarily, she didn’t eat such a rich and filling breakfast.
Actually, the last few months, she normally skipped breakfast except for a very weak cup of tea. Their supplies had been diminished so much—she shook her head. She had to stop dwelling on the events of the past. All would be different now that they had Malachi on their side. She had to ask him if he’d gone down to the village to restore their food supplies.
She got back in bed, and waited while Rainbow settled the tray across her lap. Walking to the window, she opened the drapes. Sunlight spilled into the room, making Annabelle wince. She hadn’t seen a sunny day like this in a very long time. She pushed her glasses up on her nose.
“You look very pale.” Rainbow clucked her tongue, “You need to eat all of that food. Lord Markham was right, you are far too skinny.”
“He told you I was skinny?” Indignation welled inside of her.
“Yes. He also enlisted Ardal and the other servants to help him conjure up food for the village, and the surrounding villages. He said that no one was going to be hungry anymore. He’s on the warpath to see who’s been denying the villages the stores of food we frequently send down to them. My lord already looks like a beast thanks to his sister, he doesn’t need his people thinking he is a beast at heart as well.”
“You are very loyal to him. It is to be commended.”
“My Clan of Elves have always been loyal to the Hawthorne line. Centuries ago, the Hawthornes helped to save our Kingdom.”
“Your kingdom?”
“Yes. We live beyond the Waterfalls of Alana. My father still rules there as king.”
“And you serve Malachi?”
Rainbow frowned. “It was an honour to be chosen as one of Malachi’s personal assistants. We were not supposed to be enlisted as his servants, but when we returned from the war—most of his human servants fled from him in terror. Some even called him horrible names. They do not know how cruel they were. I could have returned to my father…but instead I chose to stay with Malachi. He needed us. When he finally does return to the fight, I will be there. I have even sent missives to my father imploring him to send more troops.”
“And, is he going to?”
Rainbow’s face deepened with sadness. “I haven’t heard back from him, yet.”
“I’m betting you won’t.” Annabelle started to pick at her food. She’d never had much of an appetite in the morning.
“You are the best hope for bringing back Malachi to the world of reason. Right now, he is lost. You must help him to find his way back.”
“Don’t fret, he’s already starting to find his way back. I’m hoping he’ll come round in the next week or so.”
“One week? I think you expect too much from Malachi.”
“How much time do we have, Rainbow? I’ve heard how badly the war is going for our side. If the queen doesn’t have Malachi on her side—she will lose.”
“We lost the battle at Laridonia last night,” Rainbow sighed.
“Isn’t that in the county that borders King Roland’s lands?”
“Yes. Our troops retreated, and we expect King Roland’s armies to invade our lands once again in less than forty-eight hours. Malachi’s parents are quite distressed by this. They say the armies are coming for someone.”
Her stomach fell. She slowed her chewing on her piece of bacon. “They’re coming for me. Why? What could I possibly have that they would want?”
“I don’t know.” Rainbow sat down in the chair next to the bed. “Malachi grew quite worried this morning after his counsel with the magic mirror. I’m sure the magic mirror told him what he needed to know.”
“This magic mirror, why does the man in the mirror resemble Malachi so much?”
“He is his ancestor, I’m sure Malachi or Gabriel would have disclosed that information to you. They are mirror images of each other, save for their colouring. And, from my experience with Lord Gabriel they have the same temperament,” Rainbow sighed. “Sometimes, Malachi can be too stubborn for his own good.”
“I’m beginning to find that out.” She finished the last bit of egg on her plate and lifted the tray aside. “I should dress for this new day.”
“Annabelle?”
“Yes?”
“Are you ready for the challenges that lie ahead of you?”
“I have no idea. I don’t even know what to expect.”
“You can expect receiving another visit tonight,” Rainbow cautioned.
Annabelle went rigid at Rainbow’s statement. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do not lie to me, Annabelle. My magic is quite powerful…I could sense Katrina’s presence last night, and I didn’t have to do much mental searching to figure out where she was coming from.”
“I can’t say anything more.”
“I know she threatened you with hurting Malachi, but you needn’t fear for him. You must believe in him.”
“I hardly know him.”
“Get to know him, then. If you don’t, you will never be able to see the true reflection of his heart. Malachi is a good man. His temper might get away from him at times, and yes, he has quite the superiority complex but other than that…”
“He’s a good man. Yes, I’m beginning to understand that.”
The sound of shouting echoed up to them.
“Who’s that?” She sped toward the door stopping when she realized she was still in her nightwear. “Rainbow, can you do something and help me out so I can go down to see what’s going on?”
“Of course. I am here to assist you.” Rainbow waved her hand, and Annabelle felt a rushing tingle sweep over her body. She looked down at her body. Rainbow had dressed her in a long amethyst coloured tunic with black leggings.
“I thought that would be a more suitable outfit than the gown you wore last night.”
“Thank you.” She opened the door and ran down the steps. Her breath came in rapid gasps.
“You can’t just blink me back to the village, I won’t go! Please! Allow me to speak with Annabelle!”
“You just saw her yesterday. I knew you and Delbert were dependent upon Annabelle for everything, but I thought you would be able to survive more than a night without her.”
“You don’t understand! Delbert has disappeared.” She heard Glynnis scream. “Don’t you take one step closer to me! Gerald do something to him, he needs to be put in his place.”
Gerald? Why had Glynnis enlisted the aid of the village sheriff? Did she have no scruples? Didn’t she know that Malachi both outranked and well, out powered Gerald?
She was running at such a fast clip that she didn’t even notice the castle doors swing open of their own accord, until she’d exited the castle. She skidded to a halt, looking back in wonder at the castle.
“Malachi!” she screamed out, when she saw Gerald hovering in mid-air. “By the Graces, put him down!”
“I don’t think so! He just tried to curse me.”
“Curse you? Well granted, maybe his language became a bit colourful, but I doubt he meant any harm of it.”
“I think he did.”
“Malachi!”
“Annabelle!” he said back. “Listen to me carefully. I can tell you why you and your people were nearly starving…this man was ciphering the food out to fill the stomach of the fighters.”
“I know…our fighters.”
Malachi snorted. “Annabelle, you are so naive sometimes. You think too well of the people around you. You might think Gerald is a good just, trustw
orthy man, but you are mistaken. Gerald here, is a spy for the enemy.”
Annabelle gasped. “You’ve definitely drawn the wrong conclusion.”
“I don’t think so. I’m not in the business of drawing the wrong conclusions.”
Gerald was making some sort of a strangling noise. She looked up in alarm at him.
“Malachi, stop this at once. You are squeezing the life out of him!”
“I’m not the one strangling him.” He looked enraged. “They’re doing it. They don’t want me to discover the information that Gerald is harbouring.”
“No! Can’t you stop them in some way?”
Glynnis looked horror stricken. She started to back away. “It wasn’t supposed to end like this. We were getting paid…” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oops.”
Annabelle pinched herself. She couldn’t believe she wasn’t walking in a dream. Everything was far too surreal for her. Nothing added up. How could everything have gone so insane in such a short amount of time?
“What are you talking about, Glynnis?”
“I—I don’t know what I’m saying. Just ignore me. You know how my mouth can run off at times.”
Glynnis took a step back. “No…you can’t come for me. We had a pact. We made a promise.”
A black shadowy wraith like thing, materialized beside Glynnis. “Kill Gerald…but you can’t take me. I’m of the Hawthorne line.”
“Hawthorne? No. You aren’t. Neither is Annabelle.” The voice that was coming from the dark shadow made her skin crawl. “You are a Hawkins. Your family only took on the name Hawthorne when they were running from the law.”
“Malachi? What’s going on?” Annabelle demanded.
He backed toward her. “I don’t know. I think you should get back to the castle. Your village has many sleeper spies. Roland’s men had a vested interest in your village for some reason, and I think it had something to do with the fact that it was where you lived. There’s a reason why your village was never burned, it was protected because you were there.”
“No. They can’t be coming for me. It’s not true!” Her mind reeled. Why would Roland want her? If they thought they could take her and use her against Malachi, they were really putting too much value on her. Malachi wouldn’t come for her. He wouldn’t even fight alongside the rest of his family because he’d been so affected by Katrina’s betrayal. They hardly knew each other despite the fact that they were married, so she highly doubted he would follow her into the lair of the enemy if she were captured.
“I never said they were coming for you. What’s gotten into you, Annabelle?” She put her hand in his. He squeezed it. She didn’t know what was going on her in her life. What was the matter with Glynnis?
“Why is Glynnis acting so strange?” Annabelle asked, fearing the worst.
“That would be because she was working for Roland and Blackburn.”
“No. Oh, no. Why do my days just keep going from bad to worse?”
“Indeed. She is under his control. Where did she live before she came to you?”
Annabelle remembered her nightmare from the night before.
“She lived in another village. She must have been compromised, then.”
“I doubt it. She has been under a spell for quite some time now. I’m thinking she was brainwashed right around the time you were born.”
“Can you bring her out of it?”
“I don’t know.”
“We have to try.”
“Gerald is a lost cause. He hasn’t been brainwashed. He actually is one of King Roland’s most loyal followers.”
“Then, I think we should take Glynnis back to the castle.”
“Good idea.” He snapped his fingers and popped Glynnis back to the castle.
He gripped her hand tightly. “Can’t you do something for Gerald?” she asked.
“I already told you I couldn’t. Even if I could, I don’t know if I’d want to.” He grimaced. She blinked back her shock at the unrelenting coldness in his voice.
“Take me back to the castle.”
“My sentiments exactly. I don’t want you out in the open. If Roland is targeting you, he will do whatever he needs to do in order to find you.”
“He already knows where I am, if he’s been getting information ferreted back to him by Glynnis. I fear for my father. He was taken by Roland’s men, wasn’t he?”
“In all likelihood, yes.”
“Then, we have to rescue him."
“What if he was working for Roland in exchange for gold coin?”
“My father would never sell me out.”
“How certain are you of that? Furthermore, how certain are you that you are even your father’s daughter?”
Her blood ran cold at his question. “If I’m not, then, who am I?” He pulled her hand up to his mouth and lightly kissed it.
“You are Annabelle Hawthorne. My wife and lady.”
A thrill went up and down her spine. “Take me home.” And this time, she didn’t mean her cottage down in the village.
When they popped into the castle, they were met with a shrieking Glynnis. “Don’t come near me!” She looked in terror at Malachi. “You are an abomination! You will not touch me. I will not have it.”
“I wouldn’t want to touch you with a two foot pole, Glynnis.” His icy tone made her want to shiver.
“You should be careful with what you say to Glynnis. You said so yourself that she was under a spell.”
“Under a spell? Are you insane, Annabelle? I am not under a spell. I am only working for the just side. I am on the side of the victors.”
“You have gone mad, Glynnis. You were taken by King Roland and put under a powerful enchantment.”
“I assure you, I was never taken by King Roland. I went to him willingly.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Well, of course I did. Once I found you, I had no other choice.”
“Found me? You are my cousin.”
“Oh, yes. You had a cousin, named Glynnis Hawthorne. Unfortunately, I had to kill her, in order to assume her form and identity.”
Her mind raced. “I have no idea what you are trying to confess, Glynnis.”
“Not Glynnis. I despise that name. You shall call me Constance from now on. Glynnis didn’t put up much of a fight, when I killed her. It was easy to assume her identity, when your mother finally died. Or at least, the woman posing as your mother.”
“Posing as my mother? What are you going on about?”
“Annabelle, you must cease your conversation with her. If she’s one of Blackburn’s changelings, she needs to go as soon as I can get her out of this castle. If not, he’ll be able to gain admittance, as I willingly invited her into my domain.”
“What’s a changeling?”
“A changeling is what they call Blackburn’s women. Long ago, he enslaved us, and took control of our shape shifting magic. I am his slave. Over the years, however, I have become far more than just a slave. I have become his woman. Katrina believes she is the only one that has been mastered by him. I was one of his first…and I won’t allow her to worm her way into my position. I am returning to my homeland with you as my prize.”
“I am not going anywhere.”
“Yes, you are.” Glynnis or rather Constance started to shift her form. Her pale yellow eyes made Annabelle want to throw up. She had green hair, and her skin was the shade of moss.
“What are you?”
“We are the ones that the Thalin Elves ostracized. They said we were too enthusiastic about casting spells on unwitting humans. I guess we were.”
“I can’t believe my whole life up to this point has been masked in lies. It is so deep that I can no longer tell the truth from the lie.”
“I will not leave this castle without you.” Constance lunged toward her. Annabelle tried to move out of the way, but she couldn’t seem to get her feet to move from their spot.
“Annabelle!” Malachi’s shout pierced her out of the m
ental haze Constance had put her in. She could feel herself being lifted in the air. Then, she heard Constance’s scream of agony. Her features were contorted in pain. Veins bulged in her forehead. Annabelle looked away. She couldn’t stand looking at someone that had been so close to her, all the while conspiring against her. Constance had only acted stupid—Glynnis had never been daft. Had the changeling really been in love with her father? Nothing made any sense. Only Malachi seemed to make sense to her—only he seemed to be her one true thing.
“My master will be most displeased when he hears that you’ve murdered me. I know you’re trying to kill me, and you will probably succeed. You are getting your killing lust back again. Soon, you will be the Scourge of your own people. You will crave the dominance so much, that you will finally see the sense in what Blackburn and King Roland believe in.”
“I will never see any sense in the butchering and brainwashing that King Roland and Blackburn practice. They are the epitome of evil. And, I will not allow them to invade Thaliana. I will not allow them to take our peaceful light filled country and fill it with their darkness.” Malachi shouted.
“You have a noble tongue, but in time, your mind will shift.”
Annabelle could see Constance’s skin growing tight on her frame. Annabelle didn’t know what Malachi was doing to her, but she didn’t think it was going to be pretty. Dry mouthed, she stood up, and slowly backed out of the front entryway. A moment later, she heard the final anguished scream that Constance let out just before Malachi finished her off. It was either Constance or she. She knew that, but it didn’t lessen the horror she felt at seeing someone killed in front of her. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she ran blindly through the castle. She needed sanctuary.
Chapter Eleven
Annabelle ran almost blindly through the castle. She felt as if she was being guided by an invisible hand, and knowing the way that the castle worked, she probably was. She ran into the nearest room. She had to sit down and gather her thoughts and nerves.
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