“I’m sorry you feel that way. I know better. I know that Annabelle will do whatever she needs to do no matter how hard it is for her. She has steel running through her blood.”
“She is of Roland’s blood. The similarity in appearance is undeniable. She has his eyes. He has seen it, and he embraces it. He gives a different part of himself to Annabelle. He truly does care for her. In that little blackened shriveled heart of his—thrums a love for his child. I am quite sure that he will be more than wrathful with Queen Zara. She stole the ultimate treasure from him—and he won’t forgive that injustice easily.”
“I will still hold onto the fact that Annabelle will come through for us. You have to believe in that as well, Daniel. She could have walked away from you. She could have let her father kill you—and yet, she didn’t.”
“I will let you suspend your belief for the moment, Malachi. You deserve that much—I just don’t want you to get a broken heart when she doesn’t turn on her father—you believe she won’t turn on you—and I do believe she won’t as well—but if she won’t turn on you—what makes you think she will turn on Roland?”
Malachi nodded his head. “I’ll take that into consideration, Daniel. You just might be onto something.”
A shimmering light engulfed the air. Gabriel and his mirror emerged into the room.
“Sorry for interrupting the family reunion, though I must say, I am quite put out that I wasn’t invited—anyway, I came here on a mission. The queen wishes to speak to you, Malachi. She also wishes to give her regards to Daniel.”
“The queen? You mean she’s finally contacting you through her mirror?” Malachi asked.
“Indeed. I was wondering when she would—she is quite the mysterious one.” Gabriel puffed out his chest. “She’s waiting until you are ready to receive her.”
“Well, I’m not one to keep my queen waiting. Go ahead, put her on the glass.”
Mists swirled within the mirror, and then they cleared to reveal Queen Zara. He drew his breath in sharply. She did bear a striking resemblance to Annabelle. Except, her eyes were brown.
“Where is my daughter, I wish to speak with her.” Queen Zara looked like she was sitting in her tent, probably drawing up the plans for the final battle.
“She is not with me at the moment,” Malachi said.
“I have been brought word that she aligned with you…through your mother, actually. I am so saddened to see her in her spiritual form. She should have had a long glorious life.”
Pain coiled around his heart. If it had not been for the Queen, she still would be alive—although he wasn’t going to point that out to Zara.
“Annabelle will not be returning to me for quite some time.”
Zara’s brow furrowed. She leaned forward. Anger lined her face. “What’s this? She should be with you…you are her husband…she should be with you…she should be where she can see me. Where did you put her?”
Malachi groaned low enough so she wouldn’t hear him. Why did she automatically assign him blame? He shook his head. “Your daughter is with her father.”
“Impossible!” Zara’s voice rose to a fevered pitch.
“It is where she decided to go.”
“No.” Zara sank down on the chair behind her. “I can’t—no.”
“I’m sorry, but she is with Roland. She is hoping to find some way to stop him.”
“She can’t stop him. If I can’t stop him—however will she? She isn’t trained in the ways of magic. You have sent her like a lamb to its slaughter. You will be punished for this, Lord Markham.” He winced again. She had turned into a far different woman—losing did not agree with her.
“I don’t think you could punish me anymore than you already have. You are the one that gave up Annabelle. You are the one that started this war between Thaliana and Roland.”
“The war started when Roland decided to clip my wings. He confined me—he imprisoned me.”
“And yet, for many years you bore that injustice. For many years, you stayed with him—because you couldn’t contemplate life without him. And, then, when you knew he had found out about Annabelle, when you knew he would start looking for her—you started the war. You rebelled against him. It took you too many years to start the war—now, I doubt you’ll be able to stop the events you’ve put into motion.”
She gasped. “Your impudence is unbecoming.”
“Impudence? I’m merely stating facts as they are. I’m not certain that you gave up Annabelle to keep her safe from Roland—or if you gave her up to punish Roland.”
Fury lined her brow. Malachi was accomplishing what he’d set out to do. He was pissing her off. Royally. She wasn’t as soft or maternal as he’d hoped she’d be. Compared to his mother, she seemed indifferent. He wondered if she’d even wanted children.
“You will pay once the war is over, Markham. I will strip you of your lands.” He smiled. There it was. He knew she’d always lusted over the Hawthorne land, and now he had the proof straight from the horse’s mouth.
Daniel gasped. He shot upright in bed.
Malachi didn’t know who was better, she, or Roland.
“I called upon you not to speak to you, but to speak to Annabelle. She will not listen to me now that she’s met Roland. You have had a hand in turning her against me, Markham.” Rage continued to fill her face. He shivered.
“The way I see it, you should be thankful that your daughter is putting herself on the line for you,” Malachi remarked.
“Is she?” Zara raised her eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be so certain of that. Why would she want to even associate with me? I gave her up if you recall. And, once she meets Roland and sees how charming he can be, she will not believe that I gave her up for her own good. I must not speak to you any longer though…there are more pressing matters for me to attend to. Give my regards to Daniel. At least he knows where his loyalty lies. You, on the other hand, do a great disservice to your family name.” She raised her hand, breaking the connection. The mists swirled in again, when they cleared Gabriel’s angry visage met Malachi.
“I can’t believe she’s actually that shallow. I don’t know if she even cares for Annabelle. How sad,” Gabriel said, sighing.
“Sad is right. And she’s going to be company here soon. She’ll be bringing her entire army with her,” Daniel sighed. “Sometimes, we just can’t cut a break, can we? Now, I’m wondering which side is the right side.”
“Annabelle’s side is the right side. She is the only one not seduced or blinded by power.”
“I agree. I guess we give our fealty to Annabelle,” Daniel said.
“We give our protection to Annabelle. Rest well, brother. You shall need all of your strength for the fight that lays ahead.”
“Malachi?”
“Yes?”
“It is good to be home.”
“It’s good to have you home.”
“We’ll figure out a way to restore your looks, Malachi.”
“Even if we don’t…it won’t matter to me. Appearances aren’t everything—I’ve started to find that out. Annabelle accepts and loves me just as I am. But we do have to find a way to win—and we have to find a way to save Annabelle’s life.”
“Save her life? What are you on about?” Daniel looked as confused as he felt.
“She’s dying, Daniel.”
“She can’t be…”
“She is. Unless Rainbow returns with a cure—I will lose my love.”
“Then, you’ll simply have to bind yourself to her.”
“If she would only let me.”
“Don’t let her. Just do it. There are times, when you must wield a firm hand, Malachi. I know you would never hurt Annabelle or any other woman for that matter—regardless, you must save her life. She might hate you for a while, but time will heal her wounds. Just make sure she has time.”
“If it comes to that…I will.”
“Good to know that you are a dutiful loyal husband.”
“Goodnight, Da
niel.”
“Goodnight.”
*****
Annabelle awoke bathed in sweat. The nightmare still lingered at the back of her mind. Inhaling a shaky breath, she squinted her eyes in the darkness.
“Are you okay, Annabelle?”
Ardal didn’t sound sleepy at all. Had he even gone to sleep?
She pulled the sheet up around her chest. Shivering, she readied her reply. “Aye. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”
“Care to talk about it?” Ardal asked.
She mulled his question over. The thing of it was, she couldn’t really remember the nightmare, and she just had the horrible feelings as a reminder that it had been terrible.
“I don’t recall much.”
“That is a blessing. Alas, you were screaming in your sleep. I will have to take my leave, if your father has heard you. Don’t worry, I won’t be far.”
“He won’t come to my aid,” she’d said the last word, when someone banged against the door.
“You were saying?” In a sheen of light, he was gone. She felt abandoned…and a little wary.
“Who is it?” she called out, wincing when her voice cracked.
“Your father.”
She huddled back down beneath the covers. Heaving a great sigh, she fortified herself.
“Come in, then,” she relented.
The door creaked open. Roland stood, hesitating in the doorway. “Are you all right? I heard your screams…”
“I am fine. Thank you for your concern. I just had a night terror.”
“Indeed, you did. The very castle shook with the resulting backlash of your magic. You must hone your craft…or else you will end up blowing us all to kingdom come.” Roland gave out a rueful laugh. She smiled.
“That would be most unfortunate.”
“Indeed, it would. Do not worry, I saved some of the priceless antiques from shattering into a million pieces.” She couldn’t believe that she had done that much damage, but it explained why Ardal sounded so concerned for her.
“I assure you, I will try to keep it from happening in the future.”
“That eases my mind.”
“Of course it does.” She reached for her spectacles. He lit one of the candles in the room with his magic.
“I wish I knew how to do that.”
“Mastering the flame is a simple task. I shall teach you at the earliest opportunity.”
“I look forward to it.”
“You still look exhausted. I should leave you to sleep more.”
“Thank you.” Her voice shook. She winced, as he retreated back into the room.
“On second thought, why don’t I stay with you until you fall back asleep?”
“I’m not at an age where I need to hear a bedtime story…I’m quite past the age of innocence.”
“I know. I just don’t want to leave you while you still feel afraid.”
Annabelle looked down at her hands. She couldn’t very well tell him that she was the source of her fears.
“The spectacles you wear…I feel magic clinging to them. Magic that is not your own.”
She closed her eyes. Great. That’s just what she needed. He had figured out something he never should have known about.
“They—I found them at Markham’s castle. I was floundering around in a sea of darkness…I could not even see him coming—which wasn’t a very good thing for me.”
He nodded his head in understanding. “How blind are you?”
“I never told you I had blinded myself when my magic potion backfired on me.”
“You didn’t need to tell me. You wear those spectacles as if your very life depends upon them. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that you have become almost codependent on them.”
She sighed. “I’m nearly blind. In the beginning, my vision wasn’t affected much, but I’ve gone through a rapid decline in the last few months. My strength is also failing me. I will not survive past the month. I can feel it.”
“To hell, you won’t. I will find a way to prolong your life—I want you to live far past my natural lifespan. I’ve done some truly horrific things in my life, Annabelle—but I can’t stand the thought of you dying before we have even begun to know each other.”
Pain bore into her heart again. Why did he have to sound so devoted to her? She knew he had done some terrible things that he had to pay for—and yet…
“Sometimes, I wish I could turn back time. Alas, that is magic I haven’t mastered. If I could, I would go back to your infancy, and I would make things right.”
Annabelle looked up at him. If he could do that…she might never have known Malachi.
“Do not regret the past. We have to live for the future.” And, if she had her way, he wouldn’t have one.
“Indeed. I have reevaluated my treatment of my prisoners. You have enlightened me. Since Blackburn’s betrayal and Katrina’s cruelty against you, I have set some things right that should have been set right long ago. I allowed Blackburn to take too much power—I was wrong in doing that. I am sorry. You are right, the Hawthornes have been granted amnesty. They will be allowed to go free come the morning.”
Her heart stopped, and she held her breath. There was a however coming—she could feel it in her bones.
“However…” He gave her a hard knowing look. Her blood chilled. “I won’t let you go. If you want them to be released with their lives untarnished by loveless marriages, then you will give me a legally binding contract swearing that you will never forsake me.”
“Never what?”
“Forsake me. You heard me the first time. Your sight might be bad…but your hearing is not.” His succinct voice made her stomach churn with butterflies. “And if Malachi wishes to be with you—he will give me his allegiance, or he will never see you again.”
“Malachi hates me.”
“Do not lie to me any longer, Annabelle.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You have been lying to me from the get go. I have only ignored your lies, because I crave your love. Call me crazy…or call me a normal man when it comes to my children…but I want your love…and I hope in return you will accept mine. I may have done monstrous things in my past, but I will not hurt you. I would never hurt you. You must believe that.”
“I don’t know what to believe.”
“I’m sorry you are like that. I am a bastard—and I do lie—you are my child—only a truly despicable man could ever hurt their child. I am glad to say that I can’t stoop that low. I was angry when you started to lie to me—but my anger was overpowered by my love. A deep love that has even surprised me.”
She looked away from him. “Is that the real reason why you are releasing the Hawthornes?”
“In part, yes. The real reason is the reason you gave me. They did try to fight Katrina…they did try to help you even though they had no reason to save for the fact that you are married to Markham.”
“Then, where do we go from here?”
“We continue onward. I will still have my victory against Thaliana. Mark my words, Annabelle, it is for the best.”
“No, no it isn’t. You will exact your tyrannical rule over Thaliana…you will enslave the non-magic kind—and you will destroy Malachi.”
“I do sound like a beast when my failures come out of your mouth. I find I don’t like hearing about myself one bit.” Roland actually looked disturbed. “I will try to improve my shortcomings…I promise I will. I will try.”
“I won’t hold my breath. I don’t think you can ever change your ways. Mother couldn’t change you—how could I ever change you?”
“Your mother couldn’t change me, because she liked me just the way I am.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It is true. Your mother saw my positive qualities. The only time, she really gave me any sort of a fight was when I found out about you—and I told her that I wanted you in my life. She didn’t want that to happen.”
“So she started a war with you. Do you honestly think I will fall fo
r that malarkey?”
“It isn’t malarkey. I am sorry to say that…but I am speaking the truth to you. She never did embrace the thought of having children. When her sister died without producing any offspring…”
“Wait a minute…she had a sister?”
“Aye. She had a twin. Twins are uncommonly common here in Thaliana, aren’t they?”
“A twin? She had a twin.”
“An identical one…aye. Her twin always seemed to envy what she had…and in turn, she coveted what her twin wanted. I wasn’t supposed to marry Zara…my parents hoped I would marry her twin…I think they must have suspected Zara’s nature would end up conflicting with my own.”
“They were right.”
“My parents always were,” he laughed. “They suspected I would find my ruination at the hands of a woman.”
“Your ruination? You are the one winning.”
“Am I? Do you think so? You could finish me off. You could. I don’t have the heart to hurt you—you, on the other hand, could plunge a dagger through my heart…and I wouldn’t even fight back.” She remained silent. He looked at the clock. “I must go. I will need a bit of sleep in order to start the travel tomorrow. I trust you will be well enough.”
“Travel?” Annabelle asked.
“Of course. I’m headed for Malachi’s lands. He can either choose to fight with me and meet his doom—or he can give me his allegiance, as he should, since he is married to you. If he gives me his fealty, I will leave his lands untouched. He may rule over them as he sees fit, and when I am gone…you will become Queen of Thaliana.”
“I don’t want to be a queen,” she argued, sighing horrifically at the thought.
“Good. I never wanted to be a king.” He stood up, leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “I pray your slumber is peaceful. Bless you, my child.”
Annabelle shivered at the wealth of love in his voice. She was so conflicted.
She didn’t even turn her head at the sound of Ardal popping back in the room.
“I trust you were monitoring the entire exchange between my father and me?”
“Aye. I was.”
“And what do you think?”
“I think you either the luckiest woman in Thaliana…or you are the unluckiest. I will give you my decision once I’m able to get some sleep. Sleep well, Annabelle.”
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