Frozen Reign

by Kathryn Purdie

Anton cleared his throat and adjusted his position in his seat. “Thank you for bringing those up, sire. That is, in part, why I have come, though my vision is much larger in scope and can benefit you, as well. If Riaznin and Estengarde were to form an alliance—”

  “No, no!” King Léopold grumbled. “I am in no mood to discuss politics tonight.”

  “I understand, Your Majesty, but we are in haste. The wars—”

  “—are not Estengarde’s wars, my dauphin.”

  “The Bayacs can’t protect your kingdom forever,” Anton said as delicately as possible. “We can lend you aid, too, when your time of need comes.”

  “Enough!” The king slammed his hand on the table.

  I flinched along with Delphine. She recovered quickly and laid a hand on Léopold’s arm. “You must forgive my uncle,” she said to Anton, giving him a peace offering of a smile. “He won’t be himself until my ball is over.”

  The king’s expression softened at her touch. “Lavishing you with attention is no small feat, ma chère.”

  “You are too good to me.” Delphine patted his arm. How cleverly she doused his anger.

  King Léopold stretched out his arms, pushing his cuffs back a little, as the first course of the meal was presented: fresh oysters and bread stuffed with a pâté of layered meat and cheese. Genevie unclasped her hands and settled back in her chair, which told me the food must have already improved the king’s mood.

  “Is there a special occasion for this ball, aside from Delphine’s return?” Anton asked, laboring to make simple conversation since politics were off the table for now. “Did you finally move away to the sea?” He looked to Delphine. “You often wished to reside there.”

  “She has been away at university in Chauvigné,” the king replied. “Apparently, the royal tutors in Alaise are not good enough for her.”

  Delphine let the jibe pass with a little slap on her uncle’s hand. “The occasion is my birthday,” she answered Anton. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten the day. You made my fifteenth quite memorable.” My toes curled in my shoes, watching Delphine’s sea-blue eyes, the same shade as the king’s, linger on Anton as she took a demure sip of wine.

  I couldn’t see Anton’s face—he was sitting with his back to me—but the tips of his ears flamed red. A nervous chuckle bubbled from his throat, and he took a long drink. “So you must be eighteen, then, in what, two days?”

  He remembers her birthday.

  He remembers the kiss.

  Before I could dwell on it another moment, Floquart de Bonpré strolled into the king’s private dining room with the ease of a frequent guest.

  Ice shot up my spine. Genevie went rigid, and her face leeched of color. Floquart spared her a quick glance, then, with a perfunctory bow to King Léopold, rounded the table and took a chair beside Delphine, even though there wasn’t another place setting for him. Delphine’s shoulders tensed, and she shifted slightly away.

  “What have I missed?” Floquart said, beckoning a servant with a flick of his fingers. Within seconds, a goblet of white wine was pressed in his hand. “Has another Ozerov proposed an alliance to Riaznin?”

  “The dauphin tried,” King Léopold mumbled, his lips wet from slurping an oyster.

  “Really, Uncle, you must not put off everything.” Delphine pierced a bite of stuffed bread onto her fork. “Some matters are more important than my birthday.”

  “Such as the execution,” Floquart piped in. “I still say we should not delay.” The king groaned and threw his napkin on the table.

  “What execution?” Delphine looked between them. “Whose?”

  “Why, the rebellious Auraseers, of course. All fifteen of them.” Floquart swirled the wine in his goblet, his eyes sliding toward me. He didn’t notice Genevie’s reaction in the far corner of the room behind him. She’d moved to the edge of her chair and gripped the seat with her hands. “Surely you’ve heard how some have been trying to escape while you were away at university, dearest Delphine.”

  His goddaughter’s chest fell, and she set down her fork. “Must they really be executed?” She turned imploring eyes on the king.

  Floquart scoffed, staring askance at her. “Of course they must be executed. What else do you think will prevent every other Auraseer in Alaise from thinking they can also flee their masters?” He shook his head. “Honestly, what have you learned all this time you were away? Am I sponsoring your education for nothing?”

  Delphine’s nostrils flared. Her gaze was riveted to her plate. “I never asked you to sponsor it.”

  “Auraseers are property.” Floquart tapped his jeweled finger on the table to drive in his point. “A slave class in Estengarde. When the bottom of society suddenly believes it doesn’t have to answer to the upper classes, the scales of our social structure—which have held Estengarde in balance for centuries—are thrown into disarray.” His voice started rising. “If an example isn’t made of these Auraseers, we will soon have a much larger problem on our hands. Other people in the lower classes will start demanding more esteem that they have done nothing to merit, not to mention a decrease in taxes.” His heated words bounced off the walls. “We have only to look across our borders to Riaznin to see the disastrous experiment of ‘equality among all people.’”

  The room went quiet. Servants hovered at the door with silver platters, unsure whether or not to present the second course. Delphine held her neck stiff, refusing to look at Floquart. Anton hadn’t taken a bite of his food, and his knife and fork were clenched tight in each hand. Across from me, Genevie sat hunched, slightly rocking. Even King Léopold had the decency to look taken aback by Floquart for offending his guest. As for me, I was ready to grab a serving knife and flay Floquart like a fish.

  Anton finally broke the silence. “I must say, I agree with King Léopold, Monsieur de Bonpré; I’m in no mood to discuss politics tonight.” He laid down his cutlery. “Would you please excuse me, Your Majesty? After my long journey, I am more weary than hungry.”

  “Yes, of course, my dauphin.” The king waved him off, his good humor having returned. “We’ll discuss the friendship between Estengarde and Riaznin the day after Delphine’s ball.”

  “Thank you, sire.” He scooted his chair back, then hesitated, his jaw working as he labored to keep his temper in check. “Until then, might I also request that you share any intelligence you receive regarding the wars in Riaznin? I have scouts, but they aren’t free to cross your borders to bring me any news.”

  “Yes, yes.” King Léopold gave him another shooing motion. “Though I doubt you will find any such correspondence comforting.”

  Anton stood and offered a clipped bow.

  Anxious to leave, I rose with him. But when Genevie did the same, she swayed on her feet and almost stumbled into a tall vase before she managed to right herself. Too late, I noticed her hair was tucked behind both ears.

  I inwardly cursed myself and hurried around the table. Sliding my arm under hers, I scrambled to make an excuse. “We’re all overtired, I’m afraid.”

  Anton rushed to help me and took Genevie’s other elbow. She buried her head in my shoulder. As we led her to the exit, Floquart’s gaze narrowed, regarding her intently. “The day after the ball is also the perfect day for the execution,” he remarked. Genevie’s knees gave out. Anton and I held her steady. “You wouldn’t want your subjects to think entertainment is more important than the order of this kingdom.” He glanced at the king, crossing one leg over the other. “Shall we set the date, then, Your Majesty?”

  King Léopold grumbled and spooned up the soup he had just been served. “Very well, Floquart, so long as you promise to stop badgering me.”

  “You have my word, sire.” Floquart raised his goblet to his lips. As he swallowed, he met my eyes, taking no pains to wipe the smug grin off his mouth. “Three days and our rebellious Auraseers hang.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “YOU SHOULD BE RESTING,” I WHISPERED TO GENEVIE. IT WAS after midnight. O
ur backs glided along the shadowy wall as we crept down the open corridor on the second level of the castle keep. The light of the waning moon spilled past the colonnade of arches that faced the grand courtyard, its beams almost reaching us. “If you drew me a map, I could find Madame Perle’s room myself.”

  “This castle has eighty-five staircases, Sonya. It is not so simple to sketch. Besides, we promised not to separate.”

  I hadn’t forgotten, but I hated to tax Genevie any further. Her eyes were puffy from the tears she’d shed after we left the king’s dinner. Being in the same room as Floquart had been difficult enough without learning her Auraseer friends were scheduled to be executed. I pressed a hand to my churning stomach. If I had my power, I could free them. Please, Feya, let Madame Perle be able to help me. “I only need to know the staircase that leads to the secret passageway.”

  “The stairs are the secret passageway. And you must navigate many to keep your movements hidden. No more than half are in use at any given time, depending on what is happening in the castle.”

  “We can’t bribe the guards to let us visit Madame Perle during the day?”

  “They would not dare to cross the king, not with so many Auraseers trying to escape. Madame Perle is His Majesty’s precious commodity. Her talents are afforded only to him.”

  We froze as two servants crossed the courtyard below. Once they left the grounds, Genevie peered around an archway column.

  She gasped and ducked back.

  “What is it?” As far as I could see, the grounds below were vacant. But then Floquart walked out from an inner chamber across the castle keep.

  He strolled from one end of the open corridor to the other, his hand gliding along the balustrades between archways as he scanned the keep in all directions. I clenched my jaw. I loathed him more than ever after watching Genevie suffer tonight.

  She trembled beside me, pressed with her back against the shadowed wall, and wrapped her cloak tighter across her shoulders.

  At last, Floquart entered another room.

  Genevie released a heavy exhale and dug her hands in her hair. “I cannot let him affect me like this. But what if he knows I am here? What if he is searching for me?” Her words tumbled from her mouth. “In the dining room, his emotions were suspicious. He will discover who I am if I keep acting like a coward.”

  “You’re not a coward. Returning to this castle, where you knew he would be, took exceeding bravery.”

  “I did not think it would be so difficult. But his aura, Sonya . . .” A tiny whimper escaped her. “Feeling it brings back all the torment.”

  I rubbed her arm. “He will never hold power over you again, I swear it.”

  “How am I going to help my friends when I am so paralyzed by fear? I thought we would only have to escort them out of Alaise, not free them from prison.” Her voice cracked. “They are going to die if I fail them.”

  I hugged her, trying to offer comfort, but I found myself also leaning on her for support. I couldn’t fail, either. I shuddered, remembering the mottled and slack faces of the hung Auraseers in the forest, and my gut lurched with guilt and horror. “You’re not alone in this. Somehow we’re going to free them, and right now our best chance of doing that begins with finding Madame Perle. If I can regain my power, this will be simple.”

  I pulled away and forced a reassuring smile, but my knees quavered. Terrible memories assaulted me and paraded my mistakes: an innocent girl badly injured when I’d tried to break up a fight, Terezia Dyomin slitting her own throat with a crystal dagger, Valko breaking past my hold to shoot me during the convent battle.

  “Come on.” I sucked in a steeling breath. I had to take this chance no matter the danger. Riaznin needed me, too. Dasha did. I was useless to help unless I walked away from Alaise whole again. “Let’s hurry while the grounds are clear.”

  We darted from the castle keep to the adjoining castle proper—a large cluster of towers and wings at the head of the courtyard, which, according to Genevie, included the royal theater, several drawing rooms, the grand hall, and a massive ballroom, as well as the king’s apartments and Madame Perle’s chambers. The architect who had built this castle must have been a touch mad, for in addition to the eighty-five staircases Genevie had spoken of, I spied countless pinnacles, turrets, belfries, chimneys, and serpentine balustrades. Genevie said newer servants were always getting lost in the mazelike corridors of the castle proper, nothing like the orderly structure of the castle keep surrounding the courtyard.

  We snuck through several towers, zigzagging hallways, and winding staircases. Our progress didn’t make any sense, except that we slowly converged toward the center tower.

  “Please tell me we’re getting close,” I panted when we arrived on a rooftop. My legs quaked, and my lungs were on fire.

  She motioned me over to crouch beside her. “We are here.”

  Together, we peered over a ledge to a balcony below. Genevie cast down a rope ladder already attached to the roof. “Madame Perle is a friend to all Auraseers,” she explained. “This is how we enter.”

  She climbed down first, and I followed. Glancing around us one last time to make sure no one was watching—Genevie’s awareness only stretched so far—she stepped up to Madame Perle’s closed balcony door. “Ready?”

  I nodded and swallowed my thundering heartbeat. My palms ached with anticipation.

  She rapped seven times on the door, the first three knocks loud and rapid-fire, the last four intermittent and soft. A code, I realized, though no one answered it.

  “Maybe she’s sleeping,” I mused.

  Genevie frowned. “Madame Perle always wakes when she senses another Auraseer. Nighttime is our only chance to visit.”

  “Do you feel her in there?”

  Her teeth tugged on her lower lip. “I am not sure.”

  She knocked one more time, then tried the handle. The door wasn’t fully shut, so the lock didn’t hold. With a creak that sounded cacophonous in the otherwise thick silence, the door swung open. I expected moonlight to shaft inside and illuminate the darkened quarters, but they were already lit by a circle of gold, shining brightest around a radiating candle. It perched on a table painted with creeping vines and pastel flowers.

  In the dark recesses of the room, a beautiful bed with a brocade canopy caught my eye. But Madame Perle wasn’t in the bed. I pivoted, searching for her.

  She was nowhere to be seen.

  Genevie clutched my hand with icy fingers. “We are not alone,” she whispered.

  My heart stuttered. “Madame Perle?”

  “Someone else.”

  Dread coiled my nerves. Catching up the hem of my dress, I unsheathed my dagger. Genevie and I had swapped weapons earlier.

  “Careful, Sonya. We don’t know who—”

  Something rattled near a tall wardrobe. I whirled and swiped at the air.

  “S’il te plaît, arrête! Je suis Delphine Valois.”

  My blade hand froze. “Delphine?”

  She slowly stepped out from the shadows, walked into the ring of candlelight, and lowered the hood of her cloak. “Forgive me for hiding, but I didn’t know whom you were—entering from the balcony, no less.” She stared down the end of my dagger, her gaze gradually rising to me.

  I released the breath I’d been holding and sheathed my weapon. “Please excuse me, but, as an Auraseer, I don’t feel safe in this castle.” I rolled back my shoulders and strived to compose myself. “We were looking for Madame Perle. She’s a friend to Ge . . .” I pressed my lips together. “To Trinette.”

  Delphine nodded and sadly glanced around the room. “She’s a friend to me, too. I’d also hoped to find her here. But I fear the worst has happened.” She clucked her tongue. “What is my uncle thinking? He relies on Madame Perle.”

  “You believe she’s imprisoned with the others?” Panic scorched my nerves.

  “It must be the only explanation. I’ve never known Madame Perle to leave this tower.”

  Ge
nevie dropped into a chair, her hand covering her mouth.

  I couldn’t move for several moments. “No . . . Madame Perle can’t be imprisoned.” The imprisoned Auraseers were scheduled to die. How can I help them now? “We need her.” When Delphine frowned, I hastily added, “All the Auraseers do. She’s been a friend when friends are hard to come by, especially for us.”

  “Yes.” Delphine sighed. “She has been the same to me.”

  I found myself mirroring Genevie’s narrowed gaze on the king’s niece. What did a royal know of scarce friendships? Delphine wasn’t like Anton or Valko, who had been raised away from palace life and children their own age.

  She lifted her chin against our accusatory stares. “I do not pretend to understand the hardships you have faced, but I have my own. Because of the great esteem I hold with the king, others try to use me for it.” She glanced down, fidgeting with the rings on her fingers. “True friends—those who don’t want something in return—have been precious and rare.”

  I checked for Genevie’s reaction. She must have observed Delphine during her years in the castle. She would know if her story was fabricated to gain our pity. At the very least, she’d be able to sense Delphine’s sincerity. After a long moment, Genevie finally offered her a nod of empathy, though she didn’t speak a word. Her Esten accent would have surfaced otherwise.

  I took a measured breath and a tentative step toward Delphine. Hopefulness sheared through my despair. “Will you help us?” I asked. “If you spoke to King Léopold—”

  She recoiled and walked outside the glowing ring. “You’re just like the others who believe I can lower taxes or grant titles or improve trade routes just by one whisper to the king.” With a humorless laugh, she added, “All I can persuade my uncle to do is buy me a new wardrobe each season. He doesn’t even pay for my education because it takes me away from him.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, trying to be sensitive and patient, though my heart pounded with urgency. In only three days the Auraseers would be executed if we didn’t intervene. “I’m not trying to take advantage of your position. I understand what it’s like to have a measure of power, and then have others try to use you for it.” Valko and Feliks blazed to mind. “But won’t you consider at least trying to persuade your uncle, especially if it could save the life of your friend?”