Frozen Reign

by Kathryn Purdie

  “I did find myself,” I replied, but I was back in the rocking chair with my mother.

  She touched my cheek. Then Sestra Mirna touched my cheek. Their faces kept interchanging. “That is all I wished for, child. I do care for you. I do care for you,” one woman echoed the other. Dust shimmered like embers above them. “I always have. I always have”—their voices blended—“even if you haven’t had the skill to decipher it.”

  With a sharp intake of breath, I bolted upright. Perspiration flashed across my face, neck, and breastbone. Trembling uncontrollably, I glanced around me with wild eyes. My mother was gone. Sestra Mirna, too. An aching hole gaped in my chest.

  I twisted to face Madame Perle. Her cheeks were flushed with exertion, her eyes alert but heavy. “Do it again!” I grasped her arm. “Please, I have to go back.” The image of my mother’s face was already fragile and cracking apart. I couldn’t forget her, despite what she’d made me promise.

  “Your body pulled you out of the trance,” Madame Perle said. “This is all you can handle for one day.”

  My mouth opened and closed. “We don’t have another day.”

  “Look at yourself, grande voyant. Feel yourself. You are in distress.”

  Nausea burned in my stomach. Beads of sweat dripped down the nape of my neck. My head split in pain, and I squinted so I didn’t see double. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing’s changed inside me. My aura, my power . . .” My hand splayed across my chest. “It’s still trapped.”

  Madame Perle turned her palms up. “All I can give you is memories.”

  “Please, I beg you, do it again!”

  She twitched and looked toward the door. “Genevie.”

  I heard nothing for a few seconds, then a creak came from the king’s chamber. Rushing footsteps grew near, and Madame Perle’s door swung open. Genevie braced her hand on the doorframe, her eyes wide with fright. “Sonya, the fire is out! We have to go!”

  I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready. “But the guards still have to walk back.”

  “They’re almost here. I felt them. We must leave at once!”

  My heart thundered against my ribs. I met Madame Perle’s gaze. “Come with us.”

  Her wrinkles set in stiff lines. “I told you, I cannot. I will not.”

  “But the Auraseers will die tomorrow. How can I help them the way I am? I need more time with you.”

  “I have given you enough. Only you can bring your aura out from hiding.”

  “I’ve tried,” I said desperately. “I don’t know how.”

  Genevie grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Madame Perle rose to watch us leave, her expression plaintive but resolute.

  My hopes shattered as we fled her room and the king’s chambers and frantically locked the outer door. “I’m so sorry, Genevie,” I said as we ran down the corridor. I’d failed her and her friends.

  She tugged me behind the same pillar we’d hidden behind earlier and put a finger over her lips. The guards strode past us to resume their post.

  We waited a tense minute, then scrambled away through the castle proper’s maze of towers and staircases. We stumbled against each other, the protruding hips of our dresses bumping. Genevie wasn’t leading us back to the ballroom, but to our bedroom, it seemed. My head throbbed. All my nerves felt raw and exposed. What was I supposed to do with what Madame Perle revealed to me? Memories of my mother and Sestra Mirna couldn’t change the course of the future, only break my heart.

  Genevie and I came to a twenty-yard mezzanine, open on one side to a foyer below. She went rigid beside me, waiting. Perhaps she sensed more guards on patrol. I faintly heard their footsteps echoing up from the foyer, but they were out of sight. We needed to take our chance. Hitching up my skirt, I ran forward.

  “No, Sonya, stop!” Genevie hissed. Terror laced her voice.

  I skidded to a halt on the marble floor and glanced back at her. Her shaking hand rose to her hair. Fumbled to grip it. Tucked a lock behind her ear.

  Dread gaped inside me. I spun around. It took me a moment to see where he was—standing halfway across the mezzanine. Lurking in the shadows of a wide column. Only ten feet away from me.

  He stepped out into the light of the chandeliers, his hands clasped behind his silver waistcoat. His easy manner belied the predatory gleam in his eye.

  Floquart de Bonpré.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “RUN, SONYA!” GENEVIE SHOUTED.

  Floquart smirked. “No one is running.” He withdrew a small flintlock pistol from behind his back.

  Genevie gasped. All my muscles seized.

  Floquart walked forward and glanced over the length of Genevie’s body. “Did you think posing as a Riaznian lady would hide you from me? I would recognize you from a mile away, now that I see the shape of you so clearly.” His eyes lingered on the tight bodice and low neckline of her dress. “I’ve searched for you everywhere, you know.”

  “You sent a bounty hunter, you mean.” Genevie’s voice trembled, although she spoke defiant words.

  “They’re the most effective. At any rate, I’m glad you’ve come home.”

  “You are not my home,” she said. “You are no longer my master.”

  He clucked his tongue. “Auraseers are imprisoned when they talk like that. Even worse, they are executed. I don’t wish for you to die, Genevie, whatever you may think. You are valuable to me.”

  I scoffed. “Yes, for you to abuse and to brand. She is a citizen of Riaznin now.” A lie, but it wouldn’t take much for Anton to make it a truth. “You have no claim on her anymore.”

  Floquart halted, his eyes sharpening on me. “It seems wherever we meet, Auraseer Petrova, you stand between me and my purpose.”

  “If that involves torturing other people, then I do not apologize.”

  His face contorted in a snarl. “Did my warning to you in the ballroom mean nothing? You went missing soon after we spoke.”

  My fingers twitched over my dress pocket. I still needed to return the king’s key to Delphine. “Anton dismissed us for the night.”

  “And so you felt free to roam the castle?”

  “I do not answer to you.”

  He took three more strides, and I sucked in my breath. He was close enough to touch me. That was more disturbing than his pistol pointed at my chest.

  “You won’t shoot.” I held myself stone still. “How would you justify your actions to Anton and your king?”

  “Quite simply, Sovereign Auraseer.” I flinched at the way he said my former title—the title Tosya had given me again in his book—like it was an abomination. “I’ll start by saying I heard the strangest report this evening. The curtains in a guest room caught fire, yet they were in a tower that has been unoccupied for months—a tower in view of the corridor leading to the king’s chambers. Now, why would you go there except to free Madame Perle?”

  My knees locked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I suppose you had no other Auraseer left to rescue in this castle.”

  Genevie made a noise of despair. She stumbled a few steps closer, her flared eyes narrowing on Floquart. “What have you done? They were not to be executed until tomorrow!”

  “Oh, Genevie,” he chided, “always jumping to the worst conclusions. They are still alive, my dear. King Léopold has released them into my custody. We discussed the matter further and agreed that an execution wasn’t necessary as long as the Auraseers were guarded more diligently and received proper punishment. While His Majesty doesn’t want to be troubled by that, I have the resources at my estate and could happily oblige.”

  Genevie paled and mouthed, No. I couldn’t feel her aura, but I understood the horror behind her expression. Living with Floquart was worse than a death sentence. She knew from experience.

  “Turn out your pockets,” he commanded me.

  “Pardon?”

  He inched closer. “Ever since Madame Perle has been sequestered in the king’s chambers, His Majesty has kept his key wit
h him at all times. He became quite agitated at the ball once he realized he’d lost it.”

  “I don’t know anything about a key.” I strived to keep my voice steady. “We never made an attempt to free Madame Perle. Check the king’s chambers for yourself. I’m sure you’ll find her there.”

  One corner of Floquart’s mouth curved upward. “Do you think I’ll believe you so easily? Your magic of persuasion won’t work on me, Sovereign Auraseer. You’ll find me too unfeeling a subject to be moved upon. Now turn out your pockets. I know the key is in your possession. It will be my proof to the king that you are guilty.”

  My heart raced in double time. I couldn’t make myself remove the key. If Floquart arrested me, I couldn’t prevent him from seizing Genevie. How could I stop him, regardless? If I reached for my own pistol, holstered at my thigh, he’d shoot me on the spot.

  Floquart growled, impatient, and caught hold of my arm. “Give me the key!” he spat in my ear.

  Grabbing at my skirt, he searched for it himself. I struggled against him. His pistol hand wrapped around me, trying to force me still while he clawed at my dress.

  “Stop!” I pushed him, but I couldn’t break free from his grip. The barrel of his pistol jabbed against my ribs. Adrenaline pumped through me. He couldn’t find the opening of my pocket, so he tore away a fistful of fabric.

  Genevie raced over with her unsheathed dagger. She raised the blade, but froze when Floquart turned his gun on her.

  “No!” I twisted and elbowed him in the gut to throw off his aim.

  The key shook loose and clanged onto the marble floor.

  Floquart glanced down. Genevie swiped her dagger across his arm. He hissed, and the pistol fumbled from his grip.

  I shoved him hard. Dropped for the gun. His foot connected with my stomach. I doubled over, tensed into a tight ball and gasped for breath.

  A loud crack of gunfire split the air.

  My head jerked up. Floquart’s eyes flew wide. He made a stifled noise of pain.

  I looked to Genevie, my mouth parting in shock. She held his pistol.

  Blood dripped from Floquart’s chest. He staggered to the balustrade for support. He couldn’t catch its low ledge.

  He toppled over headfirst, plummeting in a flash of silver silk.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  I RACED TO THE EDGE OF THE BALUSTRADE, UNABLE TO STOP myself from staring down, despite the horror I knew I would see. I swallowed a surge of nausea and clutched my already weak stomach. Thirty feet below, Floquart’s body splayed out in unnatural angles, his joints turned every wrong way. Dark blood pooled from his head into the cracks of the fractured stones.

  “Is he dead?” Genevie asked, strangely calm.

  “Yes,” I croaked.

  Her arm fell. She dropped the pistol. It clattered to her feet unceremoniously. Without looking at me, or at the ledge where Floquart fell, she turned and walked away, tripping once on the hem of her dress.

  “Arrêtez-la!” a man shouted from one of the staircases above.

  Guards pounded into the foyer below, drawn to the noise of gunfire and Floquart’s prostrate body. Their eyes rose to the mezzanine—to where I stood. “Saisissez-la!” One of them pointed at me.

  I stumbled backward and shook my head. Genevie spun around, her eyes round with worry. “Elle est innocente!” she cried to the guards and rushed back to place herself in front of me. “Je suis coupable.” She rapped her fist on her chest. “Appréhendez-moi.”

  I ducked and grabbed the key on the marble, then shoved it down the front of my bodice.

  Heartbeats later, four guards flooded in from both sides of the mezzanine. We couldn’t escape them.

  I stood and clutched Genevie’s arm, pulling her protectively to my side. I’d lost Yuliya. I’d lost Pia. I wouldn’t let them take her.

  A guard shouted something and aimed his musket at my head.

  Genevie barked a flurry of words at him—at all of them. Gone was the girl who skulked in corners, the girl who trembled every time Floquart’s name was mentioned. Now her shoulders were squared and fierceness lined every edge of her body. She’d stalled the guards and come to some sort of agreement with them. Turning to me, her eyes softened with resignation, sorrow, and love. It felt like a farewell. “You must let them arrest me, Sonya, or they will kill us both.”

  My throat closed around my voice, but I forced out words on a weak breath. “You’ll die if they take you.” She had killed a high noble of the Esten court.

  She held my gaze. A calm smile graced her lips. “I will die with no regrets.”

  The guards swarmed us. Two grabbed her and yanked her arms behind her back. The others seized me.

  They dragged us away in separate directions. Genevie didn’t fight them, but I thrashed and shouted for her. Above us, guests emerged and stared down from the curving staircases, shock and curiosity written plainly across their powdered faces.

  “Sonya?” At the sound of Anton’s voice, my heart leapt. Desperately, I searched for him and found him leaning out of a tower window on my left. “Let her go!” he demanded. “Where are you taking her?” He couldn’t see Genevie. She was already out of sight.

  The guards continued to wrangle me away. Anton couldn’t stop them. More important, he couldn’t save Genevie.

  Neither could I.

  The guards brought me back to my bedroom. I made a noise of sheer frustration as they slammed me inside. Their low murmurs resonated just beyond the door. They must be standing sentinel in case I tried to escape.

  I paced and dug my hands through my hair. What could I do to help Genevie now? I desperately needed my power, but how could I bring it out from hiding, like Madame Perle had said?

  I sifted through my newly revealed memories.

  I tried to understand what I couldn’t discern as a child.

  The shame I’d felt in the presence of my mother belonged to her, not to me. I’d misplaced her emotions for my own. I’d thought myself undeserving of her love. But she did love me. Deeply. Her guilt came from having to send me away.

  “Mama,” I whispered on the thinnest, aching breath. I felt the warmth of being tucked against her chest, the gentle pressure of her hand smoothing my hair. Peace and sorrow threaded together, weaving their way around my heart. I wished I could have thanked her, embraced her one last time.

  I took a long breath and paced the other way, my thoughts turning to Sestra Mirna. Why was she so tangled up in the memory of my mother? The sestra had been a strict and unrelenting woman who gave only sparse words of affection, if she gave them at all. But Madame Perle had unearthed the words from her that meant the most to me.

  I do care for you. I always have, even if you haven’t had the skill to decipher it.

  Sestra Mirna had loved me, too.

  Tears flowered behind my eyes. Realizing that both the sestra and my mother loved me was a beautiful and unexpected gift, but I had to compose myself and think. Their love was also a key to freeing my aura.

  I walked the length of my small room several more times, but no matter how much I dwelled on the memories, my Auraseer awareness remained locked inside me. I couldn’t compel the guards to free me, or the king to release Genevie, or Estengarde to ally with Riaznin. Shame and guilt tore into me with the same racking, sharp, and bone-deep pain that my mother felt when she had to let me go. I sat on the edge of my bed and buried my head in my hands.

  Within the hour, there was a knock on the door. Delphine stepped inside. She still wore her diamond-encrusted ball gown. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. Pressing her lips together, she took in my ripped dress and mussed hair. “The guards told me your Auraseer friend killed my godfather,” she said softly.

  “It wasn’t premeditated, I promise you. Floquart held me at gunpoint. There was a struggle and . . . Genevie gained control of the pistol. She was only trying to save me.”

  “I believe you.”

  I released a heavy breath. “But the Esten court
won’t, will they?”

  Delphine rubbed her arms, as if suddenly cold. Her eyes sagged in the corners, and she shook her head. “I came for the king’s key,” she said. “If the guards find it in here, you will be in more trouble.”

  Numbly, I knelt and reached under my bed. I’d tucked the key between the slats of my frame and mattress. Standing up again, I passed it to her.

  She turned the key over twice and bit her lip. “So Madame Perle—”

  “I gave her the chance to escape, but she refused. She said she needed to remain in Alaise to assist the other Auraseers.”

  Delphine closed her eyes, her brows hitching in pain. “That sounds like her, stubborn and selfless.” She sniffed and slid the key in her pocket. “I shouldn’t have helped you. Your friend wouldn’t be imprisoned right now if I hadn’t interfered.”

  I took a tentative step forward. “Is there nothing you can say to persuade your uncle to let her go?” I tried speaking as gently as possible, but Delphine stiffened. “You’re in a higher position than any woman in Estengarde,” I added, “regardless of your title. The king would listen to you if you truly implored him. Other people would, too. You’re respected here. Women do their hair like you. Girls dress like you. Why do you think the nobles try to befriend you for your influence with the king?”

  Delphine’s nostrils flared. “Because they have no qualms about using another person for their gain.”

  “Or they believe in your strength. They think you can make a difference.”

  She folded her arms and glanced away. “You don’t know what life is really like here. And you cannot judge my ability to make a difference when you’ve known me less than a week.”

  “But Anton knows you, and I know him. He wouldn’t have given any measure of his heart to someone with no moral courage.”