by Cege Smith
Her father crossed his arms and tried to scowl, but she could see his lips twitching. “Mistress Teffer said that she was expecting you for language studies this afternoon. She also said this is the third time in less than a fortnight that you’ve missed your lesson. She’s very concerned.”
“Rhone said that I can practice sparring while the soldiers are eating,” Angeline said, trying to keep the pout out of her voice. “Otherwise they are here all the time and he said it wasn’t proper for me to be around such ruffians.”
“Speaking of my general, where is he?” Eric looked around the wide courtyard. “I would think that he would be supervising this activity.”
“Malin was supposed to be watching me,” Angeline said lifting her chin. She didn’t like the idea that anyone needed to supervise her.
“Malin, eh?” Her father cocked an eyebrow at the dusty young man, who stiffly brought himself to Angeline’s side and bowed.
“She’s supposed to be practicing her forms,” Malin said sullenly.
“That looked more hands on if I’m not mistaken,” Eric said.
“I just asked for a demonstration,” Angeline said. “How am I supposed to learn if I’m always just doing forms? Malin agreed to spar with me.”
“She...surprised me,” Malin said. He was looking forward and Angeline noted that he wasn’t meeting Eric’s eyes.
Angeline jumped when her father threw back his head and laughed. It was a deep belly laugh and she found herself giggling in response.
“That’s a good sign of a future queen,” Eric said, clasping Malin’s shoulder and giving him a good shake. “Still, I expect that if you are going to defend my daughter in the event of any danger, you are better at the sword than she is. I will tell Rhone to increase your training.”
“Yes sir,” Malin said with a look of despair.
Angeline thought that was funny because she knew that Rhone’s lessons were legendary for being grueling and demanding.
“Come, Angeline,” Eric said. “Let’s go find Mistress Teffer and see what we can do about changing your tutoring schedule.”
Angeline bounded after her father but remembered shooting a look back over her shoulder at Malin. His cool blue eyes watched her but the rest of his face was expressionless.
That was the day that Angeline felt like she crossed an imaginary line with her father. Rhone was assigned to give her private lessons and train her on weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. In the end her natural abilities lent themselves to the knife, and that became the weapon she carried. With her rearranged tutoring schedule, Angeline was able to vault ahead in her studies as well, which put her on the path to be accepted as one of the few enrollees in the esteemed Sisters of St. Abath convent, where she remained until the day she got the missive that her father was dying.
Coming back to the present, Angeline felt a tear escaped down her cheek before she could wipe it away. Back then, Angeline thought that her father would live forever. Although he had prepared her for a great many things when she became queen, he hadn’t taught her about the most important thing: that every bit of Alteran history that had to do with the vampire was a lie.
And so her thoughts had come full circle. As much as she thought about it and as much as she analyzed it, she could reach only two possible conclusions: either her father had not expected to die so suddenly, or he had never planned for Angeline to assume the throne. Angeline could accept the former because her father had been healthy as an ox his entire life. The sweeping sickness that took hold of him in his final days completely caught everyone unawares. The second option was far more chilling to consider, and seemed difficult to reconcile in her mind with the father that she had always known.
In the end, the only one who likely knew for sure was Malin, and she couldn’t trust him at all. He was an emissary of the Clan, the ancient mythical people who had controlled the fates and destinies of everyone in Altera since time began; another fact that had been conveniently left out of Angeline’s history lessons.
Angeline said a small prayer to the powers above and then pushed herself to her feet. With a heavy heart she made her way back outside the room and then started to climb the stairs. There were no answers for her down there, and her questions grew more insistent. She needed someone to trust and someone she could depend on. She needed a way to reach Connor.
As she stepped out of the doorway back into the main part of the palace, she drew to a stop. Even though she had been expecting him, she still had harbored a small glimmer of hope that she would have escaped his attention for just a bit longer. But that would have been absurd. She knew that at that moment, she was his only focus.
Malin Baford had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember. In three days, according to Altera law, they would be married. Then if anything happened to her, he would become king.
As she looked into his ice blue eyes, she wondered again how she could have completely misjudged him all that time.
CHAPTER TWO
“Your Majesty,” Malin said with a small bow. “You left the Ascension hall rather suddenly. I apologize that I was not there to escort you to the crypt.”
“Your duties seem to keep you busy,” Angeline said, keeping her face smooth. She knew where he had been—making sure that Connor stayed away from her. Malin was a big obstacle she had to find a way around. She could only assume that it was through magical means that he was able to know Connor was even there.
“It has been difficult keeping up with all the details of running the kingdom during the King’s illness. The people are unsettled. They need stability,” Malin said. His eyes gave away nothing.
“It’s a good thing I was able to return in time then,” Angeline said. In her mind her anger started to bubble, but she wouldn’t show it. Not to Malin.
“Of course,” Malin said. His glance went over Angeline’s shoulder toward the crypt’s staircase. “Were you able to pay your final respects?”
“I was,” Angeline said. “My father was a good man.”
“I could not have asked for a better mentor,” Malin agreed. “I learned a great deal from your father and always appreciated his willingness to welcome me into the role as Chief Advisor despite my age.” His eyes were sad.
Angeline was surprised at his words. “A Baford has always been the Chief Advisor.”
“Yes, but given my own father’s early passing, there were some in court who didn’t approve of your father passing the post onto me so early. There were rumblings of my qualifications despite my education and the fact that I tutored with my father for as long as I can remember. I think that the king took quite a beating from some of the more vocal critics who felt that he was making the wrong choice.”
“I didn’t know that,” Angeline said. “But that sounds just like him.” Her father had never been one to back down in the face of disapproval from the nobles if he believed that he was making the right decision.
Malin offered her his arm. “Well, you are quite a bit younger than I am, Majesty. Your father took great pains to keep you away from the harshness of court life. I wouldn’t have expected you to have been privy to such gossip.”
She wondered if he was deliberately trying to get a rise out of her by mentioning her age. They were only separated by five years. “I heard plenty of gossip about you during my days at court,” she sniffed. She slowly reached out and settled her fingertips on his arm and let him lead her away from the crypt. “It seems to me you had quite a following actually.”
She watched Malin’s lips twitch and then his face broke out in a grin. “I would ask the nature of such gossip, but I fear that it would not be appropriate, especially in a discussion with my betrothed.”
Angeline wasn’t sure if she should be annoyed or amused by Malin’s sudden desire to share, and even joke about the situation. It had been common knowledge within court that her father intended that she and Malin would be betrothed on her twentieth birthday. Other than a rather passionate kiss they s
hared when she was sixteen, the night before she left for the convent, she and Malin had a strictly platonic relationship. In her opinion, the way he flaunted his apparent conquests in court was not only disgusting, but also disrespectful to her and her reputation. She always wondered why her father had not addressed it.
“I trust that gossip of that nature will cease in light of our upcoming marriage,” she said stiffly. “Such things would be inappropriate for both of us.” She refused to look at him. On one hand she didn’t care what he did, but ultimately his actions reflected on her. As queen, she was expected to be able to control her spouse, no matter who he thought he was.
“I can assure you there will be no doubt among the people that I love my queen as much as they do.” Malin’s tone had turned serious. “I know that now is not the time, but at some point soon we will need to discuss your condition, Majesty.”
His first comment had thrown her for such a loop that she almost completely missed the second half of his statement. Had Malin just declared his love for her? It was just like him to be completely casual about it. Affection was generally regarded as a bonus in arranged marriages. According to her father, love was an emotion that was rarely gifted on a Robart and so it was something that she never expected to have. Now, after having met Connor, it was also one that she realized could prove to be distracting. But that wasn’t the part of Malin’s statement that she focused on.
“I’m not sure what you mean about my condition,” she said, carefully looking around them. They were passing the servants’ quarters, and although most were attending the Ascension feast, she still saw several scurrying about who were the unlucky ones required to work.
Malin leaned closer to her ear. “Surely you realize, Majesty, that being what you are now, children are not possible. The people of Altera are eager to have another Robart heir.”
Angeline sucked in a breath. Her mind was spinning. Malin was speaking of things that had only breezed through her mind. Of course he was talking about her wraith condition. It made sense that she would be unable to conceive a child, but it was something that she hadn’t thought much about given all the other things going on. She wondered again what else Malin knew about wraiths that he wasn’t telling her. As far as she knew, she was the only wraith that existed in Altera.
Wraiths were even more dangerous than vampires, which was why in Alair Robart’s time they were feared by both species. Wraiths remained mostly impervious to the sun, but gained the speed and strength of the vampire. These benefits came at a heavy cost, however; wraiths had to contend with a demon consciousness that manifested during times of duress and had only one desire: to hunt and to kill. A wraith’s only weakness was that it still existed within a human shell that made it vulnerable to human weapons, if they could be caught.
In the vampire world, the creation of wraiths was forbidden because they were completely uncontrollable and too dangerous a risk. It had been strange to learn that even vampires considered wraiths an abomination. Connor faced a life of exile, or worse, if it was discovered that he had turned Angeline into a wraith. He had done so to give her the chance at a semblance of a human existence. If he had turned her completely into a vampire, she would never have been able to return to her people and become queen. It was a choice that had no positive, but she still owed him her life, such as it was.
Malin had powerful allies in high places. The Clan had its fingers in all of Altera’s major species—human, vampire, and wolf. Malin bargained the deal with Angeline to help her return to her father’s side before his death. Her demon consciousness was trapped in the forgotten city of Craven half a world away. Angeline had almost been able to forget it had even happened. Until now.
At the same time, the idea of producing a Robart heir with Malin at her side was a little bit too much to think about. Before she could do anything with Malin, she had to reconcile her feelings about Connor. But even that fell second to doing whatever she could to cure herself of her wraith alter ego.
“It sounds like my Chief Advisor has some words of wisdom for me.” In the end, Angeline deferred to a position of listening. It wasn’t time for action yet. “We will talk tomorrow on this, Malin.”
The volume was getting louder the closer they got to the banquet hall. Inside, Angeline knew that she was about to come face-to-face with hundreds of her people. The entire court was in attendance with the exception of those too old and feeble to travel to Brebackerin on such short notice. A lottery system allowed another hundred residents of the capital city to attend, although they were relegated to the upper hall, which overlooked the lower level dining room. A third level with only wooden benches was given over on a first come, first served basis to people who traveled in from the outer cities, towns, and countryside.
Angeline was still in awe of how quickly the capital city had filled to capacity. All of the inns were booked. Outside the walls, a makeshift city of tents had been erected to handle the overflow of people who had arrived from all corners of the kingdom. People wanted to be there when Altera crowned its first queen. The thought that everyone was there for her was heady and uncomfortable.
She felt Malin’s hand on her fingertips and she looked down. As all of the thoughts of what awaited her crossed her mind, she had gripped Malin’s arm without realizing it. She looked up and Malin’s gaze drilled into her.
“Despite what you may believe based on recent events, Majesty, I am here to serve you to the fullest extent of my abilities,” Malin said with a glint in his eyes. “I know this is a trying time for you. Know that I will be by your side, always. You can trust me.”
She wanted to look away, but there was something unspoken she felt he was imparting to her and it was impossible to ignore. She felt like she was sixteen years old again and instead of standing outside the doorway to a roomful of clamoring, likely drunk people, they were alone again inside the high tower the night that he had kissed her. He moved closer to her now and gently set his hands on her shoulders. His eyes softened as they swept over her.
“You are breathtaking; a queen in every regard. Your father would be so proud of you,” he said softly.
The words were exactly what she needed to hear, and she despised Malin for saying them out loud and making her want to hear more. “Thank you,” she said. In the end, she couldn’t deny that she needed to be able to trust someone, at least to a small degree. Malin knew almost all of her secrets from the time when Connor kidnapped her. He knew that she had spent almost a week in the company of vampires, creatures that weren’t supposed to exist anymore in Altera. He knew that she had been turned into a wraith.
The only thing he didn’t know was that she and Connor had forged a bond that went beyond the fact that Connor had sired her into her new macabre life. Connor had spent over a hundred years looking for the cure to undoing the vampire curse and now she was looking for the cure to undoing the wraith curse. Their goals were mutually exclusive. Plus, he had saved her life and tried to help her, and in doing so, she had developed feelings for him. She thought that he had feelings for her too. Then there was a stolen kiss that still caused her heart to beat faster every time she thought about it.
Too late, she realized that Malin had taken her pause as a sign that she was a willing party to what happened next. His hands slid up to her face and his lips were on hers even as her memories were full of Connor. The kiss was soft and cautious, as if he was testing the waters by dipping a toe before diving in. Angeline pulled back and watched confusion dance across his face.
“I am expected, Malin. I don’t want the court to wait too long. They may think I’m never coming back and crown someone else,” she said, trying to make light of the situation without drawing attention to the fact that he had just sent her headlong into another dilemma that she wasn’t yet ready to deal with.
His eyes were unreadable again. “Of course, Your Majesty. My sincere apologies for keeping you from your subjects.”
Angeline had thrown him off. She watched hi
m carefully and wondered if he thought that she was still the simpering sixteen-year-old who had left for the Sisters of St. Abath two years ago pining away for him. While it was true that Malin was handsome and charismatic, she had the benefit of remembering him from her younger years, and how he had treated her then. As much as her father wanted to her to marry Malin, she couldn’t say that even if she could find her way to trust him, that her heart was even open to such an invitation. Not as long as she felt the way that she did about Connor.
She squared her shoulders and faced the door. “Let them know I am ready.”
Malin stepped away from her and slid through the door. Even though it was only open for less than ten seconds and only a few inches, the roar coming from inside was almost deafening. The party had definitely started without her. Moments later, Malin was back and holding the door open for her.
She stepped into the gloomy room. Although candles lit the walls, it was an awkward space whose only purpose was to serve as a waiting area until the king (or queen now) was ready to enter the banquet hall. Malin stepped in after her and closed the door. In the close proximity of the small space, he was just a few feet away, and as he brushed past her, she felt the heat of his body against her skin. She wished he wasn’t so good-looking. It would make forgetting that she ever had a crush on him easier.
A trumpet sounded and the deafening roar outside went immediately silent. The effect was unsettling and made her skin crawl. Then the trumpet sounded a trill that had been the calling card of the Robart family for centuries. The notes caused her pulse to quicken and her heart to sing. It was her song.
As the music faded away, she heard the booming voice of the High Regent.
“May I present to you, Queen Angeline Mary Ellen Robart.”
Malin opened the door and Angeline took a deep breath. Then she stepped out into the light amid screams and clapping that took her breath away.
CHAPTER THREE