She froze in the doorway. Phoenix sat next to Ari, flanked by two guards. Zwaantie hadn’t seen him since he admitted he didn’t love her. What was Sage was up to?
Zwaantie gave him a weak smile and sat on the other side of the table, as far from him as she could without being obvious. She noted the necklace. As long as he had it on, she was safe.
Waiters brought in salad, sandwiches, and cut fruit.
“What’s the plan?” Zwaantie asked. She wanted to ask what Phoenix was doing there but figured this was a safer way to start the conversation. She took a small bite of the sandwich.
Ari put his fingers to his lips. “We’ll talk later.” He waved his hand at the waiters.
Zwaantie stabbed at her wilted and soggy salad. She couldn’t wait until she could go home and eat good food.
As soon as the waiters left, Sage shut the door and locked it. She waved her hand over the door and something shimmered.
“What’d you do?” Zwaantie asked.
“Made the door impenetrable. No one will be able to hear what we’re up to.”
“You’ve never been concerned with our privacy before.”
Sage snorted. “No, you just never noticed. I put non-listening spells around us all the time. Sometimes even un-seeing ones. How do you think we get around Stella without being mobbed?”
Zwaantie was taken aback. She’d never realized they’d put spells on her. What else had they done without her knowledge? A lot probably.
She was about to ask, but Sage kept talking.
“I’ve invited Phoenix here because I think he can help me.”
Zwaantie wasn’t sure this was the best idea considering he’d tried to kill her multiple times. She still wasn’t convinced the guards could stop him.
“With what?” Phoenix asked, his brow furrowed, but a small smile on his lips.
“You’re not the only one who has tried to kill Zwaantie.”
His eyes flicked in Zwaantie’s direction. “What do you mean?”
“I was stabbed in an alleyway this morning.” Her shoulder had mostly healed, but it still ached.
Pain flashed behind his eyes. “I’m so sorry. You look okay.”
“Sage and Ari rescued me before the attacker succeeded. He was another slave.”
“You think it’s the Voice?” Phoenix pointed to his head.
“I don’t know what else it would be.”
“Good thing Solites can’t really cross the wall without permission from the Voice,” Phoenix said and popped a grape into his mouth before grimacing. Zwaantie smiled. At least she wasn’t the only one who missed their food.
“Except we have fifty of them running around already,” Sage said.
“So what do you want to do? Send them back?” Phoenix asked with a sneer.
Sage shook her head. “No, I want to disarm them.”
Phoenix creased his eyebrows. “How?”
“By putting necklaces on them like you have and requiring them to check in with a guard once a week to make sure they don’t take it off.”
“We could make it unremoveable,” Ari said, drawing Zwaantie’s eyes. She’d been avoiding looking at him. He leaned back lazily in his chair, his dark hair hanging in his eyes. He smiled when he caught her smiling.
“We could,” Sage said.
Phoenix shook his head. “That’d be like the bondage bands in Sol, and it’s not fair to them.”
“But it’s not the same thing. We’ll be protecting them from the Voice,” Sage argued.
“It still takes away their free will.”
Sage looked over at Zwaantie. “Up to you. Your life is the one on the line.”
“Phoenix is right. They still deserve their free will. We can’t take it from them. Having them check in with a guard should be good enough.” At least she hoped so, but she wasn’t about to do something to them that would be reminiscent of the horror in Sol. When she became queen, one of her first acts would be to do away with the slave system.
“Okay, then. Phoenix, I’d like you to come with me,” Sage said.
“Why?”
“Because they won’t trust me. They know you. They’ll listen to you. If you can explain to them what you’ve already gone through, they’ll be more likely to listen to us.”
“They won’t do this willingly. You’re going to have to wrestle the necklace on them. The Voice will be telling them how evil and wicked it is. They might even try to kill us for trying.”
“I’ll do what I did to you.”
“Which was?”
“Immobilized him,” Sage said matter-of-factly.
“With magic?” Zwaantie asked in a soft voice, suddenly unsure of Sage.
“Yep.”
“Can anyone do that?”
“Not really. It’s hard to force someone else to do something with magic, but it’s one of my specialties. Ari can’t do it.”
“And this has to do with your job?” The wheels turned in Zwaantie’s head. If she could learn how to do magic, then she’d be able to protect herself and stop being a burden on those around her.
“Yes.”
“When will I learn magic?” Zwaantie asked. This would fix everything, and then she would no longer need a guard.
“Stars, you haven’t been tested yet, have you? Ari, you should bring her to the jobs master to get tested while Phoenix and I take care of the slaves.”
“Sounds like a great plan,” Ari said with a wicked grin.
Zwaantie wasn’t sure how she felt about spending more time with Ari, but she wanted to learn magic. Though maybe she should focus on the current goings-on instead.
“We need to leave. The sooner those slaves are disarmed, the better I’ll sleep at night,” Sage said.
“Are you going to use your un-seeable spell?” Zwaantie asked.
Sage shook her head. “We need them to see us.”
She snapped her fingers. Her hair turned brown, a few wrinkles appeared on her face, and her clothes were those of the lower class. Then she snapped her fingers again, and Phoenix was balding.
Zwaantie couldn’t help but grin. “That’s incredible.”
“Thanks, I’m pretty awesome at disguises. Time’s a-wasting. Oh wait.”
She handed Zwaantie a necklace. “Can you get this to Luna? She’ll need one as well.”
“Sure.” Zwaantie gripped the necklace. Luna was difficult to find as she was always out with Viggo and his crew. Zwaantie only really saw her on the Ticker these days.
Sage spun and disappeared out the door. Phoenix followed her without a backwards glance, his guards trailing. She should be relieved, but she was sad to see the love missing from his eyes. Why, she wasn’t sure. She no longer loved him.
Zwaantie slowly became aware she was alone with Ari. She set down her napkin, trying to ignore the tension in the room. Ari drank from his glass, letting his gaze fall on her.
“We should go,” she said, needing to be in public and away from those eyes that made her stomach buzz.
“There’s no rush,” he said with a lazy grin. “We could hang out here, talk for a bit.”
“You know that would be a bad idea.”
“Why?”
She met his eyes. The electricity between them was undeniable and thick in the air now. One touch and she’d lose it. Him too, from the smolder in his eyes. At least he was several seats away from her.
Zwaantie stood. “Because, I’m engaged to your brother, and I have to love him. Are you going to take me to get my magic tested or not?”
He frowned, but nodded.
She swept from the room and was nearly to the main hallway before he caught up with her. If he’d stopped her while they were alone in his room, they wouldn’t be walking out of the castle. Her fingers itched to touch his.
Ari flagged down a carriage and held the door open. He climbed up behind her, closer than he should have, and brushed her hair away from her neck, his fingers sending a shiver down her spine.
He leaned for
ward and whispered in her ear. “You are so beautiful.”
She deliberately sat across from him. The last time she took this journey with Sage, it had taken about ten minutes. She stared out the window at the people scurrying by.
She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t dare look at him. His foot brushed against hers, and she gasped, drawing her gaze away from the window. Ari took off his sandals and stretched his legs out, running his toes along her foot and calf. A thrill buzzed through her, but she jerked her legs away.
He chuckled. She would not give him the satisfaction of commenting on his forwardness. Instead, she scooted closer to the window to avoid eye contact and continued her study of the people outside. Not that she saw them. Not really. Not with his eyes on her.
Time moved excruciatingly slow. When she was certain they were close, she finally dared look at him, and sparks flew between them. She ignored the desire in her belly.
“Why are you staring at me?” Zwaantie asked.
“You look different now, and I’m trying to figure out what it is.”
“Different how?”
“I’m used to wanting beautiful girls. But when I look at you, I want more. Everything about you calls to me, from the light in your eyes, the curve of your breasts, the way you say my name, the small gasp you give off every time our skin touches. So I seek to understand what it is you do to me, because before the lock-in, I saw only a beautiful girl, and now I see more, which is torturous because you will never be mine.”
She stopped breathing. She had no words to respond.
The carriage came to an abrupt stop, and she scrambled out, sucking in the fresh air. Ari’s words hung in her ear as they walked into the same building she and Sage had visited before. Why did Ari have to make this so difficult?
They entered a different room. On the door hung a sign that said “Testing.”
The room was bright yellow and orange with toys strung out everywhere. Kids squealed and ran around. Most couldn’t have been older than three or four.
“Why do I feel so out of place?” she asked Ari, who stood a few feet from her.
Ari chuckled. “Because usually children are tested at a young age. It won’t be bad. Promise.”
“Right.”
She followed Ari through the maze of toys and screaming children. He approached the desk on the far end. A woman looked up and beamed.
“Prince Ari, what brings you here? I wasn’t aware you had any children.” Her fingers crept closer to the disc that lay on the desk. Oh yeah, she wanted to send that out to the Ticker right away.
Ari reached for Zwaantie, his hand grabbing hers. She gasped before she could help herself.
“I don’t. You know Zwaantie.”
The woman fanned her face. “Of course. Princess, it’s so nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Zwaantie gave her a smile.
“Zwaantie needs to be tested for magic. They don’t have magic in Sol.”
The woman glanced down. “I’ll move you to the front of the line. It should only be a few minutes.”
Zwaantie withdrew her hand from Ari’s, and they sat in the bright blue chairs not far from the front desk. Ari casually slung his arm on the back of her chair. She sat forward so she didn’t have to feel it. He had said he could never have her, but he kept acting like he could.
“You can relax. There’s nothing to be scared of,” he said.
“I’m not scared of the testing.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“You.”
He laughed. “I’m not going to bite. Unless you want me to.”
She crossed her arms and swiveled in her seat so she was facing him. “Really? How can you joke about this? You can’t say things like you did and expect everything to be comfortable.”
He leaned forward, too close for her comfort, and dropped his voice low. “I didn’t know I’d made such an impression, princess. Besides, I don’t want things to be comfortable.”
She sucked in a breath. She wasn’t expecting him to be so bold. She should back away, but she didn’t want to. He was so close.
“Zwaantie,” someone called. She jerked away from Ari and saw an old woman with silver hair standing a few feet away.
Zwaantie stood and followed her. Ari did not come with, thank the stars. She needed to put distance between them and that unbelievable electricity.
She entered a small room. “What do I have to do?” Zwaantie asked.
The woman chuckled. “You don’t have to do anything. Just sit there and let me check you out.”
The woman took Zwaantie’s hands in hers and closed her eyes. After what seemed like ages, the woman opened her eyes and clucked.
“Well?” Zwaantie asked.
“No magic. Most of the slaves from Sol were the same way.”
“So I can’t do anything like everyone else can?”
“I’m afraid not. But don’t worry. I won’t say anything. You can function quite well without it. Potions and magical devices will work for you, so you can adapt. No one has to know.”
Zwaantie tried to hide the disappointment. She’d been looking forward to learning, but now she would be incapable of any magic. She trudged out of the room and found Ari playing catch with a little boy.
He jerked his head up when she approached. “Well?”
“Nothing.”
He furrowed his brow. “At all?” He handed the boy the ball and grabbed her hand, and her stomach buzzed. She needed to get far, far away from him. “I’m sorry. It’s not the end of the world. Luckily for you, we all do magic, so you can still enjoy the benefits.”
The tension from earlier was gone. Zwaantie wasn’t sure what to make of their feelings. They needed to talk about how to handle being in the same room together without their feelings getting in the way, but right now, she didn’t want to deal with it.
The carriage wasn’t waiting for them when they got out on the street, and Ari did something with his disc. “They’ll be here soon.”
Zwaantie watched the Ticker as they waited. Most of the stories had nothing to do with the royal family, and the pictures were things she’d never seen before. The stories were almost mean.
“Hey, Ari, what’s wrong with the Ticker?”
He glanced up and rolled his eyes. “There is more than one Ticker. That one isn’t used by most people, and it’s full of conspiracy theories. I’m surprised to see it up on a building. The owner must be a fan. Honestly, I haven’t seen that one in years.”
“How many Tickers are there?”
“Four or five big ones. An infinite number of smaller ones. A lot of groups have their own so they can keep up with their families. We never saw the need to create one for our family since the main Ticker is almost always about us.”
The carriage pulled up, and Zwaantie glanced up at the Ticker once more. A story at the top caught her attention. “The princess: Stella’s savior or baby killer?”
Before she could alert Ari, the words disappeared.
Chapter 5
The Problem
Ari planted a light kiss on his mother’s cheek. She sat tall in her chair with Ari to her left. It was only the two of them for lunch. His mother preferred it that way. He had very few people he trusted, and his mother was his closest confidant.
Sage was a close second, but he didn’t always tell her everything because she worried too much. His mother, he told her everything because he’d long since stopped caring if she worried.
“I haven’t seen you much in the past couple of weeks,” she said.
“I know. I’ve been out with Sage—”
“Please don’t talk about that abominable girl.”
He grinned. One of his favorite things to do was to see how many insults she could toss out about Sage. It wasn’t very productive, but it was entertaining. He still didn’t know if his mother really disliked Sage or if she just said things to make him laugh. Either way, Sage couldn’t handle her insults, so she never came with h
im when he spent time with his mother.
“You know she’s my best friend.”
Astrid brought her hand to her chest. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“You’re my mother. You can’t be. Unless you want to start partying with me. The Ticker would have a field day with that.”
She laughed. “Oh yes, I could just see it. Queen teaches all the youth how to do potions.”
“Father would have a fit.”
“That he would. Speaking of the Ticker. Tell me about the lock-in.”
“It was fun.” Ari fiddled with his fork. He wanted to talk to his mother about Zwaantie, but he didn’t know how she would react. He knew he had to stop thinking about her, but she consumed him. He’d been a little too bold with her on the way to see the jobs master, and he was afraid he’d pushed her away. Which he should do, but he wanted her more than he fully understood.
“You can give your poor mother more. Tell me about it.”
“There’s not much to tell. We danced.”
She pursed her lips. “Fine. Who’d you dance with?”
“A lot of girls.”
“Any of them glowing?” Astrid’s eyes sparkled.
He groaned. He shouldn’t have told her about the potion.
“All of them.”
“Anyone who strikes your fancy?” she asked. Ari squirmed, and her face lit up. “Tell me about her. I’ve never seen you like this. You’re blushing. She must’ve really made an impression. When can I meet her?”
Ari ran his hand through his hair. “You know, Xandria failed to tell me Soul Mate actually made them glow pink. She just said glow.”
Astrid gasped. “You mean you found her?”
Ari nodded, but didn’t elaborate. This wasn’t the way he imagined finding his true love.
“Out with it. Who’s the lucky gal that’s going to make an honest man out of you?”
He snorted. Even if he would consider marrying her, she’d never agree. She was promised to his brother. He couldn’t ask her to abandoned Leo. Not after what the Old Mother said. Fate had a twisted sense of humor. Some would say he deserved it. Not that he would ever marry anyone. He’d been dead set against it before, but that stupid funhouse room had confirmed it. Marriage was out of the question.
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