“It is gracious of you to receive us yourself, Your Majesty,” said Lucy, trying without much success to capture in a restricted head bob the grace and respect of a full court curtsy. Carriages were not the place for royal introductions.
“Oh please, my dear,” said the dowager queen quickly. “Let us not stand on ceremony. Your mother is as dear to me as my own sons, which makes you like grandchildren to me.” She smiled warmly. “I would be delighted if you would call me Aunt Mariska, as she did.”
Lucy and Matheus exchanged an uncertain look, and Lucy could see that her brother was having as hard a time as she was imagining referring to this stately, bejeweled royal as ‘Aunt’. It was funny, because they’d been calling the Kyonan king and queen ‘Uncle’ and ‘Aunt’ all their lives, even though there was no blood relation.
Fortunately no response was required, as Queen Mariska began to ask them solicitously about their journey, and to discuss the upcoming coronation. After some minutes, Lucy managed to find a long enough break in the conversation to offer her condolences to the dowager on the recent death of her husband.
“Thank you, my dear,” said the older woman after a moment. She hesitated briefly, then reached over and squeezed Lucy’s hand. “Rupert was a good king, and I loved him dearly. The illness was sudden and unexpected, and I can’t deny that I still miss him a great deal.” She took a deep breath. “But he would have been as proud as I am to see Giles take the throne.”
Lucy and Matheus said everything that was appropriate, and the conversation mercifully moved on. Lucy quickly gave up trying to make anything out through the constant downpour. She had ascertained that they had crossed the large river that she knew ran through the city to open up into the port, so she supposed they must be nearing the castle neighborhood.
Sure enough, within minutes, they found themselves drawing up in a large courtyard. Servants appeared through the rain to usher them inside, too quickly for Lucy to get more than a glimpse of a stone castle, more forbidding and less decorative than the one in Kynton with which she was so familiar.
Thankfully they were all allowed to freshen up in their rooms before being expected to greet anyone else. Lucy was a little surprised, and even a little touched, to discover that she and Matheus were to be accommodated in lavish royal suites in the same part of the castle as the Kyonan and Valorian royal visitors. It was a far cry from what she had heard about how her father had been received on the only visit her parents had made to Nohl after their marriage. It seemed her mother had told the truth when she said things were different now Giles was actually in charge.
Still, the arrangement meant she would once again be in close proximity to Eamon, a situation that was becoming wearisome. There was only so long you could keep giving someone the cold shoulder without loss of dignity, and her repeated avoidance of him on the ship had started to feel ridiculous.
You could just forgive him.
The thought came unbidden, and Lucy mentally swatted it away, frowning as she regarded herself in the tall looking glass in her room. Eamon had betrayed her trust in more ways than one, and it wasn’t something she could just shrug off. She would never forget what she had felt when she realized he had been the one to give the order for the royal guard to descend on the peaceful settlement of Raldon, with instructions to round up the children of the freedmen and brand them like slaves.
Enough. She shook the thought off. This wasn’t the time to dwell on it. She needed all the poise at her command if she was going to make a good impression on the Balenan court. She wanted them to see a gracious and elegant young woman, as polished as any nobleman’s daughter, not a bitter and resentful shrew, whose beautiful face hid a violent and calculating heart.
She had heard the sounds of the others gathering in the corridor, and waited for them to give up on her and head off, probably assuming she’d gone on ahead. She preferred to go alone, needing the extra time to settle her thoughts. She followed soon after, retracing the route they had taken on arrival in the castle. She wound her way down a spiral staircase, catching the occasional glimpse through a rain-soaked window. It was still pouring, and the sound of the rain against the building was pleasant. It was strange not to experience the chill that came with rain in Kyona. The air was so hot and heavy here, even in the midst of a downpour. Her parents had described the different climate, but she still hadn’t been able to really understand it until she arrived. She imagined it would take some getting used to.
She was so lost in her thoughts, that it took her a moment to realize she must have taken a wrong turn. The corridor she was walking down wasn’t familiar. She hesitated, turning back and forth in her indecision. Should she retrace her steps, or push on? Before she had moved, she heard voices up ahead, and turned hopefully toward them. Perhaps it was servants, who could direct her to the welcome luncheon.
“Inform my mother I will be delayed slightly. I will follow up this report before attending—”
Lucy hurried forward, frowning in confusion as the clear commanding voice was suddenly drowned out by an increase in the volume of the pounding rain. She rounded a corner up ahead in time to almost collide with a royal guard, hurrying past her with the evident purpose of carrying the message she had overheard.
As soon as her view was clear, she saw another guard standing at attention against the wall of the corridor. She also saw the reason for the additional noise from the storm. Large wooden double doors had been flung wide, evidently leading to a balcony. Lucy was a little turned around, but she thought that the balcony must look down on the royal courtyard through which they had entered the castle.
A man was standing on the balcony, apparently unconcerned by the rain soaking into his hair and saturating his costly, formal attire. Lucy paused, suddenly hesitant. If she was right in her guess of who this was, it would be a presumption to ask him for directions. The guard cleared his throat meaningfully, and she turned to see him giving her a hard look, clearly prompting her to move along.
She swiveled, ready to comply, but couldn’t resist one glance back at the middle-aged man on the balcony. As she looked, something caught her eye, and she froze, frowning. Had she just imagined it, or had she seen a flicker of flame at the balcony’s edge, where the elaborate railing met the stone wall? Surely that was impossible in the midst of all this rain.
But even as she thought it, she saw the fissure appear in the stone floor of the balcony. She realized with horror that the man was unaware, still leaning against the railing as he peered out at the torrent beyond.
“Look out!” she screamed, racing forward unthinkingly.
The guard sprang into action with a cry, probably intending to restrain her, just as the man on the balcony turned around, a startled look on his face. His eyes passed from Lucy to the widening crack in the stone balcony, and he lunged for the safety of the corridor without a moment’s loss of time.
Lucy barely had time to register that he wasn’t going to make it before the entire balcony disappeared with an ear-splitting crack.
Chapter Three
She threw herself forward onto the ground with an inarticulate cry, just as the man’s torso reached floor level. She had hardly been aware of her instinctive action in throwing out her arm, and she was as surprised as the man must have been when he grasped hold of it.
She yelled involuntarily in pain as her arm was wrenched by his falling weight. But she didn’t lose her grip, and after a moment she could see why. He had grabbed a protruding edge of stone with one hand and her arm with the other. It was fortunate that his reflexes were so quick, because she was sure she couldn’t have held his weight all on her own.
Even with the help of the stone bearing half his weight, she was struggling to hold on. Her head and shoulders were now out in the pounding rain, and the muscles in her arm screamed in protest. It was all she could do not to let his hand slip through hers, and there was no way she would have the strength to help pull him up.
Before she could pani
c, the guard appeared at her side with a shout. The man transferred his grip to the much stronger offered arm, and Lucy allowed herself to fall backward with relief as the guard and the near victim combined their strength to pull him back into the safety of the castle.
She leaned forward just as the man reached solid ground, peering down at the mess below. As she had guessed, the balcony stood above the royal courtyard, which she could dimly make out about three stories down. The wreckage of the collapsed structure made her draw in a sharp breath. There was nothing but rubble, and she shuddered to think what would have happened to anyone who had fallen with it. She glanced around, trying to ascertain whether anyone had been underneath it when it fell. She thought she saw a flicker of movement near the castle entrance, as though someone was hurrying inside. She squinted, frowning as she tried to see through the sheets of rain, but if someone had been there, they were gone now.
“You saved my—”
She turned to face the man who had been on the balcony, only to find him staring at her, his words cut off.
“Scarlett!” he said, sounding dazed. Lucy rubbed a wet shoulder, uncomfortable, as the man collected himself. He did so quickly, shaking his head.
“I beg your pardon, I’m afraid I was knocked around by the fall. You must be Luciana, of course. You were a small child last time I saw you, in Kyona. You look startlingly like your mother now that you are grown.” He smiled, his rather severe face softening slightly. “You probably do not remember me, but I am of course your mother’s cousin, Giles.”
Lucy smiled awkwardly. “You are very kind, Your Majesty. I do remember your visit.” It was a stretch of the truth. She only had a very hazy memory of the Balenan state visit to Kyona that had occurred when she was little. She remembered the two subsequent ones more clearly, but Prince Giles—as he then was—had not been part of those. Only his two younger brothers.
“But I am straying from the point,” said the king briskly. “I must thank you for alerting me to the danger, and for offering me your hand. I would certainly have fallen without your assistance.” He frowned at her arm. “I think you must have taken quite a jolt. I will have my personal physician examine you.”
“It’s not necessary, Your Majesty,” said Lucy quickly. “I’m fine.”
“We will let the physician be the judge of that,” said King Giles. His tone brooked no argument, and Lucy gave up the protest.
“Thank you.”
The king was looking at the gaping hole now disclosed by the gently flapping double doors, a slight frown on his face. “I cannot imagine how the entire balcony came to collapse,” he mused, seeming to speak mainly to himself.
Lucy hesitated, wondering whether to mention the flame she thought she had seen. But she wasn’t at all sure, and it seemed so impossible that she was reluctant to make such a fool of herself.
“Your Majesty,” said the guard, who was hovering with evident alarm next to the king. “Please allow me to escort you away from the area.”
“Yes,” said the king briskly. “Luciana and I are both overdue at a luncheon as it is.” He gave her a sharp look. “How did you come to be here, incidentally?”
Lucy swallowed. “I lost my way, to be honest, Your Majesty. I heard you speaking with your guards and was coming toward you to ask directions.”
“Fortunate that you did,” he said mildly. He turned to the guard. “Take a message to—no.” He hesitated, his eyes resting again on the ruined balcony, their expression thoughtful. “You will accompany us to the luncheon first.”
The guard nodded, his relief at not being instructed to leave his sovereign evident. They commenced a short way along the corridor before they encountered a servant. The king gave a curt command explaining the nature of the accident and instructing the servant to stand watch at the opening to ensure that no unwary wanderer fell afoul of the new hazard.
Lucy followed the king and his guard with a furrowed brow. Did the king’s decision not to send his guard away mean that he suspected foul play? She thought again of the flame and frowned. Had she really seen it? What, if anything, had it been? Perhaps nothing more than firelight from one of the many torches in the corridor reflecting off the smooth wet surface of the stone.
They reached their destination quickly. Evidently King Giles felt safe once they arrived at the royal reception room, because he sent his guard off with instructions to have a squadron dispatched immediately to guard the area of the accident, and to supervise temporary repairs to board up the opening. Then he courteously ushered Lucy through the door ahead of him.
She emerged into a room that, while stately, was much smaller than she expected. She had anticipated that much of the Balenan court would be present for the welcome luncheon, but she had evidently been mistaken. Her eyes passed over the people present—the dowager queen smiling warmly at her when their gazes met—and she concluded that it was only the Balenan royal family. She recognized Prince Astor and Prince Roland from their visits to Kyona, as well as Prince Astor’s family. Prince Roland also seemed to have acquired a wife and children since that time. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved at the smaller gathering, or suspicious about what it said of the feelings of the court regarding the visitors from the North Lands.
Matheus, Jocelyn, Kincaid, and Eamon were of course present, as well as Lord and Lady Rodanthe. Lucy was pleased to see that Cody had been included. He held himself with his habitual confidence, but she thought she detected wariness in his eyes as he scanned the room. For the first time, she fully comprehended the reality that he alone of their group knew what it meant to have been a slave here. How strange it must be for him to be not only back in Nohl after twenty years, but a guest at a royal reception in the castle itself. His eyes alighted on Lucy, and he gave a curt nod of reassurance, whether for himself or her she wasn’t sure.
“There you are Lucy,” said Jocelyn, sounding relieved as she stepped forward to meet her friend. “We wondered what had become of you! Are…are you all right?”
Lucy followed Jocelyn’s eyes down her person, and she grimaced. Not only was she wet from the shoulders up, her hair once again slick and matted, but her clothes were coated in finely crumbled stone from the balcony collapse. She hadn’t quite realized what a mess she was. She glanced at King Giles, and saw that he was similarly covered, although his regal bearing was undiminished.
Jocelyn’s gaze also passed from Lucy to the tall man behind her, and her eyes widened slightly.
“Giles, allow me to introduce our young guests to you,” said Queen Mariska, her calm voice giving no indication that she had noticed the fact that her son had arrived to the official luncheon wet through and covered in grime. She performed the necessary introductions, and everyone bowed and curtsied with appropriate respect.
“And it appears you have already met Luciana, Giles,” said the dowager queen, turning to Lucy at last. “Doesn’t she look like Scarlett?”
“She does,” agreed King Giles, in his smooth, deep voice. “Although I believe she has her hair from her father.” There was a barely discernible twitch in his face at the mention of his cousin’s Kyonan husband, and Lucy stood a little taller. King or not, she hoped this man didn’t think he could criticize her father in front of her.
King Giles appeared to notice her change in posture, and his lips sloped upward in the smallest of smiles. “That look of defiance is his, too, I think,” he said, so quietly only Lucy could hear.
Though unexpected, the humor in his face was undeniable, and Lucy softened in spite of herself.
“Stubborn as a mule, my mother calls him,” she said, her voice equally quiet, and the king let out a soft chuckle.
“Allow me to introduce you to my own family,” he said, his voice back at normal volume. Lucy curtsied deeply as King Giles formally presented her to his wife, Queen Verena, and their children. His wife, who looked to be younger than the king, was elegant and gracious, if a little aloof. King Giles had not married as young as his cousin, and
his oldest son and heir was only twelve.
But the crown prince and his younger sister and brother all had open, friendly faces in addition to their courteous manners. On first impression at least, Lucy thought her mother’s reflections were accurate, that Balenol’s future was much brighter with Giles and his line on the throne. Certainly the chances of positive relations, perhaps even an alliance, between Kyona and Balenol were better than they had ever been.
Lucy glanced at the visiting royals, the sight of Jocelyn and Kincaid making her think inevitably of the time-honored royal tradition of marriage alliances. She felt a flash of relief that Balenol’s only princess was ten years old, and therefore clearly too young to be considered an alliance possibility for the eighteen-year-old Eamon, who was now Kyona’s only unwed royal.
Eamon glanced up and met her eye, a questioning look in his. Lucy looked away quickly, her face flushing with embarrassment. She hadn’t even realized she’d been staring at him, and she chastised herself for her thoughts. Why should she care whether there was a marriage alliance available for Eamon? His choice of a future bride was nothing to her, after all. Nothing whatsoever.
“Allow me to apologize to all our guests for my late arrival,” said King Giles, in the formal tone that seemed habitual for him, “and for greeting you in such a state. The truth is I was met by an unfortunate accident only minutes ago, and Luciana came to my rescue. I do not exaggerate when I say she saved my life.”
The room fell silent at once, the shock palpable. Lucy tried to tell herself that it was purely surprise and alarm that the king’s life had been in danger, but she couldn’t help but see the incredulity on the faces of some of the Balenan royals as they looked at her. Even Lord and Lady Rodanthe looked startled. If they found it hard to believe that she was capable of intervening in such an accident, she could only imagine what they would think if they knew the full extent of her skills. Particularly the deadly ones she’d used last time she’d saved someone’s life.
Downfall of the Curse Page 3