Captivate

by Vanessa Garden

  ‘You’re very sweet,’ Philippe whispered, wiping the hair away from my face. I turned my head and pressed my cheek into the wall.

  ‘Damir is a lucky man.’

  I snapped my head around.

  ‘What do you mean?’ I stammered.

  ‘Don’t you know? He is the true king and will soon be reinstated.’ He smiled. His eyes were half-lidded and his pupils fully dilated. ‘And he’s got you.’

  My blood turned to ice.

  ‘He does not have me. You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  Philippe smiled and played with a curl of my hair. I yanked my head away.

  ‘I’m here to take you to your true king. A guard will be here to escort us shortly.’ He swallowed thickly and panted hot, garlicky air into my face. ‘You’ll like Damir. He’s not soft like his little brother.’

  ‘What?’ Shaking my head, I pressed my hands against the centre of his damp chest and pushed him away.

  ‘You’re my friend Philippe, my instructor.’

  But Philippe had madman eyes, all wide and glinting, and they were focused on my lips as though he wanted to eat them.

  I flinched, my fists clenched and ready to smack his teeth in if I had to, my legs waiting for the right moment to kick.

  He leaned forward, his lips parting. ‘There’s something about you, Miranda. You smell different, you look different—’

  ‘Get away from me!’ I smashed my knee into his groin.

  Philippe howled and cradled his crotch, and at that moment, the door burst open. Marko, clutching a bouquet of pale-pink roses, swept into the room, a smile on his face. Then, in what appeared to be slow motion, his face dropped and he tossed the roses aside before charging across the room.

  Everything moved fast after that.

  He seized Philippe—who was still doubled over in agony—by the back of his neck and dragged him out of my room in a sleeper hold.

  I heard a loud thud before a melee ensued in the passageway. Marko barked orders for my attacker to be taken into the dungeons, and Philippe’s screams echoed along the corridor as he was taken away.

  Marko returned to the room and paced the floor, his eyes wide with concern.

  ‘My God, are you alright?’

  I leaned against the wall, shaking with adrenaline, my arms wrapped around myself in a hug.

  Marko shrugged the long, black jacket from his back and carefully pulled me away from the wall to wrap the coat around my shoulders.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispered as he tightened the coat over my front. ‘This should never have happened.’ He shook his head and sat me down on the bed. My chest felt tight, but I didn’t cry. I couldn’t. I was in too much shock.

  ‘If you like, I’ll have dinner brought to your room. There will be other balls to attend.’

  The walls closed in on me. Just the idea of being alone again, in this room, made me want to scream. I needed to be with people—swarms and swarms of people.

  ‘I’m okay.’ I forced a weak smile through my ragged breaths. ‘Philippe didn’t get a chance to do anything, really.’

  Marko’s cheeks flushed and his eyes hardened with rage. He ran a clawed hand through his hair. ‘Yes. Well. The sharks will make certain he can never hurt you again.’

  ‘Good,’ I said. But a second later, at the thought of watching somebody getting ripped to shreds by sharks— even someone as slimy as Philippe—bile inched up my throat.

  ‘Maybe he’d be better off in the dungeons, where you could question him about Damir.’

  Marko’s eyes widened. ‘Did he mention my brother?’

  I sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

  ‘Repeat to me exactly what you heard.’ And then, when I hesitated: ‘Please, Miranda, this is important.’

  I wet my dry lips and tried to recall Philippe’s exact words.

  ‘He said that Damir was the true king…soon to be reinstated.’

  Marko swallowed thickly. ‘And what else?’

  Blood rushed to my cheeks.

  ‘He said Damir was lucky to have…me.’ I shifted around uncomfortably at the thought. ‘Philippe was planning to take me to Damir.’

  Marko looked at me for a long time, and swore softly.

  ‘I’ll have to question him immediately.’

  He hesitated at the door, the frost in his eyes melting.

  ‘Would you like me to stay with you for a while, until you collect yourself?’

  I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with a man, any man.

  ‘I’ll send Anne to help you dress, and make certain guards escort you when you are ready.’ He raked a hand through his hair again. ‘Are you sure you still want to attend?’

  ‘One hundred percent,’ I said, forcing a smile.

  Marko stared at me for a long time, deep in thought, his eyes unreadable, before he closed the door and locked it.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  AN HOUR AND a half later, two female guards escorted me through the belly of the castle. They were the same ones who’d cleaned me up the night I was sick all over the lawn. They were smirking as they flanked me, no doubt recalling my barf-o-rama scene; but Anne walked beside us, too, and she was smiling at me with encouragement. For some reason, whenever I saw her, a warm feeling gathered in my chest. I missed having a female friend. My good friend Zoe and I had known each other since the start of high school, and now that I wasn’t in the sorting room anymore, I had no access to Henrietta and Poh. As weird as it sounded, though I’d known them for only ten days, I missed them almost as much as I missed Zoe.

  ‘You look beautiful, Miranda,’ Anne said, blushing and staring down at her feet. ‘Marko is such a lucky man.’

  I didn’t know how to answer this without offending her, so I changed the subject.

  ‘Are you going to the ball, Anne?’ I asked, and she smiled.

  ‘Yes. I will be waiting on your table.’ Her wide, blue eyes twinkled.

  ‘Oh,’ I said, disappointed. I was hoping that she and I could have done away with the ‘maid’ and ‘captive’ tags for the night. Maybe even have some fun together.

  ‘Don’t worry; after my shift I’m dressing up and joining the festivities,’ she said, sounding more like a normal teenage girl for once. ‘Marko isn’t a tyrant, Miranda. He treats us as his equals, and we get paid for our work.’ She giggled and turned red again. ‘We don’t even have to call him king, but I feel funny calling him Marko to his face.’

  ‘So what do you call him?’ I asked, slightly amused. At that moment we rounded a bend and arrived at two large golden doors, gleaming so brightly that I had to look away. Lively, jazzy music oozed from beneath the cracks of the door.

  Anne smothered a laugh, ‘Nothing. I manage to address him by saying: excuse me, thank you. I’ve never had to call his name, thank God. I think I’d die if I had to,’ she lowered her voice. ‘He’s so handsome.’

  I smiled at her. It was obvious she had a crush on Marko. It made me wonder how many other girls in the city felt the same. How many of them dreamed of being in my position right now—to be courted by the king. They probably wished they were me. It was a weird thought.

  ‘Have fun.’

  ‘Thanks, Anne.’ I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, making starfishes and then fists with my hands.

  ‘I’m going around the back. This is where you make your grand entrance.’ She nodded at the golden doors. ‘I’ll see you soon.’

  She was gone before I had the chance to thank her for her support. I stood alone, my stomach swimming with nerves while the guards swung open the glittering doors.

  Loud, swinging music belted my ears. I licked my lips and smoothed my hair with the flat of my palm. Anne had brushed it out and suggested that I wear it long and free. Now all I wanted to do was run back to my room and sweep it up into a pony tail. Panicking, I looked down at my dress, which was perfect minutes ago but now didn’t seem quite right. It was too try-hard-princess-of-Atlantis.
I groaned. What if Marko mistook my enthusiasm for the ball for my acceptance at being here? I groaned even louder and sucked in a deep, shaky breath. He was going to think that I was trying to make us work. Urgh.

  The two female guards cast me daggers with their eyes while they held the heavy doors open with flexed arms. I clenched my stomach and forced my legs to move—a difficult task, seeing as they felt rooted to the stone floor.

  I half expected trumpets to bellow, like in Cinderella, but the ball was in full swing. People were eating, drinking and dancing, some even locking lips in dark corners.

  Everyone was having such a great time that they failed to notice my entrance, which gave me the perfect opportunity to watch them and also to admire the ballroom.

  An incredibly high domed ceiling, painted midnight blue, with a large, luminous light-crystal moon at its centre commanded my attention first. The crystal moon sent beams of silver light dancing across the room, making everything and everybody glow. The ballroom walls were mirrored, making the room appear double its size and reflecting the faux moonbeams everywhere.

  But it didn’t stop there. Dripping down from the ceiling like falling stars were hundreds of tiny, stellar-shaped light crystals. It took my breath away.

  ‘Miranda…’

  Robbie appeared beside me, dressed in a fitted black-silk shirt, black pants and those dagger boots. He offered his arm for me to take, and when I slid mine through I could feel the smooth, hard angles of the muscles beneath his thin shirt. I clung to him.

  ‘Marko sent me to escort you to his table.’ He paused and raised his eyebrows at the guests shredding up the dance floor, some of them flinging their arms about as if they were about to take off and fly around the room.

  ‘Wow,’ I said. ‘Fertility dances really get these people going.’

  Robbie smiled.

  ‘You were great, by the way.’ He drew me in close when a couple I recognised from the performance twirled past us suicidally.

  Two younger guys grazed against me while we passed through the thickest part of the crowd, whooping and cheering in my face. I went to push them away with my palms, but Robbie shoved them aside as if they were merely stuffed animals, and drew me in tighter still.

  ‘Thanks,’ I muttered, with my cheek pressed against his upper arm.

  He bent down, his chin grazing the top of my head.

  ‘I know what happened with Philippe,’ he said, his voice soft at first but hard when he said my attacker’s name. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.’

  ‘I’m okay.’ I said, shrugging and watching my feet so that I didn’t trip up in my heels. ‘I managed to fend him off myself, and then Marko arrived just in time to throw him out.’ I reminded myself to thank Marko tonight.

  A circle formed around, and the crowd clapped us on to dance, but Robbie dragged me through, his eyes dark with thoughts I couldn’t read.

  ‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ he said and nodded his head as if he’d just decided on something. ‘I think you need to spend more time with Marko.’

  Before I could protest, we arrived at a long table where Marko sat at the centre, flanked by Sylvia and two young men whom I was yet to meet.

  Marko threw his head back and laughed at something one of the men said. So did Sylvia. It was strange to see the two siblings looking so happy. Marko was a completely different person to the one who’d only hours ago threatened to throw Philippe to the sharks.

  He paused, mid raucous laughter, as soon as he saw me, and immediately rose from his seat. His eyes didn’t leave me once while he made his way around the table, weaving through guests to reach me. It made my stomach flutter to be looked at so intently.

  ‘Miranda, you look stunning,’ he said, leaning in to my ear. ‘Really, you do,’ he added softly, as though I’d achieved the impossible. He lowered his face to my neck and inhaled gently. ‘What’s that scent?’ he asked, frowning.

  Now it was my turn to frown.

  ‘I’m wearing the perfume that you sent me.’

  His frown deepened, and I blushed, realising the scent had probably been Sylvia’s doing. Had she forged his handwriting, too?

  I turned away, pretending to watch the dancers.

  ‘Come sit with me, Miranda,’ he said, taking my hand in his and leading me around the table to my chair. He gave its occupant a shove with his boot, and the man, clearly drunk, rolled onto the floor, laughing hysterically before being dragged away by his companion.

  ‘Thanks,’ I said, before tugging my hand free and sitting down.

  Robbie sat between Sylvia and Lily.

  While Marko filled my wine and water goblets, I decided that now was a good time to thank him for the Philippe incident. After seeing him so concerned for my wellbeing, I wondered if getting to know him would be better than alienating him. He was the king after all, and having him understand me a little better might cause him rethink his decision to keep me here.

  I touched his arm and he looked at me with raised brows.

  ‘Thank you for helping me…with Philippe.’

  ‘Don’t thank me,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘You did a pretty good job of protecting yourself.’ Marko smiled bitterly and brought a goblet to his lips before taking a long gulp. ‘He’s still crying in the dungeons.’

  ‘He deserved it.’

  ‘He deserves worse.’ Marko’s eyes hardened like ice. ‘But let’s not ruin the evening discussing it.’

  Anne arrived then and set down a platter of food between us.

  The scent of white wine, garlic and chilli made my stomach growl. Luckily, the music drowned it out. The last thing I wanted was a repeat of my disastrous birthday dinner. Still, an ‘Mmmm’ escaped my throat.

  Marko grinned and nearly spat out his wine.

  ‘Ha! So you do like eating.’

  Heat seared my cheeks as I recalled our first meeting.

  ‘I’ve always like eating.’

  He narrowed his eyes, playfully.

  ‘Even grilled asparagus and cherry tomatoes?’

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to hide my smile.

  ‘I think it was the company that turned my stomach that night.’

  Marko’s eyes widened slightly before he recovered. Then he leaned back in his chair and stared at me for a long time, a lazy smile curving his lips.

  ‘You know I could have ordered you to eat, being the king.’

  My mouth dropped open and indignation burned my cheeks.

  ‘You arrogant—’

  Marko raised his palms and smiled. ‘I’m joking! I’m joking!’ He shook his head and frowned. ‘Do you really think I would do something like that?’

  I shrugged and hesitated for a moment before responding.

  ‘Well, based on you forcing me to marry you and…’ I paused, my cheeks burning, ‘sire heirs, it’s not too hard to imagine.’

  Two women brushed past the backs of our chairs. I turned. One leaned in to the other and mouthed, ‘She’s so fat!’ before shaking her head with disgust. The hunger pains in my stomach died instantly. I hunched forward, in reflex, and arranged my hair so that it fell over my bare shoulders and arms, to cover up as much as I could.

  Marko noticed none of this as he sat thinking about what I had said.

  ‘You make an excellent point.’ He drummed the table top with his fingertips.

  ‘You danced so beautifully earlier, by the way. You could have stamped your feet and refused, but you didn’t. In a few short minutes you managed to give the people of Marin hope, and for that I’m grateful.’ He gestured to the dance floor with a nod. ‘This ball is for you, Miranda.’

  He dipped his head to catch my eye, his warm breath tickling my hair. ‘So, please, marriage and children aside, do you think you can eat and drink and be merry for just one night?’

  For once I wanted to do as he asked. The idea of forgetting and just enjoying the night melted all the tension in my shoulders.

  I pretended to think abou
t it long and hard, before I shrugged. ‘I’ll try.’ The truth was, I really did want to have fun. Just for one night.

  His smile lit up his eyes, which were no longer icy. Now they were the colour of the warm summer sea. It was hard not to stare, and even more difficult to control the strange fluttering in my belly, which had nothing to do with being hungry.

  We began to eat. The mussels were delicious. Together we managed to devour the entire dish. Marko poured himself another wine and watched me chew the last mussel.

  ‘You know, Kraja was a strong woman—like you.’

  I dipped my fingers into a small bowl of lemon water.

  ‘Who’s Kraja?’ I asked, drying my hands with a crisp white napkin.

  Marko swallowed a mouthful of wine before he answered.

  ‘She was the last queen of the people who lived in this dome before us, before their entire civilisation was either destroyed or disappeared altogether. We don’t know how or why, yet. My grandfather managed to eliminate civil war from his findings—by interpreting drawings and art—but not much else. There was a lack of skeletal remains.’

  I leaned forward, genuinely interested. When I was younger I was the sort of kid who read books titled, The Unexplained or Mysteries of the World. When Aiden went missing and the police failed to find his body, I spent hours patrolling the beach for some kind of evidence that might prove he was still alive.

  ‘How could a mass of people just disappear like that?’

  Marko rubbed his chin. ‘I have some theories I’ve played around with.’

  ‘Mass suicide in the sea?’ I suggested.

  Marko half-smiled and gave me a nod of approval. ‘That would explain the lack of remains. But I don’t think that’s what happened.’

  In my enthusiasm I reached for my wine and took a gulp too big, and ended up coughing and choking.

  Marko patted my back and grinned when I started breathing again.

  ‘I’ll have to watch you around the wine.’

  You really do, I thought, and nearly burst out laughing, but stopped and put a hand to my lips when I realised what had happened: I was enjoying myself in Marko’s company.