Hunter, annoyed, looked down at her, but she waved him off. "I'm not sure what's going to explode first, my lungs or my legs," she said, trying to catch her breath.
"It's not much farther," Hunter said, his hands on his hips.
"Let her take a break," Gabriel said. "I could use a private run anyway." He shot Syney a smile before turning into a blur and disappearing.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Syney said, staring at the spot where Gabriel had been standing. She looked at Hunter, who was gazing out into the trees. "Hey, before we get the Village, there's something I wanted to ask you."
Hunter looked at her with an annoyed expression.
"So this whole place... I really don't know much about it, obviously. I'm nervous. But you I trust. I need you to help me. "
"How?" he asked, his face softening.
"I need someone to tell me who to trust, how I'm supposed to act. I just know I'm going to be the girl at the royal dinner who uses the wrong fork and is laughed out of the palace." She paused to take a breath. "Just help me out? Steer me in the right direction."
After a moment he nodded. "I should warn you, though, that I don't have a high opinion of many people in the Village," he said quietly.
"Really? That might be exactly what I need."
"You two done with your powwow?" Gabriel asked, reappearing next to Hunter.
Syney sighed and stood up. "Yup. Onward we go."
"You missed some," Hunter said, turning away from Gabriel.
Syney turned back to see Gabriel wipe something from his lips. He gave her a smile. For some reason his eyes seemed even more golden than they had moments before. She shook it off and turned back toward the direction in which they had been walking.
Half an hour later, they came to the base of a rather large hill. Syney eyed it with loathing and began to trudge up it. Both men reached the top first and stopped to wait for Syney. Once at the top, she bent forward and attempted to catch her breath. She slowly stood and lost her breath again. In front of them, a little bit in the distance, stood a large sprawling complex made of stone. She saw hundreds of small and large buildings, all surrounded by a thick stone wall. It was about the size of Manhattan, without being surrounded by water. It was as if they had stepped back into the Middle Ages and were about to enter a kingdom of the reigning king.
"Holy crap," she whispered.
She heard Gabriel give a low chuckle.
Hunter stepped up next to her. "Welcome to the Village."
Cass
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor."
Cass looked at her older sister, Helenandrianna, and sighed. "It's a stone floor."
Helenandrianna laughed and tucked some of her long black hair behind her ear. Although they were several years apart in age, Helen and Cass both shared their mother's delicate features and thin frames as well as their lines dark hair and crystal blue eyes. "You've been pacing for hours. You'll be the first to ever wear a hole through a stone floor. I always said you were destined for something big."
Cass didn't laugh at her sister's joke. She picked up her pace and bit her nails. She had been anxious since she and Raine had returned to the Village without Syney and Hunter. She didn't like leaving them. She wanted them here, safe and sound. She smoothed out her dress but kept up her pace. She did feel a little more comfortable in her normal clothes. The jeans she had been given to go into the Human Realm had felt too restrictive. She loved the feel of the heavy cloth dresses she wore around the palace. She loved how they made her feel more royal with their gold trimming.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Helenandrianna said, stepping in front of her sister to stop her pace. "Leaf and Ember trust Hunter explicitly. You need to as well."
"It's not about trusting him. They just should have been back by now. I can't believe she ran off. This is just all one big mess-up!" Cass yelled. She sighed and collapsed on the chaise lounge at the end of her bed. "Do you ever wonder about the old magics, Helen?"
Helen peered at her sister with her matching blue-crystal eyes. "Where did that come from?" She sat down next to her younger sister.
Cass looked up and contemplated telling her about Becca and the healing spell. Helen wasn't like her other sister, Adanna, who was hard and very strict when it came to any rules in the Village. Cass always had been closer to Helen. They shared a more easygoing nature that everyone said they had inherited from their father, who had died when they were children. Neither could recollect anything about him except for faint images, but they still felt his spirit when people compared them to him.
"When we were in the Human Realm, we had to hide out at Raine's safe house. There was a Magic User who used a healing spell on me," Cass said. She waited for Helen's shocked face, but it never changed from its gentle look. "You're not surprised?"
Helen sighed. "No, not really. "
Cass twisted so that she faced her sister. "What?"
"There's been a faction for a while now whose aim is to try to bring back the old magics. They've been having meetings and trying to find old hexes, curses, or spells. Most of them are outside of the Village, some even in the Human Realm."
"Are you...have you been to any meetings?"
Helen shook her head. "Only heard of them." She grabbed onto Cass's hands. "Promise me you won't get involved in stuff like that."
"Why not? It's our right to use those magics. Is this about Mother?"
"Cass, do you know how those magics got lost?" She continued when her sister shook her head. "Back when the Daemons killed almost all of the royal families, whoever was left gathered and created a spell to send the Daemons to hell. Once they had done that, they realized they had drained all of their power. They couldn't perform any of their spells. It was devastating. Those who think they can bring back those magics are playing in dangerous territory. You cannot get involved in that. Mother would be the least of your worries."
Cass opened her mouth, but before she could say anything out loud, a deep horn sounded outside of the palace. Cass jumped to her feet. "They're here!" she yelled and ran out of her room, followed closely by Helen.
The horn blast had come from the front watchtower. It was sounded only to warn or to make announcements. And since there hadn't been an attack on the Village in nearly two lifetimes, the only logical conclusion was to announce the coming of the Chosen One. Cass jogged down stone hallways lined with banners of the original royal families in purple, green, blue, and red. Once they reached the Great Hall—the only room large enough to hold royal ceremonies and balls in which all Magic Users were invited—they came to a halt at the top of the grand staircase. Cass smiled and headed down the stairs at the sight of Syney standing in the doorway across the room. As she got closer, she saw Hunter standing close beside Syney and another man on the other side of her. By the time she reached them, the Royal Guard was surrounding them, silver spears pointed at the man next to Syney.
"Put those things down!" Syney was yelling and trying to get between the guards and the man, but Hunter kept pulling her away.
Cass was pulled back as she got even closer. She looked down at Helen's hand, which had stopped her. "What?"
Helen got closer to Cass and whispered, "That's a Vampire."
Cass's eyes grew wide as she looked back at the three by the door. There hadn't been a Vampire in the Village for as long as she could remember. She peered closer at the man. He did share the pale skin of the Vampire she had seen at Becca's house. But this man looked younger, almost better kept up.
"He's here with me. Doesn't that mean anything?" Syney asked.
Leaf, the head of the Royal Guard, ran into the action, along with Raine and Ember, Helen's Protector. "What is this?" Leaf asked.
The question was directed at Hunter, who opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Syney. "Who are you?" she demanded.
Leaf seemed almost panicked for a moment as he looked back and forth to Hunter and Syney. "My name is Leaf."
"He's t
he head of the Royal Guard and Protectors," Hunter said.
Syney glanced at Hunter for a moment before looking back at Leaf. "Fine, well, this is Gabriel. He's my guest here at the Village. So if you could just tell these nice men with the pointy objects to lower them, I would be very appreciative." She smiled.
Cass almost choked when she saw a small smile on both Hunter and Leaf's faces. They were probably the two men she least expected to smile. Leaf raised his hand, and the guards lowered their spears slightly.
"Vampires are not allowed in the Village," a sharp female voice boomed through the Great Hall.
The guards all raised their spears again, and everyone in the room, except Syney, stood at attention at the sound of the voice that echoed off the massive walls of the Great Hall. Cass turned to see her mother slowly striding toward them with her Protector, Grass, at her side. She looked every bit as intimidating as everyone in the Village thought she was with her long dark hair and sharp features. Her long skirts shuffled on the floor as she moved toward the newcomers and the guards. She stopped just in front of Syney. She looked her over from head to toe with the eye of an antiques collector.
Syney eyed her as well. "Hi, I'm Syney Andrews," she said, extending her hand to Mellisandrianna.
The queen eyed the outstretched hand and reluctantly shook it, with a limp grip. "Queen Mellisandrianna of House Crystallianna, first daughter of Pagilanna, third queen in the Crystallianna line."
"Wow, that's a long title," Syney said with a nervous smile.
Cass inched forward to make sure she didn't miss anything.
"It's an honorable one." Mellisandrianna smiled thinly. "Welcome, truly. We are very excited to have you here."
"Thanks. It's...cool to be here," Syney said slowly.
"However, I must insist that the Vampire leave," the queen said, looking over to him.
Syney introduced the man as Gabriel. He eyed the queen calmly before stating, "I invoke Agreement Seventeen of Article Twenty-Ninety of the Treaty of Allegiance of the Great Races."
Mellisandrianna took a step back, which made Cass almost gasp. No one ever surprised their mother. It was unheard of. Cass looked at Helen, who was equally surprised.
"What?" Cass mouthed to her sister.
Helen shrugged and shook her head. Neither had any idea what he was talking about.
"No one has invoked an agreement in years," the queen said, once she got her feet under her again.
"But they still apply," Gabriel said.
Mellisandrianna looked at Grass, who gave a curt nod. "All right. You may stay...as an honored guest." She looked back at Syney. "I hope you can join us for dinner tonight. I would also love an audience with you, but of course you must settle in first. Adanna!"
Adanna ran forward, past her sisters, to join their mother. Cass hadn't even seen her older sister enter the room. She was sneaky like that. "Yes, Mother."
"Are Syney's rooms ready?"
"Of course." Adanna smiled at Syney. "Please, follow me."
Syney gave a look to Hunter, who nodded slightly before heading out of the room with Adanna. As she passed, Syney smiled at Cass and mouthed, "Sorry."
Cass assumed she meant for running away and gave a nod of acceptance. No use holding a grudge. She looked back at her mother, who was conversing quietly with Grass.
"Well, that was the most excitement we've had here in...forever," Helen said.
Cass laughed. She couldn't agree more.
Adannadrianna
Adannadrianna smiled at Syney as she led her down one stone hallway and another. She wasn't very pretty, she thought, as they walked. The purple eyes were lovely, but her own crystal-blue eyes were just as exotic. And even without the layer of dirt and blood, she was just plain—not worthy of being able to kick Adanna or her mother off the throne. It was all very unfair. Since childhood Adanna had dreamed of succeeding her mother. Normally the succession ran from the firstborn, but they all knew that Helen had planned on giving up her spot to become high priestess once that old crone Vasclineda finally kicked off. Helen always had leaned toward the religious direction as opposed to the political one; Adanna never understood why. Being queen was just magical. You ruled over the whole Village and even the smaller ones out in the Realm. You were worshiped from afar, and others listened to you, whether or not they wanted to. Her mother had been a great queen, and she planned on continuing that great reign. But now that this twit was in the picture, Adanna wasn't sure what would happen. By law the throne was Syney's, but Mellisandrianna didn't seem too eager to give it up, and neither was Adanna.
Once they had reached the room that had been chosen by Justice, her mother's assistant, Adanna stopped at the large wooden door. "This is your room," she said, pushing on the heavy metal handle.
The room was large. There was a king-size canopy bed along one wall and a few ornate dresses and chairs around the room. At the back of the room were open archways that led out to a stone balcony that overlooked the entire Village. This was Adanna's favorite room in the Village. It had been her grandmother's. She remembered coming here as a child and playing with her grandmother's dresses and jewels. This was the room the queen should stay in, but Mellisandrianna had refused it, opting for the larger room usually reserved for royal guests. She said it was too painful to stay in her mother's old room once she had died. Adanna had smiled sadly at that comment, but inwardly she snickered, pretty sure her mother had been more attracted to the other room merely because it was larger.
"Wow." Syney took a deep breath. "This is just for me?"
Adanna nodded. "The best room in the palace."
"Wow," she repeated.
Not pretty and pretty dumb too, Adanna thought with another friendly smile. "All of your things were dropped off here already." She gestured to Syney's bags, which sat at the foot of the bed. "If you need anything, just ask your handmaiden. Noelle!" she barked to no reply. Adanna smiled and gave a short laugh before repeating, "Noelle!"
A small blonde came running from a small room in the back by the balcony. "Yes, sorry. I was running a bath."
Adanna sighed. "This is Noelle. She is here for anything you need."
"Handmaiden?" Syney questioned.
"Yes, she will help you dress, bathe, and get anything you need."
Syney blinked a few times. "Like a servant?"
"Yes, something like that."
"Oh, no, thank you. I don't really need that." Syney looked at the girl, who wasn't much older than herself. "No offense. I'm sure you're great."
"It's OK, Miss. This is something all of the court members have," Noelle said, stepping forward.
Syney sighed. "OK."
"Good, now that that's settled, there are a few dresses in the closet for you. My mother would like to see you before dinner, so freshen up. Noelle will show you where to go once you are dressed." Adanna turned to leave.
"Oh, wait! Do you know what Gabriel meant by the Treaty of Allegiance earlier?" Syney asked.
Adanna stared at her for a moment. Did this girl really think it was OK to ask questions about the Realm? Like everything was just OK to talk about? "No idea," she said calmly, and left the room.
Ignorant girl, she thought as she stormed away.
Noelle
She was prettier than Noelle had expected.
Noelle hurried to grab the dresses that had been made for Syney and laid them out on the bed. "Do you have a preference of color?" She looked around the empty room. Only one day as a handmaiden of the court, and she already had lost her lady. Damn! She spun around until she caught sight of Syney out on the balcony. "There you are," she said, joining her.
"This is amazing," Syney said, not taking her eyes off the Village. "I mean, from what Hunter said, I assumed it would be big, but nothing like this."
"Does take some getting used to," Noelle said, looking over the now familiar Village.
"Were you born here?"
Noelle shook her head. "I'm from a Magic User territory over t
o the north. I've only been here for five cycles. But it is magnificent."
"I agree," Syney said with a sigh. "So you said something about a bath, right?"
Noelle nodded and led the way to the bathroom off the room. "Right here." She pointed to a large porcelain bathtub filled with bubbly water.
"Oh, thank god!" Syney yelped. "I was imagining this place with no plumbing. You know, since everything else is like medieval times."
"Nope, full modern plumbing. I guess the royal court just likes the feel of the olden times," Noelle said, placing a few plush towels within reach of the tub. "Would you like me to wash your hair?"
Syney looked at her, shocked. "Of course not." She sighed. "Sorry, I just don't like this whole servant thing. It's not...OK where I come from."
Noelle nodded. "I understand, but it's really not that bad, I promise."
"How...how about we become friends instead? I could use someone to talk to about...all of this," Syney said, gesturing around the room.
Noelle smiled and took one big breath of relaxation. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the whole servant thing either, but she couldn't say that at all. Girls from all of the Magic User territories vied for positions in the court. Most Magic Users weren't born into royalty, but the palace was the place to live. "That sounds really good to me."
"Awesome," Syney said holding out her hand. "I'm Syney Andrews."
Noelle took it a little too hastily. "Noelle Glasstone."
"It's a pleasure, Noelle. Now I'm going to attack this bathtub," Syney said, turning toward the tub.
"OK, just leave the clothes on the floor, and I'll...burn them later." Noelle laughed with Syney.
"They are pretty bad," Syney said, pulling her dirty T-shirt away from her body. "They weren't made for the day I've had."
"Well, wash up. I've put the clothes for you to choose from on the bed," Noelle said, heading for the door.
Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy Page 9