The Keeper's Flame (A Pandoran Novel, #2)

by Barbara Kloss

His lips finally parted, and I released his nose, carefully tilting the glass. He choked at first, but soon relaxed and swallowed the contents until he’d drunk every last drop.

  My turn.

  I took a slow, deep breath.

  Are you sure about this?

  No, but there was no other way.

  There’s no turning back once you drink that.

  I held the glass up, watching the white glow whirling inside. “You’d better be right about this,” I said to an absent Thad. I shut my eyes tight and gulped down the contents.

  Chapter 13

  A Worthy Disguise

  The potion tasted sweet and was thick like syrup, and right as it began flowing down my throat, Stefan’s arm flew out of nowhere.

  He smacked the glass, knocking it from my lips. The glass fell to the stone and shattered; the contents pooled onto the floor and dissolved in the cracks between stones.

  Oh, no.

  “Dang it, Stef!” I growled at him, but he only smiled and turned to his side, resting his face on his palm.

  I couldn’t believe this. My one option of saving Fleck and I shatter it.

  Actually, Stefan shattered it.

  What was I going to do now?

  Maybe I would opt for plan B and force Thad to sneak us out of this world.

  Knock-knock-knock.

  Shoot. “Who is it?”

  “Your dad.”

  I moaned to myself, brushed the broken glass beneath the couch and hurried to the door, pausing before my mirror. What little hope I’d had left evaporated; I still looked like myself. But when I finally pulled the door open, Dad said, “Oh, good morning, Stefan. Where’s your sister?”

  Wait, had he just called me…?

  Dad pushed past me and headed straight for Stefan, who was on the floor.

  “What’s she doing on the floor?” He looked up at me with a frown.

  Oh, my gosh, I couldn’t believe it. It had worked. “Uh, well—”

  Dad’s frustration was acute. “You can at least help me move her to her bed.”

  I grabbed Stefan’s feet while Dad hooked his hands beneath Stefan’s armpits.

  We picked him up and Dad’s brow furrowed. “I don’t remember her being so heavy.”

  “Maybe you’re tired?” I offered.

  “Hmm, maybe.”

  We laid Stefan on my bed and Dad studied him, placing a hand on his forehead. “She feels warm.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “he—she’s still not feeling well.”

  Dad frowned and then turned to me, glancing at my foot. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.”

  I forced a smile. “Never felt better.”

  Dad arched a brow. “You’re lucky, Stefan. I was really worried you’d really hurt yourself and wouldn’t be able to fight this week.”

  I swallowed. “Yeah, lucky, I guess.”

  He squeezed my shoulder. “You have to be more careful, all right? For your sake as well as Daria’s.”

  I nodded and Dad turned to Stefan, tucking his short hair behind his ear.

  This is amazing.

  “Hungry?” Dad asked.

  My stomach growled for me and Dad grinned.

  I ran into my bathroom, changed into my leathers, and then followed him through my door, past a couple puffy-eyed guards and down the hall. Servants scurried about, carrying trays and linens, but each of them took a moment to bow.

  So different than when they’d walked by me as myself.

  “I still don’t think we should be concerning ourselves with the games right now,” Dad said for only me to hear.

  We rounded a corner.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  A servant bowed at each of us and hurried past with a tray of silverware.

  “What we talked about the other day,” Dad continued. “With the dark rider returned and the shadowguard reassembling, our attention is too diverted.”

  I remembered the shadowguard was the army of the dark rider. “The shadowguard is reassembling?”

  Dad stopped and looked at me, his expression very, very concerned. “Really, Stefan, are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

  “Yeah, sorry, just tired,” I said.

  The shadowguard was forming again. I wondered what else Dad had conveniently not mentioned to me.

  We descended the main staircase and I smelled bacon. My mouth watered.

  “Sir Armand thinks the Pykans are working with them, but he hasn’t a clue who would be making the decisions for all of them,” Dad said in my ear as he smiled at a foppish man adorned in rich blues.

  I had an idea.

  He pushed the doors in to the dining hall and I was overwhelmed by the smell of grease and burnt toast. People were sitting on benches at the tables, plates full of food, as the sunlight streamed in through the square windows high above.

  I followed Dad as we skirted down a long table; people glanced up and nodded as we passed. Lord Commodus and Danton were seated at the end of one of the tables, and my heart sped. I hadn’t seen Danton since, well, I’d kissed him. In front of Alex.

  Looking at him, now, my stomach sort of turned and there was a strange sour taste in my mouth, so strong I thought I might throw up.

  Lord Commodus glanced up at us and smiled that fake smile, and then Danton smiled, too.

  “Good morning, Prince Stefan,” Danton said. “Do you know if, perhaps, your sister is awake this morning?”

  Oh, right. He was going to spend the morning with me.

  “Uh, no,” I hurried to say as I followed Dad. “She’s still not feeling very well, either.”

  Danton looked disappointed. “Is she accepting visitors?”

  “No.” To my relief, Dad answered. “She’s not.”

  Danton nodded respectfully and went back to eating his food while saying something to his father. What were they whispering to each other?

  Dad slid onto a bench beside Cicero and Sonya.

  “Stefan!” Cicero beamed. “Wasn’t sure if you’d make it down this morning.” He winked. “Tell me, though, how did you manage to preoccupy two fraelings for so long?” He almost sounded proud, and my suspicion was confirmed when Sonya very promptly elbowed him in the ribs.

  She smiled at me. “How’s your foot?”

  “Still a little sore, but I’ll manage,” I said.

  This disguise was incredible.

  A servant delivered plates for Dad and me, each heaping with eggs, ham, and toast, and set a couple goblets down before us. I took a whiff and my heart sank. It was ale. Rhea had spoiled me since I’d come to this world by transforming every morning cup of ale into coffee. I didn’t suppose I could have that right now.

  Dad shoved a forkful of eggs in his mouth. “Any word from Sir Armand?”

  Cicero took a swig from his mug and leaned forward. “Just received a report from Alioth’s border patrol. More shadowguard were spotted. Brax sent scouts after them, but they lost them in the moorlands.”

  Dad swallowed his bite. “How?”

  Cicero looked around, making sure no one was listening. “He wasn’t sure, but he said a few cloaked figures were with them. One minute they were there, the next—” Cicero waved his hands.

  “Pykans,” my dad whispered.

  “Alaric, I’m worried about the games this year,” Sonya said quietly. “About Daria. Where is she, by the way?” She glanced between me and Dad, and Dad looked at me to answer while he was chewing.

  “She’s not feeling very well,” I hastened to add.

  Sonya studied me as though she were struggling to see me. “Poor thing,” she said without removing her scrutinizing gaze. “Last night must have been too much for her.”

  I nodded and chewed on a piece of bacon. She didn’t even know the half of it.

  Her eyes finally lifted from my face and settled somewhere above my head. “Alexander,” she smiled.

  My heart stopped.

  Remember you’re Stefan. He won’t see you; he’ll see his best fr
iend.

  But that would mean I’d need to act like his best friend, not like the girl he grew up with who happened to still be in love with him.

  Slowly, I turned around.

  Alex looked chic all in black and reminded me of an assassin. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, forearms resting easily at his sides, hands relaxed. His cheeks were pink from exertion, his hair curled a little about his neck and his ears, and his green eyes were bright with vigor. He smiled at me and blood immediately flooded my neck and face.

  His smile faded, then. “I’m a little surprised to see you this morning, Stef.” He arched a dark brow.

  Okay, so you need to do better than that. If anyone figures out you’re an imposter, it will be him.

  “I am too,” I said, turning back to my plate.

  I didn’t like how Alex was watching me.

  “Where’s Daria?” Alex asked my dad.

  Not good.

  Dad shook his head. “Not feeling well.”

  “She’s sick?” he asked. There wasn’t sympathy in his voice, but there was loads of suspicion.

  Dad nodded. “Last night took its toll on her.”

  Alex nodded slowly. I tried to get a sense of him, to see what he was really feeling, but still, I couldn’t feel a thing. Just…cold.

  “Hey, there, Goldilocks!” Thad appeared from behind Alex, beaming. “How’d you sleep?” He slid onto the bench beside me as something furry rammed into my arm. Egan’s tail.

  “Fine,” I said, and put all my focus on scratching Egan between the ears.

  “Enjoy breakfast,” Alex said to the group and started to leave.

  “Alexander?” Sonya asked, and Alex paused. “Vera was looking for you earlier. She said she’d be in the courtyard.”

  Alex stared only at me as he nodded, and then he left.

  Vera. Jealousy squeezed my stomach, and I lost my appetite.

  The adults continued their conversation about the dark rider and the shadowguard, and Thad leaned in while Egan licked my fingertips.

  “Are you the real Goldilocks?” he whispered.

  “No,” I said, leaning away so that I could listen to my dad and the Del Contes.

  “—using festival as a distraction?” Cicero asked, brow furrowed.

  “It makes sense to me,” Dad replied. “I just don’t know—”

  “When did you do it?” Thad whispered.

  “This morning,” I replied, annoyed, turning back to the discussion.

  “Maybe we do need to finish the games,” Cicero said, “in order to use the stone to stop him.”

  “Wow, I can’t believe it worked,” Thad said.

  Wait, what? I spun on Thad. “You mean you didn’t know?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure. I’ve never seen it used before, I’ve only read about it, but wow.” He folded his arms over his chest, regarding me with pride. “You don’t get much better than that. You even have his wimpy voice.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “So you drank all of it?” he asked.

  “Um, about that…”

  His eyes grew wide, and he abruptly got up from his seat and said, “Come on. Let’s get some fresh air.” Which translated to “How could you screw up my genius?”

  With a sigh, I got up from the table.

  Dad and the Del Contes glanced up. “Going to get ready for the ceremony already?” Dad asked.

  I forced a smile. “Something like that.”

  He grinned and went back to his breakfast.

  Thad led me out of the dining hall. “You didn’t drink all of it?”

  I explained what had happened, and once I was done, he scratched his neck and looked at me like I was an idiot.

  “So…?” I asked.

  “Well, it worked,” he said.

  “And…?”

  “We don’t know how long it’ll work.”

  “What do you mean, how long?”

  “Let’s just hope it lasts through the ceremony.”

  He pushed through a set of double doors. The morning air was ice-cold, burning my nose, but the sun warmed my leathers.

  I heard laughter off to my right.

  It was Alex’s.

  There he was, off to one side of the courtyard, moving lithe and graceful with his sword in his hands, and someone leapt toward him.

  It was Vera.

  She moved fast, her hair shining in a blonde cloud, but Alex slipped away in a blur. Their swords clashed, Vera growled, and Alex smiled. There was a small crowd of young people, including Brant and Sturgis and Phin and Flanders, standing by watching.

  “What are they doing?” I asked Thad.

  His eyes followed mine. “Ah,” he said. “They’re playing.”

  Clang—clang!

  Vera leapt from Alex’s jab.

  “Playing?” I asked.

  Thad grinned. “Sadism is an unfortunate byproduct of Academia training.”

  Alex had his sword at Vera’s throat. She surrendered, furious, and Alex smiled, enjoying every moment of it.

  “Oi, there, Goldilocks, I’d try not to look too jealous if I were you,” Thad said.

  I glanced back at Thad. “I’m not jealous.”

  He folded his arms. “Well, good, because he’s coming over here right now.”

  “What?” I spun around.

  Alex had re-sheathed his sword and was jogging across the courtyard toward us.

  Calm down and take a deep breath. Remember, you’re Stefan.

  Alex reached us, breathless. He reminded me of when he was a little boy: cheeks pink, hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, and eyes sparkling with joy. But then he lifted the corner of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow and I saw his abs.

  Those weren’t the abs of a boy, and I could’ve sworn there were more than six of them. And there was a nice little line that curved from his waist, ducking beneath his belt…

  Thad nudged me in the ribs, hard.

  I looked up, straight into Alex’s eyes. He was studying me with a strange expression on his face, one that pretty much said “I’m a little weirded out by how you’re staring at me right now.” He finally dropped his shirt, hiding his stomach.

  “You okay, Stef?” Alex asked.

  “Uh—“ Well, this is awkward “—yeah, I’m fine. How are you?”

  Alex studied my ankle and then looked back into my eyes. He searched and searched, trying to decide, trying to solve some mystery.

  And I needed to get my act together before he solved it and ruined everything.

  Vera appeared right next to Alex. Her hair was tousled from the fight but it added to that savage air she had about her. Her leathers accentuated her womanly shape, particularly around the bust where her top was open enough to show cleavage.

  It made me feel like a shapeless little girl. No, right now, I wasn’t even a girl.

  “Stefan.” Vera nodded curtly. She had a sort of accent when she said Stefan, really emphasizing the “ef” part.

  Thad cleared his throat.

  Right. “Hey, uh, er…” I started, “nice job over there.”

  Nice job?

  Vera studied me with her large, dark eyes. Those same eyes looked to Alex and a light flickered in them. “Alexander was slow this morning. Late night?” Vera’s voice was sultry. It was the kind of voice that would stun just about any man into doing whatever she asked of them, especially with her looking the way she did.

  Alex, however, smiled innocently and glanced back at me.

  “Are you feeling better?” Vera asked, amused.

  “Yeah, I am, thanks. Amazing what a few hours of sleep will do,” I said.

  She turned to Alex and smiled—she had a very beautiful smile—and he smiled back and brushed some dust from her shoulder.

  I swallowed and clenched my teeth.

  “Alexander always fights your battles.” Vera said his name like Ah-legs-zahn-dah. “The Nord would’ve beaten you into pixie dust if he hadn’t stepped in.”

 
; I felt a sort of defense for Stefan and stood a little taller. “I can handle myself just fine“—I looked at Alex—“not that I don’t appreciate what you did.”

  “Tell me, Stef”—Alex arched a brow—“do you remember what I did?”

  I was saved from answering by a sharp, “Veranna!”

  Vera stiffened and narrowed her eyes. Her anger flushed before she took off towards a lady who had appeared before the crowd. The lady wasn’t wearing nearly enough clothing for winter, but rather had such a bold presence that she seemed to melt the frost she stood upon. Her hair was long and white-blonde, much like Vera’s, and her features had the same dangerous beauty that Vera’s had.

  It must be her mother.

  “Here,” Alex said, tossing me a sword. He raised the blade as his eyes locked with mine. “Fight me.”

  What?

  There was no way I could fight him. He’d know in two seconds that I wasn’t Stefan. “Alex, I don’t really think…”

  He held the sword to my throat, attracting the attention from those around us.

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Fight. Me.”

  The crowd that had been forming was now cheering and prodding, wanting us to fight, begging us to fight.

  Alex held his sword flat, glaring down the metal at me. “You didn’t forget our tradition, did you?” His gaze was intense.

  The others laughed at his taunt, but I knew he wasn’t joking. He was searching.

  I swallowed, adjusting the sword in my hands. It was much heavier than my daggers.

  I glanced back at Thad, who had started cheering with the crowd.

  Some help you are.

  Alex wiped the sweat from his brow, his jaw set with purpose, and he moved.

  Our swords clashed, and the crowd cheered even louder.

  Alex’s breath clouded the air, his eyes fierce. I’d forgotten how fast he was, and he seemed even faster than before. It was hard enough following his movements, let alone blocking his sword. But he wasn’t giving it everything. He was holding back, testing me, trying different things and watching my reactions like a game of cat and mouse.

  A cold breeze barreled through and I wiped the hair from my face.

  Alex set his mouth and the next thing I knew, my arm was wrenched behind my back and he held his sword to my throat. His breathing was heavy in my ear. “What are you playing at?” His whisper was sharp.