by K. Lyn Hill
Something big was about to happen. He could feel within every bone in his body.
Trying to appear at ease, Damien relaxed his shoulders as he made his way down the darkened hallways. The castle felt stifling since Aerity had left. A constant chill seemed to follow him everywhere he walked. There was no solitude or place to relax. The very place was made into a giant prison with what seemed like eyes stalking him at every turn. As he turned the corner, his footsteps slowed when his gaze caught on the princess. She looked so much like Aerity, only so completely different. It made his chest hurt. Her arm was woven through Maria’s as they whispered and giggled about something, but she didn’t glance away. After a terse nod, Maria left her side and walked in the opposite direction.
The princess came to a stop in front of him, he lifted his chin. “Damien, I’ve been looking for you.” Her voice was calm and collected but there was something darker hidden behind her dead gaze. Her finger trailed down his chest ever so slightly, swirling around the spot above his heart.
“I have been busy with council meetings but I’m happy to have run into you now.” The lie rolled smoothly off his tongue. A lie he hoped she believed.
She made a tsking sound. “Now now. You should think me a little smarter than that.” Her touch got stronger as she walked him towards the wall in the corridor.
“What makes you think I’m lying?”
Her lips turned wicked as her eyes smoldered. “I’ve been hearing quite the rumor going around the castle.”
Obviously, she was planning on making him drag it out of her. “Care to share what that rumor is?” He asked with a tilt to his head. Already, he knew this was going to take a while.
“Darling, you play too coy and severely underestimate my power.”
Damien was tempted to roll his eyes but refrained. “Please tell me what the problem is.” He would play her game until he decided the time was up. Aerity was currently safe and that was what mattered.
“There are rumors about a certain maid that attended you in your office.” There was no emotion in her words. No jealously or anger. Just cool indifference. She continued walking, pushing her fingers against his chest. Soon she would have him up against a wall, but he wasn’t worried. This wasn’t his Aerity, capable of disarming him and using his weapon against him, this was the princess who was simply an annoying gnat that needed to be squashed.
He lifted his hand to her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. Gently he brushed her cheek with his thumb and ignored the bile in his throat at the gesture that should only be reserved for her twin. “I needed her to perform an innocent task for me, my love. Nothing more.”
She blinked. “Preform a task indeed.” Was all she said as she proceeded to run her hand up and down his chest. She leaned and whispered in his ear. “It’s time Damien.”
“Time for what?” He couldn’t help but ask. He wanted this conversation to be over so he could bathe her scent away from his person. A chilly smile appeared on her mouth as she backed up an
inch. Her breath fanned across his face, making sure he got her message loud and clear. “Time for your façade to end. I know you helped Aerity escape. You can stop pretending you care about me. I know that the little maid helped you. What was her name…” She placed a finger against her mouth as if in deep thought and her eyes falsely lit up. “Ah yes! Carly. That’s it!”
He tried to keep his face neutral and blank but his heaving
chest gave him away. If something happened to her, he couldn’t
forgive himself. He was the one who pulled her into this.
Noticing his reaction-even if it was slight-she smiled wider, straightening her back. “I know you think your smart, having figured out what you have so far but make no mistake of who is in control here. Every move you make has been anticipated. Every action you have done and will do is only going to bring us closer to the result we want.” Us? Did she mean the woman in the woods? Who was she? He was about to ask when her next words left him frozen. “A plan has been set into motion and there is nothing that will be able to stop it.” She began to walk away from him backwards, still poised and graceful, looking him square in the eye. “A big storm is brewing, oh fiancé of mine. And it’s headed straight for you.”
∞∞∞
Siel
After hours of coming up empty handed, Siel sat back in his chair and groaned. Everything was such a mess. He didn’t know who to talk to or who he could trust. All he knew was to avoid the princess and Damien at all cost. The sight of them together alone made him feel faint. And as hard as he tried to focus, he couldn’t stop thinking about Aerity. Was she okay? Was she thinking of him? The unknown affected him almost as much as knowing if physical harm had actually come to her.
Rolling his neck, he glanced out the window of his study at the rain cascading down the glass pane. He needed to clear his head. Too many thoughts were running rampant, causing difficulty in his thinking ability. Shoving out of his chair, he swung open the door and followed the hallway that led outside to the gardens. Aerity and Serenity had once sang and danced in the courtyard water fountain, filled with laughter and joy. Now the cold stone remained still and silent, completely void of life. That was what Aerity had done to every room she had walked into. She breathed life and made it thrive. God, he missed her. Her presence. Her smile. The twinkle in her eyes. The sweat that would glisten on her skin while fighting or training. Every time he saw the princess, it felt like a defiling. A mockery. That someone could share the face of someone so special and come up short in every single way.
As the wedding day drew closer, his doubts expanded, lingering and festering inside of him like an open wound. It felt like he was being played. Fooled. And every time the victorious smirk filled the princess’s face, it only helped confirm his suspicions tenfold. But again, it felt as if there was nothing that could be done. She knew where Aerity was. The power was dangling between her claws and it didn’t appear as though she was going to relent anytime soon.
Unless he kept up with his appearances like a good little prince.
When Damien had questioned him, it felt as if a thousand knives were dragged through his heart but he didn’t have a choice. He needed to protect Aerity by whatever means necessary.
Fog tainted the air as he walked to the oceans edge, the mist of the cloud remnants spraying him in the face. The memory it triggered was of Aerity’s disappointed expression when she had told him her story and he hadn’t believed her. Even to the point of wondering if she was touched in the head and yet here they were. Aerity still wasn’t where she belonged. That seemed like so long ago but in reality it had only been a few short weeks. Long enough for him to love and lose all in the same time frame. He would get her back. If it was the last thing he did on this earth, he would get her back.
Moistened air whipped across his face but he was used to the dreary, rain filled mornings as exhaustion pulled at his bones. Not his mind though, which would be running non-stop regardless of how his body begged for rest.
His gaze followed the trail to the waterfall he had taken Aerity to that one day not so long ago. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember her scent, her touch. Anything to keep the emptiness at bay. How had he allowed her to be taken? If only he had been there with her that morning outside the room. He had camped outside her room every night before that. Guilt pinged around in his lungs until it was making it harder to breath. Rubbing a hand over his chest, he swallowed before turning around to head back into the castle. Staring out at the water wouldn’t help him or Aerity. He needed to get back to work.
As he made his way into the hallway, a large door creaked open from one of the servant’s corridors and a familiar face emerged. Carly appeared, struggling to carry a heavy food laden tray. The muscles on her arms, toned as she held up the offending object. She glanced up and met his eyes, sucking in a large breath. The tray began to wobble, and he reached out to help her hold it but she vigorously shook her head, still keeping eye c
ontact.
“Let me help you.” He hadn’t seen her since that day she had questioned him and he still never apologized for being so short with her. He hadn’t wanted the princess to hear, true, but something about the young maid had unnerved him.
She took a nervous glance around and a quick peek behind before turning back to face him. “No, that’s okay. I’m alright. Thank you though, Your Highness.”
“When we are alone, you can call me Siel.”
Her lips parted as she took him in. He wondered what she saw. “Well, I don’t plan on being alone with you again, so your highness it is. Sir.” She added as an afterthought. It was no wonder her and Aerity had been such good friends. Carly was just as cheeky even if it was more discreet.
He raised an eyebrow at her and felt the corner of his lips tip up. She blushed and tried to curtsy with the heavy tray still weighing her down. “If there is nothing else, Your Highness, I must get back to work.”
When her fingers gripped the edge of the tray and it began to tip, Siel growled. “Will you please let me help you with that?”
Fierce brown eyes met his in defiance. “No. It is my job and I must get back to it.” She began to turn away, this time not even waiting for a dismissal when he gently grabbed her forearm. She turned to look back at him, eyes wide.
“I never said I was sorry for how quickly I dismissed you the other day.”
Her eyebrows formed a V. “I am a maid, Your Highness. You can treat me in whatever manner you wish.”
Maybe it was Aerity’s influence or the fact that he had spent some time with Carly already and knew her worth, but that comment made him angry. “You are still a person.” He growled.
When she jerked back a step, he released her arm and cleared his throat. “But your busy so I’ll let you get back to it then.”
She stared at him inquisitively for another second before giving him a brisk nod and heading back down the corridor.
∞∞∞
Carly
Her arm tingled where Siel had touched it. Her body urged her to turn around and look at him one more time, but she forced herself to keep her head forward instead. As she rounded the corner to the princess’s room, the rate of her heart began to sprint. She focused on not tripping over her own two feet and dropping the Princess’s food. That would not go over well.
“You are still a person.” His words and the tone of his voice kept replaying in her mind. Before Aerity had come to the castle Siel hadn’t spoken a word to her. Granted, she had responsibilities in the other part of the castle but still, she was invisible. But when he had looked at her just now…a shiver went down her spine. There was no use thinking or reflecting on such nonsensical things. He was a prince and was in love with her best friend. The whole notion was asinine and unrealistic, yet, her eyes still trailed down to the spot he had touched her arm. She swallowed.
Distracted by his presence and the fact that she was trying not to drop the tray of food, she had completely forgotten to tell him where Aerity was. But a little voice in the back of her mind still wondered if she could trust him. Yes, he claimed his actions were so the princess didn’t find out. But Aerity had been in the dungeon and it wasn’t him who had come to her aid but Damien. That itself was surprising enough. Siel still had no idea. What was he
doing now to ensure that she was alright? As much as she wondered whether she could trust him, she thought he at least deserved to know that Aerity was safe. Well, as safe as she could be…for now. She would go find him after giving the evil hag her food.
After a quick knock, the princess ordered her inside. Setting up the food, Carly placed the tray on the table and began removing the lid. The princess swept over to her in her over the top gaudy gown and jewels. Another reason Carly knew the truth. Not only had the princess been rude and ignorant. She had also been wasteful and uncaring. So many people could eat on the food that she had been throwing away the past few days and Aerity would have given all those jewels to the people if she could, instead of wearing them like a trophy to prove others were beneath her.
Carly clenched her jaw but gave the princess a fake smile. What was her goal? Why did she switch with Aerity to begin with?
“Is there anything else you need, Your Highness?” Carly asked, her skin itching to be anywhere but in this room with her.
The princess examined her before tilting her chin up. Again, to act like she was any better than her. Carly found herself grinding her teeth together. All her life, she had been a maid. A servant. Everyone looked down on her. Thought her insignificant simply because of the family she had been born into. But her position helped to keep her family fed and so she continued with the false pretense that she was proud of what she did. Until Aerity had come and seen the person she always had been all along. She had looked past her ratty maid uniform to see that she also had humor and grace. And now this pretender was in Aerity’s place, forcing her friend out into the world on her own and anger so intense swept through Carly’s body, nearly bringing her to her knees.
“Now don’t get me wrong, I rather do enjoy playing games but let’s just be blunt, shall we? Hmm?” The princess asked and Carly swallowed her hatred enough to respond with a nod.
“When the guards were questioned about how they allowed Aerity to go without her drugs for longer than the allotted time, the one guard confessed to being with a maid as distraction.”
Just thinking about him made her stomach queasy. His touch still lingered on her skin and the reminder of his lips touching hers made her want to gag. But Aerity had needed her and so she had been willing to do what needed to be done. Aerity had become a part of her family and would always have her loyalty and protection. No matter what she had to do to ensure her family’s safety.
She remained silent but continued watching the princess as one would eye a ravenous animal. There was no telling what her punishment would be but she refused to go out like a coward. She had hidden in the shadows for far too long. Been insignificant. No more. But that didn’t mean that she was going to be stupid. “Oh? And did you ever discover who it was, Your Highness? I can’t say I keep up with the latest gossip of the castle.”
The princess lips tipped up into a wicked grin. “You smarter than that little hand maiden. Why not just tell me the truth? Save us a step, yes?”
The vile woman couldn’t even use her name. Like she was simply defined by the position she was in. Even though, she was clearly already compromised, her pride took the hit far worse than her brain. In response, she lifted her chin in defiance anyway. No way would she be punished looking up the nose of this royal debutant who lacked in every other way except for the title her pompous self was born into. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but I did have a rather disappointing tumble with a guard but I’m not sure what he was guarding. I wish I could say it was worthy of the indiscretion, but I must admit that I was quite disappointed. He left me extremely wanting.”
The princess smirked but it was anything but jovial. Carly was surprised fangs didn’t peek out from the woman’s upper lip. “I had no idea you were such a spit fire. You were such a shy little thing when I first came here. Too bad you have no idea who you’re dealing with. Fire can be dangerous when you don’t know how to wield it properly. I must say it would be a pity for you to get burned by your own doing. Sometimes it is best simply to stomp it out. Keep the flames at bay, so to speak.”
Oh Carly had an idea who she was dealing with and that someone had horns and a little red pitchfork. The threat dangling in the air between them didn’t escape her notice. The princess stepped closer, but Carly held her ground, refusing to lose eye contact and denying the princess the satisfaction of backing down. “What are you planning on doing to me?”
The princess trailed a finger alongside the outskirts of the table in front of the food that had long been forgotten. “Oh it’s not what I’m going to do to you that you should be worried about. She will be coming for you. Very shortly. It’s just a matter of ti
me.
“Who will be coming for me?”
“The woman in the woods. She won’t be pleased that Aerity escaped.” The princess said cryptically before swiping her hand, shoving the tray off the table. The food went flying everywhere, splattering reds and greens all over Carly’s uniform. She sucked in her surprise and bit her lip.
“My food is now cold, and you look like trash found in the gutter. Clean it up and get me some more.” A hard glint settled in her eyes as Carly’s chest heaved with bitterness. It only got worse when the princess raised an eyebrow and the corner of her lip before she added to her sentence, “servant.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Eli
There were no freakin clocks in this place. How did these people function? Or get anywhere on time? Or know when two hours had passed? He paced across the small hut which only eluded to about three steps back and forth. It seemed like much longer than two hours since Aerity had left but he couldn’t tell. His mind raced at all the possible things that could have gone wrong while she was gone.
Captured? Tortured? He was going out of his mind with worry.
If she didn’t come back soon, he was going to lose it. She was tough. He knew that but this was pushing it. He should have never let her go. She was still healing and had just gotten out of bed when she went storming off into town with a crowd of people. What was wrong with him? His heart tugged too hard in his chest. A twinge that was becoming all too common when it came to her.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was his friend. Nothing more. But he couldn’t help but feel worried. He needed her. He couldn’t live in this world alone.
Two seconds from storming outside and hunting her down, he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. Sighing in relief, he ripped open the door to expose Aerity’s drenched form. Apparently, it had been raining again and he hadn’t even noticed. It seemed to be raining nonstop here. “I was about to come hunt you down! Where have you been?”