by Linda Kage
Not sure if I still had any time left or not, I thrust my daughter at Nicolette who seemed to be in shock, still staring in gaping horror at the floor where Yasmin’s pile of dust remained.
The young princess gazed dazedly at the baby in her arms and then went right back to ogling the place where her sister-in-law had exploded.
I hurried to Urban, falling to my knees at his side and gritting my teeth as I rolled over his brawny, muscled body. When he flopped onto his back, his arm slapping against the marble floor, I leaned in without hesitation and slanted my mouth over his.
Almost immediately, his lips warmed against mine until his mouth parted and he thrust his tongue, kissing me with a fervor that went well and beyond mere life-saving. But I was so happy to have him back that I greeted the kiss with just as must gusto, pouring my joy into it.
When we finally parted, panting for breath, he gazed up at me and said, “It happened again, didn’t it? You had to bring me back?”
“Yes.” I nuzzled my nose against his. “You really need to be more careful with your life, you know. I might not always be around to save you.”
His blue eyes sparkled with adoration as he smiled. “Then I’ll just have to stay close to you, always.”
“Deal.”
We shared a grin until the sobs of his sister broke through our happy bubble. When he glanced over to find Allera mourning the loss of Brentley, Urban gasped. “Oh, fuck.”
“No,” Allera sniffed, patting Brentley’s chest lovingly. “Not you too, Brentley. Not you too. I loved you. I loved you more than I thought I was capable.” She pulled away to offer his body a tragic, tear-stained smile. “You made me smile again. Laugh again. I was happy with you. I was more than happy with you.”
I tucked my face close to Urban’s shoulder, and he immediately smoothed a hand up my back before kissing my temple.
“Rest in peace, my brave sweet husband,” Allera whispered as she leaned in to gently press her lips to his. “Goodbye.”
But as soon as she tried to pull away, Brentley sucked in a breath and blinked his eyes open.
“Brentley?” Nicolette cried, leaping forward.
“Yeah?” he answered, groaning as he sat up. He lifted his hand to his collar line and rubbed. “Damn, my neck aches like a bastard. What the hell happened?”
“Yasmin broke it,” Allera said, sitting back on her haunches so she could blink at him as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Brentley stopped rubbing his throat to squint at her. “Come again?”
“Yasmin killed you,” his wife repeated, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe her own claim. “She snapped her fingers, and it broke your neck. You fell to the floor, dead.”
He blinked slowly. “I…died?”
“You did.” Allera nodded, her eyes wide.
Squinting, he tipped his head to the side. “Then how am I alive now?”
Nicolette laughed and clapped her hands madly. “Because of true love’s kiss, of course.” Hopping up and down in glee, she pulled Anniston up so she could kiss the baby all over her face, making my daughter giggle along with her.
“True love’s…?” Eyes flashing wide, Brentley gaped crazily around the room. “But who kissed me?”
“Hey!” Smile dropping, Allera swung out to slap the side of his arm. “I did, you buffoon.”
“You?” He swung back to her, his eyes wide. “But… How? You already had a one true love. And your mark… It’s gone.”
A sly grin took over her features. “It’s not unheard of to have multiple true loves, you know. Rare, but not impossible. Losing Jazon might’ve made my mark disappear, which in turn didn’t alert me to you when we met, but the power behind true love doesn’t stop just because there’s no mark.” With a shrug, she sent us all a bemused grin. “And here, I always thought it would be cool to have more than one true love.”
“God, Allera,” Urban groaned, leaning against me to bury his embarrassed face into my neck. “Only you would be so greedy.”
As Nicolette giggled, Brentley gazed at everyone in confused question before turning back to Allera. “So, we’re… We’re really…?”
“Yes,” she cried, throwing her arms around him to hug and kiss him forcefully.
My shoulders shook as I laughed in delight. Leaning against Urban, I touched his arm, grateful to still have everyone in the room who had survived.
As if sensing my thoughts, Urban shifted his mouth near my ear and asked, “Is this the wrong time to ask what happened to your sister?”
When I looked up at him, he glanced around the room with a slight frown, probably looking for her body. But the only dead visible were Soren and Caulder.
“She didn’t get away, did she?”
“No,” I said. “She’s definitely deceased. Nicolette threw something in her face, and she… She withered into dust. There.”
When I pointed, Nicolette moaned, freshly reminded of what she’d done. “Oh God.” She spun back toward the puddle of ash on the floor. “Did I really kill her? Are you sure she’s dead?”
I eased away from Urban so I could take Anniston from her. “Yes,” I said, bringing the baby close. “I’d say she’s quite dead.”
“And thank God,” Allera swore. “If you hadn’t come in when you did, we’d all be gone right now.” Shaking her head, she let out an impressed whistle. “I just want to know how the hell you did that. It was freaking awesome.”
“I don’t know,” Nicolette insisted, shaking her head adamantly. “I… It was the High Cliff priestess who tattooed my love mark. When she told me I’d been touched by someone with dark magic, she gave me this leather pouch. She said not to open it or lose it, but to keep it safe until I discovered who was infected. Then all I had to do was throw the pouch at them and recite a couple words she made me memorize. She said it would destroy the magic. I didn’t know it would kill the actual person. I never liked Yasmin and don’t mind her being dead, but I certainly didn’t mean to be the one who killed her.”
“Never fear, my child,” a new voice spoke from the doorway. “It wasn’t you who killed her. She killed herself.”
Chapter 42
Urban
“Who the hell are you?” Allera asked as Vienne’s grandfather stepped into the dining hall, hobbling toward us with his wooden staff in hand.
“Wren Mandalay?” Brentley breathed in astonished wonder, gaping at him. Then he shook his head slowly. “I thought you died ages go. How long have you been alive?”
Mandalay sent him a quizzical glance. “Since birth, I’d imagine.”
Flushing as he realized how ridiculous his question had been, Brentley shook his head and revised, “I mean, why did no one know you were still around?”
“Probably because I didn’t wish it to be known.” Mandalay finally reached us, slightly out of breath. “I only came tonight because I heard we’d been invaded and that the king had fallen.” He glanced toward the banquet table and sighed sadly. “My condolences.”
“Can you bring him back, sir?” Nicolette asked, moving to her dead brother’s side so she could touch Caulder’s leg mournfully.
“What’s that?” Mandalay wheezed out a cough before he shook his head. “Oh, dear child, no. I’m so sorry, but I possess no magic abilities, and even if I did, I fear only his one true love could fix this.”
“Poor Caulder,” Nicolette said, her eyes filling with tears. “He shouldn’t have ended this way. The two people he placed in the highest regard… And they betrayed him. They murdered him.”
Mandalay patted her shoulder sympathetically. “No, it isn’t fair at all. So few things in this life are.”
The young princess looked up at him. “You said I didn’t kill Yasmin. How are you so sure?”
“Because.” He nodded patiently. “The description you gave to the others of what you did sounded like a High Cliff way to exorcise demons from the bearers of dark magic. In most cases, the mixture will vanquish only the magic, le
aving the host body basically unharmed. But my unfortunate granddaughter must’ve carried the darkness in her for so long and accepted it so fully within her that it bonded to her soul. The two could not be separated, so when it died, she did as well.”
“Oh,” Nicolette said in a small voice as she hugged herself.
“She was beyond redemption,” Vienne told her kindly. “None of us could’ve known. Please don’t distress yourself over this, Nicolette. You saved us. Try to focus on that.”
“She’s right.” Allera nodded, backing up Vienne’s words, as she hooked her arm through Nicolette’s. “You’re our hero.”
Nicolette nodded but still looked troubled.
It made me remember the first time I’d taken a life. He’d been a nameless enemy from Lowden I’d met on the battlefield. But I could still remember the look of shock in his eyes when he realized I’d bested him and he wouldn’t survive the day. I wondered if he had family, a lover who’d mourn him, pets… Before another soldier had charged at me, and I’d been forced to kill again.
I still dreamed about that first death, though. It would take the young princess some time to get past this.
When Vienne shuddered in my arms, I realized she’d taken a life today too, as had Allera and Brentley. I wondered if this had been the first time for them as well. All of us had blood on our hands now.
Tucking my one true love in close to my side, I kissed her hair when she burrowed her face into my shoulder.
I closed my eyes, thankful she’d been kept safe.
“I should probably take Anniston up to our room,” she said, glancing up at me from exhausted eyes. “It’s been a long, traumatic day for her. She’ll adjust best with a spot of normal routine back in her system.”
It’d been a long day for Vienne too. Taking her hand, I nodded. “I’ll come with you.”
She smiled at me tenderly. “While I would love that, I wonder if you would be best suited down here for the time being, helping the new king step into his role. There’s still much to be done this night in the kingdom of Donnelly.”
I glanced over toward Brentley, who looked to be leaning heavily against Allera.
Our new king.
My God, my sister was a queen now.
Great. She’d no doubt lord this over me until the end of time.
“Damn,” I murmured, shaking my head. “Do you think it’s even occurred to him yet?”
“I doubt it,” Vienne murmured sadly.
I nodded, agreeing. “I’ll see what I can do then, my love. But I still feel uneasy about you going anywhere alone right now, even inside the castle. I know Yasmin’s gone and Far Shore has been handled, but—”
She grinned. “Never fear. I’ll see if I can bring Nicolette with me.”
I chuckled. “In that case, I pity whoever might try to bother you.”
Sniffing out her amusement, she placing a kiss to my jaw, then pulled back to gaze at me with pleasure. I nodded, letting her know all was well. She nodded back, only to turn away and murmur something to her grandfather. After he answered her, touching her elbow, she went to Nicolette and convinced the girl to leave with her.
I watched them go before regarding my brother-in-law.
“Your Majesty,” I said solemnly.
He glanced back at me with momentary confusion before it struck him what I meant.
Face draining of color, he shook his head and muttered, “No. Dear God, not yet. I’m not ready for that right now.”
“All the same,” I told him with a humble bow. “You are the king, and your kingdom just experienced its first battle. Its first invasion. Even though we won, there are still some of our fallen soldiers out there on the field and wounded survivors to tend to. Plus, we’ve the captured prisoners to deal with and we need to let the people know how Caulder died, as well as why Far Shore came to hate us, and who betrayed us.”
“Christ.” Brentley closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. “You’re right. We’re only just getting started this night, aren’t we?”
“It’s okay, my love,” Allera encouraged him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his cheek. “You’ve got this. I have faith in you.”
Brentley opened his lashes to study her face. When she nodded, it must’ve given him the boost he needed, because he straightened and glanced expectantly around the room before frowning.
“Where the hell are all the guards? And servants?”
I winced. Stupid me, I’d ordered them all away to give the family time to say goodbye to Caulder. If only I hadn’t done that, Yasmin might not have been able to get away with what she’d done.
Then again, I realized everyone she’d killed tonight was now alive, and Nicolette had taken care of her. If any servants or soldiers had been near when she’d exposed her magic, she probably would’ve killed them off first. So it was just as well that they hadn’t been around to get hurt.
“I’ll get them, Your Majesty,” I promised.
“Good.” Brentley nodded. “Have them meet me in the Throne Room as soon as possible, you included, as you’ve just been upgraded from leader of my army to top advisor.”
I paused, shocked by such a proclamation. A part of me wanted to celebrate, so I could gloat to my father. See, I wasn’t a total fuck-up, I could tell him. A king trusted me and valued my opinion enough to make me his top advisor. Yet, another part of me cringed away from such bothersome, vile politics.
When I noticed that Allera had lifted her eyebrows my way, clearly wondering if I’d actually accept the position or not, I scowled back.
The brat knew me too well.
Clearing my throat, I smiled stiffly at Brentley. “As honored as I am by the offer, Your Majesty, I think my talents remain best executed on the battlefield.”
Brentley lifted a single eyebrow. “Are you turning me down, Prince?”
I chuckled. “While I’d certainly love to give you my opinion on every matter and probably will continue to do so no matter what my title is, I just wonder if the position of top advisor should go to someone who knows the kingdom better. Someone with, say, Mandalay blood in them.”
“Vienne,” Wren Mandalay murmured in pleased surprise. Then he nodded his approval and rotated toward Brentley. “I like this kid’s thinking.”
“Then it is done,” Brentley announced. “But… As she is busy tending to her child at the moment, would you mind standing in her stead for the time being?” he asked the old man. “I’d greatly appreciate receiving your wisdom and insight.”
Mandalay bowed to him, then winced when he straightened his crooked spine, pressing his hand against his lower back. “It would be my honor, Your Majesty.”
As they started for the exit to continue on to the Throne Room, I shook my head when Brentley glanced back to give me his own approving nod.
Then I set out to give orders to the servants. I found them all waiting expectantly to hear updates on Caulder and the rest of the kingdom. I gave them my news and sent them off to perform their duties before navigating my way to the Throne Room myself.
Two hours later, the king had sent his yawning wife off to bed and he’d taken care of most of the issues that should be attended to immediately. His one last task was to have an audience with the Far Shore prisoners his army had captured.
There were less than two dozen of them, wearing nothing but those loose, leather skirts, sandals, and strange tattoos on the center of their backs with more running up the sides of their arms. Every single one of them was young and dirty after spending the last few hours in the Iron Castle’s dungeon that Mandalay claimed had never been used before tonight.
As they were led into the Throne Room by four guards who had them bound together with iron chains around their ankles, wrists, and throats, I studied our enemies. They were here for what they thought was a good cause. Soren had made them believe we had wronged them, that we hated them. Their anger and sense of injustice was palpable.
I almost felt bad for them.
Just as Brentley began to address them, charging them with crimes against Donnelly but promising to pardon them if they agreed to bend the knee in allegiance to him, a voice hissed from behind me.
“Psst. Urban!”
I turned to find a wide-eyed Nicolette hovering in the entrance to a servant’s hallway not far behind me. Fidgeting like crazy, she looked scared out of her mind, so I hurried to her, clasping her arm.
“What’s wrong? Vienne—”
I’m not sure why I asked about my one true love, since I felt no trouble from her through my mark, but my worries always went first to her; I couldn’t seem to help it.
“No,” Nicolette said, shaking her head vigorously. “It’s not her. It’s me. I mean, my mark. It… It’s itching.”
I blinked in disbelief as her gaze moved toward the row of Far Shore prisoners.
Ah, fuck, no.
“He’s here, isn’t he?” she asked, studying them frantically until her gaze latched onto one, and she breathed in amazement. “My one true love.”
Whimpering, she grabbed my arm, her fingers biting in hard. “Oh God, Urban. What do we do?”
Groaning, I closed my eyes and shook my head. This couldn’t end well.
Her eyes were glassy and wide with fear and awe as she stared fixedly at one specific prisoner.
From his throne, Brentley’s voice boomed, “Now, kneel. Or die.”
Immediately, all of the prisoners fell to their knees, except for four of them. Nicolette whimpered in distress. “No, no!” she groaned, shaking her head insistently. “What does he think he’s doing?”
“Let me guess,” I muttered dryly. “Your boy’s one of the four still standing.”
“Of course,” Nicolette muttered, narrowing her eyes and frowning. “The stupid, loyal idiot. He’s the tall, brown-headed one on the end there. God, he’s so gorgeous. Thank you, fate, for making him gorgeous.”
I sighed. Nicolette might never forgive her brother if he had her one true love executed.