Her dark eyes gazed down at me. “Now, Klint. You’ll do as you’re told. You have no way to resist.”
“You can’t make me do anything,” I said. Tough words when I was huddled in a ball on the ground. But I meant them. They’d have to kill me before I let them hurt Yarling.
“Do you really not realize what it means to be mortal?” She scoffed and knelt down beside me. “I have complete control over you. This is the Alma’s greatest weakness, not seeing mortals as the prey they are. You chose not to manipulate them out of some sense of right and wrong. That’s shows your stupidity.”
She thrust out her hand and I felt magic grip my bones. I got to my feet, my body protesting the pain. I wanted to get back on the floor, to weep and cry to Myl for help, but I could barely move my eyes. She had complete control over my whole body.
Whispers in the Alma Palace had said mortals were easy to control, but I never realized them so simple to possess. She had me with just a wave of her hand.
“You’re Lady Marla Vionell,” I said, realizing this was the woman Franik had become so enamored with. He’d talked of her as if she were his conquest, but it was obviously the other way around.
Franik. Could he still be alive?
“Correct. Now, come along little puppy. I’ll take you to your master.”
She controlled my legs and forced me to walk toward the door. With a flick of her wrist, Antonio retreated farther into the room. He stood at attention beside the window. Then, as she made me reach for the door’s handle, a noise on the other side stopped her.
The door flew open and Yarling stood there, his eyes lit with worry. He stepped into the room, seeming relieved, and flipped on the lights with a point of his finger. “Klint? What are—”
The prince went tumbling backward, and Marla stepped out from behind the door. She slammed it shut and then released me from her clutches.
I sank to Yarling’s floor, unable to support my own body weight.
Marla advanced on the prince, but he was ready for her.
He shot to his feet and sent a bolt of energy at her heart. She easily deflected it, then sent her own spell at him.
“Klint?” the prince said as he sent another wave of electricity toward Marla. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, my voice raw.
The prince said something else, but I couldn’t hear over the sound of Marla’s spell. She sent a ball of fire at Yarling, and its roar filled my ears. I had to lower my eyes from the blinding power of the magic.
An explosion erupted, so great I felt the floor shake beneath me. I looked up and Yarling fell to his knees, breathing heavy. Marla stood before him, her back to the door, flanked by her two men.
“I never realized you were this powerful,” Yarling said conversationally.
“I have you to thank for it, Your Highness. With the addition of Klint’s and Franik’s magic, you’re no match for me.”
Yarling’s eyes widened, and he glanced at me.
I nodded, confirming her words.
A look of horror flashed across Yarling’s face.
“I knew I needed the aura of another Alma to beat you,” Marla said. “And once your power is added, I’ll be unstoppable. I can beat the Alsa Alma himself.”
Yarling tore his gaze away from mine and glared at Marla. “You don’t have my power yet, Marla. Don’t add it to your pile prematurely.”
“I have you right where I want you.”
Yarling showed his teeth. “No, I have you right where I want you.”
Desian—in his dragon form—broke down the bedroom door. Except now the dragon was the size of a horse and growing fast. By the time he landed on the ground in front of the prince, Desian stretched up to the ceiling. He was almost too big to fit inside the room.
The dragon lowered his neck, putting his face right in front of Marla. The color drained from her cheeks and she retreated a few steps.
“I can handle your familiar,” Marla said, but her tone didn’t hold the same confidence. Her two companions were already heading toward the door, sidestepping Desian’s scaly body.
“No, you can’t,” Yarling told her.
Carishina suddenly appeared in the open doorway, dressed only in her nightgown. She lashed out, wrapping the two men in binds made of air. They fell to the ground, immobile.
“You called?” Carishina asked with a bright grin.
“Yes, my dear,” the dragon said, his voice deep and rumbling. “I need your assistance with unraveling this woman’s magic. Can you try?”
Carishina tilted her head as she thought. “I can, but I’m not sure it will work. Wards are one thing, a person quite another.”
I stared on, transfixed. Carishina walked forward, unafraid of the large dragon or the dangerously powerful woman.
Marla tried to throw a spell, but Carishina closed the distance between them and socked the woman in the face. Marla clapped a hand to her nose, which spouted blood from the nostrils.
“Now stay still,” Carishina commanded.
Of course, Marla didn’t listen. She tried to reach her magic again, her fingers closing into a fist. This time, the consequences weren’t so small.
Desian opened his mouth and clamped onto Marla. She screamed as the dragon’s lips covered the top half of her body. He didn’t bite, which I had expected him to. Instead, he gently lifted her off the floor. She kicked and muffled yells wafted from inside Desian’s mouth.
“Whickly,” Desian mumbled around the protruding body.
Carishina strode forward and grasped Marla’s leg. Carishina shut her eyes and severe concentration tightened her face. “I don’t know if I can,” she said to no one in particular. “She has a lot of spells going simultaneously.”
“Wou can do et,” Desian encouraged.
Marla still kicked and flailed, but none paid her any attention. My eyes were glued to Carishina. She really had learned a lot from the dragon.
“I think—” Carishina started.
Suddenly, magic flew back into me. I gasped from the impact.
“You did it!” Yarling said. “Excellent, Carishina! Desian, you can eat her now.”
A shriek sounded from inside the dragon’s mouth.
“Wait!” I called out. “She has Franik’s magic too!”
Desian froze with his neck tipped backward, the woman slowly slipping farther into his mouth.
“I released all her magic,” Carishina said. “Franik’s was restored as well.”
“We may need her for information,” I tried again.
“What for?” Yarling asked.
“What about other plots she’s tried, or who these other dark magicians are?”
“That’s her husband, Lord Engle, and he’s the leader of the royal council, Lord Risha Franch. As for plots, it’s not difficult to guess. She’s a low-level magician, definitely not an Alma, who thought her inferior magic could best me. Eat her, Desian.”
I cringed as the dragon lifted his chin the rest of the way and Marla’s feet disappeared into his mouth. Desian swallowed audibly. I understood wanting to eliminate the threat, but it seemed like there was something we could have learned from the woman. Maybe we could question her husband and Lord Risha.
“Finish them too,” Yarling said, nodding his head to the two on the floor.
“Wait,” I said again, but Desian didn’t stop.
He slithered forward, graceful and fast for a being that size. The dragon took both men in his mouth at once and ate them too.
I felt nauseated.
“Carishina,” Yarling said. “Can you please go check on Franik? He might be in Marla’s room, one floor down.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” She bounded from the room as if all this were a normal conclusion to a normal day.
Yarling was by my side, his hand gripping my shoulder. “Klint, are you okay?”
With my magic restored, only the remembrance of the pain remained. I got to my feet with the prince’s help.
/> “Yes.”
From the other side of the room, Antonio woke from his spell-induced hypnosis. Desian—human again—headed that way, leaving Yarling to deal with me.
The prince’s fingers gripped my chin and he held me in place. “What happened? Why did you leave? I woke when the door shut.”
I nodded to the guardsman. “Antonio. He told me Carishina needed assistance.”
“And you believed him? If Carishina faced any sort of trouble, you know Desian would have been there. Trusting anyone like this was foolish.”
“Foolish? Why would I have cause to doubt Antonio?”
Yarling shook his head. “Didn’t you notice he held an enchantment? It should have been obvious. The magical residue alone should have tipped you off.”
While Yarling’s reasoning might have been true, having him berating me was uncalled for. “I didn’t have time to notice. My concern for Carishina took precedence!”
“Well you should have—”
Desian put his hands in between the prince and me. “Gentlemen,” he said calmly. “Adrenaline is rushing because of what we experienced. Klint, take a few moments to breathe. You’ve been through a very scary and trying ordeal. I dare say you’ve never been that close to death before.”
His words hit me hard along with the realization I was mortal for a few moments. My knees felt weak all over again and I nearly collapsed to the floor.
Yarling’s arms reached out and steadied me. I went willingly into his embrace.
“Klint,” he whispered into my ear. “I’m only concerned for your safety, you know.”
I took a deep breath, smelling the scent of him. I closed my eyes and allowed my body to soak up his comfort and his heat.
“I was so scared,” I told him softly. “But then I thought… if I were mortal… then we could have been together. We’d age the same, we’d die the same. But… she said you’re an Alma too?”
The prince pulled back and I looked into his soft brown eyes. “Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry, Klint. I tried to tell you this earlier. I am an Alma.”
“You can’t be. You haven’t trained at the Palace.”
“I discovered my mark when I was five.” He absently scratched at the back of his head, where his mark likely sat. “It was the year before I summoned Desian. I kept it to myself. I knew what the mark meant, and I didn’t want to leave my family. My parents have no idea to this day the extent of my power. But, when I stole from the Alsa Alma, he discovered what I was. He tried to make me come and train at the Palace. I didn’t want to. We came to an agreement, Klint.”
“What agreement?”
“I become his heir.”
My jaw dropped. “Y-you’ll be the next Alsa Alma?”
He nodded somberly. “He allowed me to train here, with books he sent, and occasional visits from him—all in secret, of course. He said I could have my parent’s lifetime to stay here in Terius, to be with them as long as possible. But once they died, I had to fulfill my agreement and go to the Alma Palace.”
“So, you can’t be the king.”
He nodded. “Correct. Plus, do you realize how much the other kingdoms would balk at having an Alma on a throne? It would set a terrible precedence. The nations like to have some independence. That would take it all away. Each king or queen would eventually be replaced with an Alma.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I wanted to tell you all this before,” the prince continued. “To ease your worry about my mortality. But I didn’t want such a thing to be the deciding factor. I guess my selfishness still got in the way. I wanted you to love me for me, not for my longevity.”
“Yarling, I… I don’t know what to say.”
“I know. And I understand my position may complicate things. But not to me. I love you and I want to be with you, regardless of my titles or positions.”
“I love you,” I said softly, still clutching to his pajama shirt. “And I want to be with you. I’ll ask the Alsa Alma to grant me an apothecary shop here. I’m sure he’d consent.”
Yarling smiled, cute and boyish. “You can stay in the palace with me, if you want. You don’t have to work.”
It felt nice hearing those words, to know Yarling would take care of me. At the same time, I didn’t want to be dependent. I wanted to have my own worth.
“What if I stay here with you but work in the city? I’d like to have something to occupy my time, or else all my skills would be wasted.”
“Whatever you want, Klint. When… when my time here is over, we can go to the Alma Palace together.”
I squeezed my arms tightly around his waist. “I think that’s a perfect plan.”
The door to the room flew open with a resounding bang. Yarling and I jumped apart. I reached into my magic, unwilling to be caught unaware again.
Carishina and Franik stood at the door, Franik’s face a thunderhead of fury.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
Desian said, “I ate her. Sorry.”
The anger in Franik’s eyes lessened. He looked at me. “So, I guess there really were dark wizards.”
“I guess so.”
“Are we going back to the Alma Palace?” he asked. “I think I’ve had enough of venturing outside.”
“If you want,” I answered. “You can leave right now. Carishina and I will be staying, though.”
Franik hesitated. “Staying? What for?”
Carishina smiled. “I still have so much to learn. Desian’s agreed to teach me.”
I glanced at her and saw her desire for knowledge. It had been there all along, but the Alma Palace—and my own treatment of her—had stamped it down. Here, she was growing and flourishing. I wish I had noticed and encouraged her passion before. At least there was time to make it up to her.
“And I’m going to open an apothecary shop.”
Franik lowered his brows. “The Palace would be boring without you two.”
Yarling said, “You’re more than welcomed to stay as our guest, Alma Franik. You’ve helped save my life and we owe you a great debt.”
Franik preened under the prince’s words. “Perhaps I could stay longer.”
Desian walked forward and extended his elbow to Carishina. “Thank you for coming so promptly. May I walk you back to your room?”
“Yes, please.”
They sauntered out the door. How could Carishina be so calm? The dragon-man had just eaten three people!
“I guess I better go too,” Franik said. “Come along, guardsman. I’ll help you get to the infirmary.”
That left Yarling and me alone. Finally.
Chapter Twenty
WE WEREN’T ALONE for long. As soon as I reached out to cup his chin, his parents entered the room.
“Yarling!” the queen bellowed, rushing toward her son and pushing me out of his arms. “Are you okay? What happened?” Her fingers gripped his chin—in a slightly more hostile manner than I would have—and turned his face either way, inspecting him for injuries.
“It’s fine, Mother,” he informed her calmly. “A threat, but it’s been dealt with. Once again, I owe my life to the three Almas.”
The queen turned to me. “Thank you, Alma!”
“You’re very welcome, Your Majesty.”
The king walked closer to us. “Alma,” he said, grave and somber. “Please allow us to offer you more in terms of payment. We cannot express how grateful we are to you.”
“That’s not necessary,” I began, but Yarling cut me off.
“The Alma would like to open an apothecary in our city. I suggest we fund his shop for the first five years and give him a tax exemption for ten.”
“An excellent idea, Yarling,” the king answered. “Consider it done, Alma.”
“I… Thank you.”
“Well,” the king said, taking his wife’s elbow. “With the crisis averted, we better leave these two alone now. I have a feeling we interrupted something.”
“Oh,” the queen said, su
rprised. She patted Yarling’s cheek. “I’m sorry, my dear.”
“Thank you, Mother,” he answered.
They made a hasty exit.
I walked back to Yarling.
“Your Highness?” called a loud voice from the doorway. I froze.
A dozen other guards stood there, darting quick glances around the room.
“Where is the perpetrator?” the leader inquired. He had his sword drawn and seemed ready to use it.
“Already dealt with,” Yarling answered. “The Almas were able to take care of the problem without incident.”
“I see,” the guard said. He gave a bow, as did the other soldiers. “Then we will stand guard outside your door for the remainder of the evening.”
“That’s not necessary,” Yarling told him. “I have enough protection in here with me.”
“Understood, Your Highness. Fall out,” he told his men.
They left, shutting the door behind them. It was broken in places where Desian had splintered it, but the boards gave a semblance of privacy.
Again, I approached the prince, ready to put this ordeal behind me.
“Will you come back to bed with me?” Yarling asked.
“I will. Tonight and every night.”
He reached out, took my hand in his, and led me to the bed.
We settled down under the cool covers, warming the sheets with our body heat. Though the bed was obscenely large, we met in the middle, pressing close to each other.
Yarling waved his hand and the lights shut off. I buried my face into the crook of his neck.
“Klint?”
“Yes, Yarling?”
“Will you tell me about what happened?”
I sighed. “When she took my magic—”
“Not about tonight, my dear. I want to hear about your past. How your lover hurt you.”
Even now, safe in his arms, the remembered pain flared anew.
“I told you. He died cursing me.”
“How could he do such a thing?”
“I don’t know. We were so happy. But, as he grew old and I remained youthful, he must have become envious. He turned bitter.”
“I can’t believe that, Klint. Tell me what he said, if you remember.”
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