Lacy was starving. She nodded tightly as she made for the door, giving Drogan a wide berth.
“I’ll be here if you need anything,” he said, gesturing to a pallet covered with straw mats pushed up against the wall.
Before she closed the door, she stopped for a moment and looked at Drogan, trying to size him up. He accepted her scrutiny without affront.
“Thank you,” she said, then closed and barred the door. She made a quick search of the room before helping herself to the bread, cheese, and fruit laid out on the table. She hadn’t eaten a decent meal in days. Once she’d eaten her fill, she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. She didn’t know for sure why he was helping her, but that didn’t matter for now.
For the first time in weeks, Lacy Fellenden felt safe.
***
Phane smiled broadly as he swirled his goblet of dark red wine. He was sitting in his Wizard’s Den, looking through his enchanted mirror into the little room where Lacy slept.
“It seems your agent has been successful in making contact, General,” Phane said.
“Drogan’s a good man, My Prince,” General Hargrove said. “Now that he has the girl, I recommend we send orders for him to kill her and return with her possessions.”
Phane shook his head absently, deep in thought.
“Tempting, General, but ultimately counterproductive,” Phane said. “If I’m correct, and I usually am about these things, the item she carries can only be opened by one of her bloodline and then only while not under duress.
“Have Drogan bring her here, but only through persuasion. He is not to use force or threat against her in any way. We must win her over so that she chooses of her own free will to do as I ask. Only then will I gain my prize.”
“As you wish, My Prince,” General Hargrove said.
“That will be all,” Phane said, as he stared into his goblet, gently swirling his dark red wine.
Chapter 6
Alexander came awake gradually. At first he was only dimly aware of anything at all, then he floated in that half-dream state where he was still asleep but aware at the same time. When he heard the soft crying, he woke with a start.
Chloe buzzed up over his face from the place on his chest where she’d been sitting and looked intently into his eyes. Alexander blinked the sleep away and tried to focus on her.
She clapped and suddenly burst into a ball of scintillating white light, buzzing toward the ceiling.
“You’re awake!” she said out loud.
As Alexander began to come to his senses, he tried to speak but couldn’t make his mouth work, so he thought his question to Chloe.
“What happened?”
“I’m so sorry, My Love,” Chloe said, floating down closer to his face. “I suggested you use fairy dust to combat the taint left behind by the wraithkin’s dagger.”
She landed on his chest and sat down, burying her face in her hands.
“I thought I’d lost you, My Love,” she said in his mind. “You died.” She sobbed into her hands, releasing all of her pent-up fear and worry.
“Died?” he mumbled.
She nodded, her face still buried in her hands.
“You haven’t lost me, Little One,” Alexander said without speaking. “I’m right here.”
He glanced around at his surroundings. From the looks of the stone walls, he was somewhere within Blackstone Keep. He’d recognize the seamless, smooth-cut walls and perfectly straight lines of the Keep’s stonework anywhere. He was lying in a big, four-poster bed with a thick, feather mattress and finely woven linen sheets. The room was large with one closed door to his left and an open door leading to a water closet on the wall opposite the bed. To the right was a series of heavy red curtains that looked like they blocked out the light from at least five arched windows. There was a small table in one corner with four chairs pushed in under it and a set of two comfortable, cushioned chairs next to the bed with a small table separating them.
Isabel was curled up in one of the chairs, sleeping.
“We’ve been so worried, My Love,” Chloe said, after she finished sobbing. “You’ve been unconscious for three days.”
Alexander was suddenly alarmed. There was no telling what might have transpired in the three days he was out. He shook his head; it felt like it was full of cotton. He couldn’t quite make his mind work right.
“What happened?”
“You started shaking violently after you used the fairy dust,” Chloe said, and then started crying again. “I almost killed you, My Love. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
Alexander almost laughed. “Chloe, there’s nothing to forgive. You were trying to help me.”
She was sobbing into her hands again. Through his bond with her, he could feel the weight of guilt she had taken upon herself.
“Look at me, Little One.”
She sniffed and looked up at him.
“I love you, Chloe. You didn’t hurt me. The wraithkin did. All you tried to do was help me. I don’t blame you for anything and I hope you won’t blame yourself. You don’t deserve that.”
“You mean it?”
“Every word, Little One.”
She swallowed and sniffed again.
Her mood lightened a bit when Alexander smiled at her.
“Now, tell me what happened.”
“After you used the fairy dust, you fell out of your chair and every muscle in your body spasmed at once. You shook for several minutes. Your heart was racing and you stopped breathing. Your mother said it was because the muscles around your lungs weren’t working right.”
She swallowed hard and looked him in the eye.
“Then your heart stopped. I was so afraid. I can’t lose you, My Love. I can’t.” She started to lose her composure again.
“Hush, you haven’t lost me, Little One. It’s all right. Just tell me what happened next.”
“Isabel used her healing light on you.”
A thrill of fear raced through Alexander. He looked over at Isabel quickly and scrutinized her, then closed his eyes with a feeling of dread when he saw a hint of darkness tangled up in her beautiful colors.
“She’s all right, My Love.”
Alexander shook his head. “No, she’s not. The wraithkin’s taint is infecting her magic.”
“Oh, My Love, I’m so sorry. She said she felt fine.”
Alexander nodded with his eyes closed.
“Her light brought your heartbeat back and healed the cut on your arm.”
Alexander opened his eyes with a frown. “So the fairy dust worked … it just killed me in the bargain.”
Chloe nodded. “Lucky said he thinks the conflict between the fairy dust and the wraithkin’s dark magic unleashes too much power. It caused all of your muscles to clench uncontrollably until you ran out of air. You only relaxed once your heart stopped.”
Isabel moaned softly as she woke from the sound of their conversation. Alexander watched her with a gentle smile. With all of the trouble swirling around him he was at peace just knowing that this amazing woman loved him. With her at his side he could face any challenge.
She came awake with a start and scrambled out of the chair and onto the bed, kneeling beside him and putting her head on his shoulder as she started crying softly.
He put his hand on her back and caressed her gently.
“I’m all right, you saved me—both of you.”
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Isabel said. “When your mom said your heart had stopped, I felt like the world was ending.”
“Come here,” he whispered.
She lay down beside him and put her head on his shoulder.
“I’m grateful that you saved me. But now the wraithkin’s taint is growing inside you,” Alexander said.
She tensed a little but didn’t say anything.
“You have to promise me that you won’t use your light again until we figure out how to undo whatever the wraithkin’s magic did to you.”
She nodded. “I don’t feel anything. Are you sure it’s really there?”
“I’m sure,” he said.
“I promise I won’t use it unless it’s the only way to save you,” Isabel said.
“Isabel, we don’t know what’s happening. The wraithkin’s taint could kill you.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“You can’t risk yourself for me,” Alexander said.
She lifted herself up so she could look him in the eye. “I can and I will,” she said, her green eyes flashing. “When I was lost in the darkness, you risked yourself to save me. You can’t ask me to do any less. I love you just as much as you love me. Losing you would be the most horrible thing that could ever happen to me.”
Chloe nodded, still sitting in the middle of his chest.
Alexander sighed and shook his head. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I know,” Isabel said.
He relaxed and let himself drift off. When he woke an hour later, Isabel was resting with her head on his shoulder, and Chloe was curled up asleep on his chest. He yawned and both of them woke.
“Are you hungry?” Isabel asked.
“Now that you mention it, I’m starving.”
“I’ll have Adele make us some breakfast and send word to your parents and sister that you’re awake,” Isabel said, as she got up.
“Adele? From New Ruatha?”
“Yep, she volunteered to serve as your house manager. She’s the one who got these quarters cleaned and furnished for us. In fact, as I understand it, she went to Erik demanding to know why he hadn’t assigned a staff to attend to you when you were in the Keep. He was a bit flustered at first. I can’t say I blame him since he’s been busy coordinating the supply operation for the army. When Adele offered to take care of our quarters, he gladly assigned her the job.”
Alexander chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t blame him, either. He’s got more important things to do than worry about where we’re going to sleep. Besides, I thought we had rooms off the paddock.”
“Alexander, you’re the Sovereign,” Isabel said, smiling at his discomfort. “It wouldn’t do for you to stay in the barracks with the soldiers.”
Alexander shook his head. “One of these days, I expect everyone to realize that I’m just a ranch hand and throw me in the dungeon for impersonating a king.”
“You are much more than a ranch hand, My Love,” Chloe said, standing in the middle of his chest with her hands on her hips and looking at him sternly. “I know your heart, maybe even better than you do yourself. You are every bit the king that the people need. Without you, they don’t stand a chance against the storm that’s coming. Through you, they may yet live to see a world ruled by justice rather than ambition.”
Once again, Alexander felt the weight of his burden settle into place. He set aside his dream of a simple life with Isabel and accepted the world as it was. He was the Sovereign of the Seven Isles—and he had a war to win.
“Let’s go get breakfast.”
He opened the door leading from his bedchamber into a large circular sitting room. There was an arch on the opposite side leading to an entry hall with a door on the far side. To his right was an arch that opened into a large formal dining room with three crystal chandeliers hanging over a long oak table. On his left was a heavy bound oak door. The sitting room had a fireplace in the center with a stone chimney rising into the ceiling. On one side of the fireplace was a low table with couches on two sides and overstuffed chairs on the other two. Colorful tapestries, probably from New Ruatha, hung over the black granite of the walls. Brass lamps stood at intervals between the tapestries, providing ample light.
Boaberous stood when Alexander entered.
“Lord Reishi, it’s good to see you well again.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Report,” Alexander said.
“Your rooms are secure. There’s only one entrance from within the Keep,” he said, motioning toward the door in the entry hall. “The balconies are inaccessible except by flight. I’ve posted two Rangers at the door and four on platforms above your balconies.
“Commander P’Tal is still incapacitated, but the healers tell me he’s mending. I’m aware of only one immediate threat. The Rangers reported that a serving girl was murdered last night within the Keep. They’re investigating.”
“It’s always something,” Alexander said with a frown.
Adele came bustling in and smiled broadly when she saw Alexander.
“Lord Reishi, it’s so good to see you. We were all worried sick that you wouldn’t wake up. I’ll send word to your mother right away.” She turned and called out into the other room, “Lena.”
A young woman of about nineteen came into the sitting room. She wasn’t quite as tall as Isabel, had dark brown hair and soft brown eyes, clear skin, and a timid smile. She was beautiful but still unsure of herself as a woman. Her colors were clear and bright, vibrant with life but also revealed the nervousness and uncertainty of youth.
“Yes ma’am?”
“Lena, this is Lord Reishi,” Adele said, turning back to Alexander. “With your permission, Lord Reishi, Lena will be your maidservant. She is well-trained and has served on my staff for many years.”
“I trust your judgment, Adele. Pick your staff as you see fit,” Alexander said, then turned to Lena. “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you, Lord Reishi,” she said.
“Lena, run and tell Lady Bella that her son is awake,” Adele said.
Lena nodded and headed out the door in the entry hall.
“You must be famished,” Adele said. “I’ll have the chef start breakfast right away. I suspect your family will be joining you shortly, so I’ll be sure he makes plenty. Is there anything in particular you’d like?”
Alexander shrugged with a smile, “Maybe some eggs.”
“Of course, I’ll get breakfast started and be back with a pot of tea,” Adele said, as she whisked out of the room.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that,” Alexander said. “It just doesn’t feel right having people waiting on me.”
“You have more important things to worry about,” Isabel said.
Alexander and Isabel were sitting on a couch sipping tea when Duncan and Bella arrived.
When Bella saw her son, she put her hand on her chest and closed her eyes to fight back tears. She hugged him fiercely and then held him by the shoulders at arm’s length.
“How do you feel? Are you having any light-headedness, dizziness, or confusion?”
“I feel fine, Mom, just a little hungry.”
“You had us all pretty worried, Son,” Duncan said, “especially after Esmer died.”
“Who’s Esmer?”
“He was one of Kelvin’s wizards, a healer,” Duncan said. “He tried to heal Commander P’Tal with a spell but it didn’t work. We found him dead the next morning.”
Alexander looked at Isabel again, examining her colors more closely.
“I’m fine, Alexander. Stop worrying. My healing magic works differently than most others’. I’ve already talked with Kelvin and Magda about it. They said Esmer died because the wraithkin’s taint kept his connection to the firmament open. When he went to sleep, he got lost in the firmament in his dreams. That’s why he never woke up.
“Since my healing doesn’t come from manipulating the firmament, Magda thinks the taint will attack my connection to the realm of light instead. I might lose my ability to use the light but not my other magic.”
“What’s Kelvin think?” Alexander asked.
“He’s not so sure,” Isabel said, reluctantly. “He’s afraid that the taint will go to work on my connection with the firmament once it’s overpowered my link with the realm of light.”
Alexander frowned. “We have to get rid of that taint, and sooner would be better than later.”
“We’re already working on it, Alexander,” Bella said.
The door in the entry
hall opened and people started filing in. Abigail and Jack, with a young waifish girl trailing behind them, looking timid and wide-eyed, came first, followed by Anatoly, Lucky, Kelvin, and Magda.
Abigail went straight to her brother and hugged him, then stepped back and said with a smile, “Be more careful!”
“You’re looking well for a man who’s just recently died,” Jack said with a sparkle. “It’s good to have you back.”
“Quite, my boy,” Lucky said. “Looks like your wound has mended nicely.”
“I hear you got two of those wraithkin,” Anatoly said. “Not bad. I went to see Commander P’Tal yesterday. They hurt him pretty bad. The healers say he’ll be out of commission for a few months, at least.”
“You look like you’ve recovered well,” Alexander said.
“Isabel’s magic fixed me up better than I had any right to expect,” Anatoly said. “I thought I was gone for sure when that scourgling hit me. Felt like every bone in my chest was shattered.”
“That’s because they were,” Lucky said. “You were far beyond my talents. Without Isabel, you would have died.”
“So you keep reminding me,” Anatoly said.
Lucky smiled impishly.
Kelvin shook Alexander’s hand. “Glad to have you back. We have much to discuss and your leadership is sorely needed.”
Alexander sighed and nodded. “Can we have breakfast first?”
Kelvin chuckled, nodding.
“Hello, Lord Reishi,” Magda said. “I’m glad to see you’re well. I feared the worst when I arrived to the news that you’d been unconscious for two days.”
“Thank you, Magda. I’m glad you could come to Blackstone for the council meeting,” Alexander said with a deferential nod to the triumvir.
Then he turned to the young girl and smiled. “You were sitting with Isabel and Abigail when I looked in on them at the fortress island. Thanks for keeping them company. I’m sure your friendship was a comfort to them. I’m Alexander.”
She swallowed hard and curtsied as if she just remembered she was supposed to be on her best behavior. “I’m Wren, Lord Reishi. Thank you for having me as a guest in your home.”
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