“He gives wonderful gifts.” Jackson leered up at them. “But to give those gifts, he must do terrible things.” He leaned forward, pressing his face between the bars until it had to hurt. “For a gift to go into you,” he pointed at Nicholas, “so must darkness, too!” Then he began chortling again as though he was very clever. “But come here and I will tell you a secret!”
Nicholas ignored Oliver’s warning glance and crouched beside the bars. Jackson’s hands shot out and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him so close he could see the red and black veins beginning to spread throughout the whites of the man’s eyes.
“I cannot tell you who the seller was because I don’t know,” he whispered.
“I suppose you prefer your death to be quick then,” Oliver said, suddenly inches from them with weapon drawn, but Jackson stuck his tongue out at the captain.
“I cannot tell you because he never took off his mask!” Then he turned back to Nicholas, whom he still held. “I can only tell you that I paid him ten thousand pounds in gold.”
Nicholas felt his jaw drop.
“But if you want to get really rich,” Jackson began to sing, letting go of Nicholas’s collar, “here’s what you must do! To get it back tenfold, you must deliver the goods!”
“Which would be?” Nicholas grabbed Jackson by the collar this time and slammed his face up against the bars. “What does he want to find?”
Jackson smiled beatifically and whispered, “The girl who talks to the stars.”
25
Yes
“Nicholas! It’s so good to have you home!” Nicholas’s mother pushed her chair back from the table and ran to wrap her arms around him.
“I was only gone for a week, Mother.” Still, Nicholas smiled and hugged his mother back, kissing the top of her head.
“So, how was your meeting?” His father dabbed another slab of butter on his biscuit. “I see you made it back in one piece.”
“Thanks to Oliver,” Nicholas said as he walked to his seat, nodding his thanks to the servant placing a plate in front of him. “This looks delicious.”
“Your father wanted to welcome you home with a good meal.” Nicholas’s mother beamed at the king as she sat down again. In the warm glow of the morning light that danced in through the windows, one might have fancied them in love.
Nicholas studied his father anew. “Did you miss me that much?”
“I know how awful ship food can be. Sit, sit.” His father waved him down. “Your mother was just telling me a delightful tale of the day your sister managed to sit on a cat. Now how did your mission fare?”
“The meeting was awful,” he said as he sank into the chair to his father’s right.
“Oh?” For the first time, the king’s face betrayed a hint of displeasure. He stopped buttering his biscuit and made a slight gesture at one of the servants. Immediately, the room cleared until it was only Nicholas and his parents.
“Where is Sophia?” Nicholas asked.
“Out with several of her ladies-in-waiting, perusing fabrics for the wedding,” his mother said.
“So what about the meeting went wrong?” Xander asked.
“Everything. We have traitors galore who openly support the Shadow and all the improvements he’s made to the economy. We have spineless rats who are too terrified to remember their fealty.” He shook his head and took a sip of juice. “Some didn’t even turn up, and those who are loyal were bullied by those who aren’t.”
“I suppose I should go and see if Sophia needs some help.” His mother began to stand.
“Actually, Mother, you might be able to help me. Have you seen Lady Elaina since I’ve been gone?”
His mother looked surprised but sat back down. “Elaina Starke? Yes, actually. I had tea with her family a few days ago.”
“How was she?”
“What does this have to do with the rebellion?” Nicholas’s father frowned.
“Believe it or not, it does. Now, Mother, how was she faring?”
“She looked a little uneasy, but when I asked after her health, she claimed only to have a slightly upset stomach. Nothing alarming.” She sighed. “I can only suppose it had something to do with her father being gone. Poor girl.” She put down her cup and studied him. “Why?”
Nicholas took a deep breath. The colorful arrangement of fruits and pastries before him looked suddenly far less appetizing than they had. “Because I think she is in danger.”
“Danger! How in the depths could Elaina be in danger?”
But Nicholas turned to his father instead. “Father, when was the last time you spoke with Theodore Jackson?”
His father leaned back and scratched his beard. “I couldn’t say for sure. Several years at least. What about him?”
“After the meeting, I decided to visit the market nearby and see how business was progressing, to see if what Alastair said about the illegal trade was true.”
“And was it?”
“No one would talk to me at first, so I can only assume so. The environment was far more hostile than I’ve ever encountered. Eventually, though, we did receive a tip that Jackson had spoken with the Shadow himself.”
The king’s eyes grew large. “What did you find?”
“I went to visit Jackson at his home. While I was there, I discovered that he had somehow acquired a great deal of wealth very recently.”
But Nicholas’s father was already shaking his head. “You can’t go conjecturing about such things, Nicholas. The man likes to play cards—”
“When I asked him how he had gained it, he tried to kill me.”
“Xander!” Nicholas’s mother shot out of her chair and faced her husband. “You promised he wouldn’t be in any danger!”
“I didn’t expect him to be a fool and run headlong into dangerous situations.” He turned back to Nicholas with a grimace. “Well, if it was worth risking your life over, I hope you found something important.”
Nicholas reached down to his belt and pulled the diamond knife from its scabbard. He tossed it onto the table with a loud clank.
Nicholas’s parents gaped at the weapon. Gingerly, his father reached out and took it.
“Where did you get this?” he whispered.
“It seems the Shadow is not just selling lithorium.” Nicholas leaned forward. “That belonged to one of my guards before Jackson touched it.”
“But Jackson was never gifted,” the king said, still stroking the knife.
“Father, it is my belief that the rebellion and whoever is targeting the gifted are linked.”
To Nicholas’s dismay, his father’s expression went from awestruck to one of disgust. “And there you go again, Nicholas.” He shoved his chair back and stood. “For once, can you not leave this obsession behind?” His voice grew louder with each word.
“I don’t see how the proof can get any clearer! It’s in your hands! Literally!”
“Who was your informant that Jackson saw the Shadow?”
Nicholas hesitated before letting out a huff. “A child in the marketplace.”
“You gleaned your information from a street brat?” The king threw the knife. It clattered onto the floor, leaving a dent in the marble. “What does that have to do with the rebellion? What does any of this have to do with Elaina Starke?”
“When we interrogated Jackson on the ship, he said the Shadow is offering one hundred thousand pounds of gold for a girl who fits Elaina’s description exactly!” Nicholas shouted.
For a brief moment, he considered telling his father of Elaina’s gift but decided against it. At best, his father would forbid him from seeing her so she wouldn’t encourage his obsession. At worst, his father would try to use her himself.
At the mention of the reward, Nicholas’s father stopped pacing. His face lost some of its redness, and he looked at his wife, who was white as a sheet. He finally sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.
“Look. I can send more guards to her home if it makes you feel better. The
girl does have a great deal of knowledge, and if word has spread about her father’s disappearance, there’s a chance someone might try to capitalize on that. I can understand a reward on her head, so I will honor your concern in that area. But,” his eyes darkened again, “I expect you to stop this nonsense with the gifted and focus on the rebellion. You’ve seen it for yourself. Now I need you to start acting like a king. Not some spoiled boy with too much time.”
Nicholas wanted to tell his father just what he thought of Xander’s performance in the role of king, but as his father had already agreed to grant more soldiers for Elaina, he held his tongue.
The king sat down, picked up his spoon again, and heaped a large serving of cranberry glaze on his cheese. “I have one other request of you as well.”
His voice had become pleasant again, but Nicholas wanted to snort at the word request.
“King Quinton from Ombrin will be at your sister’s wedding. I would like you to be especially attentive to his daughter, Princess Monique.”
“I’m sorry, Father, but I have already requested that Elaina come as my partner, and she has accepted.” Nicholas glanced at his mother, but her answering glare was rather frightening. He looked back at his eggs instead.
“Elaina can be your partner, but she will just have to share.”
“I cannot—”
“Ombrin is likely to be our greatest ally, should a civil war break out, seeing as they are our neighbors.” His father’s voice remained calm, but its volume ensured Nicholas wouldn’t get in a word edgewise.
Nicholas resisted the urge to bang his own head on the thick mahogany table.
“Well, it appears I have a prisoner to help interrogate.” The king wiped his face and strutted off as though nothing had happened.
Nicholas stared after his father in disbelief, but it was the razor edge in his mother’s voice that snapped his attention back to her.
“Nicholas, I want to know exactly why Elaina Starke has become an international target. And don’t tell me it’s because her father was a famous admiral.”
Nicholas stood and walked uncomfortably to her side. If his father’s wrath was bad, his mother’s could be ten times worse. “I invited her to attend a meeting with one of Father’s informants and some of our military men.”
The queen’s face went from rage to horror. “Why on earth would you do that?” she whispered.
“She’s quite knowledgeable in political and military ways. I swear, I only thought she would be—”
“No, you failed to think at all, Nicholas! You put her life in danger!”
“She’s as intelligent as any man!”
The queen got up and went to the window. “I’m not arguing that point. Any dimwit who spent five minutes with the girl could tell that.” She turned and faced Nicholas again, fingering the jewel around her neck. “But you are a man. If you are captured, as much as it would kill me, you would most likely face torture and we would be sent a ransom. It would be simple.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Nicholas folded his arms across his chest.
She took one of his hands. “But she is a woman,” she whispered, shaking her head. “And a young, beautiful one at that. Do you have any idea of what happens to women who are taken for ransom?”
As Nicholas stared back into his mother’s eyes, he felt the blood drain from his face. “I never meant to put her in harm’s way,” he croaked out, his throat suddenly parched.
His mother closed her eyes and bowed her head. “She is the only daughter of my closest friend in the world,” she murmured. “It nearly destroyed me when her mother lost her life. Don’t put Elaina at risk of suffering a death worse than her mother’s.” She opened her eyes and looked up at him, imploring. “Promise me you’ll keep her safe.”
“I promise.” Nicholas gritted his teeth. Yes, he would do that. If nothing else in this world, he would keep Elaina safe.
After his mother left, Nicholas wandered over to his study. He would gather a few things and then set out for Elaina’s home to explain the extra guards. She would probably be upset, but he would have to tell her the truth. She deserved that at least.
Though it might kill him to tell her that he was the reason she was in danger in the first place.
To his surprise, however, two extra guards stood outside his study. Peeking in, he was even more surprised to see Elaina in deep conversation with his tutor. From the looks on their faces, they were actually enjoying one another’s company.
“Your Highness!” Dustin noticed him first and swept into a bow.
Elaina’s face lit up with the widest smile Nicholas had ever seen her wear. As she curtsied, he also realized that instead of the practical knot she usually wore on the back of her head, she had pulled her hair up into an intricate braid coil with ringlets that hung down to frame her heart-shaped face. He was also fairly sure that the light pink dress she wore was new.
More than anything, though, she was safe.
Before he knew what he was doing, Nicholas had closed the distance between them, and he did what he had been longing to do since Jackson had uttered the words. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. As he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, he prayed more earnestly than he had prayed in years.
Thank you. Thank you for keeping her safe.
“Um . . . Your Highness?” Her voice was muffled.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He let her go, but wasn’t able to look away. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
26
Every Ship
Elaina tried to keep her thumb away from her lip as she neared the prince’s study.
It was only the exhaustion, she had been telling herself for the last day and night, that had made him so emotional the day before. He hadn’t even had the ability to focus on the lesson, so she’d called it short just five minutes in. He’d just needed sleep. That was all.
And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling of his arms wrapped around her as he had hugged her to his chest. His shirt had still smelled of sea salt, and for one brief moment, she had felt safe.
But what had changed? Had he? Or she? Had they both gone mad?
She didn’t get to ask, however, for when she arrived at the study she found it empty and a note on the desk.
I gave Dustin the day off. Please meet me down at the ballroom. Ask any servant and they will escort you.
Even with the help of a maid, the walk to the ballroom was longer than Elaina had expected, but after about a dozen more twist and turns, she began to hear music. What was Nicholas up to this time? She frowned a little as they neared a set of wide, nearly ceiling-high glass doors. When the doors were opened for them, however, she gasped.
Even her greatest adventures to exotic lands hadn’t prepared her for the splendor of the royal ballroom.
Hundreds of arches edged in gold raised the distant ceiling higher than Elaina had even imagined the palace was tall. The rounded squares of ceiling between the arches were painted a deep cobalt blue, and each held a different constellation.
“How long did it take them to paint those constellations on the ceiling?” she called out over the cacophony of the orchestra as it warmed up.
“That’s not paint, my lady,” the maid escorting her called back. “Those stars are made of diamonds.”
This ballroom might as well have been made for her.
“A bit ostentatious, I know.” Nicholas left the musician he’d been speaking with and greeted them. “When my father was young and our economy really began to grow, he had this ballroom designed for my mother.”
Elaina noted the prince’s physical improvements with satisfaction. The circles beneath his eyes were mostly gone, and the bounce was back in his step.
“Going somewhere special after this? Perhaps to woo an unsuspecting maiden?”
“What?”
Elaina brushed the shoulder of his stiff gray coat with her finger, trying to ignore the way the coat accentuated his broad shoulders. “Go
ld buttons, even. I can’t imagine this formality has anything to do with our lesson today.”
Confusion, annoyance, and pain flashed across his face before he once again donned his usual mischievous grin, the emotions gone so fast Elaina wondered if she’d really seen them there at all.
“Actually, we’re going to take a break from lessons today.”
She crossed her arms. “Well, it seems I’m hardly dressed for whatever escapade you plan for us to strut about at.”
“Nonsense. My sister is getting married in a month, and I plan on dancing.”
“I told you, I don’t know how to dance.”
“And that, my dear Elaina, is why we’re here.” He gestured to the orchestra, which had quieted from its earlier din. “You see, I like to dance, and I intend to do so at my sister’s wedding.”
“Are you sure you don’t wish to bring two girls?”
He didn’t look amused. “Look, I am bringing one partner to this wedding. And she is going to dance. So stop being a coward about it and stretch yourself a bit.”
“Fine.” She straightened her shoulders and held her arms out toward him stiffly. “But not because you say so. Simply because a lady should know how to dance.”
He grinned, and she narrowed her eyes.
“And because no one calls me a coward.”
“Oh, stop whining. Now, when I ask you to dance, you allow me first to bow.” He demonstrated. “And now you curtsy. Good. When I hold my hand out like this, you take it with your right. Correct. Place your other hand on my shoulder like this. Now I will take your waist.”
Elaina’s breathing hitched a bit as he placed his large hand gently but firmly against her waist. She had danced reels, of course, with the crew on her father’s ship, and jigs with the children in village squares sometimes. But never anything this intimate. Never anything that required so much . . . touching. His hand was warm on her side even through her bodice, and the way his other hand wrapped around hers sent a shiver down her back.
“You alright?” He looked at her in surprise.
Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers: A Retelling of Cinderella Page 19