I squeezed her hand, allowing the gesture to speak the words I couldn’t find, and her slender fingers wrapped around mine in response.
Off in the distance, I could see Shadow walking towards us, the metallic clink of her chained boots meshing with the hard packed earth below her feet. Body suited in leathered armor, she looked as fierce as a lioness.
I turned back to Ever with a big grin on my face. “She’s back,” I said.
Ever’s forehead furrowed with confusion. “How do you mean?”
I shook my head and pointed beyond the trees to where the tall, flaxen Tigress stood with her hands on her hips and a brave smile on her face. Everlae was up and running towards her before I could even blink.
“You’re back!” she screeched, taking Shadow into her arms. I kissed Shadow’s cheek and held her close. After a whole year enduring the fatalities of war, Shadow had returned to us in one piece.
“I haven’t been away long, girls.” Shadow smiled and glanced around the hilled lawn of the palace. “But I have missed you, nonetheless.”
“So, how did it go?” I asked, breaking the embrace.
“Yeah, did you get them good?” Everlae asked excitedly. She looked up at our sister with a look in her eyes I knew all too well.
Shadow sighed longingly, but held her smile in place. “I sure did, but nothing beats the comfort of home, eh?”
I glared at the arrows tethered to her back in amazement, taking in everything from her posture to the slight masculine touch she had to her demeanor. Shadow was everything but weak, everything I aspired to be. I wanted to fight along her in battle, lose myself in a frenzy as I fought for my Haven. I wanted it more than I ever wanted anything in my life. But unfortunately for me, Father had other plans in stow.
“One of you willing to come into town with me?” Shadow asked, tearing me away from my asinine musings.
Everlae looked at me with a frown on her face. “Go. I must help Mother with dinner anyhow.” She turned and began walking back to the palace before I could stop her.
“What was that all about?” Shadow inquired, as we walked the ways to town.
I feigned ignorance. “Oh, you know Ever. She’s just being, well, Ever.”
“She all right? With Silas, I mean? I know Father can be aggressive about birthing him an heir sometimes. She’s only twenty-three years of age, four years below me, and you’re only seventeen. I don’t want him slaving you girls off. The gods know he tried it with me.”
“Yeah, she’s great. They are still trying, but everything takes time I guess.”
“So, she’s happy? You’re happy?” Shadow spoke slowly, as if hesitant to ask.
I nodded.
Thankfully, Shadow left it at that and didn’t speak of Everlae again. Town was just a few miles from the palace, but the walk felt like a journey through eternity.
“You seem frustrated today, Echo,” Shadow mentioned as we made a shortcut through an alley pathway. “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were nervous.”
“Nervous about what?”
She pointed to my gown. “Your dinner with the Prince. Isn’t that why you got all dressed up?”
I glanced down at myself and sighed. I didn’t want to talk about Everlae, but that didn’t mean I wanted to talk about myself, nor Prince Noah. I thought about telling her that the mere thought of gazing at him made my stomach acids burn, but I knew Shadow wouldn’t have been okay with it as Everlae had been. Shadow was rebellious in her own way, yes, but she knew when it came to the family’s wealth you were to do everything Father asked of you.
“Yes. A little excited.” My eyes wandered as I searched for another matter to discuss. “So why are we going into town?”
She pointed to the wooden gates that opened to the markets at the end of the streets. Two guards stood around holding swords longer than my arms and stolid, blank looks on their faces. They stared straight ahead as if they were waiting for something to magically fall from the heavens. It was normal protocol since the Hunters had figured out a way to breach the border singlehandedly so many years ago, but they were foolish to think anyone felt safe. No one had felt secure in this Haven since my Father declared the rules of the prison arena, another issue I didn’t need on my mind.
“Just follow me,” Shadow continued, taking me by the hand and pulling me forward. “Ezily wants to show you something.”
Ezily?
I turned my attention away from the guards and met eyes with Ezily, Shadow’s way-too-friendly friend. Her black ringlets glimmered in the daylight as she waved over at us, the brush of freckles above her nose even visible from where I stood. I never knew her much since she was also a Tigress and moved around cities quite a lot, but from what Shadow had told me, she was very skillful with a knife.
“Took you long enough,” she whined, pushing us through the gates of the town. Delicious aromas of dragon fruit, freshly baked bread, and recently bloomed strawberries hung in the air, causing my stomach to rumble despite the fact that I had just eaten lunch.
Ole Sampson Greenhorn, Thediby’s greatest fisherman, was up to his old tricks again, swindling newcomers into buying pink salmon tenfold the usual expense. The three of us smiled and waved over at him, and he toothlessly grinned back.
Beside his parlor was Miss Bluejay, who worked from her own home and had a bizarre obsession with raspberries. She was the nicest lady you could ever meet, that is, until you went anywhere near her kitchen. The woman insisted that all her customers waited outside, where she could keep a watchful eye on them through the window. Shadow and Ezily always joked that she discreetly stuck her foot in all her pies when no one was looking, but I knew it was something else. The woman obviously had secrets, secrets she probably didn’t want anyone to know about. As weird as I thought it was, I really couldn’t blame her.
“Shadow says you want to show me something?” I asked, turning my attention away from Miss Bluejay’s house.
“That I do. It’s nothing bad, don’t worry,” Ezily replied, watching me from the corner of her eyes.
I shook my head and watched Teagon, an old friend of mine, zip by on his horse wagon. He tipped his hat, a sign of respect to a Royal, and was on his way. “I find a hard time believing that, seeing as how every time I wander off with you two, I end up in trouble with Mother.” They giggled.
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing, sister.” Shadow stopped at a parlor, grabbed a red, ripe apple, and took a juicy bite out of its flesh. I rolled my eyes, hating the way she paraded around the place misusing our titles. The vendor said nothing, but looked on with distaste.
“You could pay for that, you know?” I said. “I would believe those people have a reason for being out here other than to offer you free food.”
“How so?” Shadow took another hardy bit from the apple. It was pointless, so I let it go.
“Stop the bickering, knuckle heads, and follow me. You’ll want to see this, Echo.” Ezily raced ahead of us, her boots scuffling at the dirt as she weaved between throngs of people, not caring who she bumped into.
“Wait up, Ez!” Shadow screamed. She tossed me her apple and ran after Ezily.
Disgusted, I dropped the half eaten core to the ground and left it there to lie in the soil. “I don’t suppose you expect me to eat that!” I shouted. But Shadow and Ezily were long gone.
I swear, sometimes those two act as if they are five years old.
Sighing at their pathetic game, I slipped off my shoes, lifted my dress at the hem, and scurried after them. At least I was decent enough to apologize when I tipped over someone’s basket or knocked them to the ground. Though, they didn’t seem to mind one bit. Their mouths hung open wide as they gawked at the Princess in awe, something that had long begun to bother me.
“You two have got to show me how you run like that,” I slurred, resting my hands on my knees. Shadow and Ezily were sitting on a bench, their faces dressed in a coolly manor as if my lungs weren’t about to burst from my
chest. “Now, this ‘thing’ had better be good. I just ran across the market barefooted for this.”
“Quit whining,” Ezily retorted with a shake of her head. She got up and moved over to the big tree that accentuated the central park area of the market. It was then that I noticed the big target painted on the tree’s trunk. “I’ve decided to teach you a few things about archery.”
I gasped, my eyes immediately going to Shadow. “You’re kidding? Without Father’s consent?”
Shadow shrugged a shoulder indolently and pulled her bow and arrow from the sheath on her back. “What he doesn’t know won’t kill him. The geezer is so busy dictating the Haven that he won’t notice you’ve obtained a few skills.” She handed me the bow and I nestled the arrow within it, aiming for the target on the tree.
“If you hit me, I swear to the gods I’ll pluck every one of those pretty little hairs out of your head and sell it to Miss Bluejay for her new recipe. Who, by the way, made your birthday cake last year,” Ezily said, moving away as far from the target as she could get.
Shadow laughed, but I was too focused to bother with either one of them now. I couldn’t even believe I was holding an actual Tigress bow, the one thing I’d been dying to get my hands on since I saw Shadow take out her first boar when I was five. I felt rejuvenated—alive—as my fingers shook timidly to get the right aim. Even though I didn’t know the first (or last) thing about shooting a bow, I was eager to see how well I could do.
“Keep your chin up, never look at your hands. Your elbow should be in accordance with your shoulder. Feet slightly apart and never—and I mean never—take your eyes off the target,” Shadow instructed. As she adjusted my posture, I felt somewhat prideful.
“Oh,” shouted Ezily, briefly breaking my concentration. “Don’t forget to, you know, not kill me.” She looked at Shadow. “That’s not on the top of the list, really?”
Shadow smirked, and then patted my shoulder as a signal to go whenever I was ready. “Have at it. But seriously, don’t kill her. She’s my ride back to Siphon’s City.”
“I heard that!” Ezily bellowed, but she ducked as soon as she saw me stretching back the bow and taking aim. My arms shook ferociously and beads of sweat began to break out on my forehead. Closing my eyes shut and taking a chance on a whim, I released the arrow and sent it flying.
“Don’t close your eyes! Shadow, why is she—” Ezily was cut short when a loud thud resonated from the tree.
I slowly opened my eyes to see that Shadow had closed hers as well. But a smile quickly took form on her lips and she squealed, “I knew you have my genes!” She ran over to me and gave me a strangling hug. As she twirled me around, through the blur of my dizziness, I could see where the golden arrow stuck out from the timber. White, yellow, blue—and right where the arrow had struck—bull’s eye.
“You did it!” Ezily screamed, running over to us. “You didn’t kill me!”
Shadow finally set me back on my feet. “Never mind that, Ez, the girl can shoot.”
“Do it again,” Ezily added.
I wasn’t sure if I looked excited from the outside, but I knew on the inside I was vibrating with anticipation. Even more so, I was eager to try it again.
“Er, no time for that. She’s got to be back for her dinner with the Prince in ten minutes,” Shadow said, glaring at her pocket watch. “No need for both of us to get in trouble, eh?” She looked down at my dress.
I didn’t want to look down at myself, for I already knew what I would see. Most of the curls in my hair were already spilling down my back, rather than staying tucked nicely in the bun Everlae had made. Truthfully, I really didn’t care. “Oh, please can we stay just a little while longer? I think I could get really good at this archery stuff,” I begged.
Shadow’s face went terrifyingly solemn as she looked at Ezily. “Sorry, she can’t miss this. Another time?”
Ezily nodded, her black tresses posed in odd directions, and said, “Of course. Another time, Echo. I’ll show you what I can do with a switchblade.”
I smiled reluctantly and followed Shadow through the gates of the market and back onto the Royal territory. Shadow said nothing, and neither did I, but I felt the unspoken words suspended in the air between us.
We were never to speak of this, not even to Everlae.
WE stumbled through the back door of the kitchen minutes later and Shadow tried to sneak me up to my chamber to change. Although, we should have known Mother would be lollygagging around the house, supervising the maids to make sure they didn’t spit in the food.
“My dear child!” Mother exclaimed, her palms pressed to her cheeks.
I gave her a smile despite the fact that I knew I probably had twigs sticking out from my frizzed hair. “Hello, Mother.” I glanced around the kitchen and caught Everlae’s attention. As soon as she set her gaze on the hair she had just recently done, she dropped the pot of water in her hands to the ground, eyes unblinking and mouth agape. The water spilled everywhere, but she didn’t seem the least bit worried.
“What were you doing?” Mother asked. I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her palm to me. “Forget I asked. Prince Noah is in the dining hall waiting and you come home dressed like a forest animal? Shadow, what is the meaning of this?”
Shadow scratched her neck and pretended to be unaware. “Hm? Oh, I’ve no idea, Mother. You know the children these days.” She pecked Mother on the cheek before disappearing up to her chambers. I shot her with a look so dark I’d wished she would have seen it.
If only eyes could speak.
“Mother, I—” I began.
“I don’t want to hear it, Echo. Head upstairs, I’ll have to fix you up myself.”
Mother rushed me up to my chambers and, scrubbing me down with unusual smelling soaps, re-curled my hair so that it appeared suitable for the occasion again and brought me back down to the dining hall. I tried to talk to her, but she shushed me and said we’d talk later. Knowing exactly what that meant, I kept my mouth shut.
Before we entered the hall where the assemblage was being held, Mother asked me to retrieve the special bottle of wine she kept for special occasions such as this one. I hurried into the kitchen, making for the wine room, when I ran straight into something blocking the doorway. I blamed it on my worrying thoughts of Mother and the impending punishment I knew I was sure to get. Mother was a talkative person, so when she hushed you or refused to talk, you knew all hell was going to break loose the moment she had you alone. Unfortunately, her silences were becoming occasional with me.
My hand went immediately to my forehead, and I groaned in pain as an enormous headache began to hammer in my head. “Watch where you’re—” I stopped as soon as I looked into his eyes. They were every shade of purple, so unlike anything I’d ever seen. They stared back at me and I found myself completely and utterly enraptured. They were so…violet.
“Sorry, I—” he looked down at me and frowned. “Oh, it’s you.”
I shook my head with a frown. “What do you mean?”
He picked up his tray from the ground and didn’t bother to look at me again as he fixated himself with dusting his shirt. “You as in you,” he practically mumbled. I struggled to hear him. “You prissy, selfish people are all the same.”
“Excuse me?” I was taken aback. “I don’t think I like your tone! What is your name?” I glanced over at his breast pocket and memorized his tag. Ayden. “Do you know who you are talking to?”
He scowled, looking through me rather than at me. “I know who I don’t want to be talking to. You always get what you want, don’t you, Princess?”
I blinked and tried to discern this boy’s anger, which was so confusingly directed at me. “Me? What did I do?”
He pushed his hands through his thick, brown curls and shook his head. “It’s what you didn’t do.” He sidestepped me and disappeared into the dining hall. As I turned around to watch him leave, I noticed the red welts on his arms, making it evident that he had just be
en scolded. But it wasn’t even the welts that caught me off guard, it was the tribal tattoos that lay beneath them. I knew what they meant; I had seen them enough times when New Haven had been under attack. They haunted me in my dreams; they were still there when I awoke. I shuddered, acknowledging the truth.
He was a Hunter.
I turned to retrieve the wine again and met Meredith, the Servant Keeper, in the kitchen. “Princess,” Meredith said.
“Hello, Meredith. I was just going to get Mother’s wine, so—”
She pulled her hand from around her back and handed me the bottle of wine. Just like that. “That boy, I want you nowhere near him, do you understand? He is no good. I’ve no idea why your father insists on having him work here. Unpaid debts, I suppose.”
It occurred to me then that Meredith was the one who had scolded him. The reason behind it, I had no idea. But one look at Meredith with her yellow-orange teeth, a mole the size of a nickel, and eyebrows that reminded me of furry rodents, was all I needed to heed her warning. I nodded and returned to the dining hall.
“Here she is, our pride and glory,” Mother announced as I walked coyly into the hall. The familiar faces of Everlae and Shadow, Father, and even my older brother Caesar and his wife sat around the table. The King of Delentia was there, seated at one end with a look on his face that screamed superiority, but it was Noah that gave me pause.
“Have a seat, young lady,” Father commanded. His voice was loud and powerful, easily grabbing the attention from everyone around the table.
“Yes, Father.” Without hesitation, Noah stood to pull out a chair for me, which was no doubt right next to his.
My mother had dressed her finest, her blonde tresses tucked away professionally and her corset pulled so tight her breasts threatened to spill onto the table. Shadow had changed into something more fitting, but she still looked defiant as always. Everlae dressed decent as well, her face made up as pretty as a marionette and her hair loose and about her shoulders. Her husband Silas sat beside her, looking bored and oddly out of place. Caesar, on the other hand, was dressed like Caesar. His wife Angelina was pretty and young, but I never really knew her. I wondered what she saw in my brother, a sad replica of Father.
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