The Complete Set

by Ainsley Shay

  The guards stood perfectly still. I squirmed in my seat. The servants scurried about the table, needlessly moving and shifting dishes and silverware. The Lord flaunted his power around the room as he delighted in his grand idea.

  There were a thousand reasons having a ball in my honor was stupid and useless. But, there was one brilliant reason having a ball would prove to be more than a grand idea. If it were like the balls I had seen in movies, there would be dancing, and groups of people drinking and mingling. It would be the perfect place to commit murder.

  “Thank you, my Lord.”

  He spun in my direction. His face took on all of the angelic features like in the painted dome. He was indeed handsome, generous to those he trusted, and sinful all at the same time. There would be a ball in my honor. In two days I would be free of the curse, Skelside, and Adelina.

  “Now, dear, please do not take my generosity lightly. I am counting on you to play your part in this cursed situation. Remember, I trust only those whom I’ve created. So, you would be wise to drink your wine. The villagers will also be invited. I have not created them, but they are loyal to me out of fear. They will need to know you hold power and respect to rule Skelside, so they will extend their loyalty to you as well.”

  I nodded and picked up the goblet. “Will you please tell me what immortality is like?” I took a sip of the wine. It was wise for me to play along, even if it meant drinking his blood.

  “Ah, even the word rings with notes that can only be heard by ones who have truly lived.” He sang, “Im-mor-tal-ity.”

  His voice was melodic and harmonizing, almost hypnotizing. The thick wine coated the inside of my mouth. I forced down another sip, and another. The room swayed. I wanted to blurt out how much I hated him, but I stayed quiet. There was too much at stake.

  “Slow down my love. We don’t need you getting sick. No need to worry, there will be time for you to fall in love with me.”

  The wine made my head woozy. “I can’t.” I knew I should have shut my mouth before I admitted I came here to kill him, not fall in love with him. I set the goblet down. “You don’t understand,” I pleaded. “She cursed me to hate you.”

  Lord Darenfys was kneeling before me in an instant. He turned my chair away from the table and took my hands in his. “My love, if you let me make you immortal, I promise you’ll want nothing more than to love me; to stay at my side for all of eternity. Together, we can break the curse that keeps us apart. And together we can rule Skelside.”

  One of the servants dropped a tray. The crash broke the spell I seemed to be under. The Lord stood. I looked around the room. It had stopped spinning. The two guards were still stationed in the precise location I saw them last. The servants were on their hands and knees cleaning up the food and dishes.

  “Clumsy fool!” The Lord kicked the servant in her ribs. She cried out and fell onto her side. “Get up, you useless thing.”

  The Lord held out his hand for me to take. Trust. Trust. Trust. I did. “Come, there is much we have to plan for the ball. I want it to be perfect for you, my love.”

  He was changing the rules of Adelina’s game.

  7

  I dreamt of Blacwin.

  His arms curled around me. I felt warm and wanted, and safe and needed. Would he ever look at me the way he had in those moments of reconnecting? Would he ever kiss me again like I had been the only girl he had ever wanted? Maybe I was. I hoped I was.

  Pain woke me. Cramps clenched my stomach like fists. It had to have been the blood mixed in the wine. The taste of wine had been stronger than the slight underlying metallic taste. I rolled off the bed, ran to basin and vomited blood. My stomach heaved again and again until there was nothing left.

  I stared into the small mirror that hung over the basin. Iris had dissolved into someone I no longer recognized. I hated what—who—I saw. Whoever I was becoming, was not the person I wanted or ever intended to be. My father would be ashamed—would he? I didn’t know anymore. I was caught in a web of past and present, lies and truths, love and hate, living and dying, deception and faithfulness. Iris continued to stare at me. She knew me well. I would fight as hard as I had to in order to win back my life, family, and Blacwin.

  I looked over my shoulder. There was no doubt a guard was on the other side of the door. I hadn’t cared. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, went to the door, and banged as hard as I could. “Open this Goddamned door!”

  The latch clicked and the door opened. Chandler stood before me. I knew only by his light eyes, which was the only feature revealed by the mask he wore. “What is it, my Lady?” he asked in a robotic tone.

  “Chandler, it’s me!” I waved my hands in front of his face. His hand jerked away as I went to take it. The unease building in my chest was evolving into raw panic. “Chandler, we have to get out of here. Where’s Blacwin?” He continued to stare at me like he had never seen me before. I wanted to shake him but I didn’t dare try to touch him again; his hand had moved to the hilt of a sword at his waist. “What’s wrong with you?” I cried.

  He ignored me. “My Lady, what is the emergency?” His clear eyes were distant.

  Whatever Penemuel had done to him couldn’t be impenetrable. I took a deep breath and tried a different approach. “I need to get freshened up; will you please have a servant sent to my room?”

  He bowed. Actually bowed. When I had my Chandler back there would be a definite moment in time I would remind him of such an act. For now, I backed down without another word to my brother. He shut the door and locked it.

  I slumped on the bed and squeezed my eyes shut. Holding back a scream, I tried to regain some of the confidence I’d had when we arrived at Skelside. How could such beautiful fields and forests fence a place with so much poison and darkness? When I thought of Skelside, I imagined only darkness and death

  Moments later the door opened and a young woman servant entered. She closed the door and bowed. I recognized her from the dining hall. When I asked her name she shook her head. I hadn’t thought I was being that intrusive with just asking her name. “Do you have a name?” She nodded. “Is it a bad name?” She shook her head. Frustrated and wanting interaction with someone normal and human, I tried again. “Can you talk?”

  She shook her head.

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  She lowered her eyes from mine.

  “Look at me,” I demanded. When she did, I felt guilty for being so cruel. “I’m sorry.” She looked to be my age, maybe a couple of years older. She raised her hand and cautiously placed it on my arm. “You can’t talk at all, can you?” When she shook her head once more I thought I understood. “The Lord made sure you couldn’t speak of anything that happened here by cutting out your tongue, didn’t he?”

  She nodded.

  “There has to be some way that you can tell me your name.” I glanced around the room for something to write with.

  The girl went to the basin. I raced toward it, embarrassed for her to see the blood. She may have not been able to speak, but she was quick. She raised her hand in a motion I took to mean it was okay. She poured water from the pitcher into the basin and swished it around. She flung the dirty water into the cold fireplace. She refilled the basin with water, then pulled a light flower from the bouquet that sat on the bedside table. She placed the flower in the water. I looked at the basin without understanding. She pointed to the water, then flower, and then to herself. She did this repeatedly until finally something clicked. I said, “Water lily. Is your name Lily?”

  The girl’s face lit with joy and she smiled.

  “Nice to meet you, Lily. My name is Iris. Both of our names are flowers.”

  I wondered how this poor human girl had come to be a servant in this dreadful place. The thought made me think of Adelina, and how she became a servant. “Are you a witch?”

  Lily raised one eyebrow and shook her head. She cocked her head to the side and her tunic fell away from her neck revealing several bite marks. I stammered back. �
��Does the Lord drink your blood?” Hesitantly, she nodded.

  I gagged with disgust. “Why does he need to drink it?” Lily rubbed her belly. “He doesn’t need it, but likes the taste?” I guessed.

  She nodded. Unfortunately, I was right. I understood his blood was special and he could make anyone immortal with it, but to keep feeding on humans because he liked the way it tasted was gross. I knew he drank blood mixed with the wine, but it never occurred to me where the blood came from. A sickening thought engulfed every cell; whose blood had I drunk last night, Lily’s?

  Lily must have seen the horror on my face. She pointed to the fireplace and then to her neck. She shook her head. When she pointed back to the fireplace, she then imitated the Lord by prancing aloofly around the room.

  “Am I given only his blood?”

  She nodded.

  “The Lord will be waiting for you in the West corridor in five minutes,” Chandler called from the hallway. Lily went to the armoire and opened a drawer. She pulled out a simple dress. I changed out of my blood-stained shirt and jeans and slid the dress over my head. It hung loosely, like Lily’s. The only differences were the material and floral design. She touched the pendant that hung around my neck. Her eyes were sad when she looked at me. It was as if she knew something I didn’t, and had no way of telling me. I thanked her for her help and went to the door. Lily grabbed my arm and pulled me back from the door. Urgently, she took something from her pocket and placed it into my hand. She turned and quickly went to the door and knocked once. When it opened she rushed pass the guard.

  I opened my palm and stared at a vial filled with creamy liquid. I took out the cork. The sweet smell of honey drifted up to my nose. I poured some onto my hand and realized it was soap. At least I would smell decent. Another thought lit the edges of my mind before bursting into flames. The vial was perfect for Adelina’s blood.

  The Lord had arranged for us to meet in the grand hall before taking a walk into the maze. I begged him to take me any place other than the maze, but he would hear nothing of it. He assured me the dog-like creature died centuries ago. I had no choice but to believe him, and trust him. Trust. Trust. Trust. It was going to have to go both ways for my plan to work.

  He was dressed in a dark button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and matching pants. It was odd to see him in such casual attire when the only way I had ever seen him was wearing a cape.

  “Are you ready for our walk, my dear?” He bent and kissed the top of my hand. The urge to withdraw it before his lips touched my skin was overwhelming, but I withstood the temptation. He stood back and eyed me before he said. “You look dreadful, my love. Those tattered clothes are not the way a lady of my court should look. You look worse than one of my servants.” He walked ahead of me and waved his hand through the air. “No matter, it’s temporary. The seamstress will be arriving today for the fitting of your gown. I have a specific look for you, so I already have her working on something special. While she’s here we really need to get you fitted for other clothes.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re quite welcome.”

  I needed to get my next words out before I lost my nerve. “Before I am completely yours, I want to see Blacwin. I need to know he’s okay.”

  He took my hand in his and guided me through the hall. “You will see him plenty. I have arranged for him to be your personal guard.” He gestured to one of the guards who shadowed us. “Bring my Lady her personal guard.”

  The guard left the room. My stomach unleashed a thousand switchblades. I was going to see Blacwin. Maybe I wouldn’t have to wait until the ball tomorrow. We could take down Lord Darenfys now. Excitement flared through me like wild fire. The dagger was in my room. My mind spun for an excuse to go back there so I could retrieve it before we went out to the maze. “I forgot something—”

  “What else could you possibly need to take a small adventure to one of my favorite places on the grounds?” He moved his hand to the small of my back. I flinched. “My love, you seem rather jumpy.” He laughed. “Are you nervous to see your guard?”

  Yes! No! Yes! “No. I’m sure you have been good to him.” If Blacwin was in any condition like Chandler, I swore I would—

  “Like Chandler, he’s been given only special treatment since he returned,”

  The echo of boots pounding the ground grew louder and louder. The switchblades opened and closed. Slice. Slice. Slice. Penemuel, Blacwin’s brother came around the corner first. I couldn’t see his mouth behind his faceguard but his eyes flashed with humor. “My Lady, so glad you have come home.”

  I had returned, but this time I would be leaving. If there was anyone more evil than Lord Darenfys it was Penemuel. He was the Lord’s understudy, and would always be happy being just that. His loyalty to the Lord never faltered. He would be the one I’d have to watch out for when it came time to make the kill. With a smile on his face, he would torture anyone who tried to hurt his Lord. The Lord had made him that way.

  There was no mistaking the dark eyes behind the mask that followed Penemuel or the light eyes of the third guard. Penemuel had also brought Chandler. Neither of them looked in my direction. In desperation, I felt some form of acknowledgment would have been perfect in that moment. But neither of them gave it to me. They both continued to stare straight ahead.

  “Blacwin?”

  “Oh, my Lady, they will not acknowledge you until you have concluded the transition and marriage to the Lord,” Penemuel said.

  “Why? What have you done to them?”

  “Not anything any other general wouldn’t do. I made them obedient. They have gone years without training.”

  I had to believe that Blacwin and Chandler were incapable of being turned into something they were not. Their disguise had to be just as good as mine if we were to succeed. I took a deep breath. Anything I said that was not in defense of Blacwin and Chandler would sound out of character to Penemuel. He knew me better than Lord Darenfys. I had no doubt he’d shared with the Lord everything he had learned while he was in Gradywoods, but still, he had a better perception of me than the Lord did, if I was to support what he had done, he would doubt me.

  With no other choice, I dropped it completely. I walked toward the door leading to the maze. The four guards and the Lord followed. Consciously, I closed the switchblades. There was no reason to go back to my room for the dagger. I’d have to wait until the ball.

  8

  I was brought to the seamstress for my final fitting before the ball. Lord Darenfys had taken it upon himself to pick out a gown for me. I wasn’t surprised, he had done this in the past. When I walked into the room, a woman bowed. I couldn’t get used to people doing that to me. After tonight, I wouldn’t have to.

  “My name is Hildi.” She motioned for me to take off my clothes. I did. The seamstress slid the gown over my head. The fabric was cool against my warm skin. It felt silky and refreshing. She came around to the front of me and adjusted the sleeves and bodice. Hildi turned me so my back was to her. She tugged and pulled the laces that wove through the fabric and down my back; tightening as she went down the length of my spine until she reached the last one at my lower back, and pulled tight.

  The air in my lungs was forced out. I fell against her. Thank goodness for her larger size or I would have knocked her over. She righted me and finished tying the laces. My insides crushed against my bones. I could barely breathe. “Can you make it a little looser?”

  In a gruff tone she said, “If I make it looser, then the gown would not fit properly, the way I designed it.”

  Bitch. I would have cursed Lord Darenfys for his generous input with the design but he wasn’t here. I had enough to think about; I didn’t want to have to consciously remember to breathe. I took the deepest breath I could in the constricting gown. Then, I took several more.

  She guided me to a full-length mirror. The gown was beautiful, even with its lack of color. When I asked her what color the material was, she look
ed baffled and hesitated before she answered, “Royal Blue.” The wide scoop neck fell off my shoulders and tight material hugged my arms. I hadn’t noticed when Hildi looped my middle finger on each hand through a thread that kept the long sleeves in place. The tapered waist continued to the length of the floor in the thin flowing material. I looked like a princess from hundreds of years ago.

  “It fits you perfectly.”

  It did. I felt pretty in the gown, until I thought of my mission tonight. There was no way a dagger could be hidden anywhere on my body. I had planned to strap it to my inner thigh. But that was not going to be possible now.

  “Is there any way you can, um—put a layer of fluff under the gown?”

  “I design dresses, not cakes.”

  “I was just thinking to make it poof out a little.” I was not going to change this woman’s mind. “It’s just a thought.”

  Insulted, she huffed and turned away from me. “No.”

  “But—”

  “The dress was made exactly how the Lord wanted it. Also, it is perfect the way it is.”

  It was perfect in every way except for breathing and being able to conceal a dagger.

  “How was the fitting?”

  I sat across from Lord Darenfys in his private chambers. The ball was in two hours. The plates of food sat untouched in front of me. The only thought I continued to have since I’d left Hildi was where to hide the dagger. “Tight.”

  “What does that mean, tight?”

  I took a sip of the wine. I hoped it would calm my nerves before the ball, also to keep building his trust. “Did it ever occur to you I may enjoy the act of breathing?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Of course you don’t; you’re a guy.” I took another sip. The Lord’s room, unlike mine, had not only a window, but a balcony. It was decorated in dark colors, with splashes of light from a few illuminated oil lamps. In contrast, my room was more of a glorified prison cell.