by K. A. Linde
“How are you feeling?”
“Horrible,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve had a tonic prepared for you so that you can get more rest.”
“Thank you,” she repeated.
She was waiting for him to say something else. Surely, he wouldn’t have stayed here that long for nothing.
“How did you do it?” Prince Kael leaned his elbows against his knees and intriguingly looked at her.
“Do what?”
“The explosion. How did you harness the black powder you’ve been working with?”
“You’ve been following my work?”
“Yes,” he said.
“I…I don’t know,” she lied. “It was the first time it had ever succeeded.”
“You are friends with Cyrene, are you not?”
Rhea tried not to react to that question, which was so out of nowhere. “I was. We grew up together.”
“You do not seem to be in despair over her kidnapping.” He gave her a toothy grin that reeked of madness.
“I have been for months, Highness,” she whispered.
“Has anyone else told you that you are a bad liar?”
She swallowed. She was nervous now. She fidgeted under his gaze, wondering what he was getting at. “Yes. I’ve heard that before.”
“I would suggest that you do not continue to lie to me. You and I both know that Cyrene was not kidnapped.”
Rhea gulped.
“But that will be our little secret.”
“Why?” she asked helplessly.
“Because you are going to help me militarize this black powder.”
Rhea’s eyes widened. “I can’t.”
“You will create it and teach me how to use it, and in exchange, I will keep the insufferable Captain from bothering you about it.”
“I can’t,” she repeated helplessly.
“And I will not report you for withholding information from the King during a murder investigation.” He drummed his fingers together and stared at her with his piercing gaze. “I’m not sure your friend Eren would appreciate that either.”
Rhea sank further into the bed. Checkmate. “All right,” she breathed. “But the King and Eren must never know.”
He grinned with victory. “I’m very good at keeping secrets.”
“Is that the last one, Consort?” the demure Affiliate Bitta asked.
Daufina pushed the last piece of paper away from her and nodded. “Yes, I believe so.” She stood regally and surveyed all of her hard work.
The Eos holiday was exceptionally important in Byern festivities. It was the day the Creator had first walked the earth and blessed Emporia and also the day of Byern’s independence from the dreaded Doma. Each year, they would have a celebration for the entire country. People would travel far and wide to see the famed Bursts go off overhead and to eat, drink, and be merry.
It was also significant for all the Second and Third Class children who had turned seventeen that year, officially coming of age in Byern. For those individuals, a Presenting ceremony would be held at court to determine their Class as well as to be assigned to their Receivers. This day would determine their entire future. Since so many children came forth, it would be slightly different than for those children of the First Class, who could afford an entire ceremony for one person, but it was still held to much importance.
Part of her key duties as the Consort was to work with the King on placement for all of these children. It was a long process, and many advisors would be brought in to lessen the load. They still had a country to run after all.
“Shall I deliver these to His Majesty for the arrangements this afternoon?” Affiliate Bitta asked.
“Yes. All, save for the First Class ones,” she instructed. She glanced over at High Order Ceron, who had been patiently awaiting orders. She passed a small stack of papers to him. “Take these to High Order Garrison. He’ll know what to do with them.”
“Yes, Consort.”
He procured the paperwork and left at once.
There were so few this year. Even less than last year. But Presenting letters would need to be written for those who would change into First Class. It was tradition.
Affiliate Bitta retrieved the rest of the letters and carefully filed them to be delivered to the King for the ceremony.
Daufina left her work behind and strolled leisurely to her chambers to get ready for her part in the ceremony today. After a good, long soak, she changed into a tiered purple dress woven with diamonds. Her hair was arranged into silky waves that flowed down her back, and her face was artfully painted. The Presenting was a big show, and she needed to look the part.
A contingent of guards escorted her to the chamber where Kaliana and Edric were already waiting. Kaliana was practically glowing in her blue dress. She had even let her hair hang loose over one shoulder instead of wearing it in the sharp bun she usually preferred. Edric looked as regal as ever, and it was truly shocking to see him standing by Kaliana’s side with one hand on her shoulder. Kaliana adoringly gazed up at him.
“Are we waiting on Prince Kael?” Daufina asked.
Kaliana flinched slightly, and Daufina narrowed her eyes. Kaliana had been doing very strange things indeed since the Prince had returned home from Aurum. Daufina wouldn’t even consider what the reasons were for Kaliana’s odd behavior.
“He should already be here,” Edric said. “But he is frequently late, and if he does not arrive soon, we will start without him.”
Daufina nodded and sat down just as the door opened again. In walked Prince Kael. He wore an all black doublet, and his dark hair had been swept back from his face. It appeared he hadn’t been sleeping much as dark circles were painted under his vivid blue-gray eyes. Daufina gauged Kaliana’s reaction to his arrival and didn’t like what she saw.
“Were you waiting for me?” Kael asked with a sneer at his brother.
Their interactions had been even worse since Cyrene had left. Daufina had never believed one girl could cause so much unrest.
“We hadn’t planned to,” Edric said. He was smiling though. Kaliana’s pregnancy had left him more jovial than he had been. He reached out his arm to Kael, who clasped it with his own, almost to the elbow. “Brother.”
Kael nodded and then released him. “Well, let’s get this show on. So much to do, so much wine to drink, so many beds to warm.”
Edric sighed and then held his arm out for Kaliana. She took it without looking at Kael again, and they strode to the entrance.
Guards opened the doors, and in went the King and Queen of Byern. Daufina followed next with her head raised, and Kael brought up the rear. He slipped into a seat in the first row while the three of them sat down on immaculate gold thrones on top of the dais in the throne room.
One by one, children came forward and received their Class information and Receiver positions. Each one swore allegiance to the King, the throne, and the country. Then, they were sent on their way. A select few—only five this year—moved up to First Class. Joy broke on their faces at the declaration, and their expressions would be forever ingrained on Daufina’s mind. And of those chosen few for the First Class, only one had been given over to be made a High Order, the highest rank he could have attained. Daufina thought the small Third Class boy, Aubron, from the mountain town of Fen, had been about to faint at the news.
But, in due course, everyone was selected into their proper stations, and until next year, all would be well for the Second and Third Class families. Thankfully, she thought the First Class Presenting was planned for much later next year, which would give them a reprieve from the work.
Once all but the Affiliates and High Orders were left in the room, Edric stood to address them with a smile, “My fellow countrymen and women, thank you so much for celebrating this blessed Eos holiday with me. The Creator herself once walked on our earth on this day. Byern is forever grateful for her blessing, and I encourage you to celebrate this gift.” Edric raised his hands as his en
raptured crowd cheered. “I do have one announcement before we leave this hall and enter the streets for merriment and a special presentation of Bursts, prepared by Master Barca, all the way from Albion.”
A hush fell on the crowd as they awaited his announcement. Daufina even waited with bated breath to hear him.
“It is with great joy that I announce that Queen Kaliana is with child!”
There were some gasps and faint whispers, but Daufina suspected that most people had already guessed why the Queen had been acting differently lately. Why the King and Queen had been acting differently together.
“Soon, we will have a Dremylon boy fit to rule as my heir. I could not have asked for a better blessing from the Creator on this great day. Go forth and be merry, for your country is the greatest on earth.”
The Affiliates and High Order cheered his bold statement as Kaliana stood next to Edric, beaming up at her husband.
For some reason, Daufina let her gaze shift away from the smiling couple and over to the shadow in the corner of the room. Kael looked like a thundercloud, dark and ominous. Her stomach twisted. He could not even conceal his distaste for his brother at the announcement of his own baby nephew. What must he be thinking…plotting?
Kaliana would never…Kael would never…
No, Daufina wouldn’t even think it. Her hand went to her stomach as she forced down the thought.
This was a day of celebration, and she had every intention of enjoying herself. Politics could be left for another day.
Every morning on the Eos holiday, Cyrene’s parents would wake her up bright and early just as the sun was rising on the horizon. She would dress in her best golden gown and run downstairs to wait for the presents from her family. She and her siblings—Reeve, Aralyn, and Elea—would feast on her mother’s sweet cakes and marvel at the ribbons and gowns and chocolates that her parents gave them as blessings from the Creator on her day.
After the morning meal, they would bundle up in their warmest clothing and find a place on the streets to await the court with Rhea and the rest of the Gramm family. The court would parade through the city with the King, Queen, and Consort at the end of a column of Affiliates and High Order.
The mountains would loom overhead with their snow-topped peaks. And, if they were lucky, snow would hit the streets for the first day of the season. They would be exempt from lessons for the day. While a large group of Second and Third Class children of age were brought to Nit Decus castle for their Presenting ceremony, the city dwellers would play in the snow, and an annual snowball fight would break out in the streets.
Once Cyrene had reached a certain age, she was forbidden from the fights, but by then, she could join the festival in the city where everyone wore white ribbons in their hair and danced in the various banquet halls.
At night, her family would sit around the hearth and remember all the things they were thankful for on this day for the Creator. They would go to bed, full of love and chocolate and blessings. Rhea would sneak into their house through the second-story window and snuggle with Cyrene and her sister, Elea, giggling at cold toes and their adventures from the evening.
This Eos holiday, there would be no snow.
No mountains.
No family.
No Rhea.
Cyrene never thought she would miss the cold. Colder temperatures wouldn’t hit Eleysia for at least a couple of weeks, and even then, it would be nothing like home.
The door to her room opened, and Cyrene jumped. “Oh, it’s just you,” she said, when she saw Maelia’s face in the doorway.
Maelia toed the door closed behind her. “Happy holiday to you, too,” she said.
Cyrene sat up in bed and pulled the covers back. “Come sit with me.”
Maelia smiled brightly and dashed into Cyrene’s bed. For a minute, she could almost imagine Maelia as a kid with her Captains of the Guard parents easing up on her on this one day.
“This is my first year away,” Cyrene whispered.
“Mine, too.”
“I thought I would be in the parade in Byern. People would look up to me as I walked through the city. I’d been dreaming about it since I was a girl.”
“I’m glad I’m not in a parade,” Maelia admitted. “I just wish I were standing on top of the perimeter wall in Levin with my parents. It was the one day of the year when I was permitted to see the world from so high up.”
“I bet that was freezing,” Cyrene said.
Levin was even farther north than Byern, and they always had bitterly cold winters.
“You don’t notice the cold after a while.”
A knock sounded from the door. Both girls started and then giggled at the interruption.
Cyrene called, “Come in!”
The door opened, and there stood Dean, looking ever the part of the Eleysian Prince. He smiled when he found them in bed together. “Am I interrupting?”
Cyrene laughed. “No, we were just reminiscing about Byern.”
“And the snow,” Maelia said.
Dean shuddered. “The snow? Why would you miss the snow?”
“It’s home,” they said in unison.
“I see. Well, I came to bring you an Eos present, Cyrene. Maelia, I know that Darmian was asking around about you,” Dean said.
Cyrene’s eyes widened. “You and Darmian?”
“Don’t get any of your ideas. I’m sure it’s just…business,” Maelia said, already getting out of bed.
“‘Business,’” Cyrene said, making finger quotes.
Maelia rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her.
“Present?” Cyrene asked.
She got out of bed and stepped into her dressing robe. She didn’t feel comfortable dressed just in her night shift around Dean even though she sometimes thought the Eleysian clothing bared more than her Byern shift.
Dean walked around the enormous four-poster bed and casually took a seat on the down comforter. If someone had found out about that happening in Byern, the entire court would be talking about it. But he seemed so comfortable and confident in the space that she took the seat next to him.
He offered her a small box. She arched an eyebrow and then tore into it. She removed a bag from within and was delighted to find decadent Eleysian chocolate.
She popped one into her mouth and moaned. “Creator, this is delicious.”
“I did say I would ply you with them.”
Cyrene laughed. “Feel free.”
“But I have one more thing,” he said. He removed a tiny box from his pockets and opened it for her.
She stared at the contents within and went still. It was the most beautiful string of milky-white pearls she had ever seen. When she couldn’t find the words to respond, Dean removed them from the box and held them out for her to see.
“Dean,” she whispered, “they’re beautiful.”
“A family heirloom.”
“I can’t,” she breathed. “It’s your birthday and you’re giving me gifts.”
“Ah, but you’re going to the ball with me. That’s gift enough. And trust me, the pearls will look much better on you when you wear them tonight than sitting in a box,” he told her. “Allow me.”
She shifted her back to his chest until they were nearly touching. She could feel the heat radiating off of him. It took everything in her not to lean back toward him and let his warmth seep into her. She pulled her long dark tresses to one side. He placed the pearls around her neck, and then he clasped the necklace into place. His fingers trailed along her neckline, and she shivered.
“There,” he whispered, his breath hot on her shoulder. “Perfect.”
“Thank you.” She touched a hand to the pearls and faced him. “They’re amazing.”
Dean laced their fingers together. That one small gesture disarmed her. It was so simple yet meant so much. His thumb stroked her hand while the other hand came up to cup her cheek. Her breathing hitched as her eyes landed on his lips.
Dean smiled sweetly, and
she could feel the tension blooming between them. She could distinctly remember the feel of his lips on her cheek all those weeks ago, and he hadn’t made a move since then. This was the closest they had been since he had asked to court her.
He must think her Byern modesty precluded kissing. Just when she thought that she was going to have to show him that it didn’t, he pulled back and stood.
“I have duties the rest of the afternoon, but I wanted to see you before I left.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her, his eyes boring into her all the while. “Until tonight.”
Then, he turned and left her room.
Cyrene flopped back onto the bed and let loose an exasperated sigh. What have I gotten myself into?
Cyrene stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was to meet Dean at the entrance to the ball any minute now. She touched the pearls at her neck once more. They meant something. She knew they did. Maybe everything. And none of the trepidation that she had first felt with him lingered within her.
She hadn’t found Matilde and Vera, but her magic hadn’t acted up either. Dean’s presence seemed to have a calming effect on her. Something that she noted happily.
But it did sour her mood that she had fled home and everything she loved for a mission that she couldn’t possibly accomplish. Even if she had found Dean in the process.
Cyrene felt a slight tug in her stomach as a someone approached her room from down the hallway, and a smile tugged at her features.
“You’re here!” Cyrene said when the door opened. Cyrene didn’t have to turn around to know it was Avoca who stood behind her.
“Happy Eos, Cyrene,” Avoca said with a small smile. “We’re all in position for the party.”
“Good. Let’s hope we fare better at this ball.”
Avoca nodded. “I think we will.”
Cyrene stepped down from the pedestal in front of the mirror and motioned for Avoca to follow her out of the room. They walked through the corridors on the way to the Eos ball. “Are you going to tell me what’s happening with Ahlvie and Ceis’f?”
Avoca’s smile froze. “Nothing is happening with either of them.”