A dry old noble from the clergy was giving some customary coronation speech at a podium on the side of the dais. Chloe waited for him to finish without hearing a word. The sight of his emerald green robe had brought Emma back to the front of her thoughts. She’d had a mind in the past to tell Emma not to join the boring old clergy.
Then Chloe saw her. Emma was sitting next to High Priestess Grimmoix who, for once, looked cheerful. They were seated with the other green robes on the far right side of the ballroom. It was no wonder Chloe had missed seeing her before. Emma barely looked like herself. She was but a shrinking shadow next to High Priestess Grimmoix. There was no light in her eyes. She did not wave or smile.
Chills ran down Chloe’s back. Something was wrong. She stared hard at Emma, willing her to look up, but her eyes remained vacant. She was quiet, composed and empty. It wasn’t like Emma at all.
Bazzlejet turned to look where Chloe was staring. Chloe knew he’d spied Emma, too, because he made a puzzled face. He waved to get Emma’s attention but it didn’t work. He turned back around and locked eyes with Chloe.
Go to her, Chloe commanded with her gaze. She jerked her chin ever so slightly in Emma’s direction. Bazzlejet gave a little nod.
Good. At least he wasn’t a complete idiot. Chloe felt better knowing somebody was on the case.
“…and upon passing of our dear, departed King Theobald Louis de Lolanthe, the crown is now granted, by royal writ and succession, to his eldest child, Princess Chloe Nokomis de Lolanthe on this the day of the waxing moon, month of the red solstice in the year one thousand and one,” the clergyman at the podium recited. He gave a hand signal to two prim attendants on either side of the dais. The attendants had been chosen because they were both of an equal height that would allow them to place the crown atop Chloe’s head without forcing her to kneel down.
The two attendants lifted the crown in unison. Chloe closed her eyes. She’d been over this moment a hundred times in her mind. They would place the crown on her, one of the Seelie Court judges would say a few words and then she would take her seat on the throne, a queen at last.
She never got to feel the weight of the crown on her purple curls. She heard the crowd gasp. The two attendants paused with the crown held in the air between them. Chloe opened her eyes.
Everyone looked startled. The faces weren’t watching with respectful awe as she thought they should be. Her first reaction was anger. What was the hold-up? Then she felt a presence looming over her shoulder.
Chloe whirled around. There, standing on the dais behind her, was The Duke of Briar.
The Duke was a very tall, very ugly Fay. He had a gaunt face with a thinning gray beard and pale, intense eyes that looked as though they’d never seen anything they approved of. He wore long a cape in Larlaith’s signature color of crimson.
Though the duke had played host to the royal family on several occasions, Chloe had never liked him. All his posturing and bullying since Hue’s death had done nothing to improve her opinion.
“What is going on here?” she asked.
The duke shoved her aside and stepped to the front of the dais. The bewildered attendants got out of his way.
“My fellow Fay,” he addressed the crowd, “the coronation you have come to witness today is a fraud. This girl is not fit to wear the crown of Ivywild.”
A collective gasp went through the audience. The duke savored it with a smile.
Chloe began to tremble with shock and rage. “What are you talking about?” She looked to Kesper and Nuckelvee for help. “What is he doing here? He’s not supposed to be here! Guards!”
Nobody answered her summons. It was then that she noticed flashes of crimson throughout the room. The duke’s own men guarded the doors. They flanked the sides of the dais. Onstage, however, it was the Seelie Court’s personal guards who held order. Three of them surrounded Violet. She looked around helplessly.
“Change of plans,” Judge Kesper said as he indulged in one of his repugnant know-it-all grins. “The duke has provided evidence that proves you are not fit to take on the rule of this kingdom.”
Chloe’s heart rate spiked as she tried to comprehend the situation. “WHAT PROOF?” she shouted. “This is unacceptable! He isn’t supposed to be here! Where is Commander Larue?”
“He has been taken from his post until we determine where his loyalties lie,” Judge Nuckelvee said.
As Chloe watched the smiling judges, the full scope of the situation hit her. “YOU! You invited the duke! This is…this is a coup!”
A confused rumbling came from the audience.
“It is true, my fellow citizens,” the duke said. “There comes a time when those with good judgment must make hard decisions. After I have presented my case I have no doubt that you will all see why a change is in order.” He pulled a scroll of parchment from inside his cape.
Still in shock, Chloe watched him unroll the parchment. It was a handwritten letter with the seal of Ivywild on it. That meant it had been sent from the castle.
“This is a letter from my dear, departed son, Hue,” said the duke. He feigned a look of sadness that made Chloe’s insides boil. Whatever else the duke said, he couldn’t truly claim any love for his son. He had been a cruel, merciless father to Hue.
The crowd fell silent and watched the duke with interest. Most knew the sordid details of the last days of Hue Briar’s life. The tale had generated as much gossip and speculation as could be expected. Chloe knew she couldn’t control it, so she hadn’t tried. She had let the people believe whatever they wanted to believe, knowing that they would grow bored of the story eventually. She now realized she’d been foolish to think that her good deeds as a new ruler would soon outweigh the scandal.
“The official word on my son’s death was that he was possessed by a creature called Robyn,” the duke said. “Isn’t that what you’ve all been told?”
There were murmurs of assent and nodding throughout the audience.
The duke gave his own satisfied nod as he surveyed the crowd. “This letter was sent just days before his unfortunate end. It tells a far different story—a ghastly tale that the royal family doesn’t want you to know.”
Chloe could only begin to guess the contents of the letter but it didn’t matter. She knew the truth. “You can’t believe anything Hue wrote while he was here! He was possessed! He wasn’t in his right mind!”
“Wasn’t he?” the duke said threateningly. “Perhaps the people should judge that for themselves.” He cleared his throat and began reading. “Dearest Father…”
It was enough to make Chloe scoff out loud. Hue would never have called him ‘dearest’ anything. The audience had no way to know this. They hung onto the duke’s every word as he continued:
‘Dearest Father, I have found myself entangled in a situation which I have no way of knowing how to resolve. Nevertheless, I will forge ahead and try my best to reverse this dire state of affairs, for if I do not, I fear for the future of all our people. I trust you alone with this information lest something should go wrong in my bid to do right. The fact is this: Princess Chloe is possessed by some evil entity. I do not believe the other royals to be aware of it, so I have taken it upon myself to cure her. I have gotten as close as I dare without arousing her suspicion, even moving forward with my proposal as I had planned. I know that dear, sweet princess Chloe is still present in some form and it is that part of her that I will take as my bride. If I can shoulder the burden of this beast so that the rest of Faylinn does not have to, so be it. Wish me luck. I remain your faithful, loving servant and son—Hue.’
The duke let his voice become emotional towards the end. When he finished, he wiped away a tear that wasn’t really there.
Chloe listened, aghast. Surely the crowd wouldn’t buy it. If this was what had convinced the Seelie Court to embrace the duke, they were much more stupid than she’d ever believed them to be.
The crowd was silent. Chloe could feel them reciting the words over in the
ir heads, deciding if they held weight. Then she felt their eyes on her, judging. She faced them with chin held high. It was all she could do not to incinerate the duke where he stood. How dare he insult the intelligence of her people with such a far-fetched accusation?
Chloe searched the sea of faces for expressions of doubt. Instead, she saw fear. The people began to whisper among each other. Panic seized her again and she frantically sought a friendly face to give her strength. She looked among the green robes. Surely her best friend would stand up for her.
Emma stared blankly ahead. She didn’t even appear to be aware that anything was amiss.
The panic became worse. Chloe’s breathing came in gasps. She looked everywhere and anywhere for help.
Bazzlejet had not made it back to Emma’s row. He was stuck among the crowd on the far right side of the room. He looked angry. He tried to elbow his way out of the crowd, but a red-caped guard cut him off.
“This is hound crap!” Bazzlejet shouted, shoving the guard. “Don’t you people see? That buffoon is putting us on!” He pointed at the duke. “He’s lying! I bet poor widdle Hue didn’t even write that letter! He was too busy being a walking disguise for Robyn!”
Now the suspicious stares turned on the duke. Chloe regained a little of her spirit.
“Yeah!” Violet shouted. “Don’t listen to the duke. He just wants the throne to himself!”
“Get her out of here,” the duke hissed to one of his guards. They obliged, dragging Violet behind the curtain.
“Now the Dookie of Briar is picking on little girls!” Bazzlejet shouted.
Some of the people closest to him laughed. It was bad for Bazzlejet. The guard who’d been holding him back let loose with a baton and smacked him in the stomach. Two more red capes came over to drag him away.
Chloe clenched her fists. “Stop it!” she shouted at the duke. “You have no right to come in here and make accusations! Go back to your side of the ocean!”
“Yeah!” Bazzlejet shouted weakly as he was being dragged off.
The duke chuckled. “I only have Ivywild’s best interests at heart, and I have the backing of the Seelie Court.” He bowed to the judges. They returned it with a simpering bow of their own. “These fine men asked me to take action after I presented my evidence.”
Chloe glared at the judges. “Evidence? You’ve only got one fake letter! Obviously I’m NOT possessed. Even if my rule was really in question, a foreign duke has no business stepping in. Violet is the next direct-line descendant.” She turned to the crowd and said, “Make her the queen if you don’t trust me.”
“Princess Violet has only just turned fifteen,” Kesper quickly reminded everyone. “Royal edict states that no heir under the age of sixteen years can take the throne. Until they are of coronation age, a regent must act in their stead. The Duke of Briar is the obvious choice for regent.”
The duke’s eyes glinted with malicious pleasure. “A year is ample time to determine if you are, as you claim, fit to rule. I, for one, believe you are not.”
“On what grounds?” Chloe retorted.
“The Seelie Court has its own evidence,” Judge Kesper said, moving to stand next to the duke. He folded his hands over his paunch and gave the crowd a look of fatherly concern. “Princess Chloe has consistently denied pilgrims the safety of Ivywild.”
A shot of fury made Chloe’s fingertips grow warm. “That’s not true. I let everyone come inside after Father’s funeral! Nobody has been turned back since!”
“You mean after the failed massacre at Mag Mell,” Kesper said loudly. “How odd that such an attack should occur when we were all out in the open, gathered in such staggering numbers. Odder still that Ivywild’s own security force was nowhere close by.”
“They were patrolling the castle on my orders!” Chloe raged. “And there were plenty of guards at the funeral.”
“Not nearly enough on your orders,” Kesper said, raising his eyebrows at the audience. “More curious, still, that you should be among the last to return to the castle, and yet you suffered no injuries at the hands of the monsters. In fact, all of your closest friends walked away unscathed.”
Emma kept her look of infantile ignorance. Chloe waited on her to stand up and say how she’d saved them all with a barrier. She was silent.
The murmur of the crowd grew. They were staring, whispering, nodding with crossed arms and eyes narrowed in doubt. Their favor was swinging away from her.
Chloe tried desperately to think of a way to defend herself. This wasn’t a coronation. It was a trial. She was outnumbered and all alone. There was nobody left to vouch for her innocence. She gave Emma one last, begging look, but her friend didn’t even register it.
“HOW DARE YOU!” roared a powerful female voice.
A figure in a rolling chair made her way up from the back of the crowd. Chloe barely recognized her own mother. Othella’s hair was down, trailing long, wild curls of whitest blonde over the back of her wheelchair. She wore no powders on her face and her eyes were puffy red with unrest.
“Glad you decided to join us, Othella,” the duke said with a smug grin.
Onlookers gasped anew to discover that the wild-eyed lady in the rolling chair was the king’s widow.
Othella barged her way up to the dais. The look on her face was murderous. “You are nothing but a pretender. A usurper! If Theobald could see this, he would hang his head in shame for ever supporting you!”
Her comments bounced harmlessly off the duke. He leered at her, looking amused. “My dear lady, I far more think King Theobald would have been ashamed to discover the true source of your unfortunate injury. Many witnesses from the day of Hue’s death said they saw a forbidden machine inside the castle. You were the one in the machine, were you not?”
Othella glared at him. “That’s beside the point. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE HERE!”
The duke laughed. “Avoiding the facts doesn’t make them go away. Friends, fellow Fay, I implore you to do a little digging into Othella’s past. Many times in her youth she was caught meddling with forbidden machinery. You’ve seen the evils caused by such machinery. It is used by the very monsters that attacked Mag Mell.”
Several in the crowd nodded. There were shouts of agreement.
Gathering steam, the duke continued his assault. “Othella was known to have Slaugh contacts. She was a close friend of Linaeve Grimmoix, a traitor who left Ivywild to marry the King of the Slaugh.”
Chloe’s fingernails seared crescents into the flesh of her palms. “DON’T TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER LIKE THAT!” she shouted. “You are a pompous ass and if you don’t leave this room IMMEDIATELY I’LL—”
“You’ll what?” the duke said. “Come on. Let us see what you’re capable of.”
Chloe’s face and neck were bright red. She took deep breaths to get a hold of her emotions.
The duke watched her expectantly. His guards had moved close to him. “Go ahead,” he whispered to her. “Do it.”
“No,” Chloe said. “I’m not some possessed puppet. I am the Queen of Ivywild.”
The duke turned to the crowd. His smile was awful. “What say you, humble citizens? Is this what you want for your ruler? This wayward child, evil’s instrument and the daughter of a criminal?” He shot a pitying glance at Othella. “This girl who delivered you all into harm’s way at Mag Mell? She, who would rather sully the good name of a boy who can’t defend himself rather than admit her own failing? Be honest with yourselves. I will give you a year’s servitude and then you can determine if her younger sister is suitable to be your ruler. Wouldn’t that be safer than handing it all over now to this little charlatan?”
Silence. Chloe held her breath. Perhaps he hadn’t swayed the people. They had been loyal to her father. They might remain loyal to her.
“Duke of Briar for regent!” shouted High Priestess Grimmoix.
Chloe’s heart sank. A dozen more people picked up the chant. They began rising to their feet. The duke’s chest swelled with vict
ory.
“No!” Chloe said. “This can’t be…”
“Seeing is believing,” the duke said out of the corner of his mouth. “The people have spoken.” He nodded to one of the guards. “Take her away.”
The red caped guards moved towards Chloe. There was nowhere for her to run and no way to fight back.
All of a sudden both guards flew off their feet. Othella’s wheelchair rose by some invisible force to the level of the dais. The blue crystal around her neck crackled with energy.
“Chloe, run!” she yelled.
People flew off all sides of the dais as Othella cleared a path. The duke and his guards fell into the front row. Uncertain of what was happening, portions of the crowd began to run for the exits.
Chloe darted through the curtains. Behind them, Violet was being held by a couple of guards. The curtains blew back and Othella rolled through them. She knocked the guards away with magic, freeing Violet.
“Mother!” Violet shouted.
Chloe gawked at Othella. “Where have you been?”
“There’s no time,” Othella replied. “Come close. Hold onto my arms.”
The noise on the other side of the curtain swelled into a storm. Guards shouted. People screamed. The duke bellowed at his guards to get control of the crowd. Loud footsteps rang on the dais, coming closer.
“Get over here now!” Othella shouted.
Chloe and Violet ran to her and each grabbed one of her arms. She pulled a small, round object like a pocket watch out of her skirt.
Violet gasped. “Mother, is that—”
“Hold on!” Othella shouted as a knot of guards poured through the curtain.
The Flute Keeper's Promise (The Flute Keeper Saga) Page 14