Void Born

by R. J. Metcalf

  “Zander?”

  Zak’s eldest nephew smiled. When had he grown to be eye level with her? He eased an arm around her shoulders, his grip gentle yet firm. “Where are you going? I’ll help you get there.” The axe on his hip swayed as he moved, gently bumping into her leg. “Sorry Uncle Zak isn’t back yet. Grandma’s holding him hostage until she finishes feeding him the last cinnamon roll that she baked.”

  A swell of jealousy rose in Jade and beat against her already fragile emotions. “He’d better bring one back for me.”

  Zander let out a hearty laugh. “Grandma has a pan in the oven just for you and Miss Krista.” He tucked a hand under her arm, letting her lean into him. “Where to? I’m not Uncle Zak, but I can escort you, M’lady.”

  Jade sighed even as she hid her smile. “If you start calling me that, I will have to get my revenge on you later.” She nodded in the direction she had been going. “I need to head back to my room and get some rest.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll get you.” Zander kept pace with her, either not noticing, or not commenting on the maid who paused in the doorway of one of the guest rooms, her eyes set on Zander, barely even noticing Jade tucked under his arm.

  Mirth beat out the discomfort for a moment. How very appropriate. If Aunt Garnet was to be believed, Zak’s brother, Zane, had been one to have a following of interested women in the palace, though he’d never taken advantage of the fact. And, fittingly, his namesake seemed to have inherited the same charm and looks.

  They rounded the corner together, and Jade cocked her head, “When is your rite of passage? It’s coming up soon, isn’t it?”

  Zander nodded, his eyes flashing with excitement. “My birthday is in three months, and Grandpa says we’ll have the ceremony that day.”

  “Do you know what it’ll be? Or is that going to be a surprise?”

  Zander started to shrug, then seemed to think better of it with his arm still around her. He shook his head instead. “They counted Uncle Zak’s defeat of the phantom as his rite of passage, so I’m hoping they’ll let me do something similar.”

  Jade suppressed her grin. “That sounds exciting. What are you going to do once you’re a full-fledged Guardian?”

  Zander slowed as they reached her door, and he hovered his hand over the doorknob before she nodded and flicked her wrist. He swung open the door and hesitated there. She rolled her eyes and took a half-step forward, pulling him along.

  “It’s a sitting room for guests first, silly,” she laughed. “Help me to the couch, will you?”

  He chuckled as well and steered her past two low tables scattered with pages of notes. “I was actually hoping to talk to you about my Guardianship.”

  “Oh?” She sank into the plush couch with a groan. She wiggled back on the cushions until she reclined. “How can I help?”

  “Can I join Zak and be part of your personal guard?”

  Jade’s eyes flew open, and she looked up at Zander. He’d moved to stand by the other couch, his stance comfortable and his hands clasped behind him, mirroring one of Zak’s standard poses. She slowly rolled to be on her side, cautious to not twist the tender, healing skin on her chest. “I—I’m not sure that I’m going to be queen.”

  Zander nodded. “Zak mentioned that.” He sat on the couch across from her, leaning his elbows on his knees, his expression earnest. “But I have faith that you’ll make the right decision.”

  “The right decision?” Jade pressed her lips together. “I don’t even know what that will look like.”

  “You’ll know it when you see it.” Zander’s utter confidence rattled Jade. His eyes burned with the earnest sincerity of one who’d yet to be seasoned by the trials of reality. Yet, as a Monomi, she knew he’d already experienced so much at the hands of his own city—ostracization, harassment, discrimination. Zander pressed his palms together. “I know I’m young. Not yet a man. But I know enough. You’re talented and skilled in ways uniquely suited to you. And you’re in a position to use those skills in a way that could benefit all of us. Don’t overthink the situation and lose out, or have your citizens suffer, just because you’re scared.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Jade muttered, pressing her face into the cinnamon-scented pillow. She inhaled deeply, and her cheeks heated as she pushed her head into the pillow, trying to subtly catch the lingering scent of Zak on the cushion. She’d forgotten this was the seat he’d been on last night when he’d come by to chat with her and Krista briefly.

  “Yes, it is,” Zander admitted. “I’ve known all my life who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to be doing. My life is a steady constant to your upheaval.”

  Jade dropped her hand over her eyes. “Since when did you get to be so wise-sounding and eloquent?”

  Zander laughed, and she could hear the subtle creak in the couch that indicated he was standing. “Blame my grandpa for that.”

  “I will.”

  “Really, though,” Zander’s voice softened, “each citizen needs to do his or her part to fulfill their role, or everyone suffers. Wait until you’re ready, but don’t let that be too long.”

  Jade’s mind churned from Zander’s words long after he left. All her life, she’d thought of herself as an average citizen, not one who could do great things like be a queen, rule a kingdom, and protect her people. It hadn’t even been a fleeting dream or desire. Leading an airship crew would be daunting enough.

  She shifted on the couch and hissed through her teeth as her back panged in protest. Her shoulder and chest may need to stay still and rest, but the rest of her body had missed that particular memo and was distinctly displeased with all her sitting and laying and resting.

  Forget this. There was no way she could try to sleep despite the weariness weighing down on her mind. With Zak still gone, and the majority of the crew out hunting Victor, she had a chance to walk through the palace without an escort. May as well make use of that freedom.

  Jade used her good arm to push herself upright on the couch, then gingerly pulled herself up to standing. The room spun, and she clutched the plush arm of the chair, waiting for the dizziness to ease up. One stalker. Two stalker. She closed her eyes and blew out a slow breath, relaxed her grip, and gritted her teeth. One step at a time.

  Servitors chatted at the end of the hall, their backs to her, and Jade slipped out of her room and down the long hall. She turned one corner and backed up at the sight of two black-clad Monomi guarding a room across from her, Queen Violet just visible through the open doorway.

  “I can’t, and I won’t!”

  Jade jerked at the man’s shout as it echoed through the hallway, and the back of her head thunked against the wall at the same time as a clatter sounded from the room. That sounded like Blade ...Brandon. Whatever name he chose to go by, it didn’t change anything between them. He’d nearly killed her. Blood-father or not.

  The murmured reply was too low for Jade to make out clearly, but it sounded like Queen Violet wasn’t interested in hearing his refusal. Jade settled against the wall, waist-high molding pressing into her hip. Sounded like Brandon didn’t like Violet’s ideas for succession. Jade smirked in spite of herself. At least she wasn’t the only stubborn one.

  Jade stared at a small rip in the amber wallpaper at the edge of the hallway as she strained to listen to Brandon. Odds were good that the Monomi had noticed her even though she was around the corner, but no one chased her away from eavesdropping on Violet and Brandon. And if they’d really wanted to avoid eavesdroppers, they would’ve closed the door anyway.

  “No. I’m not going to be king. Not now, not ever.” Brandon’s voice raised, ringing clear through the hall. “I don’t know if Lucio has another control stone, and I’m not going to risk it!”

  Lucio? Jade wracked her brain to place the name. Zak and Garnet had mentioned a Lucio after their meeting last week, hadn’t they? Some guy that Finn knew who wanted the barrier down.

  “What if he has one? What if he waits until I’m on the thron
e, and then I’m his puppet? Do you want to risk that? I don’t. I’m not going to risk my people being hurt by my own hands anymore. Too many have suffered because of my actions.” Brandon’s voice dropped from the hot anger to a lower timbre, and Jade risked peeking around the corner to hear better. One of the Monomi guards—Zebediah’s brother?—raised an eyebrow and sent a sly smile in her direction. She offered an awkward wave and stepped onto the rug that ran through the hall, muffling her footsteps as she drew closer to the door, staying out of sight of those inside.

  This time, Jade could hear Violet without straining. “Then right the wrongs of your actions. Take up the crown. Don’t leave your messes for your daughter to clean up.”

  Brandon snarled. “She doesn’t want anything to do with being my daughter.”

  “Of course not. You cut her down, as the story has been told,” Violet replied, the edge on her words cutting. “Maybe you should work on repairing that relationship. Is this what Sapphire would have wanted of you two?”

  A small pang of guilt whispered through Jade at the mention of Sapphire. “I reject them.” It was unfair to reject her blood-mother when all she’d done wrong was die. But . . .

  “Don’t speak her name!” Brandon’s roar and a resounding thud had both the guards pivoting to look into the room in time with Jade’s hasty backpedal. “She would’ve been here if it wasn’t for Slate! My family would still be together, if it wasn’t for that Void Born whale scum who murdered my wife, stole my daughter, and nearly got all of us killed.”

  “And now he’s gone,” Violet shot back. “So what are you going to do? Live in the past? Or move forward and reclaim what you’ve lost? Your family. Your home. Your throne.” Any softness in Violet’s tone disappeared, leaving it hard, an undercurrent of anger lacing her words. “You aren’t the only one who lost someone that day. I had to marry Everett. And I’ve done all I can to protect your people from my husband’s dictatorship, hoping that maybe you or Adeline were still alive somehow. And you both are. So someone has to step up.”

  Jade huffed a breath out her nose. Someone did have to step up. And it wouldn’t be her.

  “Vi—I’m not the man you remember.” His voice sounded broken, almost teary. “I’m unstable. And I know it.”

  Jade bit her lip as she nodded to herself. The longer he’d been in the palace, the more he brooded. The more he brooded, the more fits of anger burst out of him, followed by depression and drinking that rivaled her memories of Slate’s bad days. The only difference between the two was that her father had kept his darkness to himself, and hadn’t let it spew out on those around him. Brandon, on the other hand, sometimes lashed out with a caustic bitterness and terrifying wrath that sent staff and advisors scurrying for the nearest escape, while the Monomi worked to keep him contained.

  A chair creaked in the sudden silence. “I need time. I need to find a way to heal my mind after everything.”

  “Fine. I’ll talk to Jade about her taking up the mantle in the meantime,” Violet said briskly. “I’ll cover your survival until the Leaders’ Summit. Whichever of you takes the throne, you need to do it soon. Everett will want both of you dead once he learns you’re alive. Jade’s survival is being announced everywhere even as we speak. Don’t take long. A target is surely on her back by now.”

  Chapter Three

  Weston

  One week earlier

  “Your Highness, brooding isn’t going to help matters any.”

  Prince Weston turned from the ornate scrolling on his window to shoot his guard an irritated glare. Niles Herrera crossed his thick arms over his silver-and-black uniform and raised his thick eyebrows, unruffled by Weston’s irritation. Niles nodded to the courtyard visible through the bay aperture. “If you’re so concerned over Sir Andre Catalina, then maybe you should do something about it.”

  “But what can I do for Andre?” Weston exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and pacing away from the sunbeam that warmed his body. He snatched a book off his desk and threw it across the room with a yell. It hit the black divan with a satisfying smack before falling onto the blue-and-white mosaic tiled floor. Frustration, confusion, fear, it all whirled under his skin, threatening to pull him apart at the seams. Too much had happened in too little time. Jade was the missing Princess Adeline. Andre was arrested as a traitor. An attack on the Doldran palace. And crazy rumors of the culprits being anything from bandits to Void Born. He couldn’t process it all.

  He stared at the crease in the spine of the book, trying to resist the regret that tugged at his chest before he knelt to pick up the book and smooth the crinkled pages. How many times had Andre scolded him for his temper? For making assumptions and acting rashly? For being so frozen in fear that he wouldn’t even act?

  “Fine.” Weston sighed as he gently settled the book on the divan. “I’ll go see him.”

  “Very good, sir.” Niles held up his hand before Weston could reach the door. “Your Highness, remember your sword.”

  Weston blinked twice before rolling his eyes and crossing over to his dresser to pull his sword off its ceremonial stand. “I have you with me.”

  “And even I can be fallible. Your safety is my priority, Highness.”

  “If it makes you feel better, then . . .” Weston strapped his sword on his hip and patted his leather belt. “Once I finish my newest steam-pistol model, I’ll need to commission a custom belt for carrying both sword and pistol.”

  Niles grunted and held the door open for Weston. “One day at a time, sir.”

  Despite it being early morning, the air was already thick and muggy from a belated summer storm, stifling Weston’s every breath. Whatever happened to a morning breeze to push away the humidity? Hopefully it’d pass within a few hours. Weston opted for the longer route to the prison, choosing to stay indoors more often than not. He waited until the last moment before walking through the outdoor courtyard to the prison doors.

  The dark prison offered a welcome respite from the hot sunshine, and Weston waited a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the gaslight sconces. The guards on duty bowed, and he ignored them, crossing his arms to hide his shaking hands. Niles retrieved keys from the head of the prison, then removed a light from the rough stone wall and motioned with it down the dark hall. “Follow me.”

  The head guard lifted his hand, his expression hesitant. “Wait, Your Highness, your sword . . .”

  Weston settled his hand on the hilt and gave the guard his best impression of his father’s angry scowl. “My sword stays with me.”

  The man paled and he bowed, his face pinched. “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Weston turned away and held his chin up as he passed rows of beggars and criminals, past his father’s last mistress, past the voices crying out, reaching through the wrought iron grate-like windows. He’d visited the prison only once before, and that was a memory he’d sooner forget. It was only out of loyalty to Andre, along with sheer desperation, that he was here. Niles paused at a solid metal door and used one of the keys on the ring to open the door, the metal hinges squawking their alarm for all to hear. Niles stayed there, pointing. Weston slipped past his bodyguard and stopped a moment before rushing forward.

  Andre had been stripped of his robes of office as Weston’s mentor, teacher, and aide. He was left with just his basic pants, boots, and undershirt, and yet he still managed to look dignified. He didn’t appear defeated, like so many of the prisoners they’d passed to get here. No, not Andre. He merely glanced up from his pacing, his eyes glinting with the predatory gleam of a lion waiting for its next meal. His face softened at the sight of Weston, and he strode forward, kneeling before him, head bowed.

  “My Prince.” He looked up, his stubbled jaw set. “I beg of you. You have to protect Jade.”

  Jade. Who, for all her intents and purposes, considered Andre her uncle.

  Weston didn’t flinch from his mentor’s gaze. “From what?”

  “Your father.”

  Th
is time Weston did flinch, and Andre’s eyes narrowed.

  “He’s not going to suffer her living, Weston. She’s the rightful princess of Doldra. Her being alive means your mother isn’t the true queen. Jade—”

  “I know she’s the princess, Andre.” Weston turned away from his mentor and ran a hand down his face, his eyes closed. “I was eavesdropping when my father arrested you. I heard it all.”

  “Then you understand the danger she’s in.”

  Weston pivoted on his heel to face Andre. “Yes. She’s a threat to his power. He’s going to think she’s after his throne.”

  “It’s more than that.” Andre rocked forward on his knees, his gaze intense. “Think it through.”

  Not even prison can stop Andre from teaching. The glimmer of an amused smile slid off Weston’s face as Andre’s meaning fully registered. “If my mother isn’t the true queen, my father’s position of rule is weakened.” Blood slowly drained from Weston’s face, leaving his skin tingling. “It’s not that Jade would challenge the throne, it’s that Mother’s claim on Doldra is gone. She’s only good for ties to Perennia. He won’t tolerate that.”

  “And if Jade is gone, will there be any problem?”

  Jade’s warm smile flashed through Weston’s mind. Then her tear-stained face. Jade’s reaction to Zak’s punishment. Weston floundered, pressing his hand against the cold stone wall as the room tilted.

  Andre shook his head and stood, hands fisted. “You say you heard him. He wants Jade dead. You have to find a way to convince him not to kill her.”

  Weston blanched. “How? It’s not like he listens to me.”

  “You’re smart. You’ll think of something.”

  Weston paced the width of Andre’s narrow cell, aware of his mentor’s eyes on him the whole time as he stepped around puddles on the filthy floor. He shook his head, incredulous at the idea that his mind conjured. “The only way I can think of to protect her is something that would never happen.” He looked up at Andre. “If she married me, I think that would keep Father appeased. But she hates me.”