Coal: Book One of the Everleaf Series

by Constance Burris

  Coal hesitated. He was five the last time he'd worn those clothes. "Why?"

  "You should not question a princess's orders," Madoc said.

  Chalcedony huffed and turned to Madoc.

  "You're dismissed, Madoc," Chalcedony ordered.

  Madoc shot Coal a hateful look before he bowed towards Princess Chalcedony and left the room.

  "Don't worry about him. He's in a bad mood."

  "He's been in a bad mood for eleven years," Coal said. "I think it's safe to say he just really hates me."

  "He doesn't hate you. He treats you just like he treats everybody else."

  "Really?" Coal asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Okay, he may dislike you a little bit. Go, and meet me upstairs."

  "But--" he began.

  "No more questions or you'll spoil the surprise. Just go get them." Her voice was full of joy and mischief. He'd missed it. He'd missed her.

  Coal bit his lip, stifling his next question before he left the room.

  What could she possibly want with his human clothes? They were all he had that proved where he'd come from, but he hadn't touched or thought about them in years.

  Coal stood at Chalcedony's bedroom door a few minutes later, holding a ragged shirt and a pair of pants.

  The door stood open, but the room seemed empty until Chalcedony stepped from behind her dressing screen. He almost dropped his bundle when he saw her wearing a pair of blue pants and a yellow shirt. Human clothes.

  "What are you wearing? How did you get those?" he asked.

  "Jeans and a T-shirt, the items you have in your hands, are very common clothes in the human realm."

  "But why are you wearing them?" he asked.

  "It's a surprise. Give me yours, and I'll fix them for you."

  She took his clothes, placed them on her bed and whispered over them. As she spoke, the holes in the shirt became smaller until they disappeared. The material stretched, becoming longer and wider. She worked the same magic with his pants.

  "Wow, you could be a tailor. That'll come in handy if the giants decide to attack the dwarves."

  "Ha ha." Chalcedony smiled in triumph. "Tetrick taught me this two days ago. I'm discovering more abilities the closer I get to my coronation."

  He'd always been jealous of Chalcedony's ability to wield magic. Over the years, he'd gotten much better at hiding his envy, but still, every time he saw Tetrick and Chalcedony together, the jealousy and longing returned. Tetrick was strong, powerful, and able to phase in and out of most places anytime he wanted. He was everything Coal wasn't.

  "Fine, you can lengthen clothes, but why do we need to wear them?" Coal asked.

  "Stop asking questions and relax. I promise you won't be disappointed."

  She waved her hand, and an invisible force pushed him backward. She'd learned to move things years ago, but it wasn't until recently, that she could move anything heavier than a sheet of paper.

  "Okay, okay. I won't ask any more questions. I can walk the rest of the way myself."

  "Thank you." She lowered her hand, and the force disappeared from his chest. "Be careful back there. I don't want you ending up somewhere you shouldn't."

  Reluctantly, but of his own free will, he walked behind the screen with his clothes.

  A wave of nostalgia washed over Coal as he remembered the last time he'd ducked behind the screen. It served as Chalcedony's secret portal and her escape route if Legacy was ever invaded, which hadn't happened in over one hundred years. It was one of the best kept secrets in Everleaf. As children, they would travel through the screen pretending to hunt for treasure in the forest while everyone slept.

  "So, what do you think?" Coal walked out from behind the screen. He didn't like the feel of the stiff fabric against his skin, but the clothes fit.

  She stared, eyes narrowed.

  "Did I put them on right?" he asked, feeling self-conscious under her intense gaze.

  "You look fine." She smiled. "You look really good, actually."

  "Um, thanks." If she liked them, he decided, they couldn't be all bad. "So are you going to tell me why we're dressed like this?"

  "Nope." She wrapped a black cloak around her lean shoulders and then handed him an extra one lying on her bed. "Wrap up. I don't want anyone asking too many questions."

  Coal followed her out of the room while he tried to hide his excitement and curiosity. His joy disappeared when he saw Madoc at the bottom of the stairs talking to Ambassador Eli. Madoc turned when he saw Chalcedony and Coal.

  "You're not taking your shadows?" Madoc asked, cocking a bushy black and gray eyebrow.

  "I know how to protect myself."

  "Your pride will get you killed. Take your shadows. I'm sure they would appreciate the exercise."

  She rolled her eyes. "No. You have to start trusting me."

  "Traipsing through the human realm without your shadows is not something a queen would do."

  "We're going to the human realm?" Coal blurted.

  "Damn it, Madoc!" Chalcedony exclaimed. "I told you it was a surprise."

  Madoc shrugged. "Take your shadows."

  Chalcedony answered with a sneer before she stormed out of Legacy.

  Coal followed behind Chalcedony while his mind raced. She chattered away, but he couldn't focus. Several moments passed before he asked, "Why didn't you tell me we were going to the human realm?"

  "It was a surprise. Surprise!" She wore a mischievous grin that made her red eyes sparkle.

  In any other situation, Chalcedony's good mood would have been contagious, but he'd been in the fey realm since he was five, and he'd never left Everleaf. He didn't know whether to be scared or excited.

  "Why are we going? I've never asked to go there." Madoc not arguing with Chalcedony about taking Coal was troubling. If he knew anything about the elf, it was that he hated Coal. Most especially, Madoc hated Chalcedony to be seen with Coal outside of Legacy. His disapproval had grown more venomous over the past year.

  "Are you going to leave me there?" he asked, recalling what the sentries had said.

  Chalcedony stopped and faced Coal. "Why would you say that?"

  "You didn't answer my question." His heart raced while he waited for a response.

  "More and more of my work is there. It's so different. Human tech can be destructive, but it's amazing. Every time I go there, I think of you, and I wish you could see it. That's why we're going."

  "What about Madoc?"

  "Don't worry about him. Do you really think I'd just leave you in the human realm without telling you?"

  "No, I don't. It's just--"

  "Coal, I've been tracking rogue fey in the human realm and dealing with serious situations for weeks," she said with desperation in her voice. "I want to have fun. I swear on my mother's sword that is the only reason why we're going."

  He decided to believe her. But the twitching in the corner of her lips told Coal she was hiding something. "How are we going to the human realm without Tetrick? Don't you need him to phase us there?"

  Chalcedony shrugged and continued walking. "No, we don't need Tetrick."

  "Are we taking the dragons?" Coal asked, his curiosity piquing.

  "No, we're not flying. We're taking the horses most of the way."

  "You're not going to tell me, are you?" Coal asked as they entered the stable.

  "Nope."

  He smirked. "I didn't think so."

  "Just relax," Chalcedony said. "You'll have fun. I promise."

  "Are you really going to let them go to the human realm alone?" Ambassador Eli asked Madoc once Chalcedony and Coal had left.

  "She may only be seventeen, but she's smart and one of the strongest in her line. I doubt anyone can hurt her except for a queen."

  "Are you sure you're not overestimating her?" Ambassador Eli asked.

  "I may be, but there is only so much I can do." Madoc faced the dwarf. Many dwarven ambassadors had passed through Legacy, and everyone had hated the bureaucratic process
, except for Ambassador Eli. To Madoc's surprise, the dwarf seemed just as concerned for Everleaf as he was for protecting his people's fortunes and trade routes.

  Ambassador Eli stroked his chin with a short, hairy finger. The dwarf had never worked in the mines so he was slim, instead of bulky and muscular. "I've been hesitant to bring this up, but you should know that most fey in Everleaf have begun to talk about the queenling and her human boy. There are rumors he is destined to become her lover and rule beside her."

  "I am well aware of the rumors. That will never happen."

  "What are your plans for him? I expected you to have gotten rid of him long before now."

  "Chalcedony is supposed to leave the boy in the human realm while they're there."

  Ambassador Eli exhaled. "That's a relief."

  Madoc turned back towards the window. Chalcedony and the boy were on horseback, leaving through the gates. "But she lied to me. She is not going to leave him there. She is still too attached to him."

  "Then, you need to get rid of him," Ambassador Eli said, his voice lifting.

  Madoc watched them until they disappeared from sight. "I can't. The boy will play a significant role in Princess Chalcedony becoming a formidable queen."

  "How can you be so sure?" Ambassador Eli asked, his tone full of doubt.

  "I had a few truthsayers look into it. They all said the same thing. He's meant to stay until he decides to leave on his own."

  The dwarf scowled. "Isn't it your job to make her a great queen?"

  "Like I said, I can only do so much. I've shown her the best and the worst duties of being a queen, yet she remains a child. Her mother and grandmother ..." Madoc hesitated, searching for the correct phrase, "had lost their innocence by her age. She is too happy, and it's all tied to the boy. Once he's gone, she'll lose her innocence. Besides, I can't kill him without her suspecting. She is young but intuitive. Out of resentment, she may hurt Everleaf. But if the thing she loves leaves on its own, then that is a different game altogether."

  "The boy obviously worships her. He'll never leave without coercion."

  "Ambassador Eli, I've been doing this for centuries. You have my word. The prophets have reassured me he won't be around much longer."

  Chapter Two

  On horseback, Coal followed Chalcedony away from Legacy, through the town square and into the royal forest. After a few miles, they came upon a lake.

  "We can leave the horses here. We have to walk the rest of the way." She bent down and put her hands in the water. "Remember this place?"

  "Yeah." The sound of waves falling onto the shore mingled with the chirping of the birds and created a melody, making Coal feel like they were the only people left in the world. "We used to get in so much trouble for using your portal to come here to swim."

  "Well, we're a little bit ahead of schedule. Do you want to go swimming?"

  "We didn't bring any swim clothes."

  She gave Coal a wicked grin. "Never stopped us before."

  "That was a long time ago." Coal glanced nervously at Chalcedony's chest before he quickly averted his eyes. "We've changed since then."

  Chalcedony tilted her head to the side. "We haven't changed that much."

  She walked towards the lake and took off her clothes. At least she was wearing underwear. "You're trying to get me killed, aren't you? What if Madoc is watching?"

  "Don't worry about Madoc. He promised he'd let me do anything I wanted today. And right now, this is what I want to do."

  It had been a while since he'd been swimming, Coal thought, as he stripped down to his underclothes and followed her into the water.

  After being picked up and thrown into the lake more times than she could count, Chalcedony ran out of the lake and sat on the grass. It had been a while since she'd done anything merely for fun, and she was glad Coal had warmed up to the idea of going to the human realm. The rift that had been growing between them over the past few months had finally closed.

  Coal left the lake and sprinted towards her. She was seventeen, one year older than Coal, and until recently, she'd always towered over him. Her growth had slowed, and she would look this way for the next fifty years. But Coal continued to grow, and surprisingly, he'd caught up to her.

  His ebony skin glistened in the midmorning sun as he stood above her. "You give up?" He laughed, one dimple forming on each cheek.

  Madoc's Rule Number Eight: Never Admit Defeat. So, she changed the subject. "One of your braids has come undone." Chalcedony sat up and patted her lap. "Come here. I'll re-braid it."

  He appeared as if he was going to refuse, but sat down and laid his damp head on her lap anyway. She undid the rest of the braid before passing her fingers through his thick hair to remove the kinks. She grabbed a small section and separated it into three before she began. "It took you forever and a day to learn how to braid. You were the worst student," Chalcedony said as she worked.

  "I didn't want to learn. I liked it better when you did it."

  "You have gotten better, though."

  "I didn't have a choice. You've been too busy to do it," Coal said.

  "Madoc thinks it's beneath me to braid my own hair. He most definitely didn't like it when I braided yours."

  Coal tensed beneath her fingers at the mention of Madoc, so she changed the subject. "I love how your hair makes a halo around your head. For years, I tried to get my hair to match yours. But it's only darker, not curlier."

  "Mmm," he murmured, sounding content and halfway asleep.

  She couldn't blame him for being suspicious about this trip. He'd been correct. She was supposed to leave him in the human realm. Agreeing to leave Coal behind was the only way she could get Madoc's approval to bring him along with her. Her coronation was in two weeks, and she needed to relax. Coal was the only person she relaxed with because he was the only person who didn't expect her to be perfect. Lying to her advisor wasn't something she did often, but there was only so much arguing she could do.

  Coal's even breathing told her he'd dozed off. She'd forgotten how having his hair braided lulled him to sleep--once she'd learned how to avoid painful tangles.

  She bent down and whispered in his ear. "I'm finished, Coal."

  He turned his head, but he didn't open his eyes. She placed her hand on his forehead and studied his full lips, wondering if they were as soft as they seemed. She forced the thought out of her head and stood, causing Coal's head to drop from her lap and fall onto the ground.

  "Ouch." He patted the side of his head. "What's wrong?"

  "I'm sorry." Chalcedony staggered towards her clothes before she dressed. "We need to go. It's getting late."

  Kissing Coal was the last thing she needed to be thinking about. She stared ahead, avoiding his gaze. Everything's complicated enough.

  "What's wrong, Chaley?" Coal asked. Her relaxed, playful mood had vanished. What had happened while he slept? What had startled her?

  "Nothing's wrong," she insisted. "We just need to hurry."

  "Which way?" he asked, happy to be off the horse and traveling by foot. His butt and inner thighs were beginning to chafe from the saddle.

  Chalcedony pointed to a bridge about a mile away through a small opening between the trees. "It's just over the bridge. I'll race you."

  She sprinted away before he answered. Relieved she had cheered up, Coal didn't think to run after her until she had already left.

  Halfway to the bridge, his legs burned and begged for him to stop. But instead of slowing, his pride pushed him faster and closer to Chalcedony. She twisted her head and grimaced when she saw him nearing. Chalcedony hated to lose. Elves were natural runners and predators, unlike humans, but he'd been running with Chalcedony and other elves for as long as he'd been here. He'd never won, but it never stopped him from trying.

  He broke through the trees and into a clearing. The bridge was only a few feet away. With fewer obstacles, he was able to run fast enough to pass Chalcedony.

  Looking to the side, he saw
she was half a step behind him. He glanced back towards the bridge, just before colliding with it.

  Chalcedony was on the bridge a fraction of a second later.

  "I beat you," he gasped. "For the first time, I beat you."

  "You nearly killed yourself trying to do it." She stood next to him, steady and calm. A thin layer of sweat prickled the skin above her top lip, but she wasn't breathing nearly as hard as him.

  "I still beat you."

  Chalcedony stepped behind Coal with a knife at his throat before he thought to move or defend himself.

  "If we were fighting, you would have won a battle but lost the war. You no longer have any strength to combat me." The metal was cold and sharp against his neck.

  Coal sobered, his breath finally under control. "Is that what you think?"

  The knife pricked his skin. "Yes."

  He grabbed Chalcedony's wrist and twisted, the knife fell to the ground. Then he pushed her onto the grass. "Hasn't Tetrick taught you not to underestimate your enemy?" he asked, standing above her, feeling cocky and triumphant.

  Chalcedony swung her legs around, sweeping Coal's feet out from under him and sending him crashing onto his back beside her. She rolled onto him, laughing and straddling him with her knees. Her long, dark hair hung over the side of her face.

  "Are we enemies?"

  "Madoc says everyone is your enemy," Coal said.

  "Is he right?" she asked. "Are you my enemy?"

  Coal lifted himself onto his elbows and gazed into her eyes. "Chaley, I would die for you."

  She bent down and touched her lips to his. He tasted salty, but the kiss was sweet, and it awakened a hunger that had been brewing for longer than she wanted to acknowledge.

  Chapter Three

  One kiss couldn't hurt, right? Chalcedony thought, but then, she lost herself in the sensation.

  Coal's hand brushed through her hair and sent tingles through her body.

  "Princess!" someone shouted from behind. Chalcedony leaped off Coal. A royal guard stood a few feet away with his sword drawn.