A Summit in Shadow

by Sarah E. Burr

  Her violet eyes flashed to meet his. “In the matter of an escaped traitor, yes, having the body in front of me is quite necessary.”

  Perry stepped back, stunned by her severe tone. “Well, I’ll leave you to your thoughts until they return, then,” he said, hurrying out the door.

  She regretted her reprimand the moment the imposing door slammed shut. Jax knew he was only trying to spare her the pain of what was to come. Sinking down in her chair, she felt the knots of dread multiply with each passing minute. Closing her eyes, she tried to push away visions of Arnie lying at the bottom of the Saltrine, but she was unable to escape her vivid imagination as she became lost in her thoughts.

  “Your Grace?” Captain Solomon’s voice interrupted her self-inflicted confinement hours later, startling her as he reentered the throne room. “Have you been here all this time?” His tone softened as he took in her worn expression.

  Jax dismissed his concern. “Did you find her?”

  George took a deep breath before meeting her regal gaze. “Yes. We found her tangled up in some frozen reeds. Jax,” he paused, lowering his voice, “are you sure you need to see this?”

  Her nod was barely perceptible as she rose from her seat once more. “Bring her to me.”

  With a flick of his hand, George motioned unseen guards into the cavernous throne room. Three uniformed men appeared carrying a large bundle swaddled in wet burlap. Jax saw the outline of a human body pressed against the rough fabric, her stomach almost vaulting out her throat.

  With deference, the three guards placed the drenched wrapping at the bottom of the stairs, each sending unsteady looks George’s way.

  The Captain met Jax’s firm stare once more before signaling the guards to remove the cloth, unmasking the contents inside.

  Jax had seen death many times, but nothing prepared her for the sight before her now. A tattered prison dress clung to warped body, water seeping from the pale, bloated skin. The Duchess’s horrified eyes traveled over malnourished arms and matted chestnut hair, halting as she reached the face. Or what remained of it. The rock had completely smashed the skull, leaving bits of flesh here and there, and not much else.

  As she examined the mutilated remains, a muted hush settled over the room. Jax couldn’t seem to make out the clear shapes of people and objects around her; everything floated in front of her in a murky haze. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to find someone or something that she could bring into focus, but it all appeared to pool around her as she processed the mangled body.

  “Duchess.” Appearing from the shadows, she felt Perry’s hand move toward her, but as she turned to him, she couldn’t see his kind eyes clearly, either. Her whole world was encased in a dull gray shadow.

  Arnie was dead.

  Until the death of her parents, Jax had little experience dealing with personal loss. Her paternal grandfather, the Duke of Saphire, died when she was very young, a dim memory in the tapestry of her childhood. On the other hand, her parents’ deaths had ripped the floor out from under her. Considering Arnie was the reason they no longer stood at her side, Jax thought relief and satisfaction would blossom from the news of Arnie’s demise. After all, she had ordered the woman brought back to her dead or alive. But Jax had never seriously thought about a world without her childhood friend…let alone at the hands of the Saltrine, a place where they had spent much of their childhood, exploring every inch of the banks and splashing in the waters. She knew the cliffs the guardsmen had described. Death’s Bluff, they called them as children, knowing the dangers of the steep rocks hanging over the deepest part of the lake. Picturing Arnie plummeting from those cliffs sent a shiver of hurt and betrayal surging through Jax’s heart, threatening to tear it in two, proving that even after all this time, she still loved the person she’d thought Aranelda had been.

  As if commanded by invisible strings, Jax felt her body lower into the throne, sinking deeply in the highbacked chair. “Thank you for retrieving her, gentlemen. Have her body prepared to be delivered to her family,” she heard herself saying, her voice sounding like it was coming from somewhere very far away. “You are dismissed.”

  Wrapping Arnie’s body with deft hands, the three guardsmen quickly exited the cavernous room, leaving Jax with George and Perry, both of whom looked at her with concern.

  “Jax, I’m so sorry,” George said, his face a mask of horror and sorrow.

  “You are dismissed,” Jax said pointedly to her captain, not bothering to acknowledge his apology. Her blatant command forced him to retreat, his head hanging low.

  Perry again reached for her arm, only to have her shift away.

  “You are dismissed,” she snapped. His touch sent jolts of pain to her very core.

  She saw the hurt and bewilderment in his eyes, and she knew he had every right to be confused by her feral reaction. She was the Duchess of Saphire, after all. She was supposed to be calm and collected in the face of adversity. But in that moment, all she wanted was to be left to grieve alone, to be weak in front of no one but herself.

  She wasn’t sure how much time passed as she sat there, her back straight up against the cold, cruel throne. She was aware enough to notice daylight being overthrown by shadows, a gradual dark settling over the room as starlight began to twinkle through the high glass windows.

  “Your Grace?” A timid plea called out from a side chamber reserved for servants. “Jax? You’ve been in here for hours. Everyone is worried about you.” Uma’s voice hardly contained her own anxiety for the Duchess’s erratic behavior.

  Gripping the armrest with force, her knuckles whitening with tension, Jax tried to swallow the lump inside her throat. She opened her mouth to shoo Uma away, but found her voice failing her. Her mouth was dry as the deserts of Zaltor. The food and water that had been placed at her side lay untouched.

  “I have a bath waiting for you in your chambers, Your Grace.” Pale and slender Uma arrived at her side, her commoner brown eyes glistening with tears. “I’m sorry for what the Virtues have dealt you today.” Reaching out, she gripped Jax’s arm with resolute tenderness and gently pulled the catatonic Duchess to her feet. “Come on, let’s take you upstairs.”

  Jax thought vaguely about protesting her friend’s attempts and ordering her out, but gave in to Uma’s surprising strength and allowed herself to be escorted out of the dark throne room. The castle hallways were empty, the lateness of the hour meaning everyone was likely tucked away in bed. Only a few guards on patrol crossed their path, every man meeting her gaze with a curt, uncomfortable bow.

  “Tell me, Uma,” Jax said in a voice that seemed stripped of life, “how widespread is the news?”

  “About Arnie?” Uma paused before asking, “Or about how you’re reacting to it?”

  Grinding her teeth together, Jax cursed inwardly. “Both, I suppose.”

  Uma’s words came out tentative and guarded. “I believe Jaquobie is spinning the story in a new light, with the hopes that Arnie’s escape from the palace will not surface. The official report is, that due to an impending threat, the former lady-in-waiting has been put down for the sake of the duchy.”

  Jax snorted. “Put down? She wasn’t an animal, for Virtue’s sake.”

  Uma unlocked the door to Jax’s suite and led the Duchess inside. “It’s a lot better than admitting members of the Ducal Guard let a traitor escape,” she snapped.

  Jax raised an eyebrow; normally, Uma was not so forthright with her opinions, nor so hot-tempered. “Is something troubling you, dear one?”

  Uma sighed, wrapping her arms around her petite frame. “The guards kept me locked away in here when they were searching the castle. I had no idea what was going on, only that there was a threat on your life. They kept me in here for nearly two hours without any word of what was happening or whether you were even all right.” Tears crept to the surface of her warm, dark eyes, and her words tumbled out in frantic alarm. “I was worried about you, Jax. And I guess I’m just drained from it all.” Uma sat
in a plush armchair situated by the roaring fireplace in the apartment’s sitting room. “I know Arnie was a dear companion to you for many years, but I feel like I got to know her really well, too. It’s tragic, what happened to her, but truth be told, I’m glad she’s dead. If she had harmed you in any way, I would have strangled her myself.” Her tear-brightened eyes watched the shadows, scrutinizing their every move. “How someone so blessed by the Virtues could descend into madness…well, it makes you think.”

  Jax took a moment to digest Uma’s honest and open concerns before replying with hesitance. “Are you afraid that this all happened to Arnie because she was close to me? Are you afraid the same thing will happen to you, that I drive people mad?” Silent tears at the horrific realization pulsed down her cheeks as she whispered into the darkness.

  Uma sprang up from her seat, rushing to her side. “Goodness, no, Jax! I wasn’t trying to fault you at all.” She squeezed the arm of her sovereign in a fond gesture. “It just makes me realize that putting your faith and trust in someone can be risky.” She gave Jax a wry smile and added, “Not everything is about you, Duchess.”

  Jax managed a weak laugh at Uma’s frank remark, grateful to the Virtues for her friend’s heartening presence.

  “Now, shall I put some hot stones in the water to warm it back up?” Uma stepped back, re-claiming her role as a lady’s maid.

  Nodding, Jax stood and wandered through the archway into her bedroom, shedding her clothes for the day. Looking at her perfectly pressed pillowcases, it was hard for her to believe that her walk in the gardens had only been this morning. It felt like days ago.

  Gazing out a window at the tendrils of frost already crawling up the pane, Jax pictured the look of betrayal on young Marquis’s face. She’d seen his despair in the garden, frozen in death, the realization that the woman he loved had just been using him. How agonizing it must have been. He must have welcomed a swift demise.

  Minutes later, she lowered herself into the marble basin that sat in the center of her regal washroom. With closed eyes, she inhaled the relaxing scent of lavender burning from a small dish in the corner. She wanted to let the day’s worries wash off her, but Arnie’s parting words played over and over in her mind. My games will not be ruined by the likes of you. Macabre visions of the gory scene in the throne room loomed in her thoughts, and a grim expression settled across her face.

  The game is at last over.

  Chapter Four

  Fastening her white fur cloak around her neck with a sapphire clasp, Jax gently pulled up her hood, so as not to disturb the tier of expertly woven ringlets perched on top of her head. “Well, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she murmured with stifled confidence, assessing her gorgeous traveling gown in the mirror.

  While she appeared every bit the radiant Duchess, it was hard to overlook the sorrow lingering in her eyes as thoughts of Arnie’s grisly death still haunted her. Even though over a month had flown by in a blur of activities preparing for the summit, she still found herself in quiet moments like these reflecting on the gruesome ending to Arnie’s life.

  From behind, Uma emerged from the sleeping area in which they’d spent their fourth and final night of travel. She paused, seeing the Duchess’s conflicted expression. “You’ll be the envy of the realm, Your Grace.”

  Warmth crept back to her cheeks as Jax teased, “I already am.”

  Smirking while she folded the last of their traveling clothes back into their fine leather bags, Uma brushed non-existent dirt from her hands in victory. “There, everything is all set. I’ll go collect Hendrie and have these brought down to the carriage so we can be on our way.”

  Grabbing one last pastry that seductively sat on a tray that had been brought up from the kitchens, Jax nibbled on the sugary morsel with thoughtfulness, surveying the cozy room they’d spent the night in. “I almost wished we had stayed here rather than at the palace the last time we were in Mensina. It could have spared poor Perry time in the dungeons.” She recalled her first official outing as Duchess and how rough it had been on all of them.

  Uma chuckled. “Well, it all worked out in the end.” She alluded to the fact that not only had Jax managed to prove Perry’s innocence, but also repair ties with her grandfather, Duke Mensina. The familial bond between the two duchies had never been stronger.

  Jax waved a hand in dismissal. “But these feather beds were so much comfortable.”

  They shared a laugh, making their way out of the Aldereen Inn’s premier suite. Since leaving Saphire five days ago, the royal delegation had spent each night at a different inn or villa along their route to the capital of Lysandeir. Captain Solomon and a squadron of men had ridden ahead each day to secure a location and ensure the Duchess’s privacy and safety. The Aldereen Inn was located on the border of Mensina and Lysandeir and would be the final stop before arriving at the hosting palace later that afternoon.

  “Sleep well, you two?” Perry’s voice announced his appearance from down the hall, where he and Hendrie had shared a room.

  Nodding, Uma slipped past Perry, leaving the two starry-eyed royals alone to enjoy each other’s company. “I’ll find Hendrie and meet you down at the carriage, Jax.”

  Perry watched Uma retreat with a grin on his face. “He’ll smack me for telling you this, but Hendrie’s absolutely smitten with her.” He took Jax’s hand in his own and gave it a reverent kiss. “He couldn’t stop talking about how radiant she looked at dinner after we retired last night.”

  Jax gave him a conspiratorial look, her heart racing just by being so close to him. “I think she feels the same, but Uma’s more cautious and guarded with her emotions. Wouldn’t it be something if they, too, ended up together?” Hendrie, who was Perry’s valet, was also one of his closest friends and confidantes, and therefore, Jax had grown close to the young, straw-haired man. “We’re quite the little team, aren’t we? Maybe we should start our own matchmaking service? Who do you think we could stick Jaquobie with?”

  Perry’s snorts of laughter were interrupted by a shadow down the hall.

  “Thank you, Duchess, but I do not require your assistance in that department.” A tall, rake-thin figure emerged from a nearby doorway, Jaquobie’s shrewd face glaring at the two with undisguised disapproval. Although, when Jax thought about it, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen the man look any other way.

  Jaquobie approached them, his oily dark hair swinging in rhythm with his long, deep violet robes. The bronze medallion hanging from his neck, bashing against his bony chest, declared his position as High Courtier, the most revered and senior advisor in a royal court. Jaquobie had risen to his post before Jax’s birth, having been a brilliant scholar and trusted friend of her father’s when he attended the Academy, the famed university in the Realm of Virtues. How her kind and benevolent father had come to befriend such an odious man was still one of the mysteries that plagued her. Despite his less-than-warm personality, Jaquobie was the shrewdest political mind she knew, which was why she chose to keep him close to her court. She also believed he was not above betraying Saphire should she remove him from his position. Thus, their relationship had always been a balancing act.

  “I’ve instructed Captain Solomon to send a few of his men ahead to announce our impending arrival. I want to ensure that Duke Lysandeir shows Saphire the respect it deserves with a well-attended welcome.” Jaquobie, ever the man to deal a back-handed compliment, chose to refrain from saying that Jax was the one who deserved that respect. Nearing twenty-nine years of age, she was the youngest ruler in the realm, yet her duchy was foremost in political influence, economic prosperity, and wealth. Many feared that with the deaths of Duke Saphire and his wife, the nation would crumble under such young leadership, but Jax had continued to develop her father’s policies and the region had only grown stronger. Not that Jaquobie would ever admit it or give her credit for it.

  “I’m sure Duke Lysandeir will be on his best behavior, Jaquobie. After all, he’s sure to do everything in his
power to try and sway my vote,” Jax reminded him in a stern tone. If she changed her mind and sided with the Accord, others would be certain to follow her lead.

  Not bothering to respond, Jaquobie gave a faint bow before following the path Uma had taken downstairs.

  “Remind me again why you’re so dead set against this whole Cetachi thing,” Perry said as he took her arm and led her down the steps. “Hendrie and I have been debating the Accord, and it seems like a delightful experiment in free will.”

  She gave him a reprimanding look. “I have explained to you many times why we cannot allow Cetachi to elect its leaders. Ducal families are nurtured from birth to rule. How can we allow a man who hasn’t even attended the Academy to be in charge of running a nation?” She sighed at the nugget of disagreement she still saw in his lavender eyes. “I know you believe differently, Perry, but I need you to tow the Saphire line. I can’t have my betrothed seen as my opposition.”

  He grimaced at her retort. “I understand your point, Jax, I really do. But I also don’t see the harm in letting people decide the fate of their own lives. Let them run the region into the ground with this new governor; they’ll learn from their mistakes and rebuild to something even greater.”

  Jax rolled her eyes at the idealistic thought. “And what happens in the meantime while they are figuring it out, Perry? The whole realm falls apart. Commerce and trade are upended, people rebel, and we’re left picking up the pieces. Why try to fix what’s not broken? The dukedoms work, and they work well. Cetachi is the only nation that refused to be organized in such a way, and look at the chaos that’s ensued in the region for centuries!”

  Perry held up his hands in surrender, as if sensing that Jax’s volatile temper was nearing its boiling point. “I know that, believe me. Pettraud borders Cetachi, and my people have experienced those pains for years.” He looked down the hall with a haunted gaze. “I just wish it didn’t have to be so black and white.”