“She seems like such a wonderful woman. But to be honest, we talked about you.”
“Yeah, she likes me.”
Helen laughed. “I can see Leaf in her. It’s the eyes, I think.”
“I’m really sorry you guys aren’t…together, you know. I thought it would last. At least one of us should have been able to be with…our wolf,” Syney whispered the last part.
Helen shifted uncomfortably. “To be honest we were together for a while. We just ended it this week. We didn’t want to make you uncomfortable after how things ended with you and Hunter.”
“Seriously?” Syney asked, throwing her hands up in the air. “You wouldn’t have bothered me, I promise. Why did you break up now?”
“I’ll be taking the high priestess vows tomorrow.”
“So?”
“So my vows…They don’t allow for side relationships.”
Syney’s eyes widened. “Oh. So you’re going to be like a nun. That sucks. Are you sure this is what you want?”
Helen hesitated but nodded. “It’s an honor.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Helen took Syney’s hands. “There’s more to life than being in love with a man. I love my religion, and I can’t wait to guide people, including you, toward our goddesses.”
Syney sighed. “OK. Just remember, you can’t undo this if you change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
Syney shook her head and looked out at the sea of people around them. Then she stopped suddenly. Anxiety rose through her body, and her heart sped up. She looked toward Reed and was about to call to him when a man jumped in front of her.
“You’re the target. You’re going to bring death to us all!” he yelled, grabbing a long wide blade from the stand next to them.
Syney jumped back just as he brought the blade down, slicing her arm open. She cried out, fell to the ground, and reached for her own knife that was strapped to her belt, stabbing him in the leg. He went down as well just as Reed ran up, putting the man immediately in a choke hold so he wouldn’t go anywhere. Syney caught her breath and looked at the man. She felt a familiar sense run over her. She knew him, but from where?
Helen wrapped her arm around Syney. “Are you OK? Oh, Goddess, look at your arm.”
Syney pushed her away gently and crept closer to the man. Then it hit her. He was the one. The one from her room. She hadn’t seen him very well, but she knew it was him. She scowled at him and reached forward, pulling her knife out of his leg, making him yell out. “He’s the one who attacked me in my room last year,” she told Reed.
He nodded and put his wrist forward as he kept the man restrained. “Press that, will ya?”
Syney pressed the circular opal that was at the center of a leather bracelet and heard the master alarm sound. “Nice.”
Reed grinned and nodded.
Syney took in her surroundings and noticed hundreds of eyes looking at them. She looked back at Helen. “Well, that was fun.”
Helen shook her head. “We need to get you to the infirmary.”
“Not until the guard gets him,” she said, motioning to the man.
“OK. I need a cloth or something.”
About ten women jumped forward to fulfill her request.
Helen took one of the cloths. “Thank you—all of you.”
Syney winced as she wrapped the cloth around the wound. She was tired of getting hurt. She needed to find out how this damn war started. It seemed like the only thing that might stop all this. And she was beginning to think she wasn’t going to find any answers in the Village.
Syney was pacing in front of the guards’ interrogation room when Leaf approached. Her arm was bandaged, and her face was filled with what looked like anger. He had ordered the man to be brought to this room, even having his wounds treated there, as Leaf increased security yet again. He didn’t like what these attacks were doing to the Village and his guards. It was bad enough he had to send them out of the Village on missions and limit his number of guards in the palace, but now he was in the tough position of having to order double shifts and tripling Protectors. He was spreading his men too thin, which made him uncomfortable.
“You should get some rest,” Leaf said as he approached.
Syney stopped pacing. “No way. Are you interrogating him?”
Leaf nodded. “Are you sure it’s him?”
She shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t get a very good look that night. It’s just a gut feeling. I was hoping you might be able to…smell him or something. The only other people who were there were Hunter and Fern, and they’re not here.”
“All right. I should be able to. Even if it isn’t the same man, he still attacked you today. So he’ll be punished for that.”
Syney nodded.
“Might I suggest a little less—”
“If you restrict me to the palace, I might hit you.”
Leaf sighed and crossed his arms. “It’s not a punishment.”
“It would still feel that way.”
“Then you’ll have to inform me when you want to go out into the markets…or pubs.”
Syney rolled her eyes. “I was waiting for that reprimand. How fast did Birch go running to you?”
“He’s concerned, as am I.”
“You don’t have to worry about Adam.”
“It’s my job to worry about security risks.”
“Seriously? I’m not some ten-year-old who needs coddling! I’m nineteen, an adult—thank you very much! I can make my own decisions about who I spend time with!” Syney exploded, her hands flailing.
Leaf raised an eyebrow. Syney didn’t have these types of outbursts often. He suspected today’s attack had something to do with it, but he hadn’t seen her get this worked up since Hunter had left. “What’s the matter?”
Syney gave him a long look before deflating and giving a large sigh. “I ran into Rose and your mom before the attack.”
Leaf smiled, a little. “And that was bad?”
“When Rose tells me all about how Hunter and Fern will be starting a family soon, yeah, that’s bad.”
“She’s upset.”
“Got that. At me, obviously.”
“She still shouldn’t have spoken to you about that. I’ll have a word with her.”
Syney shook her head. “Please don’t. It’ll make things worse. She has the right to her opinion. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She smiled a little. “Helen liked your mom, though.”
Leaf looked away. “We just should be cautious about who you spend time with. And you’ve been spending a lot of time with Adam.”
Syney rolled her eyes, probably at the abrupt change of subject. “I like him a lot. And I trust him.”
“You’ve known him less than a month.”
“Time has nothing to do with feelings. I trusted Hunter the second I saw him.”
“You should get as much information about Adam as you can before you place your trust in him.”
“Fine,” Syney said, her annoyance rising again. “Do a security check or whatever on him.”
“I did.”
She stopped and stared at him, her mouth hanging open. “Oh. Well, what did it…Never mind. I don’t want to know. I trust him.”
“OK,” Leaf said with a small smile. He continued to stare at her silently. He knew she would cave; he just wasn’t sure how long it would take.
Less than a minute later, she sighed. “What did you find?”
“Nothing.”
“See? I told you!”
“No, I mean I found out nothing. No one knows anything about Adam Blaine.”
“He grew up in the neutral territories.”
“I tried there as well.”
She looked away and bit her lip. “You think it’s a fake name.”
“Maybe.” Leaf sighed and stepped closer to her, tentatively putting his hands on her upper arms. He didn’t usually get this close to Magic Users, but he cared about Syney enough to do so. S
he wasn’t like Helen to him, but almost like a sister, one who annoyed him and also made him laugh. “I just want you to be careful.”
Syney looked up at him and nodded. “I know. I’m just…I think I’m falling in love with him.”
“All the more reason to be careful.”
She smiled. “I will.” She took a deep breath. “Ready to get at this guy?”
Leaf dropped his arms and nodded. “You’re not allowed in.”
“Hey!”
“Not up for debate,” Leaf said before he entered and closed the door behind him.
Inside, there was only room for one small table in the middle, with one chair on either side of the table. Two guards were posted on either side of the door. Leaf nodded to them and looked at the man. He was middle-aged, with brown hair that was matted and sticking up. Dirt covered his skin and clothes, which were tattered and torn. His frame was thin and frail. This man was obviously very poor and weak. Leaf wouldn’t be surprised if the man hadn’t eaten a good meal or bathed in a long time. The Lycin took the seat across from him and took a deep breath. Under the dirt and stench, his scent matched the one he remembered from the night Syney had been attacked in her room. That being said, he felt there was no way this man had been the perpetrator. The attacker had jumped out of Syney’s window and then had been chased by a very angry Hunter through the Village. This man clearly wasn’t capable of that and yet he had done it.
“Do you know where you are?” Leaf asked him.
The man looked up at him with blank eyes. They were completely dead, as if he were in a haze. “The land of magic.”
“You attacked the seated queen today.”
“That bitch is going to kill us all. There will be no land of magic, only land.” The man shook his head and banged his fist against the table.
“You also attacked her last year. How did you get away from that?”
“I’m a cat,” he said with a laugh, revealing an empty mouth. He had no teeth that Leaf could see. The man fingered his gums. “They talk to you through the teeth. I pulled them out. I do miss her singing to me, though. Such a beautiful song.”
Leaf cocked his head to the side. The man was obviously insane. It didn’t explain everything, but they had enough to put him to death for today’s attack. He stood and walked back to the door.
“Sir.” Leaf looked at one of the guards and nodded. “I know him, sir. He used to work in the kitchens,” the guard said, gesturing to the man.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I, uh, wandered down into the kitchens one night…with a woman, and he kicked us out. I thought he might turn us in, so I asked around about him. He was a cook. Benjamin of House Lockin.”
Leaf turned back to the man, who was picking his nose. He was a long way from being a cook at the palace. Something else was going on here. He walked out of the room.
“Well?” Syney asked. She had been pacing again.
“It’s the same man.”
“I just knew it!”
“But something isn’t right. Do you know where Gabriel is?”
Syney gave him a look. “Probably in his room. He’s been staying in lately. Why?”
“Can you get him?”
She nodded and headed off.
Leaf ran the night of Syney’s attack over in his mind, including Hunter and Fern’s reports, but nothing special stuck out about the attacker. Syney had entered her room alone and had been beaten and stabbed. The knife, Fern had said in her report, was seven inches long. That description matched that of a standard cook’s knife. But why did he attack her? That was the big question.
A few minutes later, Syney returned with the Vampire in tow along with Noelle.
“You rang?” Gabe said with a grand gesture.
Leaf rolled his eyes. “I need you to check the man in this room. I think he might be under the effects of a spell or curse.”
“Am I the only one who didn’t know Vampires could do that?” Syney asked. “I didn’t. Don’t worry,” Noelle said, shrugging.
“It’s one of the reasons they’re allowed in the Village,” Leaf said, leading Gabe into the small room. He waited while Gabe walked over to the table and looked the man over.
“I could have his clothes taken off,” Leaf offered.
Gabe grimaced. “Please, no. It’s on his forehead. A curse. It’s only a shadow, but that means it’s already permanent.”
Both guards broke attention to share a concerned look. Leaf didn’t blame them. Curses were outlawed for a reason. You could be cursed and wouldn’t know it at all.
“Do you know which curse?” Leaf asked.
“Nope.”
Leaf didn’t believe him, but he let it go. He was too preoccupied with the matter at hand. Not only did a Magic User attack their future queen but also he had been directed to do it by another Magic User, one who knew complicated and banned curses. Leaf’s extra security might not be of any use if the attack was from the inside and by one of their own.
“They have him in the interrogation room by the dungeon.”
Mellisandrianna narrowed her eyes. “This is not good. I thought you said he was taken care of after that night.” She hated incompetence as much as liars. She stared at Grass, her Lycin Protector. This was unlike him. She had chosen him specifically because of his attention to detail, and this was one large detail to miss.
“I did. He must have found his way back into the Village,” Grass said firmly.
At least he wasn’t intimidated, she thought. “You should have killed him.”
“You said I didn’t need to. You said the curse would make him insane.”
The queen sat back in the throne and heaved a sigh. The attack last year, using this man that was now captured, had been her sloppy second attempt at getting rid of Syney since she had come to the palace. It hadn’t worked, although it did give her the opportunity to put a curse on the girl, which was her third attempt at getting rid of her. The curse was desgined to make the girl depressed, so depressed that she took her own life. None of them seemed to work. She was harder to get rid of than insects. And now that she didn’t want to get rid of her, her past mistakes were coming back to haunt her. It wasn’t fair, which was odd. If anything, Mellisandrianna had luck on her side, and had had it for hundreds of years, until now. She gritted her teeth. “Can you get him alone?”
“Possibly. But Leaf’s getting suspicious. I heard he called the Vampire in.”
She pounded her fist against the arm of her throne. “Damn it! He’s a nuisance!”
“Which one?” Grass snickered.
“Both of them,” she muttered. “I can get rid of the man, our loose end, if I can see him alone.”
Grass nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.” He left quickly.
She shook her head. She was surprised Gabriel hadn’t given her up yet, unless he didn’t know what was going on. She remembered him, of course, and his pretty little wife. They had made things much easier for her, which she had always been grateful for. But with his being here, she knew she had to tread lightly at times.
Grass returned a while later and gave her a short nod.
She got up immediately and followed him out of the room and straight down to the dungeons. There weren’t any guards on duty at the top of the stairs, probably Grass’s doing. He was good at many things; she had to give him some credit. The man was in the first cell, sitting along the brick wall, softly muttering to himself and banging his head against the wall. The curse had done its work well. “Open the bars,” Mellisandrianna commanded.
Grass did as asked.
She quickly walked into the cell and knelt in front of the man.
He looked up at her and smiled, a toothless grin. “Oh, it’s you, beautiful lady,” he said, raising his hand to her face.
She swatted it away and placed her hands on either side of his face. “Occidere te,” she said softly. She watched as his dead eyes flashed a vibrant blue before fading back. She retrieved a small pi
ll from her pocket and placed it in his hands.
He smiled at her while he popped it into his mouth.
“Thank you,” she said, before turning and walking away.
Grass closed the bars and motioned to the door that led outside. “It would be better to go this way.”
Mellisandrianna nodded and walked to within inches of him. “If you screw up again, I’ll eliminate you from my equation.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“Good,” she said, heading for the door. She needed people she could trust to do what they had to, no questions asked. It would be a shame to eliminate Grass at this stage, when he was so close to his promised immortality. But she would, if she had to.
Weston scratched at his skin as he watched Cass conjure water from the ground. He didn’t think it would work, but seconds later a small spout of water shot up. When she smiled at him, he involuntarily smiled back. He wanted to justify it as coming from his happiness at having fresh water on his dying land, but that wasn’t it. She was getting to him. He never before met a Magic User who was so naïve and optimistic. It was frustrating, if he wanted to be fully honest. He had been raised to hate Magic Users, but here was a seated princess who made his heart beat a little faster. His father probably would call him weak, and he would agree. He had to come to terms with the fact that in the end, he might have to kill her.
Cass leaned down and drank some of the water. “It’s good,” she said, wiping her mouth. “Have some.”
Wes moved closer and drank. She was right; it tasted like water should.
“Do you know what this means?”
He shook his head.
“That the resources are still here. You can’t make water—you call if forth. So there might be hope for your lands.”
Wes looked at the small spot from where she had called the water, but it suddenly stopped. “You can’t do that to the whole land. Not by yourself.”
Cass frowned. “Then I’ll get help. Syney will help—I know it. And this might work with her whole ‘Chosen One’ thing.”
Wes looked back at her. “You know the Chosen One?”
She nodded. “Syney. She’s seated queen now.”
Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 Page 10