by Elena Lawson
“It was Morgana. I know it was.”
He raised his hands in a placating gesture, “We all know the Mad King is dead, Liana, and has been for two millennia.”
I fell back onto my bed, pinching the bridge of my nose to attempt to stop my head from pounding, “I know.”
A servant knocked on the door then, and as one, our three heads turned at the sound.
“Begging your pardon, majesty, but Thana has arrived.”
The Solstice Ball was to begin in mere hours, and I still hadn’t bathed. One glance in my dressing-table mirror and I knew combing the knots from my long silver hair would take an hour on its own.
“Send her in,” Alaric told the servant when I neglected to say anything. “I’ll stay with you while you get ready. Finn, you can go get yourself cleaned up. I doubt anyone will try anything in such a public place, but I’ll need both you and Kade there just in case.”
Finn nodded to his captain and left the room at the same time Thana entered, without so much as a goodbye. Guilt weighed upon my shoulders at what I had forced him into. I should never have ordered him the way I did.
“Where have you been?” Thana shrieked upon entering my bedchamber, “I’ve been worried to death.”
“The queen had some matters to attend to away from court,” Alaric offered as an excuse for my absence.
Thana’s hands landed on her hips in a dramatic gesture, “Oh, you speak for her too now?” she said sarcastically.
I rose to wrap my handmaiden in an embrace and felt some tension ease out of her limbs, “I’m sorry I had to leave while you were ill. Are you feeling better?”
She pursed her lips, pulling away, “I’m fine, child.” She pulled my arm, spinning me in a circle before her, “But you are an absolute mess. This will take me hours to fix. Where did you have to go, a pig farm? You’re filthy. And that hair—” she gasped, “You’ll be lucky if I don’t just cut it off to save us some time.”
“You will do no such thing,” I told her, “I quite like my long hair.”
I reached up to comb out some tangles with my fingers, and Thana cocked her head at me, her face seeming to pale. “That ring,” she said, pointing to the dragon’s eye stone on my finger, “Where did you get it? It looks so familiar.”
“It was—” I started but stopped when Alaric elbowed me in the ribs. I didn’t like keeping secrets from Thana but did not feel like dealing with Alaric’s wrath tonight. I would tell her the truth some other time—or show her the chamber beneath the palace. She would be in awe of the beautiful statues even if she couldn’t hear the original queen’s voice.
I showed her the ring closer, letting her get a better look, “Just a trinket,” I told her, sighing.
She reached for it, but halted her hand a hairsbreadth away, “It’s beautiful,” she exhaled, shaking her head as though coming out of a daze, “And it’ll look beautiful with your gown.”
Chapter Thirty
Thana was right of course; the gown Darius had designed for the ball was breathtaking. It was a deep crimson, beaded and trimmed with whorls of black and gold. Tight-fitted in the chest and around my waist, flaring out delicately at the hips to accentuate my curves. Another masterpiece. No surprise.
Thana had piled my hair at the nape of my neck—after what felt like hours of merciless brushing, leaving a few gently curling strands to hang near my face. She had ringed my eyes in feather-light line of coal, and a smattering of powered gold. Alaric watched the entire transformation from beginning to end, seeming to grow more uncomfortable as the minutes passed.
“What do you think?” I asked him, eager for a second opinion. Tonight, I would not only be rejoining my court from days spent absent but also revealing a Grace.
Alaric cleared his throat, clasping his hands together at his front, “Perfect, as always.”
I beamed. “You clean up quite nicely too,” I told him, winking over my shoulder at him. He had the servants bring up his clothes, and though he still wore black, as was customary for the Royal Guard, he had added a bit of flare. He wore a long gold-trimmed jacket over his vest which seemed to make his shoulders even broader and brought out the light in his eyes.
Thana had nothing but questions to throw at me as she readied me for the ball. When she had asked me if I had made any progress in developing my Grace, I had told her it was a surprise and I would show it to everyone later. She had smiled ear to ear and had demanded I tell her immediately what my Grace was. But I hadn’t decided which to reveal and made her wait in pouting suspense like the rest of the nobles at court.
Eventually, I would tell her the truth.
Walking into the ballroom was like walking into a living work of art. Golden draperies, tied with red sashes adorned every window. A fountain of ever-flowing sparkling wine occupied the far wall, and long tables laden with glistening fruits, dark chocolates and canapes were dispersed throughout the space. Every noble, even those from far-off towns and villages seemed to have made the journey. The females were dripping in gemstones and the males were dressed in expertly tailored jackets.
Though there was a more important reason for my attendance, I got lost in it all—wanting to taste from each platter, and drink until my mind numbed. A song of harp and lute cast an ethereal feel over the gathering.
I accepted greetings from the nobles in attendance and was sure to promise each of the announcement to be made later that eve. Spirits lifted even higher as news of my upcoming debut spread like wildfire through the room, and within minutes they regarded me with wide smiles and the lifting of fluted glasses.
Alaric and I had made it to the other side of the room when Kade and Finn entered from one of the many smaller entrances, scanning the assembly to find us. My feet froze in place at the sight of them—they were immaculate. Both wore snuggly fitted outfits in opposing shades of white and black. Black on Kade, and white for Finn. I’d never seen them in anything but their standard guard uniforms of vest and trousers.
As Finn turned, I could see their jackets had been custom-made, and had slits all the way up the back to accommodate their wings. Kade grinned when he saw me, gliding over with the swagger of a king.
He dropped to one knee, and kissed the back of my hand, allowing his lips to linger there a moment longer than would have been acceptable.
“You look ravenous,” Kade said, his voice husky, licking his lips.
“I think what you meant to say is she looks ravishing,” Alaric corrected.
Kade shook his head, never taking his eyes off me, “No. I meant what I said.”
Finn strolled up a moment later, “Have you decided which Grace to present?” he asked, demure. I wondered how much longer he’d be upset with me. I could only apologize so many times. It was painful to ignore the call of Morgana. Her pull on me was near impossible to resist, but I didn’t think he would understand that, even if I told him. Out of the three of them, though Finn was there, he seemed the most skeptical about what had in fact occurred in Morgana’s hidden chamber.
“There she is!” Edris almost shouted, moving across the floor with a half-empty drink in his hand. He gave a slight bow, “Are the rumors I’ve been hearing true, majesty? Have you discovered the nature of your Grace?”
It was painstaking obvious my father had had too much to drink already even though the evening had only just begun. After shadowing the former King Consort, Alaric had discovered nothing to implicate him. What he learned was Edris urged the council to give me more time and had blatantly refused to assume the title of King if they succeeded in overthrowing me. I was wrong about him. We were wrong about him.
“It’s true,” I obliged him, “Though you’ll have to wait like all the others to find out what it is.”
“Of course.”
Edris downed the remaining drops of his wine and dumped the empty glass on a servant’s tray as she passed by, “I believe they’re about to begin,” he said, pointing to the musicians. The nobles moved to the walls, forming a hollow
circle in the center of the floor, and couples paired off for the first dance of the eve.
Alaric must have noticed the look on my face at Edris’ subtle invitation. He stepped in front of Edris and offered me his hand. “Can I have the first dance?”
I swallowed, giving Edris a tight-lipped smile and placed my hand into Alarics.
He led me to the dance floor amidst a barrage of whispers. I supposed it wasn’t a normal occurrence for a queen to dance with the hired help.
The tempo of the baroque tune picked up and several singers added a haunting melody. Alaric pulled me close and together we formed a perfect frame. The dance was slow. Simple. Good. I had never excelled in dance, and many of the more intricate patterns eluded me. One of the seven sisters always ended up with bruised feet by the time we were through.
With each twist and twirl, Alaric surveyed the room, looking for threats from each face in the crowd. He hadn’t looked at me once. “Do you really think anyone would be stupid enough to try something here? In front of all these people? It seems unlikely.”
He came back to himself, and fixed me with a narrow-eyed stare, “Unlikely, but not impossible.”
Alaric bent down on one knee as I twirled around him, “Can’t you at least try to relax. You’ll scare all the nobles—looking at them like that.”
He rewarded me with one of his rare laughs, the sound bringing a smile to my lips. “There, see? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
He flung me out, and jerked me back to him, pressing my back against his chest, “So, I’ve thought about what you proposed,” he whispered in my ear.
What I proposed? What had I proposed?
When we were face to face again, Alaric must’ve noted the confusion in my expression because he explained, “Regarding myself, and Finn, and Kade.”
Oh. I couldn’t tell by the tone of his voice whether it was good news or bad.
In that moment, I decided I would accept his decision, no matter what it was. Kade, Finn and Alaric would always be mine, and I would always be theirs, whether we could give in to our desires and express those feelings physically or not wouldn’t change that—but it would be very very hard not to.
“And,” I prodded him, leaning in close to his ear, “What have you decided?”
He clasped my hand tighter, and I felt his Grace flow into me, projecting the longing, the lust, and the care he felt for me. “Well, it seems my sentries are terrible at following orders, and superb at finding loopholes.”
I blushed.
“I—”
He shook his head, “I would be lying if I said I hadn’t wanted to break my own rules. I don’t blame them,” he spun me around again, pulling me back, so we were hip to hip, arms crossed over each other. “So, Liana, the answer is yes.”
My heart surged into a gallop, my blood rushing in my ears. Yes? I beheld him with something between wonder and terror. The ball fell away until all I could see and feel was him. Alaric. My Alaric.
“But I have one condition,” he added after a moment, and another turn about the floor—me on suddenly sloppy feet.
I snapped my head up in time with the crescendo of the song, my eyes blazing into his, and his into mine, “I will be the first to have you.”
My legs buckled and his hand on my waist tightened to steady me, further intensifying the quake reverberating out from my core. Beyond the capacity for speech, I agreed to his condition with one terse nod of my head as the song slowed, and then stopped.
Chapter Thirty-One
Though I wouldn’t be expected to produce an heir any time in the immediate future, it would have been an insult not to accept dances from the available bachelors at court. Time wore on as suiter after suiter after suiter implored me to dance with them. They remarked on my beauty, on the cut of my dress—one even remarked on my eye color and how it seemed to change before I remembered to keep my head down. But I didn’t care.
They were courting my crown, not me. I knew my males had no ulterior motives. They would never accept a queen’s sentry as King Consort. Kade, Finn, and Alaric would have no power. But still, they wanted me, cared for me, and would protect me at all costs. They were twice the males any of the pompous nobles were.
I had been looking forward to a break from dancing when the song ended, and turned to get myself a drink, finding Tiernan.
The Day Court emissary looked dapper in a deep blue jacket and deep grey trousers. The dark colors stressed his light hair, which he had left loose to hang about his chiseled jawline and seemed to brighten his eyes. He smiled widely, encouraging me to accept his offer to dance.
My jaw clenched. And as one, the room collectively held its breath anticipating what I’d do. There hadn’t been a member of the Day Court here for an age, and I had invited one against the wishes of the council. Did I dare dance with him?
“Tiernan, I—”
He lowered his hand, “It’s alright, Liana,” he whispered so no one else would hear, “Someday, when there’s less animosity between our courts, I will dance with you. I had to try,” he finished with a wink, and turned to leave.
Steeling myself, I stopped Tiernan before he could walk away. The Song of Night had begun, with the sounds of drums and deep cello.
I bowed to my partner.
He registered shock for an instant before he bowed back and brought his hand up to shadow mine. Eye to eye, we moved, circling each other as a fell-cat does its prey. The dance of night was the most passionate of all dances, full of alternatingly quick and then slow movements—of pushing away and then pulling close with each beat of the drums.
The other dancers vacated the floor two by two, and the gathering of nobles stopped to watch us in raptured silence. My heart fluttered against my ribcage—a primal creature trapped in a bony cage.
Tiernan knew the dance well and lead me expertly across the floor. His hands electrified the places where they met mine and rested on my lower waist. I gasped as he lifted me into the air, spun and set me back down. I almost slipped, but he was quick to catch me, making it look as though the slip of my foot was part of the dance.
“You’re an incredible dancer,” I whispered to him when he pulled me near.
He put his lips next to my ear and whispered back, “I know,” before he spun me out again. I shivered at the feel of his breath on my neck.
The effects of the wine were dulling my senses, and I knew I needed to stop, but after what Alaric told me, and after that dance with Tiernan, there wasn’t anyway I would make it through the evening without a little liquid assistance.
Lucky for me, there was no taster required. Everyone at the ball drank of the fountain, and no one showed any sign of having been poisoned. But just in case, either Finn or Kade held my glass for me, and always took the first sip.
“Having fun?” Finn asked me as I filled another, leaning against the wall to survey the room.
“I am,” I answered him, but the truth was I was eager to have this part of the evening over with. As the queen, the nobles would expect me to remain in attendance until at least midnight, since the ball would go on until dawn. The promise of what would come afterwards was enough to make me want to flee right that moment—take Alaric by the hand and just go. I wanted him. I had wanted him almost from the first moment I saw him. And now I could have him, but I’d have to wait.
Patience was never my forte.
I filled a second glass for Finn and handed it to him, “I know I’ve already apologized,” I began, biting my bottom lip, “But I hope you know how sorry I am for making you do something you didn’t want to do. I—well—”
Finn pasted on a tight-lipped smile, “You are the queen, Liana. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Yes. I do. If it weren’t for the pain, I wouldn’t have—”
“The pain?”
He narrowed his eyes at me and I took another swallow of my wine, deciding he should know the truth, whether it seemed more an excuse than anything, “When that doorway opened, there wa
s this pull,” I told him, pointing at my chest, “Right here. And at first it was just that, a strange pulling sensation… but it grew stronger until it was this horrible ache. So, when you stepped in front of me, I just knew I had to go down there to make the aching stop. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I should’ve told you—”
“Your Majesty,” Kade bellowed, waltzing over to the fountain where we stood. His eyes glinted with mischief. He leaned in close to my face to whisper, “What do you say we have a dance and set this place on fire?”
“She hasn’t decided yet,” Finn said, raising his eyebrow in challenge, “Maybe she’d rather dance with me and cover it in ice.”
I would have to decide, eventually. The nobles in attendance wouldn’t want to be kept waiting in suspense for much longer.
Kade and Finn continued to argue in harsh whispers at my side. Both the Graces of fire and ice were highly respected and would make my court proud, though they saw fire as the stronger of the two. But ice was known as being easier to control and would set their minds more at ease. Morgana herself burned down an entire wing of the palace when she was learning to control her one known Grace.
Before I could decide, Kade grabbed me around the waist and pulled me onto the dance floor. Finn rolled his eyes, tipped the contents of his wine down his throat and stalked from the room. He would be back.
“I hadn’t decided yet,” I snapped at Kade but followed him onto the floor, not wanting to cause a scene.
“And I’m not forcing you to, I just want to dance,” he said innocently, smirking as he led me by the hand.
The fire awakened in my blood the moment he pulled me against him to begin the dance. I swayed under the sudden surge of power, intoxicated by the heat spreading through me.
Kade teased me with his hands, squeezing and releasing my waist, breathing against my neck when he came close. It only coaxed the burning embers into a blaze that begged for an escape from the shackles of my skin. Then Kade spun me outward, and I caught sight of Thana hovering in one of the entryways. She wouldn’t come in even though I told her she would be welcome, regardless of what the nobles thought of her attending.