by Bea Paige
“You said Queen Adrielle has been preoccupied. If not your friend Sebastian, then who?” Ezra asks.
“She has another lover, yes. But that is not what occupies her time these days.”
Ezra looks at her blankly.
“The Jubilee ball, of course. She wishes to celebrate one thousand years of rulership. It will be taking place when the moon is next at its brightest.”
“But that’s in two nights’ time,” Rhain says.
“It is also the night of the next Bloodletting,” Ezra adds, concern rippling across his features.
“That’s right.” Lissandra pulls a face.
“You believe that this is significant,” I ask, remembering the coiling darkness of my vision.
“Like Lissandra, I have no doubt Adrielle has something lavish planned. My sister does nothing in half measures.”
“It will be an extravagant affair. We have been preparing for months now.” Lissandra looks up at Rhain and Ezra. “And now that Devin has returned, she will be expecting you both as well. You are her Dark Knights, after all. In Queen Adrielle’s eyes, you belong at her side. It will raise suspicion if you do not appear.”
I stiffen in Ezra’s arms. Hearing someone else confirm the Queen’s ownership over my men fills me with a rising anger. They are not hers, not anymore.
“I think it best that Rhain and Ezra return to the castle, at least for a short while,” Nostra says, looking pointedly at me. I think he expects me to disagree, but I don’t.
“But what of Ilana? She knows about Accacia, our relationship. It is not a secret in the village that we are Joined, that we are hers,” Ezra asks.
“And I am yours,” I add.
Ezra pulls me closer, planting a kiss on my head. “Yes, that you are,” he agrees.
Rhain brings my hand up to his mouth and draws his lips across my knuckles. “Forever more,” he whispers into my skin.
Lissandra watches us with interest, her eyes briefly flicking to Nostra. He catches her gaze and she looks away quickly. “Ilana may be devious, but she is not stupid. She knows it will be certain death for her and her family who live here if she were ever to reveal your Joining or this place. She appears content to have Devin’s attentions for now. Besides, Ilana, just like the rest of the common folk who live here, all believe Accacia is one of us,” Lissandra says.
“What difference does that make? That belief didn’t stop her from taking Devin from me.”
“No, you are right. It did not.” Lissandra sighs.
“I don’t think any of us should underestimate what Ilana is capable of,” Nostra says. He places his hand on Lissandra’s arm. “I need you to keep a close eye on her. Perhaps it would be wise to get her a position within the castle. Someplace she can be kept out of trouble.”
“I’ve already done that. She works as a scullery maid. I have a friend, Sonja, who has been keeping her busy in the kitchen. So far, she has little time for much else other than work and sleep. We have made sure of that.” Lissandra gives me a small smile and I dip my head in thanks.
“And what of Queen Adrielle? What does she think of Ilana turning up at the castle with Devin?” Nostra asks.
“She paid little interest. As Ezra and Rhain well know, it is not unusual for the Knights of Darkness to have playthings. The Queen expects nothing less.”
“Playthings?”
“Yes, the knights are allowed certain privileges. One of them is the ability to have a plaything, a person they can use as they see fit. For blood, for... company.”
“Sex, you mean?”
“Yes, sex.” She avoids looking at Rhain and Ezra, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on mine. I understand what she isn’t saying. I understand my men have history, a reputation.
“And this privilege doesn’t extend to you?” I ask.
“No, it does not extend to me or the others born of the curse. We are merely underlings, bred to do the Queen’s bidding. I am not worthy of anything other than a life of ownership and misery.”
“You are worthy of far more than that,” Nostra says. Lissandra glances up at him, a question on her face. A question he chooses to ignore.
“Then we must be in attendance. I do not wish to arouse Queen Adrielle’s suspicions further,” Ezra says.
“I agree,” I say. “We need to get Devin back anyway. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. It sounds like everyone will be preoccupied with the Jubilee ball, including the Queen.”
“We?” Ezra and Rhain say in unison.
“You don’t expect me to wait here, do you?” I ask incredulously. “I think you know me better than that by now.”
“It is not as simple as you just turning up with us. Queen Adrielle may pretend not to know who everyone is within Clan Lux but, believe me, that is not the case,” Ezra says.
“Then introduce me as one of the common folk, your plaything.”
“Have you forgotten about Ilana? It is too risky for you to attend with us, Cia,” Rhain says.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I told you this morning. I need to see Devin. We’ve been apart too long already. The sooner I can Bind with him again, the better. This is not a negotiation. Sneak me in, do what you must. But I am coming.”
Chapter Three
“There is a way Accacia can move about the castle without drawing attention to herself,” Nostra says. He knows I am determined, that I won’t give up without a solution. I am grateful that he is providing us with one, even if the look on Rhain and Ezra’s faces tell me they aren’t.
“How?”
“I am a witch. I have magic. I can cast a spell to make you appear-” he begins, but Rhain interrupts him.
“No. No magic,” he says sharply.
“Wait, why? You live within Nostra’s magic here in the hamlet. Ezra and I were married beneath Nostra’s magic. If there is a way I can go to the castle without raising suspicion, then I shall take it.”
Rhain crosses his arms. “Precisely. We live beneath it, but it doesn’t affect us physically, not like Queen Adrielle’s magic. Nostra is suggesting that he can cast a spell over you, Cia. I can’t allow that.”
“I have to agree,” Ezra says, ignoring the frustrated look I give him.
“I understand your fears, but I don’t fear Nostra’s magic. It brought you both to me,” I say gently. “The same magic helped you find your way out of the Forbidden forest, Ezra. It protects us now. I trust Nostra.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that we do not trust Nostra,” Ezra says, turning to address him. “You’ve been our friend for many years, I trust you. It is just that I do not wish for Accacia to be harmed in any way, that is all. I cannot lose her. You understand this, I hope?”
Nostra approaches Ezra, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Ezra, my magic, it is not the same as Adrielle’s. I am not like my sister. She has a black heart. She is wicked. My magic will protect Accacia from harm, not cause it.”
“You promise me that Cia will be not be in danger?” Rhain says. I see a muscle flicker in his jaw as he grits his teeth.
“I can promise you that my magic will not harm her. I cannot promise you she will be safe within the castle. That, my friends, will be down to you both.”
“Lights damn it,” Rhain says, echoing the concern I see painted across Ezra’s face.
“I will help you,” Lissandra says from her spot by the fire. In the ten minutes since consuming Nostra’s blood, she looks considerably better. She is beautiful in an understated way. Her beauty shines out from within her, from the core of strength she holds inside. It is like a beacon. Nostra’s gaze falls on her as she speaks, his purple eyes ablaze with something that looks very much like pride and something more, though he hides it well.
“I have lived within the castle all my life. I know the Queen better than anyone. I know her habits, her routine. If we work together we can help Devin, but you must trust me too.”
“I already do, Lissandra,” I say, walking towards her. She gets up from her seat, stron
ger now. “Thank you, for everything you’ve done already, for everything that you are about to do.”
She takes my hands in her own, squeezing them tightly. “I will do everything I can to help. You’re willing to risk your life for these men,” she says, glancing at Ezra and Rhain over my shoulder. “You’re willing to risk your life for the good of us all. It is I who should be thanking you.” She smiles warmly, and in that moment I know we shall become good friends.
“Then let us start. What happens now?” I ask.
“You will need to come back to my cottage. I have all the things I need there to cast the spell.” Nostra gestures to Lissandra. “Lissa, I will need your help too. Are you able to stay a while still?”
“Yes, I have time,” she confirms.
“Good. Ezra, Rhain, there is no need for you to be there whilst I perform the spell…”
“We stay by her side,” Ezra says, cutting him off.
“Of course,” he says.
The five of us walk back to Nostra’s cottage. I can see a plume of purple smoke rising from the chimney. This time, within it, I see another colour, a shade of grey not unlike the colour of Lissandra’s eyes. The purple and grey intertwine, curling around one another before the smoke disperses in the air above us. Nostra notices me looking at it, and he hangs back slightly to walk in step beside me. In front of us, Lissandra, Rhain, and Ezra enter his cottage.
“Accacia, one moment,” he says, stopping.
“Yes?”
“This spell will change your appearance.”
“I figured as much. How else will I move around the castle without being recognised by Ilana or raise suspicion with the Queen?”
“Yes, but it isn’t just that. My sister, she is vain, conceited. She has always been jealous of beauty. When I change your appearance, you won’t be recognisable as you are now. You will look completely different.”
“Okay, but it will be temporary. I will change back, won’t I?” I ask, not really understanding where this conversation is going.
“Yes, of course. A familiar face can help a person to remember, but in your case, you won’t have that advantage. What I mean is that your change of appearance will make it harder for Devin to recognise you. It is risky,” Nostra says, apparently choosing his words carefully. It dawns on me then, the point Nostra is trying to make.
“Nostra, I don’t care what I look like. My aim is simply to get to Devin, perform a temporary Binding by any means possible, then get him back here so you can Bind us permanently.”
“It will not be easy.”
“No, I don’t suppose it will, but we’ve all come this far. I’m not giving up now.”
“And that is why you are a perfect match for these men.” Nostra looks at me thoughtfully.
“What is it?”
His eyes flick to the open door of his cottage, and to Lissandra talking to Rhain and Ezra. I wait for him to speak.
“Lissa is special. She is brave, courageous.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course,” I say.
“I promised myself that when I found my soulmate, I would never let her go.”
“Your soulmate? Lissandra is your soulmate?”
“Yes, she is.” His face lights up for a moment, the lilac of his eyes rippling with the same flames I’ve seen before.
“Does she know?”
“No.” The smile slips from his face. “And she mustn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if we are to Entwine, then Lissa would be in more danger than she already is.”
“Entwine?”
“It’s the witch version of the Joining, Binding and Claiming, but all three at the same time.”
“Wow,” I say, gobsmacked.
“It can be pretty… spectacular,” Nostra says, a spark illuminating his eyes. “It will also release Lissa’s powers, and that is precisely why we cannot Entwine. I do not think it is a coincidence that my sister has chosen Lissa to serve her so closely.”
“Powers?”
“Lissandra is a witch.”
“I don’t understand. She’s born of Clan Lux, she’s a vampire.”
“Yes, she carries the curse of her parents, that is true, but Lissa is a witch like me, like my sister. I suspect Adrielle took Lissa from her parents because she sensed the latent power she has, just as much as I do. Witches are gifted their powers, they are not born with them. My sister and I are the only siblings to have been gifted in such a way, our magic is linked because of it. Most covens are formed of strangers, related only by magic, not by blood.”
“There are more of you?”
“There were. Adrielle has murdered all of them. All she has been able to find, that is.”
“And Lissandra is unaware of this?”
“Yes. She has no idea what she truly is. What she is to me, or the real danger she is in. So long as she doesn’t Entwine with me, she has a measure of safety.”
“Why can’t you just keep her here with you? Your sister has no idea this place exists.”
Nostra shakes his head. “If she disappears my sister will hunt her down. Eventually she will find this place. My magic is strong, but it is nowhere near as powerful as Adrielle’s. For now, Lissa is better off as her chambermaid, kept alive because my sister waits for her powers to reveal themselves.”
“That’s why you keep your distance.”
“Yes, though every time I see her it gets harder.”
“Have you not noticed how she looks at you?”
Nostra scrapes his hand over the stubble on his chin. “Of course I have, but I will not Entwine with Lissa, not until Adrielle is dead.”
“If your sister suspects Lissandra may be a witch, why doesn’t she just kill her now?”
Nostra holds his hand out in front of him, a purple flame alight in his palm. It is mesmerising. “Because Adrielle wants Lissa’s powers. She is waiting for them to come into force, and once they do she will murder Lissa for them. Adrielle is as powerful as she is because she murdered the other witches and took their powers for herself. Lissa will only gain her full powers once she and I have Entwined, and that isn’t going to happen whilst my sister still breathes.”
“Full powers?”
“They are shimmering just beneath the surface. Every now and then they show themselves, especially in times of stress or upset. But they will never fully come out until we Entwine. Adrielle is waiting for her moment to pounce. I won’t give her that whilst she’s alive.”
“Your sister is an evil bitch,” I say. The hate I feel is caustic.
Nostra closes his fingers over the flame. “Yes, she is, and that is why together we must stop her. Are you ready to do this?”
“I’m ready,” I say.
Chapter Four
I am standing in just my underwear in the middle of Nostra’s kitchen. Ezra and Rhain are watching with worried expressions. There is nothing I can say to make them feel any better. This is what I must do.
Lissandra is speaking in hushed tones with Nostra, who is stirring a gloopy, purple liquid into a large earthenware bowl on his kitchen table. They look good together, her rich chestnut hair against the gold of his. Nostra is at ease in her company, though he is careful not to touch her too often. Lissandra seems to instinctively know what he needs before he asks for it and I wonder whether this is because they are fated to each other or because of her latent powers. Either way, they work well together.
I look down at my bare feet, at the circle of salt I am standing within. I am not afraid, at least not of the spell Nostra is about to cast. In fact, I want to get it over with so that I can get to the castle and to Devin.
“I use salt to contain the spell. This way none of the magic will spill out onto the rest of us. Can’t have Ezra and Rhain turning into women now, can I?” Nostra winks at me.
My lip twitches in amusement. Over his shoulder Ezra and Rhain remain deadpan.
�
�They’re staring daggers at me, aren’t they?” Nostra asks as he steps closer to me. In his hand he is holding a vial. The same purple liquid is inside, but it looks less gloopy and has tiny stars sparkling within it.
“Yes, they are. I don’t think either are impressed with my lack of clothing.”
“It is a necessary requirement. For the spell to work you need to have as much skin exposed as possible. This potion here,” he says, holding up the vial, “will work from the inside out. Whilst my magic will work on the outside in.”
Lissandra touches Nostra on the arm. He closes his eyes briefly at the contact. Only I can see the look on his face. Poor guy, I feel for him. He reminds me of how Rhain acted when he was suffering the ill effects of not undergoing the Claiming.
“I’ve done everything you’ve asked, Nostra. I will stand back with Rhain and Ezra,” she says.
“Thank you Lissa, I appreciate that.”
I must look a little nervous because Lissandra says, “You’re going to be fine. Nostra will take care of you.”
“I know.”
She walks to where Ezra and Rhain are anxiously waiting for Nostra to begin. I have absolutely no clue what to expect. “Will it hurt?” I ask.
“No, it will be painless. Though you may feel a little disorientated, light-headed perhaps, but otherwise it is perfectly safe. Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Nostra passes me the vial. “Drink this, it may taste a little bitter. Then I am going to cast the spell. Don’t be alarmed by anything that happens, okay.”
“Okay.” I glance over his shoulder, looking at my men. Rhain has his fists clenched at his side, a tight expression on his face. Ezra’s gaze is stormy, his stance rigid. They are scared. “Don’t worry, please. I’ll be fine,” I reassure them, even though, if the truth be known, I am a little frightened myself. As I raise the vial to my lips, Rhain takes a step forward until Lissandra places a hand on his arm. He stops and looks down at her. She shakes her head, and says something I can’t hear. He steps back, a range of emotions passing over his face.