Riley was a little confused, and when silence reigned, she cleared her throat.
“Good morning?” she said hesitantly.
“Oh, hello there, my Lady.” Keith approached politely and kissed her hand. “Keith Slater.”
“Riley Red.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a fan of Cirque Et Feu. You are just incredible.”
“I've been told but thank you.”
Right then, the door swung open and then everyone fell silent. The king entered and looked over those who were present. Everyone bowed. Riley bowed, but her eyes did not leave his.
“Hello.” He did not move his gaze from Riley as they were all still bowing for their king.
“Good morning, my king,” Lord Walter greeted him and raised his eyes.
The king looked at different kinds of food. Riley was wearing her black jumpsuit with the purple see-through poncho. Her high heeled boots made her body look even curvier. Just by taking her in, Jonathan could not remove the image of her body clenching and relaxing underneath him.
“Good morning, Lord. Do you have any news about North Caligo?” Jonathan spoke ever so seriously. Riley was disappointed, really. What was there to say? She was recalling every moment they shared alone in that room and the little note he left her on the pillow case. Did he not remember anything at all? Did it not mean anything to him? But that was what she was good at. Overthinking.
“Unfortunately, no. More news will be discussed at the assembly tonight, my king.”
Jonathan nodded and grabbed an apple. He took a large bite out of it, looked at Riley one last time and turned away.
“Miss Red, we have to move. There is an errand Sir Arnold would like you to make for the upcoming episode of the show.”
“Alright.” She nodded. “Can I grab a bite first?”
“Of course.”
“I still don't get it. Which errand are we running? Are there no people for that in the castle?” Riley asked Lord Walter as they strode outside the gate.
“There are, my lady.”
“Then why do I have—” She noticed that she did not know where they were heading. “Where—”
“You will see, my lady.”
“I would have you call me Riley or even Red, but my lady sounds flattering.”
Lord Walter did not smile nor even reveal a hint of it.
“Why couldn't we take the jag?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“It is too dangerous.”
“Dangerous to move around Civilus in a royal vehicle?”
“Dangerous to be seen,” he explained as he detected the sarcasm in her tone. “We cannot move in a jag without a mass of guards behind us.”
“I imagine there are a lot of people who dislike royals. No offense.”
“Not one of them. None taken.”
Riley didn’t say anything afterwards. She couldn’t get an emotion out of Lord Walter. He was a very grave old man.
The longer they walked, the more tired Riley was. If she told him she wanted to rest he would definitely make a remark about her youth, and she should be able to walk longer distances than him. But the previous night took more energy than she thought it would. Her entire body was aching, and she needed all the rest she could get.
“I fathom you’d like a drink.”
“How did you know?” She rolled her eyes.
“Your ragged breath gave you away.”
The market was that of the poor part of Civilus. The bourgeoisie part was filled with skyscrapers that almost reached space. There were more than two hundred stories. With a single button, they could teleport to another floor, and they could try on clothes they wanted without trying to get out of their original ones. The screens revealed how they would look like in them in the fitting rooms.
The market she and Lord Walter were roaming, was that of tents and old criers who desperately tried to sell their rotten items and food. The stones of old Civilus were still standing there, grey and violet, reminding whoever walked by of the old forgotten history.
Moments later, Riley and Lord Walter entered a tavern called Old Ma’s Muffins. The smell stank of sweat, beer, and freshly baked bread. Lord Walter bought two muffins and a couple of black beer cups. Riley gulped them down at once. That walk was a long one and she needed the sweetness of the muffin mingled with the bitter taste of black beer.
As she was about to sit in one of the booths, Lord Walter stopped her and took a tissue paper placed on one of the tables. He retrieved a pen from the inside of his jacket.
Follow me without a word
The ink disappeared a minute later.
Riley eyed him gravely, and a burning feeling started turning her stomach around. Without a word, she followed him. It was when she looked at his hand that she noticed he slipped out a small orange feather and gave it to the young bartender standing next to the basement door by the bar. The dark wooden door opened with a slight squeak and they walked down.
The walls around them were from the old world, where the stone was wet, and there was a faint tracing of a black line engraved along it. Small torches lit the way. Riley assumed from the secret passage that not even the castle knew about it. If they took electricity provided by the kingdom, the king would know where it was used.
“Lord Walter...”
“The tricksters are on our side. They created an illusion around themselves instead of a mass compulsion. Now your clone is going for dress shopping for your upcoming episodes and no one will suspect your absence.”
“Are you a—”
“Yes.”
“I wondered how Keith got into the castle.”
“He's a royal as well. There are lots of royals who joined our forces undercover, my lady.”
The thrill was getting her dizzier as she tried to contain her excitement under a straight face.
“You've got the rebel voice in you.”
Lord Walter looked at her.
“You weren’t supposed to know. But you can keep a secret. Gabriel trusts you.”
“He doesn’t know me. How can he trust I won't tell?”
“You have already tried starting his plan yesterday.” He looked at the crook of her neck. Suddenly, she was self-conscious of the image of Jonathan grinding his teeth inside her flesh, which made her body fire up for a second. “Now cover that well,” he pulled the fabric of her shirt over the love bite, “and keep the king clawed.”
Riley’s cheeks suddenly burnt, not with embarrassment but with a bit of anger.
“How did you know?”
“Every Phoenix knows. You are being watched. Don't make false moves.”
“I don't make false moves. But I would very much like my privacy,” she snapped. “Since Gabriel trusts me, I should be the one to report my moves.”
“Trust only goes so far.”
“Far enough to recruit people close to the king.”
“The king has many lovers, my lady. Don't let your self-absorbance get the best of you.”
“How dare you talk to me like that?” Her voice was rising, but she shut it down immediately before anybody could hear.
“The kings and queens that have fallen are the ones consumed by pride. The more you doubt your plans, the more thorough you'll be in carrying them out.”
She remained silent before she said something she would later regret.
“We are here,” he finally announced.
As he opened the door, her eyes fell upon the train stop sign by the lair of the phoenixes. The sunrays piercing between the leaves of the gigantic trees illuminated their way to another secret entrance of which she knew nothing.
Chapter 27
The sea of people was all the same as Riley entered the private ground. She had used the Karson Hut on the left of the visible camp and had gone down through the elevator with Lord Walter.
After greeting whomever called her name—she could not remember half of them—they entered the conference room where a very large silver blue table lay
in the middle. Several chairs surrounded it, but none was occupied.
“Where is everyone?” Riley turned to Lord Walter.
“They’ll be here,” he answered, though he seemed unsure as well.
As she was looking around, she felt out of place. She did not know where to sit.
“Sit wherever you like, Riley. The place is your home now,” Lord Walter assured her.
She looked at him and rolled her eyes scoffing.
“It is your home,” he insisted. “If you don’t want it to be, then it is better to cut off all ties from here on.”
“I am still new at this. You can’t expect me to belong right away.”
“You’re right.” He nodded. “But if you plan on making it your home, you must start treating it like one. Nobody cares if you were in their seat here. There are no rules of conduct between brothers and sisters. Only a common enemy, a common purpose.”
“The king,” Riley realized.
“The entire kingdom.”
Lord Walter left the conference room for a long while and Riley was getting bored. She needed something to keep her distracted. As she was eyeing the room around her, she noticed that the walls were covered with book shelves. How rare was it to find books those days? She retrieved one with a rusty red colour on the far end of the back shelf.
HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 250 PAGES
By: Kazem Abi Khalil
Riley was going over the pages, but something did not seem right.
“During WWII, Germany started noticing some of its leaders were more persuasive than others. The persuasive ones were anointed in the place of others that were not as powerful as them. Noting the power that they had brought, they were encouraged to fornicate with women in order to produce more children (rape, multi-marriages). The word started spreading around the world and countries started looking for similar cases.”
Then an entire section on the horrifying events caused by the Nazis was described. Who the hell are the Nazis? Riley wondered. She had read history—a lot of it—but she could not remember anything bad being said about Hitler or his followers. He was praised and there was even a specific date to celebrate his achievements as a great hero. It was not until a while ago that this celebration died.
After a short moment of silence, Gabriel entered the deserted room.
“Sorry I’m late. I see you found my favourite history book.” He laid his coffee mug on the glossy table.
Riley jumped, taken by surprise.
“I didn’t see you come in.” She put the book back in its place and stood up. “What kind of twisted version of history is that?”
“The untwisted version. This is actually one of the rare copies I was able to retrieve of the true history of the East. All the other versions they teach at schools are tampered with.”
“But… How were you able to get this book?”
“A teacher of mine when I was still a teenager. She was hired by my mother, and she taught me most of what I know now. When I grew older, she saw more potential and started providing me with paper books, not electronic ones so we wouldn’t be tracked. And I saved them ever since.”
Riley was silent for a while.
“Is she a phoenix now?”
“I don’t think she is still alive.”
Riley felt that that woman was more than a teacher to him, but decided to say nothing more.
Gabriel cleared his throat. “I need to check some documents, and I’ll be with you shortly.”
As soon as Gabriel left, Keith entered.
“Hey.” He threw himself on a chair at the end of the table. “You’re silent and not asking questions. That’s new.”
“The only question in my mind right now is when you’d be leaving.” Something about this Keith Slater made her blood boil. He thought he was someone so important when she could have made him her slave long ago.
“Feisty. Just my type.” He smiled at her.
“But you’re not mine.”
“Oh, yes. Kings are your type.”
When Riley was about to retort, Lord Walter stepped in. He was not to tolerate their banter when there were more pressing matters to discuss.
“Where’s everyone?” he asked the man.
“I just got here, but I heard the queen hasn’t been spotted since yesterday,” Keith informed him. A line appeared between his brows.
Lord Walter frowned. “This is a bad sign. We should find her.”
At those words, the door swung open and Gabriel entered.
“Gabe, you wouldn’t mind telling us where the queen is. Right?” Keith tapped Gabriel on the back.
“This is not a way to speak to your prince.” Lord Walter’s voice rose.
“But—” Keith started but soon was cut off by Gabriel.
“It’s alright. Please take a seat. I just want to speak to the three of you.”
Riley sat down, but her patience was wearing thin.
“You asked for me?” she asked Gabriel.
“Yes,” he answered steadily. “Don’t worry about your absence from the castle. There are tricksters taking over your place. Nobody will notice.”
“Yes, I’ve been informed.”
“And now, it’s time to settle the matters,” Keith chimed in.
“I think the prince should speak first,” Lord Walter reminded the boy.
“I need to hear Keith’s report on the movements in the castle.” Gabriel turned to Keith ready to hear the good and bad news.
Keith suddenly turned serious and crossed his hands on the table.
“Freda Cummings from the Ministry of Education is planning on refusing non-royals in the State School even if they are rich as fuck and ready to pay their blood to have their children learn there. Toby Long, the representative of Public Institutions had sent a request to the West to invest more in the National Park of Civilus.”
“This will pave the way for the West to own a property in the Capitol,” Gabriel realized.
“Did he already get the approval?” Lord Walter asked.
“No,” Keith answered, “but he is working on it. This will help him gain three billion dollars.”
“What else?” Gabriel was not at ease anymore.
“Elisabeth Browning is hiring more western tricksters in the Cirque Et Feu show with the help of this scumbag Charles Arnold.”
“Why is he even meddling in the show?” Riley spoke up. “He is only responsible for international relations.”
“Charles Arnold is one of the dirtiest men in the kingdom,” Gabriel informed her. “He is like a virus contaminating everything. Being the Minister of International Relations is only a cover. He runs the underweb.”
Riley nodded, imprinting every information inside her mind.
“In other news,” Keith started and looked at Riley, “Miss Red here crossed out the dead king and his son from her checklist.”
Riley’s eyes widened. How dare he?
“What?!” For the first time, Keith caught her off guard.
“You think I don’t know?” He smirked. “I know everything. This is not only to feed my ego, it is a valuable information fo—”
“Enough!” Gabriel’s voice thudded in the room. The echo of his voice left them immobile in place and his two men silent. Keith’s eyes drifted down and Lord Walter closed his in disappointment.
“What the hell is wrong with you people?” Riley looked at each one of them, rage squeezing at her heart, and she was barely able to control herself. “Are you spying on me? Was it not the plan all along?” She drifted her eyes towards Gabriel who already told her she needed to keep the king under her paws. He was the only one with a hint of compassion in the way he addressed her, and she was consoled by that.
“It was the plan, but Riley…”
“What?” she cut him off furiously.
“The plan was to seduce him, to lure him into talking like his father did. You went too far and your powers shut down for him.”
She had tried to activate her tr
ickster power and shower Jonathan with it, but he seemed like an impenetrable ice wall that couldn’t melt by her fire. Instead, she fumed and fumed and let her fire warm him and nothing else.
“How the hell do you know that?”
“I installed a video camera,” Keith finally said with a smug face.
“We did not install a camera.” Gabriel looked at his friend infuriated. “One of the king’s personal guards was there. He heard what happened.”
“So, you were spying. My powers did not shut down. I merely—”
“Riley,” Keith sighed. “You were barely able to breathe, let alone create an illusion or probe his mind. Can’t you see what is going on?”
“What are you talking about?” Her hands shook under the table.
Lord Walter held her cold hands compassionately. “Riley, Jonathan is a trickster. He is a powerful one from a powerful woman in the West. When two tricksters get into… a sexual act—”
“Oh, God.” Riley pulled her hands away and covered her face.
The king was not the legitimate son of Queen Dyane. He was Gabriel’s half-brother, a bastard from a western trickster woman. Now, Una’s story made much more sense. He carried the blood of her race and that was why she wasn’t able to control him. It worked on other tricksters, but when they were naked together, she was weak; he was strong; he resisted without even knowing. And that brought to her mind another memory… The photograph… He was Nathan, the baby. And the woman holding him was his mother, the king’s mistress.
“Their powers annihilate each other,” Lord Walter continued. “They can’t practice it on one another.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?” She looked at Gabriel for a sign of mercy.
“I was not sure he was a trickster, but I did not think you would go as far as…” He was about to say sex, but Keith cut in.
“Fucking the lad right away.”
“One more word and I swear I’ll claw your eyes out.” She got up from her chair pointing her shaking finger at him.
“Keith shut your mouth!” Gabriel used his authoritative voice for the second time that day.
“I am out of here. I can’t take this right now.” She moved from the table and was heading for the door.
“Riley, wait.” Lord Walter called after her. She had to stop. He was her escort after all. “The queen is not here. There’s no time to waste. Keith is always like that. You’ll learn to ignore him with time.”
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