by W. J. May
The fae frowned slightly as Evie tilted her head.
He ended with ‘sweet’, but it sounded like he’d tagged the word on at the last minute. Like he’d been planning on saying something else instead. Like...convenient.
“Tell me, Highness—how do you like it here in the High Kingdom?” He bowed respectfully to the fae, but continued talking all the while. “Almost as lovely as your enchanting Taviel?”
Ellanden stared at him warily, shooting his father an instinctual glance.
“...almost.”
The man nodded as if he hadn’t heard, shedding another layer of decorum as he dropped the pretenses and began examining the children outright, muttering occasionally under his breath.
“Same age, same interests.” He looked up suddenly, as if double-checking something he’d almost forgotten. “You share a cousin, but you’re not related yourselves?”
I think I know where this is going...
She and Ellanden shot each other a sideways glance, discreetly edging their chairs farther away. At the same time, the prince shot another look to his father. This one was returned.
“Melkins,” Cassiel said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I came early,” the man answered with that same oily smile. “Just getting a head start.” His eyes swept over Evie and Ellanden like they were presents yet to be unwrapped. “So much to do...”
“Not here,” the fae said firmly, elbowing Dylan discreetly at the same time. “Not now.”
Dylan snapped his fingers at once, drawing a servant to his side.
“Melkins, perhaps Jack here can show you up to the castle. Get you settled in.”
“But Your Majesty—”
“I trust you’ll find everything to your liking,” the king interrupted with a bit of an edge, eyes flashing behind that careful smile. “We can speak tomorrow. Right now it’s time for the speech.”
The man vanished as Katerina turned to them slowly, tuning in at the word speech. Her face paled in panic as her eyes shot out to the swarms of dancing people waiting to hear her speak.
“But I haven’t prepared anything!” she hissed in panic.
Cassiel closed his eyes, running his hands slowly over his face. “Katerina.”
She pulled a card of notes from her sleeve, tossing it down upon the table with a grin.
“Oh, you of little faith.”
There was a quick nod to the master of ceremonies, who blew the trumpet once more. At once people stopped dancing, turning at the same time to face their young, immortal queen.
“Citizens of the realm, I thank you for coming,” she began with a warm smile. “I know the wine has been flowing, so I promise to keep my comments brief.”
There was a tittering of laughter as a servant silently refilled the wine on the royal table.
“Only twenty-five years ago, we faced an impossible enemy. One that should have had the power to wipe the five kingdoms straight off the face of the earth. He should have, but he didn’t.”
Her eyes swept slowly around the courtyard, landing on each one of them in turn.
“Because that day, Nathaniel Fell was taught a valuable lesson. That we are stronger together than we are divided. That the kingdoms of the realm are unbeatable when we’re fighting as one!”
A wild cheer rose up from the courtyard as people raised their glasses. Dylan and the others were sitting silently beside her, the light of the candles dancing in their eyes.
“Yes, there were losses. Yes, there were moments on that battlefield we’ll remember for as long as we live. But I promise you this, never again will we...”
She glanced down at a man sitting beside her, already sipping from his glass.
“Not that brief, Abel.”
There was a tittering of laughter as he smiled and set down his glass.
“Never again will we find ourselves on such a battlefield. Never again will we find ourselves facing an army that we’re unsure we can defeat. There is no limit to the things we can accomplish.”
She raised her glass in the air, a gesture mimicked by the rest of them.
“For as long as I draw breath, as long as the crown sits upon my head, I swear to you that—”
There was a sudden convulsion beside her and she looked down quickly.
“Abel? Are you all right?”
The man stared up at her with a strange expression, then all at once he slumped over on top of the table, coughing up a river of blood.
There were screams from the crowd and gasps from the high table as Dylan and Cassiel propped him up quickly, trying as best they could to help. One of them was murmuring something, while the other kept him carefully elevated, but it soon became clear there was nothing to be done.
Evie watched in shock as the man slumped once more against the table—peering lifelessly into the crowd beyond. Her mother took one look at him, then lowered her eyes slowly to the wine still in her hand. The same wine the man had drunk early just moments before.
“Help him,” she commanded in a raspy voice. “Help him, surely there’s something—”
Dylan stood quickly and grabbed hold of her with one arm. With the other hand, he slowly removed the wine goblet from her hand.
The courtyard was terribly quiet now. So quiet they could hear every word.
“I’m sorry, love. He’s gone.”
Evie let out a silent breath, staring at the man’s glassy eyes.
Abel Bishop, the head of her mother’s council...was dead.
Chapter 4
It was chaos. Absolute chaos.
The second it became clear the councilman was never getting up from the table, the entire gathering sprang to their feet at the same time. People were racing towards the exits, screaming frantically to find friends in the crowd. Several merchants ran back to the tents, preparing to rip them down, before reconsidering and simply sprinting for the gates.
Several of the soldiers were shouting for them to keep calm. Several more were looking to their king and queen for guidance. But Katerina and Dylan were frozen where they stood at the high table, staring down at their dearly departed friend with matching looks of utter shock.
Then the breeze stirred up around them and Dylan swept out of his trance.
“...Evie.”
Her feet left the ground a moment later before she even had time to see him coming. There was a frantic scrambling of hands checking to make sure she was all right, but for the most part he simply held her tight against his chest, reassuring himself with the quick beating of her heart.
The others were in a similar state of panic.
“Did you drink anything!” She lifted her eyes to see Cassiel shaking his own son by the shoulders. “Ellanden, answer me!”
“N-no, I—”
“I won’t be angry,” the fae promised, gripping the boy so hard he was bound to leave a bruise. “Just tell me the truth. Did you have anything to drink tonight?”
Ellanden froze in panic, staring into his eyes. “...just ale.” He panicked even more at the look on his father’s face. “But that was hours ago. It wouldn’t—”
“Come with me.”
Where they were going, Evie had no idea. When she saw Tanya sprinting after them, she feared the worst. Her own mother was there now, gripping any parts of her not already claimed by her father. She saw her Aunt Serafina clutching Cosette while her Uncle Kailas stood protectively in front of them, eyes scanning the courtyard while keeping a hand on them at all times.
The only one who maintained even a semblance of calm was Aidan.
“Have you had anything to drink tonight?” he asked softly, gripping his son’s wrists. “Even just a taste. Anything at all?”
Asher shook his head quickly. “No, but why would that—”
“Someone who’d tasted the wine,” Aidan murmured, turning back to the table while keeping hold of one of his wrists. “This was freshly poured. Kat, where’s the servant who poured this?”
Her mother d
idn’t seem to hear him, still clutching her daughter with all her might.
“Kat!”
She lifted her eyes for only a moment, then glanced at her husband. He nodded slowly and relinquished their daughter into her care, going over to investigate himself.
The others were coming back now, leading Ellanden between them. He was pale and his eyes were red. When his parents handed him off to Petra, he didn’t seem surprised.
What did surprise him was what happened next.
“Take him back to the castle,” Cassiel ordered, too distressed to realize the retired general had never taken an order in her life. “Please, take all the children back to the castle. Stay with them.”
The children’s heads shot up at the same time as she nodded sympathetically.
“Of course,” she answered gently. “And don’t be troubled, you know they’ll be safe.”
“What?” Ellanden cried. “What are you talking about? We want to help—”
“Go with her,” Cassiel commanded. “Now.”
He was already turning back to the table, when his son caught hold of his sleeve.
“Cada,” Ellanden gasped, slipping into the Fae word for father, “what’s happening?”
Cassiel gripped the back of his head for a fleeting moment before his eyes darkened in rage.
“That’s exactly what I intend to find out.”
“AND WE’RE BACK...IN the nursery.”
Perhaps it was because of the friends’ collective reluctance to come along, perhaps it was merely because it was the farthest place from the courtyard, but Petra had taken them back to the southern wing of the castle. Locking them inside their childhood playroom.
“You have to appreciate the symmetry of it,” Asher said softly, lying on his back and tossing a ball into the air. “We started out here. Seems fitting we should end up here as well.”
Cosette let out a whimper and Evie gripped her tightly.
“He meant this morning,” she said quickly. “We started out the day here.”
He lifted his head in apology and flashed the child a reassuring smile. “It’s disappointing to be locked away, but there’s still lots to do. Shall I show you some of the toys?”
On any other day, she would have leapt at the opportunity. But for now she simply shook her head, clinging to Evie’s arm and staring across the room at Ellanden with wide, watery eyes.
“It’s disappointing,” Ellanden quoted bitterly, pacing back and forth like a caged lion. “At this point, I don’t know why I’m even surprised. Trouble brewing? Danger up ahead? Shall we ask our well-trained children to help? No. Let’s lock them in the bloody nursery.”
Evie watched in silence as he restlessly drummed his fingers against the side of his leg.
“Where did your parents take you?” she finally asked.
He paused only a moment before continuing his manic steps. “They made me throw up.”
She lowered her eyes grimly before asking the inevitable question under her breath. “Who do you think did it?”
He finally stopped his pacing, staring out the window with a troubled frown. “If could been anyone. People were here from each of the kingdoms—”
“Not each of the kingdoms,” Aidan corrected quietly. “And I’m sure after the initial shock wears off, it won’t take long for people to realize who was missing from the group.”
The others stared at him in silence, a flicker of fear quickening their hearts.
Where once there were five kingdoms, now there were only four.
After losing their immortal leader in the Battle of the Dunes, the vampires had quickly pulled from the royal alliance. Control of the clan was offered instantly to Aidan, but when he refused it fell to a woman named Diana—a woman who wanted nothing to do with the realm.
In the years that followed the vampires had lived in almost complete isolation, venturing into the moral world only to pillage and feed. Many attempts had been made to reach them. All had failed. Only Aidan was allowed safe passage in between. Asher had gone with him a handful of times. On each occasion, he’d pleaded to be left behind.
“Don’t be foolish,” Ellanden murmured, but he didn’t sound certain. “The only two vampires at the celebration were you and Uncle Aidan. No one would dream of accusing you.”
“You have no idea who was at the celebration,” Aidan countered. “Whoever they are, we saw only what the assassin wanted. And vampires are highly skilled at being unseen.”
“It’s a stretch,” Evie replied, wishing suddenly they hadn’t chosen to have the discussion in front of Cosette. The little girl was shaking as it was. “Honey, are you all right?”
“Landi...you didn’t have any wine, did you?”
The handsome fae turned in surprise to see the child looking up at him in tears.
“...what?”
She sucked in a quick breath, trying desperately to hold back her sobs. “I saw you take some ale, but—”
“No, sweet girl.” He streaked across the room and was holding her a moment later, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and smoothing down the back of her hair. Evie might have shared the same cousin, but the fae were much closer to each other. While she’d spent most of her time in the High Kingdom, the two had grown up together in Taviel. “I didn’t have any wine.”
She sniffed, circling her arms tight around his neck. “...do you promise?”
“I promise.” He squeezed her even tighter before pulling back with a sweet smile, tucking her hair away from her face. “Oh here, I got you something.” His hand slipped into his pocket, returning a moment later with the tiny wooden pony. “I was going to give it to you after dinner.”
She stared at it for a long moment, then reached out a tentative hand. “This was yours?”
In spite of the danger going on around them, Evie and Asher couldn’t help but share a quick smile. Despite Ellanden’s endless attempts to divert her attention, the little girl hero-worshipped her older cousin. Any discarded toy of his was something to be treasured.
“It’s yours now,” he said lightly, flashing her another smile. “Why don’t we find somewhere to play with it until—”
But as it turned out, he’d spoken too soon.
The door burst open a moment later as their parents rushed inside. Regardless of Petra’s numerous assurances, they had to check on the safety of their children with their own eyes.
“What happened?” Evie asked quickly. “Did you find out who did it?”
Despite having only been gone for less than an hour her father looked absolutely exhausted as he sank into a miniature chair, running his hands up over his eyes.
“It was poison,” he answered softly. “The new vintage that had been cracked open for the royal toast. Fortunately, Abel was the only one to drink it. If he hadn’t, there’s a strong chance that many people would have wound up dead.” His eyes flashed ever so briefly to his wife—who was staring without blinking out the window. “But no, we didn’t find out who did it.”
The children absorbed this in silence as Kailas quickly strode past them, extracting his daughter from Ellanden’s protective arms. “Sweetheart, we’re going to pack your things.” He flashed a quick look at his twin sister. “You’ll get me if anything new happens?”
She nodded, eyes never leaving the window. He and Serafina were gone a moment later, leaving the children in an even greater state of agitation than when they’d first arrived.
“Pack their things?” Asher repeated incredulously. “Where are they going?”
“To Taviel,” his father answered softly. “You are all going to Taviel. Until it’s safe here.”
“But we want to stay!” Ellanden cried, turning to his parents. “Don’t send us away, we can help! This was poison. It’s not like there’s an army of darkness beating down the gate!”
The adults shared a quick look, and Cassiel bowed his head with a sigh.
“It’s not that there was poison. It’s what kind of poison it was.”
He trailed off, unwilling to say anymore. Tanya finished for him, silently taking his hand.
“It was from the Dunes.”
The room fell perfectly silent. It stayed that way for a long time.
Finally, when it couldn’t go on any longer, Dylan pressed a quick kiss to his daughter’s forehead and gestured her toward the door. “There are soldiers waiting to escort each of you back to your rooms. You’re leaving first thing in the morning, so try to get some rest.”
Another day, she might have protested. Another day, she might have thrown a tantrum the likes of which the castle probably couldn’t survive. But all that fight had vanished the moment she heard the word Dunes.
Instead, she nodded quietly—heading out with the others.
They walked in a tight cluster surrounded by the soldiers, saying a hushed farewell as Ellanden splintered off to vanish into his room. When the consortium stopped outside Evie’s door a moment later, she and Asher stared at each other before exchanging a spontaneous hug.
“It’s going to be fine,” he murmured. “They’ll have it figured out in no time.”
She nodded stiffly, tightening her hug. “Yeah, I know.”
They held on a moment longer before pulling away. With a sad smile she turned to open her door, but the vampire pulled her back and sniffed suddenly at her hair.
“Incense,” he murmured. “You have incense in your hair.”
The escort marched off a moment later, leaving her standing in her doorframe—staring after them with a very peculiar expression on her face. It wasn’t until they’d already rounded the corner and disappeared that it suddenly clicked.
Incense.
The witch!
SEVEN HELLS!
Chapter 5
This can’t be real! This can’t be happening!
Evie didn’t know what had thrown her into a bigger panic—the things that happened in the witch’s tent, or the fact that she’d forgotten about all of them only a few moments later.
Neither should have been possible. Neither could be explained.