by Genna Love
Taariq glanced down the street, his sights setting on a horse tied to a storefront. “I’ll cause a distraction and give you time to hop into the tunnel.”
“How will you get in?”
“I won’t,” he said. “I’ll stay in the area and wait for you to return so I can cause another distraction and get you out.”
Zarah nodded. It was better this way. If she were to get caught in the castle, at least Taariq would be safe.
Before he turned away, he leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll see you and your sister soon.”
He walked to the horse he’d spotted, then quickly untied the reins and swatted the animal’s ass. Spooked, the horse took off running.
“The horse is getting away,” Taariq yelled, as he chased it down the street.
Everyone in the area stopped and watched him yelling for the horse to stop as he made as much of a commotion as he could, which only encouraged the animal to run faster.
Zarah took her chance. She sprinted down the alley and pulled the door on the ground open and quickly climbed inside.
At the bottom of the ladder, she found the books she’d taken from the library on the day she’d burned Marius, as well as the lantern she’d used to light her way.
When she tried to turn it on, nothing happened.
But she no longer needed lamps to illuminate the path. Instead, she created a small orb of fire in her hand to brighten the dark tunnel. It wasn’t much, but her determination gave her the focus she needed to keep the flame alive. She prayed it wouldn’t cause her to pass out again.
Her heart pounded in her chest, reverberating through her ears and clouding her thoughts. Soon, she was at the entrance to the castle.
She paused, listening for any noise inside the room. When she heard nothing, she slowly creaked open the mirror and peeked into the library. It was empty, so she stepped inside.
Being back in the castle brought a lump to her throat. It had been a week since she’d last been inside the only home she’d ever known. Before she’d fled, she’d never spent a single night anywhere else. She’d hated the boredom of her mundane existence, but now all she could think of was everything she would miss. Teasing her sister with her scandalous words, watching her handmaiden resist grinning at Aerilyn’s embarrassment. The endless amount of the ripest fruit, the constant access to hot baths. She’d even yearned to hear another one of her mother’s lectures.
This would be the last time she set foot inside these walls.
As hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the tears from dripping down her cheeks. With a deep breath, she sniffed back her sudden emotion and left the library. Her window of time to get in and get her sister out was small.
As always, the basement was empty. She traced her finger along the hallway wall, remembering all the hours she’d spent there alone, head buried in a book. What would her life have been like without that space to herself? If she’d never visited the library, she’d never have found the book that told her about the secret library, which meant it would still likely be her marrying Prince Marius.
When she got to the stairs, she hesitated. Now would be the dangerous part. Aerilyn’s sitting room was only two doors away from the top of the staircase, but Zarah would be exposed for at least five seconds, and she was sure the servants had all been instructed to report any sightings of her immediately. As much as she wanted to think they wouldn’t do that to her, she knew that fear caused people to do horrible things.
She adjusted her headscarf to cover everything but her eyes and, with a quick exhale of nerves, she made her move.
Walking as quickly as she could without breaking into a run, she ascended the stairs and turned the corner, heading straight to the sitting room.
She opened the doors and barged inside, immediately closing them behind her. When she saw her younger sister, more tears streamed down her cheeks.
Aerilyn froze in her chair, her embroidery needle and hoop in her hands.
Zarah pulled down her scarf and stared at her sister. There was so much she wanted to say, she didn’t know where to begin.
“Zarah?” Aerilyn dropped her embroidery items to the ground, pushed herself from her chair, then hugged her. “I’ve been so worried.”
“Are you all right? Has he hurt you?” Zarah backed away and inspected her sister.
As always, she looked flawless, dressed in a lavender-colored satin dress with intricate bronze beading across the neckline. Her hair, which was one shade lighter than Zarah’s dark brown, was curled into long ringlets and a small, diamond crown sat upon her head.
“I’m perfectly fine,” her sister said. “But everyone is looking for you. Prince Marius wants your head. Did you really burn him?”
In her desperation to save Aerilyn, Zarah hadn’t considered her sister might not trust her. “Yes, I’ll explain it all. I promise. But I’m here to get you out of the castle.”
She frowned. “Out of the castle?”
“Marius is wicked. You won’t be safe if you marry him.” Zarah should have thought about what to say before she’d come. But it was too late now. She’d have to think on the spot.
“You aren’t safe here now, sister. It took a lot of convincing from father to get the Cardasians to continue the agreement of an alliance.” She kept her voice low. “He swore that if you’re caught, he won’t stand in the way of your execution. Your title has been revoked, which makes me the first born daughter. We can still have peace.” She reached out and took Zarah’s hands. “I will be fine.”
No.
No, no, no.
This could not be happening. Her sister underestimated the damage the prince would do to her.
“But…” There had to be a way to change her mind. “I don’t know how I burned him. It was an accident. He swore to tame me once we were married. He wanted to break me because he could. He’ll do the same to you.”
Aerilyn needed to understand. Her life would be ruined if she followed through with the marriage.
Her sister reached up and cupped her cheek. “I’m not like you, dear sister. I know my place. There is no conquest for him with me as there would have been for you.”
Aerilyn had always been so wise. She was everything their mother had raised them to be. Kind, calm, strategic. Zarah had known her younger sister would make a better queen than she would, but she never wanted her to have to marry someone cruel. Her sister deserved so much more.
The door opened, causing panic to jolt through Zarah like lightning.
Her handmaiden Mallory carried a tray with tea, her eyes wide at the sight of Zarah.
“Shut the door,” Aerilyn instructed.
Mallory kicked the door shut. “Marius is on his way here. He asked me to bring you a hot kettle of tea as you discuss your wedding plans.”
“You must hide. Quickly.” Aerilyn leaned in and kissed Zarah’s cheek. “Then get out of here. Save yourself, dear sister.”
There was no more time to change her sister’s mind. It didn’t matter how much she wanted to protect her, her sister would marry Prince Marius to protect their kingdom. She’d come there for nothing.
Zarah rushed behind the tall velvet curtain and pulled a chair in front of herself to cover her feet. If Marius saw her, he would take it out on Aerilyn too, and she didn’t want to make things worse than they already were.
“Your Highness,” Aerilyn said, her voice high and pleasing.
“My soon-to-be bride,” Prince Marius replied.
Even though Zarah couldn’t see him, she pictured the satisfaction in his stare right before she’d burned him. Heat flooded her body. Oh how she would love to jump out from her hiding spot and hurt him even more. But that would start a war, and too many she cared about would be hurt.
She closed her eyes and focused on her breath, willing the fire within to cool. Although Taariq had helped her pull from her magic on purpose, she was still capable of accidentally bringing it forward.
“Walk with me around the gardens?�
� Aerilyn asked. “I’ve been cooped up all day and I would love some fresh air.”
“Very well.”
“I’ll be right out,” she said.
Zarah waited, digesting her failure. If she’d have better prepared her words, maybe her sister would have listened. No, that was doubtful. She should have known Aerilyn wouldn’t risk their people for her happiness. Zarah would have had to have stolen her unwillingly to take her from the castle, and as much as she desired to save her sister, she would never go against her will.
“They’re gone,” Mallory whispered a minute later.
Zarah stepped out from the curtain, her fists clenched. “He’ll ruin her.”
Her handmaiden frowned. “Your sister is stronger than you think.” She handed her a folded piece of parchment.
Zarah unfolded it and read the note inside.
I love you, dearest sister. Be safe.
Goodbye.
Love,
Aerilyn
She folded the note and stuck it inside the top of her dress. “You’ll keep an eye on her?”
“Of course, M’lady.” Mallory bowed. “Now, you must go. Guards are everywhere now.”
Zarah grabbed a quill and parchment and scribbled a note back to her sister and handed it to Mallory. “See that she gets this when it’s safe.”
Then, before she was found and hung, she left the castle for the very last time.
Back in the tunnel, she leaned against the stone wall, sliding to the ground as tears pooled in her eyes.
She had failed miserably. Her sister would marry the prince, and there was nothing Zarah could do to stop it that wouldn’t start a war. When she’d given herself enough time to release her emotion and gather herself, she got up, and marched down the tunnel to the exit.
She climbed the ladder and barely opened the door. A minute later, Taariq was there. He lifted the door open.
“You’re all right.” He reached out his hand, peering behind her. “Where’s your sister?”
“She wouldn’t come.” Zarah dropped down the ladder and grabbed one of the books still waiting there. “Here, take this.”
He scanned the area around him. “We need to hurry before someone walks by.”
“This can’t all be for nothing.” She extended the book up until he reached down and took it from her. She passed him all the books before they both climbed into the street.
Eli
Eli crumpled up the note Zarah had left and threw it across the room.
How could she ignore everything he warned her about? He’d been out of the house every day, seeing the increase in guards patrolling the streets, information he’d made sure to share. Nearly every stand in the market and every business in town had her face plastered on pinned up parchments, the reward now up to two thousand coins for her capture.
Even after spending her entire life in the castle, she should know how desperate many people were for money and how that much could make almost anyone capable of turning her in.
And why didn’t Taariq stop her?
Eli scoffed. Of course the fire mage wouldn’t consider the risk of it all. In his life, Eli had met a handful of flame wielders and they’d all been the same. Passionate and reckless. More focused on making life a game than settling down and growing up.
He wasn’t surprised that the fire mage spent his life thieving and gambling instead of finding honest work. And he’d noticed Zarah growing closer to him each day. What else did he expect when he’d left the two of them alone so often? The image of the two of them intimate brought vomit to his mouth.
Why did he even care? He’d vowed to help the Princess escape the city, but he couldn’t prevent her from her own idiocy. If she didn’t wind up caught and beheaded trying to save her sister, he would follow through with his promise. But then what?
Taariq had pledged to follow her wherever she went once outside of Lyria. But what did Eli plan to do? Drop the two of them off at the Jade Isles or wherever it was they wanted to go then continue on with his life like he hadn’t met her? Every day that passed, the idea of leaving her was harder to bear.
To calm himself, he headed to the garden. The sun was setting above, casting a pink and orange glow across the Heavens. He closed his eyes and a long stream of water lifted from the bottom. As it rose, he twisted his body and guided it to the flowers on the far side of the garden.
This yard was his haven. The tall trees surrounding him allowed Eli the privacy to use his water gift when he was away from the sea. Although there was always risk when he called upon his magic inside the kingdom of Lyria, not doing so had never been an option he considered. His ability to wield water was as natural to him as breathing, and no matter the cost, he would not deny that part of himself.
When he had watered half of the plants, Zarah found him.
She didn’t have to say anything for him to know something had gone wrong. His torso tensed as her pain consumed him. Such a connection to her was unlike anything he’d ever experienced, or for that matter, even heard of.
He opened his mouth to scold her of her utter stupidity, risking herself for even her own sister, but he quickly clamped it shut and walked to her instead. She had made it back safe and clearly didn’t need a lecture from him.
“Let’s get some tea and sit inside,” he suggested.
She only nodded before turning and heading back into the house.
He brewed a fresh pot of chrysanthemum tea, a perfect choice for settling nerves, and brought it into the sitting room where Taariq and Zarah waited on the couch.
The fire mage gave Eli a look that only cemented his fear that something hadn’t gone as she’d hoped.
Eli poured three cups of hot tea and set one on the table in front of Zarah.
“She wouldn’t come with me.” She focused on the flames. “My father was able to renegotiate the terms of the treaty. I have been stripped of my title as Princess of Lyria, and should I be found, I’ll be executed without a trial.” Without moving her gaze, she lifted the cup and took a sip. “Aerilyn desires to marry Prince Marius despite his wickedness, so she can bring peace to the people as I was supposed to do.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto her dress.
Eli opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn’t sure what he could say to ease her suffering. He imagined his own little sister in the hands of a cruel man, and rage rose up his throat. Zarah shouldn’t have gone, but now, he understood why she was willing to risk herself as she had. He would have done the same for his blood, and staring at Zarah now, he realized he would do the same for her.
A stack of books next to the couch caught his attention. “What are those?”
Zarah glanced at them. “They’re books about magic from the basement castle library. All such information had been burned years ago from the main library, but this one managed to get left untouched.” She wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “I used to read them as a child, hoping they’d turn me into a mage.” She laughed. “I guess sometimes dreams do come true when you least expect it.”
Eli lifted up the top book and inspected it. The cover was made of leather with an emblem branded into it. It was an X with the four elemental symbols in each quadrant. Fire at the top, water at the bottom, air on the left, and earth on the right. All in perfect balance, as the elements were supposed to be.
It was a symbol he’d seen before. “I’m sorry about your sister. I wish there was more I could do to help her. But I might be able to help us get answers about your sudden ability to use magic.”
“How?” A sudden spark of hope lifted her expression.
He ran his finger over the imprinted leather. “There’s a woman on the outskirts of Penrith City who many think is a witch. She runs a psychic business, usually warning children that, if they don’t listen to their parents, they will lose a limb someday. Most label her a fraud, but she only pretends to be fake to keep from earning too much notice. On the back wall of her business, I’ve seen this exact symbol painted ont
o a tapestry hung on the wall.”
He should have made the connection earlier. It had been a few years since he’d visited Madam Briar, so he couldn’t be sure she was still there. But she’d remained in the same building since he was a child, so odds were, that was where he’d find her.
“You think she’ll know what’s happening to me?”
“I think she’s the only real lead we’ve got right now.” He wouldn’t lie to her. There was a heavy chance that, even if they found her, the woman would have none of the answers they needed. But with magic forbidden, there were few who dared even speak about it.
“Then let’s go.” Zarah stood.
Taariq glared at Eli, clearly disapproving of his sudden suggestion.
“I will have to reach out to her and set up a meeting time. And we must be careful. It’s a long walk from here.” Eli set the book on the others. “I will make us all some food to eat, and then tomorrow, I’ll go speak with her.”
“Very well. I’ll go wash up and rest until dinner is ready.”
When Zarah had disappeared up the stairs, Taariq spoke. “She’s too fragile to be given false hope right now.”
“Says the person who ignored everything I said and took her to get her sister anyway.” Eli crossed his arms. He didn’t want her to get her hopes up for nothing, but a little optimism could be good for her after such a devastating day.
“You might be the boss on your ship, but you better get it through your thick head that neither you or I will ever control her.” He stood up. “She will do what she wants, and either we step aside and let her, or we can do our best to protect her from herself. You must feel the same thing I do. Something is different about her.”
As much as he wanted to argue, Eli knew the fire mage was right. “Your point?”
“She’s as stubborn as I am, maybe even more so. Before you make any promises, you better be sure you can keep them.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” He didn’t appreciate the suggestion that he didn’t plan to follow through with his word.