Thea rips her hand from Albright’s grasp. “How dare you! This is my mother’s Essence. I have the right to be here, and Arabella shouldn’t be treated like this. She has rights, too.”
“Thea!” Ravenoak calls out. “You are young. There is still much for you to learn about our Lore traditions.”
“This is not right, Father. I should have a say here.”
Albright waves off Ravenoak and turns back to Thea. “You may stay as her witness, but laws are laws. You will have no vote on this matter. The final fate of a Queen’s Vessel can only be determined by the Council.”
Thea shakes her head in disgust at Lady Albright, but remains silent as she marches to her seat.
I look at her intently, but she’s avoiding my eyes. Thea and Tristan were my only hope, but now I have no one. Even if Fairden believes in my innocence, he’s outnumbered here.
“We must proceed with this hearing,” Albright says, returning to her chair. “We must decide if the Queen’s Essence will be Transferred to the Talisman for secure holding, or if Arabella will continue to be the Vessel during this crisis. I will now hear from each of you as we take this vote.”
My heart pounds and my head grows light. Through my panicked haze, the room spins. Almost as if my consciousness floats from my body to view the scene from up above, I watch in horror as Fairden stands and shouts words I can’t understand. He waves his fist in the air toward Lady Albright, but after she bellows something in return, he lowers himself back into his seat.
I want to yell—to scream––but all my protests are trapped inside my head, and for some reason, all I can do is observe. My pulse thrums in my ears like the beating of a relentless war drum. My fingers wrap around the arms of my chair, and I dig my fingernails into the wood as I strain to grasp the words of the Council, but it’s of no use.
Princess Thea sits silently, breathing hard, her eyebrows lowered. Her face takes on a stony appearance I haven’t seen on her before.
Lady Rose points my way and then shakes her head. Albright stands and raises both of her hands to control the interruptions. She trains her glare on me and somehow, in that very moment, her words come back, full volume.
“Two votes to Arabella of the House of Garin’s claim to the Essence, and four votes for immediate extraction to preserve the Queendom.”
My eyes widen, and I gasp before falling out of my seat and onto the cold, hard floor in a heap.
“The procedure will begin now,” Lady Albright says. She gestures to a Guard standing near Ravenoak, who produces the familiar gold Talisman box and delivers the relic to her.
“You can’t do this,” I mumble. I want the words to come out more forcefully, but they don’t. “You have to at least inform my family—give me one more chance to see them.”
Albright clicks her tongue. “I’m sorry, my dear, but there is not the time for your request. If it makes you feel more comfortable, we will inform your loved ones that you performed your duty willingly for the sake of the Queendom.” She directs her attention to the Guards at my sides. “Restrain her.”
The Guards yank me to my feet and clutch my arms.
Albright opens the gold box and removes the Talisman. As she raises it into the air and marches down the stairs, my breath comes in short pants. I swing my attention around to plead help from someone, anyone, but Thea, Fairden, and Lady Rose do not come to my aid. No one wants to risk becoming a traitor to the Queendom and suffer a similar fate.
The clicking of Albright’s shoes batters my eardrums as she approaches.
Pressure builds in my chest, as if I might explode.
My hands form into balls.
My entire body fills with electricity.
“No!” I scream.
The second the word leaves my mouth, it’s as if I detonate. An intense, glowing purple force booms all around me. My captors fly back and land with heavy thuds. The two Guards now lie on the ground, unmoving. I have no idea if they’re dead or alive.
“I . . . I . . .”
“We must contain her!” Albright screams.
Ravenoak and his men launch my way from both sides. My hands tingle with pulsating energy again, but before I can raise them, a purple wall of light forms in front of the soldiers, halting them in place.
I lower my hands, confused. Lady Rose and Lord Fairden march down the stairs, each with a glowing purple hand extended, both glaring at Albright, who still holds the Talisman.
“You will stand down, Lady Albright,” Rose practically growls. She and Fairden maneuver themselves between me and Albright. “We will not risk the Essence in this way.”
Chapter Thirteen
I FLIT MY attention between Fairden, Lady Rose, and the remaining Council members, before I finally settle on Albright’s stony face. Her hands are locked claw-like at her sides, and if she could pounce and rip me to shreds right now, I think she would.
My arms and legs tingle from the magic I just produced. My stomach swirls with nausea at the sight of both lifeless Guards on the ground beside my chair.
“This is treason, Lord Fairden!” Albright seethes. “Arabella is dangerous, and likely stole the Essence.”
Next to me, Fairden’s chest heaves in steady succession. “And how do you believe she could have possibly stolen the Queen’s Essence? We have seen no evidence of any theft. I’ve sent out my investigators to Arlos to research this possibility further and have uncovered nothing incriminating. Arabella is what she appears: a simple girl, content to lead a simple life with a family who loves her.”
My heart quivers while thinking of investigators being dispatched to Arlos. Did they speak with Mama? Asher? Were they kind, or was my family mistreated?
“The magic of the Queendom is within her, and we have no right to remove it without further investigation,” Fairden continues. “The circumstances are highly unusual—unprecedented even. But you know as well as I that it is rare for an Essence to Transfer to an incompatible Vessel.” Fairden glances at me, then back to Albright. “And she appears to be a very compatible match. The magic has taken so quickly to her, like no other Vessel before her. We would be fools to deny her ability. The likely outcome of her stealing the Essence—if such a thing is even possible—would have been death.”
Albright doesn’t answer, only pinches her lips together.
I rub my sweaty palms on my skirt and attempt to make eye contact with Thea, but her eyes are trained on Albright. The Princess squares her shoulders and glides down the stairs, head held high. Everyone turns their attention to her as she positions herself not more than a foot away from Albright. Still, the Lady remains unmoving, as if she were a statue.
“My mother’s Essence is inside of Arabella.” Thea strengthens her voice. “She was murdered, and I’ll be damned if I will stand by and allow you, as well as this . . . Council . . . to steal from the wishes of the Transfer.” Thea points at the members in front of her. “Our entire way of life is built upon trusting the Transfer of Life process. If we begin to doubt now, everything we have worked to achieve will crumble.”
Thea moves her attention back to Albright and inches closer to her face. “By continuing to believe this fallacy that Arabella somehow stole the Essence, you are the traitor to the crown, not Lord Fairden and Lady Rose. They are protecting my mother’s legacy. Protecting the Queendom.” With those words, Princess Thea spins on her heels and takes several steps toward me. I swallow back a knot of emotion while waiting for whatever’s going to happen next.
My breath hitches when she lowers her head and bows into a deep curtsy. “My Queen.”
I stare at the Princess. Several of the Council members gasp at her actions. From the corner of my vision, I see Ravenoak and his Guards poised and ready to attack.
Just as Thea rises from the curtsy, a dull popping followed by a rumble sounds from outside the castle. Lady Albright jerks her head toward the interruption. She eases away from Thea and raises her hand slightly to Ravenoak, indicating for him and his sold
iers to stand down.
“This is not over,” Albright snaps at Thea before turning to Ravenoak. “Find out what that was and meet us back in the War Chamber.”
Ravenoak pauses for a moment as he considers his daughter. Then, he turns to Lady Albright and dips his head in agreement. He orders one of the Guards to attend to the unmoving bodies of the man and woman whom I had blasted to the far walls. The last Guard follows him out of the room.
Tristan rushes forward, but two Guards stop him. His eyes are wild as his gaze darts from Thea to me.
My skin shudders when a single finger taps on my shoulder. I’m almost afraid to look up, but I do to discover Lord Fairden, Lady Rose, and Princess Thea. “We must take our discussions elsewhere.”
Albright has her gaze fixed on me. Lord Terrowin, Lady Muriel, and Lady Jacquelyn remain still as they wait for Albright to act.
“Lord Fairden, Lady Rose,” Albright calls out, “I ask you to keep things in order as we address this threat. We will reopen discussions as soon as it is permissible.”
Fairden twists away from me to face the rest of the Council. “Agreed. We must do what is best for the Queendom of Lore.”
Thea threads her arm through the crook of my elbow, pulling my body close to hers. No one from our group says another word as we cautiously walk toward the exit. The two Guards step aside, still honoring Rose, Fairden, and Thea’s authority. I glance over my shoulder to see the rest of the Council funnel out a side passage on the far side of the hall.
Once we’re in the corridor Tristan rushes up to Thea, taking her free hand. “Are you all right, Your Highness?”
Thea glances down the long corridor and spots her father, who is speaking with a couple of Royal Guards. Angling her gaze to the floor, she whispers, “I’m fine.”
Tristan looks from Rose to Fairden. “What’s going on?”
Fairden folds his arms across his chest. “The Council is fractured. Lady Rose and I stood with Arabella and the Princess. As expected, that didn’t go over well, but we did prevent the extraction of the Queen’s Essence.”
Tristan steps toward me, his eyes wide. “I wanted to break the walls down when I heard a large boom from inside. I’m glad you’re both safe.”
Thea studies him with a slightly wrinkled brow. She then answers with a soft bow of her head.
“Well, Arabella here surprised us all,” Lady Rose boasts. “This little thing tapped into some serious Royal magic in there.”
Tristan’s mouth drops open. “Wait, that was you?”
“Yeah… it just happened. I didn’t want to die, and I guess that summoned my magic.”
“Listen,” Fairden says, glancing around, “we must keep things cordial. No one wants this monarchy to fall into chaos. Especially with the border attacks.”
“What attacks?” Tristan asks Fairden.
“A former Council Lady has returned to our lands. It appears she is set on revenge.”
“Wait, who?” Tristan pleads.
“Lady Maxia,” I tell him.
Tristan’s body stills. “Lady Maxia should be dead by now.”
“Apparently she’s not,” Rose says.
Off to the side, I spot Ravenoak and his men strolling up to our gathering. My back stiffens and I move in closer to the Princess, whose arm is still linked with mine.
From a distance, Thea and her father exchange an uncomfortable glare. She’s lost her mother, and now her father stands against her.
“We are all still part of the Lore Queendom,” Ravenoak says, eyeing each of us. “I trust you will do what is right in this time of need?”
Standing at attention, Tristan says, “Sir, I will not allow the Queendom to be placed into jeopardy.”
“Well, young man, that is good to hear. The Royal Guard still has a duty to keep the Queen’s Essence secure, and that includes the Queen’s Vessel. Escort Arabella and the Princess to one of the fortified inner chambers while we address this attack.”
I step toward Ravenoak. He’s even taller and broader than I thought. “I will not stay locked up anymore. I’m part of this now, and I will use my ability if I need to.”
The taller of the two Guards moves in front of me. His staff sparks blue and a scowl consumes his face.
“Stand down, Lex,” Ravenoak orders.
The man’s chest heaves up and down, but eventually he returns to Ravenoak’s side.
“Proper procedure must be placed aside,” Fairden says to Ravenoak. “We will all be part of this now. The Lady and I are still Council members, and Thea is the Princess of Lore.” Fairden trains his gaze onto me, and I gulp with nervousness. “And young Arabella does hold the Queen’s Essence.”
Ravenoak purses his lips at Fairden. “Fine. Follow me.”
Ravenoak rolls his eyes as he turns down the hall. Unease tightens my stomach muscles. Still, I defer to Tristan to guide our next steps. With a deep breath, I follow the Guards beside my supportive group. A few minutes pass by quietly, the silence only broken when we reach a towering metal door.
“Wait for Thea and Arabella out here,” Fairden tells Tristan.
Tristan frowns, but obeys.
One of Ravenoak’s Guards unlatches a thick lever and pulls the massive gate open. I peek inside and discover a large circular room. Glass panels with rows of lit up buttons cover several manned stations around the curved, dulled metal walls.
“Is that old-world technology?” I whisper to Fairden. “I recognize those types of displays and tech from our reclamation shop.”
He grins. “Our land cannot run on magic alone. We’ve managed to replicate some of the more useful devices of the past to build this War Chamber.”
“Why are they here?” Albright demands from the far side of the chamber.
“My Lady,” Ravenoak addresses her. “They insisted.”
Rose steps in front of Ravenoak. “As Council members, we have every right to be here, and there is no law forbidding me from bringing Thea and Arabella along.”
Albright sneers. “This is foolish. Our Lore system has turned into a joke.”
“Please,” Fairden begs. “We need to work together to address this threat. Now, fill us in on what you’ve learned about the incident outside our castle walls.”
I cradle my midsection as a thread of nausea roils through my stomach. This whole experience is overwhelming. I spot a small window up high on the wall near us. It’s dark outside. In the evenings, I used to play board games with Asher and Mama. What I wouldn’t give to be there now.
An operator with curly black hair at one of the stations spins in her seat and addresses Albright. The Lady nods, and the young woman turns next to Fairden. “A small bomb detonated just inside our east perimeter. Our cameras have not identified any terrorists. There was minimal damage.”
“It appears Maxia wanted to demonstrate just how close she can get to us,” Albright states.
“Well, she’s got our attention, that’s for sure,” Rose muses.
I stand on the sidelines, mostly drinking in everything the Council has to say about Lady Maxia and the lands beyond the border.
My whole life, I’ve been taught to believe that area was the deadlands, completely uninhabitable. And yet, as harsh as the conditions may be, life continues . . . and maybe that life is even growing strong enough to invade the Queendom and take our land for themselves.
“There is no longer time to hold off on any dealings with Lady Maxia,” Albright says. “There are simply too many lives at stake.” She turns her attention from the Council to Ravenoak. “Take a small team of your best Guards to investigate the activity at the border. If possible, maintain a safe distance, and do not engage in battle. Report back to us without delay.”
Ravenoak bows and his attention flits Thea’s way. “I recommend for each of you to return to your quarters.” He keeps a steady gaze on Thea. “I will double the Royal Guard on duty around the castle until I prep for a strike.”
Albright straightens herself. “The Coun
cil will not be forced into hiding, for any reason. Our duty is to serve and protect this Queendom.” She addresses Thea and me. “But I will concede that the Princess . . . and Arabella, should return to their Guarded quarters.”
I open my mouth to protest.
“Immediately,” Albright snaps before I have the chance to get any words out.
I look to Thea, who inclines her head in compliance.
“I agree,” Fairden says, folding his hands behind his back. “For their protection.”
With a sigh, the Princess and I wordlessly leave the War Chamber behind and meet Tristan in the corridor.
When we’re out of earshot of any Guards, Tristan asks, “What was discussed?”
Thea launches into details without a breath of hesitation. Tristan is far more to Thea than he thinks—not just her confidant, as he explained.
As she speaks, the anger builds in my chest at the Council for not allowing me to stay. For not allowing me to speak. Maybe Fairden is only attempting to protect me, but Albright is not. If I am the Queen, then it is my duty to protect and lead the Queendom as well!
I draw in a quiet breath.
Shock ripples through me.
Why do I suddenly feel so protective toward the crown?
Before I can stop myself, I spit out, “I want to go to the border.”
“What?” both Tristan and Thea say in unison.
I stop walking. “If I am the Queen’s Vessel, then this is something I need to see for myself.”
Thea’s eyes widen at Tristan. “She’s right. We can’t be left in the dark like this. We should see this threat for ourselves.”
Chapter Fourteen
TRISTAN PACES IN the middle of Thea’s room while rubbing the back of his neck. “You two are going to get yourselves killed.” He stops and looks to me. “We really should think about this. Even with the border decontamination barrier in place, we’re still risking irradiation the longer we stay out there. And that will be the least of our worries if we run into Maxia’s army.”
“We’re doing this Tristan,” Thea insists. “It’s not your decision.”
Crown of Lore (Betrayal of Magic Book 1) Page 10