Asher lets out a string of curses and stabs one of his attackers in the chest. Just as another raises his sword to my fiancé, I throw out my hand, and a burst of purple energy slams him in the chest, ripping the life from his body. Fairden slams his fist on the ground, releasing a mighty force that cracks the earth. A separate wave of energy takes out the other attacker.
I rush to Asher, unable to stand back. “Why are you here?” I demand.
Asher swings around to me, panting. “For the same reason you’re here. Because neither of us wants the little we have taken away!”
I clamp my mouth shut and throw my arms around him as the two small girls come out from hiding. Quickly, I release Asher and shoo the children over to a Guard with instructions to get them to safety.
I glance around the street. Maxia’s people are either all dead, or gone. In the last few moments, we were able to contain the attack, but many homes and shops are lost, the flames still consuming wood and possessions. There’s nothing to extinguish the blaze.
I yell for the Royal Guard who are present to find water and extinguish the burning buildings. Half of them race away.
“All clear of the enemy!” one of the Guards finally shouts, but as she does, through the smoke, a limping figure emerges. I squint to see who it is as they make their way down the middle of the street.
Both Fairden and Tristan turn to see why I’m gaping, and then Tristan’s lips part slightly.
Thea nearly drags herself down the road as two Royal Guards come to her side.
I leave Asher to greet Thea. “They released you?”
“I . . . I escaped.” The words are barely more than a whisper.
I take the Princess in my arms. As I do, my marking burns, but I ignore the feeling. “I’m so sorry, Thea. We wanted to rescue you from the camp, but we couldn’t.”
The two Guards who were assisting her step aside as Tristan and Fairden join us, but stay close in case she needs them.
“We are so glad you are alive,” Fairden says. “Ravenoak and his men searched for you.”
Thea moves her attention to Tristan, who stands with one hand behind his back and his staff in the other. “You are very quiet, Tristan. Are you pleased to see me alive?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” he says. “Very pleased.”
As they speak another thought enters my mind—Mama.
“Tristan,” I say, “I need for you to find my mother.” I turn and point to our building. “The Guards were supposed to take her home. She could be hiding inside.”
Tristan bows his head. “Directly, Your Majesty.” He turns and gathers several Guards to search my home.
More than anything, I want to go too, but the guilt of leaving Thea behind keeps me anchored at her side. Mama will be safe with the Guards. “We need to have your wounds cared for as soon as possible.”
She lets out a heavy sigh while peering over my shoulder. I turn and find Asher walking our way.
“That’s my fiancé,” I say.
Thea’s eyes brighten. She holds out her hand to him and he takes it. “You’re Asher?”
Asher nods, and his lips stretch into a tentative smile as Thea continues to clutch his hand.
“You and Bel are so lucky to have each other . . . to know such happiness.” She joins my hand to Asher’s, keeping her hand on top.
“Your Majesty!” a voice from behind shouts.
I twist my head toward the sound, but Thea doesn’t let my hand go.
A Guard stands outside my front porch. “There’s no one here—”
He continues saying something else, but I don’t hear a word. Fire erupts in my marking. My vision blurs and my head goes light.
When my eyes clear, I’m no longer in Arlos. It’s the Queen’s bedroom. Not mine, but Queen Isolde’s. I’m sitting at a small table with a spread of pastries and tiny sandwiches laid out over the top.
“Mother,” Thea says, and I swing my attention to her, knowing I’m seeing everything through Isolde’s perspective.
Thea is sitting across from me, stirring a cup of tea. The Princess is dressed in a red and metallic gold brocaded gown. The sleeves puff out slightly, making them appear a little like butterfly wings.
“You know this is the right thing to do,” she insists, her mouth turning into a pout.
“I know no such thing, Thea,” I say, placing a raspberry pastry on her plate. “When I die, the Queendom will be passed to a worthy heir. Just as it has always been done.”
Thea furrows her brow. “Are you saying I’m not worthy?”
“Of course not. If it were my choice, I would have you declared the heir. But it is not.”
Thea places her tea onto the table and opens her mouth to speak.
“When I die,” I say, cutting her off, “the Talisman may very well choose you. My mother was Queen—”
“But not her mother before her.”
I glance down. “No, you are correct. There is no guarantee, because this Queendom can be cruel. You know very well that my life hasn’t always been as I wished it to be. But I have come to terms with the traditions, and see the wisdom in upholding the institutions for the survival of our people.” I wave my hand in her direction. “But you will continue to be well cared for as part of the court, even if you are not chosen.”
“But if you did have the choice?” Thea asks.
“What are you talking about?”
Thea’s lips press into a thin line, and she reaches for the teapot and pours me a cup. Afterwards, she reaches into a pocket of her dress and pulls out a small version of the Talisman.
My heart pounds at the sight.
Like the one Maxia had.
“What if I told you there might be a way to guarantee your Essence would be passed to me when you died?” Thea says.
“Nonsense. Put that thing away—nothing but counterfeit magic.” I take a sip of my tea. “Let’s not talk of this further.”
“It will work,” Thea presses.
“No Thea it wo—”
As vivid as real life, a tightness forms around my throat and I grasp my neck, desperate for air.
“Are you well, Mother?” Thea asks.
When air doesn’t come, I accidently knock the tea cup to the ground. The liquid spills onto the carpet, emitting a pale blue glimmer.
I glace up as the now wild-eyed Princess lunges for me, a wicked smile curving her lips upward, the Talisman in her hand now glowing.
“Don’t worry Mother,” she soothes. “I’ll take care of the Queendom for you. The Essence will be safe with me.”
I gasp, and my eyelids shoot open to the present moment in Arlos. The bedraggled Princess is still in front of me, still holding my hand. The marking bites at my upper arm.
“Y-you,” I choke out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I RIP MY hand from Thea’s and Asher’s and throw my arm across Asher’s chest, pushing him backward. He stumbles to the ground.
Nearly unphased, Thea shakes off her crumbled posture and stands tall—still dirty, but every bit the Princess that she ever has been. Both of her hands light with magic, and the two Guards near her change in appearance. Gone are their Royal Guard uniforms. Instead, they wear the everyday, tattered clothes Maxia’s people wear. The men both grin as their hands light with red, glowing magic.
“You murdered Queen Isolde!” I scream at Thea. “I trusted you, and you’re a murderer!”
Many of the Royal Guard have left in search of water to put out the burning town behind us, but those still with me gape in shock. No one around us moves until Fairden realizes what is happening and charges at Thea, but she’s ready for him. The Princess’s hands crackle with magic, and she releases the full force of her energy at him. His body freezes in mid-air, and she yanks him close to her. The Royal Guard are ready to pounce.
“My magic is more powerful than anyone thought,” she snarls as she glares at us. “I would advise holding your positions.”
Thea lowers Fairden’s fee
t to the ground, but maintains her magical influence over him. A shiver runs down my entire body. I blink in disbelief at the weak, trapped Lord dangling above the dirt.
“Fairden is a good man,” I plead. “Don’t do this, Thea!”
“Fairden would only prevent me from taking the throne, so I don’t really care if he’s a good man or not,” she jeers. “The only person I trust is Maxia. She wants what I want.”
Beside me, Asher attempts to stand, and Thea darts her gaze to him. I throw my hand down, gesturing for him to back away, but I don’t check to see if he does so, and have no idea if he obeys.
“You planned all of this?” I ask.
Thea sighs, still holding Fairden in place with her magic, and studies the ground. “Nothing went as expected.”
I steady myself. “You had everything at your fingertips. I don’t understand.”
Thea’s eyes narrow on me. “Not everything. My mother made sure of that. Maxia is a means to an end. She provided me with the black magic needed to take mother’s Essence in exchange for allowing her a place in the Queendom again. I was to store it until the Crowning Ceremony, and then allow the Essence to join me instead of an instant Queen, and no one would be the wiser.” Thea readjusts her grip on Fairden. “But then you made things so much more difficult. In the end, the results are the same: Maxia returns to the Council, and I gain the throne.”
“You do know,” I begin carefully, “that Maxia tried to remove the Essence when she had me alone in the tent?”
Thea eyes narrow to slits, and the magic glow around Fairden dulls slightly before it returns. “She was removing the Essence for me.”
“Are you so sure?”
Her nostrils flare. “Don’t you try to turn me against my allies!”
“Thea?” Tristan asks.
Thea’s attention darts in his direction. It’s as if bolts of lightning might shoot out of her eyes at any moment.
“You need to stand down, Guard,” she growls. “I have not requested your presence.”
“Why are you doing this Thea?” Tristan asks. “You had everything.”
She eyes me, and then returns her glower to him. “You would have thought that, but really I had nothing. I sat around all day twiddling my thumbs. Life at the castle is boring when everyone treats you like a child. I didn’t even have your love.”
“You know I cared for you.”
“Not as much as you care for her!” Thea nearly spits the words.
I sense Asher’s stare on my back, and my stomach tightens.
“Bel is the Queen. I am bound by duty to her, as well you know,” Tristan says.
“Oh, you sure as hell know it’s more than that, Tristan!” Thea snaps. “I’ve seen the way you two gawk at each other.”
“There’s nothing between Tristan and me!” I yell, not only to Thea, but for Asher’s benefit as well. But I’m not fully convinced of my own statement.
Thea glares at Asher, who a glance over my shoulder reveals is now standing a few feet behind me. “You know this right? You pour all your love and devotion into Bel, and what does she do to you the moment she gets a little power? She finds someone new—higher class.”
Tears sting at the corners of my eyes. Hurt shadows Asher’s face, and then he darts his questioning gaze to me. His chest rises and fall erratically, the hurt twisting sharper on his every beloved feature while he waits for my answer.
“She’s insane! Don’t listen to her. None of this is true!”
Thea snickers. “Whatever you say, Your Majesty.”
“Did you take my mother?” I demand.
Thea throws a glance at her bodyguards and relaxes her stance. “Having a few of my men infiltrate the Royal Guard was a reasonably easy task. Two of them merely escorted your mother to safety.”
“Where is she?” I yell.
Thea shakes her head. “Oh, don’t fret, Arabella. You worry too much about the safety and feelings of other people. It’s what made deceiving you such an easy task.”
“What have you done with her!?”
“She’s fine. I need her as assurance that you will cooperate with me.”
My mind reels. Should I try and use my magic right here and now to kill Thea? But then I risk her killing Fairden in the process. If Thea’s magic is as strong as she says it is, I’m not sure if I could destroy her before she kills us all.
I raise my hands in the air. “I’ll cooperate.” At least it gives us some time, and I escaped before.
Thea’s lips twist into a cruel smile. “I knew you wou—”
Before she has the chance to finish her words, movement comes from my side. I spin to see Asher charging for Thea.
“No!” I scream.
Thea releases Fairden, and he crumbles to the ground, gasping and clutching his throat. Quick as lightning, a bolt flies from Thea’s hands into Asher. His body flies through the air and crashes into a building.
I scream as his limp body hits the ground.
Among the chaos, Fairden seemingly regains himself and raises his hands towards Thea from below. But as quick as ever, Thea growls like a wild animal and blasts the Lord with magic. His body goes still.
Her men throw red magic at the crowd of Guards, and several fall over dead.
“Get back!” the shorter of the two booms.
Thea sneers. “When will you people learn?”
“Why didn’t you just kill me from the start?” I yell.
Thea rolls her shoulders back and presses her lips together. “I had to make sure the Essence came to me. If the Council took it, then the situation was more difficult to control.” She shrugs. “Plus, the whole thing was fun.”
Fun?
Tears stream down my face as I stare in shock at Fairden’s unmoving body. Asher might be dead, too. The pain gripping my heart is unbearable. I want to curl up in a ball and die with him, my love.
I should just give up.
I’m done.
I open my mouth to say so, but an army of men, led by Ravenoak, pours from the street to our side. Magic bursts from the horde, aimed straight at Thea and her men.
“For the Queendom of Lore!” the Guards bellow.
Several more of the Royal Guard reveal themselves as Maxia’s and fight back. Red and blue magic explodes, the streets bleeding purple.
Time seems to slow as Thea stretches her hand to me, but her bodyguards grab her and tug her away. I gape in shock as Tristan and a few of my Guards follow in pursuit.
Someone seizes me from behind. I twist and begin to fight back. My body cools when I discover Ravenoak. Then, to my surprise, he places protective arms around me.
“I’m so sorry, My Queen,” he pleads. “I was blinded and couldn’t see what was right in front of my eyes. Please forgive me.”
The Captain pulls me away, and I catch sight of Asher. My pulse shudders as the memory of his body hitting the building flashes in my mind.
“Help him!” I scream in renewed terror.
Ravenoak waves what’s left of his men to Asher’s still body.
I burst into heaving sobs as they lift his limp frame from the ground. I want to touch his face. To hold him and apologize. To kiss his lips and taste his love for me once more. Agony lashes at what remains of my heart as I struggle to free myself from Ravenoak’s firm grasp.
“I cannot allow you to go to him,” he says. “We will take him into our care.”
“Mama,” I choke out on a whisper.
“Yes, we will find her, too,” Ravenoak soothes.
My marking burns and my head spins. The world darkens as Queen Isolde’s raspy voice enters my mind.
“Our time will come, my dear. But preserving the Queendom comes first.”
End of Book One
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Crown of Lore (Betrayal of Magic Book 1) Page 17