by Kayla Maya
“Blood and bones!” Bryn cursed. “I thought you were asleep!”
“I was,” his voice was hoarse, almost unused. “But, saints above you two are loud as can be. I bet even Inari could hear you both.”
“Inari?” Bryn echoed. “Who’s that?”
Lord Anderson’s eyebrows shot up. He turned to North and said, “you haven’t told her about my religious views I take it?”
“Haven’t thought to tell her honestly,” North sighed. “Inari is the fox god, one of the Old Religion’s that Sister Grace disbanded years ago. Anyone who worships Inari is hung, which is why Lord Anderson hasn’t mentioned it up until now it would seem.”
“Exactly, so please, don’t mention my religious beliefs to anyone,” Lord Anderson said. “Anyway, tell me the progress you’ve made with Prince Ryan. We haven’t much time before we are forced to leave after these celebrations.”
“I’ve made some,” Bryn admitted. “But not much. I don’t know how to mingle with men properly.”
North waved it away. “We’ve plenty of time. A whole months’ worth it would seem since the Masquerade Ball is to be held later this month.”
“A what?” Bryn asked.
“A ‘masked ball’ it’s where people dress up and wear a mask to cover up their faces, so no one knows who is who.” North clarified.
“It’s also where King Frederick will announce his son to wed a suitor and to be married a week after, which we will not be present for hopefully.” Lord Anderson yawned. “Once we have the mask, I’m all up for leaving and letting this place rot.”
“But my family lives here,” Bryn said.
“Sister Agatha has arranged for a safe home outside of Skeg so they will be safe from anything. It’s a precaution in case the king catches wind of your identity and then tries to take his anger out on your siblings rather than you.” North told her. “I better get going, though. I’ve been up for nearly two days now, and I would like some rest.”
“Two days?”
“I’m a guard,” he reminded her. “My duty is to patrol both night and day. I’m off tomorrow, and another guard will watch over you two. Especially you, Bryn, since you’re the one who’s in the most danger. If Hailey sniffed you out, then there is no telling who else knows about your identity.”
“Right. Off you go,” Lord Anderson waved him off. “I’m tired as well as having to scuffle with a god-forsaken boar for the king’s sake. I’m just as weary.”
The three said goodnight before North stalked off. He slipped out the door without a sound as Lord Anderson fell back to sleep on the couch, already snoring and tossing and turning as he tried to get a better comfortable spot. Bryn laid in bed for an extra hour, thinking about everything. She knew very little of the outside world other than what her father taught her long ago, and even then, most of that knowledge is lost. She felt like a child, not knowing anything. Sighing, she rolled over and tried her best to sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY – EIGHT
Bryn spent the remainder of two days with Prince Ryan in the mornings, Queen Elora, and her pose during the afternoon for tea and Hailey for the remaining evening where they gossiped about courtly news and what lady-in-waiting they hated most around the queen. Throughout it all, Bryn couldn’t help but feel like progress had been made. Significant progress, to be exact. Ryan had asked her out to a midnight escapade later on in the night which she of course declined, however, her hard to get persona had raised eyebrows around the court since Prince Ryan never left her side and when he did, which was rare, he always kissed her fingers before sprinting away. Of course, Hailey kept up with the rumors for Bryn and gave the other girl insight as to what to say or do next to squash any suspicions.
Thankfully, the day was rainy and cold, the first gale of winter sweeping through the castle walls, which meant that Prince Ryan would not be doing archery lessons. It also meant that Bryn was granted freedom for the day, something she was eager to have for once. Of being herself. It was nearing the end of September, which meant a harsh winter since the summer and fall seasons were rather tough on the townsfolk of Skeg. Something that Bryn knew all too well. However, after many assurances of her family’s safety from North, Bryn decided she could relax with some tea and a good book. Something she had not done in what seemed like centuries. North opted to go with her to keep her safe, smiling as he grabbed his cloak off the hooks on the side of the wall. His crow necklace swung into view, and he quickly hid it beneath his shirt before he pulled his cloak closed.
“What kind of books do you read?” North inquired as he scanned shelves.
Bryn was only half listening as she took in the massive library. All around her were shelves among shelves of books ranging from young to old. The ceiling was like a tower with a painting of what Bryn thought to be a fox, racing through the clouds with a younger fox right on its mother’s heels. Everything in this room, from shelves to tables, was made out of mahogany. The only thing different in this whole library was the polished marble floor that squeaked underneath Bryn’s boots as she walked to and from each shelf, inspecting its contents. North, having given up on his question, grabbed a random book off the shelf and settled by a table. Bryn hastily grabbed a book herself and perched herself beside him.
Bryn hated to admit how much she missed North these days. All that time spent in Baltimore made their friendship stronger, and her feelings for him much more real. After all, she couldn’t see a single thing of why she wouldn’t fall in love with him. She mentally kicked herself. She knew nothing of love, nor had she ever experienced it before. Bryn guessed that what Prince Ryan was doing with her was love; however, it was mostly lust, and the feeling of something you could not have that kept his interest in her. Something she would have to thank Hailey for later. For now, Bryn was content being next to North, their elbows almost touching as she tried nonchalantly to scoot closer to him.
“You never answered my question,” North reminded her.
“Hmm?” She flipped her page, engrossed in her novel about the self-discovery of a maiden turned queen. “Oh. Sorry. I like anything, really. I’m not picky.”
“I see,” he flipped his own page. “Are there any… books you are into? A genre I mean.”
Was he trying to seduce her with book talk? Better yet, was he, in his own way, trying to tell her something important that involved their relationship? As far as Bryn was concerned, North considered their relationship strictly business. Yet she could be reading too much into this conversation because she was a somewhat hopeless romantic. She decided to play along to see what would happen.
“No. I mean, they have to be a really good book for me to read it. I hate books that talk about people’s lives because most of them are so sad. I like anything so long as it has a love story in it.”
“What kind of…” he paused. “Guys, do you root for in these books?”
Ah, so he was in his own way, trying to further their relationship. No doubt, North was jealous of Bryn’s spending time with both Lord Anderson and Prince Ryan, both of which she wasn’t even remotely attracted to in the way she was with North. He probably thought that he was not Bryn’s type, which he really was. She began to tally off what she loved most about North. His soft, caring side he seemed to show only for her, his inquisitive nature about her powers if not her life, his laugh when she said or did something funny, and not to mention his godforsaken face. A face that only the gods would carve, and it was given to her to stare at for as long as she wanted. For now, at least.
“I root for the guys who are like—”
“I hate to interrupt,” Lord Anderson cut her off as he wandered around the table. “But I am being called away to a meeting. North, I know that you’re acting like a bodyguard, but I need you in my place for the Masked Ball in two nights' time.”
“Why me? Where are you going?” North asked.
“My father did it again it would seem so I must go deal with these latest accusations before it worsens, and I’d hate to w
ait until the end of this month to go and fix the damage. Don’t worry,” he held up a hand when North tried to talk. “I already enlisted the help of a worthy advisory to change your appearance, so you look like me. Her magic is remarkable, to say the least. Don’t worry,” he said again and held up a hand to prevent North from talking. “It won’t mar your handsome face. It’ll remain the same, but to everyone else, you are me.”
Bryn had nearly forgotten that these last two days’ worth of progress was nearing its end. The Masked Ball would be held in two days, which meant Bryn had to make her move and fast. Tonight, she would do anything in her power to further Prince Ryan’s lust for her and to take her to his parents’ room. She started to form a plan as she tuned out Lord Anderson and North. She already had an array of stolen goods from the castle that she had taken while no one looked. Those valuable trinkets were stashed away in her trunk where no one would find it, and luckily, not one single royal complained during the afternoon teas with the queen about anything stolen. She’s barely been here a week, and already the mission was almost over. I thought North said that they had a month?
She tried to count the days they’d been here mentally and realized that they arrived three weeks late rather than three weeks earlier. However, that did not explain all the other royals’ arrivals as well. Did the king postpone the first three weeks before he decided to allow everyone to come? It seemed like a likely option considering Prince Ryan rarely went to anything he was supposed to, especially if it involved him becoming King of Skeg. Bryn gathered from her outings with him, that he did not want his father’s position, that he did not want to become a king and rule over a country. Still, it made no sense to Bryn why not just choose another heir instead of having one that did not want it. Then again. She knew nothing of royalty. This last five, six now, days they’d been here, she’d come to realize that royals had it hard. They had no freedom.
Just like the Raven Thief.
No freedom
Nothing
Nothing but the clothes on her back
Nothing but a family that was taken from her
Freedom
Would Bryn ever know what that word meant?
“Bryn?” North placed a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
She had not realized she was crying until she felt North’s finger brush her cheek, his finger coming away slightly wet from her tears. She sniffed and wiped away her tears. “Tell me the truth. All of it. Now.”
North, taken aback from her harsh words, reclined in his chair to gaze at Lord Anderson. “Tell her what exactly?”
Lord Anderson rolled his eyes. “This inside job was supposed to last for nearly a week, if not less since you were just supposed to steal the king’s mask. No friendships were supposed to be made, no falling in love, nothing of the sort. In and out. We arranged for Prince Ryan to be an unruly son so his parents would postpone almost three weeks’ worth of festivities so we’d arrive exactly during Queen Elora’s breaking point with her son, and King Frederick’s endless hunting escapades were so that both of them would be out and you could sneak into the room and nab his mask. Yes, I know he wears it, so no one sees his affliction. However, if you found their room on your own, then you would have snuck in at night to get the mask, and we’d be gone that very same next before all hell broke loose.”
Bryn stood, her blood boiling as thunder clapped outside, dangerously close to the library’s mosaic windows of the fox god. “You lied to me!” She screamed.
“Bryn, please calm down,” North stood trying to calm her. “Please.”
“I trusted you!” The thunder clapped again, nearly hitting the library where they were. Her magic was boiling, threatening to destroy this small town and this man in front of her. Lord Anderson. “I can’t believe I told you everything about me! I trusted you!”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I had to do what needed to be done.”
“By keeping me in the dark this entire time?” She calmed a bit, her fingers sparking like her body was fueled with electricity. “I…I thought you were my friend.”
“I was—am your friend. Bryn, you have to understand—”
“That you lied to me? Because you wanted this job, like everyone else, over and done with? I have half the nerve to just tell you all that I won’t help, and you guys do this all on your bloody own!”
“Bryn.” North’s smooth, honey voice washed over her, as he stared at her. Unlike Lord Anderson, North wasn’t shying away from being scared of her. No, he stood beside her like her protector, as he tried to calm her down and make amends. “Please. Calm down.”
Bryn’s taunt shoulders relaxed. She rolled them before she turned her weary gaze to Lord Anderson’s as he flinched from seeing her use her magic. No doubt, he was merely human, like most of the royals. She realized that she held power over them, a power that she could use to scare the king and queen into submission.
She wasn’t like that.
Bryn closed her eyes and decided to walk away to calm her nerves. If anything, seeing Lord Anderson again would push her over the deep end. Without another word, she walked out of the library and into the dark night.
CHAPTER TWENTY – NINE
Bryn had never felt so betrayed in all her life. She had open up to Lord Anderson, allowed him into her heart so they could become friends. All that she got in return was lies, more and more as the week had gone on. And she had allowed it. Bryn was always kept in the dark. Especially about her magical abilities. Cold rage seared her insides as she began to hate her father for withholding information from her. If she had known when she was a child, then maybe she could have learned how to control her magic, make it to where her own sister did not hate her, look at Bryn like she were a monster that crawled out from underneath her bed.
Bryn held her head back, allowing the rain to pelt her face. Slowly, the rain began to change to hail, the golf-ball-sized hail pelting Bryn as she darted into the trees to keep from being hurt by the balls of ice. She slumped against a tree, the bone-chilling cold seeping into her bones, making them creak whenever she moved. She sighed. Why would this be so difficult? Why did she have to let so many people in? Bryn allowed a few tears to fall before she burst into nothing but tears as she fell to the earth, mud caking her lavender dress her maid, Sonora, had given her. Pushing up on her heels, she leaned her back against the tree, crying as her tears mixed with the rain.
After almost thirty minutes of crying, Bryn thought she could pick up the tall-tell sign of someone singing. Her ears perked up when she realized that she recognized the song. It was a lullaby that her mother had sung to her when her father worked late on some nights for an extra coin. As Bryn thought of her father, she could not help but cry even harder as she hated herself for ever thinking of hating her father for withholding her magical abilities to her. It was for her own safety, and she understood everything. That did not lessen the sting any less. The lullaby was closer, forcing Bryn to stand up on shaking legs to follow it.
Bryn wandered the forest, getting smacked in the face by branches and falling over logs and other foreign objects she couldn’t see in the dark. She broke through the trees through the back of the castle where the gazebo was. There, she could make out ahead of golden hair that rested just past the girl’s elbows. When the unknown girl raised her eyes, Bryn nearly fell to the floor as Hailey stood up with her hands splayed out before her. Her white, almost see-through gown was soaked through, her body covered in gooseflesh. Her mouth sang; her voice Bryn could only compare to an angel.
“H-Hailey?” Bryn’s feet slapped against the dry gazebo, her skin prickling as the song flowed through her very core. “Is…is that you?”
Hailey smiled as she engulfed Bryn in a hug, still singing the sweet lullaby. “North told me what happened. I’m here for you, Bronwyn.”
Bryn lost all sense of thought as both girls collapsed onto the hardwood floor; Bryn cradled in the arms of her friend as she cried. Bryn would never have
thought, in her entire existence, that she would have a friend to call her own. She never got along well with her own species, and when she had been was indeed rare. Most of the friends she had were when she was a kid, but the older she got, she disbanded from them, deeming herself too much of a freak to be with anyone normal. Bryn did not know how long she and Hailey stayed in each other’s arms before the sun started to peek through the trees, the rain all but stopped as raindrops trickled from leaves onto the gazebo’s roof.
“Hailey I—”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.” Hailey soothed. “I…I never had a friend before either. This is new to me, but I got called to help someone I cared about deeply. You’re the only one who’s ever accepted me, and you don’t even know the full truth about me.”
“Which is?” Bryn sniffed. She didn’t think she could handle anymore betrayal, but for some odd reason, she knew she could trust Hailey with her whole heart no matter what.
“You’re not the only one with magic,” Hailey blew air out through her teeth. “I’m what you call a ‘Siren.’ I can sing, but my voice is hypnotic; it’s another reason why men and women alike flock to me. That’s why everyone calls me ‘Lady Harlot’ because everyone flocks to me.”
“You knew about my powers?” Bryn asked.
“I had an inkling,” Hailey said. “You, like me, are different. We’re the newest generation of magic wielders. We’re the ones no one has ever heard of save a few.”
“Thank you, Hailey,” Bryn pulled out of her friend’s arms, rubbing her own up and down to stave off the cold. They were both drenched from head to toe, both shivering with gooseflesh as they huddled together for warmth sometime later in the night. Bryn wondered if Lord Anderson, or whatever his real name was, had already left back to his home in Boreal. She secretly hoped he had; she wasn’t prepared to face him yet, North, especially since she had sped out of the library and into the night. She could not help but groan when she realized that she had skipped out on Prince Ryan’s midnight escapade. Oh, well, she would figure something out eventually before the clock ticked to a close on this mission.