by Jenna Glass
“No woman in her right mind would want my father for her daughter,” Shelvon said with a hard glint in her eyes. “Don’t think for a moment I will be offended on his behalf. I know what he is, and I will do what I can to prevent your daughter from being sacrificed to him.”
Alys swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat, absurdly grateful to this young woman she barely knew. She hadn’t realized how desperately she longed for an ally until she found one unexpectedly.
“I still hope I may bear my husband a son,” Shelvon continued, touching her belly self-consciously. “And as much as he might enjoy having a chance to hurt you, he, too, would prefer I give him a son and make a marriage to my father a moot point.”
“But you agree that for safety’s sake, it would be best for Jinnell if we arrange a speedy engagement.”
There was a grim set to Shelvon’s jaw. “Yes. I agree.”
* * *
—
Ellin sagged into the chair at her dressing room table. It was well past midnight on a day that had stretched interminably as she continued to learn what a massive effort it was to lead a kingdom. If it was this exhausting in a time of relative peace and plenty, she couldn’t imagine what it had been like for sovereigns before her, who were often faced with the grim spectacle of war.
What had it been like for Queen Shazinzal, a young woman very like her, who had unexpectedly found herself on the throne during a war that had nearly destroyed the kingdom?
Ellin took a deep breath and tried to relax as her lady’s maid began unpinning her hair, releasing her long tresses and allowing her scalp to breathe. She met the maid’s eyes in the mirror and smiled at her gratefully. Star had been her maid since she’d turned thirteen, and next to Graesan, she was the person Ellin held most dear in the world now that her family was gone. Warm and loving, if not all that much older than her lady, Star had comforted Ellin through many a bout of tears over the years and had been more understanding and sympathetic than her own mother.
The last of the pins holding her hair came free, and Ellin let out a little groan of pleasure as Star ran her fingers through the cascade of loose curls, then massaged her sore scalp. Star chuckled.
“Did I pull the coils too tight, Your Majesty?” Star asked.
“Not at all,” Ellin assured her. “It’s just that you have a magic touch.”
Star began the nightly ritual of brushing Ellin’s hair one lock at a time until it became perfectly smooth and glossy. Anxious as she was to crawl into bed and sleep, Ellin would not have missed this precious time for anything in the world. She let her lids grow heavy as she enjoyed the sensual pleasure of having her hair brushed, and she watched Star’s almost hypnotic motions through half-closed eyes. She wondered for a moment if she was about to fall asleep sitting up.
“You are worth your weight in gold,” she told her maid, forcing her eyes open once more. “I don’t know how I’ll cope if you ever get married.” A lady’s maid was meant to be unmarried so that the lady she served was her only responsibility, but Ellin knew Star had her eye on a young man of the palace guard, and while she would hate to relinquish her maid, she wanted Star to be happy.
Star laughed lightly and met her eyes in the mirror. “Is that your oh-so-subtle way of asking if there have been any…developments in my life?”
Ellin gave Star her most innocent expression. “Of course not. It was merely a casual observation of your place in my heart.” She paused dramatically. “But now that you mention it…” She raised her brows.
“It is positively shocking that you would pursue this line of questioning. Shocking!” Star repeated as she held a hand to her breast to help emphasize her shock.
There were many people who would be scandalized by the thought of a queen asking after the personal life of one of her servants. Star was not one of them.
“Yes, I can see that smelling salts are in order. Now come on: out with it! What has happened?” She turned in her chair so she could look directly into Star’s face.
Star put her hands on Ellin’s shoulders and firmly turned her lady back toward the mirror so she could resume brushing. Ellin crossed her arms over her chest and gave her as stern a look as she could manage with her back turned. Star stroked the brush through her hair once more.
“The spell that Aaltah woman cast,” Star said, not meeting Ellin’s gaze, “the Curse, as some people are calling it. It’s obvious she was telling the truth about what it did. There’s no other explanation for all the miscarriages that occurred since it was cast.” Another long stroke through Ellin’s hair. “If we can’t get pregnant unless we want to, then it is now possible for us to…have relations without fear that our bodies will reveal us.”
Ellin thought about that statement and wondered how she had never come to that conclusion herself. It had always been the case that a man could take as many women as he wanted to his bed without ever having to fear that nature would betray his bad behavior. If the women became pregnant, he could claim he was not responsible, and no one could prove that he was lying.
Women had never been afforded that luxury. Unless they were wealthy enough to afford a contraceptive potion—and in a position that allowed them to hide it—any time they lay with a man, they ran the risk of all the world finding out about their “loose” morals. Women through the ages had taken that risk and paid the price, but women had also been forced to deny themselves the pleasures of the body when they were not willing to face the risk.
“So now you can take a man to your bed,” Ellin murmured with something akin to wonder, “with as little risk as he takes joining you there.”
Star nodded, and a small smile of satisfaction played over her face. “You may see evidence of many mysteriously cheerful women as others begin to draw the same conclusion.”
Ellin watched the color bloom and deepen on Star’s cheeks and neck. Clearly, she and her young man had taken full advantage of the spell’s unexpected side effect. Star resumed brushing her hair. Ellin allowed the woman a couple of minutes of silence to fully regain her composure.
“So how was it?” she asked when the last signs of discomfiture had left Star’s face.
Star shook her head and threw her hands up. “You are incorrigible!”
“You explained the mysteries of the marriage bed to me without ever having experienced them yourself.” At least not as far as Ellin knew. Star had claimed her knowledge was all secondhand, and Ellin saw no reason not to believe her. “Surely you won’t shy away from telling me how reality stacks up.”
Star pursed her lips, the movements of the brush slowing as she thought about it. “It was both better and worse than I’d imagined,” she admitted. “At least the first time was. The pain was sharp, but brief, so that was about what I’d expected. The sensation of having something inside was very strange and took some getting used to.”
“And did you? Get used to it, I mean?”
Star’s lips slowly turned up and the expression in her eyes turned warm and dreamy. “Oh yes, I got used to it all right.” She gave a happy sigh. “And it continues to get better and easier with experience.” Her cheeks were flushed again, but this time it wasn’t with embarrassment.
Ellin thought of Graesan and felt her own cheeks flush. She had more than once daydreamed about what it might be like to kiss him, but she had never let her imaginings go further than that. The idea of having him in her bed had been so dangerous as to be completely out of the question. But if she did not have to fear an unwanted pregnancy…
She sighed quietly. There were far more obstacles between herself and Graesan than there were between Star and her lover. Enough that Ellin had no business entertaining fantasies.
Her impure thoughts had apparently been written across her face, for Star’s eyes widened, and she stopped any pretense of brushing her hair.
“Princess Ellin,”
Star said in shocked tones, momentarily forgetting the change in her lady’s station, “are you entertaining the possibility of—”
“Of course not,” Ellin interrupted, rather too sharply. She dropped her gaze to her hands, which were demurely folded in her lap. For all her closeness with her maid, she had never admitted her feelings for Graesan, and whenever she’d complained of her marriage arrangement with Zarsha, she’d mentioned only her dislike of the man and of his homeland. She doubted Star would condemn her for her thoughts, but speaking them aloud was foolhardy. As powerful as she was now that she was queen, she was in many ways the property of her kingdom, charged with protecting its interests at all times. Giving the prize of her virginity to a man who was not her husband was clearly not in the best interests of Rhozinolm, and that she would even think of doing so was disgraceful.
“It’s that Captain Graesan, isn’t it?”
Ellin gasped and whirled around once more, her heart leaping into her throat. She had thought that both she and Graesan had been entirely discreet and hidden their attraction beneath a veneer of professional detachment. How many people had seen the longing they’d tried so hard to hide?
Star smiled at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry, My Queen,” she said. “I was only able to guess because I’ve known you so long and so well. I have never seen any overt hint of impropriety from either of you.”
Ellin let out a long, slow sigh, trying to calm the racing of her heart. She reminded herself that despite Graesan’s fears, she now had the power to protect him should anyone find fault in his behavior.
“I suppose I have ruined any chance of making you believe you are mistaken,” she said as her shoulders lowered in defeat.
“You know I would take the secret to my grave if need be.”
Impulsively, Ellin rose from her chair and gave her maid a hug. It might have felt awkward, for it was hardly common practice to embrace one’s servants, but Star was so dear to her she didn’t think twice, and beyond being momentarily startled, Star seemed not to disapprove.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” Ellin told the maid, who blushed at the praise.
“The feeling is mutual. Now please do sit down so I can finish brushing your hair before dawn.”
Ellin returned to her chair.
“Have you made your desires clear to Captain Graesan?” Star inquired as she resumed her work.
“I haven’t thrown myself at him, if that’s what you’re asking.” Not that I haven’t been tempted, she added silently.
Star nodded. “And that is what you would need to do to break through his reserve. He is too conscious of his place to make any overtures himself.”
That was the problem exactly, Ellin realized. Although Graesan never spoke of it, she knew his ignoble birth was a source of shame for him—one that his father could never erase by granting him his name and treating him like a legitimate son. She had once heard one of the palace guards with great distaste call him “Graesan Rai-Summer,” proving that his fellow soldiers were very much aware of his lineage and scorned him for it. She knew they didn’t appreciate his elevation to master of her guard one little bit, and that would likely have meant even more insults offered in private.
“Shouldn’t you be telling me I must keep my distance from him at all costs?”
Star shrugged. “I don’t see why I should. You are a grown woman, who has the right to make her own decisions. You are no longer engaged, you are not at risk of an unwanted pregnancy, and you have more power and freedom than most unmarried women of your age. You would have to be extremely careful, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t…explore the possibilities.”
Star put the brush aside and began sweeping Ellin’s hair into a braid for bed.
“You truly think so?” Ellin asked.
“Only if you think he’s worth the risk.”
Not so long ago, Ellin had faced the prospect of being shipped off to Nandel, never to see Graesan again. She was no longer facing that particular destiny, but she would never be free to marry the only man she had ever wanted. If it was now possible that she could, as Star termed it, explore the possibilities, how could she not take advantage of the opportunity?
“He’s worth taking risks for,” she affirmed.
“Even the risk of going to your marriage bed without your maidenhead?”
Ellin nodded solemnly. She couldn’t imagine a man who would give up the crown to repudiate her for her lack of virginity. Her future husband might be unhappy to learn that he was not her first lover, but he would learn to live with it.
“Even that.”
“Then perhaps it’s time to be a little more…open with Captain Graesan about how you feel.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When Alys and Jinnell had identified thirty-eight of the forty elements the magic lesson book required, they hit a wall. They tried for the better part of a week to find two more elements that Jinnell could see, but without success. Alys did not want to proceed with the lesson without Jinnell, but neither one of them had the necessary patience to keep looking.
“I’ll learn what I can from you, Mama,” Jinnell had said. “But it’s clear Grandmother meant these lessons for you, not me.”
Alys had been forced to concede the point, and had quickly filled in the last two elements. It had then taken her three tries to successfully pass the book’s test of recognition, which she figured was not too bad when the book required perfection.
At long last, the page with the first lesson cleared and a new one appeared.
Lesson Two
Practice putting a spell together from a formula. Most potions (like the one below) require a relatively small number of motes and can be contained in most any liquid. More complex and powerful spells require alcohol, which is why wine is the most commonly used liquid for potions. For this potion, any liquid will do. To your liquid of choice, add:
1 mote of Zin (N, associated with binding. In this instance, being used to bind other elements into a spell vessel)
2 motes of Bryn (F, associated with beauty and sensuality)
4 motes of Lix (N, associated with matching and camouflage)
When you are ready to test your spell, add one mote of Rho and drink the potion. The vast majority of spells are triggered with Rho, as it is an element all but the Rho-blind can see.
If you have prepared it correctly, your gray hairs will change color to match the rest of your hair. On the following pages, you’ll find pictures of a great many elements, in case you have not yet identified all of the elements in the spell.
Alys made a small sound of frustration. She had little interest in vanity spells in general, but she’d heard of this particular one and always found it especially silly. Why should she care about the gray in her hair when most of it was hidden under a headdress or a cap or a snood? The potions were absurdly expensive, and hardly worth it as far as she was concerned. Of course, she knew that people did buy them, so obviously someone thought they were worthwhile. She was surprised to find her mother was one of them.
“Well, if we needed any further proof that Grandmother meant this book specifically for you…” Jinnell mumbled, grinning impishly at her mother’s glare.
Alys sniffed delicately and patted her hair, which was more visible in its nightly braid than it was in the daytime. “Are you suggesting my hair has gone gray?” She stroked the braid primly. There was no denying it was indeed shot with gray, as befitted her age.
Jinnell winked. “Let’s just say it would not be a bad thing if you could craft this spell yourself.”
They were as usual practicing in Jinnell’s bedroom after the rest of the household had gone to sleep. There was no wine within easy reach, and it seemed imprudent to go looking for some, so they settled on a cup of water from the pitcher that sat by the bedside.
Alys skimmed through the book, looki
ng for the element Lix, which she had not yet identified. She saw that it was a medium-light blue with circles of what looked almost like soap bubbles in it.
Opening her Mindseye, she searched the room for the elements she needed, finding them all and using Zin to bind them into the cup of water. Finally, she added Rho, to activate the spell, then closed her Mindseye. She saw Jinnell close hers as well, for she’d been following along with her mother as best she could.
“I can’t see Lix,” she said sadly.
“It’s disappointing,” Alys agreed. “But we may find there are other things you can do in later lessons.” She wished her mother had produced a second book for Jinnell. In the back of Alys’s mind was a clock that constantly ticked. Perhaps there was no magic that could protect Jinnell from becoming Delnamal’s pawn, but a pawn needed every advantage she could get.
Jinnell nodded at the cup of water. “Go on. Let’s see if it works.”
Smiling at her daughter, Alys lifted the cup in a mock toast, then downed its contents. She and Jinnell both stared at her braid, waiting for it to change color.
“How long do you think this will take?” Jinnell asked.
Alys lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I’ve never been one to take vanity potions, so I can’t say.” Though she was under the impression that most potions worked pretty quickly.
Suddenly, Alys’s entire body flushed with heat. “Oh!” she cried, startled by the change that was so completely unexpected.
“Your cheeks have turned bright red!” Jinnell exclaimed.
Alys’s pulse was hammering in her throat, and beneath the nightdress, her nipples tightened and hardened to pebbles. Moisture pooled between her legs, and she squeezed her thighs tightly together as a bolt of desire like nothing she’d ever felt before shot through her.
“What is it, Mama? What’s the matter?”