by Jana Oliver
Ruric regained consciousness gradually, the black nothing in his mind slipping away to dull grey. His head ached unmercifully. When he raised it and winced, he felt the crack of dried blood on his skin.
He was secured to a chair with thick ropes. For any man it would be annoying. For a prince it was intolerable. He found one of the sources of his imprisonment sitting primly near the fire. Curiously the regent was not present.
Aurora was still in his ‘cousin’s’ clothes, but there the similarity ended. Briar would never have betrayed him. What of her and the boy? Are they prisoners too?
‘I expected better treatment from the daughter of a king,’ he said.
Aurora’s eyes darted to him. ‘I hold no loyalty to you or your nefarious companions.’
‘I freed you from your spell. I would have put you back on the throne.’
‘Only so you could take it from me. Hildretha told me what would happen. I would have been cast aside, or murdered in my sleep. I am fortunate that my governess knows how to deal with your kind.’
‘I would have done none of that, and yet you betrayed us. I was a fool to think you worth my time.’
She shot to her feet, fire in her eyes. ‘You hold your tongue!’
‘Don’t like to hear the truth, do you? You have always been pampered and never held accountable for your actions.’
‘Why would you believe that?’
‘One of my father’s nobles met you on your fifteenth birthday. He had little regard for you.’
‘I do not care what anyone thinks of me,’ she said. Her shoulders shook, but it wasn’t from anger. Was he finally breaching her defences?
‘Tell me, how many souls lived in this town on your sixteenth birthday?’
‘I . . . don’t know. Six or seven hundred perhaps.’
‘Not now. Many have been made into metal creatures, others slaughtered. Most have run away to spare their families. Only a few hundred remain, praying for the day that their princess is restored to them.’ He leaned forward in his bonds. ‘And, instead, they got you.’
‘You churlish oaf!’ she stormed. ‘I shall see you . . . you . . .’
‘What? Hanged? Drawn and quartered? Torn apart by one of the regent’s magical horrors? If you wish to be truly evil, you need to be a bit more specific.’
‘I . . .’
‘But you are not evil,’ he said, softer now. ‘You are frightened and you have no idea what you’re facing.’
‘And you do?’ she challenged, taking a step forward.
‘I know some of it,’ he admitted. ‘I know enough to be frightened for both of us.’
Aurora glared at the guard near the door, who had wisely remained out of the argument. ‘Is it true? Is my governess thought to be a tyrant?’
The man’s eyes blinked rapidly, but he did not answer.
‘Tell me! Is this truth or lies?’
The guard’s eyes saddened and then he pointed to his mouth.
‘What is he doing?’ she asked, bewildered. ‘Why does he not answer me?’
Ruric leaned back in the chair and sighed. ‘He is telling you he has no tongue with which to speak. Your precious governess had it removed.’
As the massive wooden door opened and she was escorted inside the room, Briar’s question as to who had betrayed them was answered. Aurora stood by the hearth, her arms wrapped round her chest as if to shield herself from life. Or from the truth.
Ruric sat nearby in a chair, a prisoner. ‘Briar,’ he said. ‘I see you fared no better than I. What of Joshua?’
‘He’s in the dungeon,’ Briar replied as she hurried to him, concerned about the blood on his face. It came from an oozing wound on the side of his head. ‘You’re hurt.’
‘Fortunately the princess’s aim is not entirely true.’
‘You did this?’ Briar said, rounding on the girl.
‘Of course she did,’ the regent said, waving away the guards as she strode into the room. ‘Loyalty is a valued commodity in this kingdom.’
The ruler made her way to a wooden table set near the hearth, upon which were charts and parchments and other minutiae of government.
‘You may leave us,’ she ordered, and her men filed out one by one. Once the door had closed, she turned towards Briar. ‘You destroyed the spell that I placed on this usurper. He is no longer mine. How did you do that?’
If Briar told her about the dust, they’d search her and find it. Instead, she clamped her mouth shut.
‘Just give her the bracelet,’ Ruric cut in. ‘It’s not worth anyone’s life.’
‘But . . .’ It was a good feint, though she didn’t want to lose Joshua’s present, not when it seemed to have some effect on their enemy.
The regent eagerly took the bait. ‘The silver you wear? That is how you did it?’
Briar delivered a mock glower at Ruric. ‘Thanks for that, cousin.’
With fumbling fingers, she undid the clasp and held out the bracelet, hoping the regent would come closer to claim it. If the timing was right, maybe she could toss some of the sparkly dust on her. Who knew, maybe she’d melt down like the Wicked Witch of the West.
The regent held her position. ‘Claim it from her, Aurora. Place it on the desk.’
So much for that plan.
With cautious steps, the princess approached and then took possession of the bracelet. Briar expected a cry of pain when she touched it. It never came. It appeared that only the regent had a problem with her birthday present.
What does that mean?
‘I can’t believe you trust her,’ Briar said, eager to stir things up.
‘Hildretha will always protect me,’ the princess replied as she laid the bracelet on the table near a parchment.
Bull. The regent had just altered her plan to allow for an awake Aurora, rather than a sleeping one.
‘My princess, I have arranged for new chambers so that you may rest,’ the ruler said.
‘I have just awoken,’ the girl grumbled, sounding sixteen. ‘I certainly don’t need rest. I need to know what’s happening in my kingdom.’
‘True, but I shall handle this issue,’ the regent said. ‘It is not right for you to hear this man’s screams.’
‘Whatever do you mean?’
The ruler lowered herself into the chair and placed both arms on the table, tenting her gloved hands. ‘How do you think we shall learn who is behind this rebellion? Asking this ruffian politely will get us nowhere.’
‘But surely—’
‘Aurora, your father is no longer here to protect you. That is my role now. You are too . . . delicate for this task.’
The princess’s usually creamy skin went a shade paler as she must have realized exactly what the regent intended for Ruric. She steadied herself briefly on the table, then nodded. ‘Yes, perhaps I do need to rest.’
When she reached the door, Aurora hesitated, sending a final look over her shoulder at Briar. ‘You can keep the dress. It is worth nothing to me now.’
And we rescued you . . . why?
Then it was just the three of them.
‘There is more to your metal obsession than just the fata,’ Ruric said. ‘What is the purpose of all this?’
‘The fata were nothing more than a tool. When one of them cursed the princess, I took it a step further.’
‘My question remains. Why all the metal?’
‘Do you know of the drazak and their ways?’ the regent asked.
‘Yes. My grandfather fought them many years ago.’
‘What are—’ Briar began.
‘They are creatures who live deep in the earth,’ Ruric explained. ‘They covet all things metal, be it gold or silver or brass.’ He turned to the regent. ‘You, however, are not one of them. Drazak are not that clever, or that evil.’
‘I am what I was made to be,’ the regent replied, her voice deeper now.
At that, the ruler carefully stripped off her leather gloves, dropping them on the table in front of her. The prince
ss had said that her governess had suffered horrific burns, but there were no scars present. Instead, her hands were greyish brown with thick knuckles. They terminated in sharp nails.
Not nails. Claws.
‘Ruric . . .’
He wriggled his hand and she grasped it for comfort. ‘Be brave, cousin. Now we shall know the truth.’
With a click, the mask was unlocked and set aside to reveal a face that Briar knew no one could ever love, the blend of an older woman and a . . . thing. Thick ridges curved up where cheekbones should rest and the eyes were deep-set and cunning. The mouth held an impressive array of sharpened teeth.
‘Ah, I see,’ Ruric said, nodding his comprehension. ‘I was wrong – you are half drazak and half human. I had heard they exist.’
You’ve got to be kidding. ‘Her mom married a . . .’ Whatever the heck that thing is.
Ruric cleared his throat. ‘It is unlikely nuptials were involved,’ he replied. ‘Drazak covet humans for their metal, for their jewels and sometimes for . . . other purposes.’ His brown eyes pleaded with her not to ask any further questions.
‘Ohh . . .’ Briar had just got the picture and it was way ugly. This creature was the by-product of some poor girl and . . . Oh, gross. That’s really twisted.
Seeing that she understood, Ruric turned back to their enemy. ‘How did you come to be accepted as Aurora’s governess? The queen and king would have been careful not to allow one of your kind near their daughter.’
The regent’s smile was the stuff of nightmares, the teeth longer than was normal for a human. ‘I used a small magic that hid what I am. Once she saw my supposed burns, Her Majesty was all kindness and I was brought into service, for clearly I was no threat.’
‘Got that one wrong,’ Briar muttered.
‘How did you get that magic?’ Ruric pressed.
‘My mother had some talent, but not enough to save her.’
‘You could have waited until someone woke the princess and continued to serve her as you had before. Instead you made sure her suitors died in their quest. Why?’
‘It is easy for those who have never served to speak of it so lightly,’ the regent replied. She rose and moved closer to the fire, warming her hands in a human gesture. ‘The princess’s grandfather drove the drazak out of this kingdom and into the land where my family lived. The ruler there was weak, and he did nothing to stop them from destroying our villages.’ The regent turned back towards them, her eyes a reddish brown. ‘They swept through our home, pillaging the metal, consuming the flesh and taking their other revenges. I was the child of one of them and there was no place for me with humans, or their kind. I had no home. Until now.’
‘You took this one as payback,’ Briar said.
The regent nodded. ‘Of course. Fitting, isn’t it?’
‘But why the metal? What is its purpose?’ Ruric asked again, his voice louder this time. ‘I know you crave it, but why are you creating your own?’
‘The metal is both a lure and a weapon. The drazak are gaining strength again. They know I rule this kingdom, and the metal will bring them here. They will hope to take it from me.’
‘You are seeking a war, but how can you be so sure you win it?’
‘I shall greet them as one does family,’ she said, her grin making Briar’s stomach lurch. ‘I shall grant them food as they need. They will become sated and complacent, believing they can kill me at their whim.’
It took a moment to realize what she meant. ‘You’ll let them eat your subjects,’ Briar said, nearly gagging. ‘That’s sick.’
‘No, it is cunning,’ Ruric said, nodding now. ‘When drazak consume large quantities of flesh, they grow sluggish. She intends to exploit that weakness.’
‘Indeed. They can consume human flesh, but they cannot eat metal,’ the regent replied. ‘I will turn my warriors loose, and my army will destroy them all. I will have my revenge on both the races that cast me out. I will no longer be driven from village to village because of what I am. I will rule here forever.’
Megalomaniac alert.
So far this creature, the physical embodiment of the curse, had been winning.
But how did we change that? Was the princess the key?
Ruric must have been thinking along the same lines. ‘What of Aurora?’
‘She is of value at present, even if she is awake,’ was the chilly reply. ‘In time, that will not be the case.’
‘My father will know I am lost when I do not return with a report.’ He sighed. ‘If only there had been help here in the village, but we found none.’
‘None at all?’ the regent said, stepping closer. ‘The princess said otherwise.’
Thank you for that, Aurora.
‘No,’ Ruric replied, but almost too quickly. ‘I told her that to make her feel better. In truth, we have no need of assistance. The army of Angevin is mighty enough for the task. It is in your best interests to allow us to leave unharmed.’
‘You believe you are my equal?’ the regent demanded.
‘Yes,’ Ruric replied. ‘I am more than your equal.’
In that moment, Briar knew it was true.
So did the regent, who glowered at both of them. ‘You had help, I know it. You are not that clever.’ It took her no time for her to don the mask and gloves again. ‘Guards!’
They spilt into the room, on alert.
‘Take this girl to the dungeon. She and the other boy are to be executed for high treason on the morrow.’
Joshua. No . . .
‘The usurper, Your Grace?’ one of them asked.
‘Let him feel the sting of the whip now. I must know the names of those who have aided him. Tomorrow he is to be taken to the field and impaled. I shall have his head sent home to his father. That should settle the matter.’
‘Why not whip the girl?’
The regent’s mask turned towards her. ‘That is a possibility.’
Briar sucked in a deep breath. If only she could become invisible.
‘She doesn’t know anything,’ Ruric said. ‘I never told her. Briar was only useful because of her magic, and the fact that she resembles the princess.’
‘You told her nothing?’
He delivered a haughty sneer. ‘Why should I? It would have been my kingdom, not hers. It was easy to convince her that I would share the throne.’
‘You lied to me,’ Briar said, and, though most of this was for the regent’s benefit, for a moment she almost believed him.
‘Don’t all men lie, cousin?’ he said, smiling.
Don’t get me started.
As Briar was escorted out of the room, she took a final look over her shoulder. Ruric was stone-faced now, preparing for what lay ahead. As she turned away, she noticed the bracelet was no longer on the table. There was only one person who could have taken it.
Maybe the princess wasn’t as gullible as she seemed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
‘How bad is your leg?’ Reena asked.
‘Don’t know yet,’ Pat replied. ‘Not good, the way it’s feeling.’
They were keeping close to the buildings, skulking along, trying hard not to encounter any more wolves.
Reena came to a halt. ‘OK, I give up. I have no idea where we are.’
He was too weary to be angry. ‘I don’t either,’ he said. ‘Maybe we should find a rooftop and get some sleep. It’s too dangerous to be on the ground.’
‘All right, I can work with that. In the morning, we’ll try to get inside the castle. Maybe we can free Briar and Josh, and find this Ruric guy.’
‘Sounds good. Then we can kick that cold bitch off the throne. That would rock,’ Pat said.
‘Wait a minute,’ Reena said, turning towards him. ‘You were the one who said everything had to be about you. Now you want to go to war with the regent?’
‘Yeah, I do. This is totally personal now,’ he said.
There was a creak of wood as the door opened behind them. Before either of them could
utter a word, a beefy hand came down on each of their shoulders. With a swift tug, they were pulled inside the building and the door closed behind them.
‘What do we have here?’ a gruff voice asked.
‘You’re the smithy,’ Reena said. ‘We saw you earlier today when Briar came to tell you about Ruric.’
The man didn’t reply, massive in size with a craggy face.
‘We’re . . . friends of Briar and . . . the stable guy,’ Pat added, hoping that would count for something. ‘Unless of course you’re one of the regent’s people, then we’ve never heard of them.’
‘Oh, that was brilliant,’ Reena grumbled.
‘I heard you two outside talking about rebellion,’ the smithy replied. ‘What keeps me from turning you in? I could use the coin.’
‘You do that and it all gets worse,’ Pat said. ‘Ruric dies, so do our friends and you guys get stuck with the ruler from hell for the rest of your lives.’
‘You believe you can get her off that throne?’ the man asked.
Reena and Pat exchanged looks.
‘Who knows?’ Pat said, shrugging. ‘We can give it a try. That’s more than you folks have been doing from what I can see.’
A hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him up into the air as if he weighed nothing. ‘You have no notion of what we’ve been doing, lad.’
Struggling not to choke, Pat coughed out, ‘Ah, all right. Sorry.’
The man set him free. ‘I heard you fell into the fata hole, and yet you’re still alive. How did that come to be?’
Reena stepped closer to their questioner. ‘They took care of us. They’re not your enemy, but they are definitely the regent’s. They gave me something that can destroy her metal.’
The man’s eyes widened. ‘You speak the truth, girl?’
‘I do. It’s why she has been killing them. You’ve had the perfect weapon right under your noses all the time.’
‘Why would they help us? They put the curse on the princess.’
‘I don’t know about that. I just know that the reason the wolves didn’t kill us is the fata’s magic. It destroyed them, the metal parts at least.’
The smithy thought for a time, then beckoned them to join him. ‘Come on, the pair of you, it’s safer back here.’
