She nodded and hurried away. I turned back to my room and slumped my shoulders when I pushed the door open. “Not a minute of peace,” I grumbled as I sat on one of the armchairs. Across from it, a second chair sat. I’d been offered my father’s room, but I couldn’t bring myself to move into it, even though it was twice as big as mine.
Florence entered. Her silky blonde waves were tied back, and her arched eyebrows were raised as she looked around. Her violet eyes, her most striking feature, latched onto mine. “Winter… I mean, Your Majesty. Look.” She sat herself on the other chair. “I’ll be quick.”
“Please.”
She leaned forward. Her eyes glittered with excitement. Her pink lips curved upward at the corners. “I have taken on the role of royal event planner since returning, as Dominique, Amos’s planner, was killed in the battle.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway,” she said cheerily, as if Dominique had never existed. “The banquet in your honor tomorrow is all planned,” she explained. “It’s customary for new monarchs to have one.”
“Yes. The banquet.” I hadn’t even considered it up until now. Thank goodness for Florence being on top of things.
“I know the dark fae will be coming to court soon,” she continued, “and I was wondering if you want to do a celebration. I know your coronation is coming up, which will take center stage, but it may be a show of good will to hold something for them. A dance, perhaps? After all, they did join us in battle.”
She had a good point. “What would you suggest?”
Her eyes lit up. “A masquerade ball. They’re all the rage among the elite now. The dark fae love dances, and mystery too. What better way to get people out of the slump they’ve been in since the battle?” She shoved a makeshift invitation into my hand, as well as a guestlist. I glanced at them, then handed them back.
I tapped my fingers against my chin. “It is unlike anything we usually do here.” I leaned back in the chair. Change was what I wanted, and a masquerade ball was certainly different than the usual parties held at Ash Court. Florence was bringing a sense of youth to the castle. She may have been several years older than me, but she held such promise in her stare and excitement in her soul. I slowly nodded, then stood. “Make it elegant,” I said. “But alluring. Don’t mess it up.”
She smirked and curtseyed. “You have my word. It will be nothing short of fabulous.”
“Good, now…” I pointed at the door. “Take your leave. I have something to take care of.”
The door shut behind her, and my gaze drifted to the window. Pin pricks covered my skin, setting me on fire. It was brief but enough to know I was in trouble. I couldn’t spare another minute.
NINE
“Morgana!” I yelled, following her down narrowing passageways. Stone illuminated from the shadows as the lamps flickered to life. Dry musk hit my nose, making me sneeze.
“Stop. On command of your queen.”
She froze and turned slowly until her orb-like eyes met mine. I felt terrible talking to her like that, but she had left me no choice. I approached carefully, each step feeling heavier until I was standing in front of her. She looked lost, her eyes looking but not watching. There was an emptiness I’d not noticed in Niferum, a disconnect.
“Morgana?” I asked tentatively. “Please. Tell me what is wrong.”
“I have somewhere to be.”
“Enough with the lies.” A sob escaped through my words. “I have been desperate to talk to you. We both know what happened. You made a deal with something, or a sacrifice, I don’t know, but now whatever you used to bring me back is inside of me.”
Her eyes widened. Surprise arched her eyebrows, her lips parting. “You feel his presence too?”
“It’s a him?”
She nodded slowly. “A necromancer.”
I gasped. “This is bad. What do we do?”
She inhaled deeply. Silence hung around us, more deafening than ever.
“Morgana!” I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes. “Tell me.”
“I did not suspect he would latch onto you too.”
“How do we get rid of him? You made it happen before when I used sacrificial magic, so do it again. Make the ancestors take him away. He’s hurting me, and I’m afraid,” I admitted, hearing the childish words echo around us.
She grabbed my hands and turned them over to look at my palms. “He is becoming stronger by the day.” Her eyes glossed. “There is nothing we can do.”
I half laughed in disbelief. “So that’s it then? We do nothing?”
She averted her gaze to the wall. “I distanced myself from you out of fear of hurting you. I’ve tried to remove him, but I cannot. I have written to Licia, but he has not responded yet to my letters. Although, I do not see him being able to help us, especially knowing what he wants.”
My gaze narrowed. “What does Licia want?”
“It is not for me to say, but he will not help us with this. I was going to leave, as to not put anyone at risk.”
I swallowed thickly. “At risk? You mean we can hurt people?” I thought back to the moment I wanted to pick up the rock and hit my mother with it on the back of her head. “I can’t live like this.”
“You must resist,” she replied, her gaze falling back on mine. “We must both. I have kept him at bay with a potion.” She pondered a moment. “But you are the queen. I may be able to suppress his presence for a while.” She placed her finger against her temple, mumbling incoherently for a minute. “I shall fetch the bones and grind them.”
I ran cold. “What?”
“I will prepare you something to give you time until I can speak with the necromancer.”
“You’ve lost it.” I nodded, taking a step back. “You must have gone mad if you think reaching out to him is a good idea.”
“Finding out what he wants and making a deal is the only way to rid ourselves of him. The last time the ancestors helped, you’d only used a couple of basic rituals, and you hadn’t made any sacrifices yourself. He was only faintly attached to you, but you must know, Winter, bringing someone back from the dead takes great sacrifice.”
“What did you sacrifice?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
Her eyes teared. “Myself, Winter. I gave him me. My soul.”
I choked back a sob. Tingling numbed my fingertips, as if he could sense we were talking about him. Giving one’s soul away was the worst thing they could do. “No. Take it back. I don’t want to live then.”
“You were not a part of the agreement. I was hoodwinked.”
I shook my head. “This can’t be happening.” I looked at her again, but she acted more distant than ever. The softness of her features, the depth in her stare, and the kindness on the edges of her smile had vanished, replaced by a lost abyss as if she were in pain and unaware at the same time. “I’ll find a way out of this.”
“You can’t. It must be me. I did this.”
I shook my head. “To cause you more pain? No.”
“I’ll bring you the potion tonight to suppress him, but it will not last for long. A couple of weeks at most. In the meantime, I urge you please, do nothing. For both our sakes.”
***
I ambled back to my room, feeling lost the more I walked through the narrow hallways and past larger-than-life portraits. A girl watched the moon out of an open window, and a part of me wanted to push her simply for existing, for breathing. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to turn in a different direction. I was struggling to contain him. More than that, I almost didn’t want to.
I reached my room, and a guard’s honey-brown eyes found mine in the darkness. “Call Cedric here,” I said.
His eyebrows knitted together. “To your chambers at this hour?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard correctly.
“Did I stutter?” I shouted, making the other guard jolt. “If you want to keep your position, I suggest you don’t question me. Why is everyone always questioning me as if I’m a fucking nobody. I’m queen, and I’m sick of remindi
ng everyone of it.”
“I’ll go get him immediately,” he said quickly, catching the stare of the other guard.
I clenched my jaw and forced myself to go inside my room instead of kicking him.
I lay on my bed, waiting for Cedric. I still seethed, but as minutes ticked past, I calmed enough to clear my mind. It had been reckless to call him, and I was sure rumors would flurry about his coming to my chambers so late, but I had just found out I had a creepy, centuries-old necromancer inside me or attached to me. At least, a part of him was. Maybe he was controlling me. I didn’t know, but it felt unnerving.
“Sweetheart,” Cedric whispered, opening the door. “I was, uh, told to give you this?” He handed me a glass bottle with a stopper. “From Morgana. I’ll assume you’re on speaking terms now.”
I grabbed it and sniffed. It smelled like death and dirt, but I gulped it down anyway, on the edge of vomiting. I wretched, and it tumbled from my fingers, shattering onto the ground.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head. My stomach ached. “No.”
“What happened?”
“I need you, Cedric,” I said, my voice breaking.
His smile dropped as he rushed to my side. He stroked my hair, and I rested my head against his shoulder. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you ever feel like you’re a bad person?”
He paused for a second before continuing to run his fingers through my strands. “No.”
“Never?”
“I’ve done bad things, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a good person, if that’s what you’re referring to.”
“I don’t believe it.” I half smiled. “What things have you done?”
“Drank too much liquor. Kissed girls and made promises I couldn’t keep. Danced my way around those truths with beautiful words and got what I wanted. I have slighted people occasionally.”
I let out a weighted sigh. We were not even close in comparison. He couldn’t possibly understand, because even though the necromancer was behind my dark thoughts, he was only heightening things already there. The rage, hatred, and spite were in me long before I had died. I’d almost cost people their lives, and I had murdered my father.
“You’re not a bad person,” Cedric whispered as if he could sense my mind. “You have done things because you had to. You’re a royal. Sometimes it comes with the job, as you have so pointedly said before. I’m beginning to understand that now more than ever.” His expression darkened.
My own smile wavered. “Right. I’m sure it’s the stress of being back. It’s making me a little on edge.”
He kissed my temple. “Let me melt away some of the stress. Besides, you have something to look forward to.”
“You mean my coronation.”
“Not long.” He grinned.
I wished he hadn’t reminded me. While I was excited, I was also worried. Blaise was on his way, and being around him changed me… I remembered; Cedric wouldn’t be here for long. “Then you’re leaving,” I said, feeling loneliness wretch open a hole in my stomach. “After my coronation.”
“I have to. I’ve already sent word to my family. You did know this already.”
I squeezed my eyelids shut. Morgana had said we could hurt the people close to us; therefore, maybe it wasn’t the worst thing for him to be leaving. “I’ll miss you.”
“I may come back,” he teased.
“When?”
“I’m not sure yet. You may not even want me back.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I want you back?”
He didn’t answer, even though he had nothing to be insecure about.
“You’ve been acting different recently.”
He reached down and brushed his lips against mine. “Have I now?”
Butterflies whirled in my belly. I gripped onto the covers as he deepened our kiss. It was not an answer but a perfect distraction to everything in my head.
He pulled away, then smirked. “You are so beautiful.” He traced his finger along my collar bone, sending shivers down my spine. “I’m a very lucky man.”
I inhaled deeply. He wasn’t. If only he knew all the truths… about me. “I’m the lucky one.”
“Too modest.” He pulled me into a cuddle, wrapping his arm around my waist. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep if you want.”
I closed my eyes. I snuggled into his hold, breathing in the scent of honey and pastry from his hands and clothes. His arms curled my lips into a smile. I could have lay there forever, in a dream of comfort. Morgana’s potion began to take hold, and both that and Cedric sent me into a deep sleep.
TEN
Swashes of red and orange infiltrated the indigo sky as the sun peeked over the horizon. I rubbed my eyes and looked through the glass pane window and out over the sprawling gardens, flowerbeds of white flowers, at the carriages that had been readied for morning excursions. Traders would soon be arriving with their wagons.
The coronation had brought wealth into Magaelor, more than many had expected, with those who lived on Inferis coming to Imperia, along with my mother, as well as those from other provinces. The dark fae would also be coming from Niferum, and while it may have taken time to build bridges and bring peace between the fae and lunas, the inns would be full, markets would be swarmed, and if those trading and those who owned businesses in Imperia had any sense, they wouldn’t let their prejudices get in the way of good coin coming in. We needed to rebuild; the battle had taken so much from the people. Unfortunately, in war, it was always the ones who never wanted to fight in the first place who lost the most.
I placed my hand against my middle and inhaled deeply, feeling my stomach rise, then fall. Relief flooded me. Morgana’s potion had worked. I didn’t feel the usual heaviness of the darkness. I didn’t know how the mixture worked, but I would relish the moment, because for the first time since officially being queen, I felt free.
I wondered when Amara would arrive. She’d gone into Imperia to meet with the faery who had brought my dress from Niferum. I had paid thirty coins for it. I hadn’t wanted to spend when our soldiers still needed to be paid, but I was informed that a show of wealth and steadiness from the crown was important, and image was everything. I had to look good. Still, if I was going to be made to get new dresses, they would be the fashion I preferred, unfortunately for Vahaga and the others. I hoped I could bring the fashion to court, perhaps get some of the ladies wearing it. It was beautiful.
“Your Majesty,” a guard said when he opened the door. “High priest Vahaga.”
I nodded, and Vahaga stepped around him. The guard retreated and closed the door behind him.
“You wished to see me,” Vahaga said with exasperation, his tone drier than ever. His stony expression gave nothing away, and his pupils dilated as he watched me carefully move from the window to the armchair. I gestured for him to sit, but he remained standing. Ever stubborn. I still couldn’t imagine how I would kill him even if I could. What my brother had said still hovered over me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it and questioned going back, to speak to him, but my intuition tugged me the other way.
I smiled regardless. “The soldiers are yet to be paid. The lords agreed they would help the crown fund−”
“These matters take time.” He cut me off, his eyebrows pulling downward. He entwined his fingers at the front of his long, white robes. There wasn’t a single dot of dirt on them. “Leave the financial matters to those of us who have been dealing in them since before your birth.”
“As queen,” I said to remind him, “I have every right to inquire.”
He sucked his lip between his teeth, then exhaled. “I will speak to the lords today about the matter. At the next council meeting, we can deliberate.”
“It’s tomorrow, yes?”
He nodded but said nothing.
“King Blaise will be arriving soon,” I explained. “With the others.”
His mouth twisted in disgust. “Yes.”
He arched a thin eyebrow. “Is there anything important you needed to discuss with me, Your Majesty?”
“Actually, yes.” I stood, then brushed down the front of my dress. “At the battle, many women joined ranks, and that is how we won.”
His right eye twitched. “I heard. You must have been desperate.”
I let it slide right off me. I was in far too good of a mood, with the potion releasing me from the shackles of pain and anger. “Regardless of how we arrived at it happening, it was the best thing I could have done. We won, and easily.” I paused. “I want to ask the council for the opportunity for women to become guards and have the same opportunities as men within the military.”
His eyes widened. A trail of saliva shone from his lip as he sneered, then laughed. “Women, in the military. There would be an uproar. Ladies do not have the strength of men. You’d be sending them to the slaughter. It’s a ridiculous notion, and you would not be able to sway the lords, not even young Edur.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you first about it,” I admitted. I hoped stroking his ego would play in my favor. “You and I, Vahaga, hold the power at court. True power. We are both anointed by the ancestors. Me, to rule the people. You, to rule their faith. I know deep inside you know change has come to Magaelor, whether you like it or not. I am offering you an opportunity to stand by these new changes and times, instead of falling behind. To use your influence with the lords to do the right thing. To show you are adaptable.”
His lips parted, then closed. Hesitation shook his features. It was brief but telling. I blinked twice. My heart pounded as I did.
“I cannot entertain it.” He walked toward me, then sat in the armchair, and I sat back down too. “It’s impossible. Even with my influence, who’s to say it wouldn’t cause unrest among the people?”
“We could grow our military by at least a quarter. There aren’t as many soldiers as there once were. Women want to be given the chance to prove themselves, the same chance men have been given for generations.” My eyes were wild as I leaned forward. “Magaelor has a queen now, not a king. Let’s show a united front. Back me with some of my decisions, and in turn, I will do the same for you.”
The Fate of Crowns: The Complete Trilogy: A YA Epic Fantasy Boxset Page 60
