Niykee isn’t hard to find. She’s on her way down to the east wing herself looking like she’s ready for battle. Leather pants, black boots where I know there are at least two sheathed daggers, and a loose top under her jacket to hide even more weapons. She’s pretty much always got weapons hidden somewhere on her body, but for this trip she’s come exceptionally prepared.
“How was it?” She means saying goodbye to the others.
I shrug. “Not great, not terrible. You got any clue what the little prince has planned for us today?”
“I do wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Roman grumbles out where he stands waiting at the end of the hall with Felix and Bay. They each have several bags slung over their shoulders, the ones we filled with food and toiletries and weapons, anything we could need while on the road.
“What are you doing?” Niykee asks, clutching the bag over her shoulder, giving Roman a puzzled look when he starts feeling around the wall as if searching for something.
“Looking for an old friend.” When I simply raise an eyebrow at Roman he chuckles, elaborating. “She doesn’t remember it, but when we were children Amara and I were obsessed with finding every secret passageway in the palace. There are tons of them, leading to the servants’ quarters, the throne room, the dungeons you know, the dungeons you don’t. But this one in particular, is going to lead us exactly where we need to go to escape without incident. Ah ha!” Roman suddenly calls out, pressing one patch of wall that appears to be a darker shade of red than the rest, so subtle you wouldn’t even notice unless you were looking for it. After a beat the piece of the wall shifts, leaving behind a door in its wake. It appears to lead into a pitch black, narrow hallway probably overtaken by spider webs and sewer rats.
“Where does this lead?” Felix asks, but Roman isn’t listening. He’s glancing down the hallway to see if any of the guards a little ways down are paying attention. They’re not though. They’re too focused on helping some of the servants pack up the palace for departure.
“Alright, go, go, go.” Roman nudges Niykee through first. Then Felix, Bay, then, me, and finally, with one last glance at the distracted guards, he comes in behind us, shutting the door so that it will return to its rightful appearance. I hear the sound of metal scraping against metal, shifting back into place, echoing through the muggy hallway we’re now cramped inside.
With the door closed we ascend into darkness. Niykee instinctively takes hold of my hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m not scared you know.” she whispers to me. “I just don’t like the dark.”
I squeeze her hand back and hope my words give her some comfort when I reply, “No one likes the dark.” Even in the darkness I can feel her grateful smile.
As we wind through the labyrinth of musty hallways, doing our best not to trample over each other as we go, I think of Dad and hope that our last words give him some comfort, knowing I’m out here, trying to do something. Trying to fix the trouble we unraveled months ago by going into that stupid, old mansion. I can’t help, but think of where we’d be if we hadn’t foolishly followed the directions in Clea’s journal. Maybe we would have graduated the schoolhouse, maybe we would have chosen someone in the village to marry, gotten simple jobs, and started our lives as adults, as villagers. It wouldn’t exactly have been a glamorous life, but it would have been a life worth living, and we all would have been together. Most importantly Tristan and Braylie would still be with us.
“Alright,” Roman says after a good ten minutes or so of walking in silence. “We’re getting close. I need you guys to feel along the walls until you find a door. It should be on the right side.”
“Care to tell us where we’re going?” Niykee says with a bit of bite to her tone. Like Amara, Niykee cannot stand not knowing something.
Roman’s response, though, is sure to irritate her further. “You’ll see.”
“What are we walking into?” Felix asks.
“My father may think he’s got every guard in this palace wrapped around his finger, but so did Amara while she was here and there were a few willing to help us make a clean escape in the name of protecting her.”
“And they were just okay letting their only prince and heir to the throne escape into the world with Zodiac Hunters and many other potential enemies?” Niykee asks doubtfully.
“I’m a warrior, Niykee. I was raised a warrior. My men know what I’m capable of. They have no doubt I know what I’m doing. And, believe it or not, some of them like Amara a hell of a lot more than they like me.”
“Believable.” Felix grumbles.
“Got it.” I call out while the rest of them bicker back and forth. I feel no doorknob, but I can feel the outline of a door. I give it a once over, feeling to see if there is a knob I’m just not feeling, but Roman gives me direction before I can do too much more searching for something that isn’t there.
“Don’t pull. Push.”
I expect to fall through to a patch of grass at the side of the palace, but I don’t. Instead I land on concrete. Roman mutters apologies for not warning me. The pain in my arm from landing isn’t the first thing I notice though.
“Holy shit.” Niykee mutters when she sees it too.
It’s a garage the mysterious door has opened up to, but it is the biggest one I have ever seen, enough to house at least a few dozen transits or more. Most of the spots are void of transits, but there is still two rows of seven or eight left. Some of them are the ones I’m used to, like the one we road in on the way to the palace months ago. The rest are intimidating, pitch black, with tinted windows.
“Let me guess. We’re taking one of the scary-looking ones?” Niykee surmises.
There’s a glint of excitement in Roman’s eyes when he says, “They’re bulletproof.”
I grin excitedly. “I’m suddenly very excited about this mission.”
“Not only are they bulletproof, but the black ones are meant for transporting royals so they’re stocked with weapons and ammo.” Roman explains. “It’s everything we need to survive this mission.” he adds, all business.
“And how the hell do you expect us to get this thing out of here?” Felix asks, not even trying to hide his disdain for the prince. Felix has always been neutral when it comes to the royals, but he blames Roman for Tristan’s death, for bringing him here in the first place.
“Fee, bulletproof?” Niykee reminds him.
“Besides, they’re not likely to shoot a prince off the road.” Roman says, dangling a set of keys he got from a locked cabinet on the wall. “And I’m driving. All aboard.” Bay and I exchange a very manly giddy look before climbing onto the transit.
The inside is no different than the average transit. Well, for the most part. There are two rows of comfortable seats, a bathroom at the back, as well as a mini-bar, which regular transits do not have. There are overhead compartments for bags where we all proceed to stuff our luggage.
“Felix is half right.” Roman says, dropping into the driver’s seat and accessing the panel of buttons to press to start this thing. I expect an engine to roar when he sparks the thing to life with the key, but the thing is deadly silent, just like the one we were brought in on back in December. “I had the guards clear out of here so we could get in and get out, but there’s no way they’re going to open the gates to the palace for us so…” Roman trails off, hoping we get where he’s going with this.
“We’re busting through the gates.” Bay surmises.
“Pretty much.” Roman nods. “So I’d buckle in if I were you.” Without warning, Roman presses a foot down on the gas to go, but the transit jerks back in protest and we all go flying forward and then back in our seats, grateful for the seat buckle warning. “Sorry. Forgot to put it in drive.”
This time when Roman presses on the gas the transit obeys, and to our great surprise we go flying out of the garage just as the garage doors fly open for us. Outside there is a line of guards standing in the middle of the road, but they all scatter when they see that we’re not
stopping. They have their firearms aimed at the transit as we go, but none shoot, wary of hitting a noble or a royal given these transits are reserved for them.
The road ahead is long, but in the distance I can see the gates to the palace. The same gates we came through when we arrived here. It’s been as many months since we’ve been outside the palace walls and I think, while we brace for Roman’s erratic driving, we all feel that.
Never did I think I’d leave this place without Amara by my side, unless it was with her in the body bag next to mine. Right now we are worlds apart and there is a huge part of me that is jealous that Aaren will soon be an arm’s length away from where she is, but I also know that this is what I need to do. This is what she needs me to do. Because getting her back from one monster means nothing if we can’t stop the other one. The advantage of knowing your sister so well is that you always know what she’d want and she’d support this mission. So I’ll make it safe for her to come back and trust that Jayla can keep her promise of bringing Amara home.
—CHAPTER TEN—
AMARA
HAUNTED
One of the last times I spoke to Kol Kasanoff, he was soulless.
I remember the last time I saw him like it was yesterday. His soul was back by then, but he still managed to break his father’s heart, forcing him to arrest his own son for treason.
I remember the look in Kol’s eyes, the regret that lie there. Not for disappointing his father, but for disappointing me. I did it for you, Amara. I did it all for you. His words still haunt me, even now. And while Kara has too much pride to admit it, her emotions don’t lie and I know Kol wants me back. Whether it be political or personal, he wants me in Llìria with him. It’s why he infiltrated his father’s kingdom to begin with. So I am confused as to why he is refusing to tell Theon where I am so that he’ll come for me. I understand the soldiers that such a mission would require, but Kol doesn’t care about collateral damage. If he did he would have warned us of Theon’s planned attack at Tristan’s funeral. Kol Kasanoff is a shifty son of a bitch. And yet, at the end of the day, he’s still a better choice than Keenan. At least Kol is doing what he’s doing because he believes in Theon’s mission, misguided as it is. As far as I can see Keenan is only doing what he’s doing for power.
That’s why it makes me so angry that I owe the halt in my interrogations to him. According to my not so Vakrovian spy Daxon, Keenan convinced the king to lay off on the interrogations. Of course I know Bastian would never give up so easily so Keenan must have promised to get the information out of me himself. At the masquerade ball tonight perhaps. Little does Keenan know his charm doesn’t work on me anymore. Our pyramid has all but crumbled.
I don’t have high hopes for this ball. Mostly because our last ball went horribly wrong. I found out I had another brother, Tristan was murdered the first time, by Clea who came back from the dead as a soulless bitch that very same night, and Kol lost his own soul because of a spontaneous kiss with an overly emotional nether user.
Needless to say I don’t see this one going any better.
A knock at my door pulls me out of the inner musings of my mind. I expect Daxon, casually slipping me a note telling me to meet him later at our spot, the only place in the palace no one can hear you: the stables. Or for him to be there telling me of the new horrors Bastian has in store for me. Instead, at my feet I find a large silver box wrapped in the same color bow with a note attached.
I peer down the hall both ways to see if I can locate the retreating delivery boy, but the hallway is empty. I collect the box and place it on my bed, picking up the note.
Amara,
It isn’t much, but I hope it’s a step towards rebuilding our pyramid. I’d be honored if you allowed me to escort you to the ball tonight.
—K
Even without K as the signature I knew this was from Keenan immediately. I’d know that handwriting anywhere. Just like I know it is not a request that I let him escort me to the ball. But just because I have to be his date doesn’t mean I have to show up wearing the dress that I know is in that box.
My stubbornness comes to an abrupt end twenty minutes later when I find there is not one ballgown to be found in my walk-in closet full of dresses. There are some that could pass for one, but it’s something village girl Amara would show up to a ball wearing. Unfortunately, the only power I have here is the fact that I’m a princess of Llìria and Princess Amara wouldn’t be caught dead showing up to a ball looking like a village girl.
So I open the box.
Inside is a gorgeous, strapless dress in my favorite color: sapphire blue. With it there’s matching jewelry more expensive than anything I’ve ever worn, even in Limacore, and a little black shawl to drape over my shoulders. It’s exactly the kind of dress I would have chosen for myself if given the chance. The thought wrenches at my heart. Keenan knows me better than he knows himself. How can he be this monster and still be the boy I once loved? Who knew my favorite color and the kind of dresses I’d wear. I wear it in tribute to the boy who’s disappeared. That’s what I tell myself. It’s what will get me through this night, but it’s also what will get me to spill all my secrets. Because that boy and I had no secrets. At least I thought we didn’t.
What really catches my eye though, above the whole ensemble, is the necklace. It’s a fleur de lis, Vakrov’s House sigil. It’s really just a stylized lily representing House Aquarius’ claims of purity. Purity in terms of blood, not virtue. The stem of the lily is an amethyst, the official stone of House Aquarius, Keenan’s way of laying claim to me, which is why I don’t wear it.
I reread the note again, trying to understand the words there. The whole time I’ve been here—nearly four months now—Keenan has shown no signs of remorse for what he’s done. He’s shown no desire for my forgiveness. And yet in his note he says that he wants to rebuild our pyramid? I’ve known Keenan Volterra all my life and he has always known what he wants. More so I’ve never had to try to figure him out and I’m learning more and more that the Keenan Volterra I know now is nothing like the boy I used to know. He’s calculating, manipulative, and worst of all I don’t know what he’s going to do next. He reminds me of the old stories Meela used to read to us when we were children about the doctor with split personalities. One was good, but his counterpart was evil. Well Keenan is as evil as they come and the boy I used to know was the sweetest. I do not know how to bring that sweet boy back.
Tonight’s ball is meant to entertain some ambassador from another country determined to reinstate the old ways and reunite their elemental Houses as one. It is for House Capricorn, from Zakaria. House Capricorn was one of the original ruling monarchs in charge of House Taurus and House Virgo, earth elements. They remained in power following the fall of the humans.
The ambassador is coming to discuss an alliance in their mutual desire to reinstate the old laws. I know this because over the last few months Bastian has tried to make it seem like I am a fierce princess working to reclaim my throne. It’s why he requires me to be present for all of his political bullshit, to make it look like he and I are working together to take Llìria back, like I care about his pursuit for the old ways.
I’ve learned a lot during these months of captivity, some from the council meetings Bastian insists on dragging me to, some from the very gossipy palace staff. For starters, the reason why so many people believe Bastian killed his father. His father believed as Theron does, that the Houses have thrived under the freedom the new laws have given them, even though all the nobles disagree. His father was the only one who wasn’t on board with what Bastian and the nobles proposed to him for years. With him out of the way Bastian has been able to weed out the other Houses in his country, leaving behind only House Aquarius, House Gemini, and House Libra, air users. Since House Aquarius ruled all three houses with the air element, Bastian already has the most important thing. A ruling Aquarian.
Bastian needs this meeting with the Zakarian ambassador to go well because Zakari
a has already accomplished what Bastian hopes to. A country ruled by the old laws whether the rest of the world does or not. Zakaria is made up of only earth users, ruled by House Capricorn. Marriage and procreation with anyone outside the earth element is illegal there, which means anyone who breaks that law is hunted down, just like Serpentarians, and executed. It’s why the people there are very careful to make sure their children are born into those three Houses. Anyone who isn’t is executed as well.
Slowly, but surely Vakrov is imitating Zakaria. Weeding out the other Houses from the country, producing what Bastian calls AIS agents—Anti-Interracial Socialization agents—to hunt them down and deport them to other countries. He doesn’t care if he’s sending them to a place worse than here—though I can’t imagine such a place—as long as they’re gone. It’s barbaric, and Keenan follows his lead without question. Hell, maybe he agrees. My ability to know what Keenan is thinking without asking has been locked away with the boy he used to be.
The dress fits me perfectly. Of course it does. Because he’s the one who’s changed, not me. He still knows me like the back of his hand even if I can’t say the same. I place the fleur de lis into my jewelry box instead of the trash, I don’t know why, and put on a simple necklace with a teardrop pendant.
My drowning thoughts of Keenan are interrupted when one of my necklaces falls out of my jewelry box. My eyes fly to the twinkling silver hanging out of the box and I let out a small gasp when I see which necklace it is. “Tristan,” I breathe. It’s the necklace Tristan gave me on my seventeenth birthday, a necklace he worked his ass off in the Mines with my Dad to buy. It’s nothing special. Just a simple silver chain with a letter T pendant, T for Tristan. I’d worn it as a bracelet the day of his funeral, which is the only reason why I have it now since I was taken shortly afterward. After Theron told me my ebony necklace was a real Ebony from the Mines I never took it off in case I needed to use its magic to get out of a scrape. Lot of good that did me.
Savage Reign Page 12
