The Mirror King

by Jodi Meadows

  “The most important thing we just learned was that Prince Colin is willing to take the throne by slandering Tobiah. And if Tobiah isn’t king, we will never reclaim Aecor.”

  FIFTEEN

  ONCE, WHEN I was very young, I’d attended a coronation in the kingdom just north of Aecor. The old ruler of Laurel-by-the-Sea had died, leaving his middle-aged son to inherit the small kingdom known mostly for its seafood and salt exports.

  My memories of that event were faded, now only glossy impressions of a banquet and soft dresses and my father tucking me against his side as I began to droop halfway through the ball. The briny scent of the sea sharpened the glittering chamber, replaced by a floral perfume as I’d shifted to press my face into my mother’s gown. She’d held me, swaying with the music as though we were dancing, and I’d drifted off to sleep.

  I hadn’t understood the Wraith Alliance then, so I’d never questioned why we’d been invited in spite of my parents’ refusal to sign the agreement. Perhaps it had been a polite gesture, or happened during some other diplomatic visit. Whatever the circumstances, it had been one of the last adventures with my parents before their murder and the One-Night War.

  Everything about the Indigo Kingdom coronation ceremony was different.

  First, it was raining.

  The storm had swept in just as I finished dressing, heralded by the odors of winter and wraith. Clouds crashed over the mountains like waves, and the palace sounds were muted under the constant tap tap tap.

  It was a heavier atmosphere. More somber. After all, King Terrell hadn’t died quietly in his sleep from old age. He’d been murdered, and everything since then had been horrible event after horrible event. It didn’t seem as though the situation would improve. A new king might help, but real hope seemed impossible.

  In spite of the Inundation and cathedral collapse, the throne room was resplendent. Silver dragons perched on chandeliers, and were etched into the glass shields of sconces. Cresting waves, unicorns, and suns with radiating lines peeked from ornaments and shimmered on banners above. Though they tried to hide it, the Ospreys gaped as we filed into the chamber and took our places. Conner and Carl nudged each other, sharing subtle glances toward crystals and other small pieces of finery.

  I bumped Connor’s elbow and shook my head, just slightly. He offered a small, good-natured sigh, but nodded and kept his hands at his sides. The others noticed, and clasped their hands behind their backs one at a time, secret smiles pulling at the corners of their mouths.

  On a balcony, a small orchestra was playing, and slowly the chamber began to fill with nobility from all across the Indigo Kingdom, a few from the surrounding kingdoms, and the wealthy merchant class from here in Skyvale. The throne room grew hot, even with the upper windows open to let in a near-winter breeze. Lady Meredith and her parents glowed where they stood in the front with their heads high. Next to them, Princes Colin and Herman wore blank expressions. Another woman stood with them: Kathleen Rayner, if I had to guess. James’s mother. She looked like her sister Francesca, tall and thin, with dark brown hair.

  Prince Colin leaned toward her and whispered something, but I caught only the shape of Tobiah’s name.

  Queen Regent Francesca sat on her throne, looking contemplative and regal. Her sharp features were knives in the slanted golden light that fell from the gas lamps. A priest and the majordomo of Skyvale Palace stood in close attendance. Sweat dripped from their hairlines and the priest kept stealing glances at me, possibly remembering last night at the cathedral.

  There was barely standing room by the time the music shifted and began to play a piece at a faster tempo: the Indigo Kingdom Royal March.

  Though I’d meant to watch Prince Colin to make sure he didn’t do anything untoward, when Tobiah stepped through the double doors at the far end of the throne room, flanked by his guards, I couldn’t make myself look anywhere else.

  His jacket was the darkest hue of indigo wool, with gold embroidery at the hems and around his collar. An ankle-length cape flowed from his shoulders, trimmed with the sigils of all four Houses. His boots, gloves, and shirt were spotless. He strode forward, immaculate with those strong features and dark eyes.

  Exhaustion left his skin pale and darkened the spaces below his eyes. Every step was steady, controlled, and though he held his head straight and high, I caught furtive glances until he found me.

  Flutters rippled down my middle.

  Whispers fell from the crowd: “The heir to four Houses,” and “The Mirror King has risen.” Prophecies. Predictions. Hope that Tobiah would save the Indigo Kingdom from the wraith.

  The procession seemed to take forever, but his eyes remained locked on mine. These were the last moments of Tobiah as the Crown Prince of the Indigo Kingdom, the last moments of him as the boy I’d met ten years ago.

  Within weeks, he’d be married and burdened by responsibilities.

  He wasn’t for me.

  As his mother stood, a slim figure in the corner of my vision, I dropped my eyes. An ache stirred inside me as Tobiah’s expression slipped and straightened. As though I’d hurt him.

  He finished walking to the dais and empty throne next to his mother. The queen regent offered her hands to her son in greeting. Then, Tobiah knelt and the others began their parts.

  I waited, watching Prince Colin for any sort of threat, but he just smiled and pretended to be happy, and somehow that made everything worse.

  Within the hour, Tobiah was king.

  A celebratory ball followed the coronation. The room was filled with glittering people dancing and laughing as though there were no problems outside this room. Gowns flared and ladies swirled. Men congratulated one another on their suits, or the women on their arms.

  I spent the majority of it performing my duties of dancing with every high-ranking official who asked. Several tried to weasel into my good graces by offering support for my return to Aecor. A few were drunk already, and offered to be my king. Although I didn’t have a chance to dance with Tobiah or James, I kept them in the corner of my vision, along with Prince Colin. The longer he went without making a move, the more nervous I got.

  Toward the middle of the evening, while I was talking with the Ospreys between dances, Lady Meredith approached, her chin lifted and her jaw tight.

  “Princess Wilhelmina, may I speak with you a moment?” A thread of nervousness wove through her voice.

  Memory of her conversation with Prince Colin seeped up like oil. “Is something wrong? Is there something I can help you with?” I wasn’t sure there was anything I could really do besides urge her to speak with James, but maybe that was all she needed: a nudge.

  She glanced around the ballroom. “Would you mind stepping outside?”

  “Of course not.”

  Outside, rain pattered on the terrace and thrummed on the canvas awning above. Water leaked across the stone in shimmering streams that smelled faintly of wraith. The air was sharp and cold, making both of us shiver, but Meredith looked determined.

  “I’m going to speak plainly,” she said.

  “Go on.”

  “When you first came here, disguised as Julianna Whitman, I was under the impression you didn’t care for Prin—King Tobiah very much. Now that your true identity is revealed, your attitude toward him seems to have shifted and I find myself uncertain whether your previous disdain was part of your act, or true dislike. But either way, I’m aware that something has changed.”

  I clenched my jaw. This wasn’t a plea for help; this was a confrontation.

  “Perhaps it is that he has changed, too. He’s less severe. More open. He smiles now, in spite of everything.” She hesitated and dropped her voice. “He smiles at you.”

  I said nothing, but my stomach tied itself into knots and that terrible yearning washed over me.

  She shifted her weight to one hip. “Your Highness. I won’t pretend I know you well, but my fiancé seems to see something worthwhile in you. Since he does not trust easily, I must
assume you’ve somehow earned it, and proven yourself honorable in his eyes.”

  If only I’d managed that. I couldn’t imagine what Tobiah saw in me. Perhaps he’d admired me when we were children—I’d saved him—but now, with all he knew about me, I knew better than to think he believed I was honorable.

  She continued. “His Majesty and I have been engaged since long before you arrived in Skyvale Palace. I do not suppose His Majesty loves me. I know why he’s marrying me. But I do love him, and this kingdom, and you should know that I intend to take my place as queen.”

  “I have no intentions of coming between the two of you.”

  The duchess softened a touch. “We haven’t spent much time together, but I’ve enjoyed your company when we’ve had the chance. I believe you genuine in your desire to better Skyvale, especially if you truly are Black Knife.”

  The clatter of rain filled a pause, both of us perhaps remembering her discussion about Black Knife with the ladies in the solar. She hadn’t liked the vigilante then, and it was impossible to tell what she thought of him now. Her tone was completely neutral.

  “I want us to be friends. I hope you know I am sincere when I make that offer.”

  She was everything King Terrell had believed her to be: kind, generous, and graceful. “I do know,” I said. “And I hope you know that I have no intentions of interfering with your relationship with King Tobiah. I dislike him less now, but I never wanted him like that.”

  Never the prince. Only the vigilante.

  Meredith smiled, tension rolling from her shoulders. “I believe you. Now, shall we dance? We have a lot to look forward to. The restoration of mirrors, Skyvale pulling itself back together, and I can even teach you how to spin yarn if you like. . . .”

  Arm in arm, we turned to go back inside, just in time to see a curtain swish back into place and Prince Colin’s shape sliding away from the window. Meredith’s hand tightened on my arm.

  He’d been watching us.

  SIXTEEN

  I MISSED MELANIE more than ever.

  Meredith was not my best friend, not even close. After we talked a few minutes, smiling at each other in plain view of the guests, she went off to visit with Lady Chey and Lady Margot.

  I wandered the fringes, spotting Kevin trailing after his tutor like he was trying to work up the courage to speak with her. He was too slow, though; Alana accepted another man’s offer to dance. Meanwhile, Theresa flirted with a young man from the Indigo Order. Karl and Connor were drooping, having eaten half the buffet table by themselves; I sent them to their quarters to sleep it off.

  I spotted Tobiah and James not quite concealed by a hanging banner, and made my way toward them. “This isn’t the time.” The king’s voice was low. Anxious.

  “Then when? I realize it’s not a priority, but I want to investigate what happened.” James’s hand breezed over his stomach.

  “I’m not sure.” Tobiah drew him toward the public again. “After all of this is done with . . .”

  “Dance, Your Highness?” Prince Colin stood directly behind me. The swelling music did nothing to conceal the dislike in his voice.

  I spun to find him wearing his typical sneer. He held out a hand, mocking me.

  If I declined, what would he do? What kind of show would he make? I was trying to give the impression I was cooperating with the Indigo Kingdom. But if I accepted and later it came out that he’d been in my room the other night, what would people assume?

  Did it even matter? What would Melanie suggest?

  “I have a proposition for you,” he said. “I’m willing to give you Aecor.”

  I didn’t move. “You’re lying.”

  “Very well. I’ll just stand here and let everyone see you snub me.”

  “I’m sure no one will blame me.” I started to turn away, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

  “It’s a good offer, Your Highness.”

  I pitched my voice low and dangerous. “If you do not remove your hand from me, I will remove it from you.”

  A smile sliced across his face. “Wouldn’t that bring talk?”

  People around us were beginning to notice our exchange. A few lifted eyebrows. Kevin paused his pursuit of Alana Todd.

  “Dance with me, Your Highness, or I promise you will never retake your kingdom.”

  My stomach turned over, but everyone was watching now. I caught James take a step forward, and Tobiah motion him back.

  “Very well.” Because I wouldn’t let them see me weak. “One dance. Make your proposal quick. And do not touch me again.”

  Prince Colin pulled away and bowed, and on the dance floor, he placed his hands behind his back.

  I buried my fists in my skirts and tried to ignore the stares of surrounding nobility. “Well? You have until the end of this dance.” The waltz was halfway through, thank saints. And while it was awkward, uncomfortable even, to dance with our hands down, I would not let him get closer than a low speaking voice would carry.

  “You want Aecor Territory returned.”

  “You know I do.”

  “And I would be happy to return it to you—in exchange for a piece of information.”

  The room suddenly seemed too cold, but I kept my tone mild. “I doubt I’ll be able to help you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you can. It has to do with my nephew and his miraculous recovery. I’m so pleased, you understand. I was afraid I might lose a nephew in addition to a brother, but by Terrell’s memorial, he seemed quite well.”

  “We’re all fortunate His Majesty’s injuries were not as dire as announced. Unfortunately we weren’t able to flush out Patrick Lien, but he’s no longer in the city, and no longer a threat to King Tobiah’s life.”

  “I wouldn’t say that, Your Highness. My people in Aecor Territory inform me that Lien is not heading for the locations presumed by Captain Rayner’s, ah, intelligence.”

  The list of resistance groups Melanie had left flitted through my mind. Had she been wrong? Had Patrick caught her? Or . . . No, I couldn’t believe she would play both sides. Not after everything we’d been through.

  Prince Colin could be lying.

  “Lien remains a threat,” said Prince Colin. “And I think we both know what he wants. What you want, too.”

  To declare myself queen.

  “I’m willing to give you that opportunity. Save your kingdom the war. Save the Indigo Kingdom from fighting both the wraith and your people.”

  Loathing surged through me. This was a man with no shame, and no sympathy for the people in either kingdom. Not for the soldiers who’d be fighting the war, and certainly not for the civilians who’d be caught in the middle. “If you’re so concerned, why angle for an exchange? Why not just acknowledge my birthright?”

  “It’s never wise to give away something valuable.” He glanced toward Tobiah and Francesca. “Not without certainty of receiving something more valuable in return.”

  “And that would be?”

  “My prize is none of your concern.” He stopped moving as the music ended. “I suppose we’re out of time.”

  “What exactly do you want to know?” My heart pounded as we stepped off the dance floor. The hum of conversation kept us from being overheard, but still I caught questions in the eyes of my friends.

  “My man saw you the morning after the shooting. He said you nearly killed him.” Prince Colin smiled again. “He saw my nephew standing when, hours before, I’d seen a hole in my nephew’s stomach. I want to know what happened.”

  “Nothing happened.” Lying, at least, had always come easy. I gave away nothing.

  “I know you have no love for my nephew, Princess. It’s such a small thing to trade for your kingdom.”

  Meaning if I told him what Connor had done, he’d use the information to malign Tobiah and take the Indigo Kingdom—a much better prize than Aecor, at least until the wraith arrived.

  But if I didn’t, he’d believe it confirmation of what he hinted to Meredith earlier.
>
  Meredith, who hadn’t budged when he’d approached her. She was stronger than I’d realized.

  When Prince Colin saw us together tonight, having gotten nothing out of her earlier, he’d decided to change tactics with his other target: offer me the thing I wanted most, rather than try to frighten me from it.

  “What you saw the night of the shooting was your nephew feigning sleep, and covered with cosmetics,” I said. “It was an illusion meant to fool everyone. We hoped news of his condition would put Patrick at ease, making him easier to capture.”

  The music began for another dance, and couples moved toward the floor again.

  “I see.” Prince Colin smoothed the sleeves of his jacket. “That’s not what I was expecting to hear, but if you decide to change your answer, the offer stands until”—he seemed to think—“winter solstice eve.”

  The day before Tobiah and Meredith got married.

  “Good evening, Your Highness.” With that, he slithered off to harass someone else.

  Manners dictated I stay until the twenty-third hour, so I dodged questioning glances and spent time with the buffet, which would never be the same after Carl and Connor. But as soon as the clock struck, I found Tobiah—who was speaking with his mother, Meredith, and her parents—and offered my congratulations before I left. And because he was already engaged in conversation, he could not pursue me.

  Sergeant Ferris, of course, strode only two paces behind me. “Your Highness, it’s not my place to ask—”

  “Then don’t ask.”

  He was silent the rest of the way to my door, and there he bade me good night.

  It was there, on the interior side of my door, that I found a black envelope pinned to the wood. It was thick with paper: a long reply to my last note to him.

  A bubble of laughter formed in my chest as I freed the letter and found a chair by a light.

  Wilhelmina,

  James is always telling secrets about me, isn’t he? Though some truly are lies. You’ve seen me fight with a sword. And have you ever seen me chew with my mouth open? No, not once. What a horrible gossip James is. Why are we friends? I’ll have to begin searching for a new best friend. If you’re interested in applying for the position, I’ll need your referrals and a testimony of your honesty—