She was beginning at the two hundred metre range. Carefully, with the entire guard watching and judging her, she fit and arrow to the string, sighted down its length, and fired.
None of us needed to trudge down to the target to see that the arrow had obviously hit the centre. I allowed myself a small smile.
“Too easy,” Eleanora called. “What else?” The guards made her move to the next range, three hundred metres, and then four hundred and fifteen. Each time she effortlessly fired, hit the centre and then turned back to the guards as if to say ‘what now?’
Next, they brought forward the straw dummies they used for target practice, much like the ones Jett would have us use back at the Academy. However, these seemed to be made of tougher material, and I felt anxiety bite at the back of my throat. Eleanora would have a tough time getting an arrow to lodge in one of these.
She was assessing the situation, her expression unreadable. I saw her carefully feel along her bow, and then nudge out a small piece of wood with her finger.
I was right! She’d made a bow with two nocking points… could she really fire two arrows at the same time? The guards were whispering amongst themselves, straining to see what she was doing. She confirmed their suspicions as she drew two arrows from her quiver and fit them to the string.
She fired quicker than anyone could follow. One arrow lodged directly where the mannequin’s heart would be, while the other impaled the throat. Even from where I stood, I could see the razor sharp point protruding out the other side.
I looked to Griffin. He was nodding without realising it, his eyes fixed on the blonde. I recognised the look in his eyes. He wanted her.
And not just for his guards. The realisation came with a bit of a jolt, and I shook myself from my reverie. They would be a good match. Eleanora deserved to be happy.
“What are your thoughts?” I asked him, wrestling down a hot feeling in my chest.
“She’s an excellent archer. She will fit in well.”
Eleanora was walking back to us, suspecting that her testing was over.
“Congratulations,” Griffin said as she met us. “We’d love to have you aboard.” She nodded, trying not to look too pleased. The other guards were shuffling over to introduce themselves. She met my eyes and nodded slowly. I smiled back at her as she began to show the other archers her bow. I turned to Griffin.
“I’ll be heading back in now,” I told him. “Though I do think this has been quite a success, wouldn’t you say?” “It’s still rather early to make that assessment, but yes, I do think Eleanora has what it takes to fit in. I’ll keep you posted on her progress.”
“Do that,” I responded, nodding. I walked slowly back towards the palace, savouring the warm weather and my solitude. Morri swooped down from the stormy skies to alight on my bare shoulder and began to preen a loose bit of hair back behind my ear.
“I’ve missed you lately,” I told him, heading down a path that would take me to one of the gardens with a stream. “Remember when we were merely student and bird?”
He peeped and then sighed a little bird sigh. I stroked his glossy black feathers absentmindedly as we emerged in a small garden, with rocks set about in a semi circle near the small creek, which burbled along from origins unknown. I sat on one of the rocks, enjoying the smell of the wet dirt and foliage. I tugged off my formal slippers and wriggled my toes through the thick grass as Morri set about tugging the jewelled pins from my hair until it all fell loose. I watched the bird shove all of the pins into his maw, then, with a muffled goodbye peep, take off and fly unsteadily over the trees.
“Maybe he has a lady friend to impress.” Someone said, and I almost fell off of my rock as Phoenix stepped through the plants. He sat on the rock next to me with a sigh.
“How was court?” I asked.
“Exhausting,” he replied, his eyes closed. “But you will enjoy it.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there today.”
“What were you doing again?” I quickly told him about Eleanora’s appointment to the city guard. He looked down in shame as I mentioned her name.
“There’s something I haven’t told you about her,” he mumbled finally, when I finished. “Something that I’m so ashamed of, but I think you need to know.”
“Phoenix,” I said, and he looked up. “I know you took her magic.”
He exhaled heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Dena and the others told you?”
“Of course they did,” I replied. “I think you need to speak with Eleanora about this.”
“I will. And you need to tell Dustin that his soul mate is in the city.”
“I think I’ll leave that decision to Eleanora. She’s had a rough time lately.”
I saw regret cloud his eyes again.
“If I could give it back,” he whispered. “I’d do it in a heartbeat.” “I know you would,” I said, covering his hand with mine. “But you can’t change the past. And by putting these laws in motion to protect the non-magi, she and all of the others will be better off. But Phoenix,” he looked up at me. “You need to talk to her. You need to apologize from the bottom of your heart and put yourself at her disposal. You need to get on your knees and beg for her forgiveness, because what you did,” I took a shaky breath. “What you did, was an abomination.”
He nodded, clasping my hands in his. “I will. You’re absolutely right.” He leant over and kissed me tenderly. “What would I do without you?” he whispered against my lips.
“Probably live a happy, stress free life,” I said, grinning.
He laughed, taken aback.
“I highly doubt it,” he responded. “And actually, I’ve been doing some thinking about that lately.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, still smiling but slightly confused. He was silent for a few moments, the only sound in the small garden being the burbling of the stream and the wind rustling the leaves on the trees around us. He was still holding my hand tightly, and so I felt him begin to tremble.
“Phoenix?” He took a deep breath and then slid to the ground, to one knee. Still holding my hand, he slid his other one into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet box. I’d gone numb, expecting him to burst out laughing any second and present me with a toffee or chocolate or something else he’d find funny.
But he didn’t laugh, or smile, or give me anything that would indicate that he was joking around. Instead, he held the little box in his free hand and looked up at me.
“Sky. My Queen. The love of my life. You are so full of fire and light that no one else can compare to you. You are the fire in my soul. And I’m hoping that you’ll do me the honour of becoming my wife.”
He let go of my hand and opened the box slowly. The ring was a band of embroidered silver with a single diamond perched neatly in the middle. It was the most elegant piece of jewellery I’d ever seen.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Of course.” He slid the ring onto my shaking finger and then kissed me passionately just as the first rumble of thunder rolled through the clouds overhead.
~Chapter Twenty-Two~
Phoenix and I spent the next month happily engaged. We had taken to sleeping in the same chamber, and every time my father pouted about it I waved my engagement ring in his general direction.
The people of Castor and the rest of Lotheria were overjoyed. Their King and Queen were going to be married. I, more than anyone else, had felt their sigh of relief.
This time there would not be a war. Whilst an exact date for the wedding hadn't been set, that hadn't stopped my mother and Yasmin from furiously planning it. Rain had rolled her eyes along with me every time they came up with a new plan, and Dena and Theresa found the whole thing hilarious.
Dustin had congratulated me cordially before sweeping me into a big hug, Ispin had been so excited that he’d almost bowled Dustin over in his efforts to hug me, and Petre had formally threatened Phoenix with
disembowelment if he so much as looked at another woman,
before sweeping away to tell my mother and Yasmin that their choice of decorations were ‘ghastly’.
A few days after the month anniversary of our engagement, I was sitting in the shade watching the boys spar in the practice arena. Sammy sat next to me, one hand clutching the fabric of my dress. We laughed as Dustin floored Petre using his sceptre, but my mind was on something else.
“Samlin,” I said to the mageling sitting beside me. “When I was leaving your estate, you mentioned lightning.” I looked down at him, meeting his curious little gaze. “Why did you mention lightning?”
“Because you have it in your veins,” he replied simply. “It’s there with your magic, almost the same, but different.”
“I have lightning in my veins?”
“Yes.”
He was so sure, so certain, that I didn’t think for even a second that he was making it up.
“Do you know what happened when the old Governor made me fight to prove that I was the Queen?”
“You called lightning down from the clouds and blew the other man up.”
Any other time I would’ve laughed at his literal explanation.
“I did. Is that what you meant?”
“The lightning recognised you as its own. It wanted to help.”
I was becoming more confused by the second.
“Can you see it?” I asked. “The lightning in my skin?” “Yes,” he nodded. “Like I can see that your eyes are green and your hair is brown. There are little sparks all inside you.”
The art of magic testing was beyond me. I knew that children born in Lotheria were tested when they reached the age of four, but that was where my knowledge ended. Was that what Sammy was doing? Was he going to grow up to be a magic tester?
Struck by sudden inspiration, I looked at Phoenix, who was sparring with Ispin.
“What do you see in the King?” I asked quietly.
Sammy focussed on Phoenix for a few moments, his little features drawn and stark. “Darkness,” he said finally, and shuddered. My heart began to flutter in my chest. “There is something in his veins... it’s not magic, but it pulls at the light. It’s darkness.”
I looked at Phoenix again. Could this darkness be what made it possible for him to steal Eleanora’s magic? If so, what did that mean? Would it manifest?
Would he do it again? “Come play with us, Your Majesty!” Ispin yelled from the dirt, having just been knocked down by Phoenix. The good hearted fellow was having a laugh instead of being annoyed that he’d just been ground into the floor by his monarch.
I laughed but waved away the invitation. I was feeling warm and lazy, sitting in the shade with Samlin. We had a pitcher of lemonade between us and some sugar biscuits, most of which had been demolished. As I watched Phoenix and the others, a golden feeling spread itself over my skin; I was finally content. I had the man I loved, a group of friends that meant the world to me, and I’d caught my parents sneaking back in from the city just the other night. They’d been out having dinner together and reminiscing about their time at the Academy.
But at the same time, there was a little seed of worry. I was engaged to Phoenix, and so sure that I loved him, but at the same time I remembered what Jett and Matilda had told me. We were cursed to fall in love. So was our engagement the result of a three thousand year curse, or our genuine love for each other?
Every day I worry about the former. That evening, Phoenix and I dined with the members of our council. This week marked the first week that my non-magi laws went into effect. For the past month, I’d been plagued with nobles and landlords complaining about losing their staff. Scores of them had filtered into the throne room when we held court, to say their piece and plead their case. I’d said the same thing to every single one of them.
“Slavery is dead.” When the palace servants had received their first weekly wages, they hadn’t known what to do with them. Eventually one of them came up with the idea of ordering a large casket of mulled wine, and thus one of the biggest parties this palace had ever seen began. All over the city, similar celebrations had been held, and the city guard had been kept busy.
That night was the first time that I’d been unsure that I had done the right thing. The morning after, I assisted with the cleanup and healing, as several riots had broken out. I discovered later that most of the instigators were nobles, stung with losing their slaves. I’d rounded up those responsible and had them tossed into the prisons reserved for the roughest types of criminals. I wanted to show that no one was untouchable, no matter their status or monetary value. Lord Meric had been shut into a Coffin Cell when I’d heard that he had led the rioters. He was still in there.
The council members had informed us that the nonmagi’s celebrations were finally coming to a halt, and many of them had opened bank accounts within the city to deposit their wages. Griffin had already told me that he had been inundated with requests to join the city guard; Eleanora had served as an inspiration to all of them.
She and Griffin had officially become an item a few days previous. I congratulated her with a tight feeling in my chest that I couldn’t pin point. I was yet to see to Griffin since he’d told me about the non-magi’s requests. For some reason, I couldn’t face him.
As life continued along in Castor, with Phoenix and I settling into our roles as betrothed monarchs, I couldn’t help but feel we were still missing a lot of answer to our questions. I mulled it over for a few days, before approaching Phoenix.
“I agree,” he said solemnly. “I’ve been thinking about it as well. We need to address the situation immediately.” And so, a few days before our engagement party, we set off with a small group for the Academy to reorganise our former school’s leadership.
The ride back seemed to take less time than travelling to Castor. As the environment became familiar again, I expected to feel some sort of relief, but all I felt was consternation at being away from my city. By the time the Academy itself came into view, I was ready to turn around and head back.
My ladies in waiting chattered amongst themselves as our horses were taken care of. I’d finally managed to pick which daughters I wanted. Arianta, Nillia and another girl named Sojaya from House Esper had made the cut, and now escorted me whenever I left the palace.
Sojaya was from a house in Sudafrae, and I’d been curious to find out more about her country. Her ebony skin made a beautiful contrast to her maroon eyes, and like the performers I’d seen on my first night in Castor, she had piercings and tattoos to match her culture. A small silver chain ran from her nose piercing to one in her ear lobe, and she’d told me it was her betrothal chain. She hadn't believed me when I showed her my engagement ring and told her what it was.
While Arianta and Nillia preferred to wear gowns of Lotherian design – tight bodice with a flowing skirt – Sojaya wore her traditional garb of long silken robes. I’d watched her tie them one morning, mesmerised by the skill needed to turn one piece of cloth into an outfit.
When she’d showed me her chosen weapon, a curved broadsword, I’d needed no more convincing. And so, Sojaya joined my ladies.
As had Nemoidia. Phoenix had asked me to take her on, as a personal favour. He seemed to like having his childhood friend around again, but I hadn't missed Nemoidia’s smirk when I’d formally asked her to join my ladies.
We were met at the door by Professor Watt. She greeted us warmly, as though trying to erase my last memories of her.
“Would you like to see the students?” she asked as she led us into the castle. “I wouldn’t want to distract them from their studies,” I replied, looking around. It felt like eons had passed since I’d last been here. “You know who we want to see.”
“We’ll wander the grounds, Your Majesty,” Sojaya said lightly. “Send someone when you require us again.”
I nodded sagely as they headed out to the grounds, Nemoidia following like a misguided puppy. Professor Watt’s mouth had tightened into a narrow line, but without another word, she led us towards the stair
s. As we descended into the dark bowels of the Academy, Phoenix clutched my hand briefly, sensing my nervousness. I nodded back up at him.
Iain and Netalia had seemingly gotten used to their imprisonment. Without their magic, they didn’t have a hope of escaping their cells. Someone had given them each a cot to sleep on, rather than the floor, and Iain even had a writing desk, which he was working at when Professor Watt led us before their cells.
“Well well,” Iain didn’t even look up from his desk. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Netalia ignored us, sitting on her cot with all the dignity she could muster behind bars.
“We have some questions,” I began. “And we’d like you to answer them.”
“And why should we?” Netalia asked, her voice cold.
I pulled my travelling cloak tighter around my shoulders. “Because if you don’t, I can make life a lot more uncomfortable for you,” I replied easily. “For example, have you heard of Coffin Cells? They’re these wonderful little contraptions that we have in Castor. I’ve already made good use of them with some of my less co-operative nobles.”
Iain kept writing, seemingly non-plussed, but Netalia had dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Now,” I said. “Shall we?”
“What do you want to know?” Netalia asked grudgingly. “Why can’t soul mates fall in love?” I asked. I’d been wondering this for weeks. “Why were Phoenix and I banished?”
“No doubt you’ve both been informed of the logistics behind your crowns,” Netalia answered. “And therefore have been told that you were both cursed to fall in love.”
Phoenix and I shifted uncomfortably. We didn’t like when it was brought up. “One of the most telling signs of who our usurpers would be was the students that fell in love. So we made it taboo to fall in love with your soul mate,” Netalia shrugged as though it was no big deal. “The ones that did anyway, we banished, just in case.”
I could feel cold anger simmering under my skin, but didn’t let it show on my face.
Soul Blaze Page 18
