by Nina Walker
I didn’t have a chance to connect with Jessa. I’d spent hours going over things in my head. I still didn’t have any solutions. I needed to talk to Jessa, so I’d gone to our usual spot in the greenhouse, but she wasn’t there. I’d even gotten desperate enough to knock on her dorm door. No one had answered. I resigned to the fact that she wanted to be alone, recovering from the purple test failure. I hated the image that conjured in my mind. I should be able to comfort the woman I loved. Everything was falling apart, and the fact that I was hopeless to stop it was destroying me.
Straightening my tux, I gritted my teeth and entered the ornate ballroom. Immediately, I looked for her. But there were no alchemists in attendance. Relief washed over me. Good. She didn’t deserve to witness the ridiculous spectacle that was about to take place. I took it all in: the people, the white linens, and tables overflowing with flowers and food. This was the last place I wanted to be.
The room was filled with New Colony’s nobility. Only the most powerful and respected families had been invited to this event. It made for a smaller party, smaller than what we were used to. But in light of recent events, it probably made us all safer. Many women sauntered around the room with glasses of wine and champagne. The service staff carried trays of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Everyone was dressed to impress. The younger women wore more revealing dresses than their mothers—all legs and cleavage and open backs, showing skin to get my attention. They had high hopes of catching a crown with this prince. To them, it was status that mattered most. I was good-looking and women liked that. Still, that was only a bonus. The crown was what everyone wanted most.
My father sat on his throne overseeing the party. I hated that thing. He loved it. It was made of cherry wood and red padded seats, raised on a platform at the far end of the room. Laughter and music filled the space, and a line of people were at his feet, waiting their turn to greet him. He caught my eye, and the laser focus of his gaze issued a challenge: behave and do what he wanted, or else.
Better get this over with…
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” I said to the closest woman who looked like she was here to get to know me. She was dressed in a skin-tight, black halter-top dress with an open back that left little to the imagination. Sleek red hair was tamed to perfection and an ungodly amount of black makeup was applied expertly around her green eyes. She was gorgeous. So what?
“Your Royal Majesty,” the woman replied with a coy smile. “I am Celia Addington, only child of the Duke and Duchess Addington. I’m embarrassed to say we’ve met before.”
“I’m sure I would’ve remembered you,” I replied politely. That wasn’t always true. I was used to women throwing themselves at me. It had been a normal occurrence ever since I hit puberty.
“Oh, we’ve met.” She winked.
“Right,” I responded dryly.
I stopped returning the attention pretty soon after I realized what these women and their parents were really after. An unplanned pregnancy was probably top of most of their lists, but it was bottom of mine. Some of them would do anything to trap the prince. The nobility of the kingdom lived in better conditions than anyone else. They really didn’t have room for complaint. But ambition ran in their blood—they were the descendants of the families who had helped put the Hearts on the throne, after all. For their service, they’d become the Dukes and Duchesses, Counts and Countesses, and all other forms of New Colony nobility. It was all part of the fun of living with a monarchy.
The woman was still hovering, expectant.
“I apologize. Please, dance with me and let me make it up to you.” I caught the approving eye of my father as I pulled her into a waltz. Ballroom dance had been just another class with another tutor, but I was an expert. I held her close, her name already forgotten, and tried to ignore the envious looks. This wasn’t a typical party like the alchemists had—theirs were a little more relaxed and fun. No, this was a parade for the court, to remind everyone how special we all were. It was also a total farce.
After the dance with the redhead, I found a brunette. Same dance. Same show. This one was named Harlow something-or-other. Then it was onto a couple of blondes and back to another brunette. Each dance started with a little bit of flirtation and ended with a swift kiss on the hand and a quick cold shoulder. Onto the next and the next I went. Only because my father was watching the entire thing. This was what he wanted. For me to meet the kingdom’s most eligible bachelorettes. By giving them each a few minutes of my time, I could meet them all, prove I wasn’t interested in any of them, and get on with my life.
Prince or not, I wasn’t going to allow my father to arrange my marriage. I would do what he wanted, flirt with the right girls, maybe lead a few on until I figured out how to get Jessa in my life permanently. Until that day, I would stay “single” as long as possible. In my mind, all I ever saw, all I wanted to see, was Jessa. She is the one.
My father stood and the music slowed and then stopped. Everyone bowed as his bellowing voice filled the room. Here we go again…
“My friends, I am delighted that you could be with us tonight. I hope you are enjoying yourselves,” Richard said. The crowd quieted at his voice, enraptured as he began his speech. “As you know, our great kingdom has been attacked. Twice. As we speak, our military and our Guardians of Color are gathering their forces and preparing to attack West America. We will take back what is ours!” The crowd cheered. “Keep your eyes open. Report anything suspicious to the proper authorities immediately. Traitors will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and if found guilty, they will be executed.” I clenched my fists, knowing full well that Thomas was below us as we danced. He was the biggest traitor of all, killing the queen, and he was not dead.
It made no sense. A flash of memory played in my mind. The way he’d tried to blame Jessa for his crimes. My mother’s dead body. She’d been struggling with excruciatingly painful migraines for years leading up to her death! Heat poured over me just thinking about it. He will pay. Be patient, Lucas. You’ll find a way to end him.
My father’s playful tone pulled me back to the present moment. “I hope you and your beautiful daughters take this time to relax before the battle ahead. Please, loosen up my son a bit, will you?” Everyone laughed, and the girls of the court giggled and shot me their most flirtatious smiles. “I don’t know about you, but I think it’s about time we had some merriment in this kingdom. My late wife, God rest her soul, wanted nothing in the world more than she wanted grandchildren.” I shifted, uncomfortable with where this was headed. “I’m an old man. I don’t plan on ever marrying again. However, it is my hope that we shall celebrate a royal wedding very soon.”
I didn’t often blush, but heat blossomed on my cheeks. What in the world does he think he’s doing?
“My son, so he has told me, is ready for a serious relationship,” Richard continued, a mischievous ring to his tone. He was using my feelings for Jessa against me, acting like it was all a big joke. “It is my deepest wish that he finds a bride in this very room.” A gasp of excitement rippled through the party as more applause broke out.
I glared at him for a brief moment before pasting a fake smile on my face and nodding. I was ready for a relationship all right—with a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed alchemist. Not a woman in this room. This was low. “Thank you, Father.” I laughed, going along with the game. For Jessa’s sake, and her sake only, I needed to keep my mouth shut. Because he knew how I felt about her. Because he’d threatened to send her away from me. Instead, I said, “I am sure I will choose the most worthy girl in this palace.” My words carefully constructed to dig back at him.
He paused for only a moment. “As you were.”
With the flick of his wrist, the party resumed, the atmosphere now entirely different. There was nothing fun about the hungry scent of ambition suffocating the Godforsaken ballroom.
I danced with more women than I could count. Probably between twenty-five and thirty, all within a few years of
my age. Most too young to be considering marriage. Even I was too young for that. It didn’t matter. They didn’t care about me. Not one person in that room bothered to ask me how I felt about it.
It was all for show. I wouldn’t be making any of these girls a queen. My father may be good at manipulating people. He may even be good at manipulating me. But he could not force me to marry.
Hours later, the last of the guests finally shuffled out the doors. I retreated from the ballroom. Forget this. I just want to find my girl.
Not that I needed reminding of how I loved her and she was the only one for me. But something about dancing with others left a hole in my chest that only she could fill. The first place I checked was her dorm room, but once again she wasn’t there. She must be feeling dejected after the purple test, but she couldn’t hide away forever. I didn’t think I could give her any more space. I needed to see her. To hold her and kiss her and forget about this night.
But when she wasn’t in our regular greenhouse spot either, or anywhere else in the public guardian areas, I had no choice. Time to give up. Frustrated, I headed back toward the royal wing of the palace. It had been a long day and an even longer night, and the exhaustion was beginning to wear on me. All I wanted was my bed and my dark cool bedroom.
The usual guards were standing outside the doors to our suite. But the added sight of a girl dressed head to toe in a black guardian outfit made my heart hammer. Okay, I’m awake!
“Jessa.” My body swallowed hers in a tight hug. She fit so perfectly in my arms, like she belonged there. She did belong there. “I’ve been looking for you all day. I’m so glad you’re here. You have no idea the hell I just endured.”
“Sorry. It wasn’t my best day ever, but I’m over it now and I wanted to see you. I know it’s stupid for me to come and find you here.”
“It’s fine. Do you know where I’ve been tonight?”
“No.”
I hated telling her; it would hurt her. But she hated secrets more. “My father threw a party for me. Well, not for me, but because of me.”
“What for?”
“He had all of the most important families parade their daughters.”
“For you?” She stepped back, her nose scrunching in annoyance. She bit her lip, and I was about ready to end the conversation there.
“Yes. Kind of. I never asked for it. It was for everyone but me. It was for him.” I took her hand and led her around the hallway corner and into a nearby alcove. It was after midnight and we were shrouded in shadows. It was dangerous, and, of course, those guards outside our wing could find us easily. But I figured by now all of the families had left the palace. Richard was probably in bed.
I kissed her, long and hard. She returned the kiss, equally invested.
“What are you saying?” Jessa whispered in a low voice, pulling back.
I might as well come out with it. “He wants me to get engaged to one of them.”
In the darkness, I could barely make out her face to gauge how upset she was. A small “Oh” passed her lips, and then she crumbled.
“It’s not like that,” I assured her, grabbing her hands. “You know how I feel about you. I won’t go through with it.”
“Are you ready to get married?” she whispered.
Was I? We were young, too young to be married. But it was different with royalty. There was a certain level of obligation to the country when it came to our marriages. I would be allowed to be a bachelor for a while. But before long I would have to have children. It was crazy to think about it, but it was the truth. It was how things were done. I wasn’t ready for kids. And marriage also seemed wrong at only eighteen. But when I looked at the girl before me, I felt calm about everything. She made me feel like when the time came, if she were at my side, it would be a happy day. More than happy. She made me feel like maybe marriage wasn’t such a bad thing.
A group of people approached, my father among them.
He walked down the hallway, talking to some advisor or other, laughing together. His laugh had an addictive quality. There was something about him that made people want to believe in him. A charisma that pulled others into his orbit. Made them want to follow him anywhere. Even into war. And if they didn’t? Well, they had magic for that.
Jessa shoved me from our hidden shadow and out into the hallway before Richard could see me. He was engaged in conversation, and it took him a moment to notice me standing there. When he sauntered over, he was grinning like he’d done me some huge favor.
“Well done, son.”
“Thanks,” I replied coolly.
“You had those women practically eating out of your hand.” He turned to his advisor, a mousy man I couldn’t remember the name of at the moment. “He’s always had a way with the ladies. Quite a scoundrel, this boy,” he joked. “Time he settled down.”
I grimaced, knowing this was the last conversation Jessa needed to be eavesdropping on. “I was only playing my part,” I said between gritted teeth.
They both laughed. “You loved every minute.”
“No. We need to talk about what happened tonight.”
“You’re quite right about that. Which one of those girls did you like best?” He smiled conspiringly. Who was this man? I was so unused to seeing him so…happy.
“Are you drunk?”
He bellowed, “Not at all. Okay, maybe a little. I’m just pleased with you, son. For once you didn’t fight me on something. And with a looming engagement on everyone’s mind, it will make the things we’re about to do much easier.”
“What things?”
“War. Among other things.”
“What other things?” I pressed.
“I’ve decided to go ahead and expand the shadow lands. We’ll see what the west thinks of us once we start draining their resources.” He said it in the same tone he’d used when planning my future engagement. The thought of literally destroying land, forever, made him happy. What was wrong with this man?
I shook my head. “Are you sure you want to do that? It’s such a waste. You know the shadow lands can’t be reversed.”
“It will be to our advantage.”
“But if you really believe we’re going to take over West America, then it makes for pretty inconvenient land for the future of New Colony.”
“Sacrifices must be made. Don’t question me, son,” he continued. “Anyway, you never answered my question. Which girl do you prefer?”
“You talk of them like they are cattle. Of course I won’t take any of them. You already know who I prefer.”
We stood toe to toe. All joy drained from his face, turning it from red to white, then red again. He didn’t scare me.
“What don’t you understand, Lucas? You need to cut it off with that…thing. Alchemists are unnatural. Do not get attached.”
“Too late,” I challenged.
He shook his head. “I’ve been doing this job for a very long time. Trust me when I say I know what is best in the future queen. Leave the alchemist alone and date somebody appropriate. If you don’t, I will do as I’ve said. I will remove her from your presence, from this palace. Don’t tempt me any further.”
With that final threat, he swept from the hallway, pulled the large set of doors open, and retreated into our home. His advisor scurried behind him and shut the doors before I could utter another word.
Worry washed over me as I moved back toward our hiding place.
Jessa stepped out from the shadows. Tears ran down her cheeks, and I nearly punched the wall.
“I have to go.” She pushed me aside.
“I don’t agree with him. You know that. I’ll do anything for you.”
“I can’t talk about this right now,” she choked.
“Please, Jessa. I’m with you. Don’t you trust me?”
She didn’t answer. She just rushed away, never once looking over her shoulder. Never once stopping to think that maybe this was hurting me just as much as it was hurting her.
My world
grew a shade darker.
9
Sasha
They are still prisoners.
The new recruits were out of prison or wherever West America had put them, but they were not free. I eyed Mastin warily. Trying to ignore someone like that wasn’t easy. He was so intense. Always watching as I trained the new alchemists, those green eyes never missing a thing. His posture appeared relaxed, but he wasn’t really. He was always ready to pounce. And the worst part? He had a gun.
Guns weren’t easy to come by out here, and they made most people a little more than uncomfortable.
“I don’t get this,” one of the recruits said loudly with a haughty pout. She was that preteen age that made her attitude extra special.
We were working on yellow and green the most. I didn’t have time to teach them everything, so I’d prioritized the easiest colors—which also happened to be useful in battle. Even then, things weren’t going that well. I wasn’t a miracle worker. I couldn’t teach inexperienced alchemists everything overnight. Most of them spent more time looking over their shoulders than paying attention to me.
“This is hard,” the preteen girl continued. “Why does it even matter, anyway?”
I figured if these people were going to fight, they’d need to know how to have extra strength and speed and how to heal wounds. Everything else would have to wait. It was such a disadvantage, but what was I supposed to say to her? The whole thing seemed ridiculous to me too.
“Remind me of your name?” I asked as I walked through the clearing of trees to stand at her side. She was one of the alchemists having the most trouble. It didn’t surprise me. I stared up at the sky for a moment, the problem grating on me. With the exception of Jessa, the older you were when you got started as an alchemist, the harder it was going to be. Most of the people here were adults, and truth be told, they weren’t great. But there were teens and even younger ones as well, yet they weren’t doing so hot either.
