by Nina Walker
“Faulk,” I said, “can we please get this nice family tickets for tomorrow’s exhibition?”
I turned to meet her steely gaze, her fake smile still plastered on her face. It didn’t stop me from adding, “please,” in a feathery sweet voice. By now, I’d become used to being on Faulk’s bad side. The crowd liked me, so did the camera. They oohed and awed over my question, my public support of a simple family.
“Unfortunately, we already vetted the exact number of live attendees,” she said slowly.
“Oh, but there must be something I can do,” I challenged with a coy smile, winking at the family. I added, “I am Prince Lucas’s betrothed, after all. That has to count for something.” The crowd laughed jovially. The camera slid closer.
There was a long, weighted pause as everyone waited for Faulk’s reply. Finally, she nodded. “Fine. I’ll see to it that they get four tickets.” She smiled out toward the onlookers, “But no more.” They laughed, and she leaned in toward me, “Now, it’s time for us to go.”
“Oh, thank you so much,” the mother called as we walked away. Her boys waved their hands so wildly, I was sure they were going to smack someone in the face. I beamed and waved back, following the last of the group into the fancy hotel. Dad laughed under his breath.
“What?” I asked him quietly.
He shook his head, the smile soft on his lips. “I’m proud of you. You’ll make a fine queen, if it comes to that.”
If it comes to that. My heart burned in my chest, conflicted.
The moment we were away from the cameras, Faulk turned on me. “What was that?” she seethed, eyes bulging, that youthful smile now twisted into an angry grimace.
I shrugged. I’d just achieved something important. I’d not only undercut Faulk, but I’d furthered my approval rating with the people. Richard would love that. And if I wanted to get closer to him, I’d need to get Faulk out of the way.
“You do not get to make the rules,” she spat. “You do not get to flex any kind of power. You are here to look pretty and smile and that is it.”
I blinked innocently. “Whatever you say, boss.”
She huffed and stormed away, a brigade of wannabes hot on her heels. I caught Dad’s knowing expression and winked.
“That’s my girl,” he whispered under his breath. I slung my arm through his and leaned in. Maybe we were going to be okay, after all.
The room was dark and cool, the air-conditioning causing a chill to spread over my exposed arms and legs. I shifted in my too-short dress. The flashing of the photographers’ lights momentarily brought the room into illumination, followed by blinding darkness.
I sat in the front row, lines of chairs behind me filled all the way back to the end of the huge room. It was even bigger than the largest ballroom back at the palace, and whenever I turned around to look, the overwhelming amount of people staring back shocked me.
Such a long trip over, and so far, we’d never even left the hotel. The exhibition was being hosted in the same location as our rooms. At least when I’d been ushered down here, Dad got to sit right behind me. His nearness was the only comfort I had at the moment. But since Richard and Lucas were on either side of me, and all around us were Royal Officers and Color Guardians, that comfort wasn’t enough.
I shivered as I watched the guards and soldiers lining the walls.
“Don’t worry,” Lucas leaned in and whispered into my ear. His closeness brought a mix of warmth and worry careening through me. I still didn’t know how to settle on one emotion when it came to him. “You’re not going to have to do anything but watch.”
I already knew that. Faulk had been very clear that the alchemists performing in the exhibition had trained for it and if I intervened in anything, she’d kill me.
“Okay,” I replied anyway. He shifted closer and kissed me gently on the cheek. I stiffened.
“For the cameras, remember?” he whispered, a trace of hurt in his voice. I reached out and laced his fingers through my own. My ring pressed against my finger. It was weird wearing an engagement ring. Earlier, Richard had handed it to me like it was nothing. Maybe it was. But when I’d slid it onto my finger, it had felt like everything.
Lucas frowned and glanced down at our hands, his face paling. “Where did you get that?”
I laughed quietly, but laughed all the same. Where did he think I got it? “Your father gave it to me this morning. Who do you think?”
His eyes darkened and flickered over to his father. Richard was busy talking to Faulk on his other side. “He should have had the decency to let me give it to you myself,” Lucas said bitterly.
“It’s okay,” I said, sighing and turning once more to look at the guests assembling in their seats behind us. Big mistake. I caught the eye of Celia. She sat with her family, just a few rows back and glared at me haughtily before looking away. Her mother said something and then all three of them turned toward me. A guilty pit formed in my stomach. I shouldn’t feel bad. She barely knew Lucas when they got engaged. Besides, I’d been coerced into our engagement.
“It was my mother’s,” Lucas said.
“What?” I turned back to him.
His expression became even darker. “The ring.”
“Oh–yeah, well, it’s beautiful,” I stammered. I’d had no idea it was Queen Natasha’s ring. Geez, Richard really was heartless.
Lucas released his hand from mine.
I studied the ring, admiring its beauty. It was silver, featuring a large circle diamond in the center with two rectangular green emeralds on either side. It sparkled like it had been dipped in glitter. It was perfect for someone like Queen Natasha. But on me, I wondered if it looked silly. Wasn’t seventeen too young to be engaged? Apparently, nobody else thought so. I caught a cameraman nodding at me, and I smiled proudly and flashed the ring.
“Time to get started,” Richard said and stood from his chair. Sitting so close to the King had me in fits of nerves, but as he left, I found those nerves multiplied. Within seconds, he climbed the stairs to the long rectangle stage in front of us. It had been assembled just for this event. A podium and attached microphone stood off to one side. With a few sweeping steps, he took his place behind it and smiled out toward the crowd. Dressed once again in his royal regalia, he was a sight to see. A sight I was entirely sick of. Better get used to it.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” his voice boomed over the microphone. “My beloved citizens across our prosperous kingdom, welcome.”
Applause rang out.
I clapped along but bit my lip in worry. When Richard held an audience, nothing good ever came from it. What would he do next?
“This exhibition will feature the incredible magic of color alchemy. Today, specifically, we’ll be showing you the power of yellow and green. These are two colors that our alchemists often use together in combat.”
With that, four of the alchemists surrounded the corners of the stage. All teenage boys. I recognized Dax immediately. His black, greasy hair that normally hung in his face was tied back. He grinned at his competitors, ready to pounce.
“Oh brother,” I mumbled.
“What?” Lucas asked.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
I snuck a look behind me to catch Dad’s eye. He rolled them, the silent exchange between us calming me for a moment. I chuckled and turned around. Lucas wasn’t looking at me anymore, his eyes were trained on the scene in front of him, his body tense.
The boys jumped at each other, engaging in combat without holding back. The yellow alchemy flowed around them, tendrils of strength. The crowd ate it up. Every time one of the alchemists pulled color from their stones, the energy in the crowd heightened. The alchemists were enhancing the magic as they continued hand-to-hand combat. They sent the magic out into the air, displaying it, before calling on it.
This was a show, after all.
The excitement that coursed through the crowd was palpable, like a collective pulse that rose and rose with each blow.
Soon, two of the guys were knocked out. Officers swept in to drag them off the stage, leaving Dax and one of his friends to finish the exhibition. Dax grinned, another blast of magic surging through him when he landed the final blow. His opponent’s body smashed against the stage with a dull thud, splitting the wood. He stood, staggered against the unevenness, and then crumbled in on himself.
Blood ran down Dax’s arm as he raised it into the air, victorious.
Richard had long since removed himself, beaming with heady satisfaction from the sidelines. The stage was destroyed. Dax jumped off the edge onto the floor, coming to stand in the center of the room. I could smell the salty sweat and hear his labored breath as he stood only feet from me.
His friends were now laid out on the carpet. They weren’t dead, but the slick blood and swollen bruises that covered them was enough to make bile rise to the back of my throat.
“That’s enough fighting,” Richard’s voice rang out. He stood at the side of the room, the microphone tight in his grip, as he strode to join Dax. I sunk further into my seat. “Now please, show them how green is done.”
An officer hauled a potted plant over to us.
“Now, this is something to watch closely,” Richard said and nodded to Dax.
Dax smirked at the closest camera as he grabbed a large palm frond. The crowd of people stood, everyone vying for a better look. But now that there wasn’t much of a stage, they didn’t have a good view anymore. Someone must have thought of that because even though I had a perfect view, nearly every other head in the audience turned toward a ten-foot screen that was off to one side of the room. It displayed the alchemists in a clear view, zooming in close on Dax’s hand as he manipulated the green leaf. The green color wafted out in strings of iridescent magic, spinning in the air above his bloodied hands. With the quick flick of his wrist, he sent the magic to his friends. It soaked into their skin like water, gone.
Broken bones straightened into place. Oozing blood stopped. Pale faces returned to normal. One-by-one, they blinked and sat up.
“It’s a miracle,” someone called from the back. And that was it; the room was swamped in the chaos of applause. People talked over each other, the noise rising, as the realization of green alchemy stoked what was already an excited fire.
“There you have it,” Richard said, his voice booming over the crowd. “That is yellow and green alchemy. That is the reason our soldiers will survive and thrive on the warfront. They have magic at their aid, to make them stronger and keep them healthy.”
How much of that was actually true? There were a lot of alchemists out at war right now, but how many of them were helping everyday soldiers?
“For those of you looking for adventure, for a noble cause, this is it,” Richard continued. The gold buttons on his jacket gleamed as he leaned toward the camera. His salty black hair, his steel gray eyes, his square jaw, trusting smile, tailored royal clothing, everything about him seemed perfect. “Join our war, avenge our queen, spread the truth, and do something you can be proud of.”
Again, the crowd burst into applause.
“Thank you, and goodnight!” Richard boomed once more through the microphone. I startled, letting the gravity of it sink me deeper into my chair. I glanced at Lucas from the corner of my eye. He was expressionless. Unreadable.
Did he agree with his father? Did he want this, too?
It was over. Just in time, too, as I was beginning to shake, the frenzied kind I couldn’t control. Get back to the room, get away from all these people, and you’ll be fine.
They had no idea of the costs of magic, not when it was controlled by a man like Richard. I shook the thoughts away and focused on Faulk. She’d taken Richard’s microphone. “Everyone, please rise and stay in your places so that the royal family can be escorted from the room first.”
I stood, but Lucas’s warm arm quickly threaded through mine.
That’s me. I’m the royal family now.
Richard led us down the center aisle. We smiled and strode to the back of the room. Hundreds of eyes followed. A camera, too. My cheeks burned. My jaw ached. My dress felt even tighter than I remembered, and I ran my hand down the black sequins, finding the roughness somehow soothing.
“Can you use that green magic on more than just people?” a voice bellowed.
Richard stopped, his shoulders tensing under his jacket. A wave of panic rushed through me. We turned to the man who dared speak. He stood tall, a tense look about him. It was the same bearded man from yesterday, his wife and children sitting next to him. They were gaping as they stared up at him, as if speaking out wasn’t something they expected of their father. From the way his eyes shifted, I thought maybe he was just as surprised as they were.
Oh please. Please be careful what you say to Richard.
“Do not address your King like that,” Faulk said, striding to stand next to Richard. She glared at the man, one hand resting on the gun at her hip. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty.” She swung back to Richard. “I thought we properly vetted everyone and coached them on what was and wasn’t allowed here tonight. Well, we did, but then Jessa invited this family and—”
“Hush.” Richard put up a hand. She shrunk and stepped back, silenced, her glare shooting to me. How was I to know the man would do that?
“Yes,” Richard said to him, “to answer your question, we can use it on any living thing, depending on the severity of the wound. We can’t heal disease or bring back the dead.”
“But crops? Can you heal crops?” He raised his chin.
The crowd had completely quieted.
“We can, and we have.”
“My entire crop died earlier this year. Not just mine, but the whole area was hit with early frost. Thousands of acres were lost, and our pay was cut. Where were your alchemists then?”
The room stirred uncomfortably.
A couple of the cameramen who’d come up behind us, filming the whole exchange, turned away. Richard was completely still. “We didn’t arrive in time, unfortunately. But rest assured, we would have helped if we could have.”
The man blinked, as if suddenly coming to realization as to where he was and whom he was addressing. He’d been brave, but now he bowed quickly, muttered a thank you, and sat down. As we filed from the room, I was certain he wasn’t the only farmer in there.
I couldn’t smile about it. But I wanted to. I wanted to champion those families and challenge the King myself.
“Find out who that man is,” Richard said to Faulk once we were alone, “and punish him accordingly.”
“Father!” Lucas chastised, stepping forward. In the brightness of the lobby, he looked even more like his father. The two were dressed almost identically but that was only where it started. “Punishment is hardly necessary. First of all, you had to expect there to be questions after the exhibition. Secondly, he was right! We didn’t come to their aid. Or did you forget about that already?”
Richard and his son stared each other down.
“It doesn’t matter,” Richard finally replied. “He can’t talk to me that way. Nobody can.”
Lucas shook his head.
“No, it’s my fault this happened,” I said. “I invited that family here. Faulk didn’t vet him, didn’t coach him. He just saw the green alchemy and like Lucas said, he had questions. Please don’t punish him. That will only make it worse. You’re doing this to get the people to like alchemy, right?”
There was a long pause as Richard turned silvered eyes on me. A chill ran down my spine, but I held his gaze. “I’ll consider it,” he finally replied.
I nodded. “Please, do, Your Royal Highness.” I sunk low into a curtsy, something I rarely did for Richard. But I was playing a game, and part of that was appealing to his arrogance.
“We leave first thing in the morning,” Richard said to his son. “I’m tired of this place already. The rest of them can follow on the train in our wake.”
We began to move toward the bank of gleaming elevators.
“Sir.” Faulk cleared her throat. “I have something I have to tell you. I’m afraid you’re not going to like it.”
Richard’s already angry face turned beet-red. “Out with it, Faulk!”
The elevator dinged, and the door opened. We all stepped inside, the four of us and two other officers who I recognized as Richard’s personal bodyguards. We were crammed inside. Richard’s growing irritation made the space even smaller.
“I think I’d better wait until Jessa is back in her room.” Faulk sneered at me.
Something burned deep inside my chest.
“I think Jessa might have more logic in her pretty little head than you do in your entire department, lately,” Richard snapped.
Faulk paled. “We lost Sasha,” she said bluntly. “Or Frankie.”
The doors closed, and we began to rise. Nobody said a word. Mirrors surrounded us on all sides, so nothing was hidden. Only Richard and myself had any measure of surprise on our faces, as if the rest of the party already knew this information. I studied Lucas, biting my lip.
“What are you talking about?” Richard finally asked. Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him.
“She escaped,” Faulk said.
There was a long pause. “How?” Richard asked darkly, his hands forming into tight fists at his side.
“We still haven’t figured it out, but we have to assume with magic.”
“When?”
“The night I left to come here.”
The door opened and chimed. We’d reached our floor. One of the guards placed his hand over the elevator door so it wouldn’t close, but still, nobody made a move to leave.
Finally, Richard spun on me.
“Did you do this?” he growled.
My jaw dropped. I hadn’t seen Sasha in days.
“How could she?” Lucas questioned. His sturdy frame blocked me from the rest of the group. “She was traveling to get here. So was her father.”
Faulk and Richard both glared at me.
