"Viktor, I think the cuff is broken…"
Before I can finish, the lines on both my father's and mine pulled up, creating a spike. The worst part is when they turn inward and stab. I scream until there is so much weight on me that I can’t anymore. Talon rushes over and grabs my other hand, holding it tight. I use him as an anchor. Magic soars into me. So much more magic than I ever imagined. I look over as my father grows more and more ashen and screams. The weight increases and I know. Suddenly I know. The cuffs are stealing his blood magic and sending it to me. I haven't done anything; I haven't even activated the capping spell Avren had given me.
I look away from my father and up at Talon, trying to say something. I can feel my mouth open but nothing more than squeaks come out. It doesn’t matter. Talon looks panicked. He looks back to Viktor and I can imagine the yelling going on. But Viktor doesn't come over to check on me. He is not worried. That can only mean he knew it was going to happen. He and Avren planned this and hadn't told anyone, they hadn't asked me. They planned to rip my father's magic from him so it will find a place in me.
I look over at my father and see fear on his face. Never has he felt fear. In battle, he rushes in, sword drawn, magic blazing. He is a king. Kings don’t show fear. He has always told me the mark of a true royal is having no fear. He fears now. I look at him, likely with just as much fear on my face, and mouth sorry. I am not sure if he understands or not. His eyes roll back in his head and he collapses. Is he dead? Have Viktor and Avren killed my father?
There is one last blast and then it is silent. I can feel the magic inside ripping me apart. There is a reason no one steals magic from another. It kills you. The magic can’t be blended and put back in you safely. A body can only hold so much magic, even if you can find a way to blend it. Thoughts float in and out of my head as I try to stay conscious. Suddenly Talon is pulled away, and Viktor and Avren are in my line of sight.
"Elainne, can you hear me?"
I nod. Or I try. The anger in my eyes must alert them to what I am thinking.
"Avren is not a normal familiar, Elainne. He can handle the magic. Funnel it through him now or you will die."
I close my eyes and drop my head back. Of course. You funnel magic through a familiar. An Elvin king's magic would be too much for a normal familiar, but not a dragon, who is the essence of magic. I don’t want to do it. How can I accept that?
"Elainne, open your eyes and look at me."
I don’t and I get a slap on the cheek that hasn't been assaulted yet today.
"Elainne, if you die, everyone here will as well. My beast is only on a leash as long as you are alive. When you die, I will go insane and slaughter everyone. That’s a normal Kemp, imagine the damage one with dragon blood will do. Are you going to selfishly die and let everyone here die as well?"
I know what he is trying to do but I also know he is not lying. Kemps go insane when their charges die and Viktor is right, he has dragon blood, if he is unstable everyone will die. He senses my decision is made and moves so Avren can come as close as his giant head will allow. How did he get inside without making a hole?
"Close your eyes, my queen. Picture the magic as a breath of air that needs to be expelled from the lungs, release it and I will do the rest."
I do as he asks and heard a hum in his throat. I don’t open my eyes, but I feel the pressure lift and continue to push the air from my lungs until I feel normal again. I open my eyes and see the magic twining around Avren. The spring and emerald greens dance with his silvers, trying to crawl along the thread that connects us as master and familiar. He holds it in check but I am so close, it is very excitable. I turn my head, not able to look anymore. That is my father's magic. He can’t rule the Elves without it.
"Father…" I try to sit and can’t, so I crawl body on the floor to check on him. Talon runs over and checks his pulse.
"He lives. He is unconscious but he will live."
I breathe a sigh of relief but I know it still will not be safe for him here. How could this have happened? I finally make it over and grab his hand. The only time I feel pity for my father. He will hate it, and me, rightfully so.
Talon stands and goes over to Avren and Viktor.
"What the hell was that?"
"My father… they plotted to rip his magic from him and to give it to me."
Talon doesn’t even pause after hearing my whispered explanation before he punches Viktor. Viktor doesn’t defend himself. He lets Talon do it, then walks over to the mages who are standing there looking terrified and confused.
"Secure this room. No one comes in unless I say so. A servant will come in twenty minutes with food. Use magic to search it for poison. The princess eats first, then her father."
I have a feeling that they look to me for confirmation but I can’t think about anything except the chaos that will ensue. So many families fighting for the throne. My father nothing but a figurehead, or dead. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
"Father, wake up, please."
Talon comes over sitting next to me and starts whispering healing incantations on both of us. We are still bleeding where the cuffs dug into us. He also does cleansing spells to erase the blood. Blood can be used against you. I can't think straight. I can only focus on my father. Every time Talon does something, I will remember that I have other things to do, but I can’t now. That is not what is important.
"He will live, your highness."
I shake my head, not bothering to look at Talon. "He is a bastard. He was never kind but he raised me. I am strong enough to overcome everything because of him being so terrible and my mother being so kind. It was both of them that made me who I am."
"I know."
"Elves do not tolerate weakness. He cannot rule without magic. At best, he will be a tormented figurehead or killed. At worst… at worst they will make an example of him. Whoever makes the harshest example will rule next."
Talon doesn’t have to actively flinch for me to know he wants to. He heard from Aldamon what happens to those the Elves do not approve of. He can imagine the horrors.
"Maybe Viktor and Avren have a plan."
"Did you know, Talon?"
He sighs.
"No. I knew they planned the mission to… I mean no one wants casualties… but never this…"
I believe him. I have to, even if he doesn’t sound sincere. The two I trust most in this world just betrayed me. I need to believe Talon.
I am not sure how much later it is before Talon shakes my shoulder lightly, pulling me from my watch.
"You are needed. As the princess. I wouldn’t ask otherwise."
I look to the door, seeing Viktor standing in front of a servant, shaking his head no as the servant shakes enough to displace the plates on the tray he holds. Two mages hold him by the arms. I stand and stomped over, not bothering to hide my aura. It whips everyone with its anger. Talon doesn’t flinch but he is the only one. Well, Avren doesn’t either. He just lays there in the hall, eyes watchful and slightly curious.
"I am taking command. My father has been injured magically. You will bring healers to transport him to the medical wing. Keep in mind if anything, and I do mean anything, happens to him while he is there, I will kill everyone that has been in or out of this palace in the last month. Make sure the healers, guards, and nobles know that as well. I will be in charge until such a time as my father is well again. Assemble the council in the throne room. Have the healers treat everyone that needs it in the palace, no matter their station. Food is to be given to any who need it. I will meet with the council in an hour. My Kemp is in charge of the military until then. Treat him as you would my father's favorite general. Do not make me repeat myself."
He nods and backs out of the room. I turn to Viktor and see my eyes reflected in his. They are glowing, literally glowing. I am not sure if it is the dragon magic or my father's. I can feel both running along the tie, binding Avren and myself. If I need to, I can draw on it all and demolish the kingdom. Viktor
should be very afraid right now.
"Viktor, before taking command of the army, you and I will speak in my father's private office. Talon, you are in charge until Viktor relives you. Assign someone you trust to watch over the healer's rooms, to make sure that they follow my orders to help everyone."
Talon bows and pulls the mages from the door, yelling at them all for obeying Viktor without asking me anything. He will take charge and I can trust him to follow my orders. They feel allegiance to him.
Viktor follows me to my father's office. It won’t unlock for anyone but him so I blast the door off the hinges. Viktor doesn’t even blink. We go inside and I magically seal the sound from escaping.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?!"
He looks me in the eyes as he answers.
"I am your Kemp, Elainne."
"I know that…!"
"Do you? You say you do, but every time I follow the Kemp's creed you get angry."
"You are doing whatever you wish and using that creed as a scapegoat!"
"Elainne! Did you or did you not tell me that you wanted me to have the right to choose how far I was willing to stain my soul to spare yours?"
"Yes, but…"
"No buts. Yes. What is the Kemp's creed, Elainne?"
I feel almost sulky that he is pulling this crap. Instead, I project pissed.
"To be the sword and shield of the charge."
"Would you have killed your father, Elainne?"
I cross my arms, trying to stare him down. "I would have done what I needed to."
"Would you have killed him, Elainne?! You and I both know he would not have stopped unless he was dead or magicless. You could not do either. It was in your best interest if he was one or the other. I chose the one that kept him alive."
I drop my hands and sputter. "So, that’s it? I wasn’t going to be safe until he was powerless or dead, so you took matters into your own hands?"
He sighs, looking away for the first time. He rubs his temples before looking back at me. I have never seen him so serious.
"Elainne, I am your Kemp. Your wellbeing will always be the most important thing in the world to me. He was a threat and I had the means of eliminating it. I was not going to stand by when I could stop him and help you become more powerful at the same time."
"I don’t want more power!"
"That’s why you are the one that should have it! How do you not understand how corrupt this world has become?! You see the world and see its potential, and I love you for it! I love that you think everyone has good in them, but it is simply not practical or safe! You focus on making the world the place you think it can be and I will focus on making sure you survive your idealistic thoughts! I love you too much to let you die because you cannot kill others!"
His eyes and claws are out again. He means it. He loves me. He is panting, trying to get control back. What kind of love? Does he love me as I love him? As more than a charge?
"Viktor…"
He walks over, putting a finger to my lips, careful not touch my skin with the nail turning into a claw. His other hand caresses my cheek. I can’t look away.
"I love you, Elainne. The way someone loves a leader worthy of respect. The way someone loves a friend. But most importantly, I love you the way you love someone you want to spend your life with. You are such a pure soul. I will not let that be ruined the way the rest of us are. Your mother taught you everyone had good in them. It is what still connects you to her. I will not let you lose that. Even if I have to lose any chance of earning your love in return. I am going to be the perfect Kemp. I will make the decisions you cannot. I will give the commands you do not want to be real. I will stain my soul ‘til it is black and dying so yours remains pure. If you hate me for it, then I will have to live with that. But I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself trying to save the world from itself. Remember that before you order my death."
With that he walks away, leaving me staring into space. He is going to destroy himself. He is going to protect me and make decisions that will make me hate him. He will do it to save me from myself. How can I accept that? How can I live with that?
I said he was to make his own decisions. I just never thought they would be so different, so far, from my own. He is truly a Kemp now, but I feel like I have lost him in the process. He loves me and he is prepared to lose me before ever really having me.
He just walked off. He is ready to take control of the Elvin kingdom and I can do nothing but stare at what once was my father's hand-carved door. He doesn’t care that my life is turned on its axis, that it will never be the same again. My life… no, our lives… they will never be the same again. He has taken his place in the world and has told me how he feels. Now… now I have to decide what my life will be from here on out.
Chapter Fifteen
Talon
Viktor and her highness don’t come back for a while. I do as I have been commanded, then decide to take a look outside. Avren is circling overhead in the sky, reminding the capital that he is present and capable of great destruction. The fires are all out, thank goodness for magic, and the smoke is clearing. The only places that have been demolished looked to be of military importance. Viktor and Avren left the Elvin kingdom weak and open to a takeover. That was their plan. Now her highness will have to become queen to stabilize the country or leave it open to war. Avren calling her his queen doesn’t seem all that far off now.
"Commander, Viktor has returned to the library and sent me to find you."
I nod to the mage delivering the message.
"I want you in the healing rooms in the palace. Do not let the king out of your sight. Neither you nor the other mage there are to leave, no matter what Viktor says. Her highness left me in charge of that because she trusts us to make sure Viktor does not have her father assassinated. Is that clear?"
He looks at me, a little terrified but mostly determined. I guess he doesn’t want to think about what he might have to do to stop an assassination. I get to the library and face Viktor. I don’t flinch and I don’t fidget. He is staring and waiting for it, but I am not going to give him the upper hand.
"You must have questions."
"No Viktor, I don’t. I know what you and Avren are planning. She doesn’t want to rule the Elvin kingdom. Does that mean nothing to you?"
He shakes his head and puts the book he is holding back on the shelf.
"No. Avren has told me what we have to look forward to if she fulfills his prophecy. He saved us from the mages for this purpose. I am her Kemp. It is my job to make sure she is safe. If that means I have to make her empress of the entire world, which is what I will do."
I am not even sure how to respond to that. From what I have been reading of court life in the library Avren houses, it is never safe, and the more power you have the more danger you are in.
"I am not a Kemp; I am a champion. My job is to protect her. If you become the danger you seek to protect her from, I will kill you."
Viktor smiles and claps his hands together.
"I would expect nothing less. I would never put her in harm's way though."
I walks over so we are face-to-face and I stand my ground.
"You say that now, but you are forcing her into something she doesn’t want to do. You are a danger to her mental stability. If you push any further, I will consider you a threat and kill you. So forget implanting her as queen here."
I push past him and go to the library. When I find what I am looking for I grab it and walk to the door, putting it in my robes for later. I have to find the princess and stay with her. Despite what Viktor says, I don’t trust him.
"Congratulations, Talon. You are an official champion now. Do not let it destroy you."
"I'm not weak like you."
I leave the room and don’t look back.
Elainne
I don’t leave my father's office until Talon enters.
"Your highness, you are needed."
"Viktor has
everything under control."
"He is taking over the military. Ordering the warriors around. I fear for your father's life if he is in charge. I don’t think you will be leaving here uncrowned."
Talon is right. I can see where this is going.
"You are not a coward, Elainne. Nor are you the type to follow. You are a leader and you can pull rank here. Do it."
I look up at Talon. He is right. I have been thrown off balance. I can't let it show through.
"Let's go, champion."
He bows and falls into step behind me. I conjure up the elemental armor. Fire and wind whip around me, keeping everyone but Talon at bay. Everyone steps out of the way, bowing in respect. I throw the doors in the throne room across the room. The council will need a statement to keep them in line. I intend to make it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my father is ill. Until such a time as he is recovered, I will be stepping in as queen regent. Anyone that has a problem with that, please tell me now."
One of the lords steps forward. I wave a hand and Talon spins into action. Ropes wrap around him, lifting him in the air. A roar echoes through the sky. The lords and ladies flinch. Avren is monitoring me to make a bigger impact.
"Let me start by saying that was a rhetorical question. I simply do not care if any of you have issues with that. Now, Lady Kalina, please find your grandson; he is now in charge of the military and as I know your family wields great power in that sector, I believe you will be the most useful to him. I believe he is in the library. You are dismissed."
She bows and leaves. Viktor can contend with his grandmother now. I know it won’t be an easy path, but he has chosen this despite my wishes. I will be damned if I make it easy for him.
"The rest of you, send word to your respective lands. You need to protect the borders. No one in or out of the country without my permission. Understood?"
Everyone bows.
"Dismissed."
The one in the air is still there. I need to make sure this is perfect before everyone leaves the throne room. Luckily, my father has a long hallway. I make steps out of air and step up. I walk all the way to where the man who stood against me hangs.
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