Kingdom of 7 Sovereigns: Wolf

by R. C. Reigh

  It was two days after ‘the incident,’ and I was still under strict orders from my father to behave. What made matters worse was that Cora had taken a scolding as well for not turning me in. I had not intended for that to happen. It wasn't her fault. It was mine. She had warned me countless times, and yet I hadn't listened. I hadn't wanted her to suffer for my stubborn actions, and while she assured me that I was forgiven several times, I still felt a deep pang of guilt every time I saw her.

  The whole thing was a mess and, in the end, it had opened my eyes to a truth that maybe deep down inside, I had always known.

  I was not in love with Adam.

  Infatuated perhaps, but even those feelings were gone now. There had been none of the flutterings I used to have, nor the fire I'd felt when Dane had kissed me. My thoughts wandered back to that day in the hallway. I had never been kissed like that before. If I was being completely honest with myself, that kiss had found its way into my thoughts more often than I would care to admit. Dreamed of it even. Regrettably, my subconscious seemed to be struggling with the idea that we hadn't liked it.

  I knew wholeheartedly that I didn't have feelings for Dane, but there was something about the way he had kissed me. There was an intensity that scorched far deeper than a simple flutter ever could, and I could only hope that I might find that fire again with someone who deserved it.

  As far as Adam was concerned, I wasn't sure if it was all the drama or if maybe it was his fear of Dane, but there had been a chasm-sized rift between us. Maybe he had never really been in love with me, either. It may have been just a schoolboy crush after all. Not that I thought all that highly of myself, but who wouldn't want the attention and affections of a princess? Come to think of it, Adam had always tried to keep me at a distance. He knew what he had to lose for playing a dangerous game with me, but I'd forced him to play it anyway and, in the end, I'd ruined his chances at all the Bastion had to offer.

  Loud shouting and noises behind me stirred me from my self-loathing. I whirled around to see what had caused the commotion. My eyes quickly located the source of the disturbance. A scuffle had broken out between a Carpathian and a Dragonian. A small crowd had gathered around to watch. Two human teachers attempted to stop the boys from fighting, but they were woefully incapable of such a feat. Thankfully, neither student shifted as they pummeled one another to the floor.

  As if his presence had been summoned, the prince and his emissaries appeared from another corridor on the opposite side of the squabble from me. They were followed closely by a handful of other Carpathian students. His eyes fell to the floor where the pair wrestled. For a few brief moments, he stared down his nose at the tussle before his honey eyes swung up and quickly focused in on me.

  His expression was hard. There hadn't been the slightest glimmer of change between the way he viewed the errant students and me. Indifference, maybe?

  I held back the urge to glare at him, opting instead to return the same expressionless stare he gave me.

  As part of the penance for my actions, my father had ordered me to form an amiable relationship with the prince. My father was convinced we weren't out of the woods, so to speak, and that the prince may still change his mind about the treaty. He had demanded that I be respectful of Dane at all costs.

  The problem was that I didn't know how to even begin to do that. I'd always avoided anything to do with the wolves. In fact, I knew less about them than probably most of the students in all the other realms. If I was to be successful in following my father's orders, I would need to bring myself up to speed. That way, we would at least have something to talk about when he decided he was done being mad at me.

  Although I had no idea what I was going to say to him now, the idea that he may come over to face me sent an uneasiness churning inside my stomach. I wasn't prepared to speak with him just yet.

  The prince finally tore his eyes away from mine, turning his attention toward his entourage, instead. With a slight toss of his head, he nodded toward the students on the floor. Immediately, a few of the boys broke away from the group and surged in to help the human teachers break up the altercation.

  Then, without so much as another glance in my direction, the prince turned a cold shoulder and headed off down the opposite corridor, flanked on either side by his two bulky emissaries. I watched as the bevy of other students swiftly parted before them as they went.

  I was pleasantly surprised that Dane had resolved to keep his distance since the meeting with my father. I had expected him to confront me just now, but he hadn't.

  Maybe I really had damaged his pride? Good, he needed to be taken down a notch or two. He could act surprised all he wanted to in front of my father, but he'd known about Adam all along. And asking my father if I was still virtuous had been downright vicious. It still made my blood boil.

  That being said, I guess I should be thankful he hadn't turned me in for requesting an end to our engagement. I had been surprised he had remained mum on that front. Covertly initiating a breach of contract behind my father's back would be considered a defiance of his decree, and even worse, most would say it treasonous.

  DANE

  Thrump, thrump, thrump. I drummed my fingers against the table in my consortium. It had been almost a week since I had met with Amelia's father, and now that the witch had completed her part of our pact, I had begun to wonder when she might summon me. Thus far, there had been no word from her. So, while I waited, I had decided to take her advice and invite Lady Coranithe of Avonlee to meet with me.

  I had sent my request by official correspondence earlier in the week. Much to my surprise, she responded within a matter of hours and agreed to meet with me today. Honestly, I had expected to have to put in a bit more work to get her to come. Now, all I had to do was wait and see if she would show up.

  Right on time, the clock struck six, and my harold announced her approach. A wave of relief swept over me. I had no doubt she had informed Amelia of my request to see her, but I wasn't concerned with what Amelia thought right now. At least the princess had allowed her to speak with me.

  Lady Coranithe confidently rounded the doorway. I had almost forgotten that she was such a tiny thing. She bore a slight familial resemblance to Amelia, so there were more than a few attractive qualities about her. Her hand was casually placed on the hilt of her sheathed sword, and the expression that crossed her pretty features was as curious as it was skeptical.

  "Lady Corinthe, welcome." I rose to greet her and motioned for her to take the place across from me.

  She strode forward and pulled out the chair. Once we were seated, I waved for my staff to bring her a drink.

  "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

  "Not like I had much of a choice," she chuckled dryly as she took the cup my server offered her. She held it just below her nose and sniffed as if wary it may be poisoned before touching the glass to her lips.

  I guess she was right. She hadn't any choice now that Avonlee was down to one emissary, and I was certain the king had ordered them to be cordial.

  Cora set down her cup and leveled me with a look that could have been considered as much of a challenge as it was direct. Despite her obvious disdain for me, I stared back at her with curiosity. Most royals would have considered her behavior insulting, but I found her abrupt reply, coupled with the fact that she made no move to try to hide her distrust of me, rather intriguing. The girl had some nerve, that's for sure.

  The corner of my lip turned up in a smile. I had a feeling that, like her cousin, this one was going to keep me on my toes. I didn't want to start out on the wrong foot as I had with Amelia. I needed Cora's trust. So, right then and there, I resolved myself to remain calm no matter what that sharp tongue of hers said.

  I sat up a little straighter and cleared my throat.

  "Lady Coranithe, I've heard tell that you are in the market for a sparring partner," I said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  Her brow tugged together as she nodded
and picked up her cup.

  "I'd like to enter myself for your consideration, as well as offer to partner for the Champions Challenge."

  She nearly choked on her drink before she raised an eyebrown and replied, "You want to partner with me?"

  "Is there a better candidate from Avonlee I should be inquiring after instead?" I asked cooly as I, too, raised my glass as if to take a sip, but more because I needed to do something with my hands. "I've been advised that you show impressive skill in the arena."

  "What's your angle?" she shot back suspiciously, and again, I found it refreshing how she didn't seem to find it necessary to hide her expressions.

  I leaned back in my chair. It was becoming clear that when it came to Lady Coranithe, what you saw was what you got.

  "I have no angle, Lady Corinthe," I replied, hoping that I had, in fact, picked the right angle to get her to indulge my request. I was betting my entire hand that her desire to prove herself as a warrior would be enough. I didn't know much about her other than she was a skilled enough fighter to earn a place as Amelia's honorary guard. Well, that, and that she also appeared to have poor judgment in friends if she was spending time with someone like the witch.

  "Call me Cora," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "And, for the record, I don't believe a word you just said. So, how about you tell me what it is you really want from me in return?"

  "I want a sparring partner that will help me to win the challenge," I replied simply, turning up the charm.

  She gave me another I'm-not-buying-it glare.

  "Alright, Cora." I leaned forward over the table. "I will tell you what I get out of it. After the whole closet situation, there has been talk about a rift in the relationship between Carpathia and Avonlee. Some students have been expressing concerns that we may decide to split from the treaty," I began, and Cora's eyes fell to the table. "I need to sweep this whole situation under the rug and show a united front to ease the unrest. I can't count on Princess Amelia to participate, so I thought that maybe you would be more willing to work with me."

  When her eyes found their way back up to mine, her harsh demeanor had softened some. I couldn't help but feel a bit hopeful. It was more progress than I'd ever made with Amelia.

  Latching on to the encouragement, I continued, "Besides, you need someone with the talent that is currently lacking in your Avonleean counterparts here at the Bastion, and I will get to leave another open slot for my own warriors competing for Carpathia," I lied through my brilliant white teeth. Well, both were actually true, but neither were the real reason I was making this offer to Cora.

  Cora still eyed me warily from across the table, and I could tell she was trying to work out another solution to the problem I had presented without committing herself to anything. I was so close reeling her in, I could feel it.

  "Why don't we give it a try, let's say tomorrow after classes? We can meet in the arena and practice a bit. No commitment whatsoever. If you still don't feel that we are a good fit, then you can walk away, no questions asked." I gave a noncommittal shrug of my shoulder as if this wasn't a matter of absolute urgency and importance, because for me it was.

  "Alright, Dane," Cora finally nodded. "I will hear you out, but I have a few contingencies."

  "By all means, you name the terms." I kept my tone friendly and a smile on my face, but she gave me a hard stare.

  "We leave Amelia out of this," Cora said abruptly.

  My muscles tensed even though I had already anticipated she would make that stipulation.

  "Done," I nodded.

  "I mean it. No questions, no comments, no hinting about her whatsoever. She's off the conversation table," she firmly demanded.

  It was obvious Cora herself was not threatened by me, which in itself was impressive. Foolish for a human, but impressive. However, even in the absence of her own fear, it was abundantly clear that she was fiercely protective of Amelia. I could respect that.

  "Unless you're the one asking, there will be none. Besides, I don't usually engage in much conversation while sparring. If there is time for us to flap our mouths we are not working hard enough," I offered as a reply.

  She seemed pleased to agree with that sentiment.

  "The Champions Challenge allows the use of minor magic and hand to hand combat. We will need to determine compatibility for both." She leaned back in her chair with a new glint in her eye.

  She crossed one arm across her chest as she thoughtfully tapped a finger against her lips. The warrior side of her was now sizing me up.

  I grinned.

  "Absolutely."

  She finally gave a little half-shrug before she stood and headed toward the door. I rose to my feet, which was the human custom for males in bidding farewell to a lady. With one hand on the doorknob and the other on the hilt of her sword, she turned back to me.

  "Alright, then, Dane. Tomorrow we shall give it a test run." She bowed her head in farewell, and I did the same in return. Then, she slipped out of the doorway.

  My heart nearly skipped a beat. Things were finally going my way.

  Lady Coranithe was different than I had expected, and I was surprised to find that I felt a bit bad about lying to her. I didn't care about winning the challenge. I cared about winning over Amelia, and I intended to use Cora to help the princess see that.

  Cora

  When the prince had summoned me to a meeting, I hadn't been sure what to think, and it sure hadn't been what I expected. Now, entering the arena on the first day of our joint practice, I could only hope his intentions were genuine, and even if they were, I was certain there was some sort of strategy at play.

  Perhaps he wanted to threaten Amelia with my well-being. Boy, would he be surprised to learn I'd put up a good fight, and I really looked forward to hitting him. The idea of using him as my personal punching bag was pretty much the only thing that had swayed my decision to meet him today.

  When he saw me enter through the doorway, he flashed that suave smile of his and waved me over.

  "Lady Cora," he bowed his head in greeting, and I did the same, "thank you for coming."

  He gestured to the tall, bulky blond boy and a dark male with striking silver eyes beside him.

  "These are my emissaries, Ivan and Ellis. I don't believe you've been formally introduced yet."

  I extended my hand to both respectively, and we shook.

  "If you agree to team up with me, they would be our practice competitors. I assure you they will provide excellent opponents for us to work against."

  "Nice to meet you both," I replied cordially, eager to move past the formalities.

  "Shall we?" He finished gloving his hands and tilted his head toward the practice arena.

  I grabbed my practice sword and followed him out onto the sand.

  The building was surprisingly quiet this afternoon. With the exception of a few others sparring down at the far end of the arena, it was almost completely empty. I preferred the distraction when the arena was busy. Somehow it made me feel less exposed.

  "Places," Ivan called from the sidelines, and we stepped into our positions.

  "Begin," Ellis's deep voice shouted.

  Dane stood there, nearly shirtless, and stared at me a few moments as if trying to anticipate my capabilities. As far as competitors go, I was almost certain he wasn't in the habit of fighting small female humans, so he'd likely never faced anyone like me before. It was to my advantage that I had seen him fight, so I already knew that he was more than capable.

  Alright, prince. I'll make the first move.

  Sword at the ready, I took two confident steps forward and tossed up an invisible magic shield around me as I quickened my pace toward him. The prince had been the type for theatrics at the tournament, and I expected the same from him now.

  As suspected, he shot a bit of magic at me. By the way it attacked my shield, I suspected it was probably the same type of suppression spell he had used on the Fae boy in the coliseum. I wasn't about to let that happen. He
probably didn't even think I could recognize that kind of impressive magic. Most probably wouldn't, but I had spent years tagging along with my father and brothers, absorbing everything I could about combat magic before I was old enough to even start training for myself.

  I responded with a similar spell as I ran toward the prince. By the look on his face when my incantation took hold, it was clear he hadn't anticipated I had that level of skill. It was nothing new. People always underestimate me.

  A wry smile formed on his lips, and he pulled his sword as I approached with mine ready and in hand.

  He raised his sword and brought it down toward me, but I blocked and held it with my saber. He grunted as he put more weight behind it, but still, I didn't yield. He snarled a bit as he pulled back and put some distance between us. He looked me up and down for a moment as he strategized his new plan of attack.

  I stared back at him, ready for whatever move he made next. He lifted his hand as if to wipe his brow, but quickly swiped it across the air instead, sending a rope of magic similar to a tripwire to knock my feet out from under me. I cursed. I should have seen that coming. He may not have had the ability to do complicated magic because of my suppression spell, but I should have anticipated something small like that.

  I quickly rolled onto my knees and slammed my sword into the sand. Magic shot underground before rising up toward him like a massive wave. It unbalanced the prince, knocking him over onto his back. He attempted to scramble up again, but I already stood over him, holding the blade of my sword at his throat. The look on his face was priceless. He was just as surprised as he was excited.

  Hang in there, wolfy. You ain't seen nothing yet.

  His emissaries moved to intervene since I had their prince down and well within striking distance, but he waved them off. I lowered my sword and offered him my other hand. A huge smile lit up his face as he took it, and I helped to pull him to his feet. Not that he needed my help, but it was the gesture that made the difference.