A maid rushed into the room. “The king is back, Your Majesty. He’s in the Great Hall.”
Lizbeth’s face brightened. “Good.”
“He requests that you all join him,” she added, wringing her hands.
Lizbeth’s eyebrows shot up. “Is there a problem?”
“I’m not sure. The wizard is with him, though, and neither appear to be happy,” she replied, looking uneasy.
4
Mariselle lay silently in bed, waiting for her father to check on her, as he did every night. Normally she would be fast asleep at such an hour, but all she kept thinking about were her kittens out in the barn, and it made her anxious. As much as she wanted to go to them, however, she couldn’t sneak out until her father returned home.
At one point, she dozed off. Fortunately, she heard his footsteps retreating from her bedside and woke back up.
Mariselle sat up. “Father?”
He turned around and smiled. “I’m sorry. I woke you,” he whispered, stepping back over to her.
“It’s okay. Did you find Gaylen?”
“We did,” he said, the lines on his forehead appearing much deeper than usual.
Her eyes grew wide. “Where was he?”
He scratched the dark stubble on his chin and sat down on the edge of her bed. “Honestly, I’m not so sure. He pretty much found us.”
“What do you mean?”
Marcus explained that they’d been on their way toward Elder Woods, where Gaylen supposedly lived, when the wizard magically appeared in their path.
“Was it just you and the king?” she asked, picturing the moment in her head. She’d never seen the wizard before, but imagined he had long silver hair and wore a flowing white robe.
“No.” He smirked. “King Edward would have probably preferred going it alone, but we were accompanied by some of his very best knights.”
“Why would he prefer that?” Mariselle asked, confused. “Isn’t he safer with his soldiers?”
“Yes. Quite. But, the king is fearless and doesn’t always feel that he needs protection. I think that he actually believes himself to be invincible, just like when he was a boy. It’s a very dangerous notion for a king to have.”
Mariselle knew that her father, and King Edward, had been close childhood friends, even though Marcus wasn’t of nobility. From what he’d told her, they’d met one day in the woods near the castle after Edward had snuck away from his nanny. Marcus, and his older brother, had been fishing in one of the streams when Edward ran into them. From that day forward, the two started playing together and became life-long friends.
“What did Gaylen say about Angelique?”
“That he would fix the problem and make sure that she didn’t hurt anyone.”
Mariselle relaxed. “Did you know her, Papa?”
He stared off, deep in thought. “A little. She worked in the castle as a maid. I would have never guessed her to be a witch.”
She chewed on the side of her lip. “So you never saw her perform any Black Magic?”
“Not any kind of magic. Obviously, if she turned into a dragon, like Aiden mentioned, there was sorcery involved.”
Mariselle nodded.
“Now, it’s late and you need your sleep, Lass,” Marcus said, standing up. He tucked the blanket around her and patted her hand affectionately. “And please… don’t worry about Angelique.”
She smiled up at him. “Okay, Papa.”
He kissed her again and left the bedroom.
Mariselle waited for several minutes, giving her father time to turn in himself. When she thought it was safe she grabbed her blanket and snuck out of the cottage. As she raced to the barn, Mariselle glanced up toward the stars, frightened of what might be flying above. By the time she made it inside with the animals, her heart was beating a mile a minute.
“Smokey? Panther? Ebony? Frosty?” Mariselle whispered, calling the names she’d given the kittens earlier.
Suddenly, they were at her feet, rubbing against her ankles and purring. Laughing, she leaned down and began petting them.
“I told you I’d be back,” she said, smiling. “Come on, I’m tired.”
Mariselle stood up straight and headed toward the back of the barn. She spread the blanket out on some clean straw and laid down on it. Immediately, the kittens started playing with her hair and nightgown. At first it amused her, but became old very quickly. Gently pushing them away, she wrapped the blanket around herself tightly, and closed her eyes.
5
ANGELIQUE FOLLOWED EVERYONE to the Great Hall, where King Edward, Princess Eva, and Gaylen were already conversing at the King’s table. Glancing around, she noticed there’d been quite a few changes in the main part of the castle since her time there. Where once the walls had been mostly flat and gold, they were now lined with wooden panels. Above the panels were intricate hand painted murals, depicting the family history and numerous victories of the Rothhaven family. In one scene was an image of Gaylen casting a spell on a group of orcs. It was just another reason why Edward would never take her word over the lies the wizard had spun. He’d been the family’s protector for generations and they trusted him whole heartedly.
Fools.
From what she’d learned from Hecate, Gaylen served nobody but Gaylen, and his loyalty to Edward was based on his own selfish needs. There was a reason he hadn’t wanted Angelique in the king’s life. Hecate thought it had something to do with Lizbeth, which made sense, since they were married soon after she’d been banished from the kingdom.
Drawing closer, Angelique noticed that Gaylen too had changed. Where he used to have long dark hair, it was now short and the color of snow. His face had also aged considerably, with more lines and wrinkles. She had no idea how old the mage was, but in mortal years, one might guess him to be in his seventies.
King Edward and Gaylen stood up when they noticed Lizbeth and the others.
“Your Majesty,” the wizard said bowing his head.
Queen Lizbeth stopped in front of them. “Good evening, Gaylen. It’s been a long time.”
“Too long. Might I say you’re looking more beautiful than ever,” Gaylen replied, staring at her with his beady eyes.
“Thank you.” Lizbeth looked at the king. “I was just trying to get the boys off to bed when I heard you were back. So, what’s going on?”
Angelique moved closer, so that she could get a better view of Edward. She noticed that where Gaylen had aged, the king looked as virile and handsome as ever. Just looking at him made her heart feel as if it were breaking all over again.
“Gaylen has confirmed that Angelique has indeed returned to Syracuse and that we shouldn’t worry because he will handle her. In the meantime, he feels we should stay close together.”
Handle me, Angelique scoffed. We’ll see about that.
“Are we in danger?” Queen Lizbeth asked, her eyes wide.
“I believe it’s revenge that has brought her back to the kingdom,” Gaylen said. “That might include harming one, if not all of you.”
Alarmed, Lizbeth put a hand to her chest. “Why now, after all of these years?”
Before the wizard could reply, Edward spoke. “Gaylen believes that she was recently given a very powerful wand from Hecate.”
“Who is Hecate?” Mathias asked.
“The Goddess of Witchcraft,” Gaylen replied. He went to explain how he’d heard about Angelique serving her. “And now it seems that she’s been relieved of her duties.”
“This wand you speak of, can you actually stop her if she’s using it?” Lizbeth asked.
Instead of answering, the wizard stiffened up and peered around the room. “Quickly, I need you all to step behind me,” he said taking out his own wand.
Staring at him in confusion, nobody moved.
“I sense imminent danger. Get behind me, now,” Gaylen ordered.
Everyone, but Edward, did what he asked.
“Please, you, too, my King,” the wizard said, in a less d
emanding voice.
Still, Edward didn’t move. “What’s going on?”
“I know you’re here, Angelique,” Gaylen said sternly, his eyes scanning the area. “Show yourself.”
So much for taking him by surprise.
The queen gasped. “She’s here?”
“Yes. But, not for long.” Gaylen began to wave his wand and murmur something under his breath.
Gripping her wand tightly, Angelique changed back to her human form. Everyone in the room, except for the wizard and the king, stared at her in horror.
“Stop right there, Gaylen,” Angelique warned.
He continued chanting a spell that she knew just might send her away for good if she didn’t do something quickly.
With her heart pounding madly in her chest, Angelique began one of her own, a short, handy little spell that Hecate had taught her early on for protection. Within seconds, a bright light flashed out of her wand and Gaylen’s tongue stopped working. Eyes wide, he clutched his throat and tried to speak, but could only make strangled, wheezing noises.
Furious, King Edward took a step toward her. “Enough! I command you to go back where you came from. You were indefinitely banished from Syracuse and are breaking the law by returning. Leave now or I’ll make sure that you spend your last dying breath in our dungeon.”
“Same old, Edward,” Angelique sneered, disgusted with herself for hating and loving him at the same time. “I see that you’re still brainwashed by this weasel. How pathetic. You’re pathetic.”
“My father is not pathetic!” Mathias cried, racing around his mother his sword raised in the air. “You’re just an evil witch who is only powerful because… because she cheats with magic!”
Angelique had to admit, she was both impressed and amused by the boy’s fearlessness. She imagined Edward was the same way as a child.
“If it weren’t for your father, I wouldn’t have been forced into using magic,” she replied evenly as Edward grabbed his youngest son and took a protective stance in front of him.
“You brought it upon yourself, Angelique. Gaylen. Just don’t stand there, do something,” the king ordered angrily.
The wizard, still muted by her spell, raised his wand again and aimed it at Angelique. Before she could protect herself, a burning, white light hit her in the chest. She flew backward, slamming against the wall so hard, it felt as if her spine had been crushed. She opened her mouth to chant another hex, but the wind had been knocked out of her, making it hard to breathe, let alone talk.
“You… ridiculous… fool,” Gaylen said hoarsely as he moved toward Angelique. “Did you seriously think you had a chance against me?”
Angelique’s head was spinning. The spells she’d been working on, and the courage she had a few seconds before, seemed all at once lost to her. Realizing that she’d underestimated Gaylen’s powers against her own, she became frantic. Clutching her wand, she found her voice and chanted a spell that would send her away from the castle. At the same time, Gaylen spouted off one of his own. As she disappeared, Angelique felt as if her skin was on fire and screamed in pain.
6
MARISELLE’S NEW pets wouldn’t allow her any rest. When they weren’t playing with her hair, the kittens were trying to get under the blanket. Eventually, something distracted them and they rushed off.
She sat up and peered through the darkness, curious. Unable to hear or see them, she began searching the barn; instead of finding her kittens, however, she discovered a hole leading outside. Worried that they were going to become owl prey, she wrapped her blanket tightly around her shoulders and snuck back out into the cool night.
ANGELIQUE WAS ON fire.
Literally.
She cast herself away from the castle to a swimming hole a few miles away. She landed deep in the center and the water immediately gave her relief from the hot flames. When she broke the surface, Angelique was relieved to find her skin uncharred and her clothing still intact. She could only attribute it to the fact that she’d gotten away before Gaylen had finished the spell.
Shivering, she made her way to land and used her wand to heat her clothing and skin. Although the days were still warm, it was the end of summer and the nights could chill one to the bone. As she stood there drying, Angelique cursed herself for allowing the wizard to get the better of her. Admittedly, she’d never actually seen his powers in action and realized that if she were going to defeat him, she needed to be better prepared and a lot more cunning.
She also needed some kind of plan.
But, even more so, she needed to rest. Wands drew energy from their users and hers was no exception, especially when it came to teleporting. Now, Angelique was exhausted and knew that she wouldn’t be able to do anything without getting some sleep first. She didn’t even have the energy to shape-shift and fly to her shelter. This meant finding a new, temporary one.
Sighing, Angelique followed a trail that lead from the swimming hole, past a mossy glen, to a deep part of the woods. As she foraged on, she kept her eyes peeled, just in case Gaylen had managed to follow her. Still cold and weary, she pondered the idea of a fire, but knew it would be too much of a risk. Instead, she decided to try and find a hollowed-out tree, or if she was lucky, a small cave. If it was inhabited, Angelique figured she might just have enough energy to clear out its occupant.
Regardless, she knew she needed to do something, and soon, because she could see some troubling looking storm clouds rolling in. Shortly after her observation, a bolt of lightening shot across the sky. It was followed by a loud clap of thunder and a frightened cry somewhere in the darkness ahead.
Angelique froze.
“Smokey? Frosty? Ebony? Panther? Where are you?” hollered a child’s voice in the distance.
Apprehensive, but curious, Angelique headed toward the sound. It was late. Too late for a young one to be wandering through the woods.
“Please come back! It’s going to rain!” the child called frantically. “Here… kitties!”
Four balls of fur were suddenly at Angelique’s feet. One of them brushed against her ankle and purred.
“Aren’t you sweet?” she whispered, her heart melting.
The kitten stared up at her and let out a high-pitched “meow”.
Angelique picked the adorable creature up and snuggled it against her neck. Hearing the girl cry out again, she cleared her throat, “I found them!” she hollered, praying that it wasn’t a trap. She didn’t think that Gaylen could have located her so quickly, but one never knew.
A small shadow approached hesitantly, stopping several feet away from her. “Who… who are you?” she called through the darkness.
“My name is Anne,” she replied as more lightening lit up the sky. For a brief moment, Angelique caught a glimpse of the girl, who couldn’t have been more than ten. She was very thin, with long hair and large eyes.
Another loud clap of thunder startled them both.
“So, you have my kittens?” the child cried out in a shaky voice.
“Yes. Well, they’re leaving again it appears,” she replied, watching as they scampered away from her and down the path, back toward the pond.
The girl’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Oh, no.”
“I got this!” Angelique hollered, stuffing her wand inside of her cloak. She turned around and hurried after them. When she found the kittens again, Angelique quickly grabbed the two closest to her just as the girl appeared.
“Thank you,” the child said, looking relieved. She leaned down and picked up one of the others.
“You’re welcome. Can you get that last one?” she asked, nodding toward the gray one, which was taking off again.
“Yeah,” she replied, racing toward it.
Knowing that the girl would need something to hold the kittens in, she decided to use her cloak to carry them. “Bring them here when you get the gray one,” she called out.
“Okay,” the little girl replied, picking up the other one.
Angelique
set her two kittens down on the ground and quickly removed her cloak. She laid it on a dry patch of dirt and then they both proceeded to herd all of the kittens into the center.
“They may not like this, but they’ll be safe,” Angelique said, gathering up the sides of the cloak and picking the bundle up. The kittens, who were trapped inside, immediately began to struggle and cry.
The child’s eyes widened in alarm.
Angelique smiled. “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine,” she reassured her. “Now, where to?”
MARISELLE DIDN’T KNOW what to make of Anne, but thought she seemed nice enough. Plus, it was about to storm and the stranger was helping her with the kittens, which was a relief.
“This way,” she said, turning around.
“Okay.”
Mariselle led her back through the woods, to her property. As they walked past the cottage, she glanced nervously at it, hoping that her parents were still sound asleep. Fortunately, all appeared to be quiet inside. When they finally made it inside of the barn, the rain started.
“Now that was close,” Anne said, bending down and opening up the cloak.
“Yes. Thank you again for helping me,” Mariselle replied as the kittens scattered. She grabbed the closest one, Panther, and sat down cross-legged on the straw.
“What’s your name?” Anne asked, shaking the grass and sand from her cloak.
“Mariselle.”
The woman smiled warmly. “Pretty name. Do you mind if I take refuge from the storm in your barn?”
“No, not at all,” Mariselle said, staring up at her. The woman was pretty, with shiny red hair and eyes the color of honey.
Anne sat down across from her and began playing with the white kitten. “How old are they?”
“Just a few weeks.”
“I love kittens,” the woman said, twirling a piece of straw above Frosty, who was on his back and trying to whap it.
Four Corners (A Reverse Harem Fantasy) Book 1 of Rothhaven Rulers Page 3
