“I do not wish to be lectured.” Briella had heard it all before, how weak and small she was, a virtual midget. It didn’t matter how hard she worked in the training room, she was not built to be a warrior. A few added muscles would not change anything. “Did anything unusual happen in the harem last night?”
“Not really. There are rumors circulating that Devereux is a hybrid, so some were making comments about that.”
Her stomach lurched as Valor told her about those rumors. They had not been started by her, but she was afraid Devereux would not believe her. She didn’t want that male to think she had betrayed him and she didn’t need him to come after her. “Who told you this?”
“I cannot remember exactly. Julian heard it from one of the ladies, I believe.”
“What do you think of it?”
Valor started to walk along a trail. “The male does have hybrid coloring. I think it bears looking into.”
“Maybe you should leave it alone. He is the Queen’s grandson.”
Valor looked at her as he took a forked path. “I’m not the type to leave anything alone. That male is a problem. Ever since Samantha Honeybone started to rave about his bed skills, the Countess has renewed her determination to have him. She has not called me to service her in weeks.”
Samantha had been with Julian, not Dev, but Briella wasn’t about to educate anyone on that fact. “She’ll lose interest in him soon enough. I hear the male is impotent.”
“He wasn’t impotent when he was banging Samantha. No, the male needs to go. I’m tired of all those females panting needlessly after the guy. They only want him because he has royal blood.”
That wasn’t the only reason, but she stayed silent on that as well. “He’s determined to stay. How will you get him to go?”
“By any means necessary.” Valor waved down the males in the path up ahead. She recognized one as Prince Carrick. “I hear we have hybrids in our midst. Briella and I were just discussing what to do to protect Avenal against the alien threat. She is the safety officer, after all.”
Briella looked at Valor sharply. “I did not say anything about hybrids.”
“Do not be so shy, cousin. Tell them your plans to protect Avenal against invasion,” Valor said.
“I haven’t formalized any plans, Valor,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Where is that royal relation of yours, Carrick? I bet he has some ideas on this,” Valor said.
“I’m not his keeper,” Carrick said. He shot Briella a hateful glare. “Some people need to leave well enough alone before they provoke others to unfavorable action.”
Briella felt threatened by the look in Carrick’s eyes and the content of his words. Valor had just signed her death warrant by making it appear that she had been telling tales. She veered away from Valor and the others and walked rapidly through the woods, trying to calm her racing heart. Hopefully, now that she wasn’t nearby, Valor would stop mentioning her name while spreading gossip. She had enough stress in her life and she couldn’t deal with any unnecessary drama right now.
Briella took her book on hybrids and found a quiet place to read outside in a secluded area. She had just gotten to chapter four when she was confronted by Prince Alyntine, who had taken offense at her choice of reading material. She did not know why he cared what she was reading about, nor did she appreciate the intrusion. “Leave me.”
He picked the book off her lap and closed it. “You were warned to stop this.”
She looked at him in confusion. “I was reading a book. It was getting interesting and I need you to give it back to me.”
“You were warned of the consequences of slandering the Queen. Making inquiries of Lord Langley’s parentage is a dishonor to the Queen and her daughter, the Princess Crimson.”
Damn Valor and his scheming ways. “I’ve made no inquiries and I’ve said nothing about Dev’s parentage, at least not since I agreed to drop the matter when I last talked with him.”
He tucked the book in his pocket and pulled her off the ground. “That’s not what the ladies are saying. I spoke with Lady Samantha and Lady Valencia and they told me that you were full of information about the hybrid lord.”
She stared at Alyntine in shock. She had not conversed with those ladies apart from the introductory hellos. She had spent most of the day in her room moping and she had spent the rest of it avoiding the visitors like the plague. “I told them nothing. You must be mistaken.”
“I cannot look the other way on this, Lady Avenal. You were warned. You’ll have to come with me now.” He tugged on her arm, forcing her to walk with him. “We will meet up with the other princes and then we will meet with Nefertiti. As a member of the Queen’s Council, I am charging you with sedition.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “You cannot do this. I’m not guilty of any crime.” She was dragged to the front of the mansion, where they were met by Caspar and Carrick. “I didn’t say anything to those ladies. There has been a mistake.”
Alyntine pulled the book out of his pocket and gave it to Caspar. “I found her reading this.”
“Reading is not a crime! I was reading in private.”
Caspar studied the volume. “You chose this book on hybrids. I do not believe you took our warning seriously.”
She shook her head in denial. “I took the book from the Countess’s library. If you have a problem with the book, you should talk to her about it.”
“We’ll talk to her about it,” Alyntine said. He pulled her into the mansion and demanded an audience with the Countess. Several minutes later, they were admitted to a conference room.
Nefertiti looked at them in surprise. “What is this all about, princes? Do you have a complaint to issue against Lady Avenal?”
Alyntine continued to grasp her arm tightly. “By order of the Queen’s Council, I have charged Briella Avenal of sedition. She has persistently cast aspersions on the Langley name by questioning the parentage of Lord Langley. That dishonors the Queen and Princess Crimson, his mother. There are witnesses who heard her state that the Queen is involved in a conspiracy with the hybrids to place a hybrid puppet on the throne. She has accused the Crown Princess of being a hybrid. Such statements could politically damage the Queen. She was also caught with suspicious reading material.” He handed the book titled The Destruction of Mankind Perpetrated by Fiendish Alien Hybrid Races to Nefertiti.
The accusations were ludicrous and unfounded, but Briella immediately understood the danger she was courting. Sedition was a serious crime in Flourda. “I never made such statements. Who are these witnesses? They are lying and I deserve the right to discredit them.”
Nefertiti took the heavy volume from Alyntine and glared at Briella. “You’ll have your chance to defend yourself in a moment.” She perused the book in her hands. “Briella had no need to read this book. She’s not even involved in planning our defensive strategy against the hybrids. She has also proven uncooperative with helping me secure an alliance with the Romans, which I find troubling.”
“What Roman alliance?” Alyntine asked.
“The alliance with Markus Honeybone Agrippa, her intended,” Nefertiti explained. “He lives in Rome, but he has ties to the Honeybone family of Flourda. That would make him very valuable.”
“I am afraid the ceremony cannot take place as long as she is in our custody,” Alyntine said. “She cannot leave Flourda. She has been charged with a serious crime.”
“And if she is found guilty, what happens to her then?” Nefertiti asked.
Alyntine’s expression grew grave. “That depends upon the punishment. The evidence will be forwarded to the Queen and she will decide her guilt. The normal punishment is to serve an indenture for a period of ten years, although if the Queen is merciful she may request that a heavy fine be paid in its place. Since she is a lady, she will be given the option to restore her honor by a bloodmatch.”
In a bloodmatch, the accused individual battled in an arena against half a dozen eunuchs. If he
or she survived, she was able to reclaim her honor. Typically, the accused was injured and covered with his or her own blood by the time the battle was over. Sometimes, the accused lost a limb or an eye. Any injuries sustained were considered payment in full for the crimes committed. Briella knew that she wouldn’t survive any battle with the eunuchs. The eunuchs were trained warriors and she had no fighting skills.
“If you are found guilty, Briella, you must accept the bloodmatch to reclaim your honor. To refuse would bring shame on the house of Avenal,” Nefertiti said.
“You know that I would die,” Briella said.
“Then do so with honor,” Nefertiti said. “It is time for you to demonstrate your strength and courage, to finally be a warrior worthy of the Avenal name.”
“I am no warrior,” Briella said.
“If she does not accept the bloodmatch, she will serve an indenture of at least ten years,” Alyntine said.
“That’s outrageous!” Nefertiti exclaimed. “I cannot expect Markus to wait ten years for Briella. His father would never allow it and Briella’s chances of a good match would be ruined. Besides, I am certain of my sister’s innocence.”
“I have evidence against her, including these signed statements made by Lady Samantha, Lady Valencia, and Lady Harlotta.” Alyntine handed the documents to Nefertiti to peruse.
Briella did not know why Samantha and Valencia would make false statements about her, but it wasn’t a huge surprise that Harlotta was involved. Nefertiti read the papers and then glared at her.
“I trust Harlotta with my very life, so she is a highly credible witness,” Nefertiti said. “These ladies would not make such statements unless they were valid. However, a formal apology from Briella should suffice to make amends.”
“I’m afraid an apology would be insufficient at this point,” Alyntine said. “Let us complete the hearing to conclude this matter. Bring forth the witnesses.”
Harlotta, Samantha, and Valencia entered the room a few minutes later. Alyntine read their signed statements and asked them to confirm the statements were made in good faith.
“I swear that everything written there is the truth,” Harlotta said. “Lady Briella cast slurs upon the Langley name in a vicious attempt to turn us against the Queen. She spread horrible lies with an intent to incite rebellion among the masses. I fear she is a supporter of the Anarchist Movement.”
Briella was aghast that Harlotta would resort to outright lies to destroy her and she had no idea why the woman would target her to this level. This went beyond mere dislike. “Why are you lying, Harlotta? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so?”
“Harlotta tells the truth,” Valencia said. “Samantha and I heard those very words fall from Briella’s mouth, and I must admit that she was so convincing that for a moment, I lost my love for the Queen.”
As the people in the room gasped in outrage, Briella gave Valencia a look that promised retribution. She didn’t know how she would succeed, but the bitch would pay. “You are all lying bitches.” She turned toward Alyntine. “Everyone knows that I do not have political interests or leanings, so why would I be involved in any conspiracy against the Queen? Just think about it and you will realize that it makes no sense.”
“You have been less than civil toward Lord Langley,” Alyntine replied.
“I have not!”
“Did you not on several occasions ask him to leave the harem?” Alyntine asked.
Her interest in Devereux had nothing to do with politics, but she couldn’t explain her feelings to Alyntine. The situation was too complicated and confusing. “I may have done so, but it had nothing to do with his being a Langley.”
Nefertiti scowled at her. “You had no right to interfere with one of my harem lords. I can only assume that his dissatisfaction and unhappiness in my home is the result of your machinations, and because of you, the male has been unable to perform his duties to me.”
The male couldn’t perform his duties to Nefertiti because she was an ugly bald monster of a woman that most males found repellent. “I have been nothing but cordial to Lord Langley.”
Alyntine allowed Briella to say some words in her defense. Although she made an earnest effort to convince them of her innocence, she knew the deck was stacked against her.
“I have to say that the evidence is damning,” Alyntine said. “I have no doubt that she will be found guilty. I will present this evidence to the Queen and I will return shortly with her judgment. You should assist Briella with her preparation for the bloodmatch.”
Just when Briella thought things could not possibly get worse for her, more shit happened. It was ridiculous to think she could prepare herself for a bloodmatch in a few days, especially since she was out of shape and out of practice. She wouldn’t be able to defeat the eunuch soldiers even if they were blindfolded. It was hopeless. Nefertiti dismissed them once Alyntine left. The Countess ordered her to spend the next two days in the training room under the tutelage of one of the eunuch soldiers. She was then summarily dismissed.
Chapter 10: Decisions
Briella left the room and wandered down the hall. Up ahead, she could hear the voices of Harlotta, Valencia, and Samantha. They were talking about her, of course, and laughing about her plight. The bored noblewomen had nothing better to do than entertain themselves with the misery of others. Not all Flourdan noblewomen were that heartless, but Nefertiti tended to attract those who were similar in personality to herself. Decent folk never wished to visit Avenal.
“Briella will never make it through the bloodmatch,” Valencia said. “She will surely die in the ring. At Assheton, she was such an incredibly weak swordswoman that none dared arm her with a weapon. She would only end up hurting herself with it.”
Harlotta giggled. “You should have seen her here. The Countess forced Valor and I to take her to battle and Briella was such a coward that she fled into the woods! I do not think she has ever drawn blood by weapon or hand. However will she defeat Avenal’s expertly trained eunuchs? Perhaps the Countess will order them to go easy on her and she’ll come through with only a missing arm or eye.”
“Yes, that would be the best case scenario,” Valencia said. “She would bear the scars of battle and that would finally earn her some respect.”
“The Countess had the nerve to promote her to safety officer!” Harlotta cried. “Can you believe that shit? I told Nefertiti that she didn’t deserve a promotion, but she refused to heed my advice. Nefertiti is wasting her time trying to make something out of that good-for-nothing sister of hers. Once she is gone, the Countess will remember my existence.”
Harlotta was jealous of her, it seemed. Briella didn’t understand why the woman would view her as a threat. Nefertiti had no love for her. She couldn’t stand to listen to their vicious tongues any longer. She turned down the hall and took a different route to the training room. Despite her expectations of failure, she knew she didn’t have a choice but to prepare for the battle.
When she entered the training room, the other people inside the room vacated at such a rapid pace that she felt like a walking contagion. She picked up a sword and swung it a few times. Already her arm ached from the weight of it. The thing must weigh at least thirty pounds. She discarded the heavy steel and looked for a lighter sword. When the door opened, she looked up and saw one of the eunuch soldiers. It was her teacher and soon-to-be executioner. He helped her chose a lighter weapon and he worked with her the rest of the afternoon and night. “Do I have any chance at all?”
“No, Lady Avenal. You lack the strength to wield the sword properly and you lack training. All of our eunuch soldiers spend ten hours a day sharpening their skills and they have had decades of training. You neglected your training entirely,” the eunuch said.
She had known it was hopeless, but his lack of faith in her abilities increased her anxiety tenfold. “What advice to you have for me, then?”
“You should not accept the bloodmatch. It is the only way you will live. The
soldiers have already been chosen by the Countess and she selected our best warriors. I spoke with them earlier and they are uncomfortable with the task given them, but they will perform it with honor. They are resigned to the fact that they will soon kill you. If you accept the challenge, you should not delay in making final preparations. Say your goodbyes to those you love.”
She nodded and left without saying another word. She wasn’t ready to die with honor. If she died in the ring, Harlotta and Valencia would never pay for what they had done to her. There would be no retribution or vengeance. She walked silently to her room and sat in a chair, debating whether to bother with the goodbyes. Who would miss her when she was gone? She couldn’t say her farewells to Triniti because she was still locked in the tower. She stiffened when she heard the knocks on her door.
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