In Malice (The Stolen Queen Book 1)

by A. M. Hodges

  Damn his siblings are quick learners.

  Jeb makes direct eye contact with me as he starts singing what he knows is one of my favorite songs. I return his wicked grin and point at him, singing along. After two songs I decide to give

  Miles a break, so I hop down to go in search of something to drink. With everyone distracted by the stage there is only me and one other person by the drinks. In my own zone, I didn't pay much attention to who was by the other drink table. With a drink in each hand, I turn to head back to the crowd and almost dump both drinks everywhere when I see Bramble silently waiting behind me.

  "Holy shit! Bramble you scared the living hell out of me!" I pant trying to calm my heartrate.

  She lets out a chuckle before beckoning me with her hand,

  "Come, youngling. There are things we must discuss."

  I sense that there is a reason that she waited until everyone else was distracted. What she needs to tell me must not be common knowledge for the others yet. Jeb trusts her with his life, so I will too. I take her hand and she leads me away from the party.

  Chapter 29

  We walk up to a cottage that is only a little bit smaller than the one Jeb and I share. As we climb the steps the door swings open and I see Julianna waiting patiently for us to come inside.

  "Hello darling, it's so good to see you again," she smiles welcomingly.

  She leads us to her small eat-in kitchen where the table is already filled with small appetizers and drinks. I eye them skeptically as I take my seat at the table. Julianna pops the top of a bottle with a light orange liquid in it and pours it into a cup for me.

  "Drink up girl," Bramble sighs, "you're going to need it for this."

  Sensing that this conversation is about to take a turn for the worst, I down the drink in one go and put the empty cup back on the table.

  "Atta girl," Bramble smirks and taps the table for Julianna to refill my glass.

  Once Julianna is done, she takes a seat next to me and silently sips her drink, keeping the bottle open and sitting next to my cup.

  "I wish I could say this was one of the fun conversations where we sit and gossip while getting to know you. We will be doing that because believe me, we are ecstatic that you are here," Bramble winks, "Sadly, this isn't the time for that. This discussion simply cannot wait any longer," her tone changes ominously.

  I look over at Julianna and she gives me a weak smile before taking another sip of her drink. I take a deep breath and down the rest of my drink before reaching for the bottle and filling it up again.

  "All right then," I set the bottle back on the table and looked to Bramble, "Lay it on me."

  She looks to Julianna and I see her nod slightly, so Bramble continues, "First, you need to be aware that your brother is no longer the male that Jebediah remembers."

  I knew that much. Jeb had mentioned that Rune had started changing even before he left to find me. Rune had started becoming cold and unfeeling, nothing like the boy he was when Jeb first met him. I nod for her to continue.

  "There have been attacks on our armies, and they are starting to grow more and more frequent. It started with The Mists raiding the camps near the Royal Residence. Now it's growing to full scale attacks in the middle of the night as deep into the continent as Polenka. Commanders and Generals have been pleading to Rune but it's of no use. Not anymore."

  "The Mists attacked us on our way to the portal. One of their brutes kidnapped me and tried to kill my father back in the human realm," I interrupt angrily, "Why is it of no use to ask Rune? He's the freaking King. It's his job," I seethe.

  "I know of what happened to you and your father," she takes my hand with sorrow in her eyes.

  "How? How could you know that?" I eye her cautiously.

  "I am the oldest of the tree folk," her voice softens, not at all offended that I just snapped at her, "and I have many eyes and ears in Malatia. Especially at the Royal Residence," she hints.

  "That doesn't explain how you know what happened to my father," I cock my eyebrow at her.

  "Darling," Julianna softly lays her hand on my shoulder beckoning me to look at her, "Rune is the one who sent that warrior after you and your family. He instructed him to retrieve you and kill whoever got in his way. Your father was in his way."

  I inhale sharply and tears spring into my eyes. Bramble still hasn't let go of my hand and Julianna is rubbing gentle circles on my back to comfort me. Both wait patiently while I process the new information.

  "Why," I croak, looking at Bramble.

  "What do you know of The Mists?" she asks calmly.

  "Not much," I sniffle, trying to regain my composure, "the history book doesn't say much about it. All I know is that it has always been there and that it's where exiles are sent."

  She nods, "That is correct but, there are other things you must know. The Mists is a vile place where the worst Fae you can imagine dwell. They have their own king of sorts and have always operated separately from the continents, until recently. When Rune turned thirteen a new king emerged and they made their move on Malatia, starting with his court."

  I knew it. I knew that his court was corrupt. They had to be the ones feeding him lies and shaping him. It isn't my brother.

  Maybe, I can save him.

  "I see the hope in your eyes, sweet one, but you cannot keep it. They may have started with his court, but it isn't on them anymore. Your brother questioned them and fought them until he reached sixteen. One day, he changed. Every bit of warmth he had left in his heart was gone. He became bitter and cruel. You cannot imagine the deceptive powers that these Fae contain. We know nothing of the new King or his abilities, but I have a suspicion that he has found a way to take over your brother."

  "What do you mean take over my brother? That doesn't make any sense. You're acting like he's some kind of robot or something," I plead.

  There is no way that Rune is gone. I can handle a lot of things, but I cannot handle losing him when I just found him. I have to save him. There must be a way.

  "She means," Julianna interjects, "that when his court failed to corrupt him, something more sinister stepped in. Something has taken over Rune's mind and altered it. The personality swap that he had doesn't just happen overnight. Something was done TO him and inside of him. But it has been so long that I fear there may be nothing of the old Rune left," she laments.

  "I have to try," I implore to them, "I can't just give up on him. He is my family. I have to at least try to save him."

  "We understand," Bramble forces me to meet her eyes, "but you must understand that there is a chance that he cannot be saved.

  You must prepare for what is to happen if you cannot get him back. The path that you walk is not an easy one, and I would not wish it on my worst enemy, but it is the path that was laid out for you. People will die and your heart will be broken. Pain and suffering lie ahead but there is a chance for peace. Keep the love and joy in your heart. Use it to fuel your strength and get you through this. In the end this burden ultimately lies on you. Only you can save us from destruction."

  ∞∞∞

  I go back to the party and meet up with Jeb, but he instantly senses that I’m not into it anymore. We say our goodbyes quickly and return to the cottage. The walk was quiet and at one-point Jeb runs ahead of me. When I walked into our bedroom, he has drawn me a bubble bath in the massive bathtub that is housed in our master bathroom. That thing is seriously enormous. At least three people could fit in there.

  "You looked like you were due for some relaxation," he grins, "and I keenly remember multiple mentions of a bubble bath on the trip here."

  A grin spreads across my face as I saunter up to him and give him a chaste kiss before undressing and climbing into the bath. I love him, but there is nothing coming between me and this bathtub right now.

  When he turns to leave, I grab onto his hand to stop him. His eyebrows raise in question and I tap the side of the bathtub, extending the invitation for him to join me.

>   He climbs into the bubbles behind me and silently begins massaging the tension out of my shoulders. I know that he can tell when something is bothering me, but I appreciate the fact that he is waiting for me to tell him on my own. He reminds me of Jackson in that aspect. I remember how much I would pace around the house in my dramatics and he would always wait silently until he knew I was ready to talk. Usually after I had thrown myself onto the nearest piece of furniture and sighed obnoxiously.

  My heart aches just thinking about my old man.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" Jeb kisses my shoulder and wraps his arms around my waist.

  With a sigh I relent, "I had a conversation with your mother and Bramble tonight."

  He doesn't respond. His fingers continue making light circles on my stomach as he waits patiently.

  "They told me that The Mists are making their move on the continents. It started with the court and when the court failed to corrupt Rune, something else stepped in. Bramble thinks that something has taken over and altered his mind. Your mother isn't sure that there is any of the old Rune left. Both of them told me that I needed to be prepared for the worst," I relay to him almost robotically.

  I can't put my feelings into this now. Putting my feelings into it means that I must admit what I already know. What I must do.

  "Do you think that you can save him?" he asks earnestly after a few moments of silence.

  Do I? Do I really think that I can save the brother that I know nothing about? If it were Miles, there would be no question. I have spent most of my life with him. With Rune, I barely know anything. Only the cold calculation that he showed me the first time we met.

  "I think that I have to try," I answer as honestly as I can,

  "But I also need to be ready for what I have to do if I can’t.

  Bramble was right."

  "And if you can't?" he asks the question that both of us already know the answer to.

  I stay quiet for a few minutes. Taking that last little bit of time to hold onto hope before I admit the truth. The truth that I know deep in my bones. I won't be able to pull him back from this.

  "Then I have to kill him."

  Chapter 30

  The sound of metal clanging against metal fills the air. We woke this morning and decided to call a family meeting today to discuss the information I received last night with everyone. Although Julianna and Bramble already know, they have agreed to be present to help answer questions and provide further clarity on the situation. We also agreed that we needed to inform the family of Miles’s identity.

  He has been glamoured since arriving in Malatia but today, that ends. It is important for everyone to know the truth about what we are facing and the defenses we have in our arsenal. It is also time to reveal the mating bond. Jeb thinks that Bramble can provide us with more information, and that perhaps there are aspects of the bond that we haven’t tapped into yet because we aren’t aware that they exist. It’s clear that our combined bonds have the potential to be a dangerous weapon, but the rarity of them makes the benefits unknown to most.

  Jeb arranged a lunch at his childhood home for this afternoon but for now, we are running through training exercises. I had no complaints when he wanted to train this morning. If anything, I was itching for a fight after last night’s news. It’s strange, but I have come a long way from the girl who saw training as a nuisance. I find myself looking forward to the endless hours honing my skill.

  If anything was made clear by my revelation regarding

  Rune, it’s that I need to be fierce, focused, and lethal. Or else, I will never make it through this war. The human girl that I was is not the one who can kill her brother and leading an army into war. The Fae that I have become is the warrior that will bring the realm to salvation.

  This may not have been the path that I wanted for myself, but it is now the path that I am on. I used to cringe at the fact that I am, for all intents and purposes, a Queen. Now I feel like I owe it to the Fae, not just the ones that I love, to embrace my destiny and be the Queen that they deserve. Which reminds me, I need a favor of my own from Bramble.

  One of Jeb’s swords arcs towards my head as I deflect it with my daggers. I launch a counterattack, swiping my daggers at him with rapid precision. He evades them, but at least when we train now, I cause him to work up a sweat. It’s no longer easy for him to fend off my attacks or get a hit in. The knowledge that training with me is becoming challenging for him feels amazing.

  My skill as a warrior has grown rapidly within the last nine months. Then again, there aren’t many Fae who have been personally trained by the General of Malatia.

  Just as I get the upper hand against him, Jeb ends our session for the day. High on blood lust and adrenaline, I am by no means ready to call it quits. As he walks away from me towards the cottage, I fling one of my daggers at him. I had no intention of hitting him, and the dagger lodges itself into a tree, barely and inch from his head.

  The shocked expression on his face when he turns around to gape is met with a satisfied smirk from me. Now I’m done.

  A slow clap and whistles come from the cottage and I turn to see Josiah and Josie watching from the back door. The twin Fae look giddy seeing their brother being shown up. Jeb glares and I walk towards the back of the cottage to join them.

  “What are you doing here?” Jeb hugs Josie.

  “Well, we have a bit before the mystery lunch that you called and I wanted the chance to see Reyna bring you down a couple notches,” Josie pulls away from him and he shoves her playfully.

  “I came because I heard that Reyna is a water elemental. Oh, and I also came to watch her knock you down a couple notches,” Josiah grins at me. Jeb moves to flip him off before remembering that Josiah won’t understand the gesture. Instead, Jeb tells him to shove it, or something close to that, in their native language. That only has Josiah grinning more.

  “What’s so interesting about me being a water elemental?” I ask Josiah as I wrap my arms around Jeb’s waist.

  “You didn’t tell her?” he looks at Jeb incredulously.

  “It didn’t come up,” Jeb rolls his eyes and shrugs

  impassively.

  “Didn’t tell me what?” I look suspiciously between the two of them.

  “I’m a water elemental,” Josiah explains, “I can help you learn more about your ability. Jeb can teach you general knowledge on how to use it, but I can provide you with a more in depth understanding of your connection to water and its limitations. That is, only if you want my help”

  I step out from Jeb’s side, “Of course I want your help! Can you teach me a bit before lunch?”

  Jeb sulks behind me and I ignore him, stepping away from the cottage again with Josiah. We work on my ability for a few hours, focusing on finding the depths of its limitations within me. They are a lot fewer than they were before I went through the changing, the well of power inside of me has grown considerably deeper since then, I just hadn’t noticed.

  Josiah shows me how to monitor how much power I use at a once to preserve my strength, explaining that knowing how to pace myself is essential in battle. Using too much too fast will quickly lead to what he calls a burnout, which will leave me without the use of my elemental ability and also too drained to continue fighting at my full strength and skill level.

  We finish and Josiah and Josie head to their mother’s house, leaving me to shower and change. I settle on a low-backed tank top and brown leather pants for today, letting my hair hang down to the small of my back. Jeb has gotten me a pair of combat boots to match his own and they are some of the most comfortable shoes

  I’ve worn in my entire life. Despite the impending conversation, I feel at ease as I exit the cottage with Jeb.

  Miles and Lucah are waiting outside Julianna’s cottage when we approach, smiling easily at us. Despite the front he is putting up, I notice the small bit of tension Miles is trying to hide. Jeb follows Lucah inside and I hang back to ensure that Miles is okay with us r
evealing his identity. He assures me that he is fine with it and that he trusts Jeb’s family to keep his secret safe until the time is right. Sadly, I feel like that time is going to come sooner rather than later.

  Things are already moving way faster than we expected.

  Miles is supposed to be leaving to stay with Lucah’s family while

  Jeb shows me around Malatia. What the two males don’t know, but are soon going to find out, is that with the recent developments on

  Rune’s condition, the plan has changed. Neither of them will be returning to the Shvetlani village where Lucah grew up any time soon.

  Everyone is waiting for us in the sitting room when we enter.

  Jeb gives my hand a reassuring squeeze as I take my place next to him, “I called you all here because there are things that need to be discussed. Mom and Bramble will inform you on some of it, but there are other things that Reyna and I need to discuss with you,” he begins.

  “Why don’t you start Bramble,” I call to her place in the corner of the room.

  And so, she does. She tells them everything she told me about Rune and the state of his court. Julianna does her best to explain how The Mists are making their move on the continents and their suspicions about the cause of Rune’s sudden personality shift. Josie asks question after question while Josiah stands tensely by the window, soaking in the information. Miles and Lucah don’t look the least bit surprised.