by Cege Smith
“There you are,” he said. He looked at her hands. “I thought you needed your notes.”
Angeline cursed herself again for letting her emotions take over so that she needed to come up with a new lie. “I couldn’t find them. Clarissa must have moved them when she was straightening my room. I didn’t want to keep the nobles waiting any longer.”
“I will have someone speak to her,” Malin said.
Angeline put her hand on his arm and smiled her most brilliant smile. “I should have simply trusted you to begin with like you said. I know you have everything well under control. Let’s go in. I am sure they are all eager to hear the allocations.”
Malin nodded. “Your father was very clear in his recommendations on this. Are you sure that you agree? Lord Norburn in particular isn’t likely to take the news well.”
Angeline had forgotten all of the details that Malin had meticulously gone over with her just two days before. It had been nothing but a whirlwind of activity since her father’s passing. “I don’t understand why my father would have recommended it if he didn’t think that it would be fine.”
Every nobleman who swore fealty to the Robart throne was required by law to submit to a royal reordering of land ownership if mandated by the ruling monarch at the time of the Ascension. It was a clever device by Alair Robart that ensured that the biggest houses never got too large, and the smallest houses that still had some influence and didn’t fade completely away. It was a tacit way to keep the playing field somewhat level, while still ensuring that everyone knew who was in charge, and it wasn’t them.
“Well, Norburn’s holdings have grown larger than any of his predecessors. A reallocation should not be news to him,” Malin agreed.
“The six province heads will remain the same, so therefore the royal advisory council will remain the same,” Angeline said, trying to remember all of the details. It was completely unlike her. In fact, the reason that she had been sent to the exclusive school at the Sisters of St. Abath was because the tutors in Brebackerin couldn’t keep up with her. She absorbed information like a sponge.
“Of course,” Malin said. “To change that would be like a slap in the face of some very important families. The more powerful houses are much more amenable to losing a few parcels of land than their influence within the kingdom. I will handle all of the important announcements.”
Angeline nodded. Malin had turned and was just grasping the door when she stopped him. “Doesn’t this feel like a waste of time, Malin? There is something going on, something evil and dark afoot. All of this pomp and circumstance seems like a dangerous distraction. Perhaps this is just what our enemies are hoping for, that we’ll continue on and then that is when they will pounce.”
“What do you know, Majesty?” Malin watched her face carefully.
It was the moment of truth. She could choose to say nothing, or she could tell Malin the truth. The idea that a group of vampires called the Death Bringers had descended on the city worried her and she didn’t have anyone else to turn to.
“I’ve recently come into some intelligence that there is a group of vampires in the city intent on wreaking havoc,” she said. “We should tell Rhone. We have to prepare the soldiers better.”
“How do you know this?” Malin said, stepping closer to her with a hiss. He looked over her shoulder and all around them. “This isn’t something we should be discussing here.”
“I agree,” Angeline said. “So let’s postpone the Ceremony of Allocation and go somewhere where we can talk in private.” She could see that he was annoyed that she wasn’t telling him what he wanted to know right then.
“There is already too much grumbling about a Robart female taking the throne,” Malin said. “Any sign of something amiss is just going to give your political enemies in court more fuel for their fire.”
It always came back to that. Politics. “Fine,” Angeline said. “Let’s hope the kingdom is still in one piece when we get done with this triviality.” She crossed her arms and looked pointedly at the door.
Malin looked like he was going to say something else, but Angeline turned her head to the side. She was done playing games with him. She needed to know one way or another where his allegiance lay, and she decided that if needed, she was willing to try to convince him to shift to hers if possible. Malin on her side would be a powerful ally, much as she hated to admit it.
Malin swung the door open and Angeline went through. They were on the back side of the audience chamber behind the throne podium. She could hear the nobles gathered in front on the other side, but she couldn’t see them. Malin pushed aside the heavy curtains on the left side and disappeared.
She heard him clear his throat and the voices had already started to quiet. “I want to thank you all again for being here on this momentous occasion. I would like to personally welcome you to the Ceremony of Allocation. Now, please rise for her Majesty, Queen Angeline Mary Ellen Robart.”
It was her cue. Malin pulled aside the curtain so she could step through. The audience chamber of the grand hall was much smaller than the banquet hall that hosted the feast the night before, and the sheer number of nobles crammed into the room made it seem even smaller still.
She smiled benignly and raised a hand to wave to the assembled crowd as they clapped for her. Unlike the reception she had received the night before, this one was much more reserved. That wasn’t unexpected. The nobles considered themselves almost equals to the royal family. Almost.
Malin offered his hand and she took it as he guided her carefully up the stairs to the top of the platform. She turned and felt the multitude of eyes upon her. Those eyes were weighing and judging her every move, and even though every single one had sworn fealty to her, she had no doubt that they would turn on her in a second if they found a better alternative or a way to advance their own interests. Malin stood just off to her right on the step beneath her. It was odd, but she felt comforted that he was there.
“You all have been loyal subjects to the Robart crown for hundreds of years. I am humbled and honored to have been called to serve the people of Altera. During my reign, I want for nothing but peace and prosperity for my people, as well as for all of you.” Her voice didn’t waver and she stood tall and proud. This was her family’s legacy. This would become her legacy. It all came sinking down on her. She wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. “There have been many who have prospered during my father’s reign. There were others who did not fare as well. As according to Alteran law, I have reviewed each noble family’s lands and wealth, and will be reallocating so that there is a more balanced distribution for all. I thank you for your cooperation and trust.”
Her carefully memorized speech concluded, she sat down on the edge of the throne and nodded to Malin. Malin took a large piece of parchment from his belt and stepped down several steps.
“As per the law, each noble family has submitted a record of all of their lands and reserves. Using this information, I have advised the queen of an allocation that should feel fair and adequate for everyone.”
Angeline heard a few rumblings at this. She remembered asking her father why they did not reallocate more frequently, and his response had been that with the allocation in general only affected the nobles once per generation. Any more than that could risk the possibility that some noble would take it in their head to retaliate. But by making it part of a new monarch’s ascension, there was a certain amount of peer pressure at play. Because everyone agreed to it, then there would be a reduced risk that someone would openly be upset by it.
Malin pointed to the small table on the other side of the platform. Angeline recognized Hector, the Court accountant, sitting there. A large stack of papers sat in front of him. “Hector will be handling the legal side of the changes. As I read each reallocation, the two affected parties will each step to the front and confer with Hector, who has already put together all of the required binding agreements. If, for any reason, someone disagrees with an allocation, h
e or she may address this with the queen.”
Angeline was already bored. She didn’t expect to be required to speak for the next few hours, and would simply look on as Malin handled everything. She scanned the crowd. The six nobles who formed the royal advisory council were seated at the front, and each looked a little anxious. She didn’t know why, but that made Angeline feel better, especially as she looked at Lady Gallow’s pinched face. The Lady looked a bit peaked this morning, likely due to her overindulgence of wine the evening before.
Angeline continued scanning the faces of the assembled and then stopped. At the very back of the room, she found a pair of ice blue eyes staring at her. The nobles were supposed to sit in order of rank, and as Angeline saw, this woman sat at the very end. That meant that this was Lord Redley’s mysterious daughter.
Angeline was annoyed to feel the slightest bit of envy. Malin’s information appeared to be wrong. This woman wasn’t plain at all. In fact, she was stunning, even better looking than Lady Gallow. Angeline wondered if Malin had already noticed, and then felt heat creeping up her cheeks. She shouldn’t care if Malin was interested or not. Supposedly the one she cared about was Connor. But being betrothed to one and desiring another was making her head do flip-flops.
Then she realized that Malin was looking at her. She had completely lost track of the ceremony.
“Is there anything else you would like to add, Majesty?” he said. He had repeated himself and she felt the flush on her cheeks creep higher.
“No, please continue,” she said. Angeline settled back into her chair as Malin announced the members of the ongoing royal advisory council. She kept looking back at the blue eyes studying her from the back of the room. The ceremony had just gotten a whole lot more intriguing, and Angeline didn’t think that was a good thing.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When Angeline stormed out of the room Connor was left baffled and angry. He knew that at some point they should address what was happening between them, but it wasn’t the time or place. Plus, he was a vampire and she was a wraith. No matter how he felt about her, or how she felt about him, it wasn’t allowed. But he could serve her and she could help him.
He recognized the signs that something was happening within her. Her wraith was part of her again. He sensed that dark presence that he had encountered in her during their time together in the Amaron Forest. That meant that her emotions were being accentuated by the wraith. It wasn’t her fault that her usual calm logic was being severely tested. Plus, he should have expected it. Just like he should have known she would pick up Elvry’s scent. He wanted to kick himself. That’s when he heard her in his head.
“I’m sorry.”
He was relieved. Even though she had left in a fury, Angeline was still in control. He knew that she couldn’t come back and he cursed the situation. He hadn’t been able to warn her about Elvry, and trying to explain it now, over this unreliable communication method, would only cause her more anxiety. “I am the one who is sorry, Majesty. Please be careful until we can speak again. Remember I am yours always,” he sent back to her.
There was no reply. He had no idea what was going to happen now. He paced the room and tried to think. Angeline was on her way to the Ceremony of Allocation. Elvry was going to be there posing as a member of the Redley family. That somehow tied into Monroe’s plan to waylay Malin Baford so that the Clan’s influence was neutralized until it was too late for them to interfere. That event was going to set in motion a plan that was going to bring mass chaos down on the city of Brebackerin, and perhaps the whole kingdom.
Whatever Monroe was planning, it was going to happen later. He would have to trust that Angeline would be able to handle whatever mischief Elvry was planning for the Ceremony of Allocation. Connor turned Alair Robart’s journal over in his hands and then he tucked it into his belt. He was planning to see Angeline later, and he would return to it to her then.
Connor decided it was time to actually do what he had told Monroe he had already done, which was check out the palace’s defenses. He thought that he might be able to offer Angeline some insight that could help fend off an attack if it came to that. As he snuck out of her room, he made mental notes to himself.
The garden was obviously a weak point. Having the walls be fifteen feet tall was an adequate deterrent for humans, but it was barely any effort at all for a vampire to jump to the top. If there was an attack, Angeline’s guard should line the top of the wall with wooden spikes and then mimic the same defenses at the foot of the wall on the garden side. While that may not stop an attack on that front, it would certainly slow the vampires down and give the soldiers a chance to get close enough to attack while the vampires were injured and distracted.
Being careful to stay close to the interior walls, Connor made his way to the fourth floor. Here he had to be more careful. Even though the day was proving to be overcast, the sun’s rays could still be felt. At the end of each wing, the hallways became walkways that looked out over the city. Small staircases allowed the soldiers to go onto the roof and see far across the cityscape and out into the roaming fields beyond the city walls.
Connor settled himself onto a bench in the fourth floor hallway, just around the corner out of sight from the soldiers manning the guard walk, but close enough that he could hear them as they passed by. The entire floor had a distinctly unused feel to it, and Connor wondered what its purpose was. He made another note to ask Angeline about it, whenever she was ready to speak to him again.
“I thought the Ascension ceremonies meant everyone got a break and could celebrate.” Connor’s ears perked up at the complaining voice drifting his way. “So far it’s been nothing but work, work, work,” the voice continued.
Connor dared to peek around the corner. As he suspected, two soldiers were making their way toward him. Neither soldier seemed to be paying much attention to the view or the other side of the wall. If they weren’t dressed in armor, he would have taken them for two men out on a casual stroll.
“It’s probably because everyone is all in an uproar about the fact that a woman is ascending instead of a man,” the other man said confidently. “You hear Rhone going on and on about how we should expect trouble? My father told me he didn’t remember anything like this when Eric Robart ascended.”
Connor had been hoping that the talk of Angeline’s gender would have passed by now, but it was a topic that was continuing to fester. Although Connor had lived for many years, he couldn’t understand people’s general reluctance to Angeline’s rule. She had been raised as royalty and schooled to rule. Before he had kidnapped her, he had cultivated a network of spies around her, and after hearing so much about her and her studies, he was certain that there wasn’t another person alive who knew as much or cared as deeply about Altera as she did.
“Well, all will be well once she marries the Chief Advisor,” the first man said. “I heard that he’s been singlehandedly running the kingdom since King Eric took ill two months ago.”
“Makes you wonder what the royal folk actually do,” the second man snorted. “Other than strut around in fancy clothes and make speeches that get folks all excited. Always ends up being us grunts that do all the work.”
“At least the queen’s pretty to look at,” the first man said. Connor could hear the lechery in his voice.
“I wouldn’t mind getting a royal kiss or two from those lips,” the second man agreed.
Connor was appalled. He felt his blood start to pound in his head as the two men kept talking about Angeline’s physical assets, their voices growing fainter as they made their way to the roof. If he would have been able to step out into the daylight, he would have confronted them and likely beaten them to a bloody pulp.
“What are you doing there, sir?” The grizzled voice caught him completely unaware as his attention was so focused on the two soldiers outside.
Connor found himself looking at Rhone, the general of Angeline’s army. He cursed himself for being so distracted. He put
on his most confident smile. “Just getting away from the frenzy for a little while. What with all the celebrations going on below, it’s a little overwhelming.”
Rhone frowned but nodded. “That it is. I don’t think I’ve met you before. What house are you with?”
Connor faltered, racking his brain for a name. “Redley,” he stumbled. “I’m Lord Redley’s attendant.” He was certain that Rhone knew every noble’s face by heart. Servants usually flew further under the radar.
Connor realized his mistake when he found a dagger shoved up under his neck. Rhone may be old, but he was fast, and Connor was mildly impressed. Even with his vampire eyesight, Rhone’s movements had been barely detectable.
“I escorted Lord Redley’s retinue into the palace grounds myself,” Rhone said. “You were not part of it.”
“I arrived with Lord Redley’s daughter yesterday evening,” Connor said, trying to appear alarmed. A slice across the neck would be inconvenient, but it wouldn’t slow him down if push came to shove.
The dagger withdrew by less than half an inch. “Is that so? I did hear that Lady Redley decided to make the journey after all.”
There was hope for Angeline’s guard after all, Connor decided. Rhone was obviously on edge, unlike the two goons who had just passed by, and Angeline needed every alert ally that she could get. He had been uncertain about Rhone’s loyalty, but it seemed like he shouldn’t have worried. This gave Connor an entirely new idea of how he could possibly leverage this chance meeting with the general to his advantage.
“I’ve noticed that the guard seems to be out more in strength than usual,” Connor said. “Lady Redley appreciates the extra caution. I suppose you fear that the city’s residents are going to get a bit out of hand with the Ascension festivities.”
Now the dagger was moved completely away from his neck. Rhone stepped away, giving Connor some room. “We can’t be too careful. These can be trying times, what with a change of power,” Rhone said.
