The Bloodtruth Series (Box Set: Heiress of Lies, The Queen's Betrayal, Trials of Truth, A Heart's Deceit)

by Cege Smith

  “Lady Redley will be there.”

  “What did you say?” Malin stopped and turned to his sister.

  Corrinda looked at him in confusion. Then she pulled a small piece of parchment from a pocket in her dress and handed it to him. “I assumed you knew already.”

  He felt cold as he took the parchment from her fingers. He slowly opened it.

  I look forward to the first dance with the Chief Advisor. Yours truly, Lady Redley

  For once, Malin was at a loss for what to do next. Elvry clearly had inside intelligence and an ally in the Clan given the fact that she used magic. It appeared that she was playing both sides. The worst part of it all was that Elvry was focused on him.

  “Is there something wrong?” Corrinda asked.

  “I will need to confer with Rhone before we enter the ballroom,” Malin said. Although his first instinct was to drive a stake through Elvry’s heart the moment he saw her, he needed the vampire seductress alive. She had information that he could use to start untangling the webs of deception around him. “But I have instructions for you as well.”

  Malin’s only advantage was that Elvry had no idea that the real Angeline was gone. She would assume like everyone else that the woman standing before him was Angeline. His sister was one of the most powerful witches in the Clan. He thought that given enough time, she might even have more strength than Theodora someday. Having Corrinda at his side would be a distinct advantage. Another thought randomly occurred to him then, but he had to put that aside. For the moment, he knew that he could use Corrinda to trap Elvry.

  “Perhaps this isn’t such bad news after all,” he said, pulling on Corrinda’s arm and maneuvering her into a small alcove. He looked around again to be sure no one was nearby before he continued. “I’ll need your help with something else.”

  “You know that you can count on me, Malin.”

  Malin wished his sister were always so agreeable. It would have made their childhood a great deal easier. “There are two things that you can do. The first is, I need a protection spell. I should have thought of it earlier.”

  “Theodora said that only essential magic was to be done while inside the palace walls,” Corrinda said.

  “I consider this essential to both of our survivals. Theodora didn’t want any harm befalling the queen, am I right?”

  Corrinda scrunched up her nose as if considering his words. Malin made a note to ask her what other orders Theodora might have given her that he didn’t know about. Finally, she nodded. “Any harm to the Queen was to be deflected.”

  “That applies to both of us,” Malin said. “The Queen would be harmed if something bad happened to me, right?”

  “The Queen tolerates you for the kingdom. I don’t think she likes you much,” Corrinda said. “Especially now that she knows you plotted to kill her father with the Clan.”

  Malin winced because it was true. “The Queen wants what is best for the kingdom, and until anyone is told otherwise, she is set to marry me in less than three days, which will ensure stability to the kingdom. So anything bad happening to me would be bad for her.”

  “Yes, that is logical,” Corrinda said.

  Malin sighed in relief. They were getting somewhere. He had to think of the right way to ask for what he wanted without stretching the influence of the compulsion to far. “You will cast a spell that will protect me from the influence of any other magic.”

  Corrinda took his hands and started deeply into his eyes. Malin felt a wave of energy wash over him.

  “You are protected, Malin,” she said. “You said there were two things that you needed from me. What else do you ask?”

  “Lady Redley is going to try to harm me,” Malin said.

  “She cannot. I just put the protection spell around you,” Corrinda said, shaking her head in confusion.

  “I need to know some things from her that she is not going to willingly want to tell me. What I need you to do is to help me convince her to tell me what she knows.”

  “How?”

  “We just need to ensure that Lady Redley leaves the Ascension Ball with us. I’m afraid that she won’t want to though,” Malin said. “Until that time, she can’t cause any mischief.”

  “Will she want to cause mischief?” Corrinda looked surprised.

  “It is a guarantee,” Malin said. “Can you handle that? It is a lot to ask, I know. Especially with everything else that you have to remember.”

  “I can do it,” Corrinda said confidently. “You need not worry, Malin. Don’t forget, I am your older sister by two minutes.”

  “Shhhh,” Malin said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a servant headed in their direction. It was Kraber, Angeline’s social secretary. He quickly planted a kiss on Corrinda’s head. It wouldn’t appear strange for someone to find Malin and Angeline in a corner together. They were betrothed. He had to walk a fine line though with his displays of affection. The idea of having to plant a kiss on his sister’s lips in the name of playing the part made him feel queasy.

  “Your Majesty. Chief Advisor,” Kraber said, bowing to each of them in turn. Malin had noticed that the servants were treating him with even more respect than they had several months ago. It was a sign of deference for their future king. Kraber was just two years older than Angeline, and recently promoted into his post. It was one of Angeline’s first staff decisions.

  It was going to be Corrinda’s first test playing the part of Angeline. The Princess and Kraber had been close as children, which was one of the reasons she fought so vehemently for him as her choice. Kraber knew Angeline’s personality well, and so if Corrinda faltered, he would pick up on it.

  “Kraber!” Corrinda stepped forward and touched Kraber’s shoulder gesturing for him to rise. Then she kissed his cheek. “I feel like we haven’t had any time to talk since the Ascension Ceremony. It is hard to believe it was just yesterday, isn’t it?”

  Malin was amazed at Corrinda’s transition into Angeline’s mannerisms. He wondered if magic had not been involved in that as well. In the last ten seconds, he saw more warmth coming from his sister than he had in all of his twenty-four years.

  “I know you’ve been busy. So many changes. So many things to keep track of,” Kraber said. “I was coming to find you. We need to get you to the Ball. The nobles are getting restless.”

  “Of course,” Corrinda said. “Lead on.”

  She looked expectantly at Malin who extended his arm to her once again. As they started down the hall toward the ballroom, Kraber pulled out a small leather bound book.

  “While I have you here, Majesty, Lady Gallow has requested a few minutes of your time tomorrow before the Ascension Tournament. Normally, I would say no, but the Chief Advisor said that if any of the three major houses requested time that I was to find time to fit it in.”

  “Whatever the Chief Advisor thinks is prudent is fine,” Corrinda said.

  Malin saw Kraber cut a glance at Corrinda. It was a confusing answer for Angeline to be sure, but Malin didn’t think it was cause for too much concern. There were some close to Angeline who were none too thrilled with the King’s choice for Angeline’s husband. Angeline had called him out on his behavior, or at least, his supposed behavior. She would likely have told Kraber about her doubts about him. Malin cursed the court gossipmongers yet again.

  “Did the Lady indicate what she wanted to discuss with the Queen?” Malin asked.

  “She would like some advice on some of the tax laws that king suggested she put into place last year. She has concerns that the people in her province are moving to other provinces because it is too high.”

  “Very good. I am sure the Queen can assist,” Malin said.

  Corrinda murmured her agreement, which was smart. There was nothing that she would know about Altera’s province tax laws. Malin made a note to spend a few minutes with her in the morning going over the few things that she needed to know. He would be the one taking the meeting in any case. The Queen, in her royal capaci
ty, was only required to look on in most matters of court.

  “Kraber, can you confirm that all the nobles have arrived?” Malin’s focus was only to ensure that Corrinda made it through the evening undetected and that Elvry would be in his grasp by the end of it. He needed something to prove to Angeline that he only had her best interests, and the best interests of her kingdom, at heart.

  “Yes, Chief Advisor. The Lady Redley was a few minutes late, but other than that everyone else was on time or early. Of course, we couldn’t start without Lady Redley.”

  “Naturally,” Malin said dryly. “Has anyone checked on Lord Redley’s condition?”

  “I don’t know, Sir.”

  “It is part of the social secretary to know the whereabouts, mood, temperaments, and conditions of everyone in residence at court,” Malin said. He knew that he was being harsh, but that was part of his role too. “You cannot properly advise the Queen if you do not have your finger on the pulse of the court.”

  “I will send someone to check on Lord Redley immediately,” Kraber said as the color drained from his face.

  “Good,” Malin said, nodding in satisfaction. If nothing else, the discovery of Redley’s body would ensure that Lady Redley would not be able to move around the palace grounds without being constantly observed. In the event that Elvry slipped through his grasp, he wanted to make sure it would be difficult for her to resurface.

  “Here we are then,” Kraber said as they drew up to the massive doors leading into the ballroom. “I’m going to go around and make sure that the musicians are ready with the Queen’s March. It won’t take but a moment. When the doors open, you can enter.”

  Kraber bowed once more and then hurried around the corner to the side entrance.

  “He’s a funny little boy,” Corrinda said, staring after him.

  “Do you remember everything we talked about?” Although Corrinda passed her first test, there were about to be many more.

  “I will make you proud,” Corrinda said.

  Malin could only hope that she was right. Moments later, the metal doors squeaked on their hinges as they began to open. The moment of truth had arrived.

  It was time for the Ascension Ball.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Angeline thought for sure that she was going around in circles. She also had to admit that she was hopelessly lost. She was able to find another stairwell with relative ease after Kallie left her outside the door of the second room designated as “hers” within the Clan’s compound. She took the stairs to the lowest level, and that was where she began her exploration. If Connor was being held against his will, it was logical that those types of holding cells would be as far away from the rest of the Clan as possible. That’s how things were handled in the palace, and, on that note, Angeline didn’t think the Clan was any different.

  She found it strange that she didn’t see more people. She had no concept of how large the Clan actually was, but to have a Council seemed to indicate at least a fair amount of people resided within the compound. So far Becca, Thomas, Kallie, and Kallie’s mother, where the only inhabitants that Angeline had uncovered.

  The air in the bowels of the compound was stale. Every once and a while she caught a whiff of something rank, but it was gone just as quickly. She shivered from the chill and wished she had a shawl. There were far fewer doors on this level, and she thought that it was possible that she had looked in every one. The lighting was even dimmer than what it had been on the level she entered from the outside, and she was forced to squint into each room hoping that no one was about to jump out of the shadows and grab at her.

  After five such rooms, Angeline started to lose her nerve. As the doubt crept into her mind, she could hear her father’s voice. “Running off half-cocked as usual? I am disappointed, Angeline. A Queen never makes a move unless she is absolutely certain it is the right one. Her gut will tell her so.”

  She trusted her gut when it said that she had to find Connor, but she had run off half-cocked with no information at all in a strange place without any idea how to find him. She cursed herself for not asking Kallie any further questions. She was putting herself and her people at risk trying to find one man. While she trusted that her wraith instincts would serve her well in a physical confrontation if it came to that, there were still too many things she didn’t understand about her current condition. She needed answers and a cure. Continuing to sneak around uninvited inside the walls of the ones who could help her now felt foolish and unwise.

  Instead of aimlessly wandering around, she needed to take a few moments to regroup and come up with a new strategy. Connor was still a priority, but she had to prepare for her meeting with the Clan Council. That one interaction would hopefully change the course of her entire life.

  Now that she had decided to return to her original room, Angeline realized that she had no idea how to get there. Her fingertips skimmed the wall as she raced alongside of it looking for an entrance to a stairwell. She knew that she had gone up two flights chasing after Kallie, and down five flights when she came down to the floor that she was currently on. So once she found a stairwell, she would go up three flights of stairs and hopefully find the room with her dress remnant tied to the doorknob.

  Then she collided with a wall. Seconds later she realized it wasn’t a wall at all, but a hulking brute of a man. Her forward momentum threw her off balance on impact, and she felt herself pitching backwards. Two hands reached out into the air to grab at her, and Angeline felt the wraith inside of her respond. She hit the ground on her back, rolled to the side, and was up and on her feet again in seconds.

  “You’re a quick one,” the man said.

  “You have no idea,” Angeline said. She started to backpedal. The man made no move toward her. The torchlight behind her finally helped to give her sharpened eyesight an idea of who she was looking at. The man was easily at least three or four hands taller than she was and his face was pockmarked. His scalp was almost bald except for a few stray hairs that seemed to emerge from his skull at random intervals. His smile revealed that he was missing several teeth.

  She decided that she wasn’t going to apologize for being found outside of her room unless directly questioned about it. “I seem to have gotten lost. Can you tell me where the nearest stairwell is? I would like to return to my room. I am expected.” She threw in the last part just to make sure that the giant would know that she would be missed if she didn’t reappear. It wasn’t a lie.

  “You are a long way from your room, Your Majesty.”

  Angeline tried to keep the surprise off of her face. The man’s smooth voice belied his appearance, and it couldn’t bode well for her that he knew who she was.

  “I needed to stretch my legs,” Angeline said. “Being underground makes me a bit anxious.” That wasn’t a lie either. Angeline could see the benefits of taking a truth and stretching it just far enough so that it didn’t break, but still met her needs.

  “You’ll get used to it.”

  Angeline had no intention of staying in the Clan’s caverns long enough to get used to it. A part of her considered asking the man if he knew of Connor’s whereabouts, but she decided that her more pressing need was to get back to her room before Thomas discovered she was missing. “Perhaps. Would you be willing to help me get back to my room?”

  “The Council meeting starts in less than ten minutes. I expect that you would want to be on time, Majesty.” A glint of intelligence in the man’s eye pierced Angeline’s subconscious and she felt the wraith begin to stir. There was undeniably danger in the man in front of her.

  “I would indeed,” she said. “In that case, if you can point me in the direction of the Council chamber, I will gladly be on my way.”

  “There’s no sense in having you get lost again. I will take you,” the man said.

  Angeline read through the subtle lines of his words. He was going to make sure she didn’t try to go anywhere else. Angeline now had a babysitter. She saw that gleam in his eyes
again and realized that he was hoping that she was going to resist. A strange sensation rolled across her. It made her skin crawl. She didn’t know how she could know it, but she sensed that this man enjoyed causing other people pain. It disgusted her.

  “Well, lead on then,” she said with a sniff to cover her sudden distaste with being in his presence. “And what do I call you?”

  “My name is Bryant,” the man said as he turned and tilted his head in the opposite direction. Then he moved without any other gesture that she should follow him.

  Angeline found that she had to pick up her pace to keep up. For a large man, he moved surprisingly fast. “What do you do for the Clan, Bryant?” She really didn’t care, but speaking out loud helped her unease.

  “I remove threats,” Bryant said. He offered no further explanation.

  “Is the Clan in danger?” That kind of information would be useful to her. Any potential allies against the Clan would be welcome if things did not go well for her with the Council. “I thought that the Clan ensured peace.”

  “Which is why they need someone to remove any threats when they are identified,” Bryant said.

  Bryant disappeared so suddenly that Angeline stopped short. Then a torch flared, and Angeline found she was just inches away from the giant man. She bit her lip from crying out in alarm and felt a hissing skim her consciousness. She stilled her hand just before it leapt up to grab at the man’s throat.

  Eyes narrowed, Angeline refused to back away. Her breath came in short gulps as she struggled for control. She didn’t like being intimidated anymore than the wraith side of her mind did, and in that moment of surprise, it leapt to the surface. If she didn’t keep a death grip on it, it would take over and then she knew that either she or Bryant would be ripped to shreds. The wraith howled in her mind, calling for a fight and blood. Its aggressiveness was intoxicating and frightening.