“Zwaantie would like to talk to Raaf.”
“Of course, come in. I’ll go get him.” He went through a side door. There were all kinds of hidden and side passages throughout the castle to make it easier for the royal family to get to their offices.
Zwaantie and Luna entered. Zwaantie stopped short. She hadn’t seen his room since he’d returned. Before he left, it was decorated in blues and greens, and toys were scattered everywhere. Now it was stark white. Everything from the comforter on his bed to the stiff couches near the fireplace.
Zwaantie and Luna sat on the horribly uncomfortable couch and set the game on the table. Phoenix returned a few moments later and grinned at the game.
“Oh man. We haven’t played that in years.”
“I know. I’m going to talk Raaf into playing.”
Phoenix met her eyes for a second. “I hope you’re successful. Raaf could use a few more laughs.”
Moments later Raaf collapsed into the chair across from her. “A game, really?”
“I thought you could use a break.”
His stony face changed into a grin. “You have no idea. You know what four years of training and a few days on the job has taught me?”
“What?” Zwaantie asked, her eyes flicking to Phoenix. She couldn’t stop looking at him.
“Being grand chancellor is boring.”
Phoenix chuckled. “Being your slave is no party either.”
Raaf shoved Phoenix’s shoulder. “I can give you more work if you want. Have you seen my shoes? They’re filthy.”
Zwaantie snorted. “Being queen will be duller. Have you ever been in on those monthly meetings?”
Raaf shook his head.
“Oh yeah, I didn’t start going until after you left. Well, I’m sure you’ll go now because the old grand chancellor always did. Not exciting in the least.”
“I have to prod her to keep her awake,” Luna said.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s play,” Raaf said.
Zwaantie opened the box with relief. Maybe she’d been mistaken on how much Raaf had changed. Raaf dealt out the cards. Zwaantie peeked over hers at Phoenix. His brow was furrowed as he looked over his cards. He was adorable when he was thinking.
They started to play. Zwaantie had picked this game because it allowed for a lot of talk time.
“What exactly did you do in training anyway?” Zwaantie asked.
“I read a lot of books.”
“Really, that’s it? Why did you have to go so far away?” Zwaantie still didn’t know where he’d gone. Only that letters took a week or more to get to her.
“I asked that question a time or two. The only answer they gave was that I would concentrate more if I didn’t have any distractions. Most of the time, it was just me and a chancellor locked in a room. The lower chancellors rotated every week, and the grand chancellor came a few times a year. But I learned everything I never wanted to know about the Voice and Sol. Some of it was interesting, but most of it was boring.”
“Tell us something interesting,” Luna said.
Raaf set down his cards and tapped his chin. “Did you know that the Voice can actually force you to do something?”
“What do you mean?” Phoenix asked.
“Well, our only experience with the Voice is that it scolds and causes pain. But sometimes it will stop people from doing horrible things after they start. So if someone started beating someone, the Voice can force them to stop.”
Zwaantie shivered. She hoped the Voice would never force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. That seemed dangerous.
Phoenix picked up a serpent card. “You know, no one actually knows what a serpent looks like, but I don’t think this is it.”
“Are you saying serpents are something different?” Zwaantie asked.
“Yeah, we had them in Stella, but they only come out after midnight.” He paused for a second. “The Voice doesn’t want me talking about that. Sorry.”
Zwaantie rarely heard Phoenix or Luna voluntarily talk about Stella. She supposed Luna didn’t remember much, but Phoenix might. He was two years older than his sister.
“Why did you come to Sol anyway?”
“Our dad died, and mom didn’t have many skills. She failed out of mage school. Mom’s sister was a trader and married a Solite and settled down here. She told mom to come on over, and she’d take care of her.”
Luna stiffened next to her, and Zwaantie wondered how bad this story was going to get.
Phoenix set down a few cards. “When we arrived, we discovered she’d married a cruel man, and after a month, he threw us out on the street. We had no way to get food, and by then we’d been in Sol long enough that the Voice wouldn’t let us go home. Mom had no choice but to become a slave.”
Zwaantie felt sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to know this story.
Raaf cocked his head at Phoenix. “How could he be cruel? The Voice wouldn’t let him.”
Phoenix sneered. “The Voice is not all knowing. There are a lot of things a person with a sadistic nature can still do.”
“Like what?” Raaf asked. “The whole point of the Voice is to stop people from doing bad things. I just spent the better part of four years learning about this. It’s not possible for someone to be evil.”
“Yes it is. You’re not allowed to starve your children, but you can give them only a tiny amount of food so they’ll never feel full. I can’t hit my sister, but if I were to tease her and play a little rough on purpose, the Voice wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Those kinds of things. Plus, all bets are off after midnight. The guards can lock you in your homes, but what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.”
Raaf frowned, and Zwaantie wondered what he was thinking. She’d known that was possible. She couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t. Maybe it was because she tested the Voice often. Perhaps Raaf never walked the line. Never tried to see what he could get away with.
Luna threw down her cards. Ten sticks and ten serpents. “Ha, I win.”
They played three more games, and the conversation turned lighter. It was relaxing and fun. Zwaantie took every opportunity she could to watch Phoenix, and she noticed him doing the same. She hoped that no one else saw. She was falling fast.
Chapter 9
The Complication
Thoughts of Phoenix bothered Zwaantie all week. She kept losing track of what she was doing and couldn’t stop thinking about the way his eyes met hers or the smile that formed on his lips every time they crossed in the hallway. This had never happened before. They’d met every night except one when he had to stay with Raaf. Was he thinking of her too?
She and Luna spent the day hiding out in Wilma’s cottage sorting potions and cutting herbs. She didn’t want to risk running into Mother and discussing her duties or the princes. Last night Mother had offered to travel to Haul to visit with the prince there. She said Raaf wanted to see Cornelia anyway. Zwaantie wasn’t going to give Mother another opportunity to make her go away. She wanted to stay here in the castle where she and Phoenix had a refuge. A place to be together, but not together. He was on her mind constantly, and that unsettled her.
She couldn’t shake her thoughts. After dinner, she practically ran to the rock by the pond. She beat him this time, climbing onto the rock and watching a couple swans in the pond. There was clean water just on the other side of the hedges, but the swans wanted to play in the dirty water. Maybe they were hiding from others as well.
She’d been so focused on the swans that she hadn’t heard Phoenix arrive. He touched her shoulder, and she jumped, nearly falling off the rock. He grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her waist, and when they steadied, she found her face inches from his. His lips were so close. She leaned closer, wanting to feel them on hers, but he backed away.
She let out a breath of frustration.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes serious.
She straightened her dress. “Yes. But you shouldn’t sneak
up on me like that. I nearly fell off.”
“I wouldn’t let you fall. How was your day?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Boring.”
“Mine as well. Your brother spends more and more time alone.”
“Don’t a lot of people come to visit him to confess?”
“Yes, but he only takes confessions for a few hours a day. He spends time in the evenings with the guards, but that’s it.”
She grumbled. “He’s doing all this grown-up stuff. Soon I will have too as well. I’m not looking forward to that.”
“I can picture it now. You in those meetings with all the lower kings and queens, bossing them around.”
“Oh no. I don’t want to attend those stupid meetings. Maybe I can delegate that to my husband.” The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She would have a husband. She didn’t want to think about a possible spouse. Because that person wouldn’t be Phoenix.
Phoenix wiggled his eyebrows. “Any idea who it might be?”
“No. Not yet.”
They both went quiet. She looked down and saw his hand splayed on the rock. She wanted to hold it. His fingers were long, and she wondered what they would feel like woven in with hers. This would be brave and daring, and she would risk a headache and a thorough telling off, but maybe, if she was careful, the Voice wouldn’t even notice.
She moved her hand so their fingers were touching. He didn’t move. This was a good sign.
“Have you seen Luna’s new house yet?” she asked.
Phoenix nodded. “Yes. I stay there a lot. The beds are nicer.”
Zwaantie slid her fingers across the top of Phoenix’s. Neither said anything for a long second. Then he flipped his hand over and wove his fingers into hers. A thrill buzzed in Zwaantie’s chest.
She was surprised the Voice wasn’t berating her. Physical touch was discouraged, but holding hands wasn’t forbidden. She supposed the Voice could find nothing wrong with this.
“Princess, you know that I am a slave.”
“Yes. I do.”
“Then why do you…” His words trailed off, but Zwaantie understood. He couldn’t say anything. He didn’t want to bring their clasped hands to the Voice’s attention any more than she did. If Phoenix made a big deal out of their hands, the Voice might decide it meant more.
“Because I like your hair. And you have nice eyes. And you’re sweet and kind, and sometimes feelings can’t be helped.” She’d said too much. Any second now, the Voice was going to tell her that she wasn’t allowed to say nice things to slaves.
He grinned. “No, I suppose they cannot. Can I ask how long you’ve felt this way?”
“Not long. Maybe just last week.”
He laughed out loud. “Well, Princess, I can tell you I’ve felt this way far longer.”
He looked deep into her eyes and brushed away a stray strand of hair.
“How long,” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He dropped his eyes. “I don’t know. Since shortly before Raaf and I left. I thought of you constantly. I just assumed I’d have to watch from afar.”
“You’ve never said anything before today. Why?”
“I’m a slave. You’re a princess. It’s treason.”
He jerked his hand out of hers and gripped his head. Zwaantie placed her hand on his shoulders. “Are you okay?”
He took a couple of deep breaths and then shook his head, his dark curls flying around.
“I’m fine,” he said, blinking his eyes. “That one hurt.”
Zwaantie watched him carefully. “Did the pain go away, or will you have to confess?”
“It went away. I should be okay.”
Zwaantie wondered how far this would go. She felt so powerfully about him in such a short time. Maybe the feelings would fizzle just as quickly. She hoped not. Her skin tingled at the possibilities. Their relationship would be forbidden by both the Voice and her mother. She didn’t want to see Phoenix in pain. She had to find a way to make this okay, if not with Mother, then at least with the Voice.
She needed to know the rules. Was it actually wrong for her to love a slave, or was that just Mother’s idea? There was a difference between tradition and true right and wrong. Zwaantie had never thought about this before. It was time to find out.
Chapter 10
The Wagon
Zwaantie was on a mission. One that involved escaping the castle for a few hours with Luna, Phoenix, and Raaf. Things had been easier with Raaf since they played Sticks and Serpents, but she hadn’t been able to spend a lot of time with him.
Slow down. This is not appropriate.
She stopped running and cursed the Voice for interfering. She settled on a brisk walk, her shoes clip-clopping on the floor, and ignored the slaves bowing to her as she passed. The castle seemed filled to bursting with them today. Odd.
She rounded a corner and knocked on a door. Phoenix opened it. Her lips twitched into a small smile. “I wish to see my brother.”
Phoenix frowned. “Now’s not a good time, Your Highness. Please come back later.”
A high pitch wailing came from inside his room. “What’s going on?”
“Just chancellor business, please come back later.”
“No,” Zwaantie said and pushed the door open.
Sprawled out on Raaf’s floor was a merchant child, probably around ten, flailing around, screaming. A woman, whom Zwaantie assumed was the girl’s mother, hovered over her. Raaf ran into the room from a side door. He tried to calm the child, but she continued to flail.
“Speak, woman. What did she do?”
“She hit her father. I’ve never seen pain come on so fast. Help her, please.”
“You lie. If a child hits a parent, they may have pain strong enough to confess, but not this. Tell me, what did she do?”
The woman pressed a hand to her forehead, and she sank to the floor.
“No, you don’t,” Raaf said, his voice rising. He was still attempting to calm the child, but wasn’t having any success. “You need to tell me what she did.”
Tears flowed down the woman’s cheeks. “She picked up a butcher knife and tried to kill her father. The pain took her down before she could make contact.” Zwaantie brought a hand to her mouth. She’d never heard of such evil from a child.
Raaf’s mouth dropped open, and he stood. “Phoenix, help me bring the child to another room. Zwaantie, can you stay here with the mother?”
Zwaantie nodded. “Of course.” She spun around to find that Luna wasn’t with her. She’d forgotten she’d sent Luna off to gather a few things for their afternoon. Zwaantie guided the mother to the couch. Then she went to a side table and poured out a goblet of wine for the woman. She handed over the wine, and the woman took it with shaking hands.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ve imagined meeting you on many occasions, but never quite like this.” The woman continued to tremble, her voice weak.
Zwaantie forced a smile. “Don’t worry about it. Would you like to tell me what happened? Get it off your chest?”
Silent tears flowed down the woman’s cheeks. “I’ve never seen Hilde behave like that before. She was so angry. We all were, but Hilde took it the worst.”
“Why was she angry?”
“Hilde’s the youngest and is a pretty little thing. She’ll never understand what it’s like to not be wanted. But her oldest sister, Ina, she just didn’t stand a chance. We tried for three years to find a good match for her. But you know after twenty, the good ones are gone. We even searched for a farmer’s son, figuring that would be better than nothing, but no one wanted her. She is too ugly. We had no choice.”
Zwaantie couldn’t understand what the woman was saying.
“What did you do?”
“We did what any parent does when they have an unwanted child. We gave her to the slavemaster.”
Zwaantie’s recoiled. This was unheard of. No parent would do that to their children for such a stupid reason. Maybe sh
e wasn’t telling Zwaantie everything.
“Was she a strain on your family financially?”
“No, but what else were we going to do with her? She’s our responsibility until she’s married. She couldn’t marry. We had no choice.”
Parents were responsible for the care of their children until marriage. If a child never married, they had no responsibilities. To turn your child to the slavemaster was beyond wrong. But allowed, according to the Voice.
They waited for what seemed like a long time but was probably only a few minutes. A knock came on the door, and they both jumped. Zwaantie cracked it open. She wasn’t used to opening doors on her own.
“What’s taking you so long?” Luna asked.
Zwaantie stepped into the hall. “Raaf is taking care of someone. I need you to run an errand for me though. Hopefully by the time you get back, Raaf will be done. Go to the slavemaster and inquire about a girl named Ina. Tell him I want her assigned to the castle. A good job.”
Luna nodded and rushed down the hall.
Several minutes later, Raaf finally emerged with Phoenix, who carried the unconscious child.
The woman wailed and rushed to his side. “Is she okay?”
“Hilde will be fine,” Raaf said. “She’s exhausted, but I managed to convince the Voice to remove her pain. She will probably have a residual headache for some time to remind her of her extreme deed, but after a few months, it should go away.”
Phoenix handed the child to the mother, and she staggered under the weight. Phoenix immediately took the girl back.
“Find a castle slave to carry her home. Then come back here,” Raaf said.
Phoenix nodded and followed the woman out of the room. Raaf collapsed onto the couch.
“That was brutal, huh?” Zwaantie asked. Her mind was still spinning. She’d never realized Raaf’s job could be so difficult. She wondered how often he was awakened or interrupted for extreme cases.
“Yep. First time I have had to deal with attempted murder. Normally they’d be executed. But I couldn’t do that to a child.”
“Was it hard to convince the Voice to let the pain go?”
Stella and Sol Box Set Page 6
