The woman waggled her finger in his face. “I wouldn’t try that if I were you. You have a better understanding than I thought you did. Now to the creation.”
She brought her hands together on Philip’s orb, and it disappeared into mist.
“What have you done?” The only time orbs disappeared was when someone died. “Did you just kill him?”
“Relax. He’s fine. He simply has no ‘Voice’ at the moment. He doesn’t need one. Now watch.”
She spun her finger in a circle. Silvery threads dripped out and formed a new ball. She stopped moving her finger, and the orb floated in front of his eyes.
“There, Philip has a new ball. No gods involved, just magic.”
Chapter 14
The Plan: Part 2
Zwaantie was alone. It didn’t happen often, but Luna was off getting one of Zwaantie’s dresses fixed, and Mother was having lunch with her sister. Zwaantie didn’t like alone time. It allowed for too much thinking. She picked up a tapestry she and her mother had been sewing together and worked on a tree in the corner.
She had a lot to think about. Phoenix had stolen her heart, and she didn’t even know that was possible. The thought of marrying anyone else filled her soul with dread. She wanted Phoenix. Committing to him meant marriage and kids were impossible. If they ever had children, they’d be born slaves. Because if anyone married a slave, their children were automatically slaves.
Zwaantie thought through the possibilities. She could refuse to marry, and she and Phoenix could just be lovers. She snorted. Yeah, right. The Voice would never allow it. Maybe love was possible in the Stellan fairy tales Ariel told her when she was younger, but in Sol, love was only possible in marriage.
She could become a slave. But who would do that? Besides, then she’d have to face the wrath of Sol. That wasn’t possible.
If only the Voice wasn’t so obnoxious. Zwaantie sat up straighter. That was it. The Voice. Her brother was the grand chancellor. He could talk to the Voice. He could fix this. Zwaantie dropped the tapestry. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of this earlier.
Pick it up.
She stared down at the tapestry lying on the floor. It seemed such a dumb thing to berate her for. She had grand problems, and the Voice was telling her to clean up her messes. She picked it up and slammed it on the table.
She strode quickly down the hall and knocked on her brother’s door.
Phoenix opened it. A smiled formed on his lips as he looked her over. She kept her face straight. He would probably be angry with her when this was over.
“I need to speak with Raaf.”
“Of course, Princess, come in.”
Raaf was sitting on a chair staring into the fire. She sat across from him, and he jerked his head up.
“I need your help,” she said.
Raaf picked up the glass in front of him and took a sip. “You always need my help.”
“You love me. Right?”
“You’re my sister. Why would you ask a question like that?”
“Because I have to know I can trust you.”
Raaf set his glass down and leaned forward. “You know you can trust me. I’ve never told Mother and Father anything you’ve done. And, Zwaantie, you’ve broken more rules than anyone I know. I don’t know how you aren’t in here pleading with me every day. Or is that what you need? Have you finally done something so bad that the pain won’t leave?” He cocked his head and gave her crooked grin.
She scowled. “No, my head is fine. But you can’t tell anyone. I’m actually here to try to prevent a scolding from the Voice.”
Raaf waved his hand. “Continue. You have my word.”
Zwaantie let out a deep breath. “I’m in love.”
Phoenix stood behind Raaf, his hands clenching the back of Raaf’s chair. Zwaantie met Phoenix’s eyes. He glared at her and shook his head.
Raaf shifted in his chair, and Zwaantie refocused on him. This was for the best even if Phoenix didn’t think so.
He picked up his glass and took another sip. “It’s about time. Mother will be thrilled.”
“It’s more complicated than that. Mother won’t approve.” Zwaantie clutched her hands together. She was scared of what Raaf’s reaction would be. Phoenix’s as well.
Raaf gave her a small smile. “Give her a little credit. She just wants you to be happy.”
Zwaantie forged on, knowing if she didn’t, she’d never get it out. “But I’m in love with Phoenix.”
Foolish notion, girl.
Raaf dropped his glass, and it shattered. Phoenix hurried to clean it up. Zwaantie couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders were tense and his motions jerky. Was he angry with her? She was trying to fix this.
Raaf covered his eyes and then ran his hand slowly down his face, pinching his lip. He closed his eyes and gave his head a slow shake. “Zwaantie. I can’t help you. You have to know that. You’ve put yourself in an impossible situation.” He rubbed his forehead.
Zwaantie wrung her hands. The anxiety in her chest was building. “But there has to be a way. We could run away. I could become a slave. We could find a way to remove Phoenix’s bands. There has to be.”
You’ve gone too far. Respect the system.
“Removing the bands isn’t possible. As for you becoming a slave, only Mother and Father have access to the bands, and you know that won’t happen. If you run away, the Voice will make you come back.”
Zwaantie jumped. This was the opening she’d been waiting for. “But you can fix that, can’t you. You talk to the Voice. Tell him what we need. He listens to you.” The Voice was strangely quiet. She expected something more.
Raaf let out a snort. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“What do you mean? You tell the Voice all the time to remove pain and guilt.”
“Actually, I don’t. You know, grand chancellor is little more than a pretty face.”
Zwaantie frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I listen to the people’s pleadings, write down their requests, and leave them in a box outside the Voice’s chambers. Every day the lists are gone. Most of the time the Voice does what I ask, but sometimes it doesn’t. I have one man who visits me every day begging for the pain in his head to be removed, but the Voice never listens. I have other duties as well. Ones that don’t involve the Voice. The guards answer to me, and I interrogate those caught in possible crimes, but my interaction with the Voice is about the same as yours.”
“But the little girl.”
“In emergencies, I can slide a note under the door. But even then, I think we got lucky.”
Zwaantie sat back in her chair defeated. She thought for sure this would work. Phoenix took his place behind Raaf again, stony faced. He wouldn’t look at her.
“Well, what do we do now?” Zwaantie asked.
Raaf craned his head around to look at Phoenix, but Phoenix just stared at the door.
“I don’t know. Move on. Your love story won’t have a happy ending. I’m sorry. I wish there was more I could do to help. Besides, Zwaantie, you know as well as I do, that it’s your responsibility to become queen. Anything else would be dishonorable.”
Zwaantie wanted to argue. What about responsibility to herself? Since when did honor trump everything including her own happiness?
“Will you keep our secret?”
“Of course, but I would highly advise you to cut it off. This won’t end well.”
Phoenix was already at the rock when she arrived. She climbed next to him, but he made no move to touch her.
“You should’ve talked to me first,” he said as she settled herself.
“I thought Raaf could help us.”
“But he couldn’t. This is a mistake, Zwaantie. I think we need to stop seeing each other.”
Zwaantie put her hand on his tightly crossed arms. He didn’t react. “No. Please. You know I how feel.”
“Raaf is right. This will not end well.”
Zwaantie fe
lt like she was about to cry. She hadn’t realized how much he meant to her. The thought of just ending it broke her up inside. “We can figure out something.” They had to.
“No, this is too risky.”
Zwaantie laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m willing to risk anything to be with you.” A small pain started in her forehead.
Remember your place, Princess.
He scooted away from her. “No. This has to be the last time.”
Zwaantie felt something break inside of her. “Phoenix, please.”
“Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” His face softened. “Tell you what, let’s make this count. Your turn to catch me.”
Without a word, he jumped off the rock and ran into the woods. Zwaantie worried that if she didn’t go now, she’d never see him alone again. She raced after him, trying not to think about this being the last time. She refused to believe it.
It took her a while, but eventually she caught him. Somehow she ended up pinned underneath him with his fingers tickling her ribs. At first she laughed, but her feelings quickly changed from amusement to desire. She loved the way his fingers pressed into her sides and lingered on her stomach. Phoenix leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“You need to keep laughing or else…”
She was certain he was about to say, “Or else the Voice will know.” So she laughed, but her heart wasn’t in it. Especially when he looked at her with serious eyes. She knew his feelings changed for her as well.
When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she wiggled out. “We should go in.”
“We should.”
They were silent as they traipsed to the castle. The sky was rapidly turning gray. This was the closest she’d ever cut it. She couldn’t hurry though. She had too much on her mind.
The thrill of desire crawled up her spine. It settled into her chest and abdomen. She’d never felt this way about anyone before. The need to be close, to hold, to touch, to kiss. Phoenix squeezed her hand and went his separate way. She watched him saunter away for a long minute. This was the end. She fought tears as she stalked to her room.
She got to her door at the same time as the guard. His normally friendly eyes had taken on a hard stare. That was strange. The midnight bells had not begun to ring yet.
She pushed on her door, but the guard grabbed her arm and spun her around. Pressing her against the wall, he had his sword against her throat. Zwaantie couldn’t breathe. The guard’s eyes bored into hers. She tried to move, but found herself paralyzed with fear. She couldn’t scream. The sword was pressing too hard. He was going to slice open her neck. This wasn’t possible. She had so much to live for.
The confusion in the guard’s eyes was clear. She clutched at the sword cutting her hands. But the guard held it fast.
“Why?” she whispered.
A shadow appeared around the corner just as the clock began its nightly midnight strike. Phoenix rushed for the guard and jerked him away. The guard dropped the sword and looked at both of them with bewilderment.
Phoenix shoved her into her room, and she clutched at him. “No, stay with me.”
“Yes,” said the guard. “Stay and protect her.”
Zwaantie didn’t understand what was going on. Ten seconds ago, this man wanted to kill her, and now he was telling Phoenix to protect her. Zwaantie tugged at Phoenix’s hand and pulled him in. The guard slammed and locked the door. They wouldn’t be able to get out again until morning.
She felt her neck. There was a dent where the sword pressed, but at least he hadn’t drawn blood. She might have some bruising in the morning, but nothing worse than that. Her hands were another story. Blood dripped onto the floor.
“Sit,” Phoenix commanded and ran for her washroom.
He came back with a few wet cloths. He gently washed her hands and wrapped them with dry ones.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his dark eyes full of concern.
“That depends. Physically, I’m fine, but my guard just tried to kill me. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. Did you notice how he stopped when the bell rang?” The bells signaled the midnight hours. As soon as they stopped ringing, the Voice turned off.
Did that mean that the Voice was trying to kill her? Why? No. That was absurd. The Voice kept them from doing bad things.
“We’ll have Raaf deal with him tomorrow. Maybe he’ll have some insight on what happened. Let’s get you to bed.”
Zwaantie glanced sideways at him. “You know, there is no Voice.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed herself into him. The sheer physical contact was exhilarating. Zwaantie could stay there all night.
He held her tight. She brushed one of the curls out of his eyes. They sparkled at her.
“We should still get you to bed.”
“You’re coming with me.”
The torment in his face was heartbreaking.
“What? The Voice won’t know.”
“But I will, and I will ache for you afterwards. Zwaantie, if I’m to have you, I want you all the way. I can’t have you tonight and then never again.”
Zwaantie’s breath caught in her throat, and she didn’t know what to say. “Where are you going sleep?”
“I’m not. I’m going to make sure some murderous guard doesn’t try to break in here.”
“Okay, I’m going to change.”
Zwaantie’s hands shook as she changed into her night dress. Phoenix stood at the door and watched her with smoldering eyes as she climbed in bed.
“Come tell me a story,” Zwaantie said.
He chuckled. “I’m not your nursemaid.”
“I still want to hear a story. Something from Stella.”
He sat down on the edge of her bed. “I don’t remember much from Stella. I miss the smells though. I lived on an island, and the smell of the sea was my favorite.”
“What does it smell like?” She’d heard of the sea, but had never seen it before. It was on the other side of the mist.
“A little like salt, but different. I don’t know. Someday see if you can buy a shell from a trader. They smell like the sea.”
Zwaantie gripped his hand, and he squeezed back. “Tell me something else.”
“The food was awful.”
“Really?”
“Truly. They can’t grow fresh food, but you already knew that. But imagine eating fruits and vegetables that are days or weeks old. They use magic to preserve it, but it still doesn’t taste like the food here.”
“Will you lay with me? Just until I fall asleep. Please.”
He ran a finger along her jaw. “Yeah, scootch over.”
She pressed her back into him, and he pulled her tight against his body. As she drifted off, she realized she’d never been more comfortable. How could she ever sleep without him again?
Chapter 15
The Visitor
Zwaantie woke the next morning to a squeal. She sat straight up and found Luna with her mouth hanging open. A hand snaked around her waist and pulled her tight. Oh no.
She pushed at Phoenix’s shoulder. “Wake up.”
He groaned and then slid out of bed. Then he fell to the floor holding his head.
Zwaantie jumped up and hovered over him. “What’s the matter?”
Luna came over and tugged at his arm. “What’s he doing here? Help me get him up.”
Zwaantie pulled at his other arm, and he stood, but was hunched over holding his head.
Luna glared at Zwaantie. “In less than ten seconds, tell me what happened.”
“My guard tried to kill me. Phoenix rescued me and stayed with me to make sure the guard didn’t return.”
Luna creased her eyebrows. “Okay, I’m going to take him to Raaf. You stay here and don’t go back to bed.”
Zwaantie paced back and forth in front of the fireplace and waited for Luna to return. Why did the Voice punish Phoenix, but not her? She didn’t understand what was going on. Especially with the Voice
. Luna returned and clicked the door shut.
“Will he be okay?” Zwaantie asked.
“Raaf was going to the Voice to plead for him right away, but it’s up to the Voice.”
Zwaantie collapsed into a chair next to the fireplace. “It’s all my fault. He was going to stand by the door all night.”
“Don’t say anything else. He had a completely good reason to be in your room. The Voice will see that.”
“Why are you here so early?” Zwaantie asked, realizing that the day just began. She was going to crawl into her bed and sleep for another three hours. Luna went and opened the curtains, sending sunlight streaming into the room.
“Because someone is coming to visit the castle.”
“Well, whoever they are they can come back later. You know I don’t function until after noon. Close the stinking curtains.” Zwaantie found her covers, pulled them to her neck, and put a pillow over her face.
“Your mother is going to be here in fifteen minutes. I should’ve had more time, but your guard was missing, though now I understand why. I had to go track down the head guard for the keys. Now, unless you want to explain to her why your hair is a mess, you’ll get up.”
Zwaantie sat up, and the bright yellow duvet settled around her waist. “What does she want?”
“To make sure you are prepared for the guest.”
“Did the head guard say what happened with my guard?” She rubbed her neck, the memory of the steel fresh in her mind.
“He killed himself. It happens after midnight sometimes.”
Zwaantie didn’t know how to process this new information. Something must’ve been wrong with him.
“He tried to kill me.”
Luna dropped her voice. “Let’s not tell anyone. We don’t want to draw attention to Phoenix. Raaf will keep the secret.”
“What secret?” Zwaantie’s mother asked from the doorway.
Zwaantie jumped and blushed because she stood in only her underdress. Zwaantie’s mother hadn’t seen her this undressed since she was five years old. Zwaantie spun around so her mother couldn’t see the mess of grass in her hair.
Stella and Sol Box Set Page 9
