Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  “What is that?” I asked. “Which of the Lower Realms?”

  “Beryl,” Viviane replied without looking.

  “Is it all forests?” I asked.

  “Most of it,” Viviane said. “It’s a coniferous forest, so the trees are green all year long. Further south, there’s ocean, and it’s apparently really cold. But still green.”

  “Everything back home is gray,” I said. “And even the forests are dangerous.”

  “Don’t expect an apology from me,” Viviane said curtly.

  “I don’t,” I said. “I just…I was just thinking.”

  You should expect an apology, Lucian replied. The mages think the Lower Realms aren’t their business, but they depend on the people down below to work the land and gather resources.

  Viviane hesitated and fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve.

  “I don’t…” she trailed off. “Do you know who your father is, Wynter?”

  This again?

  “Maybe I should ask you,” I said, turning around in my seat. “You keep acting as if you know.”

  “It’s…something my parents suspect,” Viviane replied awkwardly. “I mean, what would you think if you were a noblewoman, and one day, your brother—who was a man of loose morals, to put it delicately—appeared with this girl who somewhat resembled him…”

  That’s the most horrifying thing I’ve ever heard, Lucian said.

  “I’m not Dorian’s daughter. You know he hired me.”

  “Many noblemen hire their illegitimate children as their help,” Viviane replied. “I mean, Father—Frederick—has a few children that work in our household. Two are seamstresses; one is a laundress. And you do look a bit like Dorian. We know Amelia made Gwen leave her child in Plumba. So why not Dorian’s, too?”

  “That can’t be right,” I said. “I have a brother and an uncle, and I’m sure if my uncle knew I was the daughter of a count, he’d use that to his advantage.”

  Viviane wrinkled her nose.

  “Your uncle sounds decidedly unpleasant,” she said.

  I couldn’t argue with that.

  Viviane drew a potion from her purse and drank it in a long, single gulp.

  “Didn’t you have one of those earlier?” I asked.

  Viviane looked askance. “Mind your own business, Summer. Plus, I need to focus. In the palace, wit is the sharpest weapon.”

  The carriage slowed, entering into a vast estate. The palace was made of pink quartz that sparkled in the sun, and surrounded by a moated waterfall. It was cut off from the mainland, floating on its own little island. An infinity pool disappeared into the gap between, fading into the abyss in clouds of mist.

  After crossing the drawbridge and entering the main gate, we rolled around a sculpted fountain and a rose garden, before the trees parted, revealing the palace from close up. It was a massive building, with large windows, high alcoves and wings that seemed to stretch in either direction. Viviane straightened and fluffed out her skirts.

  “Let me do the talking,” she said.

  As soon as the carriage came to a stop in front of the sweeping marble staircase, two footmen in tight uniforms opened the side door. Viviane tilted her chin up and exited the carriage. I followed in her wake, staring up at the crystal spires and round towers flanking the main building. My eyes paused on the dark figures patrolling the roof, holding large bows.

  “It’s a security measure,” Viviane said. “Mages tend to get carried away with battle magic, but an arrow through the heart is just as effective.”

  I rubbed my arms, suddenly nervous as we passed the sentinels guarding the entrance; twin statues of winged lions made of white marble, their massive paws resting on round globes.

  The symbol of Reverie, Lucian said. To represent power and dominion.

  Viviane linked her arm with mine. “Come on,” she said.

  I tripped over the hem of my skirt, as we walked up the gilded staircase. I hoped no one would notice. Even if Viviane could get us entrance to the palace, my heart was still in my throat as she spoke to the guards. What if Alexander had told his father about our plan? What if the palace guards were waiting for us, and this was all about to go horribly wrong?

  “My father is the Baron of Sherrinford, and this is the charge of my uncle, the Count of Rosewood. The King himself invited us to visit the last time he was visiting Alexander. I hope you have suitable accommodations for us?”

  A butler in a black suit raised his eyebrow at me, but soon recovered. He waved us forward and the guards stepped smartly aside. I sighed in relief as we crossed through the entrance; black and white tiles that stretched into a wide foyer. He snapped at another servant, a younger man who came to take our bags.

  “Apologies,” the butler said. “We have some visiting guests this evening. Unfortunately we only have one guest chamber available. I hate to ask this of you—”

  “You want us to share a room, like peasants?” Viviane sighed.

  “If you’d have let us know you were coming—”

  “Fine,” Viviane rolled her eyes, as if she were suffering a great injury to her pride. “We’ll make due, this time.”

  “This way,” the butler said, cutting towards a corridor with ornately decorated tiles and tapestries covering every inch of wall. Everything was gilded in gold and white enamel. The palace was beautiful with high, vaulting arches and crystal chandeliers that floated in midair, but there was something uncomfortable about how vast it was. How exposed.

  No dark corners, Lucian said.

  We passed several people, but no one seemed to pay us much mind. Maybe we really did look like we belonged here. Finally, the butler pulled open a door and we slipped inside. The room was silver and blue, and clean, like it had never been used. Viviane crossed the dark blue rug and approached the large, polished desk.

  “Dinner is at seven,” he said. “Drinks and music will start at five in the study. If you’re restless, I recommend a walk in the garden, or a tour of the art gallery.”

  “Thank you,” Viviane said, closing the door behind them.

  “Well,” she said when he was gone, “I guess this is as close as we get.”

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  Viviane rifled through the drawers of the desk and drew out a sheet of paper. She pulled a pen from her purse and began sketching. While she was working, I surveyed the room. There were rows of books lining the walls, although most of them bore spines indicating that they were tax records and law books. The bed was big enough to fit a family of five, but Viviane didn’t seem like she wanted to share it. Luckily there was a low couch near the window that looked just as comfortable. On the opposite wall, there was a door—likely leading to a bedroom or a parlor. Pink, floral motifs dripped down from the corners. We weren’t here to explore, but I sort of wanted to look around.

  “The higher your rank, the closer you are to the royal chambers,” Viviane called over her shoulder. “But no one can access those without express permission. Especially not the king’s.”

  I joined her at the desk. She’d scrawled out a vague map and pointed to a splotch of ink.

  “Even though I’m a Rosewood, I can only wander so far without people asking questions,” Viviane said. “This would’ve been much easier if Alexander had come with us.”

  “He’s not coming?” I asked.

  “He’s staying at the Academy this weekend,” she shrugged. “Something about plausible deniability.”

  “So it’s just us. And you don’t think Alexander will warn his father?”

  “I think if he meant to, he would have done it already.”

  “So how far do we have to go?” I asked, studying the map over her shoulder.

  “Ten sets of apartments,” Viviane said, furrowing her brow. “That will land us in Alexander’s rooms. It’s on the same level as the king’s. I think they have adjoining balconies. The difficulty will be in trying to get past the guards.”

/>   “Is there any way we can trick them?”

  “They’re battle-mages, Wynter,” she said. “They’re looking for assassins, not a pair of teenage girls. Maybe if we can find one of the princes, and get invited back to their rooms, we’d get close enough to Alexander’s chambers to sneak in. But from there, we’d be on our own.”

  “Wait, this plan depends on getting one of the princes to bring us back to his bedroom?”

  “Don’t be such a prude, Summer. I know for a fact that Kit is attracted to you, and Art’s always had a thing for me. Let him kiss you, then slap him for being such a rogue. They love it.”

  “Alexander has five brothers, right? I met Kit and Hector at the Academy.”

  “Art was there too, but he’s forgettable compared to the charming duo. They’re in their twenties and still bachelors. Art is nearly thirty and married. The other two are Gaston and Castrel, but they’ll be too involved in affairs of state to notice us.”

  We waited an hour, so we wouldn’t seem overly eager. I studied the map, before flipping through the books on the shelves while Viviane freshened up in the small toilet area adjoined to our room. Finally we went down to join the other guests. We passed a wide lounge filled with men in dark suits, smoking cigars from leather couches.

  We didn’t look welcome there, so we continued until we heard the sound of laughter. A group of nobles were outside on the grounds, playing some kind of game involving hoops and balls. I paused to marvel at a vast hall filled with weaponry and battle devices. The walls were crammed with mounted heads of exotic animals.

  Trophies, Lucian grumbled. From the forbidden realms.

  “This way.” Viviane grabbed my arm and pulled me down another wing until we came to a large study. Wide bay windows looked out towards the woods. A single pathway led to a gazebo, jutting straight out over the edge of Reverie. We heard the tinkling of music as we entered. The room was already crowded with nobles, lounging around the furniture as the afternoon light faded, listening to a handsome man play on the piano. Two young girls with blonde hair were standing in front of a marble fireplace, singing a duet. They were a few years apart, but wearing identical silver dresses with wide hoops and ruffles.

  We slipped in quietly and took glasses of wine from a table near the back. Viviane handed me a glass. When I sniffed at it, she rolled her eyes.

  “It’s not poisoned,” she said.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time,” I muttered.

  “That’s Castrel, the crown prince,” Viviane said, pointing at the man behind the piano. “And his two daughters; Alexander’s nieces. Eva and Claire.” When the song ended, the nobles broke into polite applause. The man at the piano hugged the two girls, and whispered something in their ear. They ran towards another man leaning against the wall. I recognized him from the Academy. Art joined Castrel at the piano and they began another piece. Art had a deep, rich voice, which was surprising coming from his small frame. I let myself get distracted by the music. It filled me with a deep longing, an aching in my soul. To be surrounded by this much beauty. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so much. I felt something stirring in my heart. It was like some kind of fierce loyalty, even love, for the royal family.

  “Art is a gifted singer,” Viviane whispered. “Singing mages can influence your emotions with their voices.”

  I drew a quick breath. Suddenly singing classes didn’t seem quite so useless.

  Something’s going on outside, Lucian said. I blinked, breaking the spell, and grabbed Viviane’s hand. I pulled her out of the room and down the hall, following Lucian’s direction. We paused outside a door when we heard furious whispering. I peeked around the corner and could just see the frame of a tall man in a dark suit with his back to us. He was well-built, and muscular.

  “Keep your filthy whores out of civilized company,” he spat. “You can have your fun in the Lower Realms, but don’t bring your toys into the palace.”

  I ducked out of the way as he came barreling out of the room. Viviane, meanwhile, stood her ground.

  “Gaston,” she said, lifting her dress in a low curtsey.

  “Viviane,” he nodded, coming up short. The golden hilt of his antique sword flickered in the light, casting flecks of light against the deep red of his embroidered vest. “I wasn’t aware Alexander was in the palace tonight.”

  “He was held up at school, unfortunately.”

  Gaston scoffed, like he didn’t think the Academy was worth getting held up at. Unlike most of his family, Gaston’s hair was dark. His oiled mustache twisted like a snake trying to escape from his pale face.

  “We were hoping to see Kit or Hector,” I added quickly. Gaston looked me over, his lip curling up into almost a sneer. Then he threw a glance into the room behind him.

  “As are most of the young girls in the kingdom,” Gaston said, already looking past us down the hall. “We turn dozens of nobles’ daughters away every day, no matter how large their dowry. As for tonight, I believe they have their hands full, but you’re welcome to try your luck.”

  He stepped past us, heading briskly down the hall. From the other room we could hear whispers and girls laughing. When I peeked around the door, I saw Hector with a girl on his lap and Kit leaning up against the other, his hand on the small of her back, pushing her against the bookshelf.

  I blushed, pulling back quickly, but not before one of the girls caught my eye. She was pretty with curly, red hair and a full figure that practically spilled over the top of her corset like melting wax. She smirked at me, and I sucked in a sharp breath when I realized I recognized her. It was the girl I’d met in the markets, before coming to Reverie. She’d stolen some mage tech, and barely gotten away from it. What was she doing here?

  ***

  Autumn, I remembered. I didn’t think she knew who I really was, but it made me uncomfortable seeing her here. The palace might be large, but it couldn’t hide two thieves on the same night. I decided not to tell Viviane, because I didn’t want to explain how I knew her. I should warn Kit later though, if I got the chance, before his things start vanishing. I’d just have to hope she wouldn’t get in our way.

  “So now what?” I asked. “You were counting on getting into the princes’ chambers, so we could get into Alexander’s room. But they look otherwise engaged.”

  You could use blood magic and go through the walls, Lucian offered.

  Potentially. But Viviane didn’t know about the blood magic or about Lucian yet. Was that really something Lucian would be comfortable with Viviane knowing?

  No, Lucian replied. But if that was the only way…

  I’d already trusted Viviane enough to bring me here, and thus far, she hadn’t betrayed me.

  Thus far, Lucian said.

  “Those ten apartments,” I said, “are they likely to be occupied?”

  Going through the walls wasn’t an option if there were people in those apartments.

  Viviane pursed her lips together, then unfolded the map from her pocket.

  “I know Duchess Leona is away,” Viviane said, slowly drawing a mark through one of the boxes she’d made. “Her son will be, too.”

  Viviane drew through three more boxes. Seven apartments, then, that may or may not have nobles in them.

  “These are Alexander’s,” Viviane said, tapping her pen against one of the boxes. “All the princes live close to the king. The most direct route into King Gregory’s chambers is by entering Alexander or Queen Apollonia’s chambers. But we don’t have a reason to get past the guards so we can reach the royal chambers.”

  “What about Hector or Kit’s rooms,” I asked, pointing at the map. They looked a little further away and may not be as heavily guarded. “We know they’re not using them, not right now at least.”

  “Yes, but we can’t just go into a princes’ chambers by ourselves. Although…” Viviane trailed off.

  “What?”

  Viviane paused and looked me over. “Everyone
knows me, but they don’t know you,” she said.

  “So?”

  “So,” Viviane said, reaching into the purse tied to her waist, “Kit is known for bringing around lady friends. What’s one more?”

  “Isn’t it a little early for the prince to be bringing lady friends back to his chambers?” I asked. Viviane opened her lipstick and dabbed it on her finger. “If we can get near Kit’s chambers,” she said, “we might be able to get into Alexander’s. I know both of them have balconies, so—”

  “If we can get into Kit’s chambers, I can get us through the walls,” I said quickly.

  Viviane furrowed her brow. “That won’t work,” she said. “The palace is enchanted to repel most mage magic.”

  But my magic isn’t mage magic, Lucian murmured.

  “I have something else in mind,” I said.

  I flinched as Viviane pressed her finger to my lips.

  “All right,” she said. “I…I will trust you with this, Summer.”

  We found a bathroom with a large mirror, and I sat on the counter to let Viviane paint my face. Even though Dorian had bought some for me, I’d never touched cosmetics, and they remained locked in my trunk back at the Academy. It hadn’t seemed worth the effort to learn, even though I’d seen girls—like Viviane—wear them nicely.

  In the Scraps, women only wore makeup if they worked in brothels, and Gabriel kept me away from women like that unless he was threatening me with a similar fate. Viviane toyed with my hair and adjusted my bodice, pulling it further down to reveal more of my bust. I squirmed from her grasp.

  “Done!” she finally exclaimed.

  “Are you sure I look right?” I asked.

  Viviane nodded. “You look just like a woman my father would bring home,” she said.

  “Wonderful,” I deadpanned.

  “Give me your sword,” Viviane said, “a lady of the night wouldn’t be wearing one.”