by Marisa Mills
“Do you want to…” I trailed off. “Go to a tavern or something? Go shopping? We could get your mind off… everything.”
Inwardly, I winced. After I’d said them, the trivial suggestions sounded almost heartless.
Viviane sat up and rubbed roughly at her eyes.
“Yeah because that worked so well last time,” she said. “We couldn’t even make it to the bookshop.”
“That was on the other side of town,” I said. “A walk in the gardens then? We can get Tati and Jessa to go with us. Maybe even Alexander.” I stood and hesitantly offered my hand. Viviane stared at it for a long moment then turned away suddenly.
“I think you should go,” she said, crossing her arms. “I just want to be alone.”
She was almost on board until you mentioned Alexander, Lucian said. Still a sensitive subject, I guess.
I dropped my hand and nodded. Viviane had spent years cultivating a relationship with Alexander, and recently she’d had so much taken away from her. I didn’t want to leave her alone, but I didn’t know how to help her, either.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“You said that already,” Viviane huffed.
She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. I put my book away and pulled on some slacks, before buckling my sword belt around my waist. I didn’t have fencing class today, but I felt more secure keeping a sharp blade handy. If Viviane wanted to be alone, I’d just have to find something to do.
I went downstairs and looped around the grounds, past marble statues and the crystal spires of the Academy. The library was crowded with students, huddled together over books. The library was usual full of colorful mugs from the tea and coffee station, but today the desks were mostly bare. I guess after what happened to Du Lac, nobody wanted to leave a drink unattended in public.
I was passing the front hall when I found Jessa. She’d dressed in a very nice, lilac gown, with a high back that mostly covered the jagged outline of the mage tech along her spine. My blood chilled as I saw four soldiers, standing loosely around her, not quite at full attention but certainly keeping Jessa in their field of vision. At least one of them seemed to be a little too attentive, trailing the lines of Jessa’s form-fitting dress with his eyes. But she smiled and waved me over, so I joined her in the ring of soldiers.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To visit my parents,” Jessa said. “Can you believe it, they’re sending me with an armed escort. Apparently to protect foreign ambassadors on native soil. Want to come?”
I hesitated for a moment before nodding my head. It was too good a possibility to pass up. It might be my only chance to speak with someone from Aubade, and going with a guard didn’t sound like the worst idea, after the incident on our last field trip.
“Sure,” I replied, linking my arm with hers. “I’ve been wanting to meet them.”
We headed out of the Academy and across the grounds. A faint breeze caressed our brows as we walked, and the sun shined brilliantly, illuminating the bright blue sky. In town, the streets were bustling with servants running errands, and merchants buying and selling wares along the streets. It wasn’t nearly as colorful or as chaotic as the bright markets below, crammed with roasted chestnuts, spicy buns and burning tobacco. The mages preferred their colors muted and kept their spices and scents subtle, so as not to overwhelm their sensitive palates.
There were changes in the shopfronts. I thought it was just seasonal decoration at first, but when I looked closer, many windows and doors bore stark, white sigils. There also seemed to be an increase in royal support; the red banners of Reverie waved from upper windows and trees. Many stores had small statues of the winged lion—the symbol of Reverie—in their windowsills.
Fear does wonders for nationalism, Lucian commented.
Soon, Jessa led me to a gated building near downtown, where the wider streets opened into a central plaza framed with ornate steeples and towers. Crystal windows sparkled from white brick walls, looking like mirrors in snow. Once we entered, a butler led us to a sitting room. The soldiers waited outside as we found room among the dozens of people already waiting. Finally, Jessa’s name was called and a man in a green uniform led us upstairs and tapped on large wood doors.
A man pulled the door open. He was very broad and tall with blond hair and a long beard, both of which were clearly the product of much time and grooming. His brown eyes widened at the sight of Jessa, and he pulled her into a tight hug. And the lady behind him was willowy and short, like Jessa. Her eyes were a soft, gentle gray that matched the skirt and sweater she was wearing. She got up from the reclining sofa, where she’d been reading, and smoothed down her curly brown hair.
“Mother, Father,” Jessa said. “This is my friend Lady Wynter. Wynter, these are my parents—my father Kai and my mother Greta.”
I curtsied, although I wasn’t sure the gesture was necessary. Jessa had mentioned her parents being wealthy, but I wasn’t sure exactly sure if they followed Reverie’s customs.
Jessa’s father snapped his fingers.
“Ah, you’re Rosewood’s niece?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I wasn’t aware you knew my guardian.”
Jessa nudged me into the vacant loveseat opposite her parents, and I looked quickly around the room. It was a small flat with two large windows and a fireplace. Black iron bars cast shadows on the polished wood floor. In one corner was a mattress, in another a makeshift toilet area. Greta kept glancing at it nervously, as if horrified it was on display like this. Jessa sat beside me, and servants hastened to prepare tea for us. I took the cup and saucer, but set it down on the table.
“We have nothing to do here besides gossip,” Kai said, “and many people are discussing the sudden reappearance of the Rosewood heir. You’re proficient with—I believe it’s fire?”
“I am,” I said, “although I’m not nearly as good with fire as Jessa is with her plant magic.”
A splotchy flush spread of Jessa’s face, covering the golden freckles sprinkled like starlight over her cheeks and nose. “She’s too modest,” Jessa said. “Wynter is incredible with her fire magic.”
“Only because I had a good instructor,” I said.
How flattering, Lucian purred.
“Dorian actually came to visit us once we arrived,” Kai said. “To share his sympathies for what happened to Jessa. And of course, our daughter has told us all about you as well. You were there, during the attack, weren’t you?”
I had been, along with Alexander.
“Yes,” I said. “Jessa saved us. I shudder to think what might have happened if she hadn’t been around to help. I was fortunate.”
Greta’s face flashed in anger, but she covered it quickly and reached for a glass of pink, bubbling champagne. “Jessa was less so,” she murmured, glancing at the glowing mage tech between Jessa’s shoulder blades.
“Can you tell us what you remember?” Kai said, a little too eagerly. After a moment, he looked away, then took off his glasses to polish them, feigning disinterest. “About the attack?” he continued. “Maybe you saw something, or someone, out of place? Jessa doesn’t remember anything past the incident.”
Because you stopped her heart with lightning, Lucian mumbled.
“It was just me and Alexander,” I said. “The demon showed up, and Jessa held it still long enough for us to get out of the way. But then I called lightning, and Alexander froze the lake.”
“That must have taken a great deal of energy,” Greta said. She fingered the heavy pearl necklace around her slender neck.
“I passed out soon after. Frederick had to pull me out of the water. I think Du Lac might have helped Jessa at the same time.”
Kai rubbed his beard with his fingertips, nodding shrewdly.
“The Barron of Sherrinford, and Markus Du Lac,” he confirmed. “Unlikely bedfellows. I wonder what they were both doing so far from the Academy.”
; I wasn’t sure why he was so interested. It seemed so long ago.
“That’s enough, Kai,” Greta interrupted, pulling him away. He leaned back against the couch, mumbling to himself. “You’ll have to excuse my husband,” she smiled, suddenly all charm. “But you have to understand, we came all this way to visit our daughter, who was nearly killed. We have questions, and nobody will give us any answers. They won’t even let us stay in a decent hotel; they’re stuffing everyone together in this holding house, and divvying apartments, no matter where in Aubude people come from, above ground or below. Honestly the accents are so thick I don’t know if someone is asking about my day or offering me more butter.”
Kai offered me a plate of pink and green macarons. I took one to be polite, nibbling on the edge and feeling the sweetness against my tongue.
“And then when she finally arrives, escorted by guards as if she’s some kind of criminal, our daughter is stitched together like a ragdoll—” Greta choked off, her eyes filling with tears. Jessa moved to sit on her armrest and offered an awkward hug.
“It’s a dreadful business,” Kai said. “All these demon attacks and earthquakes. I can’t even imagine what the Chancellor is dealing with.”
“You have them too?” I asked. “The earthquakes, the demons?”
“Not as badly as here,” Kai said, “but yes, on occasion. Reverie invaded Aubade when the quakes first started, but we never found the real cause.”
All the kingdoms were probably raised around the same time, Lucian said. It would make sense that they’d all start failing together as well.
But did that mean Aubade was falling too, and their mages were as clueless as ours?
“What’s a Chancellor?” I asked. “I’m unfamiliar with the term.”
“It’s our king, essentially,” Kai replied. “In Aubade, our people vote for their representation. There are twenty senators, one for each district, and we choose one among us to become the Chancellor. Unlike Reverie, we don’t have a need for squabbling factions and rivalries. We consolidate all our power in one group.”
That did sound more efficient.
“No offense, of course,” Greta said, “to your own noble lineage.”
“None taken,” I replied, with a tight smile. I’d spent most of my life not even knowing I had a noble lineage. I was hardly going to take offense at a perceived insult.
“So this Chancelor,” I said. “If you could get a message to one of the senators, he’d have to listen.”
“If it was important,” Kai said, “yes I think he would.”
Careful, Lucian warned. You barely know them.
“Then you have to take a message back to Aubade,” I said, leaning forward and lowering my voice. “A woman named Celeste infiltrated the Academy; she’s the one who’s been releasing the demons. King Gregory thinks it’s a conspiracy from Aubade, he’s pushing for war. If Celeste was working on her own, there still may be time for Aubade to turn her over. We think both kingdoms are experiencing the same thing, and we think we have a solution, but only if we work together.”
I paused, the weight of my words hanging in the air like a guillotine.
“We know Celeste,” Greta whispered, her hand against her heart. “She was a senator for years, then became the Chancellor’s unofficial ambassador, disappearing to other kingdoms for months. Then she moved to Reverie permanently.”
“You’re saying she attacked the students,” Kai interrupted, standing up suddenly, “and that’s why we’re locked up like this?”
“Yes,” I squeezed Greta’s hand. “Will you take the message?”
“Of course,” she said.
Just then the door burst open, and Prince Kit stomped into the sitting room, his red cape and three guards trailing him tightly. I dropped my teacup, catching it just before it shattered against the table. Jessa had grown as pale as snow.
“Prince Kit,” Kai said, lowering his head in a deep bow.
Kit nodded, acknowledging the greeting.
“Jessa, Wynter, you are to come with me.”
“To where?” Jessa asked, her voice shaking.
“Back to the Academy,” Kit said. “Visiting hours are over.”
***
“Don’t worry,” Kit said quietly. “You aren’t in any trouble.” When he didn’t make eye contact with Jessa’s parents, his statement rang ominous. Kai and Greta remained still, their faces carefully blank. Was Kit listening outside? We hadn’t really done anything wrong. We were just talking.
If the king wants a war, Lucian said, suing for peace makes you an enemy.
Jessa and I slowly stood, abandoning our teacups, and strode out of the room, flanked by guards. We entered the hallway, and my blood ran cold at the sight of the man standing there. The rings on King Gregory’s hand sparkled as he adjusted the crown on his thick, blond hair. He fixed me with his piercing blue eyes and smirked, as if he’d caught me in some terrible act.
From a distance, he looked like a fair and just king, and not at all like the sort of man who would send a seventeen-year-old girl to be whipped and exiled. I suppressed a shiver, remembering the crack of the barbed whip and the stinging pain that had followed as I was carved away piece by piece. My eyes landed on my mother’s blue crystal, pinned the label of the king’s red cloak. It had been refashioned into a winged lion that cradled the gem protectively in golden claws.
“Consorting with our enemies, I see?” he said loudly. “Well I guess it’s no surprise to find you here.”
“We’re visiting Jessa’s parents,” I said, throwing him a glare. “Maybe if you hadn’t detained them for no reason, we could’ve stayed at the Academy.”
A red vein bulged on the king’s neck, and when he spoke again, his voice was dangerously quiet.
“Kit,” Gregory said, “escort Jessamine to the Academy. I’d like to have a few words alone with Wynter.”
Jessa’s eyes widened as Kit led her away. The king seized my arm and pulled me roughly into a parlor with him. “Be seated,” he said, shoving me into a chair of white and gold velvet. His voice was suddenly gentle, as if he could make me forget how he’d grabbed me moments before.
I shrank away from him, pulling my knees up against my chest. The king remained standing over me. Then without warning, he seized my jaw and forced my head back. A thousand curses shot through my head, but I forced myself to keep silent, and let him look me over like I was a bit of livestock he was interested in buying.
“You are a pretty girl,” he said. “I had my doubts, but now that I know the truth, I can see the Rosewood in you. Alexander is furious I had him whip you. It’s causing quite the stir at the palace. But he’ll come around. All my sons do, in time.”
The king released my jaw but still remained uncomfortably close, curling his fingers into the coils of his beard.
“What are going to do with Jessa’s parents?” I asked.
“Surely, you can see the necessity for such caution. Jessa’s father is a powerful merchant in Aubade, and her mother is an heiress from one of their oldest families. I cannot risk them working against Reverie’s interests, and I sincerely doubt they were unaware of Celeste’s deception.”
“You doubt they were unaware, but you don’t know for certain.”
“Not yet,” the king replied, with a light shrug. “Either way, the leverage they afford me is worth any temporary displeasure on their part. Perhaps their presence will dissuade future terrorist attacks from Aubade. And as you know, Reverie has much less comfortable prisons. Would you rather I send them there?”
He’s using them as shields, Lucian said.
“I prefer to think of it as collateral damage,” the king grinned widely, answering Lucian directly. “Though if anyone asks, we were holding them here for their own protection, given the current political situation.”
Lucian cursed, and I felt him snake around the collar of my cloak. He didn’t like being overheard. It was too late to worr
y about that now though, King Gregory already knew the truth about my freed demon. I was surprised he didn’t summon his guards immediately to rip him away from me.
“But you won’t hurt them,” I pressed.
The king narrowed his eyes. “It depends on how they conduct themselves,” he said smoothly. “I use that approach with everyone.”
If his treatment of me was any indication, I didn’t want to think about what he’d do to Kai and Greta. Gareth had warned me that the royalty and the Council would both be after me if they knew as much as I did. I wasn’t surprised the king was keeping me on a short leash. He’d probably prefer to let me rot in prison.
“I’m doing everything Kit told me to do,” I said, biting my lip. “I’m keeping your secret, and I haven’t told anyone else that Reverie is running on fumes.”
“I’m glad,” the king said, “but I’m thinking of the future. It’s a simple problem: we need more demons to keep Reverie in the air. But seizing captured demons is much easier than fighting freed demons in another dimension.”
“That’s your real purpose?” I asked quickly, my eyes widening. “To steal Aubade’s demons?”
“It will be one of Dorian’s first missions,” he grinned. “But after we destroy Aubade, and the immediate threat has passed, you might still be of use to me. Given time, I might even be inclined to believe that you really were just an innocent victim who fell prey to Dorian’s insidious schemes.”
“How could I be useful to someone like you?” I asked, playing for time. I had to get to Dorian and warn him about the king’s plans.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” the king said, leaning closer. “Demons make me uncomfortable. Contained, channeled, they will do our bidding for years.” He tapped my mother’s charm, rubbing his calloused fingers over the runes carved into the blue crystal. “But let them out—” he shuddered “well, you’ve seen the kind of damage they can do. Honestly it’s better that most mages can’t hear them. It’s a curse, really, most of the time it’s just whining and screaming. You’d think they’d settle down after the first few years. You’re lucky you got a weak one.”
