Ada leaned forward. “You will explain this later, my daughter. In detail.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
Ada placed her hand at the back of Clara's neck and squeezed hard, her favorite tender spot to abuse. At every vantage point, she was higher than Clara, as tall as most men, and always higher on the dais, always. Clara struggled not to whimper at the double abuse from the Prince and the Queen. It was a near thing and difficult to hide from her people.
Ada and King Otto had their heads pressed together in royal commune, which suited Clara very well. It meant that the Queen's attention lay elsewhere. Finally, amongst the noise of the people’s conversation, King Otto clapped his hands three times, causing Clara to flinch, which amused Frederick. The crowd quieted.
“Hail the People of the Kingdom of Ohio. On this day, it is not just a Day of Birth Celebration, but also a day of exciting news.” A somber expression rode his face. “Your Princess claims to have seen one of these savages near at hand and will now explain them to us.”
Once more, all eyes were on Clara. As unprepared as she felt, she knew the violence that would meet non-compliance, so she began. “He seemed of rugged countenance but not a danger.”
A person from the crowd shouted, “How can that be? We know they are to be feared.”
Clara's eyes narrowed, taking in the speaker’s stance.
“That is what we have been told by the Record Keeper.” A disquieted silence fell. “And this may be, but this savage offered no violence. It is my belief that he was... curious about us.”
“About you, Princess.” This came from one of the men who captained the pungy boat in the oyster fields.
“Mayhap of me, or it could be happenstance that I stood by the window at just the right moment.”
Olive spoke next. “Tell us, your highness, what did it look like?”
The group leaned forward to catch her words. “He was of huge body and limb, with long hair to here,” Clara indicated her shoulders, “and of fierce expression.” Clara did not indicate clothing, as it would be an embarrassment in front of the People, his nakedness scandalous.
The great timepiece chimed four times, its deep timber reverberating inside the Gathering Room like a quaking of the earth. Steam rose to the sphere's apex, the hissing vapors seemingly disappearing.
The Queen broke through the questions with a final, “Enough of the supposed savage. Let us celebrate my daughter's Day of Birth.”
Clara knew Queen Ada wished to know everything in private, an interrogation she would not escape.
Servants came forward with laden plates of grapes, cheese, and all matter of meats and pastries for the last course. A great cake was piled four tiers high. It was an absurd extravagance, more appropriate for a Wedded Joining than a birthday. They laid the feast at the foot of the royal dais on tables that had been arranged for the buffet. Another table was piled high with lavishly packaged gifts from her people.
Clara stood on feet shaky from stress. “Thank you all most kindly for your presence at my Day of Birth Celebration. I am most grateful for your allegiance and loyalty.”
Ada waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes Princess Clara, they understand that.” Her eyes narrowed.
Clara thought that might be the case but felt the words were most important to say. The Queen cared not, but Clara knew loyalty was an uncertain thing, cultivated through decent treatment, not fear. A lesson her mother did not ascribe to. A lesson taught by her father, King Raymond, long-since passed.
Someone she would never forgot.
CHAPTER 4
Clara leaned back in her gilded chair. Ada discounted her words of thanks to the People, as was usual. Ever since Clara's father had passed, Ada had taken to the cup. Clara suspected it had been thus even before his passing, but he had shielded Clara from the Queen’s weakness. Clara felt that great yawning sadness blossom within her spirit whenever she thought of her dear father. His stewardship over her was a memory that pressed uncomfortably against her mind. It was he who had encouraged her to come to know the fields that supported their sphere, showing her each tool, cultivation technique, and trade practice that kept the sphere solvent. Not like her sister sphere, the Kingdom of Kentucky.
The sphere of inequity, rather.
Clara glanced at Frederick, and he smirked back. Loathsome man, if he could be called such.
Queen Ada stood. “Announce my daughter, so the celebration may begin.”
The announcer of the week came forward. Guardian knew, a new one was appointed at every turn because of the foulness of her mother's emotional river, a current which ran swift, changing its path without warning.
He bumbled forward, almost tripping on the deep crimson carpet that had been laid at the foot of the dais for this occasion. Ada scowled deeply.
He cast a nervous glance in her direction then seemed to regain his composure. “On this Day of Birth Celebration, Princess Clara Williamson, daughter of Queen Ada, celebrates ten and seven years on this sixth day of June, in the year of the Guardian, two thousand and thirty.”
With a Day of Birth Celebration, there was also one of death, which made Clara think of the day her father passed.
*
Clara sat beside her father, his deep golden hair, once lush, now dying wheat against the pillow, his skin similarly pale.
“Oh Father.” Clara pressed her father's cool hand to her cheek. “I cannot bear the thought of you leaving.”
King Raymond gazed at his daughter, his only child, seeing the woman she would become peeking out at the edges like lace under a skirt, delicate but strong. The challenges she faced would be much, and he hoped that his imparted knowledge would be sufficient. His heart was heavy with the burden of the kingdom that would soon be hers. Not in name, but by necessity.
“Dear Clara, it grieves me to leave you, but the Healer cannot fix that which ails me.” Clara held his too-cool, unhealthy gray hand. Her father's breathing was labored.
They looked at each other, an understanding forming. “Your mother is not well,” he said suddenly, and Clara's ears sharpened at this. She and the Queen had never been close, but the possibility of another parent's demise was untenable.
Kind Raymond saw her expression. “No, my child, fear not. She will not...die, as I am destined to this day. However,” his gaze held Clara's, “I leave you with her unfortunate proclivity. You must try to appease her. And marry well, Clara-girl.”
Clara felt sick. She did not desire marriage. Seeing her look, her father laughed, which turned into a terrible gasping, coughing fit, making Clara's heart ache. When he could finally speak, he said, “Do not fret Clara. This is years hence. You are but ten and two years, and the idea of matrimony is a distant thing. But heed what I say now: you must marry a man of character.”
“What of love?”
Her father's gaze grew thoughtful. “That is not always the way of it,” he said with a faraway look in his eyes.
It was in that moment that Clara knew that King Raymond might have not wished to marry Queen Ada, her mother.
*
Clara was jolted back from her reverie by the procession of people wishing to embrace the Princess on her birthday. She noticed that Prince Frederick had come to stand next to her. She was angry at his presence. To usurp her as he did. With them not even husband and wife! He galled her. Charles being the first in the receiving line made it bearable. But his eyes were all for Frederick, his expression clear: do not lay hands on her again. Frederic's lascivious grin reappeared. He knew that Charles did not have authority over him, and in this way, he was very much like Ada.
Charles's gaze slid away from Frederic to lock eyes with Clara. His brown eyes met her turquoise ones, and he pressed her hands to his. He leaned toward her, giving the most intimate hug acceptable within societal protocol.
Frederic's eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Not too close, Mr. Pierce. She is, after all... spoken for.”
Charles pulled back, looking at him, face insc
rutable. “Princess Clara is not yet wedded to you, and I do not need the reminder, Prince Frederic.”
Clara's heart surged with triumph. Charles's logic was irrefutable but not so impolite that Frederic could take offense. Unfortunately, he would always have his eye on Charles, their friendship, everything. She clamped down on her expression so Frederic would not see her mirth. Charles did see it and allowed a small smile to appear.
“Happy birthday, dear Clara,” Charles said.
“Princess Clara,” Prince Frederic corrected.
“Indeed.” Charles inclined his head.
“I thank you, Charles, for your kindness.”
He understood what baiting Frederic meant to her.
Charles wandered off to stand beside the banquet table. The large, multi-tiered cake stood in the center, flora and pearls scattered at every level, shimmering and dancing.
Clara greeted the obligatory percentage of the People with a smile that reached her eyes, saying the correct words. But all the while, her mind stayed consumed with the savage with his intense eyes that seemed a window to his soul. What did he want approaching the sphere? He had not seemed afraid, but from the time of her youth, she had been taught that the savages Outside were a danger. She had not seen evidence of such in this man. He seemed curious, not dangerous. However, without the safety of the sphere between them, would she have felt so bold in her opinion? She could not help smiling. The truth of it was she was brave because of the barrier.
Finally, with the procession finished, Clara walked to the banquet table. Prince Frederic easily kept pace. The lavish feast was spread before her. Pressed glassware in a rainbow of colors displayed the mainstay of her people: oysters of every variety, with the complements of red potatoes, fruit salads, and every manner of drink. Clara found her appetite lacking as Queen Ada stepped up beside her. As Queen, she was always first, Clara's celebration or no.
Clara was not prone to violence, but her mother coaxed it out of her with regularity. Ada swayed, putting a hand on Clara to remain steady, her full glass of wine gripped in her other hand.
Her drunken gaze found Clara, and she hissed, “Do your duty, brat-of-my-loins.”
Clara stared at her with thinly veiled disgust. Ada embarrassed her terribly, but it would make things worse if she reacted. Experience whispered in the crevices of her mind. Charles had been close enough to hear the interchange and glared at Queen Ada, who calmly stared back.
Clara turned and elaborately gestured toward the drunken Queen. “Please, see that you take first plate at my Day of Birth Celebration, my Queen.” Clara curtsied, the corset not allowing full movement, but she was an expert at fooling the eye.
“You may rise, Princess Clara.” Ada stared at Clara as if she were a bug.
As always, Elvira hovered near the Queen's elbow and piled her plate with every variety of oyster, lathering the whole thing with white sauce, specially prepared for her. Clara knew the wine was the only thing that held interest. The food would be wasted, but the Queen was entirely about the show. Did she even eat food? Clara doubted it, Ada was little more than a skeleton with skin.
The Queen’s hawk-like features framed eyes that were a deep brown, almost black. Her hair was her best feature, Clara admitted reluctantly. A true black, it shone in the low light of the steam-chandeliers, a burnished inky thing that moved like black smoke while she struggled to control her staggering. Elvira gripped the plate she would not eat from. Ada towered over Clara, often telling Clara she was a runt and unattractive. Clara had never been one to admire her form in the looking glass like so many of the giggling girls her age. She did not take the time. The fields needed her attention, and Ada was enough of a mirror-lover for them both.
Olive stood at the ready as it was unseemly for royalty to serve themselves, but Clara would dish her own food on her Day of Birth. She chose the almost foot-long oyster. These were her favorite, mild in flavor, with a pink undertone. The look of it on the plate filled her with pride. They were most difficult to cultivate, and their girth covered the pressed glass plate in a satisfying way. Clara dipped a small amount of red sauce and covered the meat with a fine dribble. Olive gathered a small salad plate and filled it with greens, adding a dressing that smelled like cheese, imported from the Kingdom of Indiana.
Clara sat at the Royal table on a small dais. King Otto, Prince Frederic, and Queen Ada were seated at a large, rectangular table with the Queen at the head. All other tables in the Gathering Room were round, but not the Queen's. She demanded the head.
A carafe of wine sat at her elbow. King Otto simpered beside her, laughing at her foolish comments. Clara knew that he should have a care, as Ada was alarmingly lucid, especially when she was deep in her cup. This should not have been, but it was so. Clara had seen other royals misunderstand and underestimate Ava at their peril. Their sphere, traded heavily in pearls. For all Queen Ada's drunkenness, there was motivation to stay within her good graces.
Clara played with the succulent oyster meat, finally cutting her first bite, placing it in her mouth, savoring the flavor while she held it on her tongue. Prince Frederic stared at her, his own oysters gone. Oysters were expensive, and he had not taken the time to do them justice, a vision of gluttony, scooping and slurping them down in haste.
“Why do you eat them slowly?” Frederic asked.
“They are meant to be savored.” Clara shrugged a bare shoulder.
His eyes traveled from her face to her bosom, which made a delicate flush rise. Like all true redheads, Clara’s blush was not an easy thing to mask. She hated how he looked at her. Somehow, this made her think of the savage, although she knew not why. His gaze had been penetrating but not intrusive.
When Prince Frederic looked at her she felt violated.
She glanced to the round table a few feet behind her, saw Charles watching Frederic, and knew that he had seen the look. His expression was dark. She dreaded he might compromise himself to save her honor. She had Charles to thank for assuaging her royal loneliness. He was the son of King Raymond's dear friend, and they had been friends since toddlerhood. She cherished his wisdom and friendship.
Prince Frederic laughed. “So easily flustered, Princess. You will be very... entertaining when we are joined.”
Clara looked down to hide her expression. She would have rather vomited on his shoes and feared her face would show it. He was considered handsome with his height and good looks. Broad through the shoulder and trim at the waist, he was the epitome of what the Queen would name good breeding. But handsome is as handsome does, and his heart was stained, stained with blackness. She lifted her chin and met Charles's stare.
Frederic gave them a considering look, putting each finger in his mouth to suck the oyster juices.
CHAPTER 5
Bracus jogged through the familiar path, vines twisting up tall trees, the canopy offering filtered shade. Lazy light speckled the bare flesh of Bracus's legs as they flowed, smooth and steady over gnarled tree roots.
He navigated the path without looking.
Lungs burning, Bracus felt his throat slits open fully to bring rich oxygen to his lungs. He climbed higher, heading for the caves where he would report to their president, Arthur Bowen. As Bracus neared the cave's entrance, he whistled, high and piercing. To the uninitiated, it would sound like a bird's distress call. It would alert Bracus’s comrades it was he and not an enemy.
They moved as one in front of the cave's entrance, bows strung tight, arrows poised. The whistle had not softened their response. Bracus was pleased.
Their arrows stayed trained on Bracus until he revealed himself with his salute.
“Sir, what did you see?” Kingsley lowered his bow.
The other sentry was Matthew Charier. He would not relax his stance, his arrow pointed above and behind Bracus's shoulder from his higher vantage point. He literally had Bracus's back. He was a good man, too serious by far, but a warrior unlike any Bracus had ever seen. Not a tremor, Charier's shaft as steady
as the trees which towered above them.
“Much. I saw much.”
Charier's eyes flicked to Bracus then back to their former position. He spoke tersely, but with feeling, “Did you reconnoiter our position from yesterday?”
“Let me debrief with President Bowen. Then when you set your bow upon the earth, we will meet at the fire and discuss the future here... our mutual future.”
Stephen Kingsley made a disgusted sound and stomped back over to position.
“No effort at stealth, Kingsley?” Charier did not turn.
“You know that I tire of the endless reconnaissance. I wish to develop a way for our people.” Kingsley kicked a small rock down into the woods.
Charier lowered his bow. “Do not let your temper overwhelm your intellect. Stay vigilant.”
While his two finest guards argued amongst themselves, leaving the cave's most vulnerable point unattended, Bracus turned to stare behind him. Bracus knew why he was in command. He was not easily distracted.
Or he had not been before the female.
Her face filled his vision, the soft creamy skin, the eyes that glowed like the shimmering marbles he played with as a boy. They took up her face, a window to her soul. He wished to know that soul, to linger in it like a scented bath.
Bracus shook himself, his ironclad control reasserting itself.
“Quiet,” he hissed at the two warriors.
They looked at their leader, shame riding their faces.
“Charier, get that bow where it belongs.”
Charier lifted his bow and nocked the arrow.
“That's better.” Bracus clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to Kingsley. “You are not one ruled by your temper. What say you?”
Charier gave a rare smile. “I too, tire of the incessant scouting ventures. We need to move now, before it is too late to save ourselves. You know our females are fragile and too few.”
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