He put a hand to his cheek.
“The mage,” Ana said. With a single thought, the clumsy work was undone.
“They will think that you did this, that my uncle is right and you are manipulating a stranger.”
“What do you want, Ed?” she asked, her voice dark and scary even to her own ears.
He didn’t respond, his glare hateful.
“I can give it to you. A quiet farm? A merchant ship? A crown? You will never find these without me.”
He opened and closed his mouth.
“You said he was the king,” Belle whispered.
Ana nodded once. “Then let us find your crown.” She bowed low, holding out her hand. And at the still-stunned face of the man before her, she disappeared.
Ana pressed her back into the wall of the little room. She blew out a soft breath. She could feel the uncertainty closing in around her. She looked over the narrow cot where not so long ago she had been comfortable, where she had slept a dreamless sleep.
She had promised to protect him, promised to help him be the king he was meant to be, and yet she had failed. Now he trusted her even less than the regent. She stepped forward. She wanted to reappear before him, strike at him while he felt safe, but she knew it wouldn’t help her and it wouldn’t help Ed. She would have to start again with Ed, earn his trust and find a way to put him back before the people. She closed her eyes and thought of the room she had stolen him from. The women, the tribute, had trusted he was the king, as had many of the soldiers who had travelled with them.
Too many doubted. The mage again had managed to steal the crown from the boy before he had the chance to wear it. Dray. She wiped at the tear.
“Where is he?” she asked.
The shadows called to her, and she followed them through the darkness to the cells beneath the castle. Dark, not light; dry, not frozen. She breathed a sigh of relief as she took the man in, sitting on the edge of the wooden bench that would have served as a bed, the cell not much larger than the one she had been held in.
His armour and sword gone, he was the man who had curled around her during the night. Although when he lifted his dark eyes to her standing on the other side of the bars, it wasn’t the same look he had worn when he’d swept her hair back from her face.
With a sigh, she stepped forward and squatted before him, resting her hands on his knees.
“Is he safe?” he asked.
She nodded once.
“Belle?”
She nodded again.
He reached for her and then stopped, pulling his hand away as though she might not really be there.
“I can take you to him,” she said.
He shook his head, unable to look away from her.
She dragged in a breath, looking around the small dim space. Shadows moved over the walls, and she nodded. “I can keep you safe,” she said, looking back at him. “I would rather do that far from here.”
“They will think that you were behind it all.”
“The regent would have killed him,” Ana said more forcefully.
“I know,” Dray said, resting his hand on hers. But as soon as he touched her skin, he lifted his hand away again.
She stood and stepped back, looking at him once more through the bars. “Is this better?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as hurt as she felt. It was hot and dark, and she only wanted to take him far away. “Do you feel more comfortable with me on this side?”
Something growled within her, within the space around her.
He looked warily around. “Has the mage…”
“They will watch you for me,” she said, stepping back and bowing her head. “If he is in danger, you are to bring him to me,” she instructed the shadows.
“No,” he said, standing quickly and clinging to the bars. “You have to leave me to whatever fate I must face.”
“I won’t,” she said, holding her chin high, feeling the darkness wrap around her. “You are mine, Drayton Sterling.” You are mine.
Chapter 32
Ed stood in the doorway of the cottage and looked out over the tall grasses that stretched before him. The light was fading, the sky expansive and pink above him. He pulled at the fancy tunic. In all the changes she had left him looking like a king, but far from it.
“Where in all the hells are we?” he growled at never-ending fields of tall pale grass beyond him.
“It could be the grasslands,” Belle whispered. Still dressed in all her finery, she sat in the dust by the door, her legs stretched out and her feet bare as she leaned against the small building and watched the same sky.
“Why did she bring us here?” he asked, slamming a fist into the rough wood that surrounded the opening he stood in.
“To keep you safe,” Belle’s voice was just as quiet, but she didn’t look at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, squatting down and reaching out to place his hand on her shoulder. But she was quick to leap to her feet, and she was out of his reach. “I’m somewhat frustrated,” he mumbled.
“Really? I would never have guessed that Your Majesty could be annoyed at our current situation.”
“Belle,” he said more calmly than he felt as he stepped towards her. Despite her sarcastic tone and her arms crossed savagely over her chest, he really just wanted to hold her. Mostly to reassure himself she was real.
She turned her back and looked again at the sky.
“Do you think she will come back?” he asked, unsure if he wanted Ana anywhere near them. She had done what she’d thought was best to save them, although she had left Dray behind. It had been hours since he had seen her, and so she might have returned for him.
“Not after the way you talked to her,” Belle snapped.
He nodded slowly. She scared him, far more than he’d ever thought possible. The memory of the darkness that had covered her face when she had allowed the shadows to take the major made him shiver. He was grateful in some ways that the man was gone, yet he wished it wasn’t Ana who had created such mayhem.
But her words to him inside the small hut, and the way the darkness clung to her, truly scared him. Belle walked further out into the grasses and then squealed. Ed raced after her, wondering what she was doing as she looked up at him, her skirts held high and her feet sinking into the mud.
He looked down as his own boots squelched, then looked around them at the sea of tall grasses and pushed his way past Belle further into the field. It wasn’t a field; it was marshland. He turned slowly, taking in the expanse around them. But there was only grass, although in the distance he thought he could make out another dark hut nestled in the pale stalks.
“What has she done?” he asked.
“Where are we?” Belle asked. “Did she give you the farm she thought you wanted?”
“What do you think she could do?” Ed took Belle by the shoulders.
She shook her head. “I think something slithered over my foot,” she whispered.
He scooped her easily into his arms, and she gasped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He turned back to the hut, or cottage, dark against the pale grass, which had started to turn orange as it reflected the sky. Standing in the doorway, Ana watched them come. The shadows stuck closer to her, clinging as they had before, almost giving the impression that she wasn’t quite there, and he wondered if she truly was.
Standing before her, Belle still in his arms, Ed bowed his head at the strange woman he’d thought he had known so well. “What can you do?” he asked.
“Whatever you wish,” she said, bowing her head to him, “Your Majesty.”
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The story continues in Shadows Awaken (October 2020)
Acknowledgements
The team at Deranged Doctor Designs (DDD) for absolutely brilliant cover design work and all the marketing extras. Thank you for your support and clear emails around what was needed from me to make the magic happen.
TWG members and Melissa for listening and support in all things writing relat
ed. Special thanks to Yasmin for taking the time to read my draft and providing ideas to make the story stronger.
Allison E Wright for wonderful editing work to make my sentences smoother and my intentions clearer.
My parents, Francine and Ken Smith. Amazing, supportive people who I don’t thank often enough. Thanks for keeping me grounded and being the best grandparents ever.
As always, Temwa for being my biggest supporter.
About the Author
Georgina Makalani survives life as a servant of the public by hiding in her office at lunch time with dragons, witches, a laptop and a little bit of magic.
For more about Georgina and her books visit her website: www.theflowofink.com
Also by Georgina Makalani
The Last Dragon Skin Chronicles:
The Empty Crown
The Lost Endeavour
The Magics of Rei-Een:
The Hidden Princess
Hidden Promises
The Hidden Phoenix
The Raven Crown Series:
Raven’s Dawn
The Caged Raven
Raven’s Edge
The Legend of Iski Flare (Novella series):
The Legend Begins
Red Wolves
The Riddle of Daralis
The Last Child
The Tree Maiden
Reflections
The Beast
Circus of Wonders
Other Stories:
The Mark of Oldra
The Heart of Oldra
Short Stories:
Stuffed Frogs and Spinning Teacups
Searcher
The Silence (in Glimpses)
To sign up for The Flow of Ink Newsletter and receive your FREE copy of Stuffed Frogs and Spinning Teacups – CLICK HERE
The Lost Endeavour Page 23
