by Tate James
“Let's get you going now to the first training which will be in”—she paused to consult her notes— “in botany. Quickly now, ladies, straight over to the greenhouse with you.”
A stunning girl with raven-black hair made an outraged sound, propping her hands on her hips. “We don't get to change first? You can't possibly expect me to do gardening like some commoner while dressed like this. This dress is silk. Do you know what happens when you get mud on silk?” The arrogant sneer to her lip said she was seriously not used to taking orders from anyone. This... could be entertaining.
“I do, Lady Gracelin,” the older woman responded with a withering smile. “I also know what happens when you defy the royals. Now, move.” Her command snapped out like a whip, and the dark-haired beauty—Lady Gracelin—looked like she'd been slapped.
The bitchy part of me wanted to smirk at her being told off, but I had better sense of self-preservation than that. These ladies were technically my competition, yes. But I didn't want to win this ridiculous game, and they were my best chance of making sure that didn't happen.
Not that I considered myself even remotely in the running to win this damn thing, but with the binding oath forcing us to try our hardest and my out-of-the-ordinary intuition working on my side, I needed to do everything I could to help someone else win. Just in case.
“What sort of queen requires botany?” one girl, a pretty blonde with delicate features, pondered aloud as we all walked across the palace grounds in the weak morning sunlight. “Unless maybe it's floral arranging? I could see that as a valid skill, and it’s already something I'm quite accomplished at.”
“I highly doubt it's flower arranging,” the mousy girl that had spoken earlier commented. “That doesn't really seem important enough to include in the Trials.”
The blonde bristled and planted her hands on her hips. “I'll have you know, Lady Agatha, that floral arrangement is an art form and one that should never be underestimated. You can't just trust your house staff to slap a bunch of flowers in a vase and be done with it.”
The mousy girl, Agatha, rolled her eyes, and I hid a smile. She had more spunk than I'd originally given her credit for.
“I'm sure we will soon find out,” a pretty redhead interrupted before things could turn nasty between Agatha and the blonde. Actually, each of the twenty other ladies still currently competing for the crown—and a prince's hand in marriage—were stunningly beautiful, which made sense, given the blindfolded inspection we'd all just been subjected to.
Considering we had been expected not to speak, and I didn't see any other likely rulebreakers in this group, that inspection could’ve only had to do with physical appearance.
There really wasn't much more time to debate or ponder anyway as we approached the impressive glass structure that was the palace greenhouse. The double doors stood open, and several men in palace uniforms pottered around, doing whatever they did to tend the plants. All twenty-one of us entered and made our way down the rows of plants until we reached the end where a bunch of cushions were placed on upturned crates. A quick glance around told me I wasn’t the only one curious about today’s lesson.
“You have got to be kidding me,” the haughty Lady Gracelin from earlier scoffed as she eyed up the seating that had been laid out. “I am not sitting on that dirty cushion. Is this a joke or something? We are aristocrats, for Reichan's sake.”
Agatha rolled her eyes again, brushing past Gracelin and choosing a seat. I smothered my own smile over her swearing to Reichan, god of wealth. Figures.
“Either you sit on that dirty cushion or you stand for the next six hours, Lady Gracelin,” a man responded, joining our group with his arms loaded full of leather-bound notebooks. Several women just gawked at him, but some took his suggestion and snagged themselves the more comfortable looking seats before they disappeared.
For my part, I squinted at the man curiously. There was something about his voice that sounded almost... familiar. I couldn't quite place my finger on it though. Perhaps we'd crossed paths in the Pond? But what a palace gardener would be doing in the slums of Lakehaven, I had no idea.
While I scrutinized him, I saw the moment his shoe clipped a plant pot and the stack of notebooks began to topple from his pile. Lunging forward, I managed to catch a few while he regained his balance, then placed them back on the top of his pile with a small smile.
“Thank you, er, Lady Callaluna, isn't it?” He gave me a lopsided smile that did indescribable things to my insides as I made the mistake of meeting his eyes. They were a vibrant, clear blue—the color of a summer sky—and seemed to hold me locked in place for far longer than what would be deemed acceptable for an actual lady.
Breaking his gaze and desperately trying not to blush, I nodded. “Yes, sir. Lady Callaluna of...” I hesitated. Where the hell was Lady Callaluna from, again?
“Of Riverdell,” he finished for me, his lips still holding that slightly secretive smile. “Of course. Please, take a seat; we have a lot to cover this morning.”
Riverdell. Yes! Must remember that... Come to think of it, I really needed a hell of a lot more information on my new identity in general. Hopefully Mistress Mallard was going to follow through on her promise to train me up for this role.
Pursing my lips together to keep from betraying myself as a Pond dweller through speech alone, I sat my expensively dressed butt down on a cushion beside Agatha and tried really damn hard not to check out the young gardener's ass when he bent over to pick up the one notebook I’d missed.
“Welcome, ladies,” he greeted us all after he'd stacked his notebooks on an empty crate. “I will be your tutor for botany and alchemy. You can call me Lee.” He scanned all twenty-one of us with his stunning blue eyes, and I could swear he hesitated a little longer on me. But maybe that was wishful thinking on my part.
Damn, I really was sex starved.
It had never really been something I'd thought that much about before, never been something I craved, like Juliana claimed she did. Sure, I'd done it a couple of times before, but I couldn't say I'd really enjoyed it... But this morning, first with the princes and now here with Lee the gardener, I was starting to wonder if I had been doing things all wrong.
“This morning, until we break for lunch, you'll be learning all about plants that can be utilized for both healing and harming. This is a subject that is very dear to one of the prince's hearts, so you'd do well to pay attention and learn. You never know when the knowledge you gain here today will save your life.” Lee continued addressing us all with a certain air of confidence that told me all I needed to know about his position as a tutor in these trials. He clearly knew what he was talking about.
Lee began handing out the notebooks to each of us, and I took the opportunity to check him out a little more. He was taller than me, but that wasn't hard. I was average height for a lady, and he had at least a head on me. His frame was lean but strong, his tanned forearms visible from under his rolled-up shirtsleeves showed firm muscles, which had doubtlessly been built up over time in the gardens here. I wasn’t foolish enough to think that the gardeners had an easy job, especially considering how well-maintained everything was.
“I'll be presenting each species to you as we discuss them. I recommend you make thorough notes or, perhaps, sketch what they look like.” His eyes caught on mine as he said this, and I got the feeling that was a loaded suggestion. Less if you like and more this is what you need to do to succeed.
His sunshine-streaked, honey-blond hair flopped over his forehead, and he broke eye contact to brush it away while I ducked my head to my notebook. It was a shame I sucked at drawing, but maybe this would be a good lesson for me to fail. Smiling to myself, I closed the notebook again, intending to take no notes.
As soon as the thought about deliberately failing this botany class entered my head, a sharp stabbing sensation lanced through my body, and I screamed in pain, falling to the dirt floor in a heap.
“What in Zryn's balls was th
at?” I groaned, then clamped a hand over my mouth. Certainly a lady wouldn't be swearing to the god of wrath's testicles. Or maybe one would, had she felt what I'd just experienced.
“That, Lady Callaluna,” Lee murmured quietly as he knelt to help me up out of the dirt, “is what happens when you consider breaking the binding oath. Stings, huh?”
“You know what it feels like?” I frowned up at him while half-heartedly brushing dirt from my dress.
Lee shrugged. “You'd be amazed how often those binding oaths are used around the palace. That was just a warning shock; it'll be worse next time.”
“You were thinking about leaving?” Gracelin exclaimed, folding her arms over her impressive chest and staring at me like I was clinically insane. She was perched on the very edge of a crate like she was afraid it would bite her. “What idiot would give up their chance at being queen because of a stupid plant class?”
Feeling my cheeks warm and cursing my pale complexion, I ground my teeth together and tried not to verbally flay this arrogant airhead. “I wasn't,” I gritted out. “It must have been a mistake.”
Lee watched me with narrowed eyes a moment longer, and I ducked my head back down to my notebook, flipping it back open once more. So much for that idea.
Thankfully, he began his lecture moments later, and the stares and whispers moved off me as everyone gave the handsome gardener their full attention.
For the next six hours, he instructed us in countless flowers, herbs, roots, and seeds. Some held impressive, almost unbelievable healing qualities, while others could kill a man, or woman, dead in seconds.
As it was turning out, this class was proving to be more interesting than I had really anticipated. Several of the deadly plants I was already familiar with from the Pond, although I’d had no idea they could be used as a poison. That was definitely information I stored for a later date.
“Ladies,” Lee addressed us, standing from his own crate, where he'd sat cross-legged all morning to lecture. “That concludes the first half of the day. You are now invited to lunch with Her Majesty Queen Filamina. After that, your test of today's class will commence.” He paused, and his lush lips tightened a fraction. “I'm sure I don't need to impress upon you the importance of doing well in these tests. Losing... does not bear a desirable outcome.”
His eyes were burning into the top of my head as he said this, but I kept my gaze securely locked on my notebook in my lap. I'd given enough away already, and it was only day one, for Aana's sake.
Now, I just needed to make it through lunch with the queen without betraying myself as an imposter.
5
Lunch with the queen was surprisingly painless. After we were handed out simple satin masks to wear, we were escorted to assigned seating, and I was relieved to find myself at the other end of the long banquet table. Admittedly, the ladies I was seated with probably thought I was one hell of a rude bitch for refusing to interact with anyone, but so be it.
After the meal, the queen left us, and we were told we had a half hour of spare time to freshen up before the afternoon test would commence. Most ladies rushed to change, but as I literally had nothing but the clothes on my back, I dawdled.
“What are you doing, Lady Callaluna?” a woman hissed, coming up behind me and smacking me on the rump hard enough to make me yelp. “You need to get freshened up! Allow me to you show you to our rooms.” Juliana grinned broadly at me, and I snorted a laugh.
“Don't get too comfortable; I didn't exactly take the most detailed drawings this morning, so we could well be heading home.” It was wishful thinking. Despite my subpar sketching skills, I knew I'd retained a huge amount of the information simply by listening to Lee's soothing voice all morning. Thanks to that oh-so-handy binding oath, there would be no deliberate fails this afternoon, and I suspected I'd be staying at least one more day.
“Uh-huh, whatever you say, mistress,” she replied, laying the sarcasm on thick. “That old broad, Mallard, has got us set up in the guest quarters, but I doubt they've managed to get any fresh clothes delivered yet. Probably the best you can do is tidy your hair up a bit and wash that massive smudge of dirt off your face. How'd you even manage that?”
My hand flew to my face. “What?” I exclaimed. “Where?”
“Right here.” Jules ran a finger down pretty much the full length of my left cheek, and I groaned. It had to have happened when I fell to the ground after being zapped by the binding magic. That was hours ago. Why had no one pointed it out?
“Great,” I muttered under my breath, feeling irrationally sour. Having dirt on my face was not something that would have ever bothered me before, but the idea that I'd been sitting there in front of Lee with a big old smear on my cheek made me cringe.
Juliana shrugged as she held open a door for me. “Don't stress, babe. It's not like any of the princes saw you, and you wore a mask to lunch with the queen, right?”
I muttered my agreement but was still embarrassed as all hell. I would have actually preferred one of the arrogant, self-centered princes see me rather than someone who might possibly be my first real crush in years.
“Stop looking so sullen, Ry,” Jules laughed. “Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that if you survive today’s test, then Mistress Mallard will meet us in our rooms after the evening meal to commence aristocrat training.”
I arched a brow at her. “Really? Is that what she called it?”
“Not in those words, but it’s what she meant. I for one think this whole damn thing is pretty hilarious. Imagine if you actually won!” She was full on laughing at this prospect now and pushed open the doors to a mind-blowing suite, which must be where we would be staying.
“Never going to happen, Jules. I hardly think the kingdom would appreciate an imposter for a queen, and there is no way I can borrow this woman's identity for that long. We're lucky the real Callaluna hasn't shown up here already.” I sank down onto the edge of the huge bed, then groaned at how damn soft it was. Maybe I could take a little nap instead of washing? I hadn't slept in far too long already, and it was starting to make me cranky.
“Bloodeye has it handled,” Juliana informed me, hauling me back up by the hand and attacking my face with a washcloth. “The real Callaluna won't be an issue.”
Grabbing her wrist, I gave her a sharp look. “Please tell me he didn't have her killed, and more to the point, why is he getting involved? I thought I was on my own if I wanted to be stupid enough to infiltrate the vipers’ nest.” That wasn't me being dramatic, those were the words he'd used when I'd told him I was going after Flick.
“That was before you managed to find a way into the Royal Trials and then score me a free pass as your maidservant. Let's just say Bloodeye is seeing a lot of potential for keeping you here.” She gave me a meaningful look, and I nodded.
“Makes sense. He's never really had a full agent on the inside before. Do you know if he is doing anything to help Flick?” I hadn't forgotten about my whole reason for being there. Not by a long shot.
Jules shook her head, and my heart sank. “Not that I know of, but I did some asking around this morning and discovered they won't be conducting any executions until after the Trials are finished. So, you still have time to get him out.”
This gave me a small amount of hope again, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. That's good. So, we have three weeks at least.”
Jules nodded and made quick work of re-braiding my hair. “Alright, that's the best I can do. Hopefully there will be new clothes here by the time this test is over because otherwise you'll seriously draw attention to yourself if you don't change.”
I sighed and rubbed at my face. This was all the sort of stuff I needed to get used to if I was to maintain my cover as Lady Callaluna. Thank Aana that Jules was here with me for it all.
“Ladies,” Lee greeted us all as we returned to the greenhouse. “You all look lovely. Is everyone prepared for this afternoon’s test in competency?” He ran his gaze over the group of gir
ls, all of whom had changed into more garden appropriate gowns, except me. When his gaze reached me, he paused, and I could swear there was a small smile pulling at his lips.
Ugh, whatever. It surely wasn't any worse than spending all morning with dirt on my face.
“This test will be a practical one. This morning I showed you six plants that can be useful for healing, as well as six poisonous ones. You may have noted that the six poisonous ones looked very similar to the healing plants. Hopefully you all noted down the subtle differences between them all, as your test is to locate the six healing plants from within the palace grounds. When you have them all, you will bring them back here and brew a tea from each one. To determine if you are correct or not, you'll then drink each tea.” Lee's brow furrowed at this, and I could tell he didn't approve of that part. “You need not worry about permanent damage or death if you choose wrong, as I'll have antidotes on hand for all of the six poisons, but it will result in lower marks.”
Whispers ran through the group of ladies as everyone soaked in the information that we might possibly be poisoning ourselves this afternoon. What fun.
“You have until sundown, and you may venture anywhere within the grounds. All twelve plants are growing here, so please choose wisely.” He pursed his lips and looked stern. “One of you will be eliminated tonight, so take your notes with you, and for the love of Barmzig… try your hardest.” This last warning, and his mention of our goddess of mercy, was delivered with his bright blue eyes locked hard on me. Apparently, my thoughts about deliberately failing hadn't gone unnoticed after all.
The ladies scattered, grabbing their notebooks from their seats, where we'd all left them before leaving the greenhouse for lunch. Breaking Lee's knowing look, I waited for the immaculately dressed ladies to move out of the way before heading to where I'd been sitting all morning... only to find my notebook gone.
“Is everything okay, Lady Callaluna?” Our instructor's smooth voice sounded a whole lot closer all of a sudden, and I tensed.
