by Tate James
A bit confused at his offer, I nodded slowly. “Sure thing. Thanks, Lee.”
Giving him a small wave, I left the greenhouse and made my way back to my room, where Jules would be waiting. A certain sense of uneasiness came with me, though, and I pondered over the information I'd just gained.
Why did Lee think I might need to talk with him about dinner? Or did he just mean in general? I hadn’t gotten the feeling he’d made that offer in a flirtatious way, so I doubted he’d just meant if I was feeling stupid horny and wanted to ease off the pressure a bit. It was more sinister than that.
Shaking off the cloud of intrigue, I pushed open the door to my room and groaned at all the dresses laid out around Jules. Whatever dinner had in store for us, at least I'd look the part.
6
Dinner was an elaborate affair, complete with evening gowns, gloves, and intricate masks, as per tradition. The royal family would be in attendance, so we were all required to cover our faces, just as they themselves would.
A steward showed us into the banquet hall and ushered us to our assigned seats. Next to mine there was an empty space with no place card. Cold dread pooled in my stomach as my eyes darted around the table. Two more empty spaces were directly opposite, and the only other places at the table were the throne-like chairs on either end—clearly where the king and queen would be sat. Which meant...
“Oh, for the love of Zryn's hairy balls,” I cursed under my breath, then froze when a heavy hand planted on my shoulder.
“Such colorful language for a Lady of Teich,” a man with a deep, rumbling voice commented, his breath brushing the exposed skin on the back of my neck and making me shiver. “I do hope that wasn't your reaction to the seating assignments.” Across the table, the other two princes in their dark masks stood behind their own seats—waiting, like the rest of us, for the king and queen to be seated. I glanced down at the fingers on my shoulder. He wore the same ring I'd seen in the alleyway that first time I'd run into them, and I bit my lip to rein in the snappy retorts that came to mind. I wanted to leave with my head preferably intact.
“Your Highness,” I murmured, “not at all. I must have... gotten a papercut.” I fingered the place card with my fake name on it as I lied. Thankfully, the remaining royals arrived then, stirring everyone into motion taking their seats, and I was spared the need to lie any further about my imagined papercut.
“Lady Callaluna,” the prince beside me murmured, picking up my place card as I arranged my slippery satin skirts on the chair. Having grown up in pants and shirts, I’d had no idea how cumbersome it was to have just so much fabric to deal with. “Such a pretty name.”
Pursing my lips, I swallowed past the guilt at what might have happened to the real Callaluna. “Do I get to know which Highness I'm speaking to? Or is that all part of the ‘game’ too?”
The huge man seated beside me—because now that I was seeing him properly for the first time, I realized he really was an intimidating size—just threw his head back and laughed. Pompous ass.
“Stop it, Thibault,” one of the masked royals opposite us chastised him. “Just because the lovely Lady Callaluna has a sharp tongue, doesn't mean you need to bait her.”
Narrowing my eyes at the one who'd spoken, I pursed my lips to refrain from taking his bait. I got the distinct feeling that they were enjoying my temper, so I'd need to make an effort to hold it back.
“His Highness Prince Thibault, then?” I turned to the man beside me and arched a brow. It wouldn't have been hard for them to see it either, as my mask consisted of loosely woven metal lace, which would have done a poor job of concealing my face if that had been the aim. “Charming to meet you without the blindfold.”
A broad grin arched his full lips, the only part of his face truly visible other than his dark eyes. Extending a hand, he picked up mine and pressed a lingering kiss to my knuckles.
“A true pleasure, Lady Callaluna,” he responded, his voice a dark, rough promise.
“So that makes you”—I tugged my hand from Prince Thibault's grip and turned to the man who'd just spoken— “His Highness Prince Alexander? And His Highness Prince Louis?” This last guess was aimed to the third man, who had yet to speak and seemed to be doing everything possible not to look at me. From memory, Alexander was the oldest, followed by Thibault, and Louis was the youngest. It had become pretty common practice for parents in Lakehaven to name their sons after the princes, and in that same order, too; otherwise I wouldn't have remembered. After all, what use to me was knowledge of the royals?
Alexander gave a short nod, acknowledging my correct guesses, but someone tapping on a wine glass interrupted us before he could say anything further.
“Shit,” one of the two across from me cursed under his breath, and I frowned. They all spoke with a similar, husky tone, so it made it hard to pick who was speaking unless I was watching his lips move.
“Are toasts a cause for concern around here?” I asked them with a nervous laugh because even Thibault beside me was practically vibrating with tension. Immaculate waiters moved around the table, placing a crystal flute of sparkling wine in front of each of us, and I placed my fingers lightly on the stem of mine.
“You'll see soon enough,” Thibault murmured, all traces of joking gone from his rough voice. “It's at this stage of the night that someone gets eliminated.”
I scrunched up my nose, not understanding all the drama. “So? Someone gets to go home to their family and escape the farce that is this ‘game’ you three set up. What's with all the tension? You're all strung tighter than a crossbow right now.”
“For one,” Thibault growled quietly so only I could hear, “we did not set this up. And for another...” He broke off with a sigh as his father stood at the head of the table, an indication that we all do the same. “Never mind. You'll see.”
His reply had only served to confuse me further, so I watched him curiously from the corner of my eye as the king made some generic welcome toast to all the ladies competing to marry one of his sons.
Lifting my glass to my lips, I felt a disconcerting number of eyes on me, but I ignored them to enjoy the taste of my wine. It was of far better quality than anything I'd ever tasted in the Pond, including stuff we'd stolen from merchants.
Everyone sat back in their seats, and chatter started up around the table. The ladies on the other sides of all three princes had recovered from the shock of being seated next to royalty and began attempting to engage the three of them in lively conversation, leaving me to my thoughts.
It was only a few moments later when someone screamed in horror that I realized what they'd been so tense about. Further down the table, one of the ladies competing in the trials collapsed forward onto the table and was convulsing. Foam seeped from her mouth, and her eyes were rolled so far into her head that only the whites were visible.
“Someone help her!” The girl who'd been sitting beside her screeched, tears flowing down her face. “She's dying!”
Even as ladies screamed and wept, one thing became painfully clear to me. No one would be helping this lady, who I recognized as the one who'd taken Shadowbloom in the test that afternoon.
“This is how you eliminate ladies?” I hissed, whirling on Prince Thibault but not sparing the other two from a venomous glare as I turned. “You can't just send them home? You need to kill them?” I was so horrified and disgusted that my whole body was shaking.
When none of the princes responded, not even to meet my accusing gaze, my stomach rolled like I might vomit. This was not what I'd signed up for. Not even close. In fury, I made to shove my chair back from the table and leave, but a strong hand clamped down on my knee under the table, pinning me in place.
“Don't.” Thibault ordered, his voice broken and rough. “Don't draw attention to yourself, Lady Callaluna. Not now.”
Horrified, I shook my head, staring around the table. Many of the ladies wept openly, but they'd noticed—just as I had—that none of the royals seemed surpr
ised by this turn of events. Even when two of the smartly suited waiters approached the dying woman, then proceeded to drag away one of the kingdom's elite sweethearts... still none of them seemed concerned.
“Ladies,” the king of Teich addressed us when the body had been cleared, “as you've just seen, the price of failure in these Royal Trials is high. Your guardians were all made aware of this prior to giving permission for you to enter, so don't think you can go crying to them.” Our monarch's voice was cold and cruel, and I fought back bile in my throat. “You all took a binding oath that only I can free you from, but let me get one step ahead of you. No one leaves these trials unless it's on a funeral wagon or as a bride. Is that perfectly clear?”
A stunned silence filled the room, and Thibault’s hand tightened on my knee, like he was warning me not to do anything stupid. Not that I needed any warning. Halfway through the king's merciless speech, I'd spotted the person undoubtedly behind the violent turn of events.
Lord Taipanus.
The King's Snake stood in the shadows near the back of the room, a twisted grin on his face. He hadn't even bothered to wear a mask in the presence of the royals, and the look on his face gave me chills.
I'd killed before, sure. But I'd never enjoyed it. Not the way this evil man was clearly enjoying this sick display.
“Every night of this week of tests, you'll be presented a toast. You will accept the toast; to decline will be considered treason.” The king's ice-cold eyes flashed with danger from behind his mask. “Every night, the lowest scoring lady will be eliminated from the competition. Now, let's all enjoy our meal, shall we?”
As if someone had just cut our strings, all the ladies at the table sagged in disbelief. Only one of us was making it out of this palace alive, and suddenly the tests had taken on a whole different purpose.
We no longer fought for marriage and a crown. We fought for our lives.
Prying Thibault’s hand from my knee, I shoved it away from me and scooted my chair away from him. “Don't ever touch me again,” I hissed at him when he opened his mouth to say something. “What kind of monsters allow this to happen? I hope whoever your bride is, you forever see her bathed in the blood of twenty ladies.” I included Alexander and Louis in this accusation as well, glaring daggers at them across the table. “I should have guessed that our royal princes were nothing but spineless cowards. After all, not one of you has lifted a finger to help the people of Teich since curing the plagues.” The ladies within hearing distance around us gasped at my words, but they were all too cowed to speak up.
“Lady Calla—” Prince Louis spoke for the first time since arriving at the table, but I was in no mood for their aristocratic bullshit.
“Save it,” I spat in disgust. “You all make me sick.”
Thankfully, none of them pushed the topic any further, and I was left alone with my trembling emotions for the remainder of the somber meal. The second our king and queen left the table and we were free to depart, I was gone without a backward glance at any of them.
Rushing down the corridor away from the dining hall, I spotted Juliana waiting for me near the hallway leading to the guest quarters.
“Jules,” I barked at her, and she jumped in fright, turning away from the other maid she'd been speaking to. “Take the night off or something,” I instructed her. “I'm going for a walk to clear my head.”
“But Ry—uh, Callaluna—what about that thing we were supposed to do tonight? With Mistress Mallard?” She was trying to give me subtle hints about our lesson in how to be a convincing lady, but I hadn't forgotten. I just didn't care.
“Screw it. Just... go check on things back home. I'll see you later, okay?” I didn't wait for her response before turning my back and hurrying out to the gardens. There was only one person I wanted to speak to, and I suspected he already knew what had been waiting at dinner.
“Lee?” I called into the darkened greenhouse as I pushed the glass doors open. “Are you here?”
Silence was my only response, but that was to be expected. Picking up my satin dress skirts to prevent them from trailing in mud, I made my way over to the carnivorous plant and found a notebook and pencil resting on the rim of the pot.
Pressing the tip of the pencil to the paper, I paused. What the hell did I even say? This was a man I'd known a day. Was I really ready to accuse him of being in on this revolting “game”? The idea that he'd even known about it, let alone had anything to do with it, made me almost physically ill. But it couldn't have been a coincidence that our first class was about poisons...
Eventually, I just scrawled one word. Why?
Cursing my own stupidity, I tucked the note under the pot and stormed back out of the greenhouse. I badly wanted to say more in my note, like “Why didn't you warn me?” or even “How could you let this happen?” but most of all, the message I’d wanted to leave was “I need you. Find me?”
I wasn’t even a full day into my imposter life, and I was becoming a different person. It scared the hell out of me, and I needed to get a grip before I entered into a full-on identity crisis. I was Rybet Waise, dammit. Not Lady Callaluna of Riverdell.
I was stronger than this. I didn't cower or shake in the face of bullies like Taipanus. They'd locked us into this revolting game and given us death as the only way out. Well, fuck taking lessons to act like a lady. I'd be damned if I died by my own hand, so I'd win this game... and then I'd make them pay for all the unnecessary lives lost.
Taipanus had no idea who he was messing with. But he'd soon find out.
7
Almost as though my furious thoughts held some magical power of summoning, a cold hand grabbed my bare upper arm as I stormed back into the palace and slammed my back into the stone wall of the hallway.
“Lady Callaluna,” Lord Taipanus sneered at me, his rancid breath filling my nostrils and making me choke. I pursed my lips and said nothing. “I found two of my guards somewhat out of place this morning—locked in a cell not one hundred feet from where I found you. I don't suppose you would know what happened to them, would you, lady?”
“What?” I exclaimed, trying not to inhale too deeply. “That's awful. Those poor men.”
“Save it, girl,” Taipanus snapped. “I know you had something to do with it. You must have others working with you because no scrawny girl could have bested two grown men alone.” This was insulting, to say the least, and I bit down hard on my tongue not to correct him. “I'll figure out your purpose here soon enough, and when I do”—He leered a cruel smile at me— “you'll wish you'd drunk poison at dinner.”
“Lord Taipanus,” a man called out, drawing the Snake's attention from me, “is everything all right here?”
The spymaster hesitated, glaring back at me a moment before releasing his grip on my arm and moving away a step. “All okay, Gardener Lee,” he replied with an oily smile. “I was just warning Lady Callaluna here about the dangers of being alone at night. Nowhere is safe, these days. Not even the palace.” This was delivered as a warning to me, there was no doubt about it.
“That's a wise warning, Lord Taipanus,” Lee replied, coming to stand in front of us with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “I'd be happy to escort you to your room if you'd like, Lady Callaluna?”
Jumping at the chance to get away from the spymaster, I nodded and slid out from the wall where Taipanus had previously held me pinned. “Thanks, Lee,” I murmured. “You never can be too careful. I appreciate the offer.”
“Pleasant dreams, lady,” Taipanus called after me as I hurried down the hall with Lee. “Don't forget our little chat.”
I shuddered but didn't bother replying. Bloodeye had warned me once about the stupidity of poking a snake with a stick, and I wasn't dumb enough to do that now. If I was to survive this nightmare, I'd need to stay well off the Snake's radar.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Lee asked me in a quiet, husky voice when we got a safer distance away. “Lord Taipanus is the last person you want t
o be on the bad side of.”
“I'm well aware,” I snapped, then frowned at him. “Why does your voice sound weird?”
“Oh, ah.” He coughed into his hand, “I was experimenting with potions.” He slipped a vial from his pocket and drank a small sip, then cleared his throat again. “So, Taipanus?”
Rolling my eyes, I kept walking and didn't bother answering. As badly as my body was coursing with tingles that he'd come to find me, I was still horrified at the events of dinner.
“Perhaps you have something to tell me?” I challenged him, reaching my room and placing a hand on the doorknob. “I knew something was up when you were all cagey about dinner. You knew what was going to happen, didn't you?”
Lee glanced around us, like he was checking if anyone might overhear. We were totally alone, though.
“We can't talk out here,” he implored. “You never know who is watching or listening.”
Arching a brow at him, I twisted my doorknob and swung the door open in invitation.
“Seriously?” he exclaimed, eyes widening as he stared through the open doorway. “That's probably pushing the bounds of propriety pretty far, Calla.”
I snorted a laugh at this and grinned. The concept of him trying to protect my reputation was a bit hilarious, given I'd grown up around whores, thieves, and murderers. “My, er, maid is out for the night, so no one will even see you. Besides, I'm sure you'll be the perfect gentleman.”
He hesitated only a second longer before stepping inside my room and allowing me to close the door behind us. “I wouldn't be so sure,” he muttered, almost too quietly for me to hear, and I stifled a grin. Was it bad that I was hoping he wouldn't be a gentleman?
“So, start talking,” I ordered, flopping down on the overstuffed chaise lounge. “You knew someone would die tonight?”
