“Me too,” Nico spoke up. “I should probably head to the palace sooner than later, but I can at least walk with you to the pharmacy.”
“Can I come with you to the palace, Nico?” Mae asked. “I've always wanted to see it. I bet it's huge, isn't it? In my head, I've always imagined that it's huge!”
Nico hated to disappoint her, but he couldn't imagine taking Mae with him. He wanted to help her establish a new life, but that life could be nowhere near the palace. He couldn't imagine taking a former prostitute anywhere near his sister. “Why don't you wait in this pub, Mae?” he gestured toward the building behind them. “When my business in the palace is done, I'll come find you.”
Mae's mouth dropped into a frown. “You're embarrassed to be seen with me, aren't you?”
“No... no no! I don't think you should come because, uh... the palace might be dangerous. I don't know what's going on there yet. I need to make sure everything's safe, and then I'll come for you.”
“You're embarrassed to be seen with me.” Mae headed into the pub as she repeated the words, sighing. “It's fine. I get it. I'd be embarrassed of me too.”
Mae's fists were clenched when she sat at one of the pub's tables. No one wanted her around. It was obvious. No one wanted her at the pharmacy, and she certainly wasn't welcome in the palace. A pub was the only place fit for a woman like her. She wished she was back at The Velvet Dame, where everything was predictable and set in stone. It wasn't a good life, but at least it was a comfortable life. In the capital, Mae had no idea what she was supposed to do. The prince would likely abandon her—if he hadn't abandoned her already. As soon as Ella entered the picture, Mae the whore was no longer a concern of his. If she was lucky, she could get a job at a pub, since she had some experience tending a bar. When she tried to imagine her future life, the image in her mind was blank. She couldn't picture anything but The Velvet Dame.
“I shouldn't have let him talk me into leaving,” she whispered to herself. “Stupid Mae. Stupid, stupid Mae. A cute boy pretends to care about you, and suddenly you're chasing off after him? Stupid. Stupid!”
A barmaid swept over to Mae's table and dropped off a pint of ale. When Mae saw it, she gasped, “Oh... wait! I didn't order this.”
“I know you didn't.” The barmaid pointed across the pub. “That gentleman bought it for you.”
Mae's eyes widened. Someone wanted to buy her a drink? When she spotted the gentleman in question, he smiled and waved. Mae returned the gesture, then she immediately grabbed her pint and approached his table.
“Hello there.” Mae sipped her drink as she greeted him. “You're the one who bought me a drink?” She hoped she was speaking to the right gentleman, because he was the handsomest man in the room.
He grinned at her. “I did.”
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” He quickly pushed out a chair for her. “In fact, I'd love it if you joined me.”
When Mae sat down, her eyes landed on the gentleman's mostly-empty bottle of brandy, and she wondered if he drank the entire bottle himself. “So...” She presented a hand to him. “I'm Mary Melissa Mae. You can call me Mae.”
The gentleman caressed her fingers as he shook her hand. “It's lovely to meet you, Mae. I'm Julian Featherstone.”
“That sounds like a fancy name.”
“Does it?”
“It absolutely does!”
As Julian took a swig from his bottle, Mae readjusted her dress so more of her cleavage was on display. When he saw what she was doing, he dribbled brandy down the front of his shirt. His flattering reaction made her giggle.
“So...” Mae pointed at Julian's bottle. “Did you drink that entire bottle?”
He nodded slowly, if not a bit somberly. “I'm afraid so.”
“When men drink excessively, there's usually something they're trying to forget.” Mae's eyebrows danced as she spoke. “Is there something you're trying to forget, Julian?”
“Possibly.” He vigorously swiped his nose, sat back in his chair, and shrugged. “I lost a tournament.”
“Aww.” Mae's reaction was barely genuine.
“And there's a girl I like, but she hates me,” Julian explained. “Well... hate might be a strong word, but I'm pretty sure she intensely dislikes me.”
“That's unfortunate.”
Julian shook his head at himself. “And I'm an idiot right now. I'm sitting across from a stunning lady... talking about another woman. What sort of man is stupid enough to do that?”
“You, apparently!” Mae giggled at him. “But it's alright. I understand how you feel. There was a guy I liked, but he ditched me as soon as we reached the capital.”
“Now that man is an idiot!” Julian exclaimed. “Only an idiot would abandon a gorgeous woman like you!”
“Thanks. That makes me feel better.” And it was true. After a short time in Julian's company, Mae's ego was healed, and she felt less lonely. “Julian...?”
“Yes, beautiful?” As he brought the bottle to his lips, Julian gave her a lopsided smile.
She scooted her chair a bit closer to his. “Would you mind if I kissed you?”
“Mind?” Julian chuckled at the word. “My dear, I would welcome it!”
What she gave him was no small kiss. Mae's arms flew around Julian's neck as her lips crashed into his. She suckled his lower lip and caressed his tongue with hers. Julian coiled his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, where she continued to devour his lips. When she felt his hand gliding along her thigh, Mae moaned into his mouth.
When Julian's mouth left hers, she realized they had an audience, so she whispered, “Should we go somewhere else?”
Julian grabbed his bottle of brandy and quickly finished the rest of it. “I could take you back to my airship?”
“Ooo... you have an airship?” Mae cooed. “I've always wanted to see an airship up close!”
“Well then... let's go, love!” Julian swept her into his arms and sprang to his feet. As he carried her out of the pub, Mae giggled hysterically. Then she kissed his neck, which had him moaning with approval. Once they were outside, he set her on her feet, wrapped an arm around her, and led her in the direction of the skyport.
“You know...” a smirking Mae began, “I'm starting to feel better already.”
“As am I, darling.” And it wasn't a lie, because the spring had returned to his step. “As am I.”
Julian and Mae unknowingly breezed past the pharmacy where Ella was perusing the shelves. Kieran and Nico were searching with her, and they couldn't ask the pharmacist, because she was busy with another customer.
“I'm sure you'll find it,” Nico encouraged her. “If not in this pharmacy, I'm sure you'll find it in another.”
“I'm sure...” Ella agreed, though she sounded doubtful.
“There are at least a dozen pharmacies in the capital. One of them will have the medicine your brother needs. I'm sure of it!”
“I appreciate your optimism, Nico.” Ella forced a smile, but it faded as quickly as it appeared.
They had been searching the shelves for twenty minutes. Nico was starting to think that particular pharmacy was a lost cause, but he didn't want to say anything discouraging. “I wish I could stay and help you, but I... should probably head for the palace.”
“That's fine.” Ella wanted to give him a proper sendoff, or maybe even a hug, but she couldn't bring herself to look away from the shelves. She was obsessed with finding her brother's cure.
“I'm sure I'll see you again, Ella.” Nico hated to say goodbye to her—in fact, his heart ached—but she didn't seem to care. In fact, she didn't even bother to look in his direction. “Maybe I'll visit you in Bordeaux sometime?”
Ella picked up a bottle and held it close to her face, observing its fine print. “That would be lovely, Nico. I'd like that very much.”
“Take care of her, Kieran,” Nico said to the other man, who simply nodded. “Best of luck to both of you.”
“Go
odbye, Nico!” Ella called to him as he headed out the door. His heart was screaming, telling him not to go, but he couldn't listen to it. All along, he had only one goal: return to the capital. Nico was worried about his family, and especially Isabella. He hated to think of his little sister in the company of an impostor prince.
Nico slipped his hands in his pockets, kept his head low, and charged in the direction of the palace. He had quite a walk ahead of him. After another fifteen minutes, he was only halfway, and the sun had started to set.
When he was only two blocks away, Nico's stomach dropped.
An ominous ribbon of smoke billowed from the palace's rooftop.
Thirty Three
“This is the last floor we haven't explored,” Lyneah said to Tobias as they finished climbing the massive staircase. “I know you think I'm mad, but after we've searched up here, I promise I won't mention my mother again.”
“I don't think you're mad,” Tobias corrected her as he opened a door and cautiously peered inside. “I just think it's a bit far-fetched that Loreina could actually be the empress of Columbigo.”
“Well... if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and I'll admit it. But don't you think it's odd that we've never seen or met the empress? She's been sick since we arrived! And the emperor's sick too. It's giving me flashbacks to when my own father was ill. I don't know... I'm probably paranoid, but something feels wrong.”
“I think it's more suspicious that the palace barely has any guards,” Tobias observed. “In your castle, there's someone watching every hallway.”
“Maybe it's safer here. Maybe they have little need for guards.” Lyneah, who was checking every room, happened upon a privy. It smelled foul, so she closed the door with a sneer. “But I'll admit, it does make me feel a bit uneasy.”
Tobias suddenly threw out his arm, blocking Lyneah's advance. He turned to her and whispered, “Wait... do you hear voices?”
“Not really, no,” Lyneah replied. “But maybe we should hide, just to be on the safe side? Someone might think it's odd if they see us wandering around on the sixth floor.”
“Shh!” Tobias hushed her. He crept forward as silently as possible and checked around the corner.
Sure enough, down the hall, he spotted two people. A pretty maid was pinned against the wall by a tall man in a sleek black uniform. At first, Tobias thought he was witnessing an amorous moment, but it quickly turned sinister.
“Just one kiss, Angelina... right here... on my lips. Don't be a little bitch.” When the man tried to steal a kiss, the maid ducked away from his descending mouth.
“No... Noah... I don't want to.” Every time she squirmed, he pushed her harder against the wall.
“I've been away a long time, girl. Haven't you missed me?”
“No! Now get off of me!”
Ignoring the maid's protests, Noah's lips descended to her neck. Angelina squealed with disgust as his mouth trailed kisses along her skin. When one of his hands snaked beneath her dress, she started to scream, but he clasped a hand to her mouth before she could get it out. “Shut up, bitch, or I swear to god...”
Without any regard for the consequences, Tobias drew his gun and aimed at Noah's head. “Let go of the girl!” he demanded. Lyneah caught up to him, though she chose to stay a few paces behind him, out of view and away from the conflict.
Noah paid no attention to Tobey. He ripped the front of Angelina's dress and shamelessly sampled her breast.
“Let go of her!” Tobey screamed. “This is your last warning! I won't ask you again!”
“Shoot me, boy. See if I give a damn!” Noah suddenly grabbed Angelina's face and slammed her head against the wall—not once, but several times. Tobey had no choice but to fire his gun. When the bullet entered Noah's skull, he slumped to the ground, as did an unconscious Angelina.
“Oh my god, Tobey!” Lyneah rushed forward to see what happened. “What are you doing? What were you thinking?”
“He was hurting her!” Tobey dropped to his knees beside the maid and checked her for a pulse. He thought he felt something, but if he did, it was faint. “What was I supposed to do, Lyneah? Huh?”
“I don't know, but this isn't good!” Lyneah's eyes were panicked as she glanced down the hall. It had to be only a matter of time before someone investigated the gunshot. “Is the girl alive?”
“I don't know. I'm not sure.” Tobias stood up, dragged a hand through his hair, and studied the two bodies. “What should we do? We should tell someone about this incident, right? Maybe Princess Isabella, or...?”
Before Lyneah had a chance to answer him, a door opened, and Loreina walked out. Not noticing her daughter right away, she said, “Did someone fire a gun? That's inconvenient. I didn't think the coup was supposed to begin for a few more hours, so I...” When she spotted her daughter at the hallway's end, her voice trailed off. “Lyneah?”
“Mother,” Lyneah coldly replied. “So the reports were right? You did go to Columbigo. And you married its emperor? How?”
“The art of seduction, dear. I was always better at it than you.” Loreina smiled at Tobey, whose hand quivered as he raised his gun. “Speaking of which, is this your new toy?”
“This is Tobias. And he's not a toy, he's my fiance.” Even though they had Loreina at gunpoint, Lyneah couldn't shake the feeling they were at a disadvantage. If not, why would her mother sound so calm?
“Tobias, hmm? Well, he's certainly cute. Your mother approves.” Loreina's smile widened, even though Tobey's pistol was aimed at her face. “Although I must say... this is an odd way to greet your future mother-in-law, young man.”
Tobey glanced over his shoulder, at Lyneah, who was cowering behind him. Seeing her mother after so many months had clearly rattled her. “What should I do, Lyneah? Do you want me to arrest her?”
“Arrest me?” Loreina laughed loudly. “Is that supposed to be a joke? Darling, I'm going to arrest you.”
Before either of them could question her, Loreina waved her hand, motioning for her guards to join her in the hallway. A dozen men, dressed entirely in black, poured from her room. Among them were Callum and Jackal. When the latter spotted Noah's corpse, he howled with laughter.
Loreina started to speak. “So what do you have to--”
“Look at that!” She was interrupted by Jackal, whose wild eyes were surrounded by excessive dark eyeliner. “Noah's dead! Deader than dead, probably. I never thought anyone would put that bastard down!”
“Quiet.” Callum slapped the side of his companion's head. “Don't speak when the empress is speaking, you idiot!”
Loreina's lips suddenly flattened, giving her a grim, stony expression. When they finished interrupting her, she asked, “What are you thinking now, Tobias? Lyneah? Are you still going to arrest me?”
“Lyneah...” As he whispered his fiance's name, Tobias' hand moved to the hilt of his sword. When he started to back away, Loreina's guards advanced on him. “Run!”
Lyneah took off down the hall, assuming Tobias would follow, but he didn't. The guards were much closer to him than Lyneah, and he wasn't the greatest runner—Tobey already knew he wouldn't get away. He drew his sword and stood firm, buying Lyneah some time to escape.
Tobias shot one of the guards, and then another. When he was out of bullets, Tobias tossed his gun and focused on his sword. There were two men who approached him, and they swung their swords at once. Tobias blocked one and hopped away from the second sword, which came close to spilling his guts.
It didn't matter that he avoided injury, because a moment later, Tobey felt a bullet enter his shoulder, and then another in his abdomen. Tobias tried to lunge at his attackers, but he was quickly overwhelmed, and he knew it. Jackal tackled him to the ground and twisted the sword out of Tobias' grasping fingers.
“Go!” Loreina screamed. “Don't stop with the boy, bring back my daughter! Lyneah is the one we want! And don't kill the young man. We might be able to use him as leverage later on.”
Even though he was down
on the ground and injured, Tobias tried to trip one of the men who chased Lyneah. When the man fell on his face, Callum stepped forward to bind Tobey's legs. “That was very naughty of you,” Callum said, clicking his tongue at Tobey. “Very naughty. Very very naughty. We'll have to punish you for that.”
“Such a naughty, pretty boy!” Cackling maniacally, Jackal straddled Tobey and teased him with his sword. He suspended the tip of the blade over Tobias' face, letting it swing like a pendulum.
As the blade swept closer, Tobey closed his eyes and tried to picture Lyneah's face, though it gave him little comfort.
In that awful moment, he doubted he would ever see her again.
Thirty Four
“Goooood evening, good people of Columbigoooo!” Callum led a horde of Eversio's soldiers through the palace hallways, killing everyone who opposed them. He already had the blood of a dozen palace guards on his hands, and he was hoping for more. “This lovely revolution has been brought you by Eversioooo!”
Behind him, his soldiers chanted, “Revolution! Revolution! Revolution!” as they pounded the walls.
Callum occasionally flung open doors, checking for enemies behind them. Who lived and who died was left to his discretion. Callum tried to restrict his bloodlust to imperial guards, but every now and then, he was tempted by someone else. When he saw a young serving boy looking at him with disgust, he ruffled the boy's hair—and stabbed him in the neck.
“The Imperial Capital of Columbigo is now the Democratic Capital of Columbigo!” Callum announced, exaggerating a swagger as he moved down the hall. “And we've already elected your first president: President Gareth Harriot! This palace belongs to him now. So... if you see him, be sure to bow!” Callum pointed at a maid, who tried to crush herself against the wall as he passed with his horde. “I'm talking to you, young lady. Forget about the emperor! You work for the president now!”
A door swung open, and three imperial guards tried to make their escape. They were immediately gunned down by Callum and his men. When the terrified maid witnessed their execution, she started to sob.
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