Two guards stood by the door and quickly escorted me to the carriage.
I recognized it as the pumpkin carriage that Daniel had magicked up a few months previously. Dean sat proudly wearing a white suit in the driver’s seat holding the reigns of six beautiful white horses.
I stepped up into the carriage and immediately we started to move. Taking Leo’s advice, I closed the curtains. Even though I could no longer see the crowds, I could hear them. The cheering was almost deafening, making me smile.
Even though I’d been taking a break from public view for the past couple of months, I knew that Silverwood’s universities and colleges were experiencing record numbers of Magi enrollments and the recruitment drive for the police had been hugely successful. The fear that the Magi would leave again after Cynder did, had not come to pass, and even more encouragingly, the Magi were still coming back into the kingdom. All in all, I had a lot to be grateful for.
Jenny had been right. Today was the beginning of a bright new future with Luca, and I could finally lay to rest everything that had happened in the past year. I ignored the pang that stabbed my heart at the thought of Cynder. He was gone for good.
The carriage came to a halt, and a guard opened the door for us. Daniel climbed out first to help my mother and Elise down the steps. Mother hurried into the cathedral to take her place, leaving just the three of us. Guards held up screens to allow us to get into the cathedral without being seen by the crowds. They might not have been able to see us, but they knew we were there. The screams and cheers were deafening as I climbed out of the carriage. After the wedding, the screens would be taken down, and Luca and I would walk back to the carriage in full view of everyone. For now, I was grateful for the privacy they afforded me. Elise fussed around me, pulling my dress straight and handing me my bouquet of white flowers tied in a gold ribbon. As I’d been very specific about not wanting a long train, she had nothing to hold behind me, so she went first, walking the huge aisle to the front. I heard the wedding march begin to play as she passed through the huge oak doors of the cathedral.
“Ready?” asked Daniel and he held out his arm to me.
“As I’ll ever be.”
I took a deep breath and together, we walked step by step towards my future husband.
The Wedding
I gave my broadest smile as I walked down the aisle. There were so many faces I recognized, including Luca’s family. Because of Luca’s dedication and hard work, Silverwood was now safe enough for Seraphia to attend the wedding, which pleased me no end. I’d not seen her, nor any of them since Cynder had taken me from their palace. If they held a grudge against me, they didn’t show it. Luca’s parents smiled with genuine happiness as I slowly walked past them.
At the front of the church stood Luca. I’d never seen him looking so utterly gorgeous. He was dressed smartly in his royal attire, but it was the look of joy on his face as he watched me walk up to him that topped any outfit.
Daniel kissed my cheek and passed my hand to Luca.
His hands were cold and clammy which I could understand. He looked as nervous as I felt. Getting married was nerve-wracking enough for anyone, but our wedding was being broadcast into the homes of everyone in Silverwood, not to mention the surrounding kingdoms. Outside the palace and the cathedral, huge screens had been erected so that those who had chosen to come out, could also watch. He must also know about the threat against us.
The priest began his speech, but I could barely hear it. I was too busy gazing up at the man who would stand by me for the rest of my life.
He smiled down as though everything was fine, but his pale face gave him away. I noticed a bead of sweat appear on his forehead. I hoped it was nerves and he was not coming down with something. I desperately wanted to ask him if he was alright, but I couldn’t interrupt the priest when hundreds of thousands of people were watching.
As the priest welcomed the people to the cathedral and introduced the reason we were all here, I took the time to really look at the man I was going to marry, the man I was going to grow old with. He truly was beautiful, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. On the surface, he seemed calm and collected, but I felt the slight tremor in his hand.
“Is there any reason that these two shouldn’t be joined in matrimony today? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
The cathedral was deathly silent as everyone waited for someone to speak. Even the massive throng of people outside quietened down.
I looked out over the hundreds of people packed into the pews. My heart hammered, terrified that someone would say something to stop the wedding, and then it dawned on me that my fear was actually that someone wouldn’t. I’d spent nearly a year to get used to the fact that I was going to be Luca’s bride and now the time had come, Luca’s nerves were beginning to rub off on me. Was I ready? I wasn’t sure.
No one spoke, and so the priest continued.
“Luca James Alexander Phillip Tremaine do you take Charmaine Elizabeth Mary Annesley to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
As he looked at me, with fear rather than love in his eyes, I felt my stomach lurch. He’d dressed for the occasion, but now that I was looking at him, I saw he’d forgotten to shave, and his eyes were red as though he’d not slept well the night before. Could this just be nerves?
“I do.”
“And do you Charmaine Elizabeth Mary Annesley take Luca James Alexander Phillip Tremaine to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
At this point at my wedding to Xavier, thousands of people had crashed through the palace gates, starting a riot that would kill both Xavier and my father. It made me feel sick when I realized I hoped the same thing would happen now. Anything to stop this. I loved Luca, at least I thought I did, but I didn’t want to marry him. I’d had so many chances to make love with him in the past year, and yet, it had not happened between us. Wasn’t that enough to tell me that this was all wrong? I’d given myself excuse after excuse, but if I really loved him, surely I wouldn’t need to make excuses?
I waited as long as I could get away with until I couldn’t wait any longer.
“I do.”
Luca smiled and nodded his head. The sweat dripped down. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed himself with it, before pulling out a small box with my wedding ring in it. A plain gold band that symbolized our lasting union.
“With this ring…” he began the speech that millions had said before him. When it was my turn, Daniel passed me another box with another gold band. I repeated the words, trying to sound like I was being sincere.
The priest closed his book and smiled. “I now pronounce you man and wife.”
A great cheer went up both from inside the cathedral and from all those people outside. I took Luca’s hand, and we walked down the aisle as man and wife, smiling and waving at everyone as we passed. Leo raced ahead to make sure we were safe as we stood outside the large oak doors to give the media a chance to film us. We waved, and we smiled some more as the carriage pulled up in front of us. A similar carriage pulled up behind to take Mother, Leo, Elise, and Daniel to the palace. Behind that one stood another and another for all those guests heading back to the palace for our wedding reception. Luca and I were still waving as flowers and confetti were thrown at us. I saw Elise, Mother, and Daniel get into the carriage behind ours.
“It’s time for us to go,” I whispered at Luca. “Leo, we are fine. Go be with Elise.”
Leo nodded and after a quick scan of the area, left us to get the carriage home. I stepped up into the carriage, but before Luca had time to follow, the carriage set off. It raced at such a pace that I lost my balance, falling into the pumpkin orange upholstery. I could hear the screams as we careened out of control through the crowd. Gone were the cheers to be replaced by the sound of terror. I pulled myself up as best I could and grabbed for the door. I could barely make out the frightened faces we passed as we were going so fast. The door slammed shut, trapping me in, so I opened the window.
> The crowd parted with many people diving out of our way for fear of being run over. Pretty soon, the cathedral was just a speck in the distance behind us, and the crowds had thinned out into nothing. Behind me, I could see that our carriage wasn’t the only one. Whoever had taken me had also taken Mother, Leo, Elise, and Daniel too. Their carriage was right behind mine.
“Stop!”
I shouted up to the driver, but it was no use. He was either ignoring me or couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t jump out as we were going at a breakneck speed, so I had to sit and wait for the journey to come to an end wherever that may be.
I tried to understand who would do this. The only people I could think of were the MDS. Leo had warned me that something like this was being planned, but why take the others too? Maybe they wanted to murder the whole royal family. Get rid of us all at the same time. It would tie up any loose ends. It angered me that The Regent, whoever he was, was probably safe back at the capital, pretending to show concern. He wouldn’t be one of the drivers. No, he’d have someone else to do the dirty work, while he pretended to be outraged. When we were all dead, he’d show grief publicly but be plotting to take over behind the scenes. It was perfect. I just couldn’t understand why there were no guards following us. There had been so many at the wedding and along the route back to the palace. Where were they all now?
I thought of Luca. My driver, whoever he was had royally messed up by setting off moments too soon. Luca was still back at the cathedral. The thought of it made me feel a little better. Luca had been the one who had worked with the guards these past few months. If anyone could sort this out, it was him.
I sat seething as the town turned into the countryside. Every so often, I’d put my head out of the window to see if the carriage behind was still following us. I could see the driver from here, but I didn’t recognize him. It didn’t matter who it was anyway. Some faceless MDS lackey who would, no doubt, have a weapon ready to murder us all as soon as they got to their destination.
We drove for hours, and pretty soon, I was hopelessly lost. The scenery changed from rolling hills and pretty fields to sparse moorland, purple with wild heather.
We were going to have to stop soon, I realized. I’d not seen any signs of civilization for at least an hour, and the bumpiness of the carriage told me that we were now on dirt tracks. The horses would be tired. I wondered just how long I had left to live.
Glancing around the carriage interior, I searched for something to hit my driver with when we finally stopped. Apart from my bouquet, I had nothing at hand.
“Fat lot of damage some white lilies are going to do,” I mused aloud, feeling angry at my situation.
I wasn’t even scared anymore. Anger flooded through me as I thought about Elise behind me, pregnant. This journey would be no good for her. Who would do this despicable thing to a pregnant woman? I might not have long to live, but I was sure going to give my kidnapper a piece of my mind when the carriage stopped.
I didn’t have long to wait. I felt the carriage begin to slow down and finally stop beside an old farmhouse.
As soon as the door opened, I was ready. I pulled my arm back, and with as much force as I could muster, punched my kidnapper square in the nose. He fell back, hitting the ground hard. Maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to escape, but as I looked up, I could see more members of the MDS begin to pour out of the farmhouse. I jumped down, ready to kick the driver. I might not be able to escape, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.
I looked down at his face. Blood poured from his nose where I’d punched him. He sat up and gave me a crooked grin.
“Hi, my Lucky Charm.”
It was Cynder.
After
Behind me, I could hear a fight. I looked over to see Leo punching the driver of the second carriage while Elise, Mother, and Daniel looked on.
“What are you doing?” I hissed at Cynder.
My mind whirled with both emotion and shattered thoughts.
“He’s The Regent!” shouted Leo, laying a final blow to his opponent and knocking him out completely.
It was no good, though. The people who had filed out of the farmhouse descended on him. There were too many of them, and despite us all putting up a fight, we were all led into the house. I was dismayed to see that Daniel joined them. He was in on this all along.
It was huge, with a large sitting room, big enough to cram us all in. On the outside, it looked deserted, but inside, it was decorated in a modern fashion.
Knowing that we were outnumbered, we all sat quietly on the sofa as the thirty or so members of the MDS stood around us.
“You lied about everything!” I screamed at Cynder. “There never was any Freedom of Magic was there? It was fabricated to throw us off the scent. How could you do this? Elise is pregnant!”
I put my arm around my sobbing sister. “I’m ok, I feel the baby kicking,” she whispered between sobs.
“And you, Daniel,” I yelled. “I trusted you. I trusted both of you!”
“It’s not what you think,” said Cynder.
“I don’t care what it is. Luca will find me. He’s been working with the palace guards, recruiting so many of them we almost have an army. They’ll find us.”
“They won’t, but that’s not the point,” replied Cynder. “I’m not The Regent.”
“I don’t even care anymore if you are him or just one of his servants. More the fool, you!”
“Charm, listen to me. Please!”
“Don’t you dare call me Charm. I’m not your Lucky Charm. I’m Queen Charmaine!”
“Will someone switch on the TV, please?”
“The TV?” I asked astonished. “You want us all to watch a movie. Great, let’s have popcorn!” I was being sarcastic, but I couldn’t help myself. I was unbelievably angry. If I wasn’t surrounded by so many people, I would have punched Cynder again.
“I want you to know the truth.”
The TV turned on. There I was coming out of the cathedral with Luca, smiling for the cameras. Below me, were the words ‘recap of today’s events.’ Seconds later, I watched as I toppled over in the carriage when Cynder spurred the horses on. I saw the shocked look of Luca as he tried to chase us but was stopped by the second carriage cutting off his path. Behind him, I could make out Dean chasing behind him. Poor Dean. He was supposed to be my driver. I wondered if Cynder had hurt him to get his place on the carriage.
With folded arms, I glared at Cynder.
“Keep watching!” he said, without even looking my way.
The crowds descended into a panic as our carriages ploughed through them. It was a miracle no one was hurt. I gripped Elise’s hand tightly, my eyes fixed on the screen.
Luca hailed another carriage and with a few of the guards, got in. He followed our carriages rather than heading to the palace on the official route. Somehow, the crowds had closed in, not letting him pass. At least, he’d tried to rescue me. Eventually, the carriage cut through the crowd. He was behind us. We’d gotten a bit of a head start, but he would catch up with us.
“He’ll find us!” I said. “We only had a ten-minute head start.”
“He wasn’t following us,” replied Cynder.
Back on the screen, Marybelle rushed to the camera and began to talk, recapping for everyone what the scene looked like from her point of view, A totally pointless endeavor, as we could all see the confusion around her. As she was talking, there was a huge bang followed by even more screams.
Marybelle faltered and then looked out to something behind the camera. Raising her hand, she gently pushed the camera so it showed the thing she had seen. In the distance, a plume of smoke filled the air. Even at the distance from the cathedral, I could see where it had come from. The palace had gone up in flames.
The picture cut to an anchorman. Behind him, was a live feed of the palace. It was completely consumed in flames.
“Those were the scenes four hours ago at the cathedral. Back at the palace, fire-fighters have been w
orking tirelessly since then to get the blaze under control, but sources say the palace has been completely gutted by the flames. A number of explosions were heard which suggested more than one bomb, although the fire sergeant has yet to confirm this.
“A number of palace staff are still unaccounted for, and there is no word yet on the whereabouts of the queen and the rest of the royal family.
“Prince Luca is also missing. The acting chief of police has issued a statement that they knew something was going to happen, but even with the heightened security, they weren’t prepared for the magnitude of today’s events.
“A number of people are still fighting for their lives after being crushed in the crowds of people fleeing the scene. If you know someone who was there and are worried about them, we’ve set up this hotline for you to call…”
The sound on the TV was shut off although the picture remained.
“You blew up my palace?” I screamed. I didn’t care that I was completely outnumbered. I stood up and punched Cynder’s chest.
Someone pulled me back, pinning my arms behind me, so I spat in his face instead.
“Let her go!” said Cynder, wiping his face with his sleeve.
My arms fell to my sides.
“I’m not The Regent, and I never lied to you,” he said.
“So then, who is?” I asked, not really caring anymore.
“It’s your husband. Luca is The Regent.”
I stared up at him, unable to process what he was telling me.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Believe him,” said Daniel, coming up beside him and resting his hand on his shoulder.
“None of this was planned, us bringing you all here. We only found out this morning who The Regent was. At first, I didn’t believe it myself, but as I thought about it, it made perfect sense. He has access to you and the palace. He was the one who provided all the security who, let’s face it, were next to useless today.”
“He’s been helping me promote Magi rights for the past year!”
“And I’m a Mage,” said Cynder “but you still accused me of being The Regent. Also, just for the record, we aren’t the MDS. The MDS are all those people who have been recruited over the past few months as your palace guards. I even recognized some of them on the TV.”
Lucky Charm Page 21
