“I must say,” he said, trying to recover, “you dress up quite well, Vi. Before you were ravishing, but now you’re simply breathtaking.” She saw sincerity in his eyes as he said this.
Feeling the color rise in her cheeks, she replied, “Flattery will get you nowhere, Sinow, but thank you just the same.” She nodded to him and let a slight smile pass her lips.
“After our conversation the other day, Vi, I imagine you didn’t call me here to discuss a last minute change of heart.” He walked around the library, drawing his fingers across the book spines. “Why and how, in the name of the Fates, have you called me here?” He stood across from her, arms folded across his chest, and waited for her reply.
She caught her breath when their eyes met. The reaction was still so intense when she looked at him, but after those many nights’ dreams she had more self-control. It remained, however, a test of her will.
“The how will have to be saved for another day as I really am limited on time. I’ve placed a spell around the room so your presence won’t be detected, but it won’t stop them from finding me here. I didn’t dare leave the castle this close to the ascension, so this was my only option.” She stopped, swept a loose curl from her eye and licked her lips. Judging from Sinow’s tightening fists, he was fighting the same urges as she.
“I hope it’s important since discovery of me in your realm, let alone your library, would break that fine thread they call a treaty.”
“Well, as you and I will rule the thrones within hours, I’m really not too concerned.” She took a deep breath and with nothing more to lose, said, “I need some answers and…well…. you’re the only one I know who can give them to me.”
He cocked his brow and eyed her suspiciously. “I’m listening.”
Violissa folded her hands together and paced slowly around the library. “You see, no one here knows what truly happens during the ascension. What I mean to say is that they know what it looks like and can give me a general description but…but they don’t know what happens internally to the one ascending. There hasn’t been an ascension here in so long that none of them have ever observed one, and it’s forbidden for the king to put the details in writing. It’s only passed orally to our heirs, and as I’ve no father to tell me…” she paused, “you see my dilemma. Your father is the only one in our world who knows what it’s truly like. I certainly can’t go directly to him, but you…you I can.”
She looked up at him and tried not to lose herself in his eyes. He rubbed his chin then ran his hand through his hair, something she’d noticed he tended to do when he was thinking. She was becoming quite fond of the trait.
“So, let me get this straight, you reject me and any thought of wedding me, in turn rejecting my kingdom and my people.”
She bit her lip. This was so going the wrong direction.
“And then you have the nerve to call me to you, hoping I’ll answer, which like some fool I did, and ask that I share information with you that is so sacred it’s only handed down from king to son. Words that are only spoken once, what every ten thousand years or so? You really do have nerve, Vi, or spunk as my father refers to it. Does your Council put up with this crap as well? Maybe it’s a female thing…” He drifted off as his eyes met hers. There was realization there that his words had gone too far.
She felt the hairs on her neck bristle at his words and knew he was about to experience what truly made her stand apart from her Council and her predecessors. Her temper.
“How dare you? You know nothing about me. You think that from a few brief encounters that you know who I am and what I’m made of? You know nothing and never will.” She spat the words at him as she felt the tingling increase in her hands, the power needing to release from them soon. She knew her eyes were no longer a crystal reflective emerald but a deep forest green. Anger was not a Lightbearer trait and so it was a mystery how she lashed out at times, especially when upset by some injustice or another. No one quite knew how to handle her when she was like this, but Sinow seemed to not be flustered by it as her Council would have been, just surprised.
His reaction calmed her a little.
“I called you here out of trust,” she continued, “and honestly, I didn’t know if you’d help me, but I thought it was worth the try. We are building a working relationship, aren’t we?” She bit her bottom lip, stopping quickly as she realized she’d started chewing on it. Looking at him made her tingle more than she already was, her heart thudding resoundingly through her ears. Damned prophecy made her so out of control of her own body.
“Well, Vi, if I were my father, I’d laugh and find out what you were willing to trade in return.” She felt the disappointment flush across her face before she reined it in. She was hoping he hadn’t noticed, but from the change in tone, he had. He ran his hand through his hair again and looked at her. She was playing with fire, and she knew it; she wondered just how much she would come to regret it.
Thirteen
Sinow couldn’t believe she had called him nor could he believe he’d answered her. He wasn’t even sure how he’d managed to go right through the border into Cirillia. But here he was standing in her library, in her castle, like it was an everyday event. Just two friends having a normal conversation. How completely unexpected.
He had a decision to make. He could be a complete ass and leave her be, that’s what his brother would have advised, or he could help her. It shouldn’t matter to him if she was nervous about the ascension, it wasn’t his problem. Yet when he looked at her, he wanted to do nothing more than take her in his arms and reassure her. Why was he so soft when it came to this woman?
Curse the Fates, he thought.
He looked at her. It was true; she had no one. No one to tell her the spasms that shook her hands were a sign of the oncoming ascension or that the whirring in her head that drowned out normal sounds would recede once she received her power, a power beyond any she’d ever had. Her eyes too reflected the chaos in her body. They were a cataclysm of hues. It was as if every shade of green was battling for dominance within them. He felt overcome with the beauty of their dance.
He shook his head and focused back on their conversation.
“But, as it stands, I’m not my father,” he continued, “and by all accounts, I never will be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Lightbearer, but my opinions aren’t always in agreement with my father’s. So, …I’ve been told it’s the most amazing experience you’ll ever have.”
He saw the look of relief that touched her eyes and knew he’d done the right thing although since when he’d given a damn about doing the right thing he didn’t know. He moved closer to her, reaching his fingers out to touch her quivering hand.
“The tingling and spasms you feel throughout your arms and legs will become greater until you feel you can’t take it anymore. The sound in your head will grow louder until it drowns nearly everything out but the words of the ceremony. Then, upon the ascension both will climax to a moment of overwhelming loss of control, at least it’ll seem that way to you. No one else will know you’re troubled one bit, except me that is. At that moment, it will all disappear, you’ll be left with complete silence, the noise and feelings will be gone and, in their place will be a new sense of knowing and a power like you’ve never known. It will be the closest thing to climax you could feel but even better.”
He put his hand up and touched her cheek. Her breathing had increased as had his, and he could hear her heartbeats beneath her gown. He felt lost being this close to her, the scent of lilacs, the softness of her skin, the intense need that overtook her eyes, consuming him. He leaned his head toward her, their lips barely touching. His last ounce of control seeped from him as his hand ran further into her hair. He had wanted to respect her wish and keep his distance, but the desire was overwhelming. His lips were so close to hers that he could feel her breath on his skin. She didn’t move and seemed to have lost her resolve
as well. He looked into her eyes and lost himself.
The door to the library slammed open, the resounding sound pulling them both from their trance. Sinow dropped the hand that had been wrapped in her hair. The rage that Violissa saw reflected in his eyes made her take a step back, breaking whatever magical hold had been binding them. She didn’t know what had overcome her. One moment she was listening, the next she was seconds from losing all resolve to desire. She felt the heat on her cheeks.
From the look on Sinow’s face, she needed to speak first to avoid a fire fight. She didn’t have a chance, however, as Daneele spoke before either of them.
“As excited as I am to see you two together, I do hope there is good reason and that no one else knows you are here, Prince Sinow.” He looked at Violissa. “Do you have any idea what this could do to the treaty?”
She bristled. “I know very well what I’m doing, Daneele. There’s no need to question me. I will be queen in a matter of hours, so trust me, the treaty will still stand.”
Sinow had retreated to the other side of the room, she guessed to calm his anger at the interruption. If he was feeling anything like she was at this moment, he probably needed to catch his breath as well. She’d had to grab the back of a chair when he’d moved away from her. She could have kicked herself for getting that close to giving in. She knew from his reaction that Sinow had wanted to kill Daneele for the interruption, but as irritated as she was at being treated like a child by Daneele, she wanted to hug him for having saved her.
Sinow turned to Daneele suddenly and asked, “How did you know I was here? Vi said she’d placed a spell on the room, and I could feel it. There was no way you’d know I was here unless you were looking for me.”
“Your brother alerted us of your disappearance. He said your horse had been found, but you were missing. His first instinct was to contact us to ensure the safety of Violissa in case your disappearance might be suspicious. When he was talking to me, he realized how absurd it was to think either of you could be harmed and suggested you might be together. I did a scan of the grounds for Violissa and came upon your presence as well. Trust me, under normal circumstances we would have been glad to let you two explore your new relationship, but today is not the right day.”
“Wait, my brother contacted one of you? That doesn’t make sense, the Council wouldn’t have let him nor would my father. Not to mention I placed a spell on the horse to not wander, so no one would know I’d left.” He paced the floor in thought, brushing his hand through his hair. It definitely was a habit Violissa was beginning to favor.
“Whatever the situation, your majesty, you can take that up with your brother. We need to get you back, and Violissa you need to finish preparations. I don’t need or want to know what occurred here before my arrival, just be glad it was me instead of the others. Your first day as queen and you couldn’t wait to stir up trouble.” He was standing like a father would with his arms crossed, toes tapping.
Violissa rolled her eyes. “Fine, give us a moment and I’ll be right out.”
“One minute or I set off the alarms myself. Imagine the scandal that would cause!” He laughed, nodded to them both and walked back out.
“Well at least he knows how to use doors,” Sinow stated, rubbing his hands together. “Shall we get back to where we were…or no, moment lost. Okay, was that all you needed, Vi? If so, I’ll take my leave as I’ve got a rogue brother to attend to.”
“Wait. I need to know one more thing. When it’s over, are you still,” she paused, searching for the right words, “what I mean to say is does it change you? Are you still…”?
“The same person?” He finished her thought. She nodded, feeling vulnerable.
His response was to laugh. “No, Vi, you don’t lose yourself in the process. You remain the same, just with more power.” He looked at her questioningly, making her a bit uncomfortable. “Is that what all this has been about?” He waved his hand to indicate the two of them. “That you’ll lose your identity? Is that your fear, no longer being you?” He’d clearly made a connection she hadn’t meant him to. Damn, she’d given too much away. “Because that’s your greatest fear, isn’t it?” he said as he began pacing the room again, clearly in thought, his hand rubbing his chin as he walked. “You’re afraid of losing yourself to something or someone and no longer having your own identity and control over who you are. Perhaps, I have underestimated you, Vi. Perhaps I have.” He stopped and faced her as he said that final statement. She felt the pressure build within her tear ducts. She would not let him see her cry nor see that he’d gotten to her. She felt weak having him see through her so easily.
“Perhaps you have, Sinow. But that will have to be a discussion for another time. Thank you for being honest with me. You had no incentive to do so but took the chance. It will be remembered.”
“It was my pleasure, Vi. Maybe once you’ve ascended, you’ll realize that you will never lose your identity to anything or anyone, especially not to me. I’ll wait for that day as I can see it won’t be much longer. Good luck today. I’m sure I’ll enjoy the show in a few hours.”
She smiled at him and nodded.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen you fully smile, Vi. It’s an amazing sight. You might want to try sharing that with me a little more often. It doesn’t quite make up for the lack of intimacy, but it’ll do for now.”
She blushed and laughed. “I’ll remember that for next time. Farewell, Sinow, and…thank you again. What you’ve done for me today means more than you know.” She nodded in respect to him as he returned the nod and shifted. Violissa let out a long sigh, gathered her strength and headed toward the door where she knew an impatient Daneele waited for answers on the other side.
Fourteen
Tynan paced the front courtyard, waiting for the pounding of his brother’s shift. His stomach turned as his nerves rumbled through him. At a distance, he’d quietly followed his brother that morning, irritated that Sinow had ridden out so early. Usually the man slept later than anyone in the castle, but for some reason he’d woken early. When he’d seen Sinow stop and look around, he thought he’d been caught. But suddenly Sinow had shifted. Tynan couldn’t figure out where he’d gone as he watched the horse slowly begin to graze as if it had no other goal in life than to stay in that one spot and feed itself. He didn’t want to follow Sinow’s shift for fear of being seen, so he hid behind the tree line and patiently waited for Sinow to return. Only after sitting quietly for a long while did it occur to him that Sinow may have gone to Violissa. It seemed absurd at the time, but it was the morning of her ascension, and Tynan knew there was a powerful bond between the two. Was it powerful enough to transcend the realms? He couldn’t believe it, but there was no other explanation. If it had been anywhere else, Sinow would have taken the horse back to the stables. As he stared at the horse, Tynan knew exactly where Sinow had gone, for he could feel his presence nowhere in the realm. It had taken him some time to figure out how to interrupt them, especially given that he couldn’t leave the realm to follow Sinow.
As he waited for Sinow’s arrival, Tynan rubbed his neck. The bruises left from Sinow’s hand still blackened his skin. He hoped his plan had worked. He hadn’t known how to stop the two from seeing each other and feared that if they were given the time alone, with the way Sinow had been acting lately, all his plans would fall apart. He knew only one kiss between the two would be enough to bind them together for eternity. That damned prophecy was a strong one wrapped in magical layers laid by the Fates themselves. No one could undo it, but he would try his best. He knew he couldn’t cross the realm to follow Sinow’s shift. No one was capable of what Sinow had just done. How he’d crossed the boundary was a mystery as was the method Violissa used to summon him. Too many variables stood beyond his control, so he’d done the only other thing he could think of; he gathered all the power he could muster and sent a meeting message to Violissa’s Council knowing
they would have no choice but to respond. When Daneele had appeared at the meeting grounds, he’d expressed his worry about Sinow’s sudden disappearance knowing Daneele would take the bait and find the two together. Tynan hoped the resulting discovery of Sinow’s treaty violation would bring the impending union crumbling down. Now he just had to wait and see if any of it had worked.
The ground beneath him convulsed as a thunderous voice broke through the quiet, yelling his name. He smiled eerily. Things had gone just as he’d imagined and from the sound of it even better than he’d hoped. His punishment would be miserable, but the payoff was justified. He looked over his shoulder as Sinow stormed toward him, felt himself lifting from the ground as the first wave of Sinow’s anger pierced through him. Yes, this was going to be painful he thought as he braced himself for impact.
Fifteen
Daneele was on Violissa as soon as the door opened. “What were you thinking? Have you lost your mind? If it had been anyone but me walking through that door, alarms would have sounded and the treaty dissolved. You know better, no Darkbearer can step foot in Cirillia until the two of you are married, regardless of who it is.”
“Need I remind you that I will be queen in a matter of hours, Daneele?” She was walking beside him, trying to keep up with his pace. “If I want to have the prince as a guest, I should be able to make that decision on my own. I’d imagine you’d all be ecstatic that we were even speaking, let alone in the same room.”
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