Revel: Twelve Dancing Princesses Retold (Romance a Medieval Fairytale Book 4)

by Demelza Carlton

"I broke off a branch from one of the trees. They only grow here on this island." Vasco stepped forward and seized a branch. This time, he tossed it into the boat, then threw several more on top of it. "I also had a goblet from the banquet table in the ballroom."

  "But we can't go into the ballroom. That's where the princes will be. They won't help us," Bianca said, then stopped. How did she know that?

  Vasco didn't question her knowledge, though. He merely nodded and said, "So we sneak in under my cloak?"

  Would invisibility be enough? Bianca had to hope so. After all, no one but she had seen Vasco last night. She nodded.

  At the top of the hill, Bianca stood back while Vasco raised the trapdoor.

  The spiral staircase disappeared into the darkness. "I'll go first," Vasco said. "You keep close behind me, and stay under the cloak as much as you can."

  If she hadn't been fighting the rising dread of what awaited her in the underground chamber, Bianca might have refused. As it was, she wrapped one arm around his waist and slipped under the woollen folds. Vasco was a comforting bulk in front of her as they made their way slowly down the steps.

  "There's no one here," Vasco whispered.

  Even in the darkness, Bianca could see that he was right. The antechamber where they'd left their cloaks last night was empty. Yet light shimmered at the end of the passage, tempting her to enter.

  "No goblets, either," she whispered back.

  That was enough to impel him forward. What could Bianca do but follow?

  Together, they shuffled along the passage to the ballroom.

  She heard his gasp as he stepped out of the passage, but she couldn't see past his bulk to work out what had elicited such a response. Before she could struggle free of his cloak, he let it slide off his shoulders, and draped it over his arm.

  "The whole place is empty. There's no one here. No princes, nothing. Just the remains of last night's revelry," he said.

  "What startled you, then?" she asked.

  "There are no torches, yet it's as bright in here as it was last night. Look up, princess." Vasco caught her around the waist and pointed up.

  Bianca lifted her eyes to the ceiling and it was her turn to gasp. Last night's moonlight was nothing to the sun filtering through the water now. Shades of blue and green, even rainbows, shimmered across the glass.

  "It's beautiful," she breathed.

  "Not as beautiful as…never mind," he muttered, half under his breath. The arm around her middle released her.

  "You've seen a place more beautiful than this?" Bianca asked. "It must be a great thing, to have travelled and seen so much."

  Vasco chuckled. The sound echoed strangely around the underground room. "I was thinking of you. You looked beautiful last night. The perfect marriage of summer sky and moonlight."

  She stared at him, and for the first time today, he met her gaze. He seemed a little embarrassed by his admission, but the look in his eyes was honest. Unlike all the other fools with their empty compliments, he truly meant his.

  And if she didn't tear her gaze away from his, she was going to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until she couldn't breathe.

  Bianca closed her eyes. "Summer sky and moonlight. I wish I could be as free as both of those things. I might even dance…"

  Another chuckle. "I bet your prince from last night has sore feet this morning. I lost count of the number of times you stepped on his feet while you were dancing."

  Perhaps his honesty wasn't quite as attractive as she'd first thought. It certainly broke the spell between them, allowing Bianca to seize two of the goblets from the table. "Here. These should replace the one you gave to Efe."

  Vasco tucked them in a fold of his cloak. "Thank you. Now we have what we came for, shall we head back to shore?"

  Bianca wanted to say yes, for this beautiful place frightened her more than she was willing to admit. Yet she was so certain the princes would be here. They couldn't leave the island, she was sure, because of something half-remembered that she'd heard last night. Something about the curse. "We should finish exploring the island. The princes must be here, and the food and wine has to come from somewhere."

  "As you wish." Vasco led the way back to the surface.

  The hilltop clearing where the trapdoor lay had only the one path leading off it – the one which led back to the boat, so they followed that to the beach and trudged through the sand, looking for signs of another path.

  The beach ended in a collection of tumbled rocks before they were a quarter of the way around the island. Vasco helped her climb up the slope. Bianca wasn't sure whether it was a path or simply the fact that nothing grew on the bare rock, but she glimpsed another beach through the rocks. Without waiting for Vasco, she trudged on until she stood on a cliff overlooking a beach like nothing she'd ever seen before.

  The sand was black, with occasional pieces of bleached wood scattered along it. Then something moved, exposing a flash of pink and red, before it was hidden from sight once more. One flash was enough.

  Bianca blinked, her mouth falling open in horror. Deep within her, she felt a scream fighting to escape.

  Thirty-Three

  When Vasco reached Bianca's side, it was already too late to stop her from seeing the horror no one should ever be subjected to. The corpse-strewn beach had bodies in various states of decay, from scattered bones to a cadaver so fresh the flesh the crows ripped off it was still red and moist. No, not crows – ravens, he corrected himself. He counted a dozen of them picking at the corpse, which still wore the tatters of clothing in a particularly brilliant shade of pink.

  He knew the expression on her face all too well. Every soldier viewing a battlefield for the first time looked like that. But she was no soldier. Why, the princess had probably never seen blood that was not her own until today.

  "Princess," he whispered.

  No response. Her mouth gaped, but no sound came out.

  He prayed she would forgive him for the liberty. "Bee. Look away."

  She blinked. Once. Twice. Then she turned and flung herself into his arms, pressing her face against his chest. Sobs shook her body. "No. All those men."

  He eyed the pink-clad body. "Women, too, I think. One of them wore pink silk."

  Bianca shook her head violently. "No. I remember that tunic. The foolish adventurer who came before you wore that. He's dead, Vasco. Dead because my sisters wanted to go dancing! And if we do not stop it, you will be next!"

  "I should have died when the rest of my village was slaughtered. Yet here I stand. We all must die sometime." The words slipped out before he could stop them.

  She squinted up at him. "How can you be so calm? There are dead bodies on that beach. Have you killed so many people that you no longer care when someone dies?"

  Vasco sighed. "I do care. In my dreams, I see the faces of everyone I knew who has died, while I yet live. Every enemy soldier I have killed. Every brother in arms who died at my side when an enemy sword took them instead of me. Every man, woman and child in my village, whose bodies burned with the village itself. Eudokia…my Dokia…who agreed to meet me one evening by the river. We were betrothed, but the wedding could not come soon enough for us, and there was no privacy in the village. A scouting party found us, too engrossed in each other to notice the men until they were upon us. One knocked me out, and the others…" Vasco swallowed, blinking back tears. "They left me for dead, and when I woke, they had thrown her body atop mine. She was naked, and they had done unspeakable things to her before they killed her while I lay senseless and useless. I should have saved her."

  Bianca clapped a hand to her mouth. "Ancestors, I am so sorry! That poor girl. What did you do then?"

  "I took what little was left in the village of value, and traded it for arms and equipment when I joined the army. I trained hard and vowed to fight for those who still had their homes and their families, because I could not fight for my own. I became a soldier, living only for vengeance, until one day that was not enoug
h. That day, I took an arrow in the knee that dwells there still." He shook his head. "I should not have let you see this. No woman should see this. Dokia's spirit would never forgive me if I let you and your sisters join this graveyard. I will do anything I have to in order to save you from this fate."

  As though the creature had heard him, one of the ravens lifted its head and fixed a beady eye on Vasco. The creature appeared to have a band of greyish feathers around its head, like a kind of crown. It made a menacing sound low in its throat. The other birds looked up from their meal, their beaks still red with gore. As one, they turned to stare at Vasco. The menace emanating from them was unmistakeable.

  "Bianca…" he said softly. "Princess, we need to go."

  One of the birds extended its wings and started to run toward them.

  "Now." Vasco threw his cloak around his shoulders, scooped her up in his arms, and ran. "Fasten the cloak," he urged her. "Then they won't be able to see us."

  The first bird had made it into the air, and it took advantage of its height to dive at them. Vasco felt claws scrabble at his hood, but they didn't seem to be able to grab a hold of it.

  Bianca's pale arm rose up, her hand clenched into a fist, and she punched the raven. The bird squawked and fell away, but not without raking its claws over her hand.

  She didn't cry out. Instead, she brought her bleeding finger to her mouth. "Get us to the boat. I'll take care of the birds."

  Vasco didn't have the breath to argue. His wounded leg screamed at him, but nothing mattered more than keeping Bianca safe.

  He set her down on the bench, wrapped his cloak around her, and shoved the boat away from the beach. He jumped in, taking a seat on the bench beside her, and plied the oars.

  Only when they reached open water did she seem to recover a little. She arranged the cloak over them both, tucking herself against his side. "The boat might be visible, but they won't see us," she said with quiet confidence.

  Vasco scanned the sky, but he couldn't see the birds any more. "I think they're gone."

  "Not gone. They just can't find us while we travel unseen. Did you see the crowns on their heads?" She sounded so calm.

  "You mean the light coloured feathers?"

  "Crowns," she corrected. "Each one was slightly different. Just like the ones the princes wore last night. And there were twelve of them. Dark magic clings to them like mist. Those were not normal birds."

  "Ravens are meant to be very intelligent. I have heard tales of wise men who kept them as pets. Perhaps your princes do the same." Vasco didn't believe a word of it. Those ravens were on the beach for the carrion feast spread across the black sand.

  "Those birds are not pets," she said. "They knew you would be their next meal." She swallowed. "Vasco, what if those birds are the princes? Carrion crows by day, and charming men by night? My sisters…my sisters are in danger. You must go to the king and tell him. Tell him what you have found. Cursed princes trying to seduce his daughters to their deaths. Take the ring from my finger, and take my horse. Ride to the capital. You must." She swallowed again, fighting to keep her eyes open. "I will warn my sisters and try to keep them away from the island. You must tell my father."

  Vasco glanced down. She slumped against him. Asleep or unconscious, he wasn't sure, but it mattered little. However crazy her thoughts sounded, they tallied with his own. He must ride for the capital, trusting no one but the king himself. For Bianca, he would do anything.

  He rowed the boat to the boatshed, where he dragged it out of the water. In the shadows, he saw the shapes of many small boats – the pleasure boats they'd used last night. The princes used the palace's own boats! Then that meant…

  The Lord Steward truly was in league with them.

  "Princess, you must wake. I can't leave you here with him. Not if he is at the heart of this," Vasco said, but Bianca's eyes stayed shut. Frustrated, he lifted her in his arms and carried her up to the house. She did not even wake when he laid her on her own bed, and pulled off her boots. He didn't dare remove anything else.

  He watched her for a moment, but there was nothing he could do here. It would be a long, hard ride to the capital – and it would take much longer if he carried the unconscious princess with him. He must go now, alone, for it was the fastest way to save her from the clutches of the Lord Steward and his pet ravens, or princes, or whatever they were. Demons, surely.

  "Stay safe, princess, and don't leave this room until I return," he whispered. Planting a quick kiss on her forehead, he turned and strode out of the room.

  Thirty-Four

  "You can't go dancing tonight," Bianca insisted for what felt like the hundredth time. Her head had started to ache again, but this was too important to wait. When they listened to her, then she could ask the kitchen for some more willow tea to ease the pain.

  "Of course we can, and we will," Brenna said smoothly. "Don't be silly. Tonight is too important to miss. Tonight, we shall be free." Her face glowed. "Do you think I should wear the white or the pink?" She held up both gowns.

  Bianca shuddered. White bones and pink silk, as the raven princes pecked at a bloody corpse that had once been a man. "Neither. Don't you see? They will kill us and strip the flesh from our bones!"

  "Who will?" Melania asked.

  "The cursed princes, of course! By night, they look like handsome men, but in truth, they are carrion crows. I have seen them!" Bianca said.

  Hazel patted her shoulder. "Just a dream, sister. You went to bed when we did, just before dawn, and I shook you awake myself not an hour ago. Whatever you thought you saw, it was a nightmare brought on by too much wine and excitement. Do not drink so much tonight, for you will not want to alarm your new husband on your wedding night."

  The thought of a wedding night with Vasco sent blood rushing to Bianca's cheeks. But that would not be tonight, surely. He hadn't returned from the capital yet, but he should be there by now. Hopefully telling her father all about the princes and Efe. If all went well, he would return by this time tomorrow, and he'd choose her for his bride, surely. He'd barely noticed the other girls, but he'd watched her so closely he knew she'd stepped on Corbin's feet when they danced.

  Corbin…wedding…Bianca's memory itched, but she'd had too little sleep to understand what it was trying to tell her.

  "What dress are you wearing tonight?" Hazel asked, opening the chest that contained Bianca's clothes. "That blue you wore last night was so lovely."

  "Black," Bianca said absently. What other colour could she wear when her thoughts were as dark as ravens' wings?

  "Ooh, I love the embroidery on this one. You should wear your hair loose tonight, cascading over it," Hazel gushed, helping Bianca into the black gown. Her mother had embroidered it with fish in silver thread which seemed to move if they caught the light right. "Corbin won't be able to take his eyes off you."

  Bianca didn't care what Corbin did. He wouldn't see her, because… "I'm not going," she said flatly.

  Brenna stormed across the room and slapped Bianca's face hard. "What is wrong with you? Stop this madness!"

  Bianca rubbed her cheek and glared back. "What is wrong with you? Don't you hear what I'm saying? The princes are cursed!"

  "I told you about the curse last night," Brenna returned. "And how it could be broken, which is when you agreed to become Corbin's wife while the rest of us marry his brothers. Together, we will break the curse and we will all be free!"

  "We will be dead!" Bianca insisted.

  Brenna raised her hand to slap her again, but Bianca caught it this time before the blow could land.

  "You're a fool if you think the princes have any love for us. They only want us to break the curse, and after that, we are expendable. You'll see," Bianca said. "I'll go with you to the island tonight. And I'll show you what they truly are."

  "Princes who want to marry us!" Nera giggled.

  Bianca gave up. While her sisters busied themselves about their toilette, she opened the trapdoor and headed down to the be
ach. She left her torch in a bracket at the bottom of the stairs, preferring to use just the moonlight to make her way to the lake. There was no need to pretend to stumble so that Vasco could catch up tonight – he had all the proof he needed.

  The fog hadn't engulfed the lake yet, so when she heard a commotion by the boathouse, she could clearly see the little pleasure boats making their way out of it.

  "You fool! You nearly capsized me. For that, you, Ronne and Guntram can take the food to the island. Set it up as quickly as you can, and hurry back. Our brides will be here soon, and everything must be perfect!"

  Bianca recognised Corbin's voice from the previous night, but it hadn't sounded so imperious then. Was he the eldest of the raven princes? Had he led the attack against them this morning? Her blood froze in her veins at the thought that she'd let him touch her. A carrion-pecking crow. She would not allow him the same liberty tonight. The moment she reached the island, she would take her sisters to the cove full of corpses and show them the princes' handiwork. They might not believe her words, but they would believe their eyes. Better to see a corpse than to become one before your time, she thought grimly.

  She hid behind a rock as the boats sailed past, headed for the island and the fog bank that only now crept over the lake, as if by some magical command. Yet there was no magic in it. If there was, she would sense it, she was sure of it.

  The magic around the princes was there, though she'd been too busy to notice it last night. It was less noticeable on them when they were human – more concentrated when they were birds.

  When the lake returned to its normal, glassy calm, showing no sign of the boats that had rippled its surface only moments before, Bianca heard the cheerful chatter of her sisters coming down the stairs to join her. If only they knew what awaited them tonight…but they hadn't listened, so they did not.

  The boats arrived through the mist once more and they boarded them. Bianca managed to do so without Corbin's assistance, to her delight and his annoyance, though he smoothed his face back into a smile so quickly she almost doubted what she'd seen.