The King's Secret

by Maryam Durrani

  your Knights?”

  “Why should we?” It was a staring competition—actually, it seemed more like a glaring competition.

  “Like I said earlier; I built this place, Lance.”

  His eyes seemed to wince—if that was possible—when he heard me say his name.

  “You left,” he said through gritted teeth, finally showing some emotion. “This is our space now. We’ve claimed it. You should’ve thought of that before you decided to disappear without a word.”

  “I had no choice,” I countered. “I felt trapped. You can’t blame me for that.”

  “We all know the real reason you left,” Lance said, barking out a humorless laugh.

  “Lance,” I warned.

  “There wasn’t any reason for you to come back, Adalia. We don’t need you. The Knights, me, or Lorelle. This kingdom is doing fine without you.”

  Suddenly, just like that, the truth came crashing down on me. Lance was right. They didn’t need me. That was why Lorelle had paid no attention to me. She didn’t care. She had her knights, her army, Lance by her side—the spot I usually owned.

  Lance clapped his hands together, snapping me back to reality.

  “Men, stop ogling at her and get back to work. We’ve got a war coming up soon, and I’ll be very disappointed if I see you all lying face down on the ground the moment it begins.”

  I realized everyone had been watching us curiously.

  I didn’t want to be near Lance anymore. I needed to get out.

  Turning on my heel I walked swiftly out the door, slamming it

  behind me.

  NINE

  Years ago, I was trained to know every poison and its antidote. The first poison I ever used, I stayed behind to watch.

  I’d slipped it in her wine. As she drank, slowly, she began experiencing symptoms. I followed her to her room, waiting outside as she started screaming for help. I was the first one inside, watching as she cried, claiming that things were moving in the shadows; beings that were out to kill her.

  I saw nothing.

  She was experiencing paranoia. She died shortly after—not from the drug, but with my help. It wasn’t from a sudden act of kindness. I did it because all the talk of shadows was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable.

  Right now, I was the one being paranoid. Not like the victim I’d poisoned, but after what Lance told me, I was beginning to wonder what everyone thought of me. If someone threw me a sideways glance, I automatically suspected it was because of my injury.

  That weakness.

  What a failure, their eyes seemed to say. It’s sad what happened to her.

  I sighed, standing in front of the full-length mirror I asked to be brought into Xavier’s chambers. I pulled the neck of my tunic down slightly, exposing my right shoulder. The scar was starting to heal, but the shiver stayed. I cursed under my breath

  as a slight shudder ran up my wrist, as if on cue.

  “Well, now you’ve got another to match the one on your leg.” I blew air through my lips in annoyance.

  “How long were you standing there?” I turned, facing Xavier. “I have more than just the one on my leg.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to tell me. I know,” he said slyly, and I reached over to his desk, grabbed a book, and hurled it at his head.

  He ducked, expecting it, and burst into laughter. The book slammed into the wall behind him, a few pages unraveling and wafting onto the floor.

  “It’s unfortunate for me that your good arm wasn’t injured.”

  “What did you come here for?” I shot, turning back to the mirror.

  “Isabel and Jax are worried sick about you,” he sighed, leaning against the bedpost. “Have you been avoiding them?”

  “Not intentionally,” I lied.

  “Well, at least you still exceed at lying,” he called, disappearing behind a door to another room within his.

  “I’m not lying!” I retorted, lifting up the bottom of my tunic and examining my lower back over my shoulder in the mirror. The bruises were fainter, but there was still proof they’d been there. The one around my eye had almost disappeared.

  “You look beautiful. If you lean any closer, you might trap yourself in there.” He stopped, slipping a sword into the new sheath hanging by his side. “That may not be a bad thing because then I can stare at you all day.”

  I had to force myself not to leap into his arms then, clearing

  my throat and trying to hide the glowing spots on my cheeks.

  “Who are you going to irritate with your antics now?” I gestured to the sword.

  “I was invited somewhere,” he said, suddenly avoiding my

  gaze.

  “Where?” I turned towards him entirely now, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’m going to meet the Knights at the tavern.”

  “Oh. I’ll come with.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a could idea,” he flinched.

  “And why not?” I scowled, offended. “I know how to have a good time.”

  “Do you, though?”

  I reached for another book, but Xavier held up his hands in surrender.

  “I’m joking! But, you know they don’t like you very much.”

  “They’re just a bunch of wimps,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Reyner told me what happened. You kicked a knight in the face, Adalia?”

  “He told me to prepare his meals in the kitchen!” I protested. “He deserved more than a kick.”

  Xavier’s shoulders relaxed. “Well, why didn’t you say that in the beginning? Good work.” He grabbed something off the bed and walked towards me. “Here. Protect yourself.” He tossed me a sheathed sword, and I reached out to grab it, only to elicit a groan as a shock of pain ran up my shoulder. “Sorry,” he apologized, wincing. “That’s the second time I’ve done that.” Then, he frowned. “Is it still bothering you?”

  “Nope,” I gritted out. Fighting the pain, I took the belt from Xavier’s hand and started wrapping it around my waist.

  “If you lie to me again, you’re going to have to sleep somewhere else.”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” I rolled my eyes, adjusting the sword by my side. Suddenly, I felt comfortable with the weight. At least something felt right.

  “You’re right, I wouldn’t. But you have to talk to me.”

  “I don’t need to,” I patted his shoulder. For good measure, I gave him a quick kiss.

  Yeah, that did it. His mouth snapped shut and he stared after me, stunned, as I walked away.

  “So, are you going to be a knight now?”

  “Uh, no,” he said, trying to compose himself, clearing his throat. “Not really. Also, I saw Lance the other day. Should I be worried?”

  “Maybe a little.” I pulled open the door.

  “Wait!” he called, but I grinned as I shut the door, leaving him behind.

  Lance wouldn’t be a problem, but Lorelle definitely would. She was starting to piss on my parade every time we bumped into each other.

  “Are you well enough to train?” she would ask.

  “Can you train today?” she would say.

  “Is your arm doing better?” she would sigh.

  Every day.

  “Not yet,” I replied every time.

  Maybe it was because I was bitter at how much she had changed into something that I never thought she would become. A strong queen.

  Power turned people cold.

  Eventually, I had to start training them. If one could call it training. Mostly, I watched and gave tips. The grounds were full. Tents were set up around the perimeter. Blacksmiths were at work, welding swords and armor. Targets were set up at one end, archers standing in a line on the opposite side. The biggest percentage of the area went to the swordsmen.

  We didn’t use guns. They were dangerous—not only for the

  enemy but their possessor. They hadn’t been perfected yet, and it was easy for them to explode or backfire, causing the loss
of fingers and lots of skin.

  I stood on the tips of my boots, stretching taller to see if Xavier had already arrived. Instead, I saw a flash of pale blond

  at one of the targets, whirling as she hurled knives so fast, I was surprised they didn’t burn holes through the target.

  Well, hole.

  She hit the center each time, a bouquet of knife handles pro-

  truding from the red circle when she was done. The crowd around her cheered as Isabel did a little curtsy, moving back to let someone else have a turn.

  My eye caught Jax as well, just a few feet away.

  I smiled. His inner stag had finally come out; graceful but dominant, as he’d been in the Rings. He had an audience as well; admiring soldiers and giggling servants who were supposed to be walking around with towels and refreshments.

  “It’s been,” a voice said in awe, “a long time.”

  I turned, recognizing the voice immediately.

  “Charlotte?”

  There she was. Her red hair flared as bright as a flame, freckles prominent, scattered across the bridge of her nose. Her green irises shone in the sun, her face bright, excited. She wore armor fitted perfectly to her body, and I immediately realized Charlotte was a knight. It made sense.

  Surprisingly, she seemed happy to see me. It was a good feeling to know I wasn’t despised by everyone.

  Behind her stood Aland. He wore armor as well, the helmet held under his left arm. I had to be honest with myself—seeing them lightened my mood by a landslide. I was excited to see them after so long.

  Charlotte held out her arms, inviting me for a hug. I wasn’t

  much of a hugger, but I did it for old time’s sake. All the armor fitted to her body made the embrace uncomfortable, but I didn’t pull away until she did.

  “I heard you were sick,” she said, a grin on her face.

  “Only for a couple of days,” I shrugged, and she laughed.

  “I recognized you from a mile away.”

  She was almost bouncing up and down on her toes, excited.

  “Aland,” she turned to the blue-eyed man behind her, “doesn’t

  she look different?”

  “Only a little. You’ve lost weight,” he noted, reaching over to pull me into another hug. I let out a sound of surprise as I crashed into him. He pulled back, holding me at arm’s length to examine me. “So, where have you been, mighty warrior?”

  “Crea,” I replied immediately and honestly. “I had to get away for some time.”

  “Don’t worry, we get it,” Charlotte waved her hand. “After Lorelle became queen, all of us wanted to make a run for it as well.”

  “Darren took it the worst. Lorelle ended things with him in the first month.”

  “Darren’s here?” I looked over their shoulders, wondering if he’d been standing behind them the whole time.

  “No. He followed your footsteps soon after. But, unlike you, we know where he ran off to,” Aland said with a sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. It had grown past his ears, ending right below his jaw. He’d also gotten tanner, probably from training outside all day.

  “Where?” I asked.

  “Dystalphi.”

  “Oh.”

  Charlotte and Aland exchanged glances, and suddenly I felt something pass through them—understanding—something I’d been trained to see when I was sent out on missions by King Sadim.

  Between a man and a woman.

  Suddenly, I realized it.

  “Are you two—”

  “Married? I was waiting for you to notice,” Charlotte’s voice stepped up a pitch.

  “Married?” I echoed. No, that wasn’t what I was going to ask, but I went along with it. “When?”

  “Actually, it was all very abrupt,” Charlotte continued, her voice as chirpy as a bird.

  “And very impulsive,” Aland interjected, “but there aren’t any regrets.”

  “With all the talk of the war, we decided to take a chance, and here we are.”

  Wow.

  I flexed my fingers, the tremor returning.

  “Congratulations,” I said, honestly. “I was rooting for you two.”

  Charlotte and Aland smiled at each other. There was a look in their expressions that was only found in two people who were made for each other.

  “We’ll get to practice, then,” Charlotte said, giving my shoulder a pat, her armor clinking. “See you around, Assassin.”

  I held back a wince at the title. There was a time where I would’ve taken pride in being called that, but that era was over.

  For the next few days, I only watched. Sometimes, Isabel would join me, somedays Jax. When they were around, I automatically felt protective.

  The king had always told me attachment was a weakness.

  He said the people I loved had the power to destroy me, and I never wanted that. I never wanted destruction, defeat, or loss. Following him blindly, that rule had always kept me away from friendship and love and tended to give me trouble even now. Occasionally, I had to remind myself it was alright to care.

  Then one night, an idea came to me.

  “Xavier,” I said as I entered his chambers, undoing the heavy sheath that hung by my side, “I was thinking.”

  “Were you?” he replied immediately, and I sensed a snarky comment on its way. I was correct of course, as he finished it off with, “That’s new.” A chuckle followed suit.

  I ignored him.

  “Every person has at least one weakness. What if the drakon has someone—something, that he has to protect?”

  Xavier rubbed his tired eyes, worn out from the late-night reading. “What are you getting it?”

  “What if it has a sibling, maybe a mother or father, out there somewhere?”

  Xavier’s eyes snapped open. “You better hope not, Adalia,” he exclaimed, horrified. “You shouldn’t even be thinking that. If you jinx this—”

  “It’s just a suggestion!” I shot, setting my boot on the table and untying it. “You’ve been looking into this for what, two weeks?” Xavier grinned at me sheepishly. My eyes widened.

  “More than two weeks?” He shook his head. “Xavier, have you been researching since we got here?” There it was. The awkward, lopsided smile. “And you’ve found nothing?”

  I undid my other boot, then pulled up a chair next to him. His neat, elegant writing scribbled over pieces of scrapped parchment, crossed out and crumbled up all around the table.

  “There is one thing I found,” he said, pushing all the scraps

  of paper off the desk with one brush of his arm. He grabbed a book from the top of one of the many stacks piled around his workspace. He flipped to a folded page. “Without a scale, it’s

  completely vulnerable.”

  “So, have you asked around yet?”

  “Asked what?”

  “For volunteers to try to rip one of the scales off of the most

  bloodthirsty creatures in history?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Adalia, you do know someone will have to hunt it down. Whether it be the Knights or us, we have to try.”

  “We don’t need to unless it comes to us.”

  “And then what?” he asked, frowning. “Let it destroy everyone while we guess and check what materials can harm it? That’s not happening.”

  “It’s the only way. I think we’ve established that these ‘quests’ are pointless.” I barked out a laugh. “Hunting a drakon. You must be out of your mind.”

  He sighed. “Think like a warrior, not a cornered animal.”

  “Not you too,” I snapped, getting to my feet. “Don’t treat me as less just because of an injury.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” he asked, standing up as well. “You’re treating yourself that way, not me. Because of that,” he pointed below my right shoulder, “you’ve lost faith in yourself.”

  I pulled away from his touch. I hated his words. They stung, but I knew there was truth to them.

  “I need some air,” I
muttered. On my way out I grabbed my boots, not bothering to put them back on until I was safely out of the room.

  A lot in the castle had changed within the three years of my

  absence.

  The only thing that had stayed the same was the garden. It had been put together by the queen herself; Queen Celeste, Xavier’s mother.

  A little swing hung from a branch, lilies swaying as the wind breezed through them. They were slowly starting to shrivel. Winter was coming very soon, and that meant snow.

  Lots of it.

  I took a seat on the swing. I hadn’t dared enter ever since the queen had died, but tonight, I could hear it calling me from miles away.

  I felt the chilly air blow through my hair, under my clothes. Goosebumps appeared on my arms. I shivered.

  “Hello,” a voice greeted out of nowhere. Alert and prepared, I jumped off the swing, whipping around to face the source of the sound.

  Before me stood a young girl, her shoulders squared and a determined look on her face. Her kohl-lined eyes were a soft cinnamon with a reddish-brown rim around the iris.

  “Yes?” I raised an eyebrow. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, looking me up and down with her fiercely shaped eyes.

  “You’re different than I remembered. Smaller, almost.”

  Now, both of my eyebrows were raised. I watched her curiously.

  “I’m different than you expected? Who are you? And what do you mean, ‘remembered’? Have we met before?”

  She put her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes. “Look. I don’t want to be here as much as you—”

  My nostrils flared. “Excuse me? You walked up to me!”

  “I don’t think I can work with you. I can’t live up to my potential this way.”

  Now, I was fuming. “Who the hell are you?”

  “My name is Phoenix,” she said with a huff.

  “What kind of a name is—”

  “My mother named me. Who named you, Assassin?”

  “My name isn’t Assassin—”

  “I don’t care. Look, are you going to train me, or not?”

  “No!” I shouted. “I mean, I’m training soldiers at the moment. You are welcome to join them. Maybe Xavier can help

  you out.”

  “I want to be trained personally, Adalia. By you.”