Temperance

by Ella Frank

  Seraphine knew what she was doing. She wanted her gone so Lach’Lan’s draw to her lessened. That way, she could manipulate him, control him, and have what she’d so desperately wanted all along—everything Maeve had.

  It will never work, Sera. Once someone is paired, their heart cannot be swayed.

  Seraphine encircled her throat in a tight stranglehold, causing Maeve’s breath to leave her. Leave. Or everything you hold dear—your precious babes, this land, even the man we both desire—will leave you for good. It’s time the tables were turned. Time for you to have nothing and for me to have everything.

  The grip around her throat disappeared, and before she could speak, so did Seraphine. The second she was freed, Lach’Lan ran from the room where he’d obviously been held captive.

  “Maeve!”

  “I’m here. I’m okay,” she reassured immediately, but as she took his hands in her own, she knew they wouldn’t be for long…

  “Come,” Rhiannon urged, dragging her from her painful memories. “Let’s see if we can find anything to help us.”

  She let herself be drawn away from the harsh reminder of her choices, and that was when something shiny caught her eye from the round table in the center of the room. She stopped where she was, and as she focused on the gleaming object, she almost couldn’t believe her eyes.

  Maeve blinked several times, but it still remained, and as she made her way towards what was beckoning her, her worst fears were solidified.

  There, sitting in the center of the table, was the silver circlet with a stone the color of Sera’s eyes gleaming back at her. Only one could have put it there, and as Maeve reached out to pick it up, her fear turned to anger as she willed Sera to come for her.

  Come out, come out, Seraphine—wherever the hell you are.

  Arcania

  When it finally came through, the link was faint as it roused Seraphine from her rest.

  Discombobulated sounds overlapped as they meshed and became one before splitting apart inside her head to bounce off the corner walls of her mind.

  Voices, echoes of the past, filled her mind and had her eyes snapping open.

  Maeve… Ahh, look, Seraphine, she thought to herself. Look who’s here to see you.

  Clamping her hand down on the marble table she was sitting at, she scraped her nails along the surface and watched in delight as her sister crumpled to the floor, clutching in her hand the circlet that had brought them together once more.

  Somewhere in between

  Wake up, sister... Come now. This is no fun unless you wake up...

  Maeve’s eyes opened as she slowly came to and saw that she was lying at someone’s feet. Before she had a chance to even raise her head, a voice filtered in through her mind, the power of it potent and obvious.

  You once said that you would never forget me. Is that still the case my dear, dear sister?

  Maeve tried to move but found she was immobilized, save for her neck and head. She knew that the black fusion of silk and lace she could see belonged to her sister—Seraphine.

  That’s Empress Seraphine now. Has a nice ring to it— wouldn’t you agree?

  Empress… She had not expected that.

  Maeve allowed her eyes to trail up what she knew had to be a projection of some kind. Some sort of vision, one where Seraphine had managed to cast them both into the same realm for whatever purpose she had.

  When her eyes reached her sister’s, Maeve was disturbed by what she saw.

  Nowhere was the sister she’d once known. The blue eyes that had long ago sparkled with discovery were now gone. In their place were two fathomless black holes. Darkened windows to a soulless being.

  Don’t be too cruel, sister. Remember, I have a few somebodies you may want back.

  Why? Maeve finally questioned, engaging with the stranger before her.

  Do you delight in playing the role of the naïve, sister? You know why. Seraphine sneered.

  It didn’t make any sense. None of this did. What Sera had longed for in the past was no longer. So what was it she wanted now?

  Oh, Seraphine laughed, you don’t know. Telling you will almost be as much fun as eventually ripping it from you once more.

  Confused, Maeve remained silent. It was the only way she had any hope in gaining the upper hand with one such as her sister.

  He lives, sister….

  As Seraphine’s words filtered through whatever atmosphere was containing them, Maeve knew immediately to whom she referred.

  No…

  Yes. He lives, and you left him behind. Untouched, un-thought of—

  That’s not true, Maeve snapped before a stinging pain split through her mind.

  Feel that, Maeve? That’s only a small demonstration of what I can do to you should you try to disagree or disobey me.

  Maeve’s mind tried to combat her sensualeer sister, but it was more than obvious that Seraphine had learned much more than what Maeve remembered.

  I’ve grown much stronger in your absence. You’d be wise to remember that. Your daughters... They’re lovely, Maeve. Especially the one who bears a striking resemblance to you. I think I’ll keep her for last.

  Maeve thought of Audra, her sweet, precious girl who felt everything on a deeper level, and strained against her invisible bonds.

  What do you mean? What do you want, Sera?

  Right as she thought it, Seraphine’s face distorted before her. It flickered and faded, and Maeve realized she must have had to use an enormous amount of power to have pulled them both wherever they were.

  I want what I’ve always wanted, and now, I have the power to take it. He thought he was so clever—scattering the keys, binding them with a spell. But I found them, Maeve, and now, I have the missing links.

  The keys? Maeve thought. To the Tower?

  Yes, dear sister. That’s where he lies. Where you left him...waiting.

  Careful not to think anything other than what she wanted Seraphine to hear, Maeve raised her eyes. If you have the keys, why do you need my daughters and me?

  Seraphine scoffed as though she didn’t believe Maeve had no clue. Because the Hierophant was obviously charmed by your pathetic story of love, and he cursed the keys to be wielded by only those born to the truest of love—

  My girls?

  Ahh, not so stupid after all, are you? But here’s the catch, Seraphine informed her. The keys are now tainted after having been in my care. And soon, your girls will find themselves fighting off their darkest cravings. I guess I’m a bad influence. What do you think...Mom?

  Maeve wanted to claw at her face and rip it to shreds, but she was held prisoner, and it was no use. Seraphine wasn’t really there anyway.

  Your two eldest are the first on my list, temperance and strength—we don’t want any of that. We don’t want control. We don’t want levelheadedness. Then there’s the one with those perceptive eyes, always watching and thinking a little too much. And your youngest... Yes, the one you worry for. She’ll come last, and she’ll be a delight to play with. Tell me. With one who looks just like you, is she so true of heart and believing in others?

  Maeve felt tears falling down her cheeks as she thought of her daughters, especially Audra.

  Once they’re all in place, they’ll summon you, the final piece of this puzzle. And don’t even think about tricks or delays, sister.

  How do I know they’re still alive?

  I need them alive to get what I want. So rest assured—I won’t be killing your precious children anytime soon. But Maeve? That circlet—watch as the stone darkens and know that all of your children will know who and where they come from. The light and the dark—then we’ll call for you.

  Maeve ground her teeth together. Seraphine...wait. She tried to think of what she wanted to say after all these years, but with all of the information that had just been given to her, all she came up with was, Why?

  And when a deranged kind of grin hit her sister’s mouth, Maeve realized there was nothing left of the girl
she’d once known.

  Because, Maeve...I can.

  Arcania

  Present Day…

  It felt like it had been days by the time they arrived at Claremont, but it had only been one night—one extremely long night.

  When Kai had told her that they were almost there, she’d been thrilled. Not because she was excited to see her new prison, but because she knew it meant she could finally take some of the pressure off her sore ass, which she’d been continually shifting in the leather saddle.

  As Kai brought his horse to a halt in front of two wrought iron gates, Naeve looked at the crumbling castle and felt her mouth part on a soft, “Wow.”

  In all her imaginings—and she’d had a lot on the silent ride there—nothing had prepared her for this. It was early dawn, at least she thought it was, and even though she saw no sun rising, there was a muted light pushing through a thick fog.

  Illuminated in the distance, across a narrow footbridge, was a lofty tower that seemed to reach for the sky as it loomed over the peaks and arches of the castle beside it. It was clear the structure was old, and as Naeve let her eyes move up the cylindrical-shaped building, she knew she was way out of her comfort zone.

  She looked to the man beside her who was seated on his horse as if he’d been born there.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  Huh. She hadn’t thought he’d care one way or another about her opinion. But when she saw the green vines twisting around the gates and the burgundy flowers blooming to life, she heard herself saying, “It’s beautiful.”

  The horse’s hooves clattered as Kai steered him in close to hers.

  “See that red flower there?”

  Naeve nodded, and when he took her chin to turn her face to him, she froze.

  “Don’t touch it. The crimson creeper is one of our deadliest plants here in Arcania.”

  He’d said it in a way that made Naeve think that maybe he was starting to believe what she’d told him. That she was from somewhere far, far from home.

  Before she could voice her thoughts though, he leaned towards her and said, “The men call it the siren’s song. It lures you in, but one touch and you’re dead on the ground.”

  Her eyes widened as she let them move over his large frame, and then she cocked her head to the side. “Are you trying to scare me? There seems to be an awful lot of things that can kill you here.”

  “That’s true. There are,” he agreed. “But no, little rabbit, I’m not trying to scare you.”

  The soft, almost gentle way he’d said that had Naeve asking, “Why?” Then she saw one of his dark brows rise above his grey eyes.

  “Why?”

  “Yes. Why aren’t you trying to scare me? You didn’t care when we first met, and since then, you’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m nothing but a pain in your…” she trailed off, not quite wanting to think of that part of his anatomy.

  But, of course, he didn’t let it go. “A pain in my what, exactly?”

  “Nothing.”

  Suddenly, Kai reached for her horse’s reins and tugged her closer until their legs were brushing. “A pain in my what, Naeve?”

  Oh, wow…

  That was the first time he’d ever used her name, and the effect of it rolling off his tongue was as potent as his lips had been earlier.

  “Naeve?”

  There it was again, deep, sexy, and—as strange as it was in all of this confusion and chaos—comforting.

  “A pain in your ass.”

  His brows dipped into a deep V as he frowned at her and then asked, “Why would you think you’re a pain…there?”

  Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and let out an exasperated breath. “I don’t mean it literally. It’s a saying,” she tried explaining, but when he merely stared at her, she tried again. “Where I’m from, if someone’s annoying, we call them a pain in the ass.”

  Kai’s eyes shifted over her, and when she realized he was looking at her ass, she clamped her lips shut. An embarrassing silence surrounded them, and Naeve couldn’t help the flush that crept up her cheeks at the absurdity of the conversation and his brief inspection.

  Here she was, God knows where, discussing with a man she barely knew—and ninety percent of the time feared—the meaning behind what she was feeling in her own posterior as she sat on a horse.

  A horse! Absurd is the exact right word.

  “I don’t know this place you say you come from. But judging from the way you dress and the things that come out of your mouth, I’m thinking it’s somewhere I’d like very much.”

  Naeve heard a snort of laughter escape. The thought of him in Wilmington was utterly—yes—absurd.

  Her eyes moved over him, and then she replied, “No way. You’d never fit in.”

  “Why do you say that? I’m just a man, no worse than any other. You’re still alive and untouched, are you not?”

  Naeve looked over her shoulder to the men behind her. Dressed from head to toe in black, they looked like an army from Hell. She then turned back to their leader and, not for the first time, wondered if he was the devil himself.

  “I am. But that isn’t why. You just…wouldn’t fit in,” she ended lamely.

  He handed her the reins and, when she took them, said, “Well, that’s nothing new. I’ve always been somewhat of an outcast.” Then he nudged his horse’s flanks, and as it began to move away, he said over his shoulder, “Welcome to Claremont, little rabbit. Where the only things you need to fear are the flowers.”

  Baffled by his shift in mood and the way he’d welcomed her almost kindly, Naeve decided that her best course of action was to keep her mouth shut and her arms in tight so she touched nothing she shouldn’t as she followed the man into his home.

  As she was halfway across the cobblestone bridge, she glanced up at the castle ahead of her. That was when she reminded herself to be careful and not trust Kai just because he’d shown a hint of kindness.

  After all, she’d read somewhere not so long ago that even the devil himself had once been an angel.

  * * *

  Ry’Ker made his way down from his chambers the following morning and outside to the courtyard. He was on a mission. There were several things he needed to do this morning, and the first was to find their healer and naturalist, who he knew was likely out by the stables.

  He acknowledged several of his men as he crossed the grounds, and when he stopped in front of a water trough, he found himself looking up to the window of the East tower, curious for the first time ever about the well-being of the sensualeer.

  Did anyone take food to him this morning?

  Knowing he had more important matters to take care of, he pushed that one aside, figuring that Si’Bastian’s father would have made sure his own son was fed.

  He turned back to the stables and made his way inside, squinting into the shadows. The sweet scent of the hay mixed with the pungent smell of horse shit wafted up his nose as each of the horses moved to the front of their stall to check out the newcomer.

  “Ai’Den,” he called out as he made his way past his own mount, Storm, and gave him a scratch between his ears.

  Hearing movement to his left as he looked down the row of horses, he saw a dark head of hair pop up three stalls down.

  “Ai’Den,” he said again, and this time, the man turned and looked over at him.

  “Ry’Ker, what are you doing out here?” he asked as he made his way out of the stall and slung the ropes in his hands over the railing.

  Ry’Ker gave Storm a final stroke down his nose before he walked over to meet the young man halfway. Ai’Den had come to L’Mere five years ago, when the Empress’s curse had reached his village’s water supply.

  Like with all the surrounding areas, the second the water had been tainted, the women had become diseased. Seraphine had been clever though. The water wasn’t fatal to the females, but as soon as ingested or bathed in, they became deadly to the men. Which effectively ended all physical contact
between the two.

  Seraphine’s reasoning: If I cannot have the one I desire, why should anyone else?

  “Li’Am has requested that you take a look at the women we brought back yesterday.”

  Ai’Den brushed his hands down the sides of his breeches and nodded. “Of course. Do you need me immediately, or can I finish up here? I still have to check on one of the mares, but after that, I’m free.”

  Ry’Ker told him that that was fine and to take as long as he needed. “Just make sure that you check on them at some point this morning.” Then he left, making his way back to the kitchen.

  Next stop, the women.

  * * *

  Naeve dismounted and stood aside as one of Kai’s men stepped forward to take the reins of her horse.

  “Oh…oh, thank you,” she stuttered, trying to remember that she did have manners.

  It was just that, up until now, she hadn’t had a reason to speak to the men who’d accompanied them, and she’d secretly been hoping she never would.

  They were frightening.

  “My pleasure, rabbit.”

  When she heard the nickname Kai had given her, her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. Then a slight snicker came from behind the man’s mask and she was perilously close to demanding he stop.

  “Rabbit?” she questioned to make sure she’d heard right.

  “Yes. That’s what we were told to call you. Since you like to run.”

  Completely taken off guard by the fact that this man was even speaking to her, she had no response. It probably also had something to do with the fact that she was busy thinking what an ass Kai was.

  Did he tell everyone that I tried to run away? And failed?

  Spinning on her toes, she marched over to where the giant of a man stood in his long, black cape. “Rabbit? You told them to call me rabbit? I have a name, you know.”

  Once he’d removed and tucked his gloves under his arm, he took off his mask and pushed the hood back from his head. “I know. But they don’t need to know it. So yes, for now, they can call you Rabbit. It will also remind them not to let their guard down around you.”