by Kim Stokely
Rhoswen entered with a gown in a russet hue draped over her arms. I slipped it on, glad to find it had the softness of most Elder dresses, while it combined elements of the Elder and Mystic styles. The arms flowed out to bell sleeves, but a thin cord of gold cinched the gown in an empire waist so it wasn’t as full as a traditional Elder tunic. I slipped on a pair of matching gold and brown slippers.
“Does this please you?” Rhoswen asked.
“Very much.” I sat down and let her plait my hair into a braid like my grandmother’s.
Kennis nodded her approval at my appearance. “We have some time before we meet with the Joint Assembly. Would you like to go for a walk first?”
Maris stood as I did. “I must meet with the Elders to finalize our prayers for the ceremony. The walk-through today must be as exact as possible.”
My gown hid the sudden quaking of my knees. It happened whenever I thought of the coronation. Kennis and I put on our cloaks. She led me through the hallways. We didn’t speak, but we didn’t need to. Sometimes it was nice to be with someone without having to make conversation. Kennis ducked into the kitchen, surprising the servants. One woman dropped her wooden spoon into the soup she stirred.
A portly man chopping onions stopped and waved his knife at us. “Get out! We have no food to give to–” His knife clattered to the counter. “By Ruahk, Lady Kennis? Is it you?”
My mother grinned. “Yes, Othan.”
The round man bowed and the rest of the kitchen staff followed suit. Othan peered up at me. “And this . . . .” He straightened up.
“This is Etain’s daughter. Alystrine.”
The chef bowed again. The woman by the soup curtsied so low she practically knelt on the floor.
“It is an honor to meet you.” Othan’s dark eyes studied me. “We have longed for the child of Etain to return.”
I couldn’t exactly say I was glad to be back so I just said, “Thank you.”
Kennis walked up to the large man. “Dear Othan.”
He chuckled. “I know that tone. You are no longer a girl begging for a sweetie before dinner. What do you want to steal from my larder now?”
My mother looked younger than I’d seen her in sometime, as if being in the kitchen transported her back to her childhood in the castle. She rose up on her tip toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. “May we have some carrots or apples for the horses?”
He placed his palm against his face. “Ah . . . how can I resist?” He strode to the pantry. “We’ve used the last of the apples in the tarts for tonight’s banquet, but I can give you some carrots.” He handed them toward Kennis but didn’t let go of them. “It does my heart good to see you again, My Lady. The castle has been darker without your presence.”
My mother didn’t answer. I knew she struggled as I did with being in Ayden. She took the carrots and passed me a couple. “Thank you, Othan.”
I followed her out of the kitchen then down another hall to a wooden door. She lifted the latch and pushed it open. “This is the back way to the stables.”
The sun shone brightly against a deep blue sky. The wall surrounding the castle stood about two hundred yards away.
“I hadn’t realized the grounds were so large.”
“This is the biggest open area. It was to house the elite soldiers in case the castle was ever under siege. They could set up camp inside the walls and fight.” Kennis’ eyes got a far off look. “Etain and I grew up here.”
I stopped. “This isn’t Braedon’s castle?”
“No. It was built long ago, by King Chadwick, Gedeon’s great-grandson. It has housed the royal family since then.” Her eyes darkened. “Until Braedon claimed it after Etain’s death.”
She pointed off to where a tree stump stood by the barrier. “That’s where I escaped from. When I ran to the Sanctuary to search for Quinn.” She lowered her arm. “Aldred had the tree cut down to stop me from doing it again.” She glanced over her shoulder at me. “He cut down every other tree as well, so don’t think you can get Josh out that way.”
“It’s like you read my mind.” I unbuttoned my cape. The air was actually warmer outside in the sunshine than in the cold stones of the castle. “Can you think of any other way out?”
“Not without the help of a Portal. You’re being too closely watched and Geran doesn’t have the strength yet.”
“Besides,” I finished her thought, “he won’t do anything to help Josh, will he?”
“I doubt it.” Kennis swung open the barn door. We’d spent many weekends mucking out stables back home in exchange for lessons from a local horse owner. The familiar smell of hay and manure sunk into my soul, bringing me back to a place of serenity.
I pulled a carrot from my pocket and fed it to the black mare in the first stall. I stroked her long nose, loving the feeling of the velvet coat on my fingers. “Hello there.”
She swayed her head as if looking for another treat.
“No, you don’t. If I give another to you, I won’t have one for anyone else.” The horse sprayed me as she snorted. “Eeew!” I wiped the snot on my cheek off on my cloak. “That does it. Definitely no more for you.”
Kennis fed her carrot to a brown horse a few stalls down from me. “I don’t recognize any of them.” She brushed her hand along the horses head. “Braedon has brought in all new animals.”
I turned around to feed a horse on the other side of the stable. My heart stopped as it stepped out of the shadows.
The mount of a Black Guard came up to the edge of its pen. The black eyes stared at me with an intelligence surpassing that of a normal horse. Had it been bred with a demon as well? It stood two or three hands taller than the other animals around it, its huge head broader, and its teeth came to a point. For a moment, terror consumed me. The memory of Mahon’s attack bombarded my brain. The carrot landed with a thunk on the floor.
Kennis chuckled as she picked it up. “He’ll never reach it from–” She gasped as she caught sight of the beast. “By Ruahk, what is it?”
Her exclamation broke the hold the animal had on me. I fled from the barn, running to the opposite end from where we’d entered, and throwing the door aside, knocking back the two people who were about to come in. I didn’t stop to apologize.
“Alystrine!” Kennis called after me, but I kept running.
What if the Black Guard came back to claim his mount? What would I do?
Two other voices joined with Kennis’. I didn’t slow down until I reached the tree stump by the wall. What I wouldn’t give to have the power to make it grow again so I could keep running. I pressed my hands against the stones and tried to catch my breath.
“My lady, are you unwell?” Noam panted by my side. A light sheen of sweat beaded along his forehead. “What happened?”
I leaned my back on the wall. Get a grip, get a grip. You can handle this.
Josh stood a few feet in front of me, his eyes bright with concern. “Ally?”
I wanted to run to him. I wanted to fall against his chest and have him squeeze me in one of his hugs that made me feel safe. I took a step toward him, but then Kennis ran up. I knew if I let Josh comfort me, it would only raise her anger. Clutching my stomach, I turned away.
“Ally,” Josh spoke again. “What happened?”
I sat down on the tree stump and forced myself to take a couple of deep breaths. “I’m fine. I just freaked out when I saw that thing.”
Josh laughed. “What? A spider or something?”
He stopped laughing when I glared at him. “No, you moron. It was the mount of a Black Guard.” I got up and stalked toward him. “Imagine the Orcs from those Tolkien books, only real.”
His face paled.
“Now imagine them chasing you through the woods with the intent to torture you. If one of their mounts is here, it means one of them is here as well, and I’m not too keen on running into any of them again.”
“I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I didn’t know.”
Kennis put a
hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Of course you didn’t. Fortunately, you haven’t been here long enough to have seen one.”
Noam joined our little group. “I haven’t felt any of their kind. Perhaps his rider isn’t here.”
Kennis nodded. “He’s probably the mount of the one you killed.”
Noam’s eyes widened. “You killed one?”
“In the Fey.” I’d gotten my breathing back under control. Josh’s face still looked pale. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. Those things freak me out.”
“Understandable.”
I glanced between him and Noam. So similar in features, although Josh stood a few inches taller. “What are you two doing out here?”
Noam smiled. “I wanted to learn more about this public schooling you have in the Other World. It’s always been a dream of mine to teach the Commoners how to read.”
I shivered as the last of the adrenalin raced out of my body. “You should talk to Simon, my secretary. He thinks the same way as you.”
“Really?”
I started to walk along the wall, but not back toward the stables. The others followed me. “Maybe that’s something I can help with, after I’m crowned.”
“That would be marvelous,” Noam said.
He and Kennis fell behind as Josh found his way to my side. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
I hated the emotion I saw behind his eyes. Josh would die for me, I knew he would, and yet I couldn’t keep him with me. I had to find a way to send him home. I turned away. “You should teach Noam how to play cards.”
He stopped walking. “The cards were a gift for you. Or they will be when I’m done.”
I glimpsed over to see Kennis and Noam pause a respectable distance away. Kennis put a hand on the Elder’s arm and the two talked animatedly about something back toward the barn. I appreciated them giving Josh and me a moment.
“Josh, you can’t stay here. I have to find a way to get you back home.”
“But I want to help you.” He reached out to touch my face, but I backed away.
“You can help me by going home.”
“You don’t mean that.”
A breeze came out of nowhere, blowing my cape open and chilling me. I buttoned it back up. “If I thought things could be different, then yes, I’d tell you to stay. But they won’t change. I can’t live with the threat of Braedon and his thugs hurting you.”
“It’s my life!” He grabbed my arm. “I should be able to choose how I spend it. And I want to be with you.”
I pulled away from him. “I’m not the same person I was back home. You can’t make everything all right just by being a nice guy. There are forces at work in this place that want me dead. They’ll kill you, too. If we don’t get you home soon.”
“What?”
“All that stuff you believe in, all that good and evil? It’s all at work here. I know you think it’s the same back home, but it’s not. It’s all right out in the open here, instead of lying in the shadows.” I made my way toward the hedge garden ahead of us. “I’ve got to get my head wrapped around a concept you’ve grown up with your whole life, and I’ve got precious little time to do it before this whole world explodes in some kind of epic battle.”
He took my hand. “I could teach you. Help you understand.”
For a moment, I let my emotions overtake my brain. I let my fingers brush down his cheek. He rested his face against my palm. “No, Josh. You can’t.”
I ran then. I took off for the hedge maze and the East Garden. I paused as I reached the bushes. The others didn’t follow. Kennis knew I couldn’t escape and maybe Josh finally understood he couldn’t stay. I found my way through the bushes and back into the castle, winding my way through the halls until I came to the sanctuary of my rooms.
I spent the afternoon in the throne room, rehearsing for my coronation. If my dread of that event wasn’t enough, I had to add the animosity between all the parties involved: Mystics, Elders. Braedon and his family loathing all of my family.
We practiced every move and every word. Even the chanting Mystics and the Elder choir had to rehearse their parts. I could only hope the actual ceremony didn’t last as long or I’d fall asleep on the throne, waiting for the crown to be placed on my head.
After the run-through, Rhoswen readied me for the evening’s event, a ball with the Commoners and Elders, including all my hopeful husbands. I wore a dove gray gown. It reminded me of the one I’d been wearing when Braedon proposed.
“Where did you get this?” I asked as I slipped it on.
“The other one looked so beautiful on you, I had Nira make another in the same material.”
The velvet hugged my body in all the right places, accentuating my curves. I was grateful for this gown’s higher neckline and fuller sleeves. The same seed pearls decorated the bodice, cuffs and hemline. I only hoped this night wouldn’t end in another unholy marriage proposal.
Rhoswen brushed out the braid in my hair. She twisted a few locks up in rags to curl them. The rest of my hair she wove into an elaborate crisscross around my head. She stuck pins with pearl and diamond heads into the set then took out the rags. Cascades of curls fell down my back. The maid stepped back to admire her work. She reached out to pin back a few rogue strands then nodded to herself. “They will be falling over themselves to marry you.”
I sighed. “Wonderful.”
Long wooden tables piled with trays of food lined the main banquet hall. There would be no formal sit down dinner. Instead, guests nibbled on small cakes and fruit as they mingled with each other. A few people danced to the trio of musicians playing in the corner. Geran had thought the Commoners needed to be reassured that I wasn’t a child, so I entered alone. The crowd turned as the guard announced my entrance. They bowed as one. I had the unsettling feeling of being a prized mare waiting to be bought for breeding stock.
Ammiel, the arrogant young Elder I’d met the other night, made his way over to me. “Your Majesty, you look radiant.”
“I’m not queen yet.”
“You are already crowned in my heart.” He held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”
I hesitated, wanting to gag at his not-so-subtle flirtation. I caught my father’s eye and gave him what I hoped was a pleading look. He wove his way through the crowd toward us.
“I’m sorry.” I nodded in Geran’s direction. “I think my father wants the first dance.”
Ammiel had the good grace to blush. “Of course. But please give me the honor of being your partner at some point this evening.”
I held out my hand to my father. He took it and led me out to the dance floor. The crowd gathered around the edges of the room to watch us.
“I hope the musicians play something I know how to dance to,” I whispered in his ear.
“I see Edward speaking to them now,” he informed me.
The melody changed from an unfamiliar one to something I’d practiced. I counted the beat in my head but I needn’t have been so concerned. Geran placed his right hand securely behind me and, by changing the pressure on my lower back, guided me across the floor as if I’d been dancing for years.
My heart lightened as my dress swirled around me and the music did the same. “You’re a wonderful dancer.”
My father gave me a wistful smile. “Etain loved to dance. This was one of her favorites.” He continued to spin and twirl me with ease until someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Lord Cedric stood behind him. His graying hair had been tied back with a leather strap and he’d shortened his beard by an inch or so. Did he think it made him look any younger? “Do you mind if I cut in?”
My father leaned in toward me. “Just follow his lead. You’ll do fine.” He kissed my cheek. I wished our dance wasn’t over. It’d been the first time in days we hadn’t argued.
Lord Cedric bowed then held out his hand. When I took his, he pulled me to his chest. He smelled faintly of sweat and pipe tobacco. His movements weren’t as graceful as my father’s but
I had no trouble discerning where he wanted me to go. “If it’s not too forward of me to say, ye are truly a vision tonight.” His thick brogue reminded me of Tegan’s.
“Thank you.” What do I say to a man his age? I didn’t want to hurt his feelings but I didn’t want him to think he had a snowball’s chance in hell of marrying me.
“Lady Alystrine?”
His tone made me look up. I tried to see past all the hair on his face to read what he was thinking. His eyes were stern, but compassionate.
“My Lady?”
“Hmmm?” I struggled to remember the steps to the dance as Lord Cedric seemed intent on holding a conversation.
“Even though ye have only been here a short while, your strength and perseverance are already well-known. To survive the Breakin’ . . .” his hand tightened around mine. “”Tis most extraordinary.”
My mind went blank for just a second as I pushed down the memories of Mahon’s foul breath in my face.
Cedric’s embrace kept me from stumbling. “I know you’ve been through hell. I’m good at takin’ care of people who’ve been through hell.”
He truly was a kind man, but as I looked up into his face I had to will myself not to flinch as the image of him kissing me with that fur covered mouth. “I can see that, Lord Cedric.”
His hand pressed me closer. “Can ye now? I want to be sure.” He glanced around the room. “I’ve more wealth to offer ye than most of these lads combined. And I can assure ye, as I know it is important for the future of the kingdom, I’d be able to sire an heir. I already have six fine sons and three daughters.”
I had no reply to that information. My eyes searched for someone to rescue me. Geran watched me with concern. I knew if I had to marry a Commoner, this was the match he hoped for. If he could Mind Speak, I know he’d tell me to make nice to the man, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.
Lord Cedric bowed as the music, thankfully, came to an end. I curtsied and hurried to the serving tables, hoping to make small talk with the other suitors rather than having to dance.
