Princess Reviled

by Butler, J. M.

  Princess Reviled

  J.M. Butler

  Copyright © 2019 by J.M. Butler.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  J.M. Butler/Enchanting Chimera Publishing

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Editor: Mary Iamandi

  Cover Art: Mirela Barbu

  Princess Reviled/J.M. Butler - 1st ed.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-948601-04-7

  Hardback ISBN 978-1-948601-05-4

  Dedicated to my mother who has always found ways to demonstrate love and compassion even when the world and the people in it have responded with cruelty and disdain. My own pride, snarkiness, and internal eye rolling (okay, sometimes external) among other traits prevents me from fully emulating her, but I am deeply grateful for her patience and consistency.

  Thank you, Mom, for all your love and your support and for reading my stories through your fingers. You seriously don't have to read this one. I love you, and I am thankful you are part of my life.

  Contents

  1. Troublesome Conversations

  2. Further Complications

  3. From the Brink

  4. Medicine and Politics

  5. Wolves and Chairs

  6. Which Nightmare?

  7. Prophetic Nightmares

  8. Drugged

  9. The Honest Half Conscious

  10. An Intervention

  11. Lovers' Quarrel

  12. A Father's Plea

  13. The Fracture Begins

  14. Mistrust

  15. Bad News

  16. A Brother in Need

  17. Rest

  18. Defiance

  19. Torment

  20. Small

  21. Brothers

  22. Friends in Dark Places

  23. The Stage Is Set

  24. Outsmarted

  25. The Missing Picture

  26. A Quiet Place

  27. Trial

  28. Courtyard Shame

  29. Second Chair

  30. Darkness

  31. Connection

  32. Fight

  33. Battling Death

  34. Execution

  35. Contemplation

  36. Reunion

  37. Forest

  38. Choices

  39. March

  40. Charge

  41. An Unfortunate Misunderstanding

  42. What Lies in the Temple

  43. The Enemy of My Enemy

  44. By Fang and Scale

  45. Lost

  46. Teaser: Wilderness Untamed

  Acknowledgments

  Glossary

  About the Author

  Also by J.M. Butler

  1

  Troublesome Conversations

  Amelia stared down at Naatos through the bars of the large cell. It felt as if they had been in conversation all along. The fact that he had been conscious and listening this whole time did not startle her any more than his voice. So much that should not have been natural now was.

  The air hung damp within the deep temple dungeon. The scents of blood and death leaked down the long staircase and through the shafts and halls. Yet all was so quiet here. Amelia had already cried all her tears, but even if she hadn't, the stillness of this place would have held them at bay.

  She angled forward, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, no longer bound with the combs. "How long have you been awake?" she asked softly.

  Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth lay on their backs, chained securely on the grey flagstones. No sign of battle marred their skin. The natural healing of the Vawtrians had already worked through their bodies and knit their bones and wounds back together despite the powerful drug known as huanna that temporarily incapacitated their shifting and limited their other powers. Only the drying mud and blackening blood stained them. Naatos himself, still wearing the ceremonial garb from the celebration of their union, appeared utterly at ease. His most chaotic aspect was his coarse black hair tangled about his shoulders. Already a faint almost taunting smile played at the corners of his mouth.

  "Long enough." Naatos lifted his arms. The heavy manacles that enclosed his wrists clanked. They looked to be made of stone yet sounded like metal. "Things will be far worse for you now, I'm afraid."

  Amelia pulled away. "That's the way of my life." She sat with her feet at his head, her knees drawn up to her chest. As she breathed in the calm air, she wished it would calm the fever in her mind. She glanced at him once more. How could he appear so calm when he was the prisoner? "Why aren't you angry?"

  "Why would I be angry?" Naatos craned his head back against the stone, his tone almost playful. Because she sat behind his head and he didn't yet have the strength to sit up and turn around, Amelia wondered if he could actually see her.

  "Well if you don't remember, I'm not going to tell you." Amelia hugged her knees tighter to her chest, the rich green material rustling with the pressure. "You're a little too cheerful. Especially for you."

  "It's essentially my wedding day."

  "I thought we were already married and this was just a formality."

  "Formality. Gift. Celebration of our union." Naatos shrugged, the chains clattering with the movement. "The day has not been easy, but in the end, all will be as it should be."

  "It will." Amelia nodded. "But not the way you think it will be."

  "Come around so I can see you better if you want to bare your teeth."

  "You just want to look at me." Amelia rested her head against the stone wall.

  "That is true." Naatos smiled. He relaxed against the smooth floor. "It would not be a good sign for our marriage if I didn't."

  Amelia shook her head. "I think we're way beyond bad signs for our marriage. But right now, you've got bigger things to think about."

  "You do realize that this is nothing more than an inconvenience that will last a few weeks at most. I still have my armies on Ecekom, and no prison has held us for more than three weeks."

  "Not counting your imprisonment after the fall of the Tue-Rah," Amelia said. She paused, thinking for a moment she caught shouts from the floors above. Much of the frenzy since the battle had passed. They would return to Telhetum soon if the king had his way. Not that she agreed with this course. Transporting Naatos and his brothers was dangerous, but the king refused to let them remain here until they determined a better solution. She tightened her grip around herself. Hopefully the huanna worked again when they refreshed the dosage.

  "We were unconscious for that period. And these Libyshans, even with the wonders of the Machat, do not have the necessary supplies to create such an effect again. Trust in this, viskaro. We will be free soon, and then…well, we'll just pick up where we left off." Naatos craned his head back farther, arching against the stone so he could see her. An impish light played in his light-blue eyes. "Until then, you are welcome to ravish me as you choose."

  "Hmmm…" Amelia pressed her foot against his head, pushing him flat. "I don't care for the precedent that would set. Besides, it really wouldn't be appropriate."

  "Shooting your husband through the heart generally isn't appropriate either, but that didn't stop you."

  Amelia narrowed her eyes at him. "And what about you? What about everything you've done? Do you really want to go down t
hat road?"

  "Having lived it, I don't require a summary." Naatos arched a brow, but the smile remained. "You do need to be cautious, Amelia."

  Amelia slipped forward and swiped a cockroach away before it climbed his ear. She then flicked one off AaQar's shoulder. "I'm always cautious."

  "Your people are going to turn on you," Naatos said. "And while I am pleased my viskaro has teeth, I do not know that they are sharp enough to contend with all your new foes."

  Amelia remained silent. He didn't know about the Libyshan mob in New Istador. They had hated her as much as they hated Naatos and his brothers, the former Paras. A dull knot of ache and fear spread within her.

  "You aren't their princess anymore, Amelia. You barely were at the beginning. And while I may be indisposed for a few days, you are at risk now. Political pressures are distinct from combat. And within the week, viskaro, you will be disowned and banished or imprisoned with us. It would be better for you if you released us."

  "I am a Libyshan, Naatos. They are my people, and I'm not going to betray them." Whether they would betray her, Amelia wasn't entirely certain. Her head and heart were both muddled and hazy. She pressed her hands to her head. "You are going to remain imprisoned, and you will pay for your crimes, and I'm going to figure out a way to make all of this work."

  "If the Libyshans can find a way to exact their price, they are welcome to take it. But weak people make weak requests. There is no way for you to reconcile this, Amelia."

  "Do you even feel anything?" Amelia asked, her voice sharpening.

  Naatos frowned. "I feel many things. You have experienced that."

  "No, I mean for what you and your brothers did. For everyone who died here today and in the past months." Amelia edged closer, not wanting to read his mind and yet desperate to know. It would be better if remorse or guilt gnawed at him beneath his calm exterior. "Do you feel any sorrow of any kind?"

  "Sorrow for those who fell in battle?"

  "Everyone. The royal court. The villages and towns. The battle. Hundreds, maybe thousands, have died." Amelia closed her eyes. She did not brush her thoughts over his because she did not want to add to her own pain and sorrow, yet that need trembled within her. "Do you feel anything for them at all?"

  "Likely no more than you yourself feel."

  Vorec's cold voice cut through Amelia. She backed away from Naatos instinctively, startled to see Vorec standing in the doorway. His shadow wavered against the cracked stone wall.

  "If you can spare a minute from your treacherous family, I would like to speak with you." Vorec's combat uniform was bloodied and stained, the left sleeve rent and the right tattered. He favored his left leg from an injury a couple days before, but his form was otherwise rigid. His gaze drifted back to Naatos, making no attempt to mask the disdain.

  Amelia stood slowly. "What do you want, Vorec?" Tension and unease weighted the air in the room. Vorec's distrust of her had evolved to hatred, particularly once he learned of her marriage to Naatos. Her refusal to do as Vorec demanded had only deepened the rift, despite her saving the Machat and Libyshans and assisting in the successful liberation of the Temple of Selgooko in the most recent battle.

  "I did not intend to inconvenience you with matters affecting the poor unfortunates of Libysha." Vorec strode closer. The sneering sarcasm intensified with each word. "If you wish to continue your copulation with the beast, please don't allow me to disturb you. The wounded and suffering will wait until your appetites are sated."

  Amelia braced her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath. Her elegant emerald-green wedding gown was stiff with blood and shredded in several places, but it covered the vast majority of her body. Yet somehow shame crept over her as if she was naked. She wanted to wrap her arms around herself, but she resisted. "Vorec—"

  "Treat my wife with respect," Naatos said. His tone remained calm, but a sinister edge lined his words. His gaze slid to Vorec, narrow and harsh. "She is yours and Libysha's princess regardless of your feelings."

  Vorec paused beside Amelia, then kicked Naatos in the head through the broad-set bars.

  "Vorec!" Amelia shoved him.

  "Watch yourself, woman." Vorec seized her hands, his grip painfully tight. "Those wretched Machat may have convinced the king that you should have final say over what happens with these three creatures, but you are not invulnerable."

  Naatos shook his head as if to remove the blow, his expression more bored and annoyed than angry. "Nor are you."

  Amelia ripped her hands free from Vorec, but she did not step away. "Naatos, be quiet. Vorec." She set her jaw. "I will not stand for bullying. Not from you. Not from him. Not from anyone. You back off. Do not kick, stab, hit, or otherwise attack the prisoners. There is nothing to gain from it and a great deal to lose."

  "Pinchat." Vorec spat the words in her face.

  Amelia glared back. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

  Vorec's stare remained unbroken. "You are a traitor, woman. Until you prove otherwise."

  "Until I prove otherwise?" Amelia echoed. She caught herself before giving a hotter response. "Maybe we should talk about this in the hall."

  "Are you afraid that your lovers will overhear your cowardice?" Vorec demanded.

  "Lovers?" Naatos repeated, emphasizing the plural nature of the word with disdain.

  "I said be silent or I will gag you myself—"

  Amelia blocked Vorec, shoulders squared, arms wide. "Don't go near him."

  "The beast is caged, chained, and shackled," Vorec said, gesturing widely at Naatos. "Are you truly afraid that he can somehow do harm, or is this just a poor excuse to keep him from being harmed?"

  Amelia kept her arms out. "I said leave them alone. They are still dangerous."

  "What can he do, princess?" Vorec asked scornfully.

  "Bite maybe. I haven't figured out how to gag someone that didn't involve hands near the mouth," Amelia said.

  "I might not," Naatos said. "Let him try and see,"

  "No!" Amelia kept her gaze on Vorec. "What is it you want? Or did you just come down here to insult me and assault them?"

  Disgust curled through Vorec's words, twisting his mouth as he spoke. "The king decided that you have final say over what happens with these prisoners. Fortunately for you, this allows you to demonstrate where your loyalties truly lie."

  Amelia sighed as she folded her arms. "Oh really? You want me to hand over control of the prisoners to prove I am a faithful Libyshan."

  "Perhaps you are a mindreader." Vorec smiled thinly. "If you did, I would be inclined to change my view regarding you. And I would ensure that those under my command heard of your wisdom."

  "What is it that you need to do that requires you having control of them?" Amelia asked.

  Vorec chuckled, his mood a little easier now. He paced around the great barred cell that held Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth. His bootsteps echoed within the broad open space, creating a sinister cadence. "There is no need for me to burden you with the full knowledge of our activities. You could return to the palace and your adopted family. There are many matters which require tending, and the proper care and handling of prisoners is not likely one you covered in your home-taught classes."

  "Let me just take a little guess and say that you're planning to torture them?" Amelia resumed the more confident pose of her arms akimbo, her fingers digging into the gown.

  "Do you know how many people have died since these three have arrived?" Vorec asked.

  "More than should have," Amelia said.

  Vorec chuckled darkly. "Such a perfectly vague response. How many should have died then?"

  "Vorec." Amelia clenched her jaw. "If you have something to say to me, please say it. I don't have time for this. After I finish here, I need to go to the infirmary."

  "Yes, I'm sure you need something to take the edge off after all your betrayals," Vorec said.

  Amelia blew out a long breath, warning herself that he was trying to bait her. "No." Adding that she was
going up to assist in the infirmary would likely result in more mockery. "Stop wasting my time, elder commander. What do you want?"

  "Everyone knows that you are a traitor, and it will take great efforts to convince them otherwise." Vorec clasped his hands behind his back, his expression severe. The narrowing of his eyes and hard set of his square jaw intensified the appearance of remorselessness. His hatred brimmed. "It is now essential for you to prove yourself."

  "Prove myself?" Amelia echoed, her voice sharpening. "Because providing you Ayamin with plans for the temple and assisting in capturing Naatos and so on wasn't enough?"

  "You gave them plans for the temple?" Naatos frowned.

  "Yes, I told you I wasn't going to let you win. Why does this surprise you?" Amelia spoke to Naatos but kept her gaze on Vorec.

  "I'm more surprised you found the time to do it," Naatos said.

  "You underestimated me. Both of you," Amelia said.

  "No." Naatos glanced upward as if searching for a fragment of thought or memory. "There's something missing from—oh yes…the imprinting. WroOth." Sighing, he shook his head.

  "I certainly haven't underestimated you," Vorec said. "You are a treacherous beast indeed, no more woman than those creatures shackled here."

  "All right fine. I am a horrible person! Clearly I haven't done enough. Everything I have done is no more than shadows and smoke." Amelia faced him, the anger intensifying within her voice. "What. Do. You. Want. From. Me."