Throne of Enchantment

by J A Armitage

  “Don’t you find spiders in your clothes?” she said.

  I shrugged. “Sometimes.”

  She shuddered.

  “They’re usually just cellar spiders,” I said. “Totally harmless.”

  “Still creepy.”

  “I wouldn’t do this job if I didn’t get along well enough with them.” I laughed at the horrified look on her face. Lilian had a soft spot for most creatures, but arachnids had always been an exception.

  I folded the clothes as best as I could and tucked them inside a carpetbag Lilian had brought from the palace. It was dark brown with a pattern of delicate golden vines and smelled of dust and cedar oil.

  I told Lilian the bare bones of my conversation with her mother: that I was going to Urbis, that I was supposed to track down a witch the queen thought might be responsible for the blight, and that I would come home straight after without trying to engage with the witch or do anything else foolish. Lilian listened with her eyebrows furrowed.

  “I wish I could come with you,” she said at last. She frowned. “Wait, why is Papa not doing this?”

  I grinned. “Apparently, your mother doesn’t trust him to chase after the witch and make it to your wedding on time.”

  Lilian scoffed but didn’t look surprised. “My parents are so overprotective of each other.”

  “I think it’s kind of sweet.”

  “It is sweet,” she said. “But they’re ridiculous.”

  “I like it.” I tucked my last shirt into the bag. “Lils, will you water my Gilded Lilies while I’m gone?”

  Understanding passed across her face, and she grinned. “You kept some.”

  “Of course, I did,” I said. “I wasn’t about to hand them all off to the Horticulture Council, and I’m not cutting them down for your wedding, either.” I frowned, not liking how that had sounded. “Unless you want me to. You’re welcome to them.”

  She placed a hand over mine and stood next to me, resting her golden head against my shoulder. “Keep them,” she said. “I’ll take good care of the lilies and everything else in your garden.”

  I grimaced. “There’s nothing else left.”

  A scowl crossed her face. “You didn’t cut everything down? Not for the wedding?”

  “I had to,” I said. “Duchess Annemie would have had my hide otherwise.”

  Lilian’s soft lips hardened to a frown.

  “It’s all right,” I said. “I want your big day to be beautiful. I might not be back from Urbis by then, so at least that way, you’ll have a little of me with you.”

  “I don’t want to marry him.” She spoke in the same way children did when announcing I don’t want to eat my vegetables, or I’m not tired and I don’t want to take a nap as if she needed to register her protest but didn’t have any hope of anything coming from it.

  I wrapped my arm around her. “Are you going to be all right? He’s not kind to you.”

  “He’s not a fool, either,” she said. “I’m still the princess, and the people love me.”

  “That doesn’t mean he won’t be a complete cocklebur in private.” I pulled her close and buried my nose in her hair. “Has he ever hurt you, Lils?”

  She was silent for a long moment. My heart clenched, dreading her answer.

  “No,” she said at last, sounding thoughtful. “He’s never touched me like that. It’s not to say he won’t, but I won’t hesitate to get the guards involved if he tries.”

  “He already owns half the guards.”

  “And I own the other half. And if push comes to shove, my half will win--especially if I go to the press. If there’s one thing Garritt is scared of, it’s losing power. The press holds a lot of power in Floris.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” I muttered.

  Lilian giggled. “They were awful to you,” she admitted. “But you don’t need to sulk about it. Your lily is perfectly real, and everyone will know soon enough. And aren’t you glad you live somewhere accusations of cheating are taken seriously? It sounds much better than the alternative.”

  “That’s because they didn’t accuse you,” I said, but I wasn’t angry. She was right, as usual.

  I kissed the top of her head, and she let out a soft little sigh that made my heart twist. Was this the last time I’d be able to kiss her--the last time I’d be able to hold her in my arms?

  I turned her around to face me, and she laced her arms around my neck and pressed herself against me. She smelled sweet, like Floris should have, and the softness of her cheek against mine reminded me of how petals had felt, back when the world was all right.

  “Be safe,” Lilian said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  I kissed the top of her head again.

  I’d assumed I’d be able to board the last train out of Tulis without incident.

  But the first journalist staking out the palace who’d attached himself to me had been joined by two others, and the three of them kept hovering and asking questions and trying to take photographs with small hand-held cameras.

  “Is it always like this?” Hedley muttered, hiking his satchel further up onto his shoulder.

  He’d volunteered to come with me the moment I’d told him what the queen had asked. I hadn’t even had to float the idea: He had just given me a nod, told me he’d need a few minutes to gather his things and inform Hyacinth, and he’d be ready to go.

  “I haven’t left the palace grounds since the festival.” I glanced at one of the journalists, who was trying to write on a notepad while he kept pace with us.

  Hedley edged toward me as he walked and ducked his head so he could talk without being overheard. “Do they spend all their time lurking outside the palace? You’d think they’d have something better to do.”

  I thought back to Lilian. “At least we have a free and open press,” I said. “That’s good, right?”

  He grunted, not quite agreeing.

  We reached the Tulis Central Station, a beautiful stone building with sparkling domes and tall windows that revealed a glimpse of the steam engines within. I counted out the coins the queen had given me and quietly purchased a pair of tickets from a tired-looking woman sitting in a booth behind a brass grille. I gave one to Hedley.

  “Where are you going?” one of the journalists asked brightly.

  I ignored him and shielded the tickets from his curious gaze.

  We traipsed into the station, an odd crowd of me, Hedley, and the three hangers-on we were clearly trying to avoid. The security guard gave the reporters a curious look, but as they weren’t technically breaking any rules, he didn’t seem inclined to do anything about them.

  I walked briskly across the marble floors, which were set in the patterns of giant flowers. Billows of silvery steam poured from the train, and I managed to board it in record time, Hedley following close behind. The reporters boarded the train right after us.

  “I didn’t see you buy any tickets,” I said to the nearest one.

  He shrugged and gave me a cheeky grin. “Couldn’t. Don’t know where you’re headed.”

  “Shame.” I opened the sliding door under the number 11 and held the door for Hedley. The reporter made as if he was going to follow Hedley in, but I blocked him. “This is a private compartment.”

  “Are you going to the coast?” another reporter asked.

  “Or to Goldenrod, perhaps?” the third suggested. “Are you returning home, Mr. Hedley? Where is your wife?”

  Hedley’s face twisted with contempt. “You leave my wife out of it.”

  Down at the other end of the carriage, the conductor appeared and opened the first compartment door to check tickets.

  I waved at him. “Sir?” I said loudly. “Sir? These gentlemen don’t have tickets. They’re trying to enter my private compartment. I paid for this space, sir.”

  One of the reporters, the youngest one, seemed inclined to try to argue his way out of it, but the others knew better.

  “Fine,
fine, we’re leaving,” one said, holding up his hands.

  The two of them left, and the youngest, after giving the hard-faced conductor a moment of consideration, decided he didn’t want to take his chances. I watched them go.

  The conductor turned to me without a smile. “Tickets?”

  “Right here.”

  Eventually, Hedley and I ended up settled in our compartment, each of us with a long bench to ourselves. There was something to be said for letting the palace foot the bill.

  I leaned against the window, kicked off my shoes, and stretched my legs out on the bench. Hedley leaned back and rested his hands on his belly.

  “So,” he said. “We’re after the witch, are we?”

  “After her location,” I said. “Nothing more.”

  “Did Her Majesty tell you where in the seedy underbelly of Urbis we should begin our search?”

  A gust of steam billowed by my window. The train inched forward.

  “Not the seedy underbelly at all, it turns out,” I said. “The witch was spotted at the city’s Central Archives.”

  Hedley raised one of his thick eyebrows. “Bold of her.”

  “She can afford to be bold if she’s as powerful as the queen seems to think.”

  Hedley gazed out the window. The train picked up speed, and the station slipped away as the train dove headfirst into the night. The lantern light from our compartment escaped the window and shimmered on the moving ground beside the tracks.

  I shifted, trying to angle my back more comfortably toward the corner. “You still don’t think she’s causing the blight.”

  “I don’t know.” He drummed his fingers on his belly. “The Gothel I heard of wasn’t strong enough to create a problem like this. Not by herself.”

  I shrugged. “The queen must know things we don’t.”

  “She must,” he murmured.

  I followed his gaze to the city outside the window. The storefronts were closed, and the pubs were open, spilling their light and noise out onto the walkways. I caught a glimpse of a large signboard outside a closed shop bearing the advertisement Royal Wedding Commemorative Tea Set, Special Price Tomorrow Only!

  “The Central Archives aren’t a bad place to start, regardless,” Hedley said, oblivious to the painful reminder we’d just passed. “Whether or not we track down the witch, I’d like to search for any information on plant curses. Maybe we can learn something about this blight yet.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “It can’t hurt to try.”

  We passed another sign: Royal Wedding Party Apparel Here! And then another, Celebrate the Royal Wedding with our Fine Collection of Thornton Rose Jewelry!

  The train rattled over the tracks, and the lantern hanging above our heads rocked with the gentle movement. After a while, Hedley began to nod, and then to snore.

  It would be several hours before the train stopped, and we transferred to the Urbis Express. We could have caught it directly from Tulis, of course, but then the reporters and anyone else watching would have known exactly where we were headed. At least this way, we had privacy and time to rest.

  So I waited for sleep to take me as images of Lilian being married to that brute filled my head.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  Finish the adventure in God of Loyalty

  After the Happily Ever After…

  There is more to these stories. You want to know what happens next right? Fast forward eighteen years…

  Pick up book one now

  PREQUEL

  SLEEPING BEAUTY

  1. Queen of Dragons

  2. Heiress of Embers

  3. Throne of Fury

  4. Goddess of Flames

  LITTLE MERMAID

  5. Queen of Mermaids

  6. Heiress of the Sea

  7. Throne of Change

  8. Goddess of Water

  RED RIDING HOOD

  9. King of Wolves

  10. Heir of the Curse

  11. Throne of Night

  12. God of Shifters

  RAPUNZEL

  13. King of Devotion

  14. Heir of Thorns

  15. Throne of Enchantment

  16. God of Loyalty

  RUMPELSTILTSKIN

  17. Queen of Unicorns

  18. Heiress of Gold

  19. Throne of Sacrifice

  20. Goddess of Loss

  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

  21. King of Beasts

  22. Heir of Beauty

  23. Throne of Betrayal

  24. God of Illusion

  ALADDIN

  25. Queen of the Sun

  26. Heiress of Shadows

  27. Throne of the Phoenix

  28. Goddess of Fire

  CINDERELLA

  29. Queen of Song

  30. Heiress of Melody

  31. Throne of Symphony

  32. Goddess of Harmony

  ALICE IN WONDERLAND

  33. Queen of Clockwork

  34. Heiress of Delusion

  35. Throne of Cards

  36. Goddess of Hearts

  WIZARD OF OZ

  37. King of Traitors

  38. Heir of Fugitives

  39. Throne of Emeralds

  40. God of Storms

  SNOW WHITE

  41. Queen of Reflections

  42. Heiress of Mirrors

  43. Throne of Wands

  44. Goddess of Magic

  PETER PAN

  45. Queen of Skies

  46. Heiress of Stars

  47. Throne of Feathers

  48. Goddess of Air

  URBIS - Coming soon

  49. Kingdom of Royalty

  50. Kingdom of Power

  51. Kingdom of Fairytales

  52. Kingdom of Ever After

  A NEW FAIRYTALE ANTHOLOGY

  If you love fairytales, you’ll want to add this new set to your collection.

  Enchanted Kingdoms is the biggest set of fairytale retellings by USAT and Amazon bestselling authors, with each story depicting a different take on a classic.

  Buy it now for only 99c

  Old tales: New twist

  The stories you loved as a child have been twisted into wildly addictive tales that will bewitch you as an adult: enchanted castles, spellbinding magic, handsome princes, beautiful princesses, and as many happily-ever-afters as your heart desires.

  Cherish this mesmerizing set of 20 classic tales retold by a collection of best-selling and award-winning authors. Each novel-length story features a different take on your favorite fairytale.

  Your every fantasy will come to life in ways you could never have imagined, packed full of heart-wrenching romance, gripping adventure, and magic that will weave you in its spell.

  Scroll up and one-click now to grab this limited edition set before the clock strikes midnight!

  All proceeds benefit Puzzle Peace United, a children's autism charity.

  Fairytales include:

  Alice in Wonderland by J. A. Armitage and J.A. Culican

  Cinderella by Kimbra Swain

  Snow White and Rose Red by Eileen Mueller and A.J. Ponder

  Beauty and the Beast by Beth Hale

  Aladdin by Zara Quentin

  Rumpelstiltskin by Craig Halloran

  Sleeping Beauty by Stacey O'Neale

  Wizard of Oz by Amanda Marin

  Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Lacy Sheridan

  Red Riding Hood by May Dawson

  Rapunzel by Anne Stryker

  Sinbad the Sailor by Cassidy Taylor

  Robin Hood by Jacque Stevens

  Little Match Girl by Lee Ann Ward

  Twelve Dancing Princesses by Kit Winters

  Mulan by Charlotte Daniels and Charlie Daniels

  The Nightingale by IreAnne Chambers and Rachel McManamay

  The Girl without Hands by Daphne Moore

  Nix of the Mill Pond by Astrid V.J

  Buy it now

  Join us

  Would you like to see il
licit love letters between Deon and Lilian? Click the link below to pick your free gift up.

  Kingdom of Fairytales FREE gift

  Check the Kingdom of Fairytales website for competitions, news and info on all the books and authors

  Kingdom of Fairytales Website

  Or Join us on our Kingdom of Fairytales Facebook page for fun, games and author takeovers

  Still want more? Completely immerse yourself in the Kingdom of Fairytales experience and pick up exclusive offers and gifts

  Become a Patron

  A note from the author

  The Kingdom of Fairytales authors hope you enjoyed this new way of reading. We don’t think that a series has ever been set with one chapter a day thought a whole year before and we hope we did it justice.

  With this in mind, please leave a review, but when you do, remember that these books were always meant to be short breaks in your day and the blurb reflects that.

  We would LOVE it if you can drop us a few words on Amazon

  Review here

  About Emma Savant

  Emma Savant lives with her husband and cat in a small town in California, where she spends way too much time watching Star Trek and eating nachos. She loves fairy tales and once took an archery class in the hopes of becoming more Narnian.

  Emma is also the author of Glimmers of Scales, Crimson Daggers, Spinning into Gold and Glimmers of Glass.

  Sign up to her newsletter here

  About J.A. Armitage

  J.A lives in a total fantasy world (because reality is boring right?) When she's not writing all the crazy fun in her head, she can be found eating cake, designing pretty pictures and hanging upside down from the tallest climbing frame in the local playground while her children look on in embarrassment. She's travelled the world working as everything from a banana picker in Australia to a Pantomime clown, has climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and the bottom of the Grand Canyon and once gave birth to a surrogate baby for a friend of hers.