Mark of Fate

by K. T. Webb

  “Filthy rodent,” Evander muttered as he kicked the body aside like a child would kick a ball. “Legacy? Are you okay?”

  “Just give me a few minutes,” she replied thickly as everything faded to black.

  “Any idea what that thing was?” Evander wondered aloud.

  “Disgusting is the only word that comes to mind.”

  Evander chuckled at her assessment. The longer Legacy sat, the stiffer her limbs felt. She had rested long enough. As though it had become second nature, she allowed herself to illuminate the corridor once more.

  After a cursory glance at her calf-length leggings that had been hidden beneath her dress, Evander helped her to her feet, offering her his arm to keep her steady. She did not care to search out the dead creature that would rot in the darkness. Evander took her hand once she was sure of herself and led the way forward. He took care to walk single file past the spot where he had fallen. There was no need to take any chances.

  “You saved me from that . . . thing. Thank you,” Legacy whispered after they had walked a few minutes in silence.

  She felt his shoulder raise as he held her hand, a shrug. “You saved me first.”

  Warmth spread through her at the simplicity of his words. There had been no question for either of them about whether the other was worth saving. She had done it out of instinct, he had an obligation. Legacy knew those words were not quite the right ones to describe what had happened. She knew he had not saved her out of obligation, but she could not put a word to why he had done it.

  Somehow, she had known without a doubt what the creature looked like as it attacked Evander from below. She had seen it in her mind.

  As they continued to follow the corridor with a newfound respect for the possibility of disappearing walls or hibernating monsters, they found various additional passages that led away from the main chamber. Legacy wanted to explore them, but she knew what she needed to see lay ahead. The feeling of knowing was new and unusual to her, even if it felt like it had always been that way. She made a mental note to return with more light and find what secrets she could uncover within the hidden area they trekked through.

  After walking for what seemed like miles, they came to an intimidating door. Legacy noted the lock immediately and thought of the obnoxious number of keys hanging from the waist of her now ruined dress. The thought of having to try each key to find the right one made her head spin. Legacy wrapped her fingers around the keyring, the metallic clang echoed off the walls.

  “That is a lot of keys.”

  Legacy rolled her eyes. “What an astute observation.”

  Evander laughed at her deadpan response. “Here, let me help.”

  She allowed him to take the key ring. He began sorting through the myriad keys, searching for one that looked like it may go with the lock. Evander held key after key next to the lock until he found a smooth black one that fit perfectly.

  “I could have done that,” Legacy muttered.

  Evander smirked, locked eyes with Legacy and quickly inserted the key and turned it. The accompanying click only caused his smile to widen. Legacy shook her head, allowing a small grin to spread over her own face. He stepped aside to allow her to open the door. It creaked on its hinges as it swung open. She leaned forward, studying what little she could see. The glow emanating from her body revealed a well-organized room that could have been an office or a library. Legacy could not help but wonder what the purpose had been for the secret place.

  “I can wait out here if you want me to.”

  Legacy shook her head. “No, I think your firsthand knowledge of this castle and the people who ran it may be useful depending on what we find in there.”

  “Whatever you want, Queen Legacy.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “How about we just stick to Legacy unless we are doing something official?”

  “Deal.” He followed her as she stepped across the threshold.

  Once inside, Legacy felt the dark energy that had long-lived within the walls. It was clear her father had spent many hours alone in this place. She imagined him pacing between the bookshelves on one side of the room and sitting at the large table on the other. The lack of dust or spider webs told them the room had been used regularly right up to Junius’ death. A book lay open on the table with papers next to it. Legacy rounded the table to take a closer look while Evander began searching for something to provide more light.

  The book appeared to be a journal with messy scrawling across each page. It was nearly impossible to decipher most of what was written, but the few words Legacy could read sent shivers down her spine. She sank into the chair positioned behind the table and stared at the open pages for a few moments. The journal was opened to an entry about Noble. There were very few sentences scrawled in his final entry, but terror spread through her at what was there.

  Raise the King to kill the Queen.

  Of course, Junius had known he had a daughter that was destined to destroy him. They only thought he assumed it would be a son, but now knew the truth about his questions. Noble had been spared to kill the daughter who took the crown. Her mind conjured a picture of the young boy who had been kept a secret, locked away in a different kind of prison than Legacy knew in her own childhood. King Junius had been planning to use Noble as a pawn, even after his own death. Could Noble know about the sinister reasons he was alive?

  Without warning, light flooded the study. Evander had found an oil lamp on a smaller table near the bookshelves. Now that Legacy was not the only source of light, she allowed her body to release the wild magic. She felt it slowly let go with a lingering touch as though bidding her a fond farewell.

  “What did you find?” Evander asked as he positioned himself behind her to read over her shoulder.

  “I knew he was twisted, but this seems beyond anything I had thought a person capable of.” Legacy glanced at the books that remained on the shelf. “I think these are all journals written by Junius, maybe even written by his father. We can learn much from these. Will you help me take them upstairs?”

  Evander hesitated slightly. “I do not mean to question you, but do you think it would be wise to move these? What if there is information in them that could help those who may support the efforts of the Shadow Mages?”

  Legacy had not thought of that possibility; she had only thought about the things she could learn, not what her enemies could use against her. If she only took a few at a time, she would be able to start studying without too much information falling into the wrong hands. She had to know how much Junius had shared with Noble. If her brother knew his life was supposed to be dedicated to ending hers, was he only pretending to be innocent? Immediately, she made up her mind. Legacy scooped up the journal on the table and examined the binding. As she expected, there was a number written on it to identify which volume Junius had been on. She tried not to let the enormity of the situation deter her from her goal. In her hands, she held volume three-hundred-twenty-seven; it was only half-full of what appeared to be erratic ramblings.

  “Okay, we will take the three most recent. I believe it would make the most sense to start at the end, considering Noble’s age.” Legacy crossed the room to begin searching for the previous two volumes.

  Evander seemed to understand that his help was neither wanted nor needed at that moment. He respected her independence. He leaned against the door frame, watching as she searched. Once she found the books she was searching for, she walked past Evander as he watched her from the door. Evander moved aside to allow room for Legacy to pull the door closed and twist the key in the lock until it was secured once more. She had a feeling she would be returning to the room her father had spent so much time writing down his thoughts; not only would Legacy return, but she knew she would spend hours poring over his words.

  “Where did you find these?” Honor asked as she thumbed through the pages of the last journal.

  “I told you, Evander showed me a secret entrance he had o
nce witnessed Junius use. We followed the passageway to a hidden study. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of these books on shelves. I think Junius’ father also kept journals,” Legacy explained.

  Harcos sat next to Honor as the two of them pored over the words they could decipher. There were no dates in the journals, but from what Legacy observed it seemed as though the writings had grown less legible and more erratic through the years. Aging had made him a desperate shell of the man he had once been.

  The three most recent volumes of his writings happened to be the useful to the task Legacy meant to accomplish. She wanted to know why Noble had been allowed to live when he had tried to kill Legacy and had been trying to kill Honor since he began aging. Any reason she could imagine did not sit well. The answers had to be in the journals their father had written.

  Legacy thumbed through the most recent journal, noting that the entries became less detailed as his life neared its end. The final entry still sent shivers down her spine. Raise a King to kill the Queen. As she examined each entry, she began to notice the phrase had been written at the end of each journal entry for months. Before that specific wording, the phrase was less specific; Raise a King to kill a King. Obviously, he had only recently learned that his successor was a female, that was the only possibility she could deduce would prompt him to change the wording. She decided it would help to find the exact entry in which it was first used. If she could pinpoint the beginning of that line of thinking, she was confident they would learn more about why Noble was alive.

  While Legacy was staring intensely at each page, looking for any indication that their father had been planning something sinister for Noble, Honor was already fidgeting. Legacy chuckled at her sister’s complete lack of interest in the gold mine they had uncovered. It never ceased to amaze her that for someone who wanted to know everything, Honor seemed to have little motivation to seek out answers herself. Honor was a hunter, while Legacy was a gatherer, one preparing for the kill while the other sought to understand the reason behind it. The Queen tried to return her focus to the task at hand but was interrupted by her sister’s obnoxiously loud sigh.

  “Have you spoken to Renata since she began examining Noble?” Honor set down the book, already losing interest in the contents.

  Legacy shook her head. “No, she said she wanted to spend time with him without interruptions. It troubled her to recognize the remnants of the Shadow Mages’ influence on him.”

  The sisters had been trying to spend more time together, not worrying about the hurdles they had yet to jump. But their time had been focused on defeating the King, now they wanted to get to know one another better. One thing Legacy found curious about her sister was her complete lack of interest in the written word. Honor was much more focused on action; Legacy preferred to learn and use the information she gathered to make practical decisions. It was no surprise to Legacy that her sister had already set down the journals that she had been dying to dive into.

  Honor’s tendency to leap into action was the source of their recent tension; Legacy did not want her sister to travel around Alderwood with the Gildi. But once Honor had made up her mind, there was no changing it. No matter how many times Legacy tried to convince her sister and brother-in-law that they should take some time for a honeymoon and leave the Gildi to deliver the news of their new ruler, they always ended up in a stalemate.

  Honor felt it was her responsibility to carry her mission through to the end; she saw the transformation of Alderwood as her personal undertaking. Legacy saw how much her sister had sacrificed for their cause already and would have preferred Honor to take a break. Since they argued about that very subject, Honor had been guarded around Legacy. While they had agreed to disagree on the issue, both carried a stubbornness that did not leave room for compromise when they felt strongly about something.

  Now, they sat in what Evander had described as the “war room,” planning the journey the Gildi would make throughout Alderwood. Honor intended to leave within a week of her sister being declared Queen of Alderwood. Legacy could not help but feel as though she was being abandoned to deal with the mystery of their brother and the looming threat of the Shadow Mages. It also fell on her shoulders to work with the other two kingdoms as they searched for their own representatives. So many conflicting thoughts swirled in her mind. Legacy was not sure she could be the queen she was expected to be.

  From the day Renata performed the ritual to administer the mark that would guide Legacy throughout her life, she had known to expect the unexpected. From her conversations with Honor, she had learned that most people had their visions only during the administration of the mark; Legacy received visions before, during, and after the ritual. Many believed it was the herbs that gave them visions. Legacy had come to realize the herbs only awakened the wild magic within each citizen; sometimes, once it was brought to the surface, it never went away.

  “Do you think we should talk to Renata about what you found down there? Maybe she will want to look it all over too,” Honor suggested.

  “Perhaps,” Legacy responded, only partially paying attention to her sister.

  In truth, Legacy was hesitant to share the contents of the journals with anyone but Honor. There was something about the connection they shared and their non-existent relationship with their father that made it difficult for her to imagine anyone else reading his private thoughts. Of course, it made sense to have Renata read the journals. She would be able to pick up on things they may miss, something that would alert them to the Shadow Mages’ involvement in his plans. She knew deep down it was ridiculous for her to feel protective of the place and the contents of the journals, but she could not shake the feeling.

  Legacy was startled from her thoughts by a wet nose nudging the back of her arm. She had grown accustomed to the feeling; her woldigo companion rarely left her side when she was in the castle. Her relationship with the creature she named Nikita was different from the connection Honor and Harcos shared. Legacy and Nikita understood one another, but the woldigo did not speak. The canthion that had bonded with Honor could speak, but only certain people could understand him. Nakita was a different type of creature; she demonstrated her allegiance to Legacy by staying with her all the time. It seemed odd to Legacy that some creatures could speak while others could not. According to Renata, there was a time when all animals were able to communicate with whomever they deemed worthy. As Legacy ruffled the fur on the woldigo’s head, she wondered if the wild magic would one day grant Nikita the same ability. In the meantime, she was a faithful companion who always sensed when Legacy needed her.

  “Legacy? What is going on inside that head of yours?” Honor teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I just keep thinking about how long it will be before we see one another again. I cannot believe you are leaving in the morning.”

  Honor offered a hand to help Legacy to her feet then guided her to face the window overlooking Pallisaide. “You have to be here. This is where you are needed most, Legacy. We knew putting that crown on your head was only the beginning. Now, I must rid the kingdom of any threats that may still be lurking in the lesser-traveled areas of Alderwood. Spend time with Noble, get to know our brother, and show him how to be a child! He was locked away for so long with very little human interaction that he probably does not know much about the outside world.”

  Legacy shook her head with raised eyebrows. “A seven-year-old boy is a poor substitute for the snarky sister I have grown to love. I believe we will grow bored with one another before much time has passed.”

  “Then study the journals! We still must find a way to defeat the Shadow Mages. You know as well as I do, I have met my destiny, but now I must face my fate.” Honor attempted to keep her tone soft, but the strain of the unknown caused her voice to crack.

  The day Legacy became Queen of Alderwood, Honor told her about the tingling feeling that signified the completion of her destiny. Her mark had colored in, but there was
more. She had described a strange sense of fingers caressing her skin, trailing from her side to her back. At the time, she had thought nothing of it, but she later discovered a new mark had appeared on her opposite shoulder. Renata had been just as shocked as they were to find that Honor was not the first person to experience the phenomenon. Maris and Rowan both showed them their completed marks and the new mark that had appeared on each of their shoulders. Everyone knew the mark they received on their sixteenth birthday was an indication of their destiny, but now they were beginning to see the wild magic was not done with them yet.

  “You do not know that the new mark depicts your fate. It may just be a continuation of the destiny you have yet to fulfill. So few people live to see their mark fill in that your experience may only be rare because you actually completed what Alderwood wanted from you,” Legacy reasoned.

  Honor shook her head. “I know you are skeptical, but the fact is . . . things are changing. Even Renata was unsure what to think of the new marks some of us have had appear. I think things are finally falling into place for the wild magic, and it is guiding each of us on to the next step in that journey.”

  Legacy sighed. “You may be right, but only time will tell. And there is no reason to be reckless in pursuit of something that may or may not be your fate. My visions were not like yours, Honor. You knew what you needed to do from the moment you woke. My visions have haunted me for years. What you see as destiny, I see as a fate I am not yet prepared to meet.”

  Honor furrowed her brow. “You believe fate to be synonymous with death? I believe fate to be the continuation of destiny. Fate is the fabric woven together by destiny.”

  She had never heard her younger sister speak so eloquently about anything. Her words gave Legacy reason to think about her own mark once again. Of course, it was always on her mind, but she had been focused on the immediate threats for so long it had been pushed to the back of her mind. The moment she awoke from her visions two years ago, Legacy had been troubled. The visions left her wondering what kind of queen she would be; the mark told her being Queen was only a tiny part of what she was meant to do. Her visions had not given her much hope for a long reign, but she would do whatever was needed to end the Shadow Mage’s control over the wild magic.