Adrienne

by D Renee Bagby

  Adrienne stalked over to a set of windows as far away from Malik as she could get. If he wouldn’t leave, then she would wait him out. She could concentrate on the garden below her room and the many people trying to keep the palace grounds beautiful—a task made difficult because the plants didn’t want to be cut, and fought back when the gardeners tried.

  The battle of man versus nature should have been hilarious to Adrienne. It only reminded her of Bron’s differences. Ten days wouldn’t be enough time to learn everything she needed to convince people she was a true inhabitant.

  What would she talk about? One family anecdote and she would give herself away. She couldn’t discuss how she and Malik met or anything about her life before he brought her to Bron. The less she said about herself, the more people would want to know and that would put undue stress on her.

  There had to be a good reason why she had to keep her origin a secret, but it didn’t matter. It constituted another demand—something forced on her by a man who didn’t care that he’d taken her from her family and all that she loved for his own selfish ends.

  There were so many things she wanted to say, wanted to yell, at Malik. None of them would come out and she knew none of it would make any difference.

  She “belonged” to him. That’s what he’d said to her. He’d brought her there to be his possession, not his equal. There was no way he would share his power with her. He didn’t want a queen, he wanted a placeholder. What better placeholder than some dupe who…

  Adrienne startled. The window in front of her cracked with a loud snap, the only warning before the whole thing shattered.

  Adrienne cried out and shielded her face. Flying glass whizzed past her.

  Another loud crash made Adrienne look up to see what had broken. A three-feet-tall vase had exploded. Bits of ceramic rested on top of a translucent white barrier that surrounded Malik. He looked surprised.

  Before Adrienne could ask, Khursid and Qamar rushed into the room. Qamar went to Adrienne while Khursid leapt out the window face first.

  “Why did he—?”

  “Are you hurt, Highness?” Qamar asked.

  “No, I’m fine. What was that?”

  A tiny flash of light heralded Khursid’s return. He stood before the shattered window. “I could find no intruders, Majesty, and no trace of the magicks used,” he said to Malik.

  “You just jumped out the window,” Adrienne yelled. “What the hell?”

  “A levitation spell slowed my descent and a teleportation spell aided my return.”

  Adrienne was so preoccupied with Khursid’s antics that she missed Malik moving to her side. She jerked away from him when he would have touched her cheek.

  “Don’t touch me, damn it.”

  Another vase shattered.

  Everyone looked at it and then at Adrienne. She stared back at them.

  Saj walked over to the first broken vase and started gathering the pieces. “It is not well done of you to upset your intended queen in such a way, Majesty. Her Highness will end up destroying the palace if you persist.”

  “What’s he talking about?” Adrienne asked.

  “You are right, Saj. I am leaving even now,” Malik agreed. He turned his attention back to Adrienne. “I had not expected your powers to show this early. In a bid to keep my palace whole and return you to a more sanguine mood, I shall take my leave of you. You will not see me again until tomorrow. I hope this is satisfactory, my lady.”

  “No, it’s not. I want to go home.”

  “I am sorry I must disappoint you in that regard.”

  “No, you aren’t. You’re not sorry in the least. Just leave.”

  Malik bowed. “As you will, my lady.” He straightened and left the room without another word.

  Adrienne sagged. She wanted to sit down but too much broken glass blocked her path to the nearest chair, and she didn’t have shoes. Instead, she checked for wounds. When her search turned up nothing, she turned to Saj. “No offense, but can you leave, too?”

  “I wished only to aid in the clean up, Princess.”

  “Doesn’t Malik need you?” Adrienne asked. She didn’t care if Malik needed him, or for what Malik needed him. She wanted the man gone.

  “Not presently, Princess. If I could be allowed to help clean the shattered glass, I will make quick work of the task and then be gone from your presence.”

  “Whatever,” Adrienne said. She looked around. Had she really caused the vases and window to shatter? The tension she felt had demanded she break something. In answer to that request, things had broken.

  “Is this normal?” she asked.

  Hani answered, “No, Highness. As you are new to Bron and magicks, your control is not what it should be. Extremes of emotion at this time will manifest in unpredictable ways.”

  “Like my nightmare. Great. Now I’m a hazard to myself,” muttered Adrienne in annoyance. She looked across the room when a table started rattling. “Oh, stop it.”

  The table stopped.

  She looked away from the table to Khursid and Qamar. They stared at her. She said with a smile, “Looks like you were right, Khursid. I may end up hurting myself after all.”

  “That was not something on which I wished to be proven right, Highness,” Khursid replied.

  Mushira announced, “No one will get hurt. We merely have to teach Princess Adrienne how to recognize the power she is using and how to control it.”

  “That’s another thing,” said Adrienne. “When did I become a princess?”

  “As you are not yet queen, you must be given a title that denotes your status. That title is princess,” Mushira answered.

  Adrienne nodded. The sound of glass clanking against itself drew her eye. Saj put the last of the broken glass on the serving tray. He said, “I will endeavor to remind Malik of this incident in the hopes he will curtail his selfish tendencies, at least until you have gained control of your powers, Princess. After that, I can make no promises.”

  “You’ve just given me incentive not to learn, Saj. Thank you,” Adrienne quipped with the first real humor she had felt since she got there.

  “I am always glad to be of service to you, Highness. I shall take my leave now.” He bowed again, gathered up the tray and left.

  Adrienne waited for the door to close behind him, then asked, “Is he always so…rigid?”

  “Yes,” everyone said in unison.

  “Ah, King Malik must have ordered the repair of the window,” Mushira said with satisfaction.

  Adrienne looked at the window she’d broken. The upper pane of the window dripped clear, viscous liquid. Each drop of liquid formed a small portion of glass until the entire window pane was filled.

  “None of you guys is doing that?”

  “No, Highness. Construction magicks are a specialty. It takes years of training to master,” Hani said. She went over to tap on the glass once the repairs finished. “The construction mages who work in the palace are extremely strong. Fixing this window without being in the room is a testament to that.”

  “Nice,” Adrienne said. She looked back at her breakfast. How many meals would be ruined before she got used to life on this alternate Earth?

  * * *

  Adrienne stared intently at the vase in front of her. It was simple, blue, and about four inches high with no unique characteristics to cause her fascination.

  “You’ve improved since yesterday, Highness,” Mushira said.

  “This is easy. I’d rather go back to juggling.”

  “Perhaps another time. It’s better to make sure you are able to split your concentration between floating the vase and speaking.”

  Adrienne waved at the vase. “Done. Here I am, floating a vase and talking. What’s next?”

  Mushira pushed down on the vase. It dipped, then returned to eye level. “Keep it stationary, if you would, Highness.”

  “Sure.”

  Mushira pushed again. This time it stayed in place—and started laughing. Mushira gasp
ed and snatched her hand away.

  Adrienne laughed at the woman’s surprised look. “I’m sorry, Mushira. I couldn’t help myself.” She poked the vase. It laughed harder.

  The laughter garnered the attention of everyone in the room. Nimat poked the vase and it squeaked with even more laughter. She looked at Adrienne in awe. “Highness, how do you know animus magicks?”

  “Animus magicks?” Adrienne asked. She put her hand over the mouth of the vase, muffling the laughter, but it didn’t stop. She needed a top.

  A small lid with a round knob appeared.

  “That’s the ticket,” Adrienne said. She plunked the lid down on the mouth of the vase. The laughter stopped.

  She smiled at her accomplishment and looked at the others for praise and words of encouragement. Her companions looked stunned.

  “What?”

  “Where did that lid come from?” Mushira asked.

  Adrienne shrugged. “Don’t know. I wanted a lid and it showed up. It matches perfectly, too.”

  “Princess Adrienne, that vase has no lid,” Hani said.

  “It’s right here.” Adrienne pointed at the lid. She looked around at everyone. “What’s the problem?”

  “You have exhibited both animus and materialization magicks but are trained in neither, Highness,” Qamar said.

  “Materialization would mean the lid existed somewhere in the palace, Qamar,” Khursid corrected. “Her Highness performed transmutation magick. She changed some other object into a lid.”

  “And? What does all that mean?” Adrienne asked. Her actions shouldn’t get this type of reaction. This was a land of magicks and she had used them.

  “Mages are measured against twenty levels of accomplishment, Highness,” Mushira said. “The higher the mage’s level, the more complicated the magicks the mage can control.” She indicated the vase. “You are using magicks reserved for mages of the sixteenth level.”

  “Oh.” Adrienne stared at the vase. It had seemed a simple enough task to make it laugh when she did it. She’d imagined all the talking furniture in the cartoons she watched as a kid.

  Malik entered the room. As had become his custom, he hadn’t knocked. Everyone except Adrienne immediately bowed or curtsied to him. He nodded to them all. “What has everyone so distracted?”

  Adrienne lifted the lid off the vase. Its laughter had died down to small titters until she poked it. That got it laughing uproariously again.

  “It seems I’m doing things I shouldn’t be able to.” She replaced the lid. To the vase, she said, “It’s not that funny.”

  “Impressive.” He came forward and placed his hand on Adrienne’s cheek. He smiled. “I would expect no less from my future queen.”

  Proud. Adrienne felt proud. Her annoyance with Malik’s presence changed the second he touched her. She could have pulled away but decided not to, a small concession since he’d given in to her the day before—albeit to save his palace.

  His touch was light and it didn’t seem like he would do more. She looked up at him. His eyes mirrored the pride she felt.

  Malik was proud.

  The emotion she felt was his. Knowing he was pleased with her tiny accomplishment made her happy—in a little kid kind of way. Any praise was good praise, no matter whom it came from.

  Malik cupped her chin and moved closer. Her breathing sped up. Lust replaced pride. It slunk along her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps on her arms.

  A muted crash made Adrienne jump in surprise. She stepped away from Malik, then looked around for the source of the sound. A three-foot vase in the farthest corner of the room sat at a diagonal because the base had cracked when it hit the ground.

  “I didn’t mean to break that one. It was actually kind of pretty.” Adrienne had forgotten about it. Floating the tiny blue vase for hours on end bored her so she had decided to split her attention between the blue one and the three-foot one without letting Mushira know. Hani had noticed but kept quiet.

  Though Adrienne’s concentration had slipped, the blue vase continued to float. That made her feel a little better.

  “That is why I said to limit your activities, Highness,” Mushira scolded lightly.

  “The damage is minimal. A construction mage can fix it easily,” Hani said.

  “I don’t want to bother them.”

  “It is no bother for them to do their job, my lady,” Malik said. “Nimat, see to it.”

  Nimat curtsied, then left the room.

  “Speaking of bothering people…” Adrienne said, looking at Malik. She plucked the small vase out of the air before it became a victim of her wayward concentration. Its muffled laughter grew louder. The joke started off cute, now how did she shut it off?

  “I promise you will only have to suffer my presence for a short time,” Malik said. He smiled when she rolled her eyes at him.

  Adrienne sat in the window seat, then continued with her levitation practice. “I’d rather not be bothered at all. I’d also rather be back on Earth.” She spared him a glance, then turned her attention back to the vase. “But we both know what I want isn’t your first concern.”

  Malik had prepared for this. He joined Adrienne on the window seat. It was wide enough to accommodate them both without him touching her, and he knew she wanted it that way.

  “Your life here will not be as fearsome as you think, my lady. Beyond myself and our personal guards, there are many mages and warriors who are prepared to stand between you and harm.”

  “Were these the same mages and warriors who stood between your parents and harm?”

  Malik didn’t take offense. He knew Adrienne would lash out at him. He had prepared for physical, magickal and verbal abuse before he decided to visit her.

  “No. Those charged with my parents’ protection were executed for failing in their task.”

  “Makes you take your job more seriously when your life is hanging in the balance, too, huh?”

  “Exactly, my lady,” Malik agreed in a cold voice.

  Adrienne tapped the small vase. An identical vase appeared next to it, but this one darker. She plucked the lid off and it started to cry. Water dripped over the rim. She replaced the lid quickly, then asked, “How about I make everyone’s job simpler and never leave my room? Protecting me would be much easier if I’m always in one place.”

  “So would attacking you,” he snapped. Malik regretted his words the second they left his mouth. Adrienne’s control on the vases faltered. He caught them—one in each hand—before they hit the ground. “I did not mean to say that, my lady. Forgive me.”

  He held out the vases. He wanted to tell Adrienne how proud he was of her ability to not only animate the vases but to conjure another into being. She had no formal training and yet wielded magicks most mages had to spend decades learning to control. Only her imagination limited her abilities, the same as him.

  Knowing she wouldn’t want his compliments stayed his praise. She wanted his absence. He couldn’t give it to her. “There is no danger here,” he offered, instead. “I have learned from my parents’ mistakes and do not rely solely on magicks. I have endeavored, in my years as ruler, to make this palace as safe as possible for your arrival.”

  “So what? Even if the palace is safe, what about the rest of the world? I’m a prisoner here. If you really want to keep me safe, send me home, Malik.” She took the vases from him, then bent to place them on the floor.

  Malik’s eyes narrowed. He kept his silence until Adrienne straightened and looked at him. “Need I remind you of your attack, my lady? I had not thought you would forget it so easily,” he said in a cool voice.

  “Yes,” she agreed, “let’s talk about that. Because, God knows, when you aren’t winning an argument, bringing up the stupidity of the other party is a sure-fire way to win.” She held up a hand. “Spare me.”

  She looked out the window.

  “Then allow me to speak of more pleasant things.”

  Malik smiled when she gave him a dismissive wav
e. She may not wish to be a queen, but she already conducted herself like one. In time, she would realize what Malik already knew. They were two of a kind and meant to be together.

  Chapter Seven

  “Highness, four days have passed,” Mushira said.

  Adrienne raised an eyebrow at Mushira’s reflection in the window. The vases that floated behind her head mimicked her movement—one floated slightly higher than the other. “And your point is what, Mushira?” She’d already had this argument the day before, and the day before that. It had become a ritual of sorts.

  “You have only six days more and you have not stepped one foot out of your rooms. How are you to get to know Ulan and its people if you never leave your rooms?”

  As with the last few times Mushira had asked this question, Adrienne deemed it unworthy of an answer.

  Mushira tried another tactic. “King Malik has ruled wisely since age ten. He has made Ulan the third richest and second most powerful of the fourteen kingdoms. As Ulan’s queen you will be expected to show off that wealth in the way you dress and are adorned. Would you not like to go to the bazaar and pick out jewels to compliment the outfits King Malik had made for you?”

  “If he had the outfits made, then he can pick out the jewelry to go with them.”

  “Would you not like to tour the beauty of Ulan? There are other, far more beautiful gardens in and around the palace to tempt the eye. Perhaps you would like to see them, Highness?”

  “I can see them fine from my perch. Besides, I’ll live longer if I don’t leave my rooms.”

  She was only half-joking. The thought of leaving her rooms terrified her. Forget the threat of death. What if she made a mistake or had a slip of the tongue and someone realized she wasn’t from this neck of the woods?