Oh, Mother. I know the ways you would scold me so well by now, that maybe I am old enough to no longer need you. I swallowed back tears. My mother wasn’t always warm, but she was so strong, so admirable, and she never neglected me, even across the miles.
“If I pricked my finger on the spindle willingly, maybe…she would spare you. Maybe it would all calm down.”
“There is no way I will ever give you permission to go. The king should always sacrifice himself before the queen!” Augustus said, and for once, his control over me didn’t seem like a game. He meant every word of it.
“Wait,” Axel said. “I think, before we do anything, we should consult a mage.”
Chapter Fifteen
Interlude
The Cobblestone Witch raged when she learned that the royal trio had escaped their prison, but Merry, in an attempt to throw the Witch off the trail, started a rumor that maybe Augustus’ brother, the Master of Delights, had helped him escape.
A trick he would quickly regret when the Witch called for Prince Josef’s head.
The mob was so hungry to see someone punished that some sorcerers from the council tracked down the prince as he tried to flee farther north and dragged him back to Ellurine, where the prince, who was known for his clever quips, stamina for alcohol, and love of music, was beheaded before a crowd of hundreds.
It was a dark day for the kingdom. The most fervent revolutionaries came to shout at him, but in the streets of the rest of the city, one could tell the people were in a state of shock and some apprehension. No matter what you believed, there was a sense that no good would come of this.
When the news moved swiftly to Jeanne, her annoyance with her mistress quickly rose to a full-throated cry of rebellion, one that echoed down the halls of her old rooms. The dogs ran around her in circles, whining with distress.
“Does she think this will fix anything for anyone?” she screamed at Merry, swinging a broom around. She beat the walls. “I told you she was going down a dark path! And now that she’s tasted blood, where does it end?”
“I am very much afraid of that,” Merry said. “She is hoping that by killing nobles, one after another, the king will be lured out to sacrifice himself.”
“And I think he’ll do it, too. You know, I never thought much of him at all. I’ll admit that right off. He wasn’t a man like his grandfather. Emriel was a lover and a warrior both, just what you would want in a King of the Sun Palace. Augustus, he was just strange. But he was honorable. Too honorable. I bet he’ll come back and give her just what she wants.”
“She’ll kill him…,” Merry said, grimacing.
“I need a drink,” Jeanne cried, turning to the kitchens. The palace was so vast that she lost her way trying to find the wine cellars, and then when she found them she realized that all the wine had been looted or spilled. She could still smell it soaked into the stone but there was none to drink.
Jeanne laughed until she folded her arms over a barrel and cried.
“Miss du Bariel.” Merry stood over her and kicked the barrel out from under her. “I need your help.”
“Fair enough. I deserved that, for sure. This is my fault as much as anyone’s. I helped her all along the way. I learned magic from her, but it isn’t like I have enough magic to stop her.”
“You certainly do have something that can stop her,” Merry said. “The truth.”
“Oh, no…” Jeanne was ready to bolt. “If I told the people that I helped her cast a spell to create this winter, she would find a way to blame me for it and they would tear me to pieces.”
“Maybe,” Merry said. “Truth is powerful magic.” More gently, he continued, “Maybe you don’t have enough magic to control the weather or destroy the witch. But between us both, we might have enough magic to protect the King and Queen and help the people. If you are serious about putting an end to all of this, because I’ve heard that you were no friend of the queen’s.”
Jeanne shook her head. “When I knew her she seemed like a petty child. But I could never have done what she has done. She is the Queen Who Bowed.”
“I have a task for you, if you’re willing.” He held out a scarf made of spun gold. “This is a precious family heirloom, woven with magic. Before I entrust you, I want your promise that you understand.”
I have never been a person worth trusting, Jeanne thought. It was a very strange feeling for anyone to think of her in that role in the first place.
“Who are you?” she asked. “You’re a goblin, so why do you care about the queen?”
“I am quite capable of caring about someone of another race,” he said. “And my mother was a human, not that it matters. But this didn’t begin in any particularly benevolent way. The witch got her hands on an enchanted spinning wheel that belonged to my father some years ago, and I would like to return it to him.”
Jeanne nodded, as pride made more sense to her than kindness as a core motivation.
“I believe the King and Queen might come here out of duty,” Merry continued. “And the people need to hear from them. But the only way to ease the situation might be for the king and queen to abdicate the throne. This will remove the witch’s argument out from under her, and she and the council will have to get down to the business of actually fixing the kingdom. The scarf can rescue the royal family from their plight. Before Rose touches the spindle, or before Augustus is executed, they will be whisked away in a flash and I will secure safe passage for them to Aveborg, where they can wait it out. You need to give this to them after they arrive, because the Witch will surely search her for such enchantments when she returns. I believe the Witch trusts you to be close to her.”
“So they will be exiled,” Jeanne said.
“For now.”
“But the kingdom will be a disaster under the witch,” Jeanne said. “More people will starve. She doesn’t know the first thing about actually governing. I just don’t think the king and queen would accept that fate.”
“She seems to know quite a lot about executions,” Merry said, arching a brow. “So we can only do what we can for now.”
“I’ll do my best,” Jeanne said brusquely, even as she wondered how this strange man had so many tricks up his sleeve and why she enjoyed his company when she had never given the time of day to an ugly man before. “Sounds easy enough.”
“Do be careful,” he said, not betraying any of the tenderness he felt for this woman who had spent the past two weeks as the lonely keeper of the Palace of the Sun. He rummaged in his pocket and found a flask of liquor and they shared a drink together.
“Don’t forget to lock the doors behind you when you come to town,” he said, patting the door frame. “We should keep the place safe for them, eh?”
Jeanne thought of the dozens of doors and the tall windows with shattered panes, and laughed.
Chapter Sixteen
“Are there any mages among your court?” Axel asked the king and queen of the Wicked Revels. “Isn’t there some sort of enchantment that might break the curse? I understand my lord and lady’s sense of duty, but as their sworn protector I must try everything to save them, even if the price is high.”
Queen Alexandra and King Ladinus looked at each other.
“You have proved yourself worthy,” Queen Alexandra said. “The most powerful mage in our kingdom is known only as the Magus. If anyone in the realm could go against the Cobblestone Witch, it would be him. But his magic feeds on desire, and he could only create a spell for you if you were able to let go completely. Since you have done so, I’ll give you a carriage and send you to his door.”
As the carriage trundled along the road, I poked Augustus and laughed. “You looked so annoyed that she was pleased with us!”
He gave me an insolent look. “I wouldn’t get too smug. Just because you wrung my fantasies out of me, doesn’t mean I can’t demand my royal privilege. Kneel on the floor of the carriage and pleasure me as we ride.”
“Or we could make things more interesti
ng still,” Axel said, grabbing me before I could kneel. They were sitting across from each other. He cupped his hand around my sex, keeping me from sitting down. “You can ride my cock while you please your king.” He spread my legs over his lap and Augustus settled my arms at his waist, so I bridged them, the swaying of the carriage doing some of the work for me.
“After all, we are seeing the mage who feeds on desire,” Augustus said.
By the time we arrived I expected the Magus would have plenty to work with.
He lived in a charming wooden cottage deep in the forest, and I’m sure he must have heard us coming, because when the carriage pulled up, he was waiting outside with a woman he introduced as his wife Gretel. Both of them were probably older than they looked, I thought, but faeries aged gracefully. The woman looked human but a life lived in the faery realm gave all of its residents the faery charms.
“Well, well, we don’t have that many visitors these days,” he said, leaning in the doorframe, arms crossed. “I’m supposed to be retired. It must be quite important.”
“This must be the King and Queen of Ellurine,” the woman said. “Didn’t you read the mail?”
“If you think the mail is important, you’d best read it to me,” he said. “Or at least tell me the gossip over our dinner. Or do I have to pin you down and demand it…?” He waved us in. “Come in and tell me what you need, whoever you are.”
We were shown into a snug parlor with two chairs by the fire and other chairs that seemed forgotten in corners like the Magus didn’t have many guests. Gretel pulled them around for us now and served us rhubarb and strawberry pastries.
Once we had explained the situation, he looked thoughtful for a moment and then stormed off, leaving Gretel to shrug at us and enjoy plenty of the pastry herself. “Well, that’s a good sign, anyway,” she said.
The Magus returned after a little while with a dusty bottle with just a few drops of liquid. He gave it to Augustus. “This is a very rare spell,” he said. “The realm of dreams is hard to pin down with magic. The spell must be made slowly and carefully from the essence of the dream world that can only be captured in the moment you wake up, and it is equally difficult to activate. Luckily I do have one in my inventory.”
“What does it do?” Augustus asked.
“It will allow you to enter the dream realm with another person,” the Magus said. “The spell is meant for a husband and wife who must be separated for a long time. So, if Rose should fall under the curse, you can still see her and speak to her. However, as I said, it isn’t easy to activate either. You have to take the spell and then make love to her, but you can’t wake her up. While you make love to her in the real world, she will see you in her dreams. If you wake her up, or she doesn’t see you there, then the spell is a failure.”
“How am I supposed to control it?”
“If your bond is close, it’ll happen,” the Magus said. “The dose allows for you to try three times.”
“What is the price?” Augustus asked.
“Old as I am, just take it. What use do I have for anything?”
“He’s in a very good mood today,” Gretel said, smiling wryly.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I don’t expect it will be too hard for you.”
“And this is all? Could you make another batch?”
The Magus shrugged. “It’s magic, my dear. It takes time and I am getting too old, and you will run out of time yourselves besides. You’re talking about a spell that warps the boundaries between worlds, so it can’t be whipped up on a whim.”
Augustus looked interested in how the spells were made, and asked many more questions, but there didn’t seem to be any way around it, so that was that. After a little more tea and somewhat awkward conversation, we turned around and went back to the Wicked Revels.
“Well, there are three doses,” Axel said. “So you’ll just have to do it right the first time.”
Augustus rolled the bottle back and forth in his palm. “Maybe you should take the potion to begin with. If the worst should happen…you might be able to escape to Aveborg and spend out your days visiting Rose in your dreams and taking care of her as she sleeps. If I’m killed, it’s useless.”
“I could never do that. You’re her first love.”
“Please don’t let me sleep for a hundred years,” I said. “Not if you’re both gone when I wake up.”
They looked at each other, and didn’t answer me, and I knew either of these men would do anything to protect me, even if it meant sentencing me to a life without them.
This, I could not bear.
Chapter Seventeen
Augustus
We made the bedroom as relaxing as possible, to encourage Rose to sleep deeply. Lavender under the pillowcase. A healthy fire in the heart of the cottage, so she could fall asleep in the nude. Her hands and feet were not bound like they must be in the Palace of the Sun.
She looked like a painting as she settled her head down, her fair hair loose, the curves of her body unbroken by any clothes at all.
“I am very tired here…,” she said, yawning. “With all the dancing and drinking every night, I’m sure you can find your way into my dreams.” Axel was stroking her feet to help put her to sleep. “I feel so pampered. I like this life so much better than the grand corps and the bindings I’ve been so used to…”
Still, I saw the worry in her eyes. And worse, the reluctance.
There had always been pain for her, in this life. Pain she didn’t want her child to endure. I wondered if she would be able to fully embrace the potion if a part of her didn’t want to go home.
The soft lips of her sex were already wet. I wondered what it was she really desired. Just Axel and me?
No, I thought, a part of her yearns for her bindings, because they bind us all together. That is the Rose I need to find, in the world of dreams.
After a short while, her breathing was slow. She had a faint smile on her face.
“I think it’s time,” Axel said. “I wonder what she’s dreaming about?”
“Damn, I hope this works,” I said. “I still think you should take it.”
“You know I won’t do that,” Axel said. “Augustus, it has been my great pleasure to serve the both of you.”
My frown deepened. “Don’t say that like it’s a goodbye.”
His only response was to take the potion off the table and fold my hand around the bottle. “Everyone in this world must someday say goodbye,” he said. “But if fate is kind, all goodbyes are temporary. Let’s enjoy what we can, while we can. She is so vulnerable in this moment. Claim her, Augustus. Savor her. Fuck her. Show me how it’s done. I have often endured the torture of knowing you are making love to her while I am locked out.”
If Axel’s intent was to get me hard and ready, he was succeeding.
The potion didn’t smell herbal or earthy or grassy, like most potions did, but was light and sweet. I waited for Rose to fall into a deep sleep before putting a dose on my tongue.
She had fallen asleep on her back, with her head tossed to the side and resting on her hand, and I realized that maybe I should have bound her feet after all, to keep them spread for me. But I wanted her to sleep and dream like a free woman. I thought it might help.
Carefully, I parted her thighs. As soon as I did, she made a little murmuring sound. I stopping moving.
But it was too late to stop, in any case. I had already taken the spell.
I took my cock out, already stiff and hungry for her. It was killing me to be so careful, because I was used to having her any way I wanted. I was used to her being awake and fully aware, the anticipation in her eyes and the little murmurs of encouragement—or the sparks of rebellion in her eyes, the struggles against her bonds. I wondered if some kings had ever crumpled under that pressure, and that was why they took a mistress. One thing I could say about Rose and me, the pressure kept us aroused. The tighter the vice, the more we struggled, and the more we struggled, the more we wanted ea
ch other.
I pushed into her, trying to be careful but unable to entirely resist, especially with Axel watching me. I didn’t want to be gentle. I wanted to feel friction and force. I wanted to hunt my girl down.
But she needed to stay asleep, and so far she was. I tried to keep my weight off her, propping myself up on my elbows but holding my face close enough to hers that I could smell the floral perfume of her skin.
It felt so good to be inside her; her tight passage so hot that I knew she was getting aroused even as she slept. The thought of that excited me more. I imagined that she could already be dreaming of me. Her breath came a little quicker and she made a little sound, but she still seemed to be in dreams.
It’s working.
I pumped my hips and rocked back and forth, leaning on my arms, letting myself go as I fucked her harder.
I could lose myself in this woman forever. She twitched and sighed but I was too far gone to stop.
And then her eyes flew open.
Damn.
Chapter Eighteen
I woke up with my body aflame.
We must have failed.
My eyes met Augustus’ and I realized that we had lost our first chance. But I had no time to think of that, because Augustus couldn’t stop, and my whole body was tingling. I already felt halfway to reaching a peak, and it was strange to wake in such a state. I wondered if I had dreamed about him after all, but I didn’t recall anything, and anyway, the Magus said I was supposed to sleep through it all.
All the desire that would normally have built over time instead washed over me at once, a wave of heat that curled my toes. Waking up with Augustus’ cock already inside me was a new sort of vulnerable.
The Surrender of Sleeping Beauty Page 36
