by J. B. North
I gasped in a few breaths before realizing that the rain and wind had stopped. The choppy waves stilled into a gentle roll, and the clouds cleared away to expose a blue sky. The sun beat down on me as I floundered in the middle of the ocean.
I spun around in circles, waiting for something to appear above the waves, but there was nothing. No pirate ship, no land in the distance. And then, something touched my foot. Something big.
I yelped and shifted into the phoenix as fast as possible, flapping my wings clumsily and somehow managing to get into the air.
I studied the seemingly endless ocean, waiting for the enemy to make an appearance. Then, a row of copper-colored spines broke through the surface and slithered back into the waves.
A sea serpent. Just like Roland. I remembered that Sir Lochlan said he had helped plan out the obstacles, but if he’d helped with this, it was going too far.
The serpent resurfaced, one brown eye staring at me. And then it lunged. I dodged out of the way just in time. His teeth snapped the air where I’d been flying moments before.
He plunged back into the water as I circled around, not wanting to hit the wall of the cage. I was still tilted to the side when the sea serpent struck again, too fast for me to dodge. It clamped down on my wing and started to sink back into the water. I shrieked in pain and blasted the serpent with a ball of white-hot fire. He let go with an angry roar and dove back into the water. I tried to keep my wing from collapsing under the pain, but I’d taken too much damage. I spiraled into the briny ocean, wincing as salt invaded my wounds.
I opened my eyes underwater even though it stung. What now?
Desperate, I shifted into half-form and unsheathed my sword awkwardly.
I jumped when movement flickered beside me and struck at it as hard as I could. My blade pierced through scales, and it seemed as if the entire ocean trembled with the roar of the serpent. It lashed its tail at me, and suddenly, I was up in the air once again, arms and legs thrashing. When I came back down, I hit a hard surface. A cold surface.
I hit ice.
The blow knocked the breath out of my lungs and I gasped with the effort to get it back. As soon as I was able, I pushed myself to my feet unsteadily. The entire ocean had frozen into a white, choppy wasteland. I fully expected the sea serpent to break through and swallow me whole, but to my horror, a voice spoke up from behind me instead.
“It’s been a while, Ivy. A few weeks, perhaps?”
Dread filling my heart, I turned around to find a dripping Roland, the water that splashed onto the ice mingling with blood that pooled from his stomach. He held my sword in his hand.
“Roland.” In my mind, I knew that it wasn’t really him. This was just another nightmarish mirage. But for some reason, this one involved blood.
He came closer, twirling the sword in his hand, his eyes dark.
“Don’t,” I said, backing away. My foot slipped, and I collapsed onto the ice. Roland took the opportunity to rest the tip of my sword on my throat.
“This is the end, Ivy.”
I narrowed my eyes as my mind whirred to find a solution. “No. It’s not.”
And at the same moment that he would have slashed down with the sword, I channeled fiery heat into the ice and plummeted down into the freezing water. I drifted in icy cold for a few moments before everything disappeared and I hit the floor of the arena, shivering uncontrollably. The crowd was silent. At the edge of the cage, three stone pedestals of wizards fought amongst themselves, some angry, others dazed.
“Ivy, come with us.”
I looked back to see Grix and Sir Lochlan.
Fiery anger raged through me as I reached for a sword that wasn’t there. “How could you?” I growled at Lochlan. I lunged for him, but Grix held me back. I knew I was strong enough to toss him away, but even in my anger, I didn’t want to hurt him.
Instead, I fumed silently until the red cleared from my vision, and I saw the way Sir Lochlan almost trembled with rage, his face ashen.
“Do you think it wasn’t painful to see my dead brother like that?” he demanded, eyes blinking rapidly. “Do you think I would dishonor him in such a way?” The muscle in his temple pulsed as he clenched his jaw. “There’s an enemy among us. Perhaps a team of them.”
Grix pushed me back by the shoulders and looked into my eyes. “We need to get to safety. Now.”
-Chapter Seventeen-
Sir Lochlan, Grix, and I hurried out of the arena, forgoing the carriage to travel with the swifter alternative—horseback.
Sir Lochlan led us down a steep hill, away from the raucous crowd, and kicked his horse into a gallop when he reached the field below. Grix and I raced after him, but he’d set a hard pace. Pretty soon, the horses beneath us snorted and panted with the effort.
After we crested the highest hill, the road and the front gate came into view. The guards opened it for us without question, so either a messenger had been sent ahead or they recognized Sir Lochlan from afar.
We pushed our tired, sweating horses past the wrought iron opening, slowing only once we reached the front doors, where we dismounted and passed the reigns on to a stable hand. Grix and Sir Lochlan hurried up the steps.
I started to follow them, but stopped when the stable hand asked, “What’s the rush?”
I turned and shielded my eyes from the sun this time so that I could study his face. “Ayon?”
He flashed white teeth in a smile. “Surprised?”
“How did you get here so fast? I thought the wedding—”
“Ivy!” Sir Lochlan interrupted from the door. “We need to get inside!”
I gave Ayon an apologetic glance as I continued up the steps. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to talk later.”
“Oh… That’s fine,” said Ayon, but his smile had turned into a frown as he looked up at Sir Lochlan.
I hurried up the steps and through the door, which Sir Lochlan shut behind me.
“I advise you to stay in the castle until all of this is over. And I’ll be appointing guards to stay at your door every day,” he said
I twisted toward him sharply. “You know how I feel about guards.”
He wouldn’t look at me. “You have no say. Grix will be your day guard, and I’ll think about it some more before I decide who I trust enough to be your night guard.”
I bent my head to stare at my feet. If I had to have guards, at least Grix was one of them.
When we reached my door, Sir Lochlan continued walking past it. “Keep watch outside while she cleans up, Grix,” he called over his shoulder. “The king will probably send a messenger as soon as he gets back.”
“Yes, sir,” Grix replied as I entered my room.
Once I was through, he shut the door behind me, leaving me completely alone. I sighed and walked to the washbasin, where a pitcher had been set.
After washing up, I sat on my bed and waited for the king’s messenger to come. When the minutes started to drag by, I grew restless. To occupy my mind, I began to shuffle through the drawers of my nightstand. I almost shut the first empty drawer when something caught my eye. In the very back, a small piece of parchment was folded up and shoved into a crevice. I pulled it out and unfolded it, smoothing down the wrinkles. It read:
Dearest Cecile,
My heart grows colder each day I am forced to go without seeing your beautiful face.
You move with the grace of a gazelle. Your eyes are the color of twilight clouds. Your lips are like springtime blossoms, full and perfectly pink. I look forward to the day when I can meet those lips with my own.
Please visit soon, or I may be have to forget my duties here just to be by your side.
Yours forever and always,
Matthias
I was torn between laughing at the lovesick letter and heaving up the lunch that was sent to my room before we left for the arena. Princess Cecile must have meant for me to find Prince Matthias’s message. She thought that I meant to replace her.
Not in a million y
ears.
A knock sounded on the door, startling me from my thoughts. The king’s messenger.
I set the letter down on the nightstand, and hurried to open the door to find not the messenger, but the king himself. As soon as I had the door open, he pushed past me. “Lady Ivy, I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion,” he said as he closed the door behind himself. “But we have important matters to discuss.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “I’ve decided that your stay here should be extended.”
I narrowed my eyebrows. “Extended? Is this because of the attack at the arena?”
“Not exactly,” he answered. “But I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, waiting for this day to come.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Waiting for what?”
He hesitated, looking past me out the window. “Ivy, I find you to be a fascinating creature. You have the rawest power that I’ve ever seen in a shifter, let alone in a female…”
I waited for him to continue, clueless to where he was going.
“You see, tomorrow will not be a mere ceremony. It will be your wedding.”
My entire world spun to a stop. “W-what do you mean? Wedding?”
He placed his hand on my back and guided me over to the sitting area. “I’ll explain myself to you. The royal line is weakening. I was the only one that survived of my siblings, and my boys were the only ones that survived out of the eight that my wife bore over the years. The six that died were healthy babes, but not one of them lived past the age of two in the end. Matthias and Edwin got sick often as children, but when they grew into men, they were strong. Strong enough to hide it when their bodies succumbed to sickness again.”
I shook my head and backed away, fighting off the urge to clamp my hands over my ears.
“You see, you may be right where you need to be. Right in the place where you’re needed most. To marry Matthias and strengthen the royal line in our time of need, when the shadows are longest and the sun is at its peak.”
I shook my head. “No. That can’t be my purpose.”
“Maybe you have multiple purposes,” the king rumbled. “This sacrifice will save your kingdom from eventual ruin. You are on Leviatha’s side, aren’t you?
I sat there, stunned for a moment before I stood and walked to the nightstand, where the letter still lay, unfolded. “Why don’t you explain this?”
The king took the letter out of my hand and began to read it. By the end, he was chuckling and shaking his head. “This does not sound like Matthias at all. In fact, it rather sounds like Prince Edwin’s writing style. But, if this is indeed something that Matthias sent on purpose, it was probably when he was very sick. He may have wanted a pretty little hand to hold on his deathbed.”
I cringed. I certainly didn’t want to be that pretty little hand.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I’m afraid you’ve asked the wrong girl to be the wife of your son. I’m simply not cut out for—”
“Nonsense,” he said in a severe tone, narrowing his eyes. “I didn’t ask.” He took a step forward and stuck a thick, calloused finger in my face. “This is your duty, and you will do it. To strengthen the royal line and to save your kingdom from ruin.”
“But—”
He waved his hand away and clenched his jaw. “I will hear no more about it. Matthias is on his way now to talk and plan with us.”
Sure enough, not three seconds later, a knock came at the door.
The king had his mouth open, ready to scold some more, but snapped it shut to answer the knock instead. Prince Matthias walked through, avoiding my gaze.
“About time,” said King Giddon. “Let’s all sit down.” Prince Matthias followed his father back to the sitting area. Maybe I should run, I thought, eyeing the door longingly. In the end, I trailed reluctantly after the prince.
“The wedding will be tomorrow, at the exact time that the ceremony to make you a lady was planned,” the king began. “That way, we haven’t wasted good money and food on a celebration that never happens.”
“I can’t—”
The king cut me off with a look.
“I’ll have our best event planners on the job, and of course, I already told Dame Guthrie to include a lot of white in the dress design.”
By the sound of it, it was never his plan to make me a lady. Just a princess. And Dame Guthrie had known.
“You knew that this would be a wedding,” I accused.
The king shrugged. “Maybe. I’m glad you proved yourself powerful enough to gain the role of princess, soon to be queen, and mother of future kings.”
He continued on into his planning. “We’ll inform the closest noblemen and women around to see if they can make it. I know it will be very short notice, so there shouldn’t be much of a crowd.” The king continued on and on until the words just faded into the background. I felt dizzy and rested my head on my palm to calm the sensation.
I was brought out of my stupor when a boot came into view, and then a knee. I looked up to find Prince Matthias kneeling in front of me, a ring with several small diamonds pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “Ivy…will you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
This was the second proposal this year, and it felt just as unexpected and unpleasant as the first, if not more so. I prayed that I wouldn’t throw up. I shook my head once, but one look at the king behind him made me reconsider. There was a warning in his eyes, and I knew that I would be in danger if I said no.
Instead, I looked back down and said, “It’s too soon. I can’t marry you so soon.”
Prince Matthias paused and looked back at his father. The king sighed heavily. “Then you have one week,” he conceded.
The prince looked back at me as he slid the ring on my finger and glanced up with shadowed gray eyes. Underneath his stare and the king’s, I finally cracked. I gave a slight nod. “Okay,” I whispered.
Prince Matthias didn’t smile as he stood. He leaned forward awkwardly and gave me a peck on the cheek while holding my hands. I looked over Prince Matthias’s shoulder at that moment to see the king’s smug smile. He gave me an approving nod, and it was all I could do to hold on to my lunch.
When Matthias finally backed away, the king patted his back and led him out of the room. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving my mind reeling.
What just happened? What have I done?
-Chapter Eighteen-
I waited a few minutes after the prince and the king had left, and then followed them out the door. Grix looked around in surprise.
“What was all that about?” he asked.
I glanced down the hallway, making sure King Giddon and his son were nowhere in sight. Seeing no one, I turned back to Grix. “I’m engaged to Prince Matthias.”
His eyebrows shot up, and for a moment, his mouth opened and closed like a fish. “How was that decided?” he finally got out.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “It was all a blur. I was pressured into it.”
Confusion clouded his features. “But…why?”
I was about to answer, but a servant rounded the corner at the end of the hallway. I stepped back into the room and waved for Grix to follow.
Safe behind the door, I continued. “The king told me that the royal line was weakening. He believes that part of the prophecy is about saving the Leviathan kingdom by bearing his son’s children.”
Grix rubbed his stubbly chin. “When is the wedding supposed to happen?”
“In a week,” I said, dread seeping into my voice.
“A week?!” Grix said loudly. I looked at the door, hoping no one heard. Grix lowered his voice. “Just a week?”
“It was going to be tomorrow.”
“That’s not right. A week is far too short of a time to plan a wedding, let alone a single day. Why must it be so soon?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea…but it doesn’t matter. I won’t be here.”
His eyes widened. “You mean you’re going to—”
“Run. Like I always do,” I finished for him.
“The king will send men after you. He’ll search far and wide until he gets you back. Are you sure you want to chance that rather than refusing the offer directly?”
“Of course I don’t want to,” I retorted. “But it wasn’t exactly an offer. I tried to say no. The king forced me.”
Grix ran a hand through his hair. “Well, at least you’ve got a few days to make an escape plan.”
“And to say goodbye,” I added.
Grix shook his head. “Not to everyone. If you’re leaving, Alyss and I will come with you. We already decided we would.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I need you both to stay here. I don’t want you to be in trouble because of me, not to mention I’ll be able to cover more ground on my own.”
Grix paused to think about it. “What about King Ciaran’s men? Aren’t they searching for you, too?”
“They’ll have a tough time catching up with me in the air.”
Grix frowned, eyebrows pulled down into a line. “Are you sure?”
“I am.”
He gave a nod. “When will you leave?”
I paused to think about it. “Maybe the day after tomorrow. I want enough time to say goodbye, while sparing the servants unnecessary work.”
“That sounds about right,” he said. “You will be missed.”
We both swiveled to the door when a sudden knock rang through the room. Grix glanced at me, and then stepped forward to answer it.
“Alyss,” he said, in obvious relief. He pulled her in and shut the door.
She looked at me, eyes wide. “I heard the news. This must be what the king had been planning.”
“It seems that it was,” I replied.
“I’m so sorry. I only wish I had known…”
“How could you? Unless you’re capable of reading minds.”
She gave me a thin smile. “If only I could.”
I stepped toward the door. “I’m going to let Grix explain everything to you. There’s someone I need to see.”
