by J. D. Wright
It was a dark red stone on a long silver chain. Silas reached over and dropped it into Dahlia’s hands.
“This, my daughter, is a special amulet, used to disguise a person to look like someone else. Larkin found it on a wizard we encountered last winter.”
Dahlia held the amulet up, studying it, and twirling it around in her fingers. The stone was smooth and cold.
“How does it work?” she asked.
Silas pointed to the stone. “You wear the stone when you are beside someone you want to look like, then you say an incantation. It will only work to change your appearance if you are within close range of that person. However, once you have made the change, you can go as far away from that person as you’d like. You can even kill that person, and you will not lose your appearance. The magic will last until you use it to change to another person. It is quite a little stone, eh?
“So how do you change back to yourself?”
“The only way we know of is to stand in front of a mirror and say the incantation. However, I will warn you. You must kill the person you become, even if you are only going to be in their appearance for a short time. If someone were to see two of a person, it would be obvious that magic is being used. You could be hanged in some kingdoms for impersonation. Depending on who you impersonate, that is.”
“What would you like me to do with it, Father?”
“Nothing just yet. I am giving it to you now so you can practice. The incantation is tricky. I may have a task that requires use of it, later on.”
Silas stood to leave. Dahlia had hoped to spend more time with her father, but she knew that this had already been the most time he had spent with her in many years.
“Father,” she called out just before he left the room. “You seem very happy today. I am glad.”
“Oh, I am my dear. I am. Soon I will pay a surprise visit to a very important love of mine from long ago. I am quite excited.”
Then he turned and left.
So he hadn’t been happy about her accomplishments, after all. He was happy about visiting some love from his past. He had never mentioned anyone that he loved before Vallica, if you could even call that love. Vallica had wormed her way into Silas’ kingdom and bed by using her body. Dahlia’s mother, however, had been one of Silas’ mistresses. One that he actually cared some for. He had decided to allow the mistress to remain pregnant, telling her that it was time he had an heir. Then, when Dahlia had been born a girl, Silas had killed her mother right there on the birthing bed. Her mother had never even gotten to hold her baby girl. Then Silas refused to allow any more of his mistresses to conceive a child. If they had gotten pregnant by accident, Silas would make them drink a potion of toxic herbs that killed the child before it could grow.
Dahlia had to live with the fact that she was an immediate disappointment to her father, simply for being born a female. And she had worked hard over the years to prove to her father that she wasn’t useless and was capable of anything he asked her to do. It hadn’t been easy, but she had pushed through it.
Vallica had never conceived over the years, either. Perhaps, that should have made her inadequate to Silas, but he kept her around for some reason that Dahlia couldn’t understand. Maybe he liked to toy with her. Either way, Dahlia and Vallica had been at odds since Dahlia was a girl, garnering most of her father’s attention and leaving little for Vallica after he was finished with his whores.
And things had only gotten worse once Dahlia was old enough to attract male attention from visitors. Attention that usually went to her step-mother. Dahlia discovered she had a good singing voice at that time and used it to distract the men from looking Vallica’s way. If Vallica had a lover now, it was probably an ugly old brute, for Dahlia had successfully swayed most every other handsome man that came their way.
Dahlia was quite pleased with herself. Smiling, she looked at the amulet until Vallica entered the room wearing one of her usual dark and dreary dresses.
“I heard you had returned,” Vallica frowned. “Back so soon? Did you run out of men to seduce and ruin?”
“Well, if I ruined every one of them, who would keep your bed warm at night, Vallica? Oh, that’s right. There isn’t anyone in the land desperate enough to lie with you.”
Vallica smirked at her step-daughter. Dahlia had no idea about Vallica and Simon. If she did know, she certainly wouldn’t hesitate to tell her father about it. The fact that Vallica and Simon were still alive meant that Dahlia didn’t know about them. However, they would have to be extremely careful now that she had returned.
“I heard that my father’s mistress met an unfortunate end. Suffocation they say. Did you smother her with your breasts? Or did you sit on her?” Dahlia was smiling, but her expression was anything but pleasant.
“Oh, is that what they say now? I had heard that she died from choking. Then again, maybe she just couldn’t bear to see your father naked and took her own life. Who knows?”
Dahlia turned the amulet over in her hand. “You know, Vallica? I have always wondered what it would be like to have your gorgeous long hair.”
Vallica just looked at her, confused at what she meant. Then, Dahlia said a few strange words and suddenly Vallica was staring at herself. She froze, unable to move or speak.
“What’s wrong, Vallica? Can’t believe how incredibly old you look now?” Dahlia shook her long black hair around, grinning.
“What have you done? What is this, some form of magic?”
“Yes, actually. It is a gift from my father, for being such a good girl.”
Vallica highly doubted that Silas gave this “gift” to Dahlia as a reward. He probably only gave it to her so he could use her to carry out another part of his ridiculous plans.
“I demand you change back. Now!” Vallica was nearly shouting. If Dahlia had decided to do something that infuriated Silas while she was disguised as Vallica, it could be the actual Vallica that paid the price.
“Don’t worry, step-mother. I don’t care to look like you anyway.” She walked over to a small oval mirror on the wall next to the cupboard and said the same incantation again. Then she changed back into her usual appearance.
Vallica decided she had had enough of Dahlia for one day and turned to leave.
“Leaving so soon?” Dahlia taunted her as she walked out.
Chapter Twelve
Bree slept like a dead log through the night. She woke in her bed, unsure of how she came to be there. The last thing she could remember was crying, downstairs in the hallway. As she sat up and looked around the room, she suddenly remembered the events of last night and jumped out of bed. Ignoring the fact that she was sparsely dressed, she flew across the room and jerked her door open.
“Oh! Sir Nicholas. I, uh, wasn’t expecting to find you here,” Bree frowned at Nick, standing guard. He was startled by the sudden opening of the door, and also by the state of undress the queen was in. If Nick was here, that must mean Rowan wasn’t.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I thought it would be best to give Rowan some time this morning to, umm, collect himself, before returning to his position.”
Perhaps a small amount of hope still remained. Rowan hadn’t left last night as Bree had feared.
“So he hasn’t gone then? I thought for sure…“
“No, Your Majesty. My son takes your safety and his responsibilities very seriously. He would never abandon his post.” Nick was frowning back at her, obviously just as unhappy about the situation as she was. “I would like to ask a favor of you, Your Majesty. If I may?”
“Well, of course. Anything.”
Nick paused before asking, hoping he wasn’t about to overstep his boundaries, “I would just ask that you please show patience with Rowan. I understand the events of last night were upsetting to everyone, especially for him… and you,” he nodded at her. She gave a faint smile, understanding perfectly what he meant.
“Not to worry, Sir Nicholas. I will do my best not to
aggravate the situation. I know how important it is that Rowan be here, with you. Especially after so many years of his absence…” Bree trailed off. She didn’t want to think about her sadness during those years, any more than she wanted to remind Sir Nicholas of the time his son had spent away. This truly was a gloomy position for both of them.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he bowed to her, then continued, “and if it would please you, you may call me Nick, in private company. I have known you since before you were born, having held you on the day of your birth even. Please do not think you would offend me by forgoing my title, Your Majesty. I think of you as my own family.”
Bree gave Nick a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Thank you. Nick,” she added with a smile. “I, too, consider you to be family. Both you and Rowan. I am very glad that he has decided to stay. I will heed your advice.”
Nick stepped aside so Bree could go back into her chambers to dress. “Shall I escort you to breakfast then, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, Sir Ni--, Nick. You may.”
~*~
Though Bree had felt a small amount of hope when Rowan had chosen to stay, the next day that hope was extinguished. When Bree opened her chamber doors that morning, she had indeed found Rowan in the corridor. However, he was flanked by two other guards and didn’t say a word to her. Instead, he relayed messages to the guards who spoke for him. He didn’t even look her in the eye for the entire day. And when Bree entered the grand hall or any other room in the kingdom, Rowan stayed in the corner by the exit, hovering over her, but quite a distance away. It reminded Bree of the detachment Rowan had shown her when he first arrived in the kingdom. For all of the progress they had made to get reacquainted with one another, in one night all of that effort was abolished into thick black smoke.
It was as if he had left, after all. And it wasn’t only Bree that Rowan was avoiding, with Dagan and Nick being the only two people he would confide in. He refused to speak to Sidonie, as well, when she greeted him that morning. Sidonie had been the one to find Rowan with Dahlia, to witness the act firsthand. Bree did not envy her for the memory that would stay with her forever. Sidonie, nor anyone else, blamed Rowan for what had happened. After Dagan had explained about the poison, it seemed there was no way Rowan could have avoided it. And Dagan chose not to divulge with anyone else that Rowan and Dahlia had been intimate. For all everyone else knew, the bard had poisoned Rowan to get information, then fled. Only he, Sidonie, Bree, Rowan, Nick, and Finn knew the rest.
However, Rowan didn’t feel the same forgiveness as everyone else. It was his responsibility to protect the queen and he had gotten distracted by his feelings for her, leaving an opening for Dahlia to slip through. He had told her about the castle’s security, about the queen’s security. He had endangered every one of them. Though it was unclear as to who Dahlia actually was, or why she would want this information, it was clear that nothing good would come of it. And because of Rowan’s slipping of information, Sir Raymun had been forced to almost triple the castle guards’ patrols, as well as reassess the security of the entire castle.
It was at this meeting of the council, which Bree now found herself, sitting at the large table again, surrounded by many male voices talking over each other and arguing as to the appropriate steps to be taken next. Her head was beginning to ache at the sheer noise in the room. Bree and Elric were the only two people still sitting in their chairs, with Rowan standing in the far corner, a stone cold look on his face. Dagan stood beside him.
“Dear,” Elric leaned in closer to Bree, trying to talk over the shouting, “if I may?” He motioned to the men standing around the table. Bree gave him a nod, then Elric lifted a hand and made a small wave, bringing complete silence to the room. The men were astonished to find that when they opened their mouths to speak, no sound came out, so they slowly sat down a few at a time until everyone was finally seated, gaping at the queen and her wizard.
“Thank you, Elric,” Bree said to him, nodding in approval. “Gentlemen, I understand that we are here to discuss a new plan for the security of the kingdom. And while I appreciate the strong opinions and emotions from each of you, as this is also your home after all, I hardly think we will accomplish anything with all of the shouting. Now, if you can agree to control your tempers, I will allow Elric to release you.”
Once able to speak again, the men sat quietly, no one wanting to be the first to speak again.
“Sir Raymun, I trust that the guards are feeling ill at the idea of a third set of patrols?” Bree asked.
“Well, yes, Your Majesty. They feel they hardly have time to spend with their families under the current set of two patrols. Though, I wouldn’t worry about the loyalty of your men, Your Majesty. They understand the situation requires undesirable consequences. If a third patrol is what you wish, it will be.”
“I appreciate that very much, Sir Raymun, but I hardly think a third patrol will be necessary,” Bree replied.
One of the other men opened his mouth to argue but decided against it. Bree glanced up at Rowan, hoping to read his reaction. His face, still frozen, gave no inkling to his thoughts on the matter.
“Moving on, I have taken Sir Nicholas’ suggestion under advisement that we close off the garden exit since it is no longer concealed. Have we any idea as to how the woman discovered the passage or her whereabouts since?”
“No, Your Majesty,” Sir Ainsley replied this time. “However, I have sent scouts to the village and countryside. If she is still in the area, we will find her.”
“I doubt she would stay close by with the information she carries,” Nick began. “I predict that she would have delivered her message as soon as possible.”
“I agree,” Bree interjected. “While I have no doubts as to our scouts’ abilities to locate the woman, I fear she may already be out of our jurisdiction. Nevertheless, continue to search for her. With any luck, she will turn up, eventually. Being a well-known bard about the realm must provide a great difficulty when hiding your identity.”
“Dagan, were you able to distinguish the poison that was used?” Bree continued.
At hearing his name, Dagan stepped forward. He had only joined the meeting to observe and was surprised to be included in the discussion.
“I have. The poison was ophisium, a stone found in caves, mainly near the coast. When ground into a powder, it can be inhaled. Ophisium causes cloudiness of the mind, confusion, dizziness, and likely other ailments that we are not aware of because most people who inhale the poison are killed. It seems the woman knew just how much of the poison to use to avoid death and get what she wanted.”
“So it is safe to assume that she was trained in how to use it, then?” Fortin asked, curiously.
“Yes,” Dagan replied.
“But why did she target the queen’s personal guard?” Fortin asked. “Why not use it on any one of the guards or knights present in the hall?”
Bree knew why, but she wasn’t about to tell the room full of men that the woman had chosen Rowan only to spite her. The flirting and touching had been to test Bree, she was sure of it. And Bree had played right into the little harlot’s hands, giving her the exact jealous reaction that Dahlia had wanted. What if Dahlia wasn’t even the woman’s name? For all they knew, she could have been anyone.
“I assume she wanted to go right to the source of information. She knew that the guard who was closest to me would be the best target,” Bree said, glancing up at Rowan, who was looking at her now.
“That is a sound reasoning, Your Majesty,” Sir Ainsley added, “Which makes me wonder if we should consider removing Rowan as your personal guard for the time being—“
“No.” Bree interrupted firmly. “I trust Rowan more than any other person in this room.” She could feel Rowan’s eyes on her, burning through her. “I will overrule any motion made to remove him. What happened to him could have happened to you, Sir Ainsley. As strong as any of you are, you are no match against toxic poison.”
Dagan smiled at Bree, happy to see her defending Rowan. After he had drug her away that night, Bree was hysterical and overcome with grief. Dagan wondered if she would be able to look past the fact that Rowan had been intimate with Dahlia and understand it wasn’t by choice.
Realizing the queen was firm in her decision, Sir Ainsley simply nodded. Then the discussion moved to the winter ball, which was fast approaching.
~*~
After the council meeting was over, Bree left the gatehouse and went back to the hall, where she was greeted by her mother, aunt, Sidonie, Sarita, and a seamstress from the village. They moved upstairs to the wardrobe to begin preparations for their winter ball gowns.
“Oh, mother! That color looks perfectly splendid on you!” Bree exclaimed. “I definitely think copper is your color.”
“Are you sure? I am a bit more partial to the burgundy, myself…” Cicilly replied.
“I agree, Cici,” Celeste chimed in. “The copper is definitely your color. The burgundy is beautiful, too, but the copper is magnificent!”
“Well, if you’re sure… copper it is.” Cicilly handed the fabric back to the seamstress, who gave a quick curtsy and left her side to move on to Celeste.
“Oh, no dear,” Celeste said to the seamstress, “there is no need to color match for me. I want to wear red. Crimson red if you have it. I want to stand out like a plump round holly berry on the fresh white snow.”
“Trying to impress someone in particular?” Bree asked her aunt.
“You never know when your knight will come riding along, dear,” Celeste explained. “You must always be ready for anything.”
Sidonie’s ears perked up at Celeste’s remark, as she sat in a chair, waiting for her turn to decide on a fabric color and design for her gown. Perhaps what Celeste said was true. Sidonie certainly hadn’t expected to develop feelings for Dagan, whom she had only met recently. And even though she had been spending more time with him lately, there were still so many things she didn’t know about him. But their attraction was undeniable. Even that much she knew was true. And the closer she got to him, the more intense the attraction grew, as did her senses.
