by Vicky Savage
I sit silently during this exchange trying to figure out what all this means for Mother and Domerica. The decision rests on her shoulders alone. No wonder she seems so stressed.
She turns to me. “Jaden, you’ve been unusually quiet, what are your thoughts?”
Gulp. My thoughts are mostly relief that I’m not the one who has to figure out how to deal with this sticky situation. I don’t want Mother to know she’ll probably get better advice from Fred and Ethel, so I take a sip of water and stall for time.
“Well,” I say, “Ralston tells me you have a group of advisors…”
Her brow creases. “Jaden, you know I do. You’ve known most of them since birth. What are you getting at?”
I figure I’ve already put my foot in my mouth big time, so I might as well forge ahead. “I guess I would talk to my advisors, and anyone else I trust, like Dad, er, Father, and even Ralston. I think the more intelligent views you get on this the better. Maybe someone will have an idea for a solution you haven’t thought of yet. You shouldn’t have to face these bullies alone. At least get your advisors behind you.”
She turns and gazes at the fake fire for a moment. “I was hoping to keep this under wraps for a while. I felt no need to trouble anyone else about it at this point, but I suppose we must be prepared, should it turn into some kind of conflict among the domes. You are right, Jaden; I shall convene my advisors tomorrow.”
She reaches a hand across the table to me and one to Drew. “Thank you both for your help,” she says. “I feel much stronger knowing you are here supporting me.” She squeezes our hands. “Now, let’s finish our meal, shall we?”
She signals to the waiter in the corner to bring the next course. He’s gotten an earful of our family conversation. I’m sure the palace grapevine will be humming tonight. So much for keeping things under wraps.
Mother swivels toward me. “Did you have a nice day while Andrew and I were hunting, dear?” All traces of her earlier irritability have vanished.
“It was fine,” I say.
“What did you do all day?” she asks, as plates of salad are placed before us.
“Uh, I spent most of the day studying with Ralston.”
“How do you find him as a teacher?”
“He’s good— very knowledgeable.” I take a few bites of lettuce.
“What did you study?” She stabs at her salad, but doesn’t eat.
“The governments of the various dome nations… and Unicoi.”
“Unicoi?”
“Yes, they have an interesting form of parliamentary monarchy,” I say, showing off some of my newly acquired knowledge.
“What they have is a mess. The whole country is failing, and we can do nothing but watch it die.”
“Maybe there is something that can be done, Mother.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if you ever do build a new dome, the Unicoi could move there.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, darling. They would contaminate the entire dome. The rest of the inhabitants would be dead or dying in no time.”
“But, I understand the disease isn’t contagious,” I say. “It comes from the Uranium in the ground and walls of Unicoi. If the people move out of the caves, most of them will recover with little or no permanent injury.”
“That is what the Unicoi would have us believe. It has not been proven,” she says, pushing away her plate. “Until it is proven beyond doubt, the Coalition has ordered that no Unicoi will be allowed into any dome nation.”
“But, how are they supposed to prove it if they can’t get away from the source of the disease and if the Coalition won’t even listen to their scientific evidence?”
Her expression hardens, and I fear I’ve pushed her too far. “Jaden, do not presume to speak about matters of which you have no knowledge. What they claim to be scientific evidence is nothing more than their wishful thinking.”
Drew glances at me with a slight shake of his head, then focuses intently on his food.
“Mother, please, I’m sorry.”
“Who is filling your head with such ideas? Is it Ralston?”
“No!” I say adamantly. “Don’t blame him Mother. I’ve heard stories of Unicoi from many different places, and I arrived at my own conclusions.”
“No doubt that criminal Blackthorn attempted to fill your head with lies and frivolous notions when you were his prisoner. I hope you have completely discounted everything he said to you. He was using you to get to me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about something more pleasant, shall we?”
Mother sighs, “Forgive me children, I am a little weary this evening. I agree Jaden; let us not discuss politics any more tonight.”
The salad plates are removed and the main course is served. I silently nibble at my food, while Drew wolfs down his chicken, and Mother sips at her water.
After a few moments, Mother turns to me. “I have a surprise for you dear. I hope you will enjoy it.”
“A surprise? For me?” I say.
“Yes.” She smiles sweetly. “I have a little excursion planned for you and Ralston for tomorrow.”
“That’s great. Where are we going?” I’m touched that mother has taken time out from her momentous responsibilities to plan something fun for me.
“I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise.” She cups my chin in her hand. “It’s my attempt to make up for the whole Prince Damien fiasco.”
“I’m just happy you’re not angry with me over that.”
“Nonsense. You were absolutely right Jaden; he was not a suitable husband for you.” She dabs her lips with her napkin. “I’ve heard some disturbing reports about him from sources here at home, and I’ve concluded that King Philippe did not wish to encourage a political union as much as he wished to rid himself of a parasite.”
She smiles at me. “Do not worry, dear, we’ll find an appropriate husband for you.”
“No, Mother!” I choke on a mouthful of chicken.
She holds up her hand. “All I meant was that you will find the appropriate husband when you are ready.”
I whisper a relieved. “Thanks.”
The rest of the dinner passes pleasantly enough, but Mother’s obviously uptight and distracted. She divides her attention equally between Drew and me, and she seems interested in what we’re saying, but the warmth that used to radiate from my Connecticut mom isn’t there.
When dinner’s over, Mother kisses my forehead and says goodnight. I hug her tightly, taking her by surprise.
“What’s this about, Jaden?”
“I missed you when you were in Dome Noir. I wish we could do something together, just you and me. Soon. Maybe a picnic or a ride in the countryside?”
“Of course dear, soon. But tomorrow I need to gather my advisors together, and you have your excursion with Ralston, remember? Perhaps we can do it next week. I’m really awfully behind on everything this week.” She bids Drew goodnight also, and disappears down the hall.
“Congratulations,” Drew says, once she’s gone. “You managed to find the one subject that could infuriate her more than King Philippe. Nice touch. What is it with you and the Unicoi anyway? Have you adopted a new cause, Sister?”
“I honestly didn’t mean to upset her, Drew. She’s definitely hassled over this whole new dome thing. Do you really think it could lead to war?”
He shrugs. “I don’t think it will come to that. If it does, I know we can assemble a better army than either of the other two domes.”
“What if they are allied against us?”
He rubs his chin nervously. “That might be a challenge, but I’ll wager LeGare is working on it right now.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“When have I ever been wrong?” He grins and scoops up a piece of leftover pommera pie. “Care to help me finish the dessert tray?”
“Not tonight, big brother. I’m still recovering from all that chocolate we ate last night.”
“Your los
s.” He takes a huge bite.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
“Not if I see you first,” he says, mouth bulging with pie.
TWENTY-EIGHT
I can’t sleep. I pick up the book Ralston gave me. I can’t read either. My mind won’t settle down enough to make either activity possible. Thoughts of my mother consume me tonight. I want to help her, but more than that, I want to be with her, to let her know how much I love her before I have to leave. Our time is slipping away. With only a few weeks left in Domerica, I’m worried I’ll never have time to tell her all the things I wish I’d said to my Connecticut mom. I’m blowing my second chance and I’m not sure what to do about it.
Completely absorbed in these thoughts, I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear a soft tapping at the French doors of my balcony. My mouth goes dry, and a wave of fear shudders through me. All my senses flip directly to code red. Who the heck is at my second-story balcony doors at this time of night? I pray it’s not another kidnapper or, worse, Prince Damien.
I grab my sword from the corner. Keeping my back flat against the wall, I inch my way to the edge of the glass doors. They are draped with filmy white curtains—which prevent me from seeing out, but provide no cover for me in the lighted room.
“Who is it?” I demand, attempting to sound brave.
“Jaden, it’s me. Let me in,” says a soft voice I’d recognize anywhere. I drop the sword and fling open the doors to admit a clearly agitated Ryder Blackthorn.
My heart catches in my throat when I see the anguish in his face. “Ryder, what is it? What’s wrong?”
He takes me in his arms and hugs me fiercely. “I’m so sorry Jade, I had to come.”
“Ryder, look at me!” He lifts his head, and I take his face in my hands. “What’s the matter? What’s happened? Are you hurt?” I ask, panic rising inside me.
“Tell me quickly, Jade, is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Are you betrothed?” The air seems to leave his lungs with that last word.
“What! Is that why you’re here?” I try to push him away, but he doesn’t budge. “Geez, Ryder, let go of me. You scared me half to death.” I squirm out of his grasp.
“I heard Prince Damien was in the palace, and that you two were engaged to be married,” he says.
“You heard this all the way back in Unicoi?” I ask, totally pissed that he nearly caused me to have a heart attack.
He nods. “I know this may sound self-serving, but that man is the worst kind of scoundrel, Jade. He does not deserve to wipe your boots, let alone be your husband.”
“Who told you I was engaged?”
“I have my sources.”
“Well, they’re not very good. The prince was here, but I refused his offer. He left this morning in a rather large hurry.”
“He’s gone? And you’re not betrothed?”
“Correct on both counts.”
He beams and scoops me up into his arms. “That’s wonderful!” He says, twirling me around like a child.
“Put me down! And take off that stupid armor, it hurts.” He sets me down, and I rub my shoulder, which he has nearly crushed. He quickly removes his armor and tosses it into the corner.
“Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be here?” I say. “Mother has all kinds of extra patrols out tonight.”
“Don’t be angry with me Jade. I wanted to see you and ask you myself. I did have to subdue two of your guards, but they’re fine. They’ll be discovered in the morning.”
“Ryder! They’ll report you were here.”
“No. They didn’t see my face. I was careful.”
He takes me up in his arms again and settles down into the overstuffed chair in front of my fireplace with me on his lap. It’s such a joyful release to be in his strong arms once more, but my head is insisting that I send him away immediately. I promised myself I wouldn’t let things get personal again between Ryder and me. Yet here he is in my room, with me on his lap. Nice work, Jaden.
“You are all I’ve thought about since our last meeting at the lake,” he says. His eyes hold such sincerity, passion, and hope that the remainder of my resolve evaporates instantly and I rest my head against his chest. We sit silently a few moments, our beating hearts the only sound in the room.
“So tell me, is your mother terribly displeased with you for turning down Damien?” he asks, smoothing my hair with his hand.
“Actually, no. I’m sure a part of her thought the marriage would make good political sense. In the end, though, even she had to admit he isn’t the best husband material.”
“How did Damien take it? Your rejection, I mean?”
“It’s hard to say. I told him I wasn’t going to marry anyone for at least ten years, and when I do marry it will be for love. Oh, and I might have mentioned that I thought he was a pompous ass. I don’t think he’s a very deep person, so he’s probably gotten over it already.”
Ryder’s face darkens. “Did he try to pursue you—romantically, I mean?”
“Not at all,” I laugh. “He wasn’t the least bit interested in me romantically. In fact he was hitting on my mother, right in front of me.”
“He struck the queen!”
“No. What I meant was he was flirting with her, you know, making advances. He was more interested in the size of my allowance than anything else about me.”
“Ah yes, that’s classic Damien. It’s rumored that he has overwhelming gambling debts. His father has refused to continue to pay them. I imagine he viewed your fortune as a means to pay his creditors. I hear they are an unsavory bunch.”
“That must be why he travels with so many bodyguards.”
“Did you see his famous tattoo?”
“Not really. He had it covered up with makeup. What is that thing?”
“A serpent,” he smirks. “It coils around his neck and whispers in his ear.”
“Seriously? Well, I guess that’s kind of fitting. He does sort of remind me of a snake. But how do you know Prince Damien?”
“In a purely business capacity. Unicoi is mostly self-sufficient, but when the Coalition cut off all trade with us, we were forced to rely on trade with your father and black marketers to get things we couldn’t make or grow ourselves. You may be shocked to know that Damien and his henchmen provide protection for the black marketers in Dome Noir.”
“Actually, that doesn’t surprise me at all. He seems very shady. I still can’t believe Mother agreed to introduce us.”
“I’m sure she did it because Philippe pressured her into it. She is probably concerned that her power and influence with the Coalition have become diminished. A power struggle has been developing among the members of the Coalition. King Philippe has been playing your mother and King Rafael against each other. “
I’m impressed he knows so much about dome intrigue. “Yes, but trying to arrange a marriage for me with an obvious low-life slime is insulting. She should’ve known I’d never consider him.” I push away from Ryder’s arms. “I can’t believe you thought I’d be taken in by him.”
“You’re right. Please forgive me. I should have known you would never accept such a lout. I don’t know what came over me. I think I went a bit mad when I heard you were betrothed.” He gazes at me with those unfathomable blue eyes. “I know I have no claim on you, but the thought of you marrying anyone but me was unbearable.”
My heart squeezes in my chest, and a battalion of tiny pixies dance a jig in my stomach. His words make me outrageously happy. At the same time, I know this is a disaster. Ryder and I can never be together. Becoming closer now will only make things harder later—for us both.
I look into his heartbreakingly handsome face and steel myself to say what I know I must. “Ryder, this is an impossible situation—you and me. For more reasons than you’ll ever know, we can never be together. Don’t fall in love with me.”
He half-smiles. “It’s too late, I’ve loved you since the first day I met you, when you were twel
ve years old.”
I break away from his embrace and spring from his lap. “No! Ryder, don’t say that. You have to forget about me. You need to find a nice Unicoi girl. Stay as far away from me as possible. Loving me will only bring you pain, believe me. I know what I’m talking about.”
He comes to me and wraps his arms around me again.
“Ah Jade, you have already brought me more joy and hope than I have had in years. Pain is nothing new to me. It’s been a constant part of my life for a long while now. I’m not afraid of it. Really, I am not. I will walk through hell to be with you if that’s what it takes.” He puts his hand under my chin and raises my face to his. “You are the balm that eases my pain. You are the shining promise that makes it all worthwhile. Do you think it possible I could forget you? You are the reason I keep fighting.”
