The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set

by Heidi Catherine

  River nodded. “He’s back. And your father’s about to have his head.”

  Pip heard a cry escape her lips almost as if her soul had flown out of her body and taken on a life of its own. This couldn’t be happening. Not Edison! She’d only just found him again. She couldn’t bear to lose him. Her father may as well take her head if he were to take Edison’s.

  “You have to stop this.” This time she took hold of River, grasping her by her arms. “Please, you have to go back and stop it.”

  “I can’t stop this,” said River. “I have no power to stop such a thing.”

  Pip yelped. “I love him, River! Please, help me. Please. You know what it’s like to lose someone you love.”

  These words hit River hard, their impact visible in the way she flinched.

  “I might not have the power,” said River, her voice softening at last. “But you do. You’re the princess. Your father won’t listen to me, but he might listen to his own daughter. Go to him. Now! It’s your only chance.”

  That wasn’t possible and River knew it. She couldn’t walk down that passageway and not just because she was wearing a nightgown.

  “I can’t do it.” She let go of River’s arms to clutch at her hands. “I can’t.”

  “You can.” River wriggled out of her grasp and turned Pip to face the direction of the throne room.

  Pip scanned the hallway. It was longer than she remembered. Although the ceiling felt lower and the walls closer in. She sucked in another breath, fighting to get the air into her lungs. Then, gripping onto Edison’s necklace with her free hand, she clutched it, reminding herself why this was important. He’d let her wear this as a promise that he’d always love her. But now his safety depended on her. He’d come to her room to save her life, but now it was her turn to save him. She couldn’t let him down.

  “Will you help me?” she asked River. “I can’t do this alone.”

  River looked to the ceiling, let out a long sigh, then held out her hand. “Hold my hand and put one foot in front of the other. I’ve got you.”

  Pip did as she was told. Then she stopped, unable to pull enough air into her lungs to continue, the oxygen being used to keep her heart racing and her fingers tingling.

  “Close your eyes,” said River. “Keep hold of my hand.”

  Doing as she was told, Pip took another step.

  “Imagine you’re walking around your bedchamber,” said River. “I’ll lead you. But Pip, we need to keep moving forward. And you need to hurry.”

  River pulled at Pip’s hand, and she followed with her eyes kept firmly closed. She told herself that this was her bedchamber. Right now, they were walking toward the window. They turned a corner and she imagined they were walking to her private washroom. Another corner and they were heading toward the bed. She could do this. She really could. Just one foot in front of the other. One hand in River’s and the other on Edison’s necklace.

  She heard a door open and recognized the smell of her father’s throne room immediately. It didn’t matter how long it’d been since she’d smelled it, she’d know that combination of leather, wood, blood, and power anywhere.

  “Pip!”

  Her eyes sprang open at the sound of Edison’s voice and she ran forward, not caring where she was or who would try to stop her.

  Edison was kneeling in front of her father’s throne, a Guardian standing on either side of him, one holding each arm. Her father sat in his throne and Tate was standing over Edison with his sword held over his head, ready to end the life of the man Pip loved.

  “No!” she screamed, throwing herself at Edison, and clinging to his chest. But with his arms firmly pinned, he was unable to embrace her in return.

  She saw her father shake his head as he waved at the guards to let go of Edison. His arms wrapped immediately around her and he pulled her close. She was the one who’d brought him safety, yet somehow, he was the one making her feel safe.

  “It’s okay, my darling,” he whispered in her ear.

  “How could you?” she hissed at Tate.

  “I didn’t, actually,” said Tate, lowering his sword.

  “Children.” The King strummed his fingertips on the arms of his throne. “This is just like the old days. Although, I must say I’m surprised to see you here, Philippa. It’s a miracle you remembered your way through the palace to find your way. You had a guide, though, I see.”

  Pip loosened her hold on Edison to see River shrink a few steps away.

  “You can’t kill him,” Pip said to her father. “Please, Father. If you decide he must die, then please kill me, too. I’ll throw myself from my window if you don’t.”

  “Pip!” Tate shook his head, disappointment brimming in his traitorous eyes. She’d never forgive him for this. To think if she hadn’t called out after River, he’d have killed the only man she’d ever loved.

  “I mean it.” Pip shifted her gaze back to her father. “Edison’s everything I live for. We’re going to be married. I love him, Father. Please, don’t kill him. Whatever he’s done, it has to be a mistake.”

  “It is a mistake.” Edison pulled himself into a stand and reached out a hand to help Pip up. “I’ve been trying to tell you, Your Majesty, that I succeeded in your quest. Not only that, but I succeeded alone. I did the job of ten men all by myself. This should be rewarded, not punished.”

  “So, now you tell me how to do my job, do you?” The King shook his head.

  Pip didn’t like the tone he was using. Nothing good ever came from that tone.

  “The Guardians were killed by a rockslide," said Edison. “I cannot be blamed for that.”

  A gasp sounded from behind Pip, and River came forward once more to stand beside Tate.

  “Who died?” asked River. “Which Guardians were sent?”

  Edison shook his head. “They were nameless Guardians. Nobody of note.”

  A look of pure hatred spread across River’s face as she shared a brief glance with the two Guardians who’d stepped aside. These were their people Edison spoke of. But it wasn’t his fault. He just saw the world differently. What was the shame in that?

  “No Guardian is nameless,’ said River.

  “Having been miraculously spared by the rockslide, I pressed on ahead,” said Edison, ignoring River’s protest. “It was at great personal risk to my own safety, and I faced the Alchemist to deliver your message. Fearful for his life and sensing my authority, he handed over these elixirs, with the promise to supply you with anything else you require in future.”

  Pip watched as Edison untied a hessian sack from his belt and handed it to her father. What kind of oils could her father have possibly wanted so badly that he’d risked Edison’s life to get them?

  “You took your time to tell me this.” The King accepted the sack and opened it to extract a small bottle. Removing the lid, he tipped some oil into his hands and sniffed at the floral fragrance quickly filling the air.

  “Interesting,” he said. “But a bit too womanly for me. It’s a perfume more suited for a female.”

  He held the bottle out in River’s direction.

  “For my new daughter,” said the King. “Put some on immediately. It will please me.”

  Pip huffed at her father’s words. His new daughter? He already had a daughter! He didn’t need a new one. Edison had gone to the trouble of retrieving these oils surely they should be for the King’s daughter by blood.

  River accepted the bottle, not seeming grateful at all.

  “Go on. Put some on,” said the King, in such a way it was a command rather than a question, smiling as River complied.

  The power of the fragrance strengthened and Pip crossed her arms, wishing for a bottle of her own. She wanted to smell like flowers, too.

  “There’s plenty more, my love,” said Edison, sensing her disappointment as he put a protective arm around her shoulders.

  Pip smiled as a wave of floral calm washed over her. Everything was going to be okay.

  �
��She’s not your love,” sneered Tate. “Get your hands off my sister.”

  “I quite enjoy putting my hands on your sister.” Edison stepped toward Tate, clearly feeling braver than he had when Pip had first burst into the room. Although, now that the urgency of the situation had calmed down, she realized her fear had been irrational. Tate would never have taken Edison’s head. He didn’t have it in him, no matter how much he might like the idea of it. Her brother was a gentle soul.

  “You’ve put your hands on my daughter, have you?” said the King, drawing the attention back to Edison.

  Pip felt herself flush. “Not in that way, Father. Edison is a man of honor.”

  Tate laughed at these words. “Never will you find a man with less honor than the one before you, my sister.”

  “That’s not true!” cried Pip as Edison removed his arm from her shoulders to bow before his King.

  “I would like to ask for your permission to marry your daughter,” he said.

  Pip’s legs went weak, in much the same way they had when River had led her from her bedchamber. Edison really did want to marry her! She couldn’t decide if it felt like she’d woken from a long dream or if she’d just slipped into one.

  As a child, her mother had talked about the Evernow. A time when you were happy to live your life right now in the moment, not wishing for the past or yearning for your future. Never before had Pip experienced such a feeling. But she finally knew what her mother had meant. She’d never been happier than she was right now. Edison loved her. And more than anything, she loved him.

  “I need some time to think on this,” said the King.

  “But Father!” Pip protested.

  “Enough, Philippa. I was tired and hungry before this nonsense began. Now I’m starving and exhausted. Leave me now. All of you. And return at sun-up for my decision. I cannot think with you here. It’s been a long and arduous day. Edison, I’m afraid you’re going to need to spend a night under guard.”

  “No!” Pip cried out. “This is entirely unnecessary.”

  “It’s just for one night,” her father said, waving for the Guardians to take him away. “We can’t have your love running away now, can we?”

  The Guardians seized Edison in a way that seemed a little more forceful than necessary.

  “Edison would never run away and leave me,” begged Pip. “Let me stay with him instead.”

  Her father didn’t seem to feel it necessary to answer this latest plea.

  “It’s okay, Pip,” said Edison, his bravery making her love him even more. “I’ll see you tomorrow, my darling.”

  “She’s not your darling,” roared Tate in a voice Pip didn’t recall having ever heard before.

  “That’s what you think.” She walked from the room, unable to bear being witness to Edison being dragged away by those monsters. She didn’t need River’s help to find her way back to her bedchamber. If Edison could be so brave, then so could she. He loved her. For real. He hadn’t just said it to her in the privacy of her bedchamber, he’d said it to her family.

  She turned the corner that would lead her to her room, feeling more like she was floating than putting one step in front of the other, in the way she’d arrived here.

  There was no way her father would take Edison’s life now. She’d saved him in just the same way he’d saved her.

  River may have been the one to lure her out of her bedchamber, but it was Edison who’d truly set her free.

  RIVER

  THE NOW

  “We need to talk,” said River, slipping her hand into Tate’s as they walked from the throne room.

  She noticed he didn’t squeeze her hand back like he normally did. Was he upset with her for fetching Pip? An act that’d ultimately prevented him from killing Edison. She’d thought he’d be glad. But after hearing Edison speak about the Guardians as if they were livestock, she wasn’t so sure she was glad. Were some people better off without air to fill their lungs?

  “Perhaps we should speak outside.” Tate changed direction and led her out a side door.

  River was learning her way around this labyrinthine palace now and knew they’d step out into the strawberry patch. She liked it out there, with the innocent red berries all lined up in neat rows. Surely nobody could get upset while standing in a strawberry patch?

  “I need to talk to Pip,” said Tate.

  “She’s not ready to hear you yet,” said River. Sometimes it wasn’t so much what you said to someone, it was when you said it. And Pip’s ears were going to be closed to Tate for some time now. He needed to catch her at the right moment if he wanted her to listen.

  They walked down one of the rows of strawberries, both seeming to be waiting for the other to break the silence. The fading light was casting long shadows in front of them, but neither of them were concerned by the approaching dark.

  “Why did you go and get her?” he asked. “I was shocked to see you both there.”

  “I didn’t get her. She saw me walk past her door and called out to me. I didn’t want to tell her what was happening. I promise I didn’t, but she got it out of me. I felt so sorry for her. She was so distressed at the thought of losing Edison.”

  “You knew she loved him?” He stopped walking to turn to face her in the falling darkness.

  “I’ve only known since this morning. When I took Pip her breakfast, she was wearing that braided cord Edison normally wears around his neck.” Her fingers fluttered to her own neck. “You must know it. It’s very distinctive. I’d recognize it anywhere. So I asked her about it and she confessed everything to me, begging me not to tell you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t have time!” She turned to him to make sure he believed her. “I wanted to, but you were nowhere to be found. I’m sorry, Tate. I really am very sorry.”

  He nodded, seeming to be happy to take her at her word. Then, wrapping his arm around her, they walked on.

  “I’m sorry,” said River, prepared to accept her portion of the blame for what had been an all-round disastrous day.

  “I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said, letting go of her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

  They reached the end of the strawberry patch and headed into the citrus orchard behind it. The temperature of the air cooled under the leafy canopy, but the warmth of Tate’s body kept River feeling snug.

  “What happened?” asked River. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you holding the sword above Edison’s head.”

  “I couldn’t believe it either. You know that’s not me.” He paused briefly to look at her.

  “Of course I know that. That’s why I was so surprised.”

  “I went to my father to talk to him about Edison before he arrived.” Tate walked them further into the orchard, keeping his voice low. “Father said Edison had gone on some kind of quest, but one of the mules had returned to the palace severely injured.”

  “Was he concerned?” asked River, snuggling in closer.

  “No, he was furious! Those mules were carting the Guardians that Edison took with him. And if the mule broke free, he knew something had gone terribly wrong. Edison was the one in charge and he may not value the lives of the Guardians, but my father certainly does. I’ve never seen him so angry.”

  River nodded, pleased to hear this. She couldn’t bear to learn that the King shared Edison’s hateful opinion of her people.

  “Then Edison walked in,” said Tate. “He told all sorts of lies and Father decided to take his head.”

  “So, how did you end up with the sword?” This was the question she’d been wanting to ask this whole time. She needed to know what kind of man she’d married. Was he the sort who saved rabbits from the cornfields or one who took a man’s head in the palace? Or was it possible to be both? Were people black and white, or did everyone have shades of gray?

  “My father handed me his sword.” Tate kicked at a stone on the ground. “He insisted if I’m to be King one day, I neede
d to prove myself and take my first life.”

  “He was testing you.” River shook her head. From what she knew of her husband so far, there was no way he’d be able to kill a human. Especially one he’d grown up with like a brother, no matter how insipid he’d become.

  “And then you appeared,” he said. “I hated you seeing me like that. I wasn’t sure what to think when you left.”

  “I’m so sorry, Tate. I had no idea what was going on when I walked in.”

  “Please stop apologizing. Maybe it was for the best. You got Pip to leave her room. Nobody’s been able to do that for so many years now. You’ve given me hope for her future. Now, we just need to make sure that future is free of Edison.”

  “You had your chance to be free of him,” she said. “But your heart is far too kind to take that option. I don’t believe you would have done it, even if you hadn’t been interrupted.”

  “Probably not.” Tate screwed up his face and let go of her to kick at another stone. “But maybe it would be better if I had. He said such awful things about the Guardians. Am I terrible to think that we’d all be better off if Edison had lost his head?”

  “Only if I’m terrible, too.” River’s shoulders sagged. “I thought the same thing. Perhaps we’re a perfect match, after all.”

  “River.” Tate turned to her and lifted his hand to her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. “The more I get to know you, the more I think you are my perfect match.”

  River’s stomach pulled into a knot and in the fading light, she focused on the spark in Tate’s eyes and held onto it.

  “We’re perfectly terrible,” she murmured, hoping this would be the moment Tate would lean into her and press his lips against hers. She’d found herself yearning for this moment more and more with each day that passed. He was her husband in name, but lately it felt like he was becoming her husband in her heart as well.

  His eyes were drawn to her mouth and she waited. Given they were such a similar height, there was no need for him to even dip his head. All he needed to do was step forward.