“And who is that?” a voice shouted from among the throng.
The king paused to eye the questioner. “The Wraith Queen.”
Gasps and screams sounded throughout the room. Questions flung within the space. Castiel placed a steadying hand at my back.
Riaan called for silence and his audience obeyed. “Calm down, my friends. She is not here yet, and we don’t know when she will arrive, but I would be a foolish king indeed if I were not to prepare my people for her coming. As you know, Princess Ilianna is a warrior.”
“Who has killed many of our friends. Our family,” someone shouted—someone who sounded an awful lot like General Vega.
Castiel stepped forward, tucking me behind him. “In battle only.”
My eyes scanned the crowd and found him along with the other generals, but it wasn’t the men I was worried about. It wasn’t until I located the assassin that I could breathe again. Siana watched me, a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes. Her hands were free of any weapons, but I knew there were many hiding beneath the folds of her gown.
“She’s a murderer!” another voice cried.
Riaan interjected with a powerful voice. “But how many of her kinsfolk in Eira could say the same of me? Of my brother? Of you?”
Silence enveloped. I observed the room, my face blazing from the heat of my shame and embarrassment. Some glared at me as if they could kill me with their very eyes, but not all looked upon me with hate. Others appeared merely curious.
“But she’s still murdering in our country,” a man said, yet the voices of the crowd simmered instead of boiled.
Riaan shook his head. “An investigation was made and the culprit was found. An impersonator only. Princess Ilianna has been here for nearly four months among you. During the times of those murders she was with us, under the watch of both myself and my brother.”
“I can testify to the character of the princess.” Mayor Belau pushed his way forward with Melia. He faced the others, both arms raised. “Princess Ilianna spent an entire day in the service of my town, on the day of the First Harvest. I’m as shocked as you to hear of her true identity, but I know she’s not what you think.”
No, I wasn’t. I was much worse. Not only had I killed many of their people, I was the daughter of their cruelest nightmare. This was the retribution I was due.
“But I am,” I said. The words croaked within my throat. I stepped around Castiel, my face exploding into embarrassing shades of red. “I am what they think.” I gave the mayor an apologetic look, then turned to the people.
I took a deep breath and raised my voice to the room. “I am the feared warrior you’ve heard of in your stories. The Demon Daughter. And you’re right, and have every reason to hate me. But know this: what I did, I did because I was commanded to do so. I pray that perhaps this is a good enough reason for you. Or perhaps it’s not.” I shrugged a faux nonchalance and paced the dais in front of the king. Castiel tensed as if he wanted to shield me, but he held his ground.
And I knew what I had to do.
Silence entombed the space. I moved forward, raising my voice. “What you don’t know is that the prince saved my life, a debt that in my kingdom I am obliged to repay. My life is forfeit. His life is forfeit to you, and because of that, the warrior you hate and fear is now yours, and now I will fight.” A chill traveled my spine as I spoke the words, realizing they were true. Despite my previous hopes of sailing from the continent on the next available ship, I couldn’t leave. Not yet. “I will fight until my dying breath to protect your kingdom and those you hold most dear.”
Several cries of approval rang, lifting my confidence. Mikael pressed forward, stopping at the side of Siana. I glared at them all: Mikael, the assassin, and the generals.
“I will fight side by side with your honorable warriors, even the feared assassins, and with their help, I will destroy those that lift a hand to molest this people. I will abolish those that seek to bring you into their bondage.” I pointed to where a wide-eyed ambassador pressed herself against the wall and glared. “Send this promise to your master. This is one country she cannot take, for we will defend it against her evil, or if we fail, we will burn it to the ground before she can infest our mother earth.”
The ambassador paled beneath my wrath before I addressed my true audience. “But if we survive—if the battle ends and we are finally rid of the Wraith Queen once and for all, I will swear an oath that the kingdom of Eira will never again lift up arms against her neighbor, or if it does, I will abandon my rights to that kingdom and become an Anolynian forever and be adopted as her faithful daughter. This I swear!” A roar of approval nearly deafened as the people of Anolyn cheered. Suddenly at my side, Riaan clasped my hand and raised it high above our heads, joining in the cheer of his people.
In my periphery, I registered the ambassador being escorted away by several armed guards. Lucky to be in Anolyn, my grandmother would keep her life to pass the message to her daughter, my mother.
It was a while before the cheers calmed, but the king allowed the swell. He smiled with them. Castiel stood by my side, his face devoid of all emotion. What brewed within? Surely, he wouldn’t be upset that I had won the approval of his people. He should be pleased.
Riaan signaled for silence and the crowd obeyed. “We have a lot of work to do, my people, but our labors can wait until we have once again united as friends and countrymen. Tonight we celebrate!”
With a wave of his hand, the music resumed, even more boisterous than before. Laughter rang and my head spun.
“Good job, Your Highness,” Riaan said with a wink. He bowed, pressing my knuckles with his lips. I nodded uncomfortably, then slid my fingers from his grasp. A chuckle reverberated deep within his chest. He took Melia from the Mayor and led her to the center of the room to join the dance. He paused at Mikael’s side. “Double the security around the ambassador and tell me if there is any change.”
Several countrymen nodded to me, taking a moment to size me up before continuing by. A woman even stepped forward to embrace me quickly before racing back toward the dance. Sameen had arrived to enjoy the festivities and a drink with a gaggle of older women at the far side of the room. When she saw me, she beamed, lifting her glass high.
“May I?” Castiel’s voice caused me to whirl. He bowed low but kept his eyes on mine.
My heart nearly stopped. “I don’t think this is the time,” I said, wringing my fingers. I should have been watching the ambassador. We should have been preparing.
He placed his hand to my shoulder and my skin blazed at his touch. “My brother’s right. There’s nothing that can be done now. Come; the evening’s almost over.” His touch trailed a line down my arm, eliciting a shudder, then his fingers hooked mine to gently tug me in the direction of the others. Hypnotically, I followed to join a circlet of dancers with the prince. My joints creaked as I worked through the movements, my face ablaze.
What if I made a fool of myself? What if I forgot the steps? But when Castiel gathered me close for a reel around the ring, I all but forgot any concern. Melia met me in the center for a lively dance with the woman. Who cared whether I made a fool of myself, for she did as well.
Then the music slowed, its tune almost heart-wearingly painful. Castiel reclaimed me. His crystal blue eyes entranced. I loved him. It was so clear to me now. I didn’t even care if he didn’t love me back. I would be his whether he wanted me or not. I would stay with him, be his warrior, protect him and his people, and find happiness in the service he desired.
Too soon, the song ended, followed by a slow clap that reverberated against the stone walls. Those around me scanned for the source of the acclamation.
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” A loud and bone-chilling voice cried over the commotion of the crowd. “Lovely, just lovely.” King Johan of Eira stepped from behind King Riaan’s empty throne, wine goblet in hand.
A muffled cry tumbled from my clamped lips. Shock pulsed through my chest, and my vision blurred,
but every other sense heightened.
The crowd near Johan shrank, externally reacting as my body would have liked. Perhaps they recognized him, or perhaps they sensed evil. Either way, tension grew thick, quickly dousing the once gay atmosphere. My heart seized in my chest. Lucan, or rather, Cyris followed closely to him, the hard line of his face so familiar that only the red eyes of the wraith gave away his true identity—red eyes only I could see.
With the jerk of his head, Castiel signaled to Reese, who was already on his way to us.
Gray heavily streaked the sides of Johan’s curly, dark-brown hair. Exposed tufts of chest hair twined in and around a thick gold chain and royal medallion. He wore his leathers and furs—hunting trophies that he believed proved his prowess and cunning—and his black leather breeches that bulged around the width of his muscular legs. He seemed even larger than I remembered.
His black eyes found mine among the sea of Anolynians. “Amazing!” He raised his goblet high. “Good people of Anolyn, I commend you. How you ever got my niece to dance is a mystery. But watch her twirl.”
By others, it might be understood as a compliment, but I heard the true derision beneath. I would be punished for my insolence later.
I cursed beneath my breath and forced my thoughts to clear. I was not in Eira. To keep up pretenses, Johan would be on his best behavior.
He would also not be alone. What army had he brought with him? I scanned the packed room but caught upon Riaan pushing through the crowd instead. On his way there, he snatched a cup from someone’s hands. They did not complain or even seem to notice.
Reese arrived at my side and stepped partially in front of me. Before Castiel could move, I clasped tightly to his hand to stop him from leaving me. Riaan had already arrived to intercept my uncle anyway.
“Your Majesty. What an honor.” The king of Anolyn smiled a lopsided grin, swaying slightly, but he was far from drunk. It was an act.
Johan’s brow ticked high. “Ah. The eldest son of Cassius Anouk.” He pitched a glance to Cyris’s host, and the wraith nodded. Was this another play by the seer? Had she sent Cy to intercept my uncle? “It’s an honor to meet you.” Johan extended his hand and Riaan jovially clasped it, laughing.
Then the king of Anolyn turned to his audience. “My friends, the great leader of Eira, King Johan Drakara!” He raised his glass and his people followed suit, slowly, toasting our new guest. Before another word could be spoken, Riaan signaled for the music to resume.
Johan narrowed his gaze at the start of a new set. A muscle in one eye twitched as he tried to hide his disgust for what he witnessed. “And where has my niece disappeared to? Didn’t I just see her dancing?”
My voice stuck in my throat, but I relinquished hold on Castiel and neared daringly close to my uncle. I could feel the prince shadow me.
“Ah. There she is.” Johan’s gaze traveled my face, then the length of my gown. In his mind, I would be indecent without my warrior’s leathers, even at a celebration, but he refrained from commenting on my clothing. “Amazing,” he said again in artificial awe. “Four months has only increased your beauty, my niece.” He reached to me and I stiffened, becoming marble and ice. His thick finger trailed a clammy path down my cheek.
His touch was a promise of punishment to come. I barely suppressed a shudder. “Thank you, Uncle,” I finally managed, my voice strange in my ears. His appearance always reminded me of a bear—frightening, with a mass larger than most. He used his size as his one and only strength, thinking all else was unnecessary, and who would dare test that truth? Unlike the brothers of Anolyn, the king of Eira never actually fought for his kingdom, but to challenge the supreme ruler brought death.
Reese, Mikael, and Melia circled near. Even the generals kept a close distance, but the assassin had disappeared. I prayed a silent prayer that her knife would find its way to Johan’s back; however, I doubted my luck.
Johan tipped his head my direction but kept his attention fixed on whatever liquor he held. “What an amazing speech you just made, Ilianna. I wasn’t in time to hear it all, but I don’t doubt it was riveting. You were always good at riling up our companies for battle, weren’t you?”
I didn’t know what to say. “Uncle, may I introduce you to Prince Castiel Anouk, second son to Cassius the Great.”
Castiel inclined his head. Even though he rose to the same height as Johan, my uncle tipped his chin up to peer at the boy in front of him—because that was all the prince was in his eyes.
“Why are you here, Uncle?” I dared asked, then braced for the back of his hand.
Johan pretended not to hear me, only turned to Riaan. “I must demand an immediate audience with you. I’m afraid this merriment is as premature as your governance.”
My hackles rose on the back of my neck, but Riaan handled the insult well. “Oh?”
“And I demand the presence of my niece as well.”
Riaan tipped his head. “I may have an empty room we can retire to. I assume you have guards you wish to attend you?”
“Of course.” At his signal, six men detached from the crowd, gathering behind the body of Lucan. Their clothes matched that of the local commoners.
Riaan’s gaze narrowed. “I see you all made it through my security without any problems.”
Johan shrugged. He paced to the throne to eye it with more interest than anyone should have shown. “Not without any problems. I’d say I left well over a hundred men outside the borders of your country, and a dozen in that little town just past your hills. Oh!” He turned a mocking smile to me. “And I brought Pala with me.”
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach.
He continued. “Actually, I couldn’t keep her away. She missed you so.”
A figure detached herself from the crowd. Oil shimmered from her black hair, highlighted by the flames of the overhead candelabras. Pala folded her hands neatly in front of her slight figure. Her brown eyes warned there was much more brewing within than the calm picture she displayed.
Riaan smile kindly at Pala, then looked to Johan. “I’ll have the guest quarters made up for you and your men. Your lady’s maid can stay—”
“With Ilianna, of course,” Pala said. She took a step forward. She barely came to my chin, yet the arrogance that emanated from her overcame any problem with her height. “I will return immediately to the princess. By the state of her appearance, it’s obvious she’s been without proper care.”
Riaan’s brows tipped up. “I’m sorry, dear lady, but that is out of the question. You are our guest and will be treated as such.”
“Truly?” Her fingers flicked my direction. “I’d be frightened by such treatment. Tell me, is it common in your kingdom to neglect royal guests?”
Johan let out a hearty laugh, not allowing the king to respond. “Throughout the years the woman has never held her tongue, but still she shocks me.”
A guard rushed to King Riaan and whispered in his ear. The king nodded, then re-acknowledged Eira’s king. “If you’ll come with me.”
Johan gestured to Lucan-Cyris and together they and their company followed behind Riaan, along with Reese, Mikael, Melia, the four generals, and two additional guards. Pala waited for me to join her, but Castiel wound my hand through his arm, claiming me, then gestured to the woman. “After you.”
She glared with pursed lips, but left without a word.
My fear set in. I looked up to Castiel, seeking comfort from his kind, familiar eyes. He reached to cup his hand on my cheek. “It’s going to be alright,” he mouthed.
I kept my voice lowered. “Lucan? Did you know?”
He nodded once. “We told Cyris to be on the watch for Lucan’s master. We didn’t think…” His whispered voice trailed.
That he’d be here so soon? That he’d ever come?
After two flights of stairs and several heavily guarded hallways, we came to a room adjoined to multiple suites I had never been permitted to enter.
“This is my private study,”
Riaan said, turning a circle. “A library of books added upon with each generation of Anouks. We will be uninterrupted here.”
“Marvelous. Just marvelous,” my uncle said, but the library could hold no interest for him. I’d never seen the man pick up a book. I wasn’t sure he even knew how to read. Lucan-Cyris smirked next to his leader, giving me a red-eyed wink. I flinched.
General Vega walked the outline of the room, eyeing me as he moved, but Dag, Beau, and Amara kept close together, arms crossed. Reese and Mikael stood as guards just inside the door by Johan’s men. Lucan-Cyris watched me closely, transfiguring his mannerisms to match the former tenant so perfectly that I shuddered inside my skin. Melia took her position by the king of Anolyn. The energy around me shifted when Pala slid close behind, causing the back of my spine to prick painfully.
Johan continued. “I didn’t know there were so many books in all the world. It almost makes my heart ache. Speaking of which…” He pick one from a shelf and thumbed through the contents. “When you left, Ilianna, you made my heart ache. Almost broke it altogether.”
I swallowed, realizing I had to answer. “I’m sorry, Uncle. But isn’t this what you wanted?”
He hummed. “You came straight here?”
I eyed Riaan and he nodded, barely perceptible. “Of course,” I said. “Where else would I have gone? You made your request clear of me, my uncle.”
“And so, you left your home, without saying goodbye, to fulfill my commands on your own?”
“Of course,” I lied again.
“Heartwarming,” he said, turning away to fake interest in a tapestry that hung over the low burning fire. “Truly heartwarming. Just like it was to hear that your people, King Riaan, are so eager to accept a union between our kingdoms.” He spun, eyeing Riaan with a baleful look. “But that was not what I agreed upon.”
Of Blood and Deceit Page 29
