Crown of Secrets (The Hidden Mage Book 1)

by Melanie Cellier

  But General Haddon’s faction must be growing increasingly desperate to prevent any such connection between Ardann and King Cassius. And it seemed someone among their number was desperate enough to attempt to kill me. When compared to attempted assassination, it was all too easy to believe they might be placing pressure on Duke Francis to fail me. It would be a neat way to get rid of me with none of the blame on Kallorway.

  And having already agreed to modify my exams, the duke’s neutrality wouldn’t allow him to make any more compromises. He would fail me if my performance was substandard in any way.

  My status and believed lack of ability would protect me from the usual consequences of failing, but it would certainly mean my expulsion from the Academy. Such a thing would bring shame on my family and my kingdom.

  And it would prevent me from completing my main assignment here. After nearly a year, I was finally making progress in understanding the crown prince, but our conversations rarely strayed into future politics. I still couldn’t answer the question of which of his parents he meant to support once he had finished his training.

  I needed more time. Which meant I needed to pass my exams and ensure the general had no possible excuse to force the Academy Head to send me away.

  “Of course,” I said slowly. “I completely understand.”

  “Excellent. In that case, I recommend you return to class with all speed. Who knows what valuable tuition you might be missing?”

  The days seemed to speed up after that. I started paying attention in class again, listening intently and taking notes to review later. While I practiced with my new ability, I had almost entirely stopped visiting the library, but I began to haunt it again now. Hugh grinned whenever he saw me, full of jovial comments about trainees and exams.

  Bryony had been infected with the same concerns and couldn’t afford as many compositions for me to practice on anymore. I still managed to make progress, however, succeeding in working the composition faster and faster, and making slight modifications to the wording—much to my relief.

  I no longer felt like such a fool, shouting, “That energy is mine,” into the calm of my sitting room. Saying come to me, or some similar variation, carried more of my preferred subtlety—a particularly important trait when you were forced to work your compositions aloud rather than writing them down and rolling them up away from prying eyes.

  The weather heated enough that combat practice became sticky and at times unpleasant. I had fewer days now that I excelled, but at least I didn’t need extra strength from Bryony to be confident in my ability to pass my combat exam.

  One particularly hot day at the beginning of summer, Mitchell sent us to the arena where I was one of those assigned to observe the day’s battle. It was a relief, given the weather and the way my mind always seemed to be bursting at the seams these days, and I accepted the break gladly.

  I watched the royal guard and the growers battle the creators and the armed forces/law enforcement pairing, each team with one energy mage in support. Only Isabelle sat out beside me, her focus intent on the battle.

  Idly I watched a small breakaway group battle in front of me. A bolt of pure power from Royce burst against Frida’s shield, which dissolved, overwhelmed at the onslaught. She had another one ready, though, waiting in her hands, and she managed to rip it before Royce could follow up the advantage with a further attack.

  I considered the way the power hovered around her, the bubble enclosing her a familiar sensation after a lifetime raised in a palace. I had been shielded often enough that feeling one around me was like a comfortable second skin, despite it being a closed composition with no actual connection to my energy.

  I had barely used shields in my months here since I was unable to replenish my supply of them, and I missed the feeling of security they gave me. Without thinking, I imagined Frida’s bubble around myself instead of her.

  “Come to me,” I whispered, as I had learned to do when stealing Bryony’s energy composition.

  So clearly could I imagine how it felt to have one around me, that it took a moment to realize it was a real sensation and not my imagination.

  In front of me, power streaked out from Royce, going straight through Frida’s non-existent shield and dropping her to the ground, her arms and legs clasped to her side by a binding composition. I gasped, and Isabelle gave me an odd look, her brow furrowing as her eyes flicked to either side of me.

  She would be able to sense the power around me now, but she couldn’t possibly guess where it had come from.

  “The arena shielding will protect us from stray compositions,” she reminded me, and I realized she thought I had gotten jumpy and worked a shielding composition of my own.

  “Of course,” I said, unable to think of anything more intelligible to say.

  She looked back at the battle. “I thought Frida’s shield would last longer than that. She’d only just released it. She needs to spend more time on her shielding compositions.”

  “I—yes,” I muttered, getting more incomprehensible by the second.

  My eyes flew to Frida as the battle ended, Royce’s team declared the victors, having overcome their opponents in multiple places across the arena floor. He helped her to her feet, and I could see the two chatting. Neither looked in my direction or seemed in the least suspicious that anything had occurred other than Frida using a weak shield.

  But the power still surrounding me reminded me that it had been nothing of the sort. I had thought my power was that of an energy mage and could only be wielded against an active, open energy composition. My few attempts to try against other compositions had certainly all ended in failure.

  But I had just twisted a closed power composition, redirecting a shield that had been crafted to protect Frida toward myself instead. This discovery changed everything about my power, and I couldn’t wait to tell Bryony and Darius about it.

  Bryony joined me, chattering about the battle, her words washing over me unheeded. Of course she couldn’t sense power, so she noted nothing unusual about me.

  Even my abstraction was common enough these days as I ran over mental notes for the upcoming exams.

  But Darius’s steps faltered as he climbed past me to a higher seat, and he paused to throw me a single, confused look. He could feel the shield that still surrounded me, and I could see him searching our surroundings for any hint of a threat.

  I met his eyes, letting a smile break over my face, and hoping it would be enough to relieve his concern. But I caught Jareth watching me as well, and the expression dropped from my face. He had taken to cornering me whenever he could manage it, asking me quiet questions about my progress with my ability. His smiles never faltered, but it made me increasingly uncomfortable, and each time he did so, my answers grew more vague.

  Dellion sat beside me, tossing her head and wiping sweat from her eyes.

  “It’s far too hot to be running around and beating each other with swords,” she said. “You were fortunate to be an observer today, Princess.”

  I nodded, only listening to her words with half an ear.

  “Grandfather has promised that as soon as the Academy finishes for the year, we’ll all make a trip down to his estate on the southern coast. And I, for one, can’t wait. It will be cooler down there, and I intend to swim every day.”

  “All of you?” I asked, my attention caught as I imagined Darius slicing through the waves. “You mean your whole family?” My eyes wandered to where he sat, still watching me.

  “Well, not everyone,” Dellion admitted, sounding petulant. “King Cassius has important business in Kallmon and cannot be spared, apparently.” Her wrinkled nose made it clear what she thought of such an excuse. “And I believe Darius has refused the invitation, which is hardly a surprise. But Aunt Endellion is to come. And Jareth, of course. He loves that estate, and he missed our last trip down since he was on the Sekali tour that Grandfather arranged.”

  “General Haddon arranged that tour?” I asked, conc
ern seeping through me. “Why did Prince Jareth go and not Prince Darius?”

  Dellion rolled her eyes. “The king could never spare Darius for such a lengthy expedition. Why, it took two years to convince him the poor boy had to be allowed to leave court to attend the Academy.” She threw a sympathetic glance over her shoulder at her older cousin.

  Her words would have sounded humorous, so obviously parroted from some older family member, if they hadn’t filled me with alarm. It seemed that as far as the queen’s family was concerned, Darius danced attendance on his father while Jareth was the general’s golden boy. I didn’t like the sound of that at all.

  The concern shadowed me throughout the day, fighting against the buzz of joy at my expanded ability. Finally it seemed I might be able to do something of real value. But I found the discovery didn’t weigh with me as it should when overshadowed by my worry for Darius’s safety.

  I did drag Bryony away at lunch, however, snatching a private moment in the entranceway to whisper what had happened in combat. She squealed so loudly, the sound hurt my ears, and a passing instructor issued us a stern warning.

  As she passed on, I heard her mutter, “Exams,” under her breath. Apparently trainees were known for odd behavior the closer it got to that dreaded time of year.

  “But this is huge,” Bryony whispered, having recovered proper volume regulation. “Beyond huge. You’re not an energy mage but some sort of strange hybrid. I guess that explains why you can feel both energy and power. So do you think you can take any active composition and twist it to come to you instead?”

  “I don’t know. The first one I ever tried was my own energy, and what could be more familiar than that? And now I’ve managed it with the power composition I find most familiar. I don’t know how much that plays a part. Or maybe I have it all wrong and it has nothing to do with that at all.” I shrugged. “I suppose we’ll have to start experimenting all over again.”

  “I won’t be able to help much this time,” Bryony said. “I can’t work power compositions for you to test with. Do you think you could do it to anything, though? There are so many different types of power compositions, and some of them aren’t exactly attached to a mage at all. How would you claim them?”

  I sighed. “If only it wasn’t for exams! They’re taking up all my time and mental energy. But it’s no good unlocking my power only to fail the Academy—especially when I still haven’t achieved what I came here to do. Perhaps I won’t manage my triumphal return home this summer after all. I might need another year of experimenting before I have a handle on any of this.”

  Bryony gave me an odd look. “I hope you’re glad for your own sake, and not just because you think your family will finally be proud of you.”

  “Of course,” I said, dismissing her words. “But can you blame me for being excited to share it with them?”

  “Nooo.” She didn’t sound entirely sure. “It’s natural enough to feel excited. I just wonder, Verene, if you’ve really considered every aspect of your ability.”

  “What do you mean?” I frowned at her. “I’ve put so much thought into it, my mind spins in circles sometimes.”

  “It’s this new ability I’m thinking of,” she said, clearly hesitant but determined to share her thoughts anyway. “It’s one thing to steal one of Frida’s first year shields. But what would it mean if you could divert an enemy’s attack—no matter how strong? Verene, you could turn away one of your mother’s compositions. I’m not sure there’s anyone else in the kingdoms who could do that if she’s operating at full power.”

  “But I don’t know if I can do anything like that,” I said. “That’s a fairly big leap. You just said yourself that most compositions can’t be attached to me in the same way as a shield or energy siphoning.”

  “Yes, but even the possibility of you having that kind of power is going to interest a lot of people. I’m sure your aunt would like to know every detail about the extent of your ability. I’m sure she’d like to know very much. And do you think she’d let you return to Kallorway—to come back within Cassius’s reach—if you might be the only person with the ability to stop your mother?”

  “I…”

  She waited, but I didn’t finish the thought, so she continued. “You’ve always been so desperate to prove yourself useful to your family, Verene, and I understand that no one wants to feel useless, but…have you really considered just how they might like to use you?”

  “My parents would never use me,” I said weakly.

  “Your father doesn’t sit on the throne,” Bryony reminded me, unwilling to let the matter go, despite the sympathy on her face. “And your brother has been raised as much by your aunt as by your parents. I don’t doubt he loves you, but the crown is a heavy burden to bear. Everything else has to come in secondary to its responsibilities.”

  I didn’t want to acknowledge the truth of her words, but I couldn’t deny them either. One day, when Lucien sat on the throne, he would do whatever it took for the good of Ardann. No matter what that meant asking from his sister.

  I had admired my aunt’s sacrifices—I still did. She was the queen Ardann needed. And I had wanted to be like her. But was I ready to hand myself over to become a tool instead of a person? Even in the hands of someone I loved and admired?

  “I can’t tell them, can I?” I asked in a small voice.

  “I’m not saying never.” Bryony’s voice now held a pleading note, as if asking for my forgiveness. “I just think it might be better to wait until we really understand the scope of your abilities. Because I think you just showed we’re only beginning to understand them.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. “You’re probably right, but…I need to think about it. It’s been so many weeks with no real progress, and now it all feels like it’s happening too fast.”

  Thoughts of Darius pushed back to the front of my mind. My family wasn’t the only royal family I had to worry about, either.

  “Of course,” Bryony said quickly. “I’m not trying to pressure you…”

  “No,” I said, “you’re trying to protect me. My aunt and my brother have all of Ardann as their family—and I have you.”

  We embraced, huddled in the corner of the entranceway, tears running down both our faces. I had dreamed so many times of a triumphant discovery of some hidden ability. But I should have thought more about Bryony’s situation.

  I had been so fixated on all the heroic, powerful abilities in my family, that I had brushed off the other example in our midst. The example of Declan and Bryony. Some abilities weren’t safe to be shared. Some abilities created only a burden.

  Chapter 26

  When the knock came behind the tapestry that evening, I flew across the room to open it. But Darius wasn’t alone. My mood dropped, and my face with it, but for once I didn’t care that my emotions were on open display.

  I stepped aside and reluctantly let them both enter. Jareth moved into the room, but Darius stopped beside me, his voice and face urgent.

  “What happened today in the arena? Why did you shield yourself?”

  I glanced back at Jareth. “It was an accident. Of sorts. But you don’t need to worry. No one attacked me.”

  Darius took a deep breath, tension draining out of him. With a start, I remembered that he always used to be tense when we interacted. But it had been different ever since the night I was attacked. The barriers between us had been broken down. And now I had gotten used to seeing the other side of him.

  “I can understand you feeling twitchy.” There was anger in his voice, although I knew him well enough now to know it wasn’t directed at me. “I should have made more progress on discovering your attacker by now.”

  “I’m willing to call no one attempting to drain the life out of me progress.” I smiled, but he didn’t smile back. Apparently he couldn’t see it as a joking matter.

  “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” Jareth asked. “You’ve been acting oddly all day.”

  “Have I?�
�� My voice sounded cold, even to my own ears. “Maybe it’s the exams.”

  “Yes, about that.” Darius glanced at his brother, flicking his eyes toward a seat. Jareth flopped into it, an expression on his face I didn’t like.

  “About exams?” I looked back and forth between them.

  “Well, not exams specifically. More the end of the year.” Darius drew a slow breath. “At the beginning of the year you told me you wanted our two kingdoms to be united. I didn’t believe you then, but I think we understand each other better now. And so I have a request for you to take to your aunt—if you think she would be open to hearing it.”

  “An alliance request?” I looked between him and Jareth again. “Surely your father can’t have come around to the idea already? I know many in his faction seem to be in favor of such a move, but he seemed to positively hate me at Midwinter.”

  “Not exactly an alliance.” Darius hesitated. “Perhaps you’d better sit down.”

  Bryony popped her head out from where she’d been lying on her bed reading, took one look at the scene in the room and disappeared into my bedchamber, closing the door firmly behind her. Part of me wished I could follow her. I didn’t want to be having this conversation—or any conversation—with Jareth in the room.

  But I obediently took a seat on one of the sofas, while Darius took the second chair. He leaned forward, his focus on me, tension back in every line of his body. I had known him for nearly a year now, and I had never seen him so nervous. In fact, I wasn’t sure I had ever seen him nervous at all. What did he want to ask me?

  I leaned forward as well. “What is it, Darius? What do you want to ask my aunt?”

  “I want to know if Ardann would support me in deposing my father and taking the throne—without the aid of my grandfather.”

  I gasped, drawing back. “You want to take the throne…now?”

  He shook his head sharply, his concerned eyes pinned on me, watching every change of my expression.

  “Not now. When I graduate. I can’t take the throne if I’m not a full mage—as my father knows well.” Bitterness crept into his voice. “He played every trick he knew to keep me away from here, to delay the day of my graduation. But I prevailed eventually.” He glanced across at Jareth with a small smile. “I couldn’t let my baby brother come to the Academy without me.”