Knightfall (Tangled Crowns Book 1)

by Ann Denton

  The crowd broke, and people milled about.

  Abbas headed straight for the dais.

  He bent over Avia, giving her a rakish grin. Dammit. His smile was far too alluring. She’d never last a second. I wouldn’t have, at her age.

  I blew out a breath, glad his gaze wasn’t directed at me.

  But, suddenly, it was.

  Abbas stared at me over Avia’s head. His black gaze trapped me for a moment, before Declan took my arm and tugged me away.

  “May I escort you, Princess Avia?” Abbas spoke for the first time. His voice was smooth, musical.

  Avia giggled.

  Shite. Shite. Do we have to let him escort her, Quinn? He’s not even decent!

  I watched Avia and Abbas walk down the steps. I had to wait for the room to clear before my two maids removed the ridiculous train from my dress so that I could walk unhampered. The crown, unfortunately, stayed. I felt like hurrying after Avia, propriety be damned, and wedging myself in between the two of them, like a little old lady chaperone.

  When I arrived at the yellow salon, Lady Agatha had already begun the game. I nodded toward her.

  The game of jingling was simple. One person was it. And they received a string of bells to place over their neck. Everyone else was blindfolded and attempted to catch the jingler. Whoever won got to wear the bells next.

  Blindfolds were passed to my knights and myself. We all took them once Quinn reassured us he had several invisibles in the room near us keeping watch.

  Right before I slid the strip of cloth over my eyes, I saw Abbas approach Lady Agatha and take the bells.

  Shite. I should have picked a different game, I thought.

  Have your men watch Avia.

  I’ll head that way myself. Quinn gave my hand a squeeze and headed off.

  I stood at the side of the room, listening to the jitters and giggles as bells rang and people ran into one another. I definitely heard two people nearby not stop at running into one another but begin locking lips.

  I started to rethink my decision. But then I reminded myself, Abbas had the bells on himself. He couldn’t possibly kiss my sister without drawing a crowd to him.

  A man’s hand caught mine. Instead of the apology and laugh I expected, the stranger remained silent. Lips touched my fingers.

  “Ryan?” I breathed. He’d done that once before, in the practice yard.

  But Ryan didn’t answer.

  Isn’t he beside me? Where did he go? My mind worried.

  Fear trickled down my spine as someone planted kisses on each of my fingertips.

  “Who are you?” I whispered. But dread pooled in my limbs.

  When one of my fingers was sucked into a warm mouth and caressed by a hot tongue, I whipped my blindfold off my head.

  Abbas released my finger from his lips and smiled his wide, feral smile. He let the bells on his chest chime. “Why … Princess Bloss … you found me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “That smarmy psychopath!” I raged, stomping around my room that night.

  All four of my husbands had gathered to strategize, and it had been my first opportunity to fill them in on Abbas’ little prank. Other than Quinn, of course, who’d heard about it endlessly all afternoon in his head.

  “He’s trying to goad you,” Declan shook his head.

  “But why?” Ryan asked.

  I stopped and pointed wildly at Ryan. “Yes. That! Why? Why antagonize me if he’s here for an alliance?”

  “Maybe he doesn’t want the alliance,” Connor crossed his arms. “He did seem pretty self-satisfied all afternoon. I got a couple hints of intrigue from him. He was very interested in Quinn’s mental communication abilities.”

  “What about Avia?”

  Connor shook his head. “Polite disinterest was the best I got. Boredom even, when they sat together at dinner tonight. But … when he looked at you—”

  “Yes?”

  Every eye in the room focused on Connor, who ran a hand through his unruly brown curls and then cupped his chin. His eyes flickered from Ryan to Quinn and then Declan before he answered. “It was hard to describe. There was a hint of desire. But the overriding emotion was excitement. Or maybe … elation?”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Ryan got angry. He stomped over and grabbed me, dragging me back to the chair to sit on his lap. His arms locked possessively around me for a moment.

  I was starting to recognize his need to hold me when he got upset.

  Connor eyed the pair of us for a moment before he said, “I’m not sure.”

  Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think he’s trying to get a read on the five of us. Trying to be divisive.”

  “Again. Why?” I leaned my head back against Ryan and let him stroke my arms.

  Quinn turned and looked me in the eye. If it was me, I’d use it as a distraction technique. For whatever it was I really wanted.

  “Well, if he doesn’t want Avia and he doesn’t want me, what the sarding hell does he want?”

  The silence that followed my question was deafening.

  We didn’t know.

  The day after Abbas’ arrival and finger-sucking ploy, was hectic.

  I had a morning breakfast with all the ambassadors. Connor accompanied me and did his best to smooth things over with Meeker, the Sedarian ambassador, who still had a bee in his bonnet over Abbas’ visit. He was doing an excellent job until…

  “Haven’t haard a single thing about his plans!” Meeker scolded as he shoved a buttered croissant into his mouth. He kept talking even as he spat bits of crumb. “He’s such a smug bastaard though. Waatching me, knowing he’s gaat elven chain. Good luuck with him activating thaam though! Ha.”

  I tried not to hide my ignorance of the subject. Other than understanding elven chains controlled the person who wore them, I knew very little about how they worked. The elves on the Isles of Peth typically guarded their secrets well. Only the country of Sedara had ever gained their confidence. “Well, thank goodness for that. Then what they stole has little value.”

  “I didn’t say thaat—”

  “So do they have the ability to activate the chain?” I took a sip of my juice. “Or did they steal something they couldn’t use?”

  “I, they—” Meeker suddenly stopped talking and glared at me, realizing Abbas could activate that chain.

  Hell and sard. Not what I wanted to hear, I thought.

  “Do you think Abbas is too old for my sister?” I asked, staring over at the pair of them, who’d shown up across the hall and were serving themselves breakfast. I pretended I hadn’t noticed Meeker’s slip.

  “Entirely,” Meeker eyed me.

  “I’m inclined to agree. What kind of country has a suitor visit before the girl is even of age? It’s rather manipulative, isn’t it? To influence an innocent young girl that way?”

  Next to me, Connor squeezed my hand twice as Meeker went stiff again. And all Connor’s hard work went to nothing.

  I stared at Meeker as though I didn’t know what I’d said. But, Sedara had sent Declan over when I was only fourteen. My mother had declared him her ward and sent him to class alongside me. She’d never given him the lavish reception of a suitor, hadn’t told me about it until I was eighteen. I was certain Meeker considered my mother’s actions a slap in the face.

  I considered her sensible, recognizing what a snake-in-the-grass Abbas was. Declan had been my age and hadn’t had nearly the same seductive powers when we were younger. But throw a young girl a ball, as we were about to do in a few days … lots of princesses could get swept away in the romance of it all. I wouldn’t let Avia be one of them.

  I wasn’t quite sure why my mother had allowed Abbas to have the full suitor treatment. I thought perhaps her illness had made her leave the details to her butler, Jorad, who ran everything in the castle according to a long book full of protocols. If she was well, I very much doubted she would have approved how Abbas kept his hand low on my sister’s back. So
low it could easily slip—

  “Should I go break up the happy couple?” I asked, as I saw Avia start. She didn’t squeal, but I was pretty certain our honored guest had just taken privileges.

  I stomped toward them, flames in my eyes, just as a young serving girl carrying a white daisy approached us and stopped to speak with Connor.

  “Your Highness. Avia,” I greeted them both and allowed them a moment to get the annoying curtsy and bow out of the way.

  Abbas looked amused, his eyes dancing as he studied me. He knew exactly what had brought me stomping over.

  “My, Princess Bloss, you look quite excited this morning. And the Sedarian ambassador, sadly, looks a bit put out. Why might that be?”

  I turned so I could see Meeker out of the corner of my eye. He was red in the face, ready to burst with rage. I only hoped the new rage I’d given him outweighed the old, and that he’d forget he’d essentially confirmed that the elven chain stolen by Cheryn was an active threat.

  “Meeker was just warning me about you. He seems to think that you’re dangerous.”

  “Does he?” Abbas laughed.

  “Well, it was rather confusing. He thought you dangerous but an idiot. A dangerous idiot.”

  “And why is that?”

  “He thinks you have elven chains but aren’t smart enough to activate them,” I gave a playful shrug, watching Abbas carefully.

  His courtier’s smile didn’t drop. Not an inch. His expression didn’t tighten. But his abdomen did, ever so slightly. And then his fingers flexed.

  He did have the chains. And he didn’t like Meeker’s insult. Insults riled him.

  “What did you tell Ambassador Meeker?”

  “I told him that if Cheryn had any ill intentions toward us, they wouldn’t have sent their least powerful prince as the representative suitor.”

  Abbas’ eyes narrowed.

  I batted my eyelashes up at him. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to steal my sister away.” I linked arms with Avia and hurriedly left the chamber.

  “Are you mad, Bloss?” she asked, as I opened a seam to a spelled passageway and pulled her inside.

  “No. But they certainly are,” I responded as I lifted my skirts and began to lead the way back to my chamber.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Angry men make mistakes,” I replied. “I need to know who our true enemies are—who sent this beast after you and what the hell Abbas wants.”

  Quinn, get shadows on Meeker and Abbas. Now.

  Yes, Dove. And may I say, beautiful performance?

  I grinned as I led my sister around a dark bend in the tunnel.

  We emerged in my chambers and Avia was shaking her head like our governess had. “This sounds like a terrible idea.”

  “Avia, you’ve watched Ryan and the others fight, right? Have you ever participated in a sparring match?”

  She shuddered and ran her hands over her arms. “No! That’s sounds awful. Why would I want to do that?”

  “Because … someone has it out for Evaness. I’m forcing the fight. If you’d sparred, you’d know: it’s far less painful to give a hit than to get one.”

  That afternoon, Quinn and Declan joined me in my room to discuss Abbas.

  Meeker had been ranting to his staff about my churlish and immature ways all morning. But ranting meant little.

  Abbas hadn’t said a word to anyone. Quinn’s people had followed him around, and only seen him go on a nature walk through the palace orchards, where he’d been accosted by a rabbit, nearly tripping over it.

  “Wyle says that elven chains need a ring to activate them. And a magical spell. Not impossible. But Abbas is the djinni who only received speed as his power. I doubt he inherited enough power himself to activate it. He could have a witch or mage in his entourage who could, though,” Declan said.

  He has a glowing ring in his rooms, Quinn said. But he hasn’t put it on. That could be a power source. No one in his entourage has done any active spell work though.

  “Would his brothers be able to activate it?” I asked.

  “Probably,” Declan sighed. “If they’d come.”

  I kicked my legs up on the side of my chair and played with my hair. “Conspiracy theory. Most husband groups are not like mine, cobbled together. Most are families of brothers. Or groups of male friends who seek a wife. Would you, in a normal situation—not ours—have let your brother go to meet your future wife without you?”

  “No,” Declan shook his head vehemently.

  No sarding way.

  “Well, then, further conspiracy. What if his brothers are here somehow?”

  “The spell at the gates removes all disguise spells,” Declan gave me a look that said I was an idiot.

  I glared at him. “I said it was a conspiracy theory.”

  “The brothers have been ill since their mother passed away four months ago.”

  I sighed. “Fine.”

  It’s not a terrible theory, Dove. The rest of them are shape shifters. It’s just … highly unlikely.

  “I just … something in my gut just feels wrong. Abbas shouldn’t be here alone. He should have rescheduled. He didn’t. Why not? Why did his brothers let him come? Unless they’re desperate for this alliance? Unless there’s something here they really want or need. Something they can’t wait for…”

  I trailed off. Evaness was a prosperous and fertile country. We had fertile fields.

  If Abbas was desperate enough to come here without his brothers, why the hell was he insulting me? I yanked a hank of hair, frustrated. I was going in circles. I was getting nowhere.

  “Dammit!” I cursed, just as my door swung open.

  “Dammit!” Connor’s voice reverberated off my walls. He stomped in carrying an armload of white daisies. “Stop sarding trying to buy my forgiveness with pranks! You think sending every cute serving girl under the age of six with a flower is going to convince me you’re not a liar? That we aren’t spelled?”

  I watched Connor dump the daisies all over my bed. “I didn’t—”

  Next to me, Declan and Quinn burst into laughter.

  Connor and I turned to face them.

  I put my hands on my hips. “I’m guessing you two have something to do with this?”

  Declan shook his head between guffaws. “Nope. Not me. But I think Quinn’s getting desperate.”

  Quinn nodded. And then he started moving his hips suggestively, pumping the air.

  I smacked my hand over my forehead. But I couldn’t stop my smile. “I’m sorry, Connor.”

  He stared at all of us a moment, before he turned and stomped out.

  I rounded on Quinn. “You pissed him off.”

  No, Dove. He was holding in a laugh that entire time.

  “Oh.” I stared out the open door with longing.

  “I’m gonna go follow him,” Declan grinned.

  “Why?”

  Declan paused at the door. “Oh. I forget. You weren’t here. Well, a few years ago, I was curious. Connor’s power doesn’t have a color when he uses it. And I was wondering about the price. I mean, why should he lose his emotions? If he was just seeing other people’s emotions, you’d expect him to then be kind of obtuse after. To go emotion-blind or something. But we think he actually drinks in emotion a little. Sips it. So, he drinks in others’ emotions and loses his own.”

  I bit my lip. That made so much sense. And I’d been gone when they figured it out. I’d missed a huge piece of Connor’s life.

  Before guilt could flood me, Declan added, “So, I’m just gonna follow Connor around for a bit, thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts about you. Let him drink that in.”

  Quinn gave Declan a huge smile and a nod.

  Dec turned to me and winked. “Trust me, we’ll get him turned around.”

  A girl could only hope.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The next day was an exercise in caution as I waited to see what Sedara and Cheryn might do.

  Ryan had t
o work with his guards and begin the process of clearing Willard’s province out. Connor got the unhappy task of breaking the news of herd and population relocation to Willard and his mother—though the official stance was water poisoning in the area. Declan stayed at my side, as he could tote his books and ledgers anywhere. And Quinn disappeared off to do whatever he did. Hopefully ferret out the dragon and its keeper.

  Since it was a crisp fall day, but decent enough weather, some acrobats had been arranged to perform on the front lawn at luncheon. And then Avia and Abbas were to take a turn around the garden.

  Unfortunately, my sister ended up with a stomachache after eating and had to beg off.

  Sarding hell.

  I had to figure out who could entertain the foreign prince for two hours.

  I sat on the grass in my mint green gown, a small gold circlet in my hair. I worried Quinn’s bead beneath my fingers as I scanned the crowd of nobles on the lawn, looking for a suitable victim.

  A hand interrupted my view. A strong, wide, dark-skinned hand, with a scar running along one thumb. I looked up to see Abbas smiling down at me. Today, he was dressed in traditional Evaness clothing, so his sculpted pecs were not on display. But his tight breeches left little to the imagination.

  Abbas’ dark eyes bore into mine. “Since your sister has sadly been forced to leave us, I wondered if you’d care to join me and show me these magnificent grounds, Your Highness.”

  I raised my brows. Not the reaction I’d expected after I’d insulted his magical prowess. Men typically didn’t like to be labeled ‘smallest’ at anything. “Actually, I have—”

  “You have plans more important than the pending alliance between our countries?” His tone was soft but lethal.

  There it was. That hint of a threat I’d been looking for.

  “We do have a lovely group of poinsettias to the east,” I pasted on a smile and let him help me to my feet.

  Behind me, Declan struggled to roll his parchment and close all his books.