Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Stop. Please. I beg you. I can’t.”
The words were a distant ripple in my mind.
The crack of Garron’s hand across my face wasn’t. I shot to my feet and struck his nose with the heel of my hand. He grunted and stumbled back a step.
“You were hurting her, Kellen,” he said. “You weren’t answering.”
A chaotic storm of thoughts, not all my own, tumbled around in my head, making it ache and hard to understand what he was saying.
“The tea,” Getaina said faintly.
A second later, a cup was pressed to my mouth. The rancid taste of the healing tea was familiar enough that I swallowed it despite the taste.
“I meant for me, you dolt,” Getaina said.
“I know, but Kellen needed it more,” Garron said, taking away the cup. “You saw what happens when she loses control.”
The ache in my head eased, and my thoughts settled as he handed her the remaining tea. She drank it quickly.
“Do I owe you an apology?” I asked.
Her sharp gaze found mine, and I could feel her pain.
“You lack finesse, girl, but I can see what Pogwid saw. You ripped my entire life from my head within minutes. And look at you. Barely a headache. Can you feel the way my heart is pounding? My blood feels hot, close to boiling. And the way my head… It felt like I was dying.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know—” I stopped because I did know. The knowledge of how to touch someone’s mind without causing pain existed in my mind as if it had always existed…as if it was my own knowledge and not her memories.
“I don’t understand what I did, but I know things. Spells. It feels like I’ve always known them.”
She nodded. “It was knowledge freely given. Not the rest, though. I had to fight you for that.” She looked at Garron. “You should thank me. If I’d let her have it all, your future bride would think she was me.”
“Sincerely, I thank you,” he said with a regal bow.
Getaina snorted. “Words are useless. Thank me by helping me live more comfortably. Help—one hour a day—from one of the princes for the rest of my life.”
“Granted, except for when we travel, unless you wish to travel with us.”
She waved away the offer and focused on me.
“Like Pogwid, the bulk of my strength now lies in my knowledge, which you now have. There’s nothing more I can do for you, girl. Don’t return until the queen is gone. Now, go.”
She leaned back in her chair and waved us out.
When we emerged, the man once again sat on his doorstep, carving. He nodded at us and then went back to work.
I eyed the meager distance between the sun and the horizon as Garron and I walked down the road.
“We should return to the estate,” I said softly.
The words barely left my mouth when I sensed a patrol coming. Grabbing Garron’s hand, I pulled him in between the homes at the end of the road. I lifted my finger to my lips and listened, afraid I’d once again exposed another caster.
“Have you seen any men not from Adele?” the guard asked over a sudden pounding.
The fake man answered, “How am I to know who’s not from Adele by looking at them? Do they look odd?”
The pounding ceased.
“Seven of them,” the guard barked. “Three with a woman posing as their sister and four others posing as their cousins. All of an age ranging between sixteen and twenty-one.”
“Nope. Can’t say that I’ve seen a group of men passing by. No reason to on this street.”
The guard began moving our way. With a thought, I bent the light in the air to show the space behind us as if we didn’t exist, a simpler way to hide than the complex cast I would need to create an illusion such as Getaina had.
Garron remained silent as we watched the guard pass us. I felt his anxiousness when one man looked our way, but it faded once they left.
“The queen knows,” I said softly.
He nodded, took my hand, and led me back to the street and saw the reason for the pounding. Sketches had been nailed to the side of one house. Seven of them. One rough sketch for each prince’s face.
Garron swore.
“You better go back in,” the fake man said. “You’ll need to fix your face before you can leave.”
The door to Getaina’s swung open, and I pulled us back inside.
* * *
I capped the last vial and wrapped them all in the cloth Getaina had provided.
“How is your head?” I asked.
“Good. The pain’s almost gone. My knees don’t hurt at all either.” She stood and sat several times. “Hips too. Take care when you brew your healing tea. Too potent and the bones can mend before they’re set in place.”
“So I read. I didn’t feel anything broken inside of you, though.”
She tsked at me and nodded to Garron, who was staring at the muddy liquid in the cup I’d given him.
“I think he doubts your skills,” she said.
“Not in the slightest,” Garron said. “However, I am regretting my choice to slap her earlier and hope that hasn’t influenced her choice in remaking my appearance.”
“I promise you’ll be fine, Garron. Just drink already. The sun has set, and your brothers are worriers. We can’t afford them roaming the streets until they drink these.”
He wrinkled his nose and tipped back the brew. His gag reflex reacted violently, which Getaina found vastly amusing.
“Keep it down, boy. Too many ingredients were used to waste it like that. There you go. Good. Just breathe through it.”
As I watched, his face began to shift and bubble.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
“No. It itches fiercely, though.”
Getaina remained quiet, and I felt her growing concern. She’d never seen the spell work like that before. I glanced at her.
“I thought spells either worked or didn’t work,” I said. “Can I cast wrong? Can I hurt them?”
“Of course you can cast wrong. Who told you that nonsense about it either working or not working?”
I looked at Garron.
“You were too afraid, Snow, and we needed you to be fearless.”
His face settled into a misshaped imitation of his former self, completely unrecognizable if one only had the sketch to evaluate and compare.
“Well, that certainly will work. Let’s hope it’s not permanent, or you’ll have ugly babies. Would you like to see?” She held out a mirror, which I snatched from her hand.
“He would not,” I said.
Then I crossed the room and kissed Garron on his twisted lips.
“It’s temporary. I promise.”
“I trust you,” he said.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t. I was trying to turn you into a woman.”
Getaina hooted and slapped her knee. “If you’d been able to manage that, you wouldn’t have needed to see me. You would have been able to defeat the queen on your own. I’ve only heard of one caster in our history able to change people into something other than themselves. I’m pretty sure she turned a man into a beast.”
“A beast? From the Dark Forest?”
“No, girl. That corruption is from the original wars. This story is from after that. To the north. I can’t remember the name.” She sat, her expression conveying her deep thought. “It’ll come to me. I wonder if she’s still alive. Her story is likely why the queen is obsessed with finding a way to stay young.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rumor says that the caster who changed the man into a beast doesn’t age.”
“And if one caster can do it, then so can another,” I said in understanding.
“Exactly. The queen is trying everything: breeding babies with strong bloodlines and sacrificing them for their powers, blood magic of every kind. She even tried capturing the Hunter.”
“The Hunter?”
“It’s a beast in the Dark Forest,” Garron said. “It’s smart and hunts men who enter its domain. We always avoid that part of the forest.”
“Why does the queen want a beast?” I asked.
“It’s rumored that he’s the original beast,” Getaina said.
“Thank you for your help and for the information,” I said.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad there’s something I can still share that you didn’t already pull from me.”
“Why didn’t she?” Garron asked.
“Sometimes, the little details slip through,” Getaina said. “But it’s often the little details that matter. Don’t forget that, Kellen.”
“I won’t.”
We left with the vials and evaded everyone after dark since I feared Garron’s face would draw too much attention. Arriving at the back door of Philip’s estate, my suspicions were confirmed when Margret answered the door and screamed at the sight of him.
“It’s us,” I said, quickly covering her mouth. “Kellen and Garron.”
She nodded and stepped back from my hand.
“Forgive me. I didn’t…” Her gaze shifted to Garron. “Will he be all right?”
“The spell will only last a few hours,” I said. “He will be fine. Where are the others?”
“In the dining room with this evening’s guests.” Her gaze flicked between Garron and me.
I took his hand. “I believe we’ll join them.”
She nodded and led the way. When we entered, the kitchen help was removing the dishes from the second course of their meal.
“Please add two more settings,” I said as Garron pulled out a chair for me.
Daemon’s attempt to smother his humor in his napkin failed, and I reached up to stroke Garron’s face so he knew I didn’t find him repulsive.
“I know they’re next,” he said softly with a twisted grin.
He took his seat beside me, and I felt the complete shock of the nobles in attendance, all of whom I’d previously met. Not so with the brothers. They didn’t care that I was dressed like a lad in front of the nobles or that Garron’s face wasn’t as it should be. They radiated curiosity.
“I apologize for our late arrival,” I said. “Business kept us a bit longer than we’d anticipated. Lord Hamill, we’ve met with Getaina already, so there’s no need for you to persuade her. As soon as we’re finished here, Garron and I will continue searching for the others on our own.”
Liam’s concern almost matched Garron’s, but neither refuted my words.
A hint of outrage drifted from Lord Hamill, which I found interesting.
“What precisely offends you, Lord Hamill? That I lacked the patience to wait until it was convenient for you to provide what we needed or that I’m fully capable of finding them without needing your help? The latter does pose a problem, doesn’t it? Much harder to gain the favor of the princes when you have nothing to provide them.”
His anger grew while, outwardly, he smiled benevolently.
“Offended? Never. The princes are fortunate to have someone with skills of her own on which they can depend.”
“That won’t do,” I said as if to myself but loud enough for all to hear. “I insist you speak what you truly think.” I touched his mind with my intent.
He slammed his hands down on the table, showing his real feelings.
“How dare you approach what’s mine. You may have the favor of the princes now, but it won’t last long. Once the throne is empty, they will have no use for a second-rate harlot caster and look to the noble families for a real queen.”
His mouth snapped shut. His outrage evaporated, replaced by disbelief, shame, and defeat.
“I see,” I said. “And how many of you also feel this way?” As my gaze swept the table, I touched each noble and their wives with my intent, freeing them to speak the thoughts they kept hidden.
“Our daughter should marry Brandle, the true successor,” one woman said.
Another noble’s hand slammed on the table. “She’s betrothed to my son!”
Chaos broke out as they argued amongst themselves. Lord Hammill didn’t join in. His gaze remained fixated on the table, his tumultuous thoughts focused on finding a way to salvage his standing.
“Enough,” I said, silencing them all. “The Foul Queen knows the princes have returned. Posters with drawings of them are being spread around Adele as we speak. While I hope that means she hasn’t yet discovered Brandle and Edmund in her midst, I am not prepared to stake their lives on it.
“Yes, Lord Hamill, that means Brandle and Edmund have been taken. She has held them for the last two days as handsome men for her next breeding. Thank you for paying attention to the conversation again.
“The games to bid for the princes’ favor end tonight. You have a simple choice to make. Fully support the princes without condition in removing the queen or watch the princes leave Adele to its fate.”
“They will never leave their brothers to the queen,” Lord Hamill said.
“Correct. But freeing their brothers needn’t mean that they face the queen.” I took Garron’s hand and smiled at him. “I’ve always wanted to see the south. I’ve heard women there wear pants all the time. Their clothing is almost see-through, mind you. Quite scandalous.”
“I think I would like to see you dress thusly,” Darian said. “I vote yes to going south instead of helping people who have no wish to be helped.”
“I vote yes, too,” Daemon said.
“It’s impossible to sneak into the castle,” one noble said desperately.
“Not if you’re a handsome man. I’m certain that, after visiting a few more casters, I will have the knowledge I need to change my appearance and win my way into the castle, free the princes, and leave Adele before the new day dawns.”
“That does sound appealing,” Eadric said. “We can be back in our cottage tomorrow night. Life was simpler—happier—there.”
“Very true,” Liam said.
I could feel their annoyance with the nobles and their hope that I was only saying what was necessary to sway them. Collectively, the princes didn’t want me going anywhere near the castle, but they weren’t opposed to the idea of returning to the cottage. None of them wanted to leave the people under the queen’s rule, though. Or the nobles, for that matter, now that they’d revealed their hidden intents.
“Choose,” Liam said to them. “Stand with us, or lose everything you hold dear.”
The speed at which they summoned their footmen to send messages to their casters would have been entertaining if not for the time we’d already lost.
Hungry, I dug into the small fowl that was set before me for the next course, purposely ignoring all etiquette. The revulsion of the wives amused me greatly.
“I am beginning to see the trouble you and your sister might have caused in your youths,” Garron said softly beside me.
I flashed a grin at him and continued eating with my fingers and teeth.
Eadric’s desire wrapped around me when I licked my fingers. So I repeated the process. Daemon and Darian’s desire flooded into my well. I connected to them all, even feeling Brandle and Edmund. Their love for me and their exhaustion.
The leg I’d been eating fell to my plate as I stared straight at the woman’s wig across from me and focused on Brandle and Edmund.
“Snow?” Garron asked, touching my arm.
“Hush.”
Edmund’s frustration grew.
“Something is happening to them,” I said. “They’re tired. Edmund is frustrated.”
I touched him with my love, and his answered. Just as his desire started to surge, a spark of energy burst into existence around him.
The queen. She was trying to do something to him.
“He is mine!” My hands slammed down on the table.
The woman across from me grabbed at her neck in shock, but I ignored her and focused on Edmund’s energy as Garron’s hand encircled my upper arm.
“Do not reveal where we are,” he said urgently.
In my mind, I also heard Edmund’s voice clearly.
Your love protects us. Go.
I felt it then. The spell I’d cast in the glade to bind me to them was protecting him. Barely.
Touching my well through its lid, I sent my energy surging toward Edmund. It easily slipped under the queen’s power and joined the thin barrier already surrounding him.
My love and intent merged with what was already there. The barrier grew thicker and more impenetrable.
Withdrawing from him, I stood. “Edmund’s with the queen. He’s safe. For now.”
“Where are you going?”
“To take a bath. I can still feel her touching him, trying to arouse him. She knows who he is and is trying to secure her right to the throne.” I looked at the nobles. “Your delays may have already cost you the freedom to choose.”
I started from the room.
“Eadric, you may attend me,” I called over my shoulder.
His chair scraped against the floor in his rush to follow me.
I waited outside the dining room for him.
“Did I go too far?” I asked.
He grinned widely and swept me up into his arms. “You were perfect, Sparrow. The way you stood up to the nobles and put them in their place was very…regal.”
“Do you think the casters will arrive soon?”
“Yes. And I don’t think our guests will leave until that happens. Were you serious about turning yourself into a handsome man and entering the castle?”
“I was. I’ve seen the illusions that Pogwid and Getaina used. Complex spells that required a great deal of power to cast but very little to maintain. There are already potions to change a person’s appearance. Simple things like adding moles or removing them. And I also know that I can cast to make something become something against its nature.”
“Peas with thorns,” he said in understanding.
“Precisely. In theory, if I can do all of that, I should be able to temporarily turn myself into a man.”
“I would very much like to see you as a man,” he said. “One that Edmund doesn’t recognize. Then you can kiss him.”
I laughed at Eadric’s imagination and hugged him in gratitude for helping me see some light in an otherwise dark time.
When my humor faded, I confided, “I heard Edmund clearly in my mind. He told me that my love is protecting them.”
“Makes sense. When you cast that spell to bind yourself to us, it felt like you were wrapping your arms around me. That feeling hasn’t left.”
“It hasn’t?”
“No.”
* * *
Relaxed from Eadric’s very attentive care, I lounged in the bath and let him play with the wet strands of my hair trailing over his chest. Our thundering pulses gradually slowed.
“Was I too rough?” he asked.
“No. You were perfect.”
He kissed my temple. “You’re perfect, Sparrow.”
Darian knocked on the door to my room. The ease with which I knew this no longer confused me. I was connected with them and had been before I’d cast that spell in the clearing.
“Enter,” I called.
The worry he carried melted away when he walked in and saw me reclining in the bath.
“I think I could use one of those,” he said.
“And you can have one…once I’ve met with the casters who’ve come.”
His brows rose. “You know?”
“I do. I could feel you thinking about them. You’re worried because they’re all so old.” I sat up so I could see both brothers. “Does it bother you that I can feel what you’re thinking?”
“Never,” they both answered.
“Will you tell me if that ever changes?”
“It won’t,” Eadric said.
“I agree,” Darian said. “It won’t change. However, if it does, we will immediately speak our minds if you don’t already guess it.”
“Thank you.”
I extended my hand so Darian could help me out of the bath and combed my fingers through his hair as he knelt to dry my legs. While he worked, I drank in his desire.
“I look forward to our lives together,” I said softly. “Days where I can wake up in a loving embrace and play and read and relax.”
Darian stood quickly to kiss me.
“We will worship you for the rest of our lives and ensure you don’t regret a moment of the help you’ve given us.”
He kissed my forehead then helped me dress. Eadric finished at the same time, and the three of us rejoined the others.
Gataina was there, listening to Lord Hamill’s whispered words. A hint of annoyance pulled at her expression until she saw me. Her wink was filled with humor.
“There you are, girl,” she said. “About time you showed up. I heard you’ve been causing all the fine nobles of Adele some concern. No deference. Haven’t you learned your place yet?”
“I’m hoping to. Perhaps you would be willing to put in a good word for me so I can learn a bit faster?”
Getaina chuckled and looked at her peers.
“If you let her in, keep a tight hold on what’s yours, or she’ll take it all, and we’ll be the ones who have to work to undo it.”
“Let her in?” one woman asked. “Why?”
“Her control is shite,” Getaina said bluntly. “That and I think she’s the powerful caster that the queen needs to achieve her dream. If she finds Kellen before Kellen can learn to protect herself, we’ll have lost before we’ve begun.”
“I don’t believe you,” a woman said.
A second later, I felt her attempt to connect with my energy. Rather than brushing her away, I pulled her in. She sank into my well. I waited for that moment of panic that Pogwid had experienced then connected with her.
“Hold onto yourself,” I heard Getaina say as the woman’s memories flooded me.
She came from a wealthy family and had connections to the royal bloodline. She hated the queen who sat on the throne yet secretly wished she’d been smart enough and powerful enough to take it for herself in her youth. Or, at least, that she’d found a way to endear herself to the prince at the time. Then she could have been Queen.
We would have been Queen.
I would have been?—
A palm landed on my cheek with a resonating crack. At the same time, arms wrapped around me from behind.
Their love, fear, and determination not to lose me calmed me before I could lash out at them.
“Free her, Kellen,” Getaina said.
“Not yet,” I rasped. “Please, Ulva…willingly give me your knowledge. Please.”
Held up between her peers, tears ran down the woman’s slack face. Yet, I felt her agreement a moment before information flooded me.