Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Her subtle retreat signaled an end, and I withdrew my energy. She sagged further between her peers and groaned. The pain in my head was merely a kernel of grain in a sack filled with them. She possessed the sack.
With barely a thought, I gathered the moisture in the air, created the necessary herbs from nothing, and heated it. A cup appeared next to hold it all. I clasped it in my hand, took a sip, then brought it to the woman’s lips.
“Drink. It will ease the pain.”
I could feel she wanted to but watched some of it dribble from the corners of her mouth in her attempt.
“Pogwid had a similar reaction when she attempted to connect with my well. She said she could feel herself falling into it but pulled back. I suggest no one else attempt to take more than what I offer, just as I promise not to take more than what you offer.”
The others nodded. I could feel the fear behind their agreement, though.
“I am not the queen. You have a choice. I did not force Ulva to dive into my well. She did that on her own. I haven’t swayed Getaina to lure you here, and I have no desire to consume all that you are. Nor am I interested in stealing the throne from the princes. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t be here at all.”
Shock rippled through the pair that had been thinking those thoughts.
“Pogwid said I’m a danger because I have no control. Getaina believes I have the control but lack the knowledge to protect myself. Yes, I can do things that Garron and Pogwid have said other casters can’t do. But I don’t understand how; they just happen.
“My request—and it is only a request—is that you share what you know. Knowledge is power. With it, I can protect not only myself but the people of Turre as well. And no, that does not mean I am interested in overthrowing the queen to take her place in subjugating others. I am very willing to leave the kingdom once it’s freed. Now, will you help me?”
“No,” one of the quiet women said firmly. She turned on her heel and started for the door.
“May I ask why?” I called after her.
I gained the answer despite her silence. Despite my words, she still thought I was after the queen’s casting stones stolen from all the casters she’s taken over the years, even her daughter’s. The door closed behind her.
“Those who have no wish to help me may leave,” I said. “I have other casters to visit yet this night.”
* * *
“She’s resting in her room,” Philip said, entering the sitting room. “Do you still plan to seek out others?”
Liam had put an end to the night’s progress and sent Getaina to sleep in a guest room with the promise that I would wake her once I’d rested—a promise he’d given without consulting with me. But I’d been too focused on controlling my need to vomit to argue with him. Thankfully, that had eased with the healing tea I’d brewed for myself—not the headache, though.
“I would like to put it to a vote,” Eadric said.
Feeling their collective worry, I waved away his suggestion.
“I already know you lot are against it, and my head aches too much to uselessly argue whether or not I can take any more knowledge without rest. So take me to bed, but know that the queen is actively with your brothers, attempting to seduce them while I sleep to ease your worries.”
“Unfair, Love,” Liam said softly.
“That’s life, isn’t it?”
“She's beginning to sound like them,” Eadric said. “Getaina warned this may happen.”
“To bed, then,” Daemon said, plucking me off my chair.
I settled against his chest and struggled not to give in to the irritation clawing at me. Too many thoughts rattled around in my pain-filled head. Getaina had warned me of the dangers but hadn’t stopped me from consuming the knowledge of her peers, one after another. No, rather than dissuade me, I’d felt her curiosity. She wanted to know my limit. And each person from which I’d learned had added to her growing hope that I could one day be strong enough to face the queen.
However, we didn’t have time for “one day.”
Opening myself, I reached for their desire.
“Be careful, Snow,” Garron said softly, proving that he felt me.
As their desire flooded me, I felt Edmund. He was sleeping. Yet, even in his sleep, he responded to me. His yearning was bittersweet.
Brandle’s desire evaded me, however. Regardless of where I searched for him, he wasn’t there.
“Lamb?” Daemon called.
I realized I was gripping his shoulder tightly and loosened my hold, but not my reach for their desire. I pulled harder.
Daemon stumbled a step, and Darian was there to steady us. Garron cleared his throat twice.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I can’t feel Brandle,” I said, fighting against my panic.
“It’s okay, Sparrow,” Eadric said. “It’ll be okay.”
But it wasn’t. Where Brandle should have been was an empty void. I couldn’t feel him. He was gone.
Panic boiled inside. Pulsing. Demanding to run wild.
Hands cupped my face, tapping my cheeks, demanding a response I couldn’t give. Where had Brandle gone?
In frantic silence, I pleaded for an answer and let my desperation free.
A mouth closed over mine, kissing me hungrily. The floor rumbled beneath our feet.
“Daemon, stop.”
Our teeth clacked together when one of the others cuffed him. A moment later, I was stolen from his arms and pinned in Eadric’s tight embrace.
“Don’t lose control,” he pleaded. “We cannot lose you too.”
Garron hugged us from behind. Then Liam, Daemon, and Darian joined the hug. I felt their love wrapping me in a cocoon of protection.
“Brandle’s not gone,” Darian said. “The queen wouldn’t be quiet if he was.”
“He’s right,” Garron said. "She knows who he is and will use that to help herself gain control.”
“If you want to help him, sleep, Lamb. Please.”
I nodded, and they released me. Eadric led me to the bed and held me close until I succumbed to the need to sleep.
It helped.
When I opened my eyes to the light of a new day, the pain in my head was gone, and I once more felt my usual self.
“Is your head better?” Liam, my pillow, asked.
“It is. Where are the others?”
He brushed the hair back from my face.
“There is news. They’ve left to verify it.”
“What news?” Even as I asked, I knew—news of Brandle and Edmund.
“Another public hanging,” Liam said. “Two of the kingdom’s princes. All the nobles are required to attend at midday.”
My mask slipped into place, saving me from the crashing waves of despair that wanted to overwhelm me. Touching my well, I reached for them. The connections came easily. All of them, including Brandle. His anger matched Edmund’s. They knew what she had planned but didn’t fear for themselves. They feared for me.
“It’s a trap then,” I said softly. “Not for the other princes, though. For me.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel Edmund and Brandle. Brandle isn’t worried for himself or Edmund or any of his brothers. He’s strongly afraid for me.”
“How can he remember you? The spell to forget you if he were taken should have erased all memory of you.”
I thought back to how it felt when I’d connected with Edmund.
“I don’t think it could. I think the spell I cast in the clearing ensured I could never leave you. Not even the memory of me.”
“Then it makes sense you’re his greatest concern. We promised to protect you. If they are there for breeding and not giving in to her demands because of the love that broke the curse, she will want to remove you.” Liam nodded thoughtfully. “And the quickest way to flush out the game is to bait the trap.”
“The queen got to where she is by being clever. However, I’ve survived this long by being the same. Come. There’s much to do before midday and little time to do it.”
He rose with me and watched me put on my simple spun dress.
“Have Philip tell his staff I will need the kitchen. Garron should join me when he returns.”
I swept out of the room and found Margret waiting in the hallway.
“Come with me to the study,” I said. “I have a list of supplies I need you to find.”
A short while later, she left with my list and Adogen’s name, the only caster I knew who Margret could visit without drawing suspicion.
When I went to the dining room, Philip was sitting at the table with Liam. He immediately rose and bowed to me.
“The staff has been told you require the kitchen. They are setting it to rights now. Would you care for something to eat before you set to work?”
I liked that he didn’t ask what I would be casting.
“Thank you,” I said, taking a seat and accepting the pastry that Liam passed to me.
“Would you happen to have a male staff member willing to sample a potion for me? It won’t harm him. I promise.”
“Of course, Princess,” he said.
“Would you care to share your plan?” Liam asked.
“Yes. If the trap is for me, she likely already anticipates I won’t be attending alone. However, your faces are now well-known.”
“If we appear as Garron did, we will still draw attention.”
“Which is why I need to perfect the spell before then.”
“I see.”
“ If I’m able to, you will need to attend with another noble house, or it will be odd for Philip to have such a bounty of heretofore unknown family suddenly.”
“And once we’re in the courtyard?” Liam asked.
“We will remove her casting stones from her by any means necessary. Without them, she will not be able to stand against me.”
“That is not a plan, Love. That is a desperate hope.”
“Do you have a better suggestion, or do you plan on standing in the throng and watching your brothers swing?”
He exhaled slowly, and I knew he was struggling against the storm of emotions my statement had evoked.
“As you said, I think this is a trap,” he said slowly. “She’s attempting to bait us into acting. I don’t believe she’s truly intent on killing Edmund and Brandle.”
“So do nothing? And what if you’re wrong?”
His frustration and helplessness simmered just beneath the surface. Leaning forward, I placed my hand over his.
“I’m not one to do nothing, Liam, am I?”
The frustration climbed a little higher.
“We both agree that we should attend. And we both agree that you and your brothers are too recognizable as you are. Send Getaina to me. While she and I will work on perfecting the spell we need, you and Philip can attempt to unite the nobles to stand with you should we need to make a stand today. Do you agree to that much?”
He nodded and kissed my knuckles.
“You are the light in our otherwise dark existences, Kellen. Thank you.”
I smiled, already thinking of how I might need to remind him of that in the hours to come.
When Getaina joined me, she walked into the kitchen with a surer step and a hint of amusement.
“The others have already sent letters of support this morning,” she said. “They will join us in the courtyard with their supporting families.”
“They will?” I asked in surprise. “I thought…” I trailed off, respecting Getaina and her vast knowledge too much to speak of her age as if I believed it was a deterrent. It had been her opinion, not mine.
“That tea you made did more than cure the aches from the spell. It lent me energy that I haven’t felt in years. I slept soundly, girl. Not a single ache to wake me in the middle of the night. Not even from my bladder.” She flexed her fingers, fisting the gnarled digits tightly. “I agree with Pogwid. Better to unite and face the end bravely. The others will be here soon. What do we need to do?”
“Perfect the spell I attempted the last time.”
Getaina’s brows rose. “I’ve already told you. It’s impossible.”
I went to the shelves and removed a pea from its bag. She watched me place it on the table. It sprouted and grew, first as a pea and then into a thick vine with thorns. Then into a tree whose branches netted out along the ceiling. Its leaves filled the room until not a hint of the ceiling remained. Its trunk bent and lengthened to the side, creating another work table. From the wood, I created several bowls and changed them from wood to stone.
“How can I make this all from a single pea seed? Is this not also against its nature? Simply because something has not yet been done does not mean it can never be done. Believe it until it becomes reality.”
Getaina picked up the stone bowl and mortar, hefting its weight in her hands to verify its authenticity.
“You can do things I cannot,” she conceded. “But that doesn’t mean we will be able to perfect the spell in a matter of hours. Be determined, but also be realistic, girl.”
“That’s precisely what I am. Now, are you here to work or talk my ear off?”
Her bark of laughter filled the room.
“I can conjure the herbs I’m familiar with but have sent Margret for the ones I’m not,” I said, beginning.
The other casters appeared throughout the morning as we worked. The initial spell failed with less spectacular effect than the one Garron drank. The footman’s hair grew out in a cascade to trail behind him, but nothing more changed on his features.
“A worthy hair tonic,” Getaina said, making notes.
One of the other casters managed to enhance his eyelashes and another his lips.
“We’re getting closer,” Getaina said when she caught me frowning.
“We have another hour. Closer isn’t enough. The princes’ faces are known. Hair and eyelashes won’t disguise them.”
Daemon’s entrance timed perfectly with my growing vexation. His gaze found mine as he crossed the room.
“You look like you want to cosh someone upside the head, Lamb. Should I fetch Eadric for you?”
I snorted, amused, though I shouldn’t have been.
“I cannot get this spell to work, and my temper feels akin to Edmund’s at the moment.”
“That won’t do.” Gripping my shoulders, he spun me and dipped me low to steal a kiss. Several of the other casters chuckled at his playful antics when he immediately righted me.
“Better?” he asked.
“Perhaps.” I lifted a cup filled with the newest concoction. “Would you care to try it?”
“For another kiss, I’ll drink anything.” He kissed me thoroughly before I could react then stole the cup and drained it in one gulp.
“You have to kiss me again no matter what I look like,” he said, even as his face started to change before my eyes. His hair grew, and his body shrank, thinning everywhere but in the hips and chest. I struggled not to squeal in delight as I stared at a feminine version of Daemon that also looked a bit like me.
“How?” one of the casters breathed.
“Look at ‘em. See how he looks like her? It was the kiss. Her saliva mixed with his.” Getaina spit in another cup filled with the brew.
Daemon’s gaze lit with humor. “Please tell me that one’s for Darian.”
“Fetch your brothers,” I said, not hiding my delighted smile.
“Margret, we’ll need five dresses,” I called. “Hurry.”
Daemon returned with Liam and Darian. They accepted their cups from the casters, and Daemon placed his hand over my mouth to prevent me from warning them. I stomped on his toe, but he barely flinched, too eager to watch them down the brew.
Darian did not make a pretty woman but didn’t seem to mind his face when he noted his buxom chest. Liam sighed heavily at his body’s change and arched a brow at me.
“You’re unrecognizable,” I said.
Getaina chose that moment to spit into another cup.
Darian started to heave mightily.
“Perhaps another caster should contribute so no two look alike,” I said.
“Not helpful,” Darian said between gags.
Garron and Eadric entered and looked at their brothers-turned-sisters. Garron was clever about hiding his amusement. Eadric was not. He howled with laughter and almost spilled the brew that Getaina handed him. He drank every drop, and Darian sought his revenge by sharing the secret ingredient. However, neither Garron nor Eadric seemed to care.
“I’ve read spells that contain worse,” Garron said with a shrug.
“I’ve had to wash your socks,” Eadric said. “Nothing can make me heave anymore.”
“We should go, then,” Getaina said. “It’s best I arrive with Lord Hamill. Watch for me in the crowd and know you have our support.” She nodded to the princes and left with the rest.
“They’re coming?” Liam asked.
“They are. I could feel their doubt, though. They don’t believe the casters we have on our side will be enough. However, they know they have little choice if they wish to live out the remainder of their lives naturally.” I clapped my hands together. “Now, let’s get you suitably attired and send you off as well, shall we?”
* * *
Philip stated our names to the guards and escorted me into the courtyard.
“We didn’t need to provide our names last night,” I said. “Just the estate.”
“I believe they will look for anyone unknown to them.” Philip patted my hand. “There will be many unknown to the crown, though. Worry not.”
I nodded and scanned the crowd for the princes’ changed faces. I spotted Eadric first, standing beside Getaina and Lord Hamill. He fidgeted noticeably until Getaina sharply whispered a reprimand. I could feel his humor.
Daemon and Darian stood near each other. Thanks to Margret’s efforts with their coiffed hair, they presented a picture of refinement. Liam and Garron were on the opposite side of the courtyard. Both wore bonnets with simple braids.
They looked nothing like the posters of the princes. But I saw it. A bit in the eyes. A hint in the nose and mouth. Despite knowing that they were hidden, I didn’t feel safe. At least, we were spread apart.
My gaze shifted to the scaffolding in the center of the courtyard that now had three ropes on it. I frowned at the number and nudged Philip.
“I am curious as well,” he said softly.
Whatever the queen planned, I vowed it would not come to pass. Focusing on the ropes, I separated the fibers one by one. The tingle of warning under my skin grew stronger, alerting me to her imminent arrival.
Satisfied the ropes would hold no weight, I stopped. They looked completely unchanged and hung straight and unmoving in the non-existent breeze.
The door set in the long expanse of the white wall opened. The man who’d announced Pogwid’s crimes stepped out, leading a procession of seven young girls. They wore white, matching the towers. The youngest held the hand of the oldest.
Brandle and Edmund emerged behind them. Chains bound their hands and feet, restricting their steps. They wore nothing else. My temper ignited as women audibly gasped at the shocking sight.
Did the queen think to degrade them?
Edmund’s gaze scanned the crowd and locked on Eadric. I felt his shock ripple out like waves. How he knew his twin, I did not know. If he stood beside Eadric, they would appear to be distant relatives at best to a discerning eye.
The tingle under my skin increased as Edmund’s gaze continued its search and found Liam. Brandle spotted Darian and Daemon but didn’t let his attention settle on the twins for more than a moment. With growing dread, he looked down at his feet and elbowed Edmund.
I recalled Pogwid’s thoughts and how the queen had let her keep her eyes so she could look to the people who had helped her.
A pulse of energy crashed against my consciousness as the queen emerged near the end of the procession. Stronger than the last time. How? What had she done?
Her face shone beautifully without a single blemish. She radiated health and vitality, which pulsed stronger with each step. But it wasn’t the only thing that pulsed.
Faint green threads of energy spread out from her, connecting to each of the young girls.
I knew those threads; I knew what they did.
One of the girls faltered, and another helped her right herself.
Fear flared with my anger. The ground trembled.
Philip squeezed my arm in warning, but I could do little to curb what I was feeling. The queen was slowly killing the children in front of us.
The girls lined up before the scaffolding as Brandle and Edmund climbed the steps, and the Cryer took his place.
“Ungrateful people of Adele, your attempt to usurp your rightful ruler has failed. Look upon the former princes and know that the rebellion stops here.”
Another man roughly forced Edmund onto a stool and looped the rope around his neck. Brandle stepped up on his own with calm dignity.
The queen smirked.
I fisted my hands and reminded myself why I needed to remain in control. How close had I been to hurting the tracker who’d come for me? Though there was no glass nearby, there were towers tall enough to crush us, and too many innocent people stood within the confines of the courtyard.
A scuffle broke out in the crowd. Philip swore under his breath, and I turned to see Eadric captured between two guards. He fought mightily as he was dragged toward the front. Another scuffle broke out to the left, and I saw Daemon and Darian do the same.
“I know you are here,” the queen called out. “Know that these maids will die.”
She looked at Daemon, Darian, and Eadric. “Or perhaps you are one of these three. Speak now to spare the other two. If you are not among these three, I will know and begin killing every female present until you are found.”
The crowd's emotions escalated, stifling the air as mothers wept and held their daughters, even as I felt relief that the queen had no notion of who her guards had claimed.
“If these men you believe are the rightful heirs truly cared about their kingdom, they would speak out, name their rescuer, and spare the innocent, would they not?” the queen demanded.
A crow flew overhead and settled on the wall. It tilted its head and scanned the crowd.
I touched my energy to it and asked for its help.
It took flight and swooped low toward the scaffolding.
“False Queen!” it cawed. “Foul Queen. Lies and death are what you bring.”
It pulled out of the swoop to return to the wall.
The queen’s hand flicked toward the bird. I saw the glint of a small knife before it fell from the sky. Several women screamed and cried. I touched them with my energy and calmed them.
“Do you think your tricks will impress me?” The queen’s gaze swept the crowd and landed on Eadric, Darian, and Daemon, who had almost reached her. “Do you think lies will cause the people to rise up and save you?”
She laughed and flung her hand out toward Eadric.
Metal glinted.
Eadric’s shock flared as the blade shot toward his heart.