SEVEN
Ace
Ace and Shelby made it to the outskirts of Queen Farah’s territory, a small town named Padoka—or something like that. Ace figured that if the man she’d seen at the castle was traveling with the Fae then he too would be on to the next queen. They’d left Shelby’s grandma’s house with little more than the swift kiss she’d swiped across his cheek and the glare that Ace felt between her shoulder blades for miles after.
They traded the worn dirt road for the cobblestone streets that looked like they needed repair. There was little else for them to do other than let their eyes wander the small town. A modest hotel, a little café where people were already filling the seats, a bookstore that advertised that they also sold grimoires, and so many other delightful stores that Ace had the urge to explore.
She’d stayed in Maipeg too long. That much was apparent to her. Past Maipeg and the other surrounding cities Sienna had claimed as her own, were the other queens’ territories. Each of them darker and crueler than the last. Since Ace had liked Sienna best—if you could even say that—she’d chosen to stay there. Plus, it was farthest away from Marlux where Queen Idalia ruled. She was the worst of the queens.
Now as she took in her surroundings, actually took it all in since Shelby was still stubbornly giving her the silent treatment, she was surprised to say that she actually found the little town quaint and charming. While it didn’t smell like spun sugar and bread like Maipeg the air was still fresh with the scent of blooming floral arrangements. Several of the shops’ windows sported large bouquets or wooden boxes overflowing with colorful blooms.
There were fewer prayers here too. Only the occasional murmuring of requests reached Ace’s thoughts and they were quiet enough it was easy for her to ignore. Did that mean these people were happy?
Or they’re not faithful , Greshta sighed.
Ace paused outside of a shoe shop. A pair of sparkling silver heels that looked more like glass than actual footwear was proudly propped on a red cushion. She looked down at the boots that Shelby had magically placed on her feet and chewed on her lip. She’d never been given the opportunity to buy herself something pretty. First, she’d been too poor, then she’d been too dead, and now she had no place to wear them.
When the shop owner looked up to find Ace’s glowing eyes in his front window, he cocked his head and stood up from the stool he was sitting on. By the time he’d made it to the front door to invite her in or to get a better look at her, Ace had hurried away back to Shelby’s side.
With her thoughts drifting back to that pair of heels, Ace became aware of the ache of her feet from all their walking. “How long of a walk do we have till we get to Saylor?” She was thankful that Pasia was a rather small country compared to many others. She remembered a map she’d seen once in her studies of the other countries that surrounded them, several were small like Pasia but a few were nearly triple or quadruple the size.
“We won’t be there till tomorrow night. If we walk all day.” He paused. “And all night.”
Damn it. The Fae would probably already have blown through Queen Farah and moved on to the next queen at that rate they’d miss their chance at finding the orange eyed man. Ace’s feet couldn’t take the walking any longer either. How was she supposed to kill Farah and demand answers from the strange man if her feet had turned into one big blister?
“No.” She shook her head. “We aren’t walking all that way.”
Shelby stopped altogether and planted his hands on his hips. “Then what do you suggest?”
The two could perhaps purchase a horse. Sylik was chucking. Oh perhaps not since you’re poor.
Ace didn’t need a reminder that she was in poverty. She doubted Shelby wanted that reminder either as he waited for her response.
Averting her gaze, she tried to look past him as she scrounged for an answer. They could already see the end of the town where the dirt road that connected them to other cities started up again. A single wagon rolled through the town on its way out, the direction Ace and Shelby were traveling.
“There.” She pointed to the wagon as it went on by. “We can hitch a ride.”
Lucky you. Bedesh grinned. The gods were always meddling in her life but when it was Bedesh it was usually a good thing.
Ace sprinted forward, one hand holding her hood against her head the other waving at the driver. “Hey! Wait!”
The slightest bit of dust kicked up under the wagon, dragged into town by the coming and going of travelers no doubt. The driver turned as Ace shouted again and pulled the reins. With just a few clomping steps the horse came to a stop and the wagon rocked behind it.
When the driver turned to face her, Ace quickly looked down. Shelby reached her side with an annoyed huff of breath.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he grumbled next to her.
“Getting us a ride.” Ace put a hand on his lower back and shoved Shelby toward the wagon. “Ask for a ride!” she whispered.
Shelby staggered to a stop and looked up at the driver. Ace couldn’t see his face as she watched his feet but she could sense the awkward smile he gave before he started speaking. “My friend and I are traveling out of town. It looks like you might be heading the same direction and we wondered if we could maybe…”
“Do you have money?” the driver interrupted.
“No.”
“What do I get out of it?” The man grunted as the horse flicked its tail sending a fly buzzing around his face. He didn’t lift a hand to bat it away.
“Company?” Shelby practically squeaked.
Ace hung her head. Gods, Shelby was terrible at thinking on his feet and lying. Stepping forward, Ace slowly lifted her face to the man’s. He looked in his fifties, his hairline long since receding, leaving only a sprinkle of blond hair everywhere except the top of his scalp. He was a bulky man who looked like he stopped for treats at every town he visited, keeping his figure nice and plump. When he jerked away from Ace’s gaze the wagon shifted with his weight.
“Good gods. What is wrong with your eyes?”
“Birth defect.” She gave him a sly smile. More like a re-birth defect. “I didn’t mean to startle you. If you could just get us a couple towns over it would be greatly appreciated! We are on our way to visit my aunt and she is wealthy enough to reward you greatly for your assistance.”
Shelby dug his teeth into his bottom lip as he watched the exchange. After a moment of silence, one Ace was sure the gods were filling with encouraging thoughts, the driver shrugged and scooted to the edge of the bench he sat on. “Fine.”
“Thank you, sir!” Ace smiled widely even though the man gave her a disapproving look. It was Ace’s appearance; she was often unsettling to look at. She took Shelby’s hand and hurriedly pushed him up into the wagon, following him in one quick movement.
“My name is Petu,” he stated before he clicked his tongue and gave the reins a little tug. “You’re a mighty big fella.” Petu clicked his tongue at Shelby who didn’t respond. He’d probably heard it a million times. Before they had even left the town, Petu was already whistling.
It wasn’t long before the small town of Padoka became a little dot in the distance. Ace turned to look back at it for quite some time before the silence of the trip began to bother her. She bounced her knee, her heel tapping against the board under their feet.
Shelby’s hand gripped the top of her leg as he forced her to still. “Quit fidgeting you’re driving me nuts.”
The whistling stopped as the driver eyed them. “So, are the two of you together? Or possibly related? Hopefully not both.” He shivered as if he’d already seen the two combined in ways he’d wished he never had before.
“Neither.” Shelby’s hand was still on Ace’s knee when he answered Petu. The muscles in his arm were tight and tense giving Ace an admirable view. She tried to remind herself that Shelby wasn’t interested in her, that Shelby merely tolerated her. Still, her fingers itched to run up his arm just to feel him.
“You both have the same defect,” Petu pointed out.
“Oh.” Shelby let go of Ace’s leg now, the hand coming up to rub against his jaw. “Coincidence.”
“We’re starting a club for people like us,” Ace interjected. She’d only meant for the idea to be a thought that came and went from her head but the words blurted out of her. Shelby’s brows shot upward and Petu inclined his head. She cleared her throat trying to make sense out of her impulsive thoughts. “We are meeting someone else with the defects at my aunt’s house.”
It was partially the truth. Obviously not the bit about her imaginary aunt but the meeting someone else like them. That had been the plan. Ace’s leg started bouncing again. The tap, tap, tap of her heel making Shelby cringe away.
“Where are you headed?” Ace made the attempt to change the subject.
“Queen Farah’s castle.” Petu twisted in his seat and grabbed the blanket that covered the goods behind him. Sunlight glinted off a trove of weapons, no doubt sharpened to split hairs. “She’s ordered more weapons, kept our blacksmiths busy.” He dropped the blanket back over the swords, and daggers, and other things Ace couldn’t really identify. “Looks like they’re gearing up for something.”
Shelby settled back into the seat letting Ace and Petu talk around him. He turned his face up to the sun and closed his eyes. Maybe he’d fall asleep.
“Oh?” Ace whispered, she shoved her hands under her thighs and leaned forward.
“This many weapons. Yeah.”
“It is a lot…” She thought out loud.
“Rumor has it that Queen Sienna has sought refuge with Queen Farah. Her castle crumbled to bits in the middle of the night.”
“That’s terrible!” Ace gasped, causing Shelby to crack open the eye to look down at her. A good actress never stepped out of her role to acknowledge her audience. “What happened?”
Petu shrugged. “People are saying it had something to do with the quick construction of the castle itself, but I have my doubts about that.” He bobbed his head as he spoke.
“Well, the castle had been built with such speed! I imagine a few mistakes could have been made in the rush.”
“The warlocks pretty well made it themselves!” He sounded offended that Ace might be agreeing with the rumors. “Unless they specifically sabotaged the very castle they knew they’d be living in, I can’t see how it couldn’t be perfect.”
“You’re a fan of warlocks?” Ace was curious now since Petu seemed to speak so highly of them.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a fan but I know magic. Unless they’ve got good reason to do it poorly, warlocks always do good work. I purchase grimoires almost every time I go to market or find a nice shop. Fuck, I’ve got a grimoire in the back.” He pointed to the back of the wagon.
There was the faintest smile on Shelby’s lips as he sunbathed and listened to the conversation. Ace smiled when she caught the ghost of happiness on his features.
“Do you know what I think is happening?” Petu lowered his voice though there clearly wasn’t anyone around for miles.
“What?” There was a nervous flutter in her stomach.
“I think the queen is dead.”
Shelby sat upright and turned to look down at Petu. “What?” His voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat and waited patiently for Petu’s answer.
Ace’s leg was really bouncing now. She couldn’t stop fidgeting as the little nervousness gave way to a greater dread.
Petu coughed a laugh. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the unease in Pasia. Are you not sick of these queens? They’ve been on the throne for only a year and there are people who wish the Fae would rule once more. I don’t know about all that, but at least the Fae weren’t actively killing people by the dozens. They mostly killed on accident when they got carried away with the Impelling. I think Queen Sienna has been assassinated.”
Petu leaned into Shelby who quickly shifted to put space between them, pressing him into Ace’s side as she tipped toward Petu. “No one saw the royal caravan leave the castle. There are so few guardsmen on the streets too. The few I talked to had no answers but repeated that they were loyal to all four queens. Well,” he smirked a little, “three now.”
“That could all be hearsay.” Ace waved a hand.
The wagon rounded a curve in the road. How many people had guessed at Queen Sienna’s death like Petu? Ace was wondering the same thing herself, even if the gods had confirmed it. Could gods lie?
Ramdon laughed somewhere in the back of her consciousness. That couldn’t be a good sign.
The more she got to know Ramdon the more she wondered if he wasn’t the quiet mischief god she thought he was and more of a meddlesome troublemaker. Not that she didn’t mind some trouble now and again, but the last few weeks of her second life had given her more than enough trouble to last forever.
When the road straightened back out again there was something lain across it that at first Ace thought was a shadow. Petu had fallen quiet as she leaned forward and squinted. The closer the wagon came the clearer the shadow was becoming. It wasn’t a shadow or even a tree.
It was a woman. A lovely woman by the looks of it.
Black curls cascaded over her shoulder and pooled on the ground around her face. There was a thick pearlescent headband shoved behind her curling bangs. Her large doe eyes were closed, her body relaxed. Her lips were a shade of ruby that Ace had only thought women who could afford makeup or grimoires to alter their looks could have, but the rest of the woman’s face remained makeup-less.
She wore a simple white blouse that was almost spotless except for dust along her back where she was stretched out across the road. Her blue skirt had fallen around her legs so perfectly it could have very well been staged. A thin orange scarf was tied at her waist too, with several small charms dangling from it. Her feet were bare.
The feeling in her gut twisted and turned, stabbing her like an invisible knife. This didn’t feel right. Why would a girl just be lying in the road? Maybe she wanted to get run over?
“HEY!” Petu shouted.
The woman didn’t respond.
“Maybe I should go check her pulse?” Ace asked meekly. They couldn’t very well sit there all day staring at the body.
Shelby angled himself toward her. “I think it’s safer for you to stay here in this wagon.”
Ace was already climbing down from her seat. “We can’t leave her there and I don’t see either of you getting up to do anything about it.”
“Ah, let the girl go. Dead bodies give me the heebie-jeebies.” Petu shivered again.
“Who says she’s dead?!” Shelby asked.
Ace crept toward the woman. She looked at the road for any signs of a struggle. There were footprints from the edge of the road to where she now lay. Perfect little outlines of the woman’s small feet. She let her attention drift up into the woods as she came to a stop at the side of the girl.
Birds called to one another and the breeze tousled the leaves of trees and bushes alike but there weren’t any signs that could help Ace identify what was happening. She nudged the woman with her boot.
“Hey. You alive?” She looked coldly at her chest watching it rise and fall. She squatted, though the muscles in her legs protested the movement. “Well, she’s breathing so we know it’s not a dead body.” She hollered back to Shelby and Petu.
“Try and wake her up!” Shelby called.
“No, my next move was to take a nap next to her.” Ace scoffed. “Obviously, I’m going to try and wa—”
The cold tip of a blade pressed against Ace’s throat. Large green eyes stared up at her.
The woman wasn’t unconscious any longer.
“Aren’t you a terrifying looking creature,” the woman growled as she kept the blade pressed to her throat and slowly rose. Ace stood with her, not thinking today would be the best day to die. Not right after she’d brought Shelby back. That would surely be no good, especially if what his grandma had said was true…if their lives were tied together.
“Ace?” Shelby’s voice cracked on her name before she heard him grunt.
Figures were forming on the edge of Ace’s vision, men who’d been hidden moments ago but slowly walked out onto the road. Ace assumed it was one of them who’d made Shelby quiet.
“Aren’t you too pretty to be laying where you could get run over?” Ace tried to stay relaxed, to sound as if she wasn’t at all worried about the blade at her throat, but the truth was Ace knew little about fighting, particularly fighting with a knife.
“You flatter me.” She batted her long dark eyelashes. “I’ve got a girl here. Possibly some Fae hybrid freak,” she yelled to the rest of the group that Ace hadn’t yet seen but knew vaguely were there.
“Let’s keep her.” A man with a thick accent chuckled. He’d hardly gotten the statement out before someone else screamed.
There was a scuffle behind them and the girl watched it with wide eyes and blatant intrigue. When the screaming stopped the woman leaned into Ace. “You’ve got yourself a warlock.” She smiled like a cat, then whispered quietly between them. “I’d rather keep him, I think.”
“He’s rather hard to put up with. Stuffy. Likes to stick to the rules. He absolutely hates spontaneity. Which probably means he isn’t very happy to see you. You weren’t part of his plan.” During the screaming Ace had gotten only the slightest inch of space between her and the knife but that was enough. She slammed her hand into the woman’s shoving the blade away.
Her fingers lost their grip on the knife, the blade flying from the woman’s palm and sliding into the soft earth. She hissed but instead of chasing the weapon, she met Ace’s jaw with her fist. Ace stumbled backward.
Oh shit! Pain pulsed inside her head.
“I didn’t come to play games. We came for the weapons and the coin.” Ace was still nursing her jaw when the girl grabbed Ace’s shirt and pulled her up to her face.
Someone was screaming again behind them. It didn’t sound like Shelby and Ace hoped it wasn’t Petu. The woman let Ace go, barely letting her get her footing before she shoved her fist into Ace’s gut and walked away as Ace crumpled. What little air Ace had left her and she couldn’t get a full breath in. Her knees cracked against the ground. Fighting the Fae hadn’t even been this painful.
“Grab his arms.” She shouted at the men before mumbling under her breath. “Fucking warlocks.”
“That wasn’t very nice.” Ace wheezed forcing herself back up to standing. She faced the wagon again, the dark-haired girl between her and it.
There was a group of about six men with her, one of which was sitting in the grass staring down at his red blistered hands and another not far from him whose clothing was singed. A man was behind Shelby, holding his arms tightly behind him. Petu still sat on his seat glaring down at the end of a sword. The remaining two men were peeling away the blanket on the back of the wagon and sorting through the various weapons.
Shelby’s face was scrunched up, contorted with anger and frustration. So…he pretty much looked the same as he always did. His hazel eyes focused for a long time on the girl between him and Ace until he turned his gaze to Ace. His attention swept up her body then down. What was he looking for?
"You should know when to stay down," the girl scolded.
It started as a trickle; a fleeting feeling Ace couldn't quite grasp. Hundreds of little sparks ignited against her skin. She couldn't see them, only feel them as they burned then fizzled out leaving behind the tingling sensation that seeped into her gut.
Ace took a step forward, though the echo of pain in her face was a clear reminder that she didn't know anything about fighting and should probably not be so stupid. She pushed away the thoughts.
"I've been no good at following the rules lately." Then Ace smiled, a large wicked grin where the split in her lip she hadn’t realized was there stretched and stung.
The closer the woman came the more the feeling that flooded over her skin ignited until it stretched over her. Until she felt the spark of holy fire come to life in her eyes. That sudden flash of orange to pink that came and went in her gaze was enough to stop the woman.
She lowered her hand as she felt the heat surge toward her palm. She knew the feeling, tugged on it fast and hard. One of the men called out to the girl, called her by name—Jisela. Ace didn't care about her name. Not really. Not when Jisela and this group were threatening her and Shelby. Ace didn't go through everything she had to give it up so easily.
The hilt of a sword glowed in her grip, her fingers wrapping around it tightly as it expanded to its all too impressive length. Jisela's mouth fell open. Someone cursed loudly. Jisela turned, sprinting back into the woods.
Ace's muscles tensed, her body urging her to step forward, to swing the blade she held. She knew without a doubt the blade would cut through the woman like a hot knife through butter, the men too. The back of her mind, or maybe it was the gods—it was so hard to tell when Ace felt both foreign to herself and suddenly complete—told her if she tried, she'd cut through metal too.
The power in her, the kind that tasted like coal on her tongue, wanted to be used. As the things the gods gave often did. There was a minute, or possibly a longer stretch of time, she wasn't really sure, where she considered the chase. Ace wanted Jisela dead. She wanted all those men dead, even as the swords were dropped back into the wagon and all of them fled.
Shelby shoved a boot into the back of the man who'd held his arms as he jumped from the wagon, sending him skittering into the woods. It was more falling than running but somehow the man remained upright as he weaved into the tree line.
"An angel!" Petu shouted in the space between them.
The words hit Ace so hard the thread of power she'd worked so hard to grasp at when it appeared slipped from her grip and the sword was gone once more.
All that anger that had fueled her dissolved as the man stared at her in awe. Fear clawed through her in its place. She trembled at the sweep of emotions, her knees feeling weak as she tried to walk forward.
"An actual angel!" Petu said again this time with a laugh as if he couldn't really believe what he'd just seen.
Shelby was at her side in a second. She hadn't even noticed that he'd left the wagon at all until his hands were wrapping around her arms, his grip the only thing that held her up.
"He's a witness," she whispered up to Shelby.
His attention drifted over her again, lingering on her neck a moment longer than the rest of her. "Are you okay?" he asked, ignoring her statement.
Ace was able to give him a short nod. That answer was enough. His hand glided up her arm to cup her face, he ran his thumb across her cheek leaving a tingling trail behind him on her skin. He let his hands fall away.
"We can't—I—"
"I know," Shelby whispered. "We should go."
"He'll talk." The little bit of time Ace had spent with Petu she'd gotten the impression that she might like the man had they had time to become friends.
Petu was climbing out of the wagon, the swords clanging together when the wagon rocked. "How did you..."
Shelby's hands came back up to cup Ace's face as she tried to peer around him. Heat crept up her neck when she met his stare."What you are," he started, "what we are…no one will believe anything he says."
Ace felt almost sorry for him. Slowly, she took Shelby's hands in hers. Only so she could turn them to see Petu.
"Don't you dare tell a soul," Ace quipped at the man who stumbled when her eyes flashed that bright pink then orange again.
Holding onto each other tightly, the couple sprinted off into the woods in the opposite direction the thieves had gone.