Chapter Nineteen
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
After she’d finished asking James every question she could think of about the vox valor, Scarlett called a taxi to take her back while James continued his workday.
Back at the castle, she went looking for Beni, and with some help from the castle staff, she found him in a basement recreation room playing pool with Patrick and Tommy.
“Hey, you!” said Scarlett when Beni noticed her.
“Show us your valor!” he yelled without saying hello.
The two other boys looked at her with interest.
“I’m a vox,” said Scarlett. She adjusted the collar of her dress and pointed to her collarbone, and Beni came closer to look.
“Is that a good one?” he asked the other boys.
“It can go either way,” said Patrick, who had red hair and a freckled complexion.
“What do you mean, ‘it can go either way’?” asked Scarlett.
Tommy, who had dark brown skin and was quick to smile, stepped in front of Patrick. “It means you could either be a total legend or you could be normal.” He said “normal” in a deflated tone, like it was a highly undesirable thing.
Scarlett laughed to herself. Nothing like the brutal honesty of children to bring you down a peg. “And let me guess. The phoenix valor means you’re bound for fame and glory?”
“Yeah!” said Tommy and Patrick together.
“Do you two know what a North Star is?” asked Scarlett, keen to get more data points on whether or not the bond really was universally revered in Clair.
“Yep,” said Patrick, while Tommy nodded.
Beni looked from Scarlett to them, awaiting an explanation.
“Those hardly ever happen though,” said Patrick with a furrowed brow.
“Brayden Maddox and I found out yesterday that we’re North Stars,” said Scarlett. She watched the Clair de Lune boys for their reaction.
“What? No way,” said Tommy. He grabbed her left hand as if he expected to see something there. “Wait, are you hiding it? Where’s your tattoo?”
“We found out we’re North Stars, but we haven’t done the ceremony yet,” she clarified.
“Oh,” said Tommy. “Psh, you should go back and do that today. Why wouldn’t you?”
“She’ll probably get Brayden’s fire power when she does,” Patrick explained to Beni, who looked confused.
“Goddess, you’re so lucky, Beni. Your sister is Brayden Maddox’s North Star,” said Tommy. “I wish he were part of my family.”
Scarlett cocked her head to one side as she listened to their chattering. Tommy’s reaction was pretty similar to James’s. He spoke as if she were already legally joined to Brayden. She wished she could be excited, but it was hard to be when Brayden regretted their first night together.
“Of course his sister is Brayden’s North Star. Look at her,” said Patrick in a low voice.
“Yeah,” said Tommy, turning to look her up and down.
“She can hear you,” said Scarlett, stifling a laugh.
Beni ignored them. “So Brayden is like my brother now?”
Scarlett shrugged helplessly. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m figuring this out as I go.”
Patrick and Tommy stared at her, incredulous.
“Are you guys hungry?” she asked in an attempt to move the conversation along.
“Yeah,” came a chorus of agreement.
Scarlett smiled. Was their willingness to spend time with her completely due to her new North Star status with Brayden, or only part of it?
Upstairs, she and the boys sat at one of several long dining tables, where a few military staff sat eating their lunches or sipping hot drinks. They were chatting happily over soup and sandwiches when Manon strode up to them and dropped two newspapers on the table next to Scarlett.
“Hello, all,” she said to the group.
The boys greeted her and then resumed their conversation about Soleil video games.
“We heard from Elestine and Laylani today.” Manon slid into the seat next to Scarlett.
Scarlett put down the Brie-and-fig sandwich she was halfway done with and faced her. “Already?”
“Well, I should say, we heard from them indirectly. Look at these news articles.” She stabbed the paper several times with her finger. “Elestine got an answer from the courts and went public with it.”
Scarlett skimmed the first article.
Ceruleans Gain Lady Scarlett Heroux
The Soleil Courts released a statement early this morning regarding an approved exception to the age of inheritance, filed by Lady Scarlett Heroux.
Lady Elestine Spencer commented, “Lady Heroux is well and staying with family friends, contrary to reports of her being bedridden. I look forward to welcoming her to Parliament now that her age exception has been approved and plan to mentor her closely. With her vote and her influence at work for the Cerulean Party, I’m confident we’ll soon resume talks on the border legislation. ”
“Well, that’s positive, I suppose,” said Scarlett. She nudged her brother. “You should read this, Beni.”
“Okay.” He took the paper.
“Read this one next.” Manon pointed to another article.
The Abduction of Lord Jules Heroux’s Children
Lady Laylani Heroux filed a report this morning with the Soleil Bureau of Investigation regarding the abduction of Lady Scarlett Heroux and Beaufort Heroux.
Lady Laylani Heroux, mother to Beaufort and stepmother to Scarlett, believes her children were abducted by Scarlett’s grandmother, a Clair de Lune woman by the name of Manon Bedivere.
Lady Laylani Heroux commented, “While Scarlett was too infirm to stop her, Manon stole Scarlett and Beaufort from our home in the middle of the night. She’s always wanted to take Scarlett back to her home country—for what nefarious purposes, I can’t say.
I’m devastated by the loss of them both and pray for their safety. ”
Scarlett clenched her fists. “That’s all such bullshit. I’ll demand they print a retraction.”
“She’s such a liar,” her brother said as he peered over Scarlett’s shoulder.
“Indeed,” said Manon. “And yes, Scarlett, a retraction is a good idea, but first we need to make contact with the bureau to prevent an international incident. As soon as you’re ready, we need to go to Clair de Lune’s intelligence offices at Parliament.
There’s a magic mirror there connected to the Soleil Bureau’s headquarters. ”
“The Soleil Bureau is using mirrors?” asked Scarlett.
“You’re surprised?” Manon raised an eyebrow. “There’s a lot of magic used in Soleil. It’s just a secret.”
“I know that, but I had no idea the government permitted magic.” The black market paying off the police was different from the government allowing the bureau to use magic in an official capacity.
“True.” Manon nodded. “Outside of some high-ranking members of the government and intelligence agencies, no one knows they use things like magic mirrors for international communication. I know about it because of the work I do for Lachlan.”
“So my father was using mirrors all along?”
Manon pursed her lips. “He didn’t know about our mirror. We never spoke about magic mirrors, although I’m sure he did use them.” She patted Scarlett’s knee. “Let’s get moving. Lachlan’s going to drive us into town as soon as we’re ready. Beni, you need to come along, since it involves you too.”
When Manon, Beni, and Scarlett arrived at Lachlan’s office, Brayden was there with him. Her chest ached as she swept her gaze over him, from his unruly brown hair to his long legs. He stood in front of Lachlan in his civilian clothes: a black T-shirt and jeans.
“If things escalate further in Evory…” Lachlan trailed off as they entered the room. He smirked when he saw them. “If it isn’t the kidnapper and her prisoners.”
“Very funny,” grumbled Manon.
Brayden’s expression was unreadable as Lachlan closed the distance between them in a couple of strides.
To Scarlett’s surprise, he hugged her. The spicy scent of his cologne enveloped her as she felt the crisp starch of his uniform under her fingertips, and the warmth of the embrace pierced through the distress she’d been carrying since she left Brayden in his room.
“I’m thrilled about the North Star news, my dear.” He pulled back, his dark eyes warm with delight.
“Oh, thank you.” A huge smile spread across her face. “I… I love your son.” She was still pissed at him, but being mad didn’t change the fact she loved him. She wasn’t that fickle. She stole a glance at Brayden, and his expression softened.
Lachlan beamed as he looked between them.
Scarlett continued. “I understand it means he’ll always be in my life, and I couldn’t be happier about that.”
Gold smoke streamed into the air above Lachlan’s head, startling but reassuring. “That’s lovely to hear.”
Brayden came closer. “I’m still worried about how long that life will be.”
Scarlett reached for him. He squeezed her hand for a couple of seconds, the brief contact making her heart leap, but then he released her and crossed his arms.
Lachlan frowned at his son. “We’ll make sure she’s well looked after, Brayden.” He turned to Scarlett. “Now that your age of inheritance exception has been approved, I’m sure you’re eager to get back to Soleil.”
“Yes. I need to get back as soon as possible,” said Scarlett.
“With Manon staying here, we need some kind of protection for you before you return,” said Lachlan.
Beni’s head whipped to Manon. “Manon is staying here?”
“It’s not safe for me in Soleil.” Manon put her arm around Beni, ruffling his hair. “You have nothing to worry about, because your mother would never hurt you.”
Beni’s expression became stormy at the mention of his mother, but he stayed silent.
“What are your thoughts on protection?” Scarlett asked Lachlan.
“We’re going to get you a first-class bodyguard, and Brayden will accompany you to Soleil and stay until that’s arranged. I think it’s an excellent time for him to use some much-deserved leave,” said Lachlan.
“But—wait. How are you going to get into the country?” asked Beni.
“The only way he can come is if we have a visa wedding.” Scarlett’s shoulders slumped as she recalled his reaction when she’d brought up marriage.
Brayden took her hand and tried to pull her toward the door. “Scarlett—”