Chapter 3 #2
As I pressed as close as I could, I couldn’t help but notice Deldren’s gaze kept returning to his fate: the altar.
A stone pillar with sharpened metal spikes affixed to the center.
The glowing threads of sapphire attached to them faltered every few seconds.
When they did, a shudder would go across the crowd, and a shiver passed down my spine.
The threads ran down the edge of the dais, wrapping around the building until they reached the monolithic stone wall, and fed outward. It kept the forest, the demons, and the dragon riders at bay. Its failure was a poorly kept secret, even among the Underquarter. But Deldren would fix that.
I sent up a prayer to Ovatar it would fix Father, too. That he wouldn’t continue to wither away.
Despite the tugging breeze, my brow beaded.
My mother materialized from the crowd, striding to the far back of the stage, where her fingers tapped restlessly on the stone banister.
Tap, tap, tap, matching Deldren’s foot. As usual, she wore twice as many skirts as necessary, and kept her doting maids at her rear.
But unlike her normal self, her hair seemed out of place, rushed.
I swore, beneath her well-powdered exterior, there was a hint of dark circles.
The idea of making my way to the back of the crowd and down to the Underquarter crossed my mind briefly.
If I thought I needed a drink before, that was nothing compared to this.
Time slowed to a halt as we all waited for my father to appear.
Nothing would begin without his presence.
I was drowning and kept wiping my palms across my frock.
Right as I tried to slip deeper into the mob, my father stepped out from the rear.
Immediately, the horde shoved me forward, while the nobles closed around me.
With my exit gone, I stuffed my thumb back into the lace and let the embroidered gap widen.
The buzz of the crowd’s hushed chatter grew with every passing moment, until it was deafening.
My father’s lined, pallid skin was stark against his pale, graying hair. An aging hawk. He loomed at the edge of the stage. Yet avoided the altar. “Today we have gathered here, not to honor me, but in tribute to my son, Prince Deldren.”
The nobles cheered. I remained silent.
My father thrust his fist toward the somber sky. “To Ovatar, our great protector above, who allows me, and now my son, to take these reins.”
He moved back, and in his place, Deldren emerged.
My mother’s tapping became relentless, and she switched to swaying restlessly. She panned the crowd, and I tried to melt into it, but it was too late. She found me as I searched for an exit.
Shit.
She rushed to the end of the stage, making her way down in haste.
Deldren readied himself. “Thank you for your great support, and I will one day be proud to call you my people.” The crowd cheered high above the whistling wind.
“Let’s hope that day is later, rather than sooner.
” Deldren beamed like a ray of sun. But my mother approached like a sudden storm, forcing the nobles to part until she reached my side.
“I promise, with this sacrifice, to remain loyal to you, my people, and in return, all I ask is your support.” He was answered by another cheer, proclaiming their love.
Her fingers dug into my shoulder as she jerked me toward her. My thumb went through the flimsy fabric, tearing it in two.
“What are you doing here?” The words fell from my lips.
Hers were breathless and hasty. “You must go up there this instant and claim your throne. It is meant to be you, not him.”
“It is not my throne to bear, it’s his burden.”
“The crown is yours to wear.” Her bony fingers dug into my flesh, and I’m certain they left deep bruises. “Accept it, and march up those stairs! There is much I cannot say, but you must—”
“No!” I yelled, my voice lost in another cry of triumph. I yanked from her grasp and pushed back against the entranced people. “Deldren will save us where father has faltered, you will not take this from me!”
Even if it were my crown, I would sooner flee this square than accept it. I’ve spent a lifetime watching it consume the man that Father used to be.
He will solidify the fence, Father will place the crown on his head, and he will be the king apparent.
I won’t lose myself to the impetus the way he has. I won’t let the corruption swallow me whole.
Not today.
Not now.
Not ever.
“I will never be queen,” I screamed, my voice drowned out.
And in a few moments, I would never have to think about that possibility again.
Deldren flashed his palm to the crowd, letting them marvel at its smooth, unmarred surface. They hushed in anticipation.
I gripped my skirts so hard my knuckles went white as cracking ice. They felt just as cold and numb.
“Ovatar, I beseech you to let the impetus flow from me and into our sanctuary. Just as my father before me and his father before that. Grant me the strength to seal these walls and fortify them against the Ifrei beyond.”
My mother tried to grab me. But I slipped further into the sea. Only a few more seconds.
Everything quieted as we held our breath.
Then, he shoved his hand on the blades. It was slower than I thought, and excruciating to watch.
His face distorted, and he groaned. The prongs had gone too deep, exposed from the backside of his flesh, bloody and glistening.
While he held back screams, crimson spilled downward.
We waited with bated breath for the sapphire strings to brighten. Instead, they dimmed. They suddenly flashed and disappeared in a great beam of light.
Seconds ticked by, and grew into minutes. And then, as if they were nothing, they ignited blue briefly, sparking, before extinguishing altogether. Then there was nothing.
The threads of impetus that held our kingdom together from the outside world were gone.
The bundle of frills came away in my hand, ripping from the bodice.
At once the quiet crowd roared to life, hissing, screaming, and crying.
My mother finally released me, her hand now impossibly cold, and her face ashen.
I didn’t think. I scrambled for a hold in the worn stone and tore onto the dais.
I straightened before the world, horrified screams, and rushed to my father’s side.
“Something’s wrong. We need to do something! Deldren took ill before. I think that might be the problem, we need to get one of the healers—” But I stopped when he cringed away with nothing but a disgusted sneer.
“You stupid girl, you think a case of cough could do this? Have you been plotting against me, too?”
All the color drained from me at once as my head spun. “What, Father no—”
His entire body shook with rage as his pupils beaded.
“Was this your plan all along, Deldren? To make deals with the Ifrei monsters behind my back, to shatter the wall?” His breath quickened as his face reddened to an awful shade.
“They wish to consume us, and you plot to destroy all I’ve worked for! ”
Deldren swayed, his normally tanned skin now the tone of snow. He looked as if a strong breeze might blow him away. “Father—King Arthvur, I swear to you, I would never think of such!”
My father turned his attention to the many guards surrounding us. “He’s lying. take the prince to the dungeons to get to the bottom of this. Use whatever means necessary.”
“No,” I screamed and grabbed his wrist. “He’s done nothing wrong, he’s ill!”
I didn’t see his slap coming. Though it burned, the pain was nothing compared to the shame. It radiated across my entire body.
He'd already turned from me, sneering with disgust like I was an insect. Vermin beneath his boot. This wasn’t the man I knew—this wasn’t the father I remembered.
He gave me a slight passing glance. “If you want to defend him, you can join him in the dungeons. Take the queen, too. See what you can get out of her,” he barked to a guard.
I lunged for Deldren, but it was too late. He was already mobbed by guards. Once they had him restrained, they turned their sights on me. Though I kicked and screamed, all my attempts were futile. They wrenched my hands behind my back until I howled.
Don’t cry.
I wouldn’t let myself break as they carted me across the stage, while nobles shouted insults along with confused screams. All their eyes blazed into me as they marched me through the crowd with my mother and brother.
I hung my head as we descended the deep-cut stairs to the darkest quarter of the dungeons, but I wouldn’t let myself break. Not now.
Not ever.