18. Rahzlyn
Rahzlyn
There was a full moon tonight passing through Capricorn’s constellation.
It was the second full moon this month—otherwise known as a blue moon—rare enough to stir unease.
Today’s horoscope posted in the city’s market square warned of strange happenings, unexpected revelations, and auspicious energy.
“No time for fear,” I said into the mirror.
My terrified eyes peered back at me from beneath my mask.
The Black Rose was the dancer’s name that Yarah had tried to tell me about.
Strange how no one seemed to mention those words around me until they branded me.
I hadn’t bothered to look at the painful mark, instead washing and bandaging it blindly as though I could will it away.
I would either succeed tonight or die trying. My breathing grew labored from the weight of what was in store for me. Succeeding didn’t mean dancing. It meant seduction and thievery and treason and—
“Bloody stars, pull yourself together before you pass out,” the matron chided behind me. She seated herself at the bistro table with a corked bottle of wine, cheese, dried meats, and grapes. My stomach growled at the sight, but my nausea was overpowering.
“I would if I knew my brother was safe.”
“Your brother is fine.” She plucked a grape and studied it. “We would be stupid not to secure such leverage against you.”
“You already had leverage when you threatened my family.”
The matron waved a dismissive hand. “Once we’ve confirmed the king’s arrival, I’ll notify you when it’s time to perform on stage. Try to stick to the damned routine, will you? Afterwards, we’ll escort him in here. That will mean the plan is still in place.”
I toyed with my costume’s beading. “What is he like? What does the king… desire?”
“He’s tall, dark-haired and fair skinned, with a beautiful face. Many would say he is the most attractive man in any room.”
“I meant as a client. What do I need to do to…” I swallowed down the rising bile. “To seduce him?”
“Some days he’s quiet until you’re alone in a room with him, other days you can’t get him to stop talking. The Black Rose—Yarah—has become a confidante to him. He’ll share with you his dark, twisted desires, and you must indulge him.”
“Yarah,” I murmured. The matron never specified how her end came about. I could only hope it was quick and painless.
“You’re one of us now, so you might as well know that Yarah was not really her name.” She uncrossed her legs. “It was Thusiah. Mine is Allory, and our leader—the man you had the privilege of meeting—is Markus. You’ll quickly discover more false or abbreviated names given to you.”
“Why couldn’t I know that before?”
“You’ll learn for yourself soon enough.”
“Does it have anything to do with my foot?”
“You mean the gift we bestowed upon you? You should be grateful. We wanted to brand you sooner, but your brother was… insistent that we wait until you proved yourself to Markus.”
I bit back a snarl at the mention of Basil. I couldn’t trust a word out of their vile mouths.
Allory leaned forward. “Zephyr will have hidden his agate stone with a scarf, but the magical neckband won’t be easy to remove. Only a Chosen can take it off.”
“Then how do you expect me—”
She held up a finger. “But someone a Chosen willingly touches, skin to skin without any barriers, will be granted the power to remove the neckband as well.”
“So I only have to touch him?”
With a stern shake of her head, she corrected, “He must initiate touch with you. That is the only work-around to the gem’s magic that’s imbued into the band.”
“Right.” I breathed up at her with sarcastic confidence. “How do you know this?”
“We’ve done our research. Now, his blue agate-colored eyes will be subdued,” Allory continued. “And the glyphs on his body will be well concealed. Should they alight in color, that means he’s attempting to use his power—”
“What of his guardians?” One guardian alone was dangerous, but two… if anything went wrong tonight, I was absolutely fucked. “A royal never goes anywhere without both their solar and lunar guardians.”
“Chosens—especially guardians—aren’t a problem down here.”
As I pondered what Allory meant, she glided to the vanity and picked up a brush. As she swirled it in a container of glitter, she ordered, “Come here.”
I did as commanded, my shoulders stiff with reluctance.
She dusted powder across my exposed body and went on to explain, “Get him to kiss your skin. Licking would be ideal, but a kiss will suffice. A concoction has been ground into this dusting and will render him unconscious in minutes. If he doesn't kiss or lick you, then the same tonic in the wine should be enough to do the same. It’s his favorite, a red blend imported from south of the Equator. You’ll need to make him drink at least a few sips, but no more than a single glass.
Too much will put him to sleep permanently, and we don’t want that yet. ”
“Why tonight?”
“We don’t know when he’ll be willing to be alone with the Black Rose again.
His guardians might talk sense into him.
He’s only been king for a year now and is still getting used to his power and responsibilities.
From recent conversations with Yarah and Markus…
Well, we believe he’s likely to break his oath of celibacy with you tonight. ”
Allory’s calculating gaze shifted to the black petals strewn across the decadent bed. That hadn’t been here last time.
My entire body seized with cold dread.
“He won’t be out long, so you’ll need to switch his necklace fast and put the true agate here.” She pulled open the second drawer of the vanity. Beneath several folded scarves lay a replica of the agate stone, a gleaming navy-blue gem cushioned at the center of a thin, gold neckband.
The edges of the blue gem glinted from the soft hue of the wall candles. The lace-like patterns looked impossibly real.
“From her time spent with King Zephyr, Yarah was able to help us craft a perfect replica. He enjoyed her enough to display it.”
“He’ll know I’m not Yarah as soon as I speak.” Our voices were similar but hardly passable enough to be mistaken as the same person.
“Yarah was given explicit instructions to speak very minimally in his presence. When she did, it was faint and breathy.”
“Then how did she gain his trust?”
“By her silence and obedience.”
I grimaced, my ignorant opinion of our king rapidly deteriorating. “He’ll figure out the stone’s a fake eventually.”
“Not initially, for when he wakes, the remaining daze of the tonic will be strong.” Allory snapped the drawer shut, rattling the bottles of perfume atop the vanity.
“He’ll be disoriented for a while. We’ll ensure he enjoys some more fun and entertainment in the main hall before leaving.
By the time the full effects wear off, he’ll be back in his castle with no recollection of what truly transpired. ”
“Surely someone will piece together—”
“You underestimate our influence here,” Allory said, fluffing my curls behind my bare shoulders.
“Why are you doing this? If he comes here, is he not an ally to your cause?”
Allory smiled coldly. “He is not privy to our real cause. There are what you call ‘the apostai’—those who, on the surface, are quick to protest the ways of the Zodiac. Then there are those like… Markus and me. True believers.”
“Believers of what?”
“Patience is virtuous.”
Frustration ground my teeth together. “No one outside a royal and their Chosens can wield a talisman. What could you possibly hope to do with his agate?”
“That is for us to worry about. It is none of your concern.”
“I’m risking my life for you. I deserve to know.”
“Deserve?” Allory balked. “Hardly.”
“So if—once—I do this, you’ll let my brother go? And you’ll leave us alone?”
She tossed her head back, laughing. “Of course not. Your contract was binding for life.”
My knees wobbled. “What do you mean for life?”
“It was in the fine print on the second to last page. Only until we terminate your life will your employment with us as the Black Rose end.”
Oh, how reckless and stupid I was.
What else could she possibly be good for, if not a wife to my son?
Gathering my wits, I asked, “But if the king returns here in search of his stone, starting with me…”
Allory smoothed her hair back, entirely unphased. “He won’t.”
“But if he does?”
“Then it’s a good thing no one knows the Black Rose’s identity, isn’t it?” Allory turned away, bored of the conversation.
I followed her. “And what of Basil?”
“We’ll release him once we have the agate in our possession.
” Allory cast a warning glance over her shoulder as she opened the door to the sounds of deep, throbbing music and hushed chatter from the main hall beyond.
“We’ll know if you try to deceive us. And there will be nowhere for you to hide from our retribution. ”
I threw everything into the dance, losing myself in the music and the dark theatrics of the show. The underside of my foot, still healing from the brand, forced me to caution my movements.
My hips undulated and cascaded into the rolling of my belly.
Spectators threw black petals at my feet while others reached for me.
Some even attempted to jump on stage, briefly distracting me from the routine.
Allory’s men that were stationed around the platform deterred the wildly aggressive crowd. They hadn’t been this rowdy last time.
My costume left little to the imagination—enticing men and women alike—but I still couldn’t fathom the audience’s obsession with me. I tuned them out and let myself pretend that tonight I was a dancer and nothing else mattered except the music.
For a while, it seemed to work. If this was my last night alive, at least I was doing something I loved.
With a demure smile, I curtsied as cheers and whistles deafened my ears. I could only hope my performance had been satisfactory enough for the king. Amid a blur of white clothing, candlelight, and shadows, I searched for him.