Several of the nobility step back to allow us space and reveal the king leaning against the parapet. He smiles the instant he sees me, gesturing wide as though I am an old friend. “Kiara, welcome.”
His whole act is slimy and makes me feel uncomfortable, like I need to wash his scheming from me. What is behind the sudden change in his- a glitter catches my attention and I see a pile of gemstones that sit next to him. They are full of magic, the magic I just sold my soul for. I can only just hear their hum over the chattering of the gathered nobles, but it confirms what I thought, they are the stones from my cell. One of the guards must have collected them for the king while the prince led me on the scenic route through the palace grounds.
My body stiffens up, fully aware that I have not washed in days and my hair has not seen a brush in weeks. My borrowed dress, while good quality, is nothing like that of the otherladies gathered here. It seems I am to be paraded in front of another group of courtiers. They are watching me like a prized possession and not a person. I am not ready for this. I lift my foot, fully intending to retreat, but a warm hand appears on the small of my back and gently steers me forward. The only person close enough is Amir, and as I glance to the side I see I’m right. I shoot him a quick look of betrayal, and take a sick sense of happiness as he winces.
Facing the king, I school my features into a neutral expression and force myself to drop into a curtsy. The gesture is unnatural for me, making my knees ache. There are several other gestures that I would happily do instead, but my freedom is within reach now, and I am not going to do anything to mess it up. “Your highness,” I greet, holding the position for as long as I can. Somehow I manage to hold my wince as I stand up and turn my attention to the Queen and bowing my head. “Your majesty.”
She has the same brown hair as her son, with a few strands of grey starting to appear. It has been gathered back into an intricate braid, a simple diadem resting on the top of her head. She is very beautiful, her skin flawless, only made more regal by the elegant dark green gown she wears. Now that I am closer, I notice her eyes. They are glittering blue, like Amir’s, but there is something disturbing in them. I cannot put my finger on it, but being this close to her is making me uncomfortable.
“You are the gem girl?” She demands, and grabs my hand, turning it over, frantically looking at my palm. “Where is it?” She looks back up at me with a frenzy in her eyes. “Where is it?!”
The sudden change in her is terrifying, an entirely different person now standing before me. Her screamed accusations continue and I try to take a step back. Her tight grip stops me, yanking me forward.
“Mother,” Amir goes to his mother’s side, placing his hands on her shoulder and muttering quietly to her. Nothing seems towork as she is now squeezing my hand so hard that I can feel the bones grinding together. I need to get away from her before she does some serious damage, however I am pretty sure that hitting the queen will earn me a one-way ticket back to the cells.
“Where is what?” I ask desperately, seeing if I can engage her in conversation and calm her down. Amir is still talking to her in a low voice, and one of the ladies who was standing close is now fanning the Queen, making quiet, cooing sounds.
What is happening here? Why does no one seem surprised at the Queen’s meltdown?
Her eyes snap up to meet mine, and for a moment I think I have reached her. “The magic! Where is it?” She screeches again, squeezing my hand. “Are you the one who stole it from me?”
Her statement hits me.‘Are you the one who stole it from me?’ She can’t be talking about magic, can she? Everyone keeps telling me that magic hasn’t existed for generations. Why is she so frantic about it if she never had it in the first place? I am so confused with what’s happening here.
The king steps forward and the Queen instantly releases my hand and quiets down, but her eyes stay locked onto my hand. “Amir, why don’t you see your mother back inside, she has had enough socialising for one day. She must be exhausted.”
There is no room for negotiation in the king’s voice, and although the prince looks as thought he’s going to protest, he seems to think better of it. Slowly, he guides the Queen away, several of the ladies following them, all muttering soothing sweet nothings.
I think I know the reason no one has seen the Queen in years. The King could not risk her blurting about her stolen magic when he has everyone convinced that magic is evil. There would be a witch hunt.
“Anyway,” the king claps his hands, making several people jump, including myself. He smiles at me but I can see that hiswife’s little display has disturbed him. “We have more important matters to discuss. Come, walk with me.”
Guards surround us, following some silent signal and it becomes pretty clear that I have no other choice other than to follow him. Fighting against the guards is not something I feel like attempting today, so, with a deep breath, I start walking. Together, we descend the stairs to the garden path and he directs us to a row of tall, perfectly pruned hedges. I glance around, the air cooler here as the wall of hedges surrounds us. We are in a maze.
The king seems to know where he is going and although being alone with him and his guards in a maze is enough to make my fingers quake, being lost in said maze would be much worse. There are only two reasons that he would bring me out here; to avoid being overheard, or to kill me. Considering that I have something he wants, I doubt it is the former.
I feel edgy being on my own with him, apprehension of what he wants to speak to me about that he has to bring me out here is making me nervous. He has lied, imprisoned and threatened me, shattering any misplaced trust I might have had in him. Not to mention the thousands of his own people that he regularly lies to about magic and the power of this city. Kit’s warning rings in my mind. Never trust a male in a position of power.
A humming sound comes from the King, and I glance over, seeing a solemn look on his face. “As you saw, my wife is very ill.” Glancing over his shoulder he stares at one of the hedges, his expression goes distant, and I get the impression that he’s actually remembering the moment the Queen was taken away. My sense of direction has been thrown off by the maze, but I would guess that the king knows exactly where we are in relation to the palace. I suddenly realise what I’m seeing. He’s mourning. The woman he married is gone, and only a spectre of a person is left.
“I shouldn’t have agreed to let her come today, but she wanted to meet you so badly.” He sounds nothing like the commanding king I am used to. In fact, I am not sure that he even meant to say this aloud, his mind only partially present in this conversation.
Seeing as he is in such a sharing mood, I am going to take advantage of this softer side to the king and get as much information as I can. “What is wrong with her?”
Despite keeping my voice soft, my question snaps him out of his daze, his expression hardening. He’s not going to tell me-
“Demon magic.” His declaration takes me by surprise, but he continues to explain without waiting for a response. “She made a deal with a demon and his magic played havoc on her brain. She was addicted, and even though she was put through rehabilitation, the damage was already done.”
Understanding hits me like a physical blow, my breath catching in my chest.Demonmagic did that to her. I was warned about the seductive effects of their magic, and I am not immune to the pull I feel when Kit is around. However, to see the damage firsthand makes those warnings hit home. Was it Kit who…? No, that is a dangerous path to go down, and without asking him directly, there is no way of knowing. The likelihood of it being him is slim, as I am sure the number of demons who could have answered her call were many.
Is that what I am going to end up like once all of this is done? I should speak to Caleb, as one of the Chosen he has a direct connection to the gods. He will be able to advise me… His face appears in my mind and the look of pure disappointment is enough to turn me off that option. I can’t tell him; it would change everything between us. Perhaps he can give me some advice on how to protect myself against the seductive power of Kit’s magic, if I am careful, I can probably word it so he doesn’t suspect anything. Which means lying to my friend.
Fuck, why is everything so complicated?
“You completed my second task.”
I am so deep in my own world that I had not noticed the silence that fell over us, and now he’s speaking again, it jolts me back to reality. Thankfully he does not seem to notice my distance. Taking a deep breath, I shake my head to clear it. I need to stay alert, not getting lost in my own thoughts. This place is dangerous for me, I can never let myself forget this.
“Everything I asked for, you have provided, and proved yourself.” Running his fingers across the wall of leaves, the king stays several steps ahead, not bothering to look back at me.
