Page 38 of End of the Sword


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“Shelby, go have a look around.” Ace waved him toward the door. He leaned forward, his attention split between the expectant gazes of Ace and Rehan. “Do you think I have some sort of special vision? That I might spot something that Rehan himself could not see with his very own eyes?”

Ace propped her elbows on her knees challenging him with her glare. “I don’t want you to look with your eyes. I want you to feel. Go sense some magic, if you will. Isn’t that one of your abilities?”

“You could’ve just asked that.” He stood as the carriage rolled back another inch and shoved the door open. There was silence outside of the carriage with the exception of the nervous horses and Shelby’s heavy footsteps.

Rehan patted Ace’s knee. “I think it’s best if you stay inside the carriage.”

With that small request, Ace jumped up out of her seat. Feet snagging on each other, she stumbled toward the opposite door. “Maybe I can see something you can’t,” she said all too quickly to no one in particular while Rehan watched with his mouth agape.

His request came from a good place, Ace was sure, however it took pretty well a year before she could even bother to listen to the god’s requests. Rehan was no God. When they were alone he did things like offer her a ring and call her by her full name.

She tripped out of the carriage, the toes of her boots catching against the small wooden step before she teetered forward and fell into outstretched arms.

“Better watch your step,” an unfamiliar voice said.

Squinting through the sun, she steadied herself against the person and glanced up. The man with a large flat nose and black stubble on his chin loosened his grip on her as he caught sight of her holy fire eyes. “What in the hell do we have here?” he half wheezed.

We?

Ace spun, loose leaves scattering at her feet. Several men had emerged from the trees; Shelby stood with his arms held up in surrender as an archer pointed his bow for his chest.

“Thieves.” A shock.

A growl came from behind her as someone shoved Rehan forward. He landed with athudon his hands and knees next to her side.

“Not thieves,” Shelby growled through his teeth. Even at this distance Ace could see the tension in his shoulders through his shirt and the cloak that blew his hair back. “Warlocks. ”

Queen Ambrose

Ephram was gone. When Ambrose was not locked away within the small room, unfitting of a queen, the door did not remain locked. The Fae had taken his chance when Ambrose was escorted to a fitting.

Each queen had been offered lunch separately and thankfully alone. Ambrose knew she’d have to gather her strength for the next battle of wits and wills. Though she knew it would likely be much more than that.

Finding her room empty once more, she sat in solitude sifting through her little keepsake box of Fae items. She wanted to know how they worked, how they ticked, how they lived. As a child, she’d only known that they were something to be feared and that she best watch what she said in their proximity because the likelihood they’d use it against her one day was higher than one might think.

She learned several things from Ephram, but one thing he still refused to tell her was how the Impelling worked. Warlocks had the ability to dabble in mind control. But it was nothing like what the Fae could do without so much as breaking a sweat.

By the time Burke came to retrieve Ambrose, flanked by four guards, she had safely hidden the box away and summoned what she hoped was enough courage to find a suitor tonight. No matter how she loved Ephram there were still some things that could not be changed. Queens must marry. And Fae would eventually move on.

Ambrose set one sparkling gold heel out into the hall. If she hadn’t known better she would’ve thought the way Burke sucked in a breath was because he was pleased with how she looked. It was more likely that he was scared for himself and what he would have to endure tonight between the two sisters. Scarlet silk was hung from her frame, draped and cinched to flatter her curves and slim figure. The perfect way the fabric laid reminded her of statues of the goddess Mina she had seen before. And she felt as beautiful as Tamar.

“You look nice,” Burke said but the phrase sounded as if it pained him to verbalize it.

She held her staff proudly. The vines inside it were more docile than normal, a reflection of her composure. A small bud had appeared within the glass though often the flowers never bloomed they merely withered away. “Surely you can come up with a better compliment.”

He had whispered wonderful things to her before. Long ago, when they were supposed to be. Even if he re-used a phrase anything would be better than saying ‘you look nice.’ That was practically an insult.

“Surely,” he repeated while he turned and offered her his arm.

She slipped her fingers over his navy coat jacket. He was dressed much more regal fashion than he had been the night she arrived. The blue suit complemented his skin tone and the gold buttons matched her shoes.

“This is a lot to take in,” Ambrose managed to say as they hurried to the ballroom.

“How so?” Burke didn’t turn his head but his eyes shifted as he watched her out of the corner of his gaze.

“The guards. Your outfit.”

A rush of air was expelled from Burke’s nose. Some sort of breathy laugh. “There are several guests in the castle tonight and Queen Ophelia is taking every necessary precaution seeing the predicament our country is currently in.”

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