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“So we’re going for jealousy then? You would have preferred to be the one being beaten, tested and forced to fight beasts on a daily basis, just so you could call yourself the hero?” Cash laughs bitterly, tossing a pre-packed duffle bag over his shoulder.
“Let’s just say, I see with clarity now,” he mutters cryptically. My nostrils flare but he pays me no mind, pushing a pocket watch into the pocket of his cargos. “Back to the mission at hand. And side note - you’re not going to like it,” he finally gets to the point and I huff. By the attitude riding him this afternoon, I could have guessed as much. “But I know where all of the men are disappearing to and what’s happening to them. We’re going to get them back.” My arms drop in time with my mouth.
“You have information, and you haven’t divulged it?! How long have you known? How reliable is your source?” The questions tumble from me, frustration riding my movements across the room to grip his t-shirt in my grip. The tightened short sleeves reveal the ink coating his left arm. Cash’s seemed to have healed almost instantly. Mine are in the itchy, peeling stage no matter how much cream and cellophane I apply beneath my tweed jacket. Shoving me back a step, a fluttering laugh leaves his lips.
“No use dwelling on the past, right brother?” His green eyes seem to sparkle at me. There’s an unspoken meaning behind his words, but I don’t have the energy to fight with my twin. Not when I have no idea how much I need to reserve. Especially now the severity of our errand has been revealed.
Tracking Cash to his fireplace, he pulls a coffee table closer and stands on it. A grand mirror I haven’t seen before sits above the mantal; the flourishing frame coated in black. Touching a finger to the center of the glass, it wobbles like liquid and Cash jerks his head.
“Come on then. Let’s save the realm from itself.” Jumping, Cash is pulled into the mirror’s reflection and disappears inside. My heart drops, my feet moving. Pushing a booted foot onto the table’s surface, I vault into the mirror and tumble through a darkened tunnel to crash through the other side. Landing hard on carpet, I groan and run a hand through my hair. Cash’s hand hovers in front of my face, tugging me to my feet.
A suite, mirror-image to the one we just left behind splays before me. Except everywhere a heart should be, there’s a spade, and all hints of red have been switched for black. The curtains, rug, large-backed armchairs – all positioned the same. Enormous bed coated in satin sheets, a painted canvas of my brother mid-strip tease hanging above the headboard.
“Cash?” I ask quietly, trepidation crawling along the inside of my throat. “What have you been up to?”
“Making myself at home,” he quirks a smile. I shudder, creeping across the room to peer around the curtains. Spade Castle is vast, outbuildings spreading far beyond the balcony beyond the French doors I’ve found myself at. Rain pelts the glass, various thunderstorms taking place through the expanse of dark grey cloud. A zipping sound brings my attention back to the duffle bag Cash opens, dumping the contents out on the bed as the door clicks open.
“You made it!” a hushed voice exclaimed, Queen Consort Lillianna rushing inside. “There’s no time to waste, the King will notice my absence soon.” Oh no, no, no. I find myself shaking my head, edging back towards the mirror. I can’t be caught conspiring in whatever the fuck is happening here. I’ve worked too hard. Suffered too much to lose my position now.
“Cash,” I growl this time, anger bubbling beneath the surface. Catching my eye, my brother removes the queen who has run into his hold and closes the gap between us.
“The King of Spades is luring men here under the pretense of safety. I’ve done my recon; I’ve seen them flocking here with my own eyes. But none leave, Tweed. They’re either portalled away or killed, all crying out one word. ‘Alice’.”
I freeze. The image of a yellow-haired girl in a blue dress runs across the forefront of my mind before I manage to suppress it. My heart beats erratically before I can get a handle on my emotions, and Cash’s eyes drop to my chest as if he can hear it. Flexing my fists, I exhale through my nose and think.
Unbeknownst to Cash, Arabelle and I located the last chrysalis a few months ago. It’s safely hidden until the day we are to release the butterfly, but apparently, I’m not the only one keeping secrets. Lillianna steps into Cash’s side, her fingers tangling with Cash’s. Oh brother, what the fuck are you playing at?
“Wh..Why would they want Alice?” I decide is the most important question in the shit storm taking root inside my mind. Cash releases Lillianna and folds his arms.
“I don’t have all the answers yet. For some reason, Alice is tied to this land. The men are infatuated, yearning to the point of madness. Her spirit is being called back and it won’t be long before she returns. I can feel it,” he pushes a palm into his chest. I don’t respond. The matter at hand, and the only one of real importance, is the fact our realm has lost half its population in the past few years. Mostly all of them being male. The women are scared, little-to-no babies are being born. Snapping myself back into soldier mode, I steel my jaw and address Lillianna for the first time.
“The King of Spades is responsible for this anarchy?” I ask. She nods, fear in her golden gaze. “It seems the two of you have a plan. Fill me in so we can get this over with.”
“He’s been poisoning them with his golden chalice,” Lillianna rushes to stay, stepping behind Cash when my glare comes across too strong. I don’t know this Queen, nor do I trust her. But if I could present Arabelle with the solution to the realm’s biggest problem on her coronation, no one could deny Hearts as the superior suit. A notion I was not interested in, until the old Queen lost her head this morning and my position just became worth its title in gold.
“If you can steal the chalice, prove his guilt to the high council, he’ll be executed for his crimes.”
“Why can’t you steal it? Surely you have more access to your husband’s belongings than we do,” I twist my lips, continually raising my eyes to my twin’s. They’re sparkling again, filled with mischief to match the smirk at his mouth. Lillianna bristles.
“And what do you suppose I do with it?” she pokes her head back into view, her brows furrowed. “Send it to the Red Kingdom by pigeon and hope for the best? It’s the only proof I have, and as soon as he realized it was missing, I would be next.” A shiver rolls the length of her body, shrouded in a ridiculous amount of black satin with large puff sleeves, a corset pulled tight on her slender waist and a full-bodied skirt which hides her short legs. Nudging Cash aside, I speak low, only for my brother’s ears.
“If she’s right-”
“She is,” Cash interrupts, his shoulders tense as if preparing for me to fight him on this. I sigh, placing a hand on his chest.
“What I was about to say, is that I haven’t built a bond of trust with the Queen of Spades, but I trust you. I will follow you wherever you go, as I know you would me.” Sharing a nod with Cash, I return to the Queen and lower my head. “For the purpose of saving our realm, I will aid you in this. Once the King’s crimes have come to light and you’re dubbed as acting Monarch, we will arrange a sit down with Arabelle to discuss the possibility of an alliance.”
“You’ve learnt well. Never one to waste an opportunity,” Lillianna quirks a brow. With my acceptance, her back has straightened and she’s suddenly able to stand free of Cash’s protection.
“It’s my job to protect Arabelle,” I state, devoid of all emotion. In particular, the resentment her words distilled in me.
“Yet you’d risk everything to protect your brother,” Lillianna’s head tilts to the side. She’s assessing me. Testing my loyalty to the man she’s managed to coerce.
“On the contrary. I’ve scarified everything to save my brother. I have nothing left to give but my word.” A tense moment passes. Lillianna’s golden eyes dip to my neck.
“We shall see.”
Seeming satisfied with my intent, Lillianna moves towards the items dumped over the bed. I hang back, my chest heaving as I rein myself back in. No one in Wonderlust can even suggest I’ve worked my way up the ranks with anything less than my own soul. I secured myself and Cash a future with the very blood that runs in my veins and skin of my whip-scarred back.
