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“No one will recognize me anymore?” I asked slowly. I didn’t like the idea of completely disappearing from people’s minds.
She lifted her delicate shoulders in a shrug. As if that were a nonsensical concern. “They won’t look at you and see the steward of Larkwood,” she confirmed. “But they won’t forget that Lady Katrina the steward exists. Your people back home, for example,” she said happily. “They will continue to run the estate while you’re away. They’ll simply think you’re off traveling, handling some business matters. They won’t realize you are involved in the tournament.”
I must not have looked too relieved at that. Mostly because the power of widespread manipulation a spell would have to have to have that effect on the citizens of Elfhaven was staggering. But also because it was unsettling to think about having everyone look at me and not really see me. It sounded like the makings of a curse. Queen Iris gave me a fond look and patted my knee. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ve already planned out the casting. And as amusing as it would be to keep my daughter in the dark about your identity, I’ve ruined the joke and spared Amaryllis. She will still recognize you for who you are, rather than a spy.”
That was a relief. But I arched my brows at her. “A spy?”
“Mhm,” Queen Iris hummed happily, clearly pleased with her own cleverness. “If anyone recognizes you—or feels that they should recognize you because they know you as steward and are used to seeing you around the palace—the magic will shift their perception. They will think they know you because you are a causerie.”
A causerie. Well, that would certainly keep people from believing that I was the Prize. Causeries—sometimes called Sharp Ears or Tea Stirrers when not in polite company—were social spies. The queen maintained a handful of them, most of them lower ranking nobles. The real spying and dangerous activities were carried out by the royal guard and the secretive Queen’s Hands. Social spies were more like glorified gossips. They simply served as extra eyes and ears, carrying back any interesting social news to the royals so they could stay abreast of what was going on with the nobles in the kingdom and more easily stay abreast of the petty games our people loved to play. The queen’s causeries didn’t hide their identities. They were an accepted fixture at the palace, living here and mingling with the rest of the court openly. I suspected the open spying was a threat—one that clearly said the royals were keeping tables, theoretically making it easier to get the more difficult citizens in the upper social circles to behave.
“Why yes, of course,” Queen Iris said in response to my question. “I assumed you were already planning to learn a bit more about the men who are competing for your hand. This will give you a foolproof disguise as you go about your spying. An excellent excuse to poke around to your heart’s content without having to worry that you’ll spoil the game.”
I laughed. She knew me far too well. “I suppose posing as a social spy would be easier than dressing up as a servant and using a disguise charm.” Because yes, I had already planned to spy on the contestants.
Queen Iris winked one bright emerald eye at me. “My darling, let me craft you the perfect ruse.”
I nodded and let her turn my palms up so she could prick the first finger on each hand with a long, wicked thorn.
Sitting there while the queen of Elfhaven wove high magic around me was a strange and exhilarating experience. Her power was deep and ancient, and it shivered over me like trailing caresses along my aura.
“What would you like your new name to be?” she asked at one point, both of us wreathed in brilliant blue energy.
“Rina,” I said on impulse, pushing aside the memories that alias called to mind. Memories of blue eyes and passion.
Queen Iris smiled a toothy smile and continued with her casting. When she was done and the magic settled, I stood and strode to the other side of the room, where a gilt mirror hung over the fireplace. The reflection there confirmed what I was feeling.
“Are you certain it worked? I don’t look or feel any different,” I said slowly, turning to survey myself in the looking glass.
Queen Iris came to stand beside me, a smug smile on her lips. “Of course it worked. The spell didn’t alter your physical appearance. That would be uncomfortable.” She lifted her nose in the air and gave a haughty sniff. “Besides, altering how you look would be too easy. Boring really. The most powerful magic is far more subtle and insidious.” She smiled a feral smile. “I’ve altered your situation. Anyone who knows you will still recognize you. They’ll just recognize you as something else. They’ll know you as a familiar face around the castle. But instead of knowing you as Lady Katrina, steward of Larkwood, they will know you as simply as Rina, one of my gossipy, flitting employees. No one of real note. Certainly not a potential prize in the Game of Hearts.”
I shook my head in equal parts wonder and fear. To cast that sort of blanket magic, to subtly affect the minds of everyone who came in contact with me…the power and deep magic that must require was terrifying.
Chapter 8
The late summer sun baked the arena, and though there was a light breeze that fluttered the colorful House banners and flags adoring the area, the air was filled with the scent of sun-warmed elvish bodies and herbal perfumes. Over it all, a hint of dust hung in the air, kicked up by the most recent round of competitions. The weapons contest began yesterday. I wasn’t able to watch every single match because there were so many competitors. But I caught what I could here and there.
A cheer went up as an official announced the winner of the archery competition. I tipped the brim of my sun hat down further and shifted to the right, so more of my body was sheltered by the awning above. Simply dressed, I stood leaning against the barrier at the bottom-most row of seating, surrounded by working-class citizens who had come to watch the tournament and ogle the handsome contestants. The queen’s spell seemed to be holding, and no one recognized me as a steward. They didn’t seem to take much note of me at all, really. Which was exactly what I wanted.
Besides, everyone in the crowd was too busy gawking at the competitors. The ogling was warranted. As Amaryllis had predicted, there was no shortage of beautiful people here. Every contestant seemed to be hand-picked from the most desirable males in the kingdom. A tall, serious-looking highborn male took second place. He had perfect ear points and icy silver hair cut to sharp tips at the front that reached to his collarbones. His angular features were stoic as he accepted his place in the lineup. But his dark eyes narrowed as they followed the first-place contestant.
The winner of the archery contest was muscular and golden, and he smiled broadly with perfect white teeth, a bit of his fire magic sparking from the tips of his blond curls as he took his place in the lineup. He patted the glowering silver-haired fae on the back in passing, which just made the other man’s scowl deepen. Then the big blond made a sweeping bow toward the royal box, pride and showmanship oozing from every pore.
I narrowed my eyes. The winning male was handsome. Strong and fit. Clearly a great archer. Maybe jealousy on its own was enough of a reason for the way the male at his side was staring at the guy as if he'd like to strangle the man with his own currently broken bowstring. But I idly wondered if there wasn't more to it than that. The blond male did seem a bit full of himself.
Was this what I had to look forward to? Insufferable egos that came along with my mates’ impressive skills? Source save me.
I glanced up to the royal box, where the sun glinted off a sea of glittering masks. Most of the royals and nobility wore elaborate masquerade masks. The identity of the prize was a secret. All anyone knew was that the lady was a noble of some importance. The nobles all played along, each suspecting the other as the game commenced, hiding behind flimsy masks and high-society nonsense as they all tried to guess which of their piers was the Prize. But no one would think to look here, among the commoners, for a brownie-human cross playing causerie, her highborn blood diluted and weak. I smiled smugly to myself as I took a seat.
The initial rounds of the competition were all about physical prowess. It was the most common tournament focus. Personally, I thought it was rather pointless. Was I supposed to be finding husbands, or guards? If I wanted protection, I could hire soldiers or a private protection detail. And honestly, I thought the royal family's insistence that I would be in danger with Larkwood's rise to fame was being blown out of proportion. I was not that important.
But the citizens of Elfhaven liked a good physical match—and the chance to ogle the participants—so I had grudgingly agreed to keep this challenge in the contest to appease the royals and their people. I had also chosen several challenges of my own, which would play out over the course of the next month. But we had to get through the boring stuff first.
This morning had been knife-throwing, then archery. Swords and hand-to-hand combat were next. I settled in and prepared for a long, scorching afternoon. I might not need a husband who could protect me like some damsel in distress. But I had to admit, I was looking forward to the matches, nonetheless. It gave me a chance to assess the men who were hoping to become my mates, not just in the physical sense, but to see how they behaved. How they carried themselves and how they made decisions while they were under pressure.
The sword contestants had already taken part in preliminary rounds the previous day. The top of the bunch was competing against each other today. Because of the stipulation for multiple mates being chosen, contestants belonged to teams. They competed in individual areas of strength, but their scores contributed to the team's overall placement in the competition as things progressed.
Some teams were formed from groups of friends or co-workers—as in one case, where an entire team was made up of city guardsmen who banded together. The competition was open to all social classes, but there were a large number of nobles involved. Most of them simply wanted a change in station or political status. Some wealthy sponsors had put together their own teams of handpicked champions, hoping to gain favor with the royal family if their team won. A few teams were composed of individual entrants who had no team of their own and were placed together by lottery.
