Chapter 32

Cadmus kept half an ear on Samantha and the other half of his attention on his affai. A lengthy interrogation with Arim had produced nothing but that Arim thought Ellie to be a possible threat, as if that were news. His stubborn uncle still refused to say what exactly he'd done to Ellie upon entering Tanselm, only that he trusted she wouldn't willingly harm anyone herself.

Great. So the visions and dreams meant what, exactly? That Ellie would make Jonas do her dirty work? That his affai, who chatted pleasantly with his mother, would soon clear the way so that Sin Garu and his Netharat could blast Ravyn into the Next? Cadmus took a deep breath and a hard swallow of novra juice to calm himself. He felt guilty for thinking such thoughts of his lovely affai, but the doubt that had been with him since his dream refused to fade.

He ignored Aerolus' scrutiny the way he'd ignored Arim's all morning and shut them both out using Lexa's handy technique. That bit of Darkness enforced his Light, enabling him to be twice as strong when it came to defending himself. It also didn't hurt that Tanselm lovingly embraced him at all times. He could feel her love with every breath he took.

Eager to focus on matters not his own, he turned to his sorcerer brother. "You know, Aerolus, my link with Tanselm has only grown since I've been back. I have to agree that Tanselm is definitely female."

Darius and Marcus glowered at him.

Aerolus beamed. "I knew it. We'll have to do some studies, of course, maybe involve the Great Hall. Alandra, purie, what do you think?"

Alandra winked at Cadmus and involved her husband in a discussion that focused the table in another direction.

"I'll get you for this," Darius telepathically threatened Cadmus with a growl.

"Aerolus, your brothers' gifts are as strong as yours, so perhaps they could assist you in this study when they have the time," Ravyn offered. "Anything that concerns Tanselm should concern us all, right, Arim?"

Arim shrugged. "If you say so." He turned his discerning gaze on Ellie and lingered a moment, a frown darkening his face.

"So Arim," Jonas said "Tell me about about Lord Sava. I heard all about your trip with Aerolus to Aelle and how you met their new king. I've always wondered just what he's like."

"I'll tell you what he's like. He's a pain in the ass."

Alandra glared at Arim and turned to Jonas with a Dark wave of joy. "Lord Sava? A great man. Absolutely the best."

Aerolus raised a brow behind her, momentarily pausing in his conversation about Tanselm. But when Alandra turned on him with a suspicious look, he merely smiled and returned to boring his brothers with academic matters.

Ellie decided to use the diversion to her benefit.

"Samantha, could you show me to the ladies' room? I had a hard time finding it this morning."

Cadmus groaned. "I'm sorry. I totally forgot about that. There's a central bathing chamber down the corridor I should have shown you. I'll give you the tour as soon as you get back."

She nodded and left with Samantha.

"The first time I spent the night here I had the same problem," Samantha admitted, striding down the hallway in an outfit similar to Ellie's but in red. "It's a real pain in the ass using a freaking chamber pot when it's that time of the month, let me tell you."

Ellie commiserated. When they reached the restroom, she sighed with contentment to see modern plumbing.

Samantha gestured to the room. "I'll wait out here. These people use magic on a daily basis, but they were in the dark ages before I showed them the comforts of the modern bathroom. Xiantope, my ass."

Ellie grinned and entered the facility. When finished, she took a few deep breaths and stared at her reflection in the mirror on the wall. Despite what Lexa had advised and the odd shielding Cadmus had affected earlier, she knew she needed to tell him the truth. He would trust her. She knew it deep inside.

Coming to that decision, she left the room only to find the hallway empty.

"Samantha?" Granted, they'd only walked a little ways from the dining chamber, but she didn't feel right leaving Samantha behind.

A few minutes later, Samantha returned. "Sorry, I heard something funny around the bend and decided to investigate. Nothing wrong there." She waved a hand at the area around them, and Ellie felt a strange, almost numbing buzz.

Samantha shook her into consciousness. "Ellie, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Ellie clutched her aching head, trying to break free from the fog in her mind. "I feel dizzy."

"You looked like you were going to pass out. Let's get you back to Cadmus."

Ellie leaned on Samantha as they walked towards the dining room. Oddly enough, the room had emptied by the time they returned.

"Okay, that's weirdness number two." Samantha tried to grin, but the expression came off as a grimace. Her green eyes looked murky, almost black, and Ellie had to blink to clear her own vision. A tiny suspicion shook her, which she immediately banked.

No way someone was impersonating Samantha. She wore the same clothing, the same hairstyle and attitude. And yet…something seemed off.

"Excuse me, good sir," Samantha called out to a young serving boy who'd entered the hall. "Have you seen Prince Cadmus?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, Princess. He's in the east tower looking for his affai." His eyes widened when they lit on Ellie, and he grinned shyly, bowing his head.

"Thank you."

Samantha kept her hand on Ellie's as they left the hall. They continued down several corridors, and Samantha walked faster, forcing Ellie to jog to keep pace.

"Samantha, can you please slow down?"

"I'm sorry, but I've got a really bad feeling about this. Something's wrong."

Ellie hurried, feeling the same. But her steps seemed clumsy, her movement decidedly slow. "Go ahead of me if you need to. Let Cadmus know I'm on the way."

Samantha nodded and moved out of sight. But Ellie followed her footsteps, and soon entered a large stone chamber littered with fallen men. Shocked, she noticed Queen Ravyn standing across the room talking to Ellie's mirror image.

Ellie didn't understand. She wanted to cross to the queen, to save her from the threat she could feel deep in her bones. And she wanted to call Cadmus, but her mind seemed far away. The best she could do was struggle out a warning.

"Queen Ravyn, run," she warbled before tripping into someone heavy.

The queen's shocked voice called, "Ellie?"

"I have you." The body holding her belonged to a masculine voice, and the hands touching her hurt. They were cold, like ice, and caused a burning sensation around her throat, where his fingers clenched.

"Let her go," Queen Ravyn ordered, her voice imperious and not in the slightest frightened.

Ellie focused. Her twin had vanished. Ravyn cast Ellie a brief, reassuring glance before narrowing her gaze on the man holding Ellie upright.

Lightning arched and power surged through the room, only to come up short as the man held Ellie in front him like a shield. Ellie tried like hell to move, to take herself out of the picture. But it was no use.

"Please." Tears tracked down her cheeks. "Leave me. Find Cadmus, Queen Ravyn. Get to safety."

Ravyn gritted her teeth, her focus on the man behind Ellie. "You bastard. You've taken away my heart, but you won't take away my son's."

Ellie suddenly nose-dived into the stone below her, ripped from her tormenter by a vicious force.

When her head stopped spinning, she noted the power struggle between her saviour and her attacker—a man with white-blond hair and icy power bent on destroying the queen. Ravyn looked anything but meek. Her black hair streamed and her eyes glowed a bright green. Lightning crackled, and Light sparked throughout the queen's body as she raised her hands at her opponent.

"Not this time, Sin Garu," she warned.

They launched vollies back and forth, but neither opponent seemed to be winning the upper hand.

Then Sin Garu glanced down at Ellie and winked.

She watched, horrified, as the Dark Lord used Ellie's Dark power to shield himself while blasting the queen with a burst of blue fire from his fingertips. The blow pierced her right through the chest.

Ravyn gasped and fell, clutching the whole where her heart should be.

Sin Garu blew Ellie a kiss before transforming into that same serving boy she'd seen earlier. "Until we meet again, lovely." He ran screaming from the hall, shouting accusations and cries of murder.

Ellie staggered to the queen, drained of her energy thanks to whatever Sin Garu had done to her. She dropped to her knees on the hard stone and frantically searched for a pulse, for some way to stem the flow of blood pouring from the queen. But upon closer inspection, nothing oozed from Ravyn's burning wound. Small bits of blue flame danced around the queen's chest. Seared flesh and raw muscle gaped at Ellie like twin becons of death.

Footsteps preceded the gasps and shouts behind her. She was shoved away. Then Samantha and Tessa leaned over Ravyn, while their husbands hovered. They glanced from Ravyn to Elli and back again, shock, anger and confusion lining their faces.

Strong arms lifted her, and she tried to struggle but hadn't the energy. Then Jonas whispered in her ear, "It's alright, Ellie. I've got you now. You'll be fine."

"Is it really you?" she asked, her voice hoarse and sore from Sin Garu's chokehold.

"It's me." He waved a hand over her face and the fog that had been trapping her suddenly faded.

She sagged, weary beyond measure. Tears fell as she saw the barely-breathing queen struggling to hold on to life. "Oh no. This is all my fault."

Jonas shushed and rocked her, supporting her since she had no strength to stand on her own.

Arim and Cadmus suddenly entered.

"Aerolus is caught in the east by a sudden attack, and Alandra's readying the Aellei…" Arim trailed off when he caught sight of Ravyn. With a curse, he joined her side and began chanting, while Cadmus stood, staring numbly around him.

"Not true, not possibly real," he muttered, as if trying to awaken from a bad dream. Then his eyes caught Ellie's, and she wanted to cry.

He looked so miserable, so sad and angry and disheartened as he stared at her. The accusation was there in his glance if not in his voice.

"I didn't do it," she whispered.

He watched her a moment longer before turning to his mother.

"Leave him," Jonas said when she tried to join him. "Give him time, Ellie. He's had a shock."

I have too, she wanted to shout. I know his mother's been hurt, but doesn't he care at all that I was almost killed?

Darius glared at her. "That one was here when it happened. Norse said he saw her attack Mother. That the new princess tried to kill the queen."

Arim looked up from Ravyn, his brows close. To her surprise, he said nothing and turned back to the queen. Marcus threw up a hand, and Ellie felt a sharp thrust of energy before Jonas shielded her.

"Not now, River Prince." Jonas shook his head. "You don't know the circumstances or the truth around this treachery. See to your kin and your wounded, and leave Ellie be."

"Yes," Arim agreed. But Ellie's heart broke as Cadmus stared at her, his face blank, and said nothing. "I've done what I can for your mother, but the Netharat are here. Marcus and Tessa, to the south, now." He pointed a finger at them and they disappeared. "Darius, take Samantha and guard the west wall. The attack is focused there." Darius grabbed Samantha and they too vanished under Arim's stare.

"I'll stay with Mother," Cadmus said in a hollow voice.

"Yes, do." Arim turned to Ellie and Jonas. "You two, come with me."

Pressure eased through Ellie before she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

"You're in the northern territory, that of the Earth Lord. You'll be safe here until I can figure out what went wrong. Jonas, stay with her."

Jonas nodded, and before Ellie could say anything, the sorcerer disappeared.

Jonas carried Ellie to the large bed in an otherwise empty room and laid her down. Too tired to argue, she let him wipe her tears and tuck her under covers.

"Rest, Ellie. Let the spell wear off. Then you can tell me what happened." Jonas kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, fingering the bruise on her cheek. "I believe in you, honey."

She cried harder before blessed tiredness overwhelmed her, and she slept.