Chapter 8

T he coliseum had a vendetta against me.

For the past two weeks, I have trained day in and day out with Sir Reid while my father and mother sat in the Royal seating area, watching. Their observant eyes took in every step and every counterstrike I applied. Each time I struck Sir Reid with my sword, my mother gave a haughty humph that resonated throughout the coliseum.

But today, I was tired—emotionally and physically. There was no other way to put it as the days wore on my fragile mind. This morning, as I approached the brown structure, I hadn’t been prepared to enter the bronze double arches. I was disconsolate. The constant throbbing of my brain made me wish I hadn’t been so frivolous. I wouldn’t be in this position. With each day that passed, I struggled to keep up with training and having a life outside of the castle. There was none since I hadn’t seen Del in two weeks, and there was not even a magic message to see how I was doing. My shoulders held their current favorite position, hunching over like the town’s spinster. The burden of my responsibilities and the disappointment my parents expressed about me last night during dinner followed me into this balmy August day.

But I guess I’m doing well since I only had my sword knocked out of my hand once in the four-hour training session.

A stellar job…I guess. The foreign voice said.

Try as I might, I couldn’t stop the voice from reappearing time and time again. This time, it was right when Sera opened her mouth. The fire she produced made the beads of sweat dried up on my dampened skin. Casting the tip of my steel sword into the widespread fire just when the voice crept inside my head, throwing my concentration off.

I wonder how Sir Reid will look if we cast him into our dragon’s fire. Would his ashes fall from the sky? Or will he collect another wound as a triumphant souvenir?

The smothering heat scorched the side of my pointer finger and the back of my thumb as I stuck the sword in too deep. My hand curled into my chest as I dropped the sword and dropped to the floor. Throbbing at the brutal assault from the concrete floor. Pain pinned me to my spot, and all I could do was wait until my magic healed the scorched area and my bruised knees.

Sir Reid’s soft clicks from his gear boots drew closer to me. I didn’t want to face him and hear him chastise me for not having better control of my sword or pointing out my inability to stay focused. Which, in all fairness, wasn’t my fault.

My trail of tears coated the ends of my hair as I stayed in the curled position. Sera’s and Luc’s low growls rumbled through me as Sera rubbed her head against my side. I knew this was her way of comforting me, but I was drained from this training, my responsibilities, and my mother’s persistent notion that I was stalling the inevitable. Without thinking, my injured hand shot out before I could think and push her enormous head away from me.

That was the first time that I had pushed Sera or Luc away from me. Darting pain shot through my hand to my shoulder, causing me to clutch the arm against my chest. A rough, large hand grabbed my forearm, and before I could protest, the piercing cold sensation slightly soothed my burnt fingers.

“Shh, little princess,” Sir Reid's deep voice washed over me. “Your magic is already working to heal the burned skin.”

Sir Reid handed me a handkerchief, and I blew my nose into the white cloth.

“Thank you, Sir Reid,” I said, my voice still filled with tears as I trembled out the words. I didn’t want to speak, but I felt inclined to thank Sir Reid for his kindness.

Stretching the injured hand, the throbbing slowly subsided with each minute. The green aura engulfed my hand, glowing and rippling between the bright Houston sun and the ice water in the brown bucket.

Folding the handkerchief, I tried to wipe my face, but my tears still fell as the pain crept away. The pain may be gone, but not the memories, I thought as I righted myself. I didn’t care if Sir Reid saw them or my parents, which, luckily, were not here today.

As I opened my mouth to lash out at Sir Reid and tell him to leave me alone, he spoke.

“You did amazing today. Just like when you were training with me during our royal lessons. I’m proud of you, little princess,” he said tenderly. “What were you thinking about that made you stick your sword that high into the fire?”

Sir Reid held his arm out as he helped me to my feet. The subtle ache in my knees was gone, and the blackened skin had steadily turned back to its once golden-brown hue.

Looking at Sir Reid’s stony face, his mouth pressed into a line as he waited for the answer. An answer I couldn’t—wouldn’t dare say out loud. The thought I may be slipping into the depths of my foreboding curse petrified me. It was then that I noticed my hands shook, causing me to ball them up into a fist, shoving them under my armpits. My tongue glided over my chap lips as I struggled to come up with a lie because I couldn’t tell Sir Reid that I may be spiraling down a gloomy hole already.

I would be the second person to fall into that dark, cursed hole like Alice in Wonderland. Will my fate be like my third great-grandaunt? Angela Thibodeaux was a great witch and had ruled over the Northwestern region of America long before my father killed and broke apart the different covens. She was strong-willed, and everyone loved her enough to think she was our ancestor’s favorite. Until she turned twenty-five, without her fated mate like me, when everything changed. According to our family’s history book and my mother’s stories, she spiraled slowly enough that no one caught the change until it was too late. She wreaked havoc on the Northwestern Coven, and they crumbled one by one, taking scores of talented witches. And when my great-grandparents got wind of what was happening, they set out to kill her to save the dwindling coven. One night, when Angela returned from killing over thirty of her own witches, they snuck into her bedroom in the darkness of night and slipped an emerald ring onto her finger—rendering her no better than a human. Angela gave them hell as she fought for her life before they killed her and burned her body, ensuring she would never be reincarnated.

Not that it mattered, since according to my mother’s story, Angela thanked her parents from the underworld.

Just the thought sent me spiraling down that pitiful dark hole again. My eyes shut as I screamed until the throb in my throat became unbearable and my voice cracked. My voice bounced and danced off the coliseum walls, and when I opened up my eyes, which were blurred from the tears, saw Sir Reid’s black eyes. I faltered as worry replaced the cold, hard glint that normally was placed in them.

I hated it…I hated the pity more than the disappointment. My heart thumped against my tender chest as I let the words slip out of my mouth before I had time to think rationally.

“I wish I had a human life—painting and being buried under piles of books until I’m old and wrinkled. Not having to fight you or take over this coven, not having a ton of children because my ancestor is the goddess of fertility… or waiting for the glut curse to kick in.”

The moment those words left my mouth, I knew I made a horrible, embarrassing mistake, but I couldn’t walk back from what I said, literally, since I never found the stupid remembrance spell.

The hard, straight line that once decorated Sir Reid’s mouth turned down. His black eyes squinted in disbelief that I would say something even remotely of that nature. Sir Reid shook his giant head and sighed.

“You’re just saying these crazy things because you haven’t found your mate yet. When you do, I promise you, things will fall into place,” he said as he shook his head to reassure me or himself. I wasn’t sure at this point.

As if that were to soothe over the disgust that clawed inside of my stomach. Just the thought that I was destined to be alone and driven crazy by the curse haunted my very soul daily. The sourness of disgust coated my tongue, causing me to grimace when I swallowed.

“Sir Reid, with all due respect, you wouldn’t know anything about mates, or love, for that matter. Your sole purpose is to roll around with your motley crew of witches and get off from knocking each other out. If that’s what I wanted to do, then I would have done so. I suggest you take Sera and Luc back to their area and stay out of my royal business. That’s an order.”

I didn’t wait around for his snarky response as I turned on my heels and exited the coliseum. It would be no surprise if my feet left impressions in the grass as I stomped my way back to the castle, face streaked with the salty tears of my ego. The few coven members I passed threw me some odd looks. The hell with them. Calling on my magic with my mind in my little messy enchantment room, I stepped through the white slit to my room. I breathed a deep sigh of relief. The cramped space would have made anyone shudder, but this space felt like heaven. Especially when my emotions were crashing inside of me like a tidal wave, as I hoped the quiet space could take the burden of the day away.

You should have killed him!

The voice was like a cold reminder of my situation, bringing me back into reality. A cold sweat formed on my forehead as I slid down the only sliver of free wall space in the room. Yes, I was mad at myself for letting my temper get the best of me, especially since Sir Reid was only being kind to me—in his own special way. I said to the voice as if it could hear me—or if it even cared to hear my opinion.

Without a window in the enchantment room, I didn’t know how long I had stayed in the little room with my eyes closed, hoping that the goddess would give me a little more time to find my mate. A little more time for me to save myself. I’m worth saving, Youna. The salty tears that trek down my cheeks and seeped into my mouth. Pressure built deep within my chest until it broke free from my mouth as I yelled into the room.

“I don’t want to end up like Angela,” I said out loud, even though no one would hear me or care.

Eight more months until I’m twenty-six. I wondered if history would strike again and if I would be ever so lucky to follow in Angela’s footsteps. Would my mother cry for me as my great-grandparents had? They mourned her death for a hundred years, my mother said, until they went to be with her in the underworld.

The better question would be, would anyone care enough to mourn me?

A minor part of me knew that most of the coven probably wouldn’t shed a tear except for Merrell.

Getting up from the dusty packed floor, I felt the grit against my palms and resolved to be proactive in my final countdown days to insanity. My green aura swept out, touching every nook and cranny of the room. Books flew up from the floor while they waited for the broken shelves of my bookcase to be repaired. Piles of colorful clothing that I had brought when Del and I sneaked out were placed on hangers and hung themselves onto the string clothing line I assembled against the opposite walls. The six beloved paintings that I kept hidden in the room bumped and clashed against each other as they fought for space on the wall. Finally, my magic reached out and swept the dusty floors and made the small armchair look like new again.

One down…about several more to go. With my mind made up, I went to wash the dirt, tears, and grime that hugged my hair and skin like a protective coating. When I was dressed and ready, I worked up the confidence to go find Sir Reid. I owed him an apology for my actions. He didn’t deserve the ire that I gave him.

I made my way down to the dining room to see that my parents weren’t there. It was well past six, and that was late for them not to be halfway through dinner already. A male server had passed by in the hallway carrying a silver tray with empty drink ware.

“Hey, sir,” I called out. When he turned around, he bowed.

He was cute. A button nose to his round face. He blushed when he noticed me staring at his plump lips for a beat too long. And he smelled like sin.

“Your Highness, do you need anything?” he said as he shifted on his feet.

I blinked several times before I remembered why I stopped him. “Have you seen my parents?”

“Yes, they’re in the Queen’s office with Sir Reid,” he said with a nervous smile on his face. If I was in a better mindset, I probably would have ordered him to allow me to ride his face. I mean, it has been a minute since I tried to scratch my itch. Maybe that’s the reason I’m so miserable.

“Your Highness.”

I smiled at the young server, “My apologies…”

“Julian, my princess.” He bowed again as I rolled my eyes at the gesture.

“Thank you, Julian,” I said, as my eyes landed on his lips again. I mean, I could just lean in and sample young Julian. Before I could ask, he turned away and scurried down the hall.

“Damn it!” I said to no one as I counted the days since I last had my Stoneseed root tea. It’s time for another dose. I don’t need my hormones running wild, along with my emotions, especially about the handsome server and whether his tongue was long enough to scratch my itch as I watched the flex of his muscular ass as he disappeared down the long hallway.

It took me several minutes to unclasp my hand from the white brick wall. Normally, I would never go more than a day without the tea, but I guess with training, I forgot about it. Gathering myself and continuing down the short hallway to my mother’s office. I hadn’t been in the office since I got caught. It was almost as if I was too scared to face my stupid mistake.

Tapping on the door, the voices went silent behind the closed door. When I stepped through the door, I found them sitting around the desk. My mother was in her regal chair while Sir Reid and my father sat on the other side. From my position, I could see the menacing look Sir Reid was sending, which I chalked up to being stuck in a room with my father. My mother and father both smiled at me.

“Ah, there is the young queen of the hour,” my mother said with a warm smile on her face. “Come here, my sweet girl.”

Is this a butter-up? I thought as I walked over and stood beside my mother. She had on an orange dress with a short hemline, her hair was in its curly state that stopped in the middle of her back, and she still had on a little makeup.

“Hello, Mother and Father,” I blurted out. “I actually came in here to talk with Sir Reid.”

“Okay, go ahead then.” My father smiled warmly at me.

I tapped my foot, but stopped when I realized that was a sign of weakness. Which I wasn’t... well, anymore.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior this afternoon, Sir Reid. My temper and the stress of the day got to me when you were only being kind to me. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Sir Reid’s black eyes looked small in the sea of white as he sat back in the seat. Honestly, I don’t know why he seemed shocked. I’ve apologized for things before…I think.

“Young princess, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m here to serve you and your mother,” Sir Reid said, with a bit of more emphasis on the last part. “You can speak to me any way you feel is just. I’m your humble servant.”

“Be that as it may, you’re more than a servant to me, Sir Reid. You’re a part of my family, and I trust you as much as I trust my parents. If I hold them to a high standard, then I will hold you to the same.”

I looked down at my mother, who still had a warm smile on her face.

“We treat the ones we love and cherish with respect.” Her hand reaches out to move some of my hair away from my face. “I’m proud of you, my emerald moon. I hope this will make you think twice before you speak in the future.”

Smiling at her, “Yes, mother.”

One small burden down, and my shoulders felt lighter. Usually, I wouldn’t have cared about one of the staff being mad at me, but I do care about Sir Reid. And I meant every word I said inside of this office.

“You were just talking about me?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Yes.” My father jumped up from his seat and clasped his hand behind him. His gray button-down shirt was tucked into his white suit pants. “We’re going to have a royal gathering next week. Everyone will be in attendance, and it will be a grand event.”

“What’s the catch, Father?” I was skeptical. My father loved to host Royal Coven meetings because it was the one time he got to gloat in front of the other royals and drink Fae wine until he passed out. Between the wine or his inflated ego…I couldn’t tell you which one was worse.

“There’s no catch. We just wanted to host a dinner and maybe…” He rubbed his shaven jaw. “You might find your mate there.”

“I’ve met all the Royals and their children. This will be a waste of time on my part.” I crossed my arms.

“Well, this time may be different. We have some Royals who have come of age and some that haven’t found their mate yet. I think one of the African Heirs was a late bloomer like yourself. He might be the one,” my father said. His promising smile felt more disingenuous than this party.

Another day, another way my father has thought of another way to annoy me to no end. The only good thing about these Royal meetings was the food…and maybe seeing William Cross get flustered by my father’s bantering. This was just another “dinner” to parade me off as the unmated Royal—something so unparalleled amongst the Royals. Immediately, my mind thought of the unicorn, but you could probably see one before I would ever find my mate. The muscles constricted, making it hard to swallow. My eyelids blinked rapidly, trying to hold the salty water mix at bay.

Try to pull it together, Kaydian! Which was easier said than done.

My mother stood from her chair, drawing our attention. Even though she was the shortest in the room, you couldn’t tell. The authoritative air around her told a different story.

With a soft smile on her lips, my mother said, “Please give Kaydian and me some alone time.” Dismissing Sir Reid and my father at once.

When the door closed behind them, she walked over to the small gold cabinet which held some of her wine collection she brought during her trips. The glass clinked as she fumbled around, looking for the bottle she wanted, and poured herself and me a drink.

I wasn’t in the mood for drinking since my hormones were already chaotic, but I still took a sip out of respect when she handed me the glass tumbler. The spicy taste of the apple cider hit my tongue. I looked at my mother in surprise since I thought she would have gone for her classic Edgehaven Fae’s wine, which was bold and earthy.

“I know your father and I have been putting a lot of pressure on you.” She took a seat beside me on her desk. “But that’s because we believe in you, Kaydian. The people need you, and I need you.”

Taking a sip of the spicy apple cider, she grabbed my free hand, drawing my attention to her once again.

“Will you give this dinner a chance like you promised?” she asked.

My eyebrows clenched together as my mind raced to remember when I promised her to attend a dinner. My mother knew I was notorious for skipping out on the stuffy events. Escaping the event was the highlight of those nights. I would fill my plate with enough food for three people, and if Del wasn’t working the event, we would sneak off to my enchantment room to eat and get drunk on Fae wine.

“When did I say that?”

“When I visited you the night you got caught swimming in the Jacinto River.”

Oh damn!

“You mean when you use your magic to put me to sleep?”

The corners of her mouth twitch ever so slightly. If she laughed, I swore I knew Qroaris, the Goddess of Vengeance, was having a laugh with her best friend, Youna.

“You know as much as I, well, if you remembered.” She leveled me with an arched eyebrow and her lips pursed. “That Mear’s magic can’t be controlled like our inherited magic. If it wanted to reach out and comfort you, then who could stop it? It sensed you needed it and did what it had to do to protect and care for its kindred spirit.”

I opened my mouth, with a tart response on my tongue, but closed it because deep down. She was telling the truth. My mother couldn’t control it as I sat there and thought about it. I found I honestly wasn’t upset with her. I don’t think I could ever be. Especially since I won’t be sane soon enough.

“I understand, and I’m nothing but a woman of my word, as my mother would say.”

No sooner than I said the words, I was enveloped in her warmth. The soft scent of jasmine and sweet oranges filled my nostrils as I buried my face in her curly hair. I could stay like this forever, but as I sat there with my mother stroking my back. The clock in my mind keeps reminding me that my time was dwindling down. Soon, my days of this would be traded in for shackles that would be placed around me once the curse claimed me.

It took me a moment before I heard my mother’s soft voice return.

“Hey,” she said as she tried to soothe me. As a tremor raked through me. “It’s going to be okay. Everything will work out. Trust in Youna. Our ancestors have never let us down.”

I scoffed at her optimism. “Yeah, just like Angela, huh?”

My voice was hoarse from all the crying I’ve done since this afternoon. Pulling away from my mother, I placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. It was then I noticed she was crying with me. I’ve only seen my mother cry twice. Her bottom lip quivered, and I could see the wheels in her head turning on what to say to make things better, but she and I both knew that time was of the essence, and I was losing every minute.

“I will attend the dinner and be on my best behavior. I promise you, Mother.”

Because it may be the last handful of times, I will have to remember before my, hopefully, quick descent into madness.

My mom used her magic to get us handkerchiefs to clean our faces. When we were done, my mother’s makeup was gone. She sat with me barefaced and beautiful as I memorized the freckles on her cheeks that I used to count at night or the way her nose became deep red when she was mad or crying…like now. She still looked regal as I locked her picture away in my memory.

The only good thing to come out of this was having something to take my mind off the downward spiral of my life.

“Of course, I was going to ask Ms. Kincaid to send the invites,” my mother said as she shook her head.

“There’s no need to call Ms. Kincaid. I’ll make the invites. When is the dinner?”

“Next week Saturday. It will be the start of a new month,” she said as she sniffled. “New month…new beginnings…renewed hope.”

My poor, lovely mother. She could be so optimistic sometimes. Flicking my wrist, I sent my magic out before us, preparing for the message. It blended and twisted in the middle of the room to reveal a transparent emerald and gold-colored box. The messenger was used to send private messages to anyone, not just witches. When the recipient accepted the message, the box disappeared along with the message. Using my finger, which shined brightly with my magic, I wrote the party information, as my mother dictated what needed to be written. When I was done, I used the same finger to touch the bottom of the letter, sending it off to all six Royal Coven leaders. The Royal Coven member will receive a splitting image of the letter.

“All six invites are done.”

“Thank you, my Kaydian,” she said, placing her empty tumbler beside mine. My mother took my hand in hers, squeezing it slightly.

“Let’s eat, Mother. I wouldn’t want you to fall over from hunger,” I said as my stomach growled. We both giggled as I grabbed my mother’s hand and led her to the dining room.