Chapter 33

Istare at myself in the mirror as Meredith placed the final clip into my hair. She stepped away triumphantly, evidently pleased with the final product.

Tonight, I will make a statement. Tonight, I won’t be wearing teal, the symbol of the union between Arlom and Salistya. Tonight, I was wearing a beautiful cerulean gown to represent the Arloman people. It was a blatant fuck you to Slaviya, who I knew would get the intended message. I may have little control here right now, but what I did have I would use to my advantage.

The A-line gown sat snug against my chest, exposing my shoulders, the sleeves falling loosely down my arms. It was cinched at the waist, outlining my hourglass figure. The material dropped freely from my waistline, landing in a beautiful puddle around the floor. True to my style, the dress had a slit that ran daringly high.

Meredith had worked wonders on my face. She managed to hide the bags under my eyes I’d had since that awful night by giving me a smoky eye that made my not-so-subtle eyes pop even more. A touch of blush and a smear of a natural-looking pink lipstick finished the look. I had insisted on a low bun that sat loosely at the nape of my neck, not wanting an extravagant hairstyle to draw away from the gold crown that sat atop my head. The crown had three spikes at the front, the middle one bigger than the others and holding a large aquamarine stone.

‘You look beautiful, Val,’ Meredith said as she squeezed my shoulders.

‘This is all you, Mer. Who would’ve thought you’d turn out to be such a good maid?’ I attempted to joke, but the half smile I managed to muster wasn’t fooling anyone.

‘It’s going to be okay. It’ll all work out the way it needs to. We have our plan, we just need to stick to it.’

‘What if something goes wrong.’ My lips quivered, a tell-tale sign tears were inevitable.

‘Shhh, don’t put those ideas into your head. They don’t serve anyone,’ she admonished, turning me around to face her directly. ‘There’s a time and place for self-doubt, Valare, and this isn’t one of them. You need to remember that you’re the most powerful physical mage in Fyriane and you get to choose your own path. People like Slaviya act the way they do because they have little power and are fighting for control. Often they are so insecure in themselves that they deflect their issues onto others. You can’t let people like that have power over you. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have, and you must protect it at all costs.’

She was right. Why do I allow people like her and like Sir to have power over me when their intentions aren’t pure? I spontaneously make a vow to myself that from here on out, they wouldn’t have my mind nor my power.

‘You’re right,’ I cleared my throat. ‘I love you Mer. Thank you for always being there. We’ll get through this.’

‘Go protect our family, Valare,’ Meredith whispered.

She hustled me across the room and all but shoved me into the dining area where Eliasson stood. He was dressed in a beautiful azure suit and a crown to match mine. I slowly walked towards him, holding the gaze of his ocean-coloured eyes. They were swimming with too many emotions to count.

‘Are you ready King Eliasson of Arlom?’ I asked.

‘Are you ready Queen Valare of Arlom?’ he parroted in return, holding his arm out for me to take.

I smiled at him hoping he could see my gratitude as I slipped my arm into his and walked towards the ball to face our fate.

As was tradition for the hosting royal couple, we entered the ballroom last. Food and drinks were being served by attendants. As my guest, Meredith had slipped into the room before us and made a beeline to Fyrel. She clearly wanted to spend a last night of bliss with him before everything changed.

I caught the eyes of Rynelle, who immediately produced two glasses of wine for Eliasson and I. He swiftly moved away as we nodded our thanks. Looking around the room, I couldn’t help but smile as I saw Mazyr and Amire in attendants’ outfits as they handed out food. The former was having a hard time keeping his tray straight, while the latter rolled her eyes at him before moving away to leave him to his own devices.

I took a sip of the wine, a fruity aftertaste sitting on my tongue. I felt myself calm significantly seeing my fellow Sol, knowing the key players were in place. So far so good.

The room was filled with Arlom nobility wearing their finest gowns and suits. As always with these events, the nobility was thirsty for gossip. No doubt the rumour mill will run wild after tonight.

‘Valare, Eliasson!’ Qynthia squealed in excitement before pulling us into a group hug. ‘You both look stunning.’

‘Thank you, Qynthia. As always, so do you,’ I said sincerely. She did look beautiful. Her long wavy hair was unrestrained and fell down her back. The burnt orange dress she wore accentuated her body in all the right places and complemented her silver crown.

Slaviya nodded at us as she came up on Qynthia’s right.

‘Slaviya,’ Eliasson and I responded stiffly. I didn’t bother looking at her, not after the way she spoke to me. No, my eyes were firmly fixed on the man who’d appeared next to Qynthia. The man who’s eyes I’d felt on me the moment I’d walked through the door.

Xylan had opted for a tailored black suit that fit his luscious body like a glove. Underneath, he wore a plain white shirt and a black bow tie. He’d shaved the five o’clock shadow I was intimately familiar with, showing his sharp jawline. As I met his pink eyes, he didn’t try to hide the compassion that lay in them, nor his hunger as he looked me up and down.

‘Eliasson.’ He nodded at my husband, shaking Eliasson’s hand before turning back to me with his arm still extended. I placed my hand in his, gulping down the shiver that arose when he kissed my knuckles. Unlike the first time where he held onto me for an inappropriate amount of time, he let go quickly and stepped away, eyes never leaving mine. I felt him knock on my mind, asking to drop my shield, which I did.

You look breathtaking, Minx, he told me with adoration.

I could say the same to you. Are you trying to make this night more difficult than it already is? I couldn’t resist falling into the flirty nature of our relationship – if you could even call it a relationship at this point.

I felt his chuckle all through my body. I’ll always be here for you. I’m sorry for the way I’ve conducted myself. I hope in time you will forgive me. But tonight isn’t the night for this conversation. I want you to know that you’re a strong and capable woman, Valare, and an excellent queen. Whatever happens tonight, always remember that.

I subtly nodded in his direction, breaking his stare as I closed my mental shield. I didn’t trust myself to not crumple in a heap after those tender words.

‘Shall we have our first dance, darling?’ I asked Eliasson. He nodded and directed us towards the dance floor.

We fell into a graceful dance, matching our steps with the beautiful music of the string quartet. Eliasson twirled me around like a professional, working every corner of the room.

Are we clear on what you need to do? I said to him through our mind link. I didn’t dare say the words out loud to Eliasson from fear a physical mage may hear. I’d theorised my telepathic abilities had something to do with Xylan and I being True Infinites, but had yet to confirm it. Nonetheless, I was going to use every tool at my disposal.

I’ll accidentally run into an attendant holding drinks and need to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. He thought and nodded, as he pulled me into a dip as the song ended.

‘Thank you. For everything.’ I swallowed deeply, chastely kissing his cheek.

As he pulled me back to a standing position, he merely nodded as an Arloman noble asked for my hand in the next dance. Eliasson graciously stepped aside and was whisked into a dance with a woman I didn’t know.

The rest of the night went much the same way. I danced until my feet hurt, graciously accepting the hands of various Arloman nobles as I was pulled into one dance after another. All the while I kept a keen eye on Eliasson, waiting for the signal. But the signal never came. Despite seeing him leave the room multiple times, he never made his way to the bathroom. It was strange, and I couldn’t help my growing sense of dread.

I decided to take a break. I slowly made my way off the dance floor, only to be stopped by a familiar presence behind me.

‘Surely you’re not leaving the dance floor before I’ve had my turn with you?’ Xylan said. I could hear the smile in his voice. He knew it would be impolite for me to refuse.

I spun on my heels taking his outstretched hand as he pulled me close. There was no space between our torsos. I could feel his muscles moving as he spun me around the room, swaying our hips in a sensual dance. The pulse under my right ear grew strong the longer we held each other.

‘Do you feel it, too? Your mark pulsing? It feels like it’s calling to me. Every time we touch,’ I whispered quietly.

‘Hmm,’ he hummed, and nodded in confirmation. ‘It’s beckoning me to follow this feeling. The urge is becoming stronger. The urge to return home.’ He squeezed my hand, as he tightened his grip around me to pull me impossibly closer.

‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ I whispered sadly. I was still so angry with him, the sense of betrayal running too deep. I didn’t know if I could forgive him, or what a path to forgiveness would even look like.

‘Do what?’

‘This. Us. Whatever this is. I’m angry with you and I feel too guilty. With Eliasson and my ex –’ I couldn’t finish the sentence.

‘You don’t have to do anything. I’m not forcing you, Valare. I’ll never do that. Let’s just get through tonight and go from there. At the very least I want to see you again. We have a deal for you to deliver goods to the south of Marlyst remember. Can you do that? For me? Please?’ He stumbled through his words, trying to discern what the right thing was to say in this moment.

Could I still find time to see Xylan? Deep down I knew I wanted to. Goddess, I wanted to. But the guilt and the pain I felt. All the expectations placed on me right now were just too much.

You can’t let people like that have power over you. Meredith’s words rang in my mind.

I opened my mouth to answer when a crash behind us made me spin around so fast I nearly hit Xylan. He grabbed my hips to hold me steady.

Eliasson had finally done it, a mess of red wine spilled down his front as he’d executed the first part of our plan. He’d taken a single step towards the door before he was paralysed, frozen in place. A figure teleported behind him, grabbing him in a headlock and pointing a knife at his throat.

‘NO!’ I screamed. My mind scrambled to understand what was happening.

Moss green eyes under a dark fringe stared at me as silence and shock fell around the room. The guests slowly moved away from the man holding a knife to the King of Arlom’s throat.

‘No, Rynelle! Don’t do this. Please, don’t do this,’ I cried out in anguish. I called forth my magic to push him away from Eliasson. But I felt nothing. I tried again with the same result. My eyes widened, heart rate picking up as I stole a glance at Xylan. His brows were furrowed and I realised he was having the same problem. Something had stopped us from using our magic.

‘The wine,’ I gasped, recalling the fruity aftertaste. I realised it shouldn’t have been there. Whatever it was, it was stopping our powers. I made to step forward, but my body didn’t move, paralysed in place. No. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was all wrong.

‘What happened to calling me, Sir?’ he mocked, pushing the blade towards Eliasson’s throat. ‘You should have known better, sweetheart. You picked your side, I’ve picked mine, and clearly only one of us chose correctly.’

His voice was cold. So cold. For all the love we’d shared, the ups and downs of our relationship, I’d never heard him talk quite like this. He had finally revealed the side everyone had warned me about, and I didn’t recognise him.

‘Why? Why do this?’ Tears streamed down my face, betrayal taking over my body. Xylan’s hands tightened on me.

‘You think I’d allow him to have you? You think you’re allowed to belong to anyone else? You were promised to me,’ he spat out. His laugh was harsh. ‘If I don’t get you, nobody does,’ he said possessively, his eyes firing with rage, a twinkle of emerald in those depths.

Before I could blink, he slit Eliasson’s throat.

I could do nothing but stand there, paralysed in place and magic-less. Forced to watch Eliasson’s lifeless body drop to the ground.