7. Dagmara

Her mind whirling, Dagmara laid flat on the chaise in her suite, staring at the ceiling. She was supposed to be getting ready for the coronation, and now she was devising a plan to sabotage it. And Magda…with Soul magic? It wasn’t possible. How was it possible? She was biologically the child of a Life Guardian. Right?

And now Azuremi knights were scouring the streets for a dead man. The man she killed.

Sabien Renaud.

She clamped her palms over her face, blocking out the light that exacerbated her headache. She couldn’t think about Sabien. One step at a time. For now, the coronation was the priority. The people of Azurem couldn’t know Magda had magic belonging to a different guardian line. They would say she had no place being an heir to the Azuremi throne.

She wished she could ask her brother for advice, but he was with the nurse to regain mobility in his injured leg, leaving her alone. Surely Teos could help her come up with a strategy. By the guardians, if only her head didn’t feel like it was shrouded in a thick blanket, maybe she could think clearly.

Sabotage the coronation.

Dagmara laughed. Bogdan certainly wouldn’t let her become Magda’s knight after that.

The door opened abruptly, and Dagmara jolted upright in alarm. Darkness danced in her vision at the sudden move, but as her vision cleared, she saw Aleksy in the threshold.

He was frozen. “Sorry, I should have knocked.”

She was both shocked to see him and relieved. Her battling emotions continued to spiral out of control until she suppressed them all. “It’s fine, come in.” She propped her feet underneath her, sitting upright.

Aleksy closed the door behind him. “Please tell me the Ilusaurian you killed wasn’t Ilusauri’s Captain of the royal guard.”

“Shhh!”

“Teos isn’t here,” Aleksy said before crossing to her in three strides. “Dagmara, answer me.”

“There…is a strong chance it was the same man,” she admitted.

Aleksy cursed under his breath before running his hand through his silver hair. He plopped down on the chaise beside her. “It’s alright. We’ll figure this out.”

“We?” she questioned. “I’m the one who killed him.”

He grabbed her hand. “We’re in this together.”

She could feel her stomach erupt with emotion as she felt his touch against her skin, but she had to focus.

She pulled her hand back. “I have…stuff to do.”

“Stuff?” He let out a single laugh. “Really?”

She shrugged. “I have to get ready for the coronation.”

He stared at her intently. “I know you do. I was only coming here to ask about Sabien Renaud, nothing else.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but I have more important things to think about than Sabien at the moment.”

“What could possibly be more important than the captain’s death?”

“Is this captain really that important?” asked Dagmara. “We haven’t associated ourselves with Ilusauri in years. I’ve never heard of him in my life.”

“My father knew him. When people find out that King Bogdan’s royal assassin has murdered the Mad King’s Captain? That’s an act of war.”

“I can’t think about that right now,” Dagmara blurted out. “I have other major concerns on my mind.”

“Such as?”

“The coronation.”

“Unless Magda’s been kidnapped I don’t think the coronation ceremony is more important than a potential war between two kingdoms.”

Kidnapped. Dagmara pondered the idea. Then she shook her head suddenly. She couldn’t cause too much of a scandal.

Aleksy’s expression wavered with concern. “Where is Magda?”

“She hasn’t been kidnapped.”

“So what is going on?”

She couldn’t respond.

“Dagmara?”

She continued to remain utterly silent. Magda had entrusted her with the biggest secret of her life. What if the prince told his parents? What if others found out and stripped the princess of her title? Or worse…would the whole family be called false royals?

“I need to sabotage the coronation.”

His body tensed. “What?” He sounded like a prince again. “Why?”

“I can’t tell you.”

Aleksy let out a deep sigh, which broke off into a laugh. He stood, distancing himself from her.

“You’re going to sabotage the coronation but you can’t tell me why? I need something, Dagmara, if you don’t want me to have you locked up until the coronation is over.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Lock me up?”

“You admitted to wanting to sabotage my sister’s coronation!”

“I never said I wanted to.”

Aleksy frowned. He massaged the back of his neck, exhaling sharply. “If you can’t tell me why you plan on sabotaging it, at least tell me how you plan to.”

Dagmara hadn’t gotten that far in her plan. However, as she stared at Aleksy, suddenly it hit her. What if she didn’t need to sabotage it at all, but rather make everyone believe Magda had the gift of water? No one would be the wiser, and there wouldn’t need to be a scene.

Dagmara sat forward on the chaise, her eyes wide with revelation. “How far away can you be from a water source to use your gift?”

“I…what? Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not, please, how far?”

“As far as I can see.”

She rose slowly. “So…?”

Aleksy’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know, a mile or two? Depends on my vantage point. I’m not a sorcerer.”

“Debatable.”

“What is this about?”

Dagmara grabbed his hand, “Come with me, and I’ll tell you.”

She tugged him along, tearing out of the room and racing toward the royal wing of the castle.

“Is this part of the sabotage?” he asked.

“Maybe.”

“Are you taking me somewhere secluded to kill me?” There was a hint of humor in his voice.

“If I took you somewhere secluded it wouldn’t be to kill you,” she said, flashing him a smirk.

His face reddened.

Without wasting any more time, Dagmara led Aleksy to Magda’s chamber. Luckily, he didn’t seem to press her further with questions. She was flattered he trusted her so much.

First, Dagmara knocked, hearing a soft ‘come in’ before she entered the room. Dagmara opened the doorway, seeing the chambers bustling with commotion. Magda was in the center of the room, standing on a platform, while maids rushed to and from. They were simultaneously doing her makeup while others laced up the bodice of her dress—or at least one of the many layers. Urszula, her personal maiden, seemed to direct everyone, clapping her hands lightly to ensure they kept up the pace. Odie, on the other hand, was napping at the foot of the bed.

Magda made eye contact with Dagmara through one of the floor length mirrors. “Urszula,” Magda said, shying away from a brush. “I need a moment alone to speak with Dagmara.”

Nobody stopped working. In fact, the commotion continued. “A moment?” Urszula asked, her voice respectful but stern. “You have now run off twice, and we’re already behind!”

“It won’t take long,” Dagmara said, though her statement went unheard.

“We only need a minute.” Aleksy’s voice was commanding as he stood behind Dagmara in the doorway.

Immediately, the room was silenced. They whirled to face the crown prince, curtsying until they were nearly kneeling. Scattered “Your Highness!” flew throughout the room.

Urszula cleared her throat. “I will give you five, Your Highness.” Then she began waving her arms, silently shooing the maids. Urszula was the last to leave, stopping at the threshold and pointing her finger at Magda. “Five minutes. So help me, I will not let you be crowned a guardian without looking perfect. Your mother will have my head.” Then she gave a sharp curtsy, flashed a smile and exited, closing the door behind her.

“What is he doing here?” Magda demanded of her friend before sharpening her gaze on her brother.

Aleksy parted his mouth, but was at a loss for words.

“Magda,” Dagmara started, “I found our solution.”