28. Saoirse

Saoirse

T he news of Xan's engagement to Kian burned through the town one week later, setting the gossip mill ablaze with the announcement that came via post to everyone's home in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Marriage with a Miren prince? Will they take us over? Mixed breed children? The rumors were insatiable, running so rampant that even I heard them. Lightlace marriages had always been with other well-off families throughout the kingdom. With other witches.

This marriage was absolutely unheard of.

"I have to check on her," I told Vane as soon as I heard the news, halfway through baking for the day. Maeve hadn't wanted to leave the shop closed, so she had been running the bakery while we were at the castle prepping and, in my case, dining. The engagement announcement wasn't just a personal blow to Xan; it was a political move.

"Go," Vane said, watching me with those eyes that were always on me. I smiled a goodbye, grateful that he hadn't demanded to come with me. The streets buzzed with whispers, the air thick with the weight of the news. My heart pounded as I made my way to the castle, the familiar path seeming to take forever.

The castle was just as hectic inside, servants running from room to room, no one even looking twice at me as I glided through. As I approached Xan's chambers, the door was slightly ajar. I knocked softly, pushing it open until I could step into the room, my eyes immediately finding my sister. Xan sat by her big beautiful window seat, her usually bright eyes clouded.

"Hey," I said gently, closing the door behind me.

"Coming to congratulate me?" she said bitterly, giving me a sad smile.

I moved to sit beside her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. I didn't have the magic words to make it all disappear. All I could do was be there for her. "This is all so sudden. Did Father give you any say in this?"

She shook her head, her voice dull, as if she wasn't completely present. "None. He decided everything. Kian didn't even propose. It was all done behind closed doors. I found out the same way everyone else did."

My blood boiled at the thought of our father just promising Xan's life away like it was his to trade. "This isn't fair. We have to stop him." I shot to my feet, not knowing what I could do, but knowing I had to do something.

"It's not about fairness," Xan replied, her tone resigned. "It's about power and influence. Father sees this marriage as a way to strengthen our kingdom, and it's my duty to follow his orders. He doesn't care about the consequences for me."

The weight of the world settled heavily between us. "What are you going to do?" I asked, my heart aching for her.

Xan stood, reaching her full height, which wasn't much, but even with her short stature, she filled the room. When she looked at me, her eyes had cleared, a hard determination on her young face. "I will go through with it. For the good of the kingdom. "

"And what about the good of Xanthi?" I asked, unable to keep my opinions from my voice.

Her eyes hardened, the mask of my sister sliding from her face, replaced instead by the cold iron of a future queen. "What I want doesn't matter, Saoirse. You could never understand the pressure, the responsibility on my shoulders. You are not the only one that has been under a microscope the past few weeks."

Her dismissal of me hurt, but she wasn't wrong. We'd lived very different lives, and I'd never understand what it meant to be a queen.

"At least one good thing will come of this," she muttered, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Mother will definitely have her staff during the wedding."

The soft glow filtering through the window of the morning sun warmed my skin as we poured over the detailed map of the castle Xan had smoothed out over the table. "We need to time it perfectly. We have two weeks until the wedding, and King Nerilin will be coming to watch his son get married. Security is going to be tight."

Maeve nodded, placing a small container of vials on the table, every color from shimmering gold to black and inky, swirling on its own in the still vial. "I've brought some spelled potions that might be able to help. Distractions, invisibility, maybe even some that might cause a very big explosion. We can go over them later." Her eyes were on me, and I knew they were for my benefit. No one else in this room was practically defenseless against their enemies.

She'd tried to give me potions many times over the years, for my protection but I'd always refused. There weren't many people in Lanthus that could produce a quality product as good as Maeve, and it wouldn't be hard for the guard to realize who had given them to me if I had hurt someone. The last thing I needed to do was let the woman who had helped me so much get in trouble for doing the same thing.

Vane leaned over the map, his eyes tracing the routes. "This passage here," he said, pointing out a narrow corridor marked on the map. "It leads directly from the kitchens to the Great Hall. A good entrance and escape route."

Xan nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. "The ceremony will be held here, in the Great Hall. The staff will be with Mother, who will be seated right behind the altar, with Father. We would need to create a distraction to draw the guards away so you can get close enough to grab the thing."

"Me?" I asked, shocked. There was no way I was going to be able to overpower the queen enough to take the staff from her.

"You'll be the closest," Xan said. "I had to do a lot of yelling, but I want you to be up there with me."

Maeve leaned in, her eyes sharp. "A fire in the kitchens or a sudden commotion in the gardens. It would need to be big enough to draw attention, but not so large that it disrupts the entire ceremony."

Xan's finger traced the path from the hall to the kitchen. "Vane and Saoirse, it'll be up to you two to get the staff. I will be otherwise occupied with Kian." Her direct gaze shot to Vane. "Can you get that shard and keep my sister safe? If I didn't think she'd argue with me, I'd tell her to stay out of this entirely."

"Hey!" I protested.

"She will be safe with me," he said quietly, his eyes steady and piercing as they met hers. Xan stared back, hard, before finally breaking the tension by looking away. She glanced between the two of us, a question in her eyes that she didn't voice .

"Alright then. The ceremony will be packed. It should be very easy for you both to blend in with the guests. Saoirse, when the time comes, get the staff and then get to Vane. If things go south, I want you to get out of there immediately." Her heart was in her eyes when she looked at me.

"Can your shadows hide you?" Maeve asked of Vane as she reached a hand into the bin of potions.

"I can ensure that I am not seen," he confirmed. She nodded, her weathered skin crinkling as she did.

Maeve handed me a small vial filled with a shimmering amber liquid. "This is an invisibility potion. It will last for about ten minutes, but that should be enough for you to get the staff and get out of there. Use it only when you are close enough."

I took the vial from her, feeling the cool glass against my palm. "And the distraction?"

Maeve smiled slightly. "I've got just the trick; don't you worry about that. Xan, all you'll need to do is look pretty and say I do." My sister frowned at the older woman, her jaw clenching at the comment. Maeve clearly had a much different view of an arranged marriage, one that didn't match my sister in the slightest.

Apprehension plagued me, and I looked to Vane, knowing my every thought was probably worn on my face. He gave me a small smile, the lines in the corners of his eyes crinkling just slightly. "We can do this. We have to."