Chapter 4

S eemingly as one, we stand in unison, every set of eyes on the large, arched doors as we wait with bated breath for our king. I've never felt so much tension in one room before, the air is practically vibrating with it. The king appears in the doorway and pauses as he assesses the scene before him. I'm sure I see a small, smug smile before it's quickly wiped away into a fierce expression.

That can't be right, what does he have to be smug about? He just killed his wife. I must be seeing things, I think to myself, however I can't discard the feeling I am right, which is something I don't even want to contemplate right now. Part of me rebels, the part that twists my anger, stirring it up and stoking it to life.

He regularly puts children into slavery and works them until they die. Are you really that surprised?

The king's eyes flick to me as soon as I think it, holding my stare until I quickly avert my gaze. It was almost like…like he could read my mind.

That's not possible, I berate myself. It was a coincidence.

When I hear the sound of his booted feet walking through the hall, I raise my head once again, seeing Rhydian following closely behind his father. The crowned prince looks fierce, which I suppose is a good trait to have for ordering troops on the battlefield, but it doesn't help reassure us in these uncertain times. The other princes trail after, with Michael entering next, but it's Jacob that my eyes lock onto. He looks awful. A large, purple bruise covers his right eye and his lip is split and swollen. He seems furious as he stares at his father ahead of him, completely different from the happy, bookish prince I've come to know.

Then I remember, his father killed his mother yesterday.

In silence, the royals take their seats and look out at their subjects. The queen's empty throne stands tall, the lack of her presence glaring like a beacon, pulling every eye to it even though you want to look anywhere but there. Like the act alone would be enough to entice a punishment.

We continue to stand as the king stares out at us like he's judging us, weighing our worth. I can see Jacob scanning the tables, his eyes locking onto mine. Something changes in his gaze, but his expression doesn't alter, and he quickly looks away, as if worried about drawing attention to me. Eventually, the king nods, which seems to be the signal we've been waiting for to sit. Once everyone is seated, the king leans forward on his throne.

"People of Arhaven." His voice is clear and strong as he addresses us. "A great evil has entered the castle and is infecting us. It's a sickness, eating through people's souls and making them betray us. Betray the Great Mother." He brings his left hand to his chest before raising it briefly above him in the religious gesture of praise to the Great Mother. Quiet muttering fills the room, and many people invoke the gesture of the Mother. "This evil will not be tolerated and will be eradicated from this kingdom." His eyes sweep over us. "Sacrifices will have to be made. As many of you saw, my own wife had to be killed. She was infected with this evil, and as such, had to be executed before she spread it further."

Many of the lords and ladies start nodding, making sympathetic noises as he speaks about murdering his wife. I can't believe they believe the rubbish he's spewing, he doesn't even sound the slightest bit sorry that he's lost his wife. After a pause, the king clears his throat again and the chatter dies down as everyone turns to him expectantly.

"Things are about to change around here," he announces, his words as hard as his steely eyes as his body language changes. "We must eradicate this evil." There is a shuffling of feet, and the high priest comes to stand beside the king, his serene mask not doing anything to hide his glee at the situation.

"As such, the high priest and his fellow priests will be patrolling the castle, searching for those who are harbouring this evil. They have the power to issue punishments, including execution if they see fit." More priests enter the room as he speaks, making the servants who were lining the walls move, herding them into the centre of the room. People look nervous now. The idea that the priests could sentence you for a crime without trial is scary. The king pushes up from his throne and takes a step forward.

"Please know that the people from the mountain tribes are no longer welcome in Arhaven and are now enemies of the kingdom, so they will be killed on sight. Failure to report sightings of them is punishable by death."

My thoughts immediately go to Tor. Although we've only met a handful of times, I have an undeniable pull towards him, like the one I have with Grayson. And Vaeril.

Damn, Clarissa. You need to sort out your feelings. One woman can't have a connection with more than one man, I internally berate myself, before turning my thoughts back to Tor. He called me by a different name when we were in the courtyard yesterday, he acted like he knew me, not as Clarissa, but someone else. I wish I had gotten the chance to talk to him, but that won't be possible now. Something in my chest seems to pulse, and I get a weird feeling, like I know he's okay, safe. I don't know how I know this, but I'm going to trust that instinct.

More muttering fills the room as people whisper conspiracy theories between each other. The king allows this to go on for much longer than he previously had. Glancing over his shoulder, he makes a small gesture, and the high priest bows his head in acknowledgement and steps up to the front of the platform. The king nods at him before leaning back in his throne.

"There is one further announcement to make before you can enjoy your breakfast." His voice makes me shudder, and a feeling deep in my gut tells me that this is not going to be good news. "As you know, all our slaves had to be culled yesterday as the evil had infected them."

He talks about them as if they were cattle and not people, children, who were murdered. My body trembles with rage, and it's only when a hand lands on mine that I realise I had been moving to stand.

"Don't," Grayson whispers to me, and the realisation of what could have happened hits me, and I shiver as an icy finger of dread trails down my spine.

That was really stupid, Clarissa. Do you want to be killed? I think to myself as I move my skirts, making it look like I had just been rearranging my clothing. The hand on top of mine squeezes gently, and I turn to look at Grayson, bowing my head in thanks, which is the most I can manage right now. I can feel the eyes of the high priest on me, but I keep my eyes averted, knowing if I look up, he'll see my rage.

"Slaves are a key component to our infrastructure, and without them, everything will fall apart."

The dread reappears and it's like I've been hit by a hammer, knowing what is coming next. How had I not thought of this? Of course they were going to replace the slaves.

"So, we are asking every family that has children younger than the age of twenty to put one child forward to the care of the kingdom." My head jerks up at the declaration. No, he can't be serious, he wouldn't be so evil as to make a family give up one of their children…would he?

There's a sudden silence as everyone takes a few moments to process what they've just heard. Shocked cries fill the hall as people jump up from their seats, refusing to give up their children. The voices of the maids and servants join with those of the nobility as they share in their shock, fear, and anger. The guards take a step away from the walls, drawing their weapons. They aren't going to use them, but it's a threat, one that everyone seems to comprehend. What the kingdom doesn't realise, though, is that parents would go a long way to protect their children. This isn't going to be as easy as they think it is.

"It is a great honour, and you should be proud that one of your family members is able to serve the kingdom in such a way. Children from every status will be accepted, unless, that is, they can pay a fee to be excluded," the priest continues in his benevolent voice, as if he's oblivious to the pain of his people, but I know him, I can see the sick gleam in his eyes, he's loving every moment of this. The crowd continues to protest, shouting and gesturing, refusing. I hear women crying and my heart breaks for them. None of the servants and many of the lesser nobility will be able to afford this ‘fee' and are being put in an impossible position.

The king's face is hard, and he suddenly pushes up from his throne again and stalks to the edge of the stage. "This is not voluntary. Any family that does not put a child forward or pay the fee will be put to death. The rest of the kingdom has been given the same information. Now. Sit. Down." His words seem to echo around the room as if they've been amplified.

This is enough to make everyone pause. The king is not known for being kind or forgiving, especially after everything that happened yesterday. No one wants to push him, he never makes blind threats. Slowly, the nobles who stood begin to sit down, but I can see the rage in their faces.

The king continues to stand at the edge of the platform, his hard gaze watching for any signs of rebellion. After a couple of seconds, he nods once. "The workers are dismissed. Enjoy your breakfast." He waves away the servants and maids, who are herded out of the room, their protests echoing down the corridor as the guards and priests funnel them out.

The room is eerily silent now that the maids and servants have gone, and everyone looks around, wondering what to do next, stunned by the news.

"Eat," the king demands, as he sits back on his throne. A large, wooden table is quickly carried over and placed in front of the thrones, plates laden with food set before them.

The sound of dishes and cutlery being moved around signals that everyone is following the king's order, but I can't even think about eating right now. I feel sick. I had known, deep down, that something like this would happen, but to force parents to give up a child is the cruellest way he could have done it. Making parents pick between their children and put one into slavery. They've seen how slaves are treated, they ignored us as we huddled in the corridors, freezing and starving, and now their child will be one of them. Is this what happened to me?

My body starts to shake again, and that thing I try to keep buried begins to grow, the force of anger behind it so strong that I'm not sure I can contain it.

"Be still, my beloved." The Great Mother's voice washes over me, instantly dousing my anger. "They are looking for an excuse to execute you, do not give them a reason," she informs me, and I close my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to keep myself calm. "These atrocities will not go unpunished. The scales are unbalanced, and I have very little power over the evil that has infected my people. This is one fact the priests have right — there is an evil, but it was not in those poor slaves." I can feel her grief over the deaths of all those children, but her comments only confuse me. Why can't she help? She's a Goddess, she has ultimate power over all of us. I can almost hear her sigh as these thoughts spin through my mind. "There is something stopping me, a drain on my powers. I need you to trust me, my beloved."

"I do trust you."

"Clarissa?" Grayson's voice has me opening my eyes, and I turn to see his confused expression as I realise I spoke out loud. I go to reply as a shadow falls over me.

"Is there a problem here?" Glancing up, I see one of the priests, and I get that warning tingle through my body again—the Mother is warning me. I need to tread carefully here.

"No, sorry, I was asking the Great Mother to bless our meal," I say, making the praise gesture as I speak. Grayson, Wilson, Aileen, and her father all join in, making the same gesture. My heart flutters in my chest, they might not be lying on my behalf, but they are playing along with my untruth. The priest narrows his eyes, flicking his gaze around and peering at my companions briefly before he nods curtly and walks on.

The table seems to let out a collective breath of relief.

"Thank you," I murmur quietly, as I start placing things blindly on my plate, not paying attention to what I'm selecting. The atmosphere in the hall is taut, like it could snap at any moment. Priests patrol the space like they're soldiers, the guards still manning the exits and lining the walls. Thankfully, they've sheathed their weapons, but people are looking around anxiously or talking quietly to their neighbour.

"Things are much worse than we thought," Merrin comments softly, his voice low and his expression grave. I had actually forgotten they were here, but perhaps now is the perfect time for their presence so they can see how bad things are.

"We need to consult with the other high magicians as soon as possible," Ellis agrees, reaching for his goblet of water. I notice that while everyone has food on their plates, no one is really eating anything, just pushing the food around to make it look like they are. Following suit, I cut up some of the food and take a very small bite. It tastes like ash in my mouth. I drop the fork and reach for my water as the magicians talk amongst themselves.

"When do you leave?" Grayson asks, interrupting their conversation, and the three visiting mages share a look between then before turning to answer his question.

"Grayson…you need to come with us. We need your accounts of the events prior to when we got here," Merrin starts, but Grayson slams his fork down on the table, causing a couple of startled glances our way.

"No, I won't leave her."

I stare at him in shock. Does he mean me? I can feel the gaze of the others on me, but I focus on Grayson. He looks at me and our eyes lock. He has an emotion I'm not used to seeing in his eyes—fear. Reaching out, I place my hand over his, squeezing it gently, wishing I had the words to tell him how I feel about him, about this situation, about everything.

"You know she can't come with us, only those with magic can enter the—" He stops suddenly, glancing at our companions. "This is not the place to discuss this," Pierre interjects, and I nod along with the others.

"Later then, but my answer won't change," Grayson replies, finally pulling his eyes from me, picking up his fork once again, and moving the food around on his plate.

A commotion at one of the other tables draws my attention. A woman and the person who I assume is her husband are talking, except she's crying, her voice getting louder and more hysterical as he tries to calm her down. Eventually, they both get up and the man leads the sobbing woman from the hall. Everyone is watching the couple leave, except me, I turn and watch the king. His eyes are narrowed as he observes them, then he turns his gaze to one of the guards by the door, nodding his head slightly towards the couple. The guard and his companion nod, and after a few seconds, follow the couple down the corridor. If I hadn't been paying attention, I easily could have believed that the guards were just going on patrol, but the sick feeling in my gut tells me otherwise.

"They won't be the first." Wilson's quiet voice surprises me, and I realise he had been watching the king as well.

"I don't understand why he's doing this," I say under my breath, making sure to only speak when the priests have passed us on their route by our table. "Won't society rebel against this? He's demanding people to put their children into slavery." My mind can't comprehend what's happening.

"It'll weed out those who might betray him, and by offering a ‘fee' to be excluded, he's rewarding those who are loyal to him. It's a cruel way to do it, but he will use their deaths to control people. Fear is a powerful motivator."

I look at Wilson in surprise, and he gives me a small smile before eating another mouthful of his food. "I'm not just a pretty face. Why do you think I'm a castle magician? I'm good with politics, and because I'm a little…different, people let their guard down around me."

I want to protest, say that he's not different, but I stop myself because that's not true. He is different, but in all the best ways.

We go back to our meals, but it drags. No one else leaves, too afraid to upset the king. My thoughts turn to Vaeril, and I wonder how he's coping down in the forge. I worry the guards will have gone back down there to hurt him, but I know he can look after himself, especially after I managed to break the spell on his cuff.

Something changes, the atmosphere around our table shifting, and it pulls me back to the present as I notice the stiff expressions of those around me.

"Clarissa?"

Turning in my seat, I see Jacob standing behind me, his whole body practically vibrating with tension.

"Prince Jacob." I dip my head in the proper greeting. We had ditched formalities when it was just the two of us, but with his father on the warpath and many sets of eyes on us, it's more important than ever to follow protocol.

"Would you please take a walk with me?" He's trying to keep his expression smooth, and for those who don't know him, it would work. However, I do know him.

"Of course, Your Highness," I reply, pushing back my chair and standing, my skirts falling into place around me as I move past the others. A hand shoots out and grabs mine, causing me to gasp in surprise. Following the arm back to its owner, I see Grayson frowning at the prince.

"Wait." I can tell he wants to refuse, pull me back to the table, and not let me go, but he can't. "Look after her. Please."

The prince nods at the magician as he links his arm with mine, starting to lead me away from my friends and towards the large doors. His footsteps are quick, but I get the feeling he's trying to slow himself down. He really wants to run, yet he keeps his strides steady and measured.

"I have one more announcement before you all go about your day." The king's voice reaches us and my stomach churns with nerves again. What could he have to say to us now? Jacob has frozen, dragging me to a stop and slowly turning us to face the king who's staring directly at us.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to avoid this, but I think I've made you a target," Jacob tells me, his voice full of self-loathing.

"My son, Rhydian, will be the next king." He pauses as he looks over at his smug son, who is watching Jacob closely. "However, he can't do this without a queen at his side." There's some stirring in the room, and I notice several of the young ladies, including Lady Theresa whom I met before, sitting upright in their chairs, eyes sparkling with interest.

Well, she's welcome to him, I want nothing to do with the royals. Glancing at the man attached to my arm, I change my mind. Other than Jacob.

"Starting tomorrow, we will begin the quest to find his queen. All noble ladies will be screened, and those deemed suitable will go through to the next round." Nervous excitement fills the room as the ladies start animatedly chatting amongst themselves, but the king isn't finished. "Not attending your screening is signing your death warrant, so don't disappoint me." The king stares directly at us as he speaks, and I know this is aimed at me. My stomach drops and I feel like I'm going to vomit.

"Can we leave now? Please?" I request quietly, but that doesn't hide the catch in my voice. Jacob looks at me with concern as he tightens his hold on my arm and leads me from the room. People are watching us, I can feel their stares, trying to work out if I'm involved with the prince, or if he's just assisting me, but I can't deal with them right now.

So, with what feels like the whole hall observing us, I walk into the corridor with the son of my enemy.