15

15

I knocked on Brecan’s door to tell him I was back, and when he was satisfied with my whereabouts, rushed to my room. I’d tried to dry off while at the pool, but despite the towel wrapped around me, I was still dripping water all over the floors. A warm shower did nothing to ease the ache in my chest, or the unsettled feeling in my stomach.

Does the mystery witch know we were swimming? Is he watching us?

The boot prints in Tauren’s room were large, too large for Mira’s tiny feet and much larger than mine, which led me to believe they were made by a male witch. But it couldn’t have been Brecan. He was sincere when he said he wasn’t involved, and Fate confirmed it. Fate had never lied to me, and now I knew Brecan hadn’t, either .

Showered and restless, I knew there was no way I could sleep. I dressed in a sleeping set of shorts and a camisole that Mira had laid out for me made of soft, black cotton, lined with matching lace. Exiting my room, I headed out to find solace in one of the gardens that dotted the perimeter of the palace. A guard nodded as I passed by and opened the door to one of the gardens.

I regretted stepping foot in it the moment I looked up. Tauren was on a balcony with his back to me, his arms wrapped around Leah, the exotic beauty from Sector Two. She pushed up onto the tips of her toes and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. Her slender fingers raked through his dark hair.

He returned the kiss with matching fervor, pulling her closer until not even a sliver of light could pass between them.

I swallowed the knot that formed in my throat. What a stupid girl I am! I was no better than the murdered witch I tried to warn away from Twelve. She was blind to what was right in front of her face, and I was the same.

I edged back to the door and opened it to head back inside, startling the guard positioned at it. “Miss Sable, is there anything I can do for you?” He waited patiently, brows raised.

“No. It… it’s colder than I realized.”

He averted his eyes and I walked back toward the staircase, rushing down the hallway and falling against my door when I closed it behind me, chastising myself for being such a fool. Somehow, I’d believed Tauren and I were fated, which wasn’t even possible. We were from different worlds, different beliefs, upbringings, and values.

He must marry one of these women , I reminded myself. I silently thanked Tauren for the reminder of the purpose of this contest: the prize of a wife.

Two taps sounded on the door. “Sable?” Tauren suddenly said from behind my door where he stood in the hallway, as if conjured by my thoughts.

Tears pricked at my eyes. Oh, Goddess, no. He must have seen me in the garden. He probably thought I was spying on him, or worse. Perhaps he would ask for my discretion. Mortified didn’t begin to describe how I felt.

He knocked again and I watched the brass door handle turn slowly to the right. I waved my hand and whispered a spell to seal it shut.

“I’m tired, Tauren. Could we speak tomorrow?” I asked softly.

I just couldn’t face him. Not after he was with her.

I had no claim to him. Nor would I ever. It was a stark reminder that I needed to distance myself. Brecan was right. This was getting out of hand.

“Sure.” he answered. Disappointment hung heavy in his tone, but I couldn’t dwell on his feelings and ignore mine. Not tonight. “Goodnight, Sable.”

Goodnight, Tauren.

I must have looked awful when I opened my door the following morning. Mira gasped and then turned me around and pushed me back inside. “You have time scheduled with Tauren today. We need to get rid of those dark circles. We have to detangle your hair!”

“My hair is fine,” I grouched. “And what dark circ—” She shoved me into the bathroom where the mirror showed me what she meant. “Oh.”

“What happened to you? Late night with the Prince?” she asked with one brow raised.

“No, I’m afraid he was busy with an invitee.”

Her brows kissed. “But he came down just to swim with you.”

“And promptly left, right after you and Brecan did.”

She puffed her bottom lip out in a pout. “I’m sorry. Well, at least you get to spend time with him today.” She blew out a tense breath. “What should you wear?”

I didn’t want to see him today. At all. “What’s scheduled?” I sighed.

Her eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You haven’t read your schedule yet?”

I didn’t even hear the paper slide under the door, and frankly, Mira should have expected it. It took her five solid minutes of knocking for me to stir, according to her.

“I have an idea!” she chirped, pulling out her eight-legged spinners. She gave them their knitting instructions, and then began tearing the tangles from my hair. “How do you feel about braids?”

“Does it matter?”

She rolled her eyes at me via the mirror. “I want you to feel comfortable. You’ll need to keep your hair back for today’s activity, though.”

“What is it we’re doing again?”

She smiled. “Archery. ”

“Archery? I’ve never used a bow in my life.”

“Then I’m sure Tauren will be happy to instruct you, Sable.”

That’s what I was dreading.

Skin-tight, black trousers hugged my lower half. My upper half was somewhat less binding. A loose white shirt hid beneath a close-fitting black leather vest with matching gauntlets. Mira had braided my hair and then wrapped and secured the long end into a bun at the nape of my neck.

“You look ready for war.” She glowed with pride, once I pulled on a pair of boots she’d plucked for the occasion.

Good.

“The cameras will be on, and this will be telecast to the entire Kingdom. The witches, including the Circle, will see your every move. They’ll cling to and analyze every word, so choose wisely, Sable,” she warned. “You’re in a strange mood today. I’d hate for you to…”

“Do or say something I shouldn’t?”

“Bay is convinced you can show the Kingdom that witches shouldn’t be feared.”

I didn’t look at her when I answered, “But they should.” Instead, I stared in the mirror at the warrior Mira had conjured, hoping I had the strength of one.

She pursed her lips. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

I could tell by her expression that she didn’t believe me, but it didn’t matter. My appointment with Tauren was just before lunch, which meant that I could check his meal before returning to my room.

I’d slept most of the morning away, and eleven A. M. – my scheduled time with Tauren –approached too quickly. When I emerged, Brecan was already waiting in the hall for me and escorted me down the steps. “You don’t have to come. There will be cameras and crew scattered all over the place.”

He grinned. “I don’t want to miss out on the nonstop entertainment your nonexistent archery skills will provide.”

Guards let us out the front doors and instructed us toward the archery range. It was on the southern grounds and apparently, we’d passed it in the carriage when we first arrived. I didn’t recall it, so it was either unremarkable, or I was too busy looking at something else.

Brecan wore his dark suit. The wind stirred his fair hair. “What is it?” he asked, catching me looking.

“I’m just not used to seeing you in black.”

“If you resurrect your House the way I believe you will, perhaps you’ll allow me to wear it permanently.”

I stopped abruptly, gasping. There was no way. “You would never leave the House of Air.”

He raised a brow in response.

“You love your affinity,” I argued.

“Would you bar me from practicing it?”

“Of course not, but –”

“Then it’s settled. Here we are,” he announced, waving toward a grassy area where two targets were being erected.

Tauren waited patiently, surrounded by guards and cameramen who were readying their equipment. My palms began to sweat at the thought of being telecast, especially to the Circle and to my peers.

“Calm down,” Brecan whispered.

My heart thundered in response. I felt so out of sorts, almost like my body was screaming for me to run. Was it Fate or nerves? I couldn’t tell.

I sucked in a shallow breath. Then another. “I can’t do this.”

“Just be you. It’ll be fine.”

He’d obviously forgotten about the small fact that everyone in my own sector hated me. There was no way that being myself would win the hearts of anyone in the Lowers. But I couldn’t bear to be anyone else, or even attempt to pretend to be something I wasn’t.

Then there was the fact that Tauren was obviously playing some silly, boyish game with me. He knew I was attracted to him and used that fact to his advantage, it seemed. He certainly had no problem kissing Leah last night.

I steeled my spine. “I can do this.”

“That’s the spirit,” Brecan encouraged. “And if you legitimately can’t do it, use magic.”

“On telecast…” I deadpanned.

“Yes. I mean, don’t use all your powers and soar the arrow all the way to the Thirteenth Sector, but you know… hit the target.”

I could do that. It would take just a slight shift in trajectory.

Tauren’s eyes darted between me and Brecan. A cameraman clipped a small black device to his lapel, handing Tauren a black, rectangular box. The cameraman strode to me, holding an identical device .

“What is that?” I asked as he got close.

“A microphone, Miss Sable. No one will be able to hear your words without it.”

I was okay with that, to be honest. More than okay.

Tauren appeared behind the man, who still held the device as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it. “May I have a moment with Miss Sable, John?”

“Of course,” the cameraman answered. Tauren deftly took the microphone from John and walked with me a few paces away.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem shaken.”

“I’m nervous about being telecast.”

He smiled warmly. “This is just you and me.”

“And everyone else in the Kingdom…” I groaned.

He looked all around us. “No one else is here.”

“ They are.” I motioned to the guards, the crew, and Brecan.

“Then we’ll ask them to step back. They can film from a distance.”

“That would be better,” I said, relaxing a little. It would also likely be safer for them. I had no idea what I was doing, and wasn’t likely to be an archery prodigy.

He raised the microphone. “Can I put this on you?”

I nodded, waiting for him to move.

“Before I do. Last night. Why didn’t you open your door? I wanted to speak with you about something.”

“I think it’s best we don’t,” I said abruptly. “I have to leave here soon, Tauren. Your life with your future wife is about to begin, and I don’t want to tarnish it in any way. What you do with the other invitees, of course, is your business. ”

His brows kissed. “What do you mean, ‘what I do with the other invitees’?”

“Highness?” John called out. “We really need to hurry. The telecast will be live in two minutes.”

Two minutes?

Tauren gently clipped the microphone to my vest and clicked a small button on the box. “Your mic is on,” he warned. “Tuck this into a pocket, or clip it somewhere.”

I nodded and clipped it to the waistband of my pants.

“Just shoot with me,” he whispered. His soft, golden eyes wandered over my hair, my face, and traced the shape of my lips. Tauren had more magic in his person that I had learned in all my years. He was like an undine, luring me into troubled waters and coaxing me to take his hand, only to drag me into the depths, never aware that I was slowly drowning, never caring if I ever tasted the air I desperately needed again.

“I don’t know how.”

He pursed his lips. “Then let me show you.” He held out his hand for me.

I took it for John and his crew, for the witches in Thirteen, and for Bay and Ethne who elected to give me the chance to come here. And… I took it for me.

John announced that we would go live in five, four, three… he mouthed the two and one.

Tauren’s fingers closed around mine and he gently tugged me forward to a spot where a metal cylinder had been driven into the earth. It was filled with arrows, their multi-colored feathers fanning out from around the end of the shafts.

“So, you’ve never shot a bow and arrow?” Tauren asked conversationally, letting my hand go as we parted, each taking up a bow that had been laid on the ground for us.

“Never.”

The bow was extraordinary. Almost as tall as I, it was carved from cherry wood and polished to a glistening shine. I could see every vein and striation in the glossy arc. The bow string was taut, but easy for me to pull back when I tested it.

“Looks easy, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“I’m sure it’s harder than it seems,” I answered warily.

“Grab an arrow. Let’s see how well you can shoot.”

I wouldn’t use magic just yet. I wanted to see how well I shot without it. I fumbled with the arrow and string, and again when I tried to hold it still while pulling the string back. The arrow swung to the side, so I had to start over. “There. Got it,” I announced, when I finally held the arrow on the string and drew it back.

The target had a nautilus shell on it. No, not a shell… a map of the kingdom. I hoped he’d brought a spare for me. I found Thirteen. My eyes traced the spiral of the Kingdom to its heart, where the palace lay. “Strike true,” Tauren encouraged.

I squinted, trying to align the tip with the tiny square palace on the map… and then I let go.

The arrow did not strike true. It soared wildly over the target and embedded into a nearby cedar. I straightened my back. “It appears I need some practice.”

“The tree doesn’t mind,” he answered with a wink.

“Let’s see how well you can shoot,” I challenged.

“If you insist.”

“I do. ”

His motions could only be described as effortlessly fluid. He took an arrow, nocked it on the string, and pulled back and fired, all in one movement. The arrow struck the map, clinging to his target. It didn’t pierce the palace; it was embedded into the target in the exact spot where we stood.

I stared at him, mouth agape.

“I can show you how, if you’d like,” he offered.

I could tell he wasn’t boasting, and his demeanor was humble, not haughty. I wasn’t sure if I should accept, but had to admit I wanted to learn. I wasn’t sure I’d get another chance with a teacher as skilled as Tauren.

“That would be lovely. Thank you.”

He searched the arrows for one he felt was suitable. I wasn’t sure what the difference was or why it mattered. If you could fire one arrow, couldn’t you fire any of them?

Sensing the question in my eyes, he offered, “This arrow’s shaft is straight and its feathers are perfectly spaced, which means it’s well balanced.” He let the shaft balance on his finger, the tip and feathered end teetering for a moment before going still. “Take up your bow,” he instructed.

He showed me how to nock the arrow. I repeated it clumsily a few times, but managed to copy his motions.

“When you aim…” he started, sliding up behind me. He positioned my arm and shoulder that held the string back. Then with his foot, he eased my legs farther apart. “Relax your muscles. You’re too tense.”

I smiled, biting back a smart remark.

He was so close his chest brushed my back, and if he thought I was tense before, I wondered if he could feel how rigid my body was as he leaned against me. “ Now,” he said, putting his hand over mine on the bow, “you want to aim just below where you want the arrow to land.” His stubble grazed my cheek and his scent surrounded me. Masculine. Clean. Completely, uniquely his. I swallowed thickly. “Because when you aimed the last time, you overshot.”

“Won’t I undershoot if I aim lower?”

He smiled. “Try it.” As he stepped away, I missed the warmth his body provided.

I aimed just below the palace and let go of the string. The arrow wobbled through the air, embedding into the target stand’s wooden leg.

“Better,” Tauren said proudly.

“Your turn.” I motioned to his target, wondering if his next shot would be better than the last.

He took up his bow, selected an arrow, and fired it… and the arrow landed on the map, striking the palace itself.

I laughed. “You can’t do that again.”

It was too perfect.

“What would you wager that I could?”

“What would a prince want from a witch?” I teased with a grin.

“A kiss,” he answered confidently, as if he knew exactly what he wanted.

I studied his target. The shot was impossible. His arrow stood in the way of his goal. “You’d have to split your arrow.”

“I’ve done it before.”

“Under the constraint of time? We only have…” I looked to John, who mouthed the word thirty to me. “Thirty minutes left to spend together. ”

“We’ll just have to see,” he answered, determination glittering in his eyes.

He could probably do it. His princely self had probably taken lessons from the greatest archers in the Kingdom. He could probably hit the target blindfolded. But could he hit it if I interfered just a tad? He hadn’t forbidden it…

“You have a deal,” I answered.

A glance at Brecan revealed his displeasure, so I looked back to Tauren. “Good luck,” I said sweetly, moving behind him to get a better view.

He gave me a small, somewhat wary smile, chose an arrow, and positioned himself in front of the target. He nocked the arrow and let it fly. I flipped my fingers to the right, manipulating the arrow’s trajectory, then quickly tucked my hands behind my back. The arrow soared far right of the target.

His mouth gaped open, watching the shaft wobble from the tree trunk it had struck. He shook his head and glanced over his shoulder at me.

I smiled at Tauren’s frustration, but he regrouped. “I’ll choose a better arrow this time,” he promised with a wink.

I nodded encouragingly, and as he searched for one, stifled a laugh.

Brecan smirked approvingly from afar. John lifted his fist to his mouth, covering his smile.

Tauren shot the second arrow. I waved my hand to the left, guiding the arrow into a bush. Tauren looked flustered, but was determined to try again. He flashed a determined smile at me. “This might take a while. ”

“You have twenty-six minutes,” I teased, estimating the time left.

I sent his next two arrows into the ground, and the third into the cypress beside mine. “I don’t understand,” he said, grabbing two more arrows and testing their weights on his fingers.

He fired again. I nudged it just a bit. It hit the target, but didn’t strike the map. “That’s better,” he said, breathing a little easier. A sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. The pleasant, mild morning was becoming hotter as we moved toward midday.

Tauren fired again. This time, it struck the map, but in the area of the swimming pool. The next arrow, I directed to strike in the location I estimated Leah’s room to be in.

After that, I sent arrow after arrow to different points on the map, but never allowed him the chance to strike his target again. The moments ticked by and Tauren quickly ran out of time. I couldn’t let him win.

A kiss? A kiss might completely unravel me, and on live telecast, no less. Finally, he lowered his bow.

John gave us a two-minute warning.

Tauren stared at the map and shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

I stifled a grin. “What’s the matter, Prince? You started out by hitting the very heart of Nautilus, and now you can’t strike anywhere near it.” I couldn’t help but smile.

The tele-crew began to chuckle at the bewildered look on Tauren’s face. He narrowed his eyes. “What?” he asked the group who’d gathered to watch.

I stifled a giggle .

“What is going on?” he asked again. Then he tilted his head and turned to me. “Oh, I see. You’ve been using a little magic to sway the odds, huh?”

My eyes widened as he crossed the space between us. He clutched my waist, his hands tightening when they found bare skin under the seams. “I think I won the battle.”

“You didn’t,” I argued, breathless from the look of utter longing in his eyes. “You didn’t split your arrow.”

“Only because you kept me from it.”

“If you were truly skilled –”

He put his finger over my lips and my throat dried up, along with whatever it was I was about to say.

“A kiss,” he whispered, eyes glittering. “I think I deserve it after you made me the laughing stock of the Kingdom.” He wasn’t angry, but he wanted his payment.

“I’ll repay you. I swear it,” I told him, deftly spinning out of his grip. Those were the same words he’d spoken as he ran away from my House the night we met. I could see he remembered.

He grinned playfully. “I’ll see that you do. With interest.”

John yelled, “Cut!” and ran to Tauren to remove his microphone. As the three of us stood in a circle, a familiar sound cut through the commotion – the sound of an arrow’s point and shaft splitting the air. I turned to see a sharp, deadly tip spiraling toward Tauren.

Shoving him out of the way, I stepped in front of the arrow and held a palm out, shouting a spell to stop it. The tip bit into my palm, then the arrow fell harmlessly to the grass at my feet. I clenched my hand into a ball, concealing the stinging wound left by the arrow’s tip. My heart pounded as I searched for the person who’d shot at the Prince.

“Sable!” he shouted, leaping to his feet. “You could’ve been killed.”

I closed my eyes and listened. Footfalls. In the woods. “That way,” I pointed. His guards were already running. They shifted to the direction I’d shouted in pursuit of the would-be murderer.

“I can find him,” I said, closing my eyes and focusing on their every sound. All of a sudden, I was the forest. I felt him trample me. I heard his harsh breath and tasted his fear.

“NO!” Brecan screamed. “Sable, don’t!”

Tauren’s hand found mine. It was shaking. “Sable,” he said quietly. “Please, don’t. My men will find him.” My eyes snapped open, only to be met with molten gold ones. The Prince was frightened. His hands shook as he clasped my upper arms. “You’re okay,” he said.

I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to himself or to me. I was terrified. For a split-second, I’d worried I was too late to get him out of harm’s way.

Tauren looked above us where dark, low-flying clouds raced across the sky, then he glanced back at me with bright eyes. I made the change. I’d called on a darker magic and he knew it.

“Your men won’t find him,” I rasped. “He’s already gone.”

I eased my hand out of Tauren’s and ignored the frightened stares and worried whispers of the tele-crew.

I unclipped the box from my waistband and was searching for a way to turn the device off when it was torn away, the microphone’s clip snapping from my vest .

Brecan took the device and threw it at John. “We should be going,” he angrily announced. “The Prince is busy the rest of the day with other invitees.”

Tauren shouted for us to wait, but Brecan whispered a spell and spirited us away. We reappeared in his room. “Dark magic? What if they caught it on telecast, Sable?” he shouted, raking his hands through his hair.

“They didn’t. The cameras were off,” I answered feebly.

“What about the telecast itself?” he demanded. “The Circle saw you promise him a kiss.”

Clothes were strewn about his room like he’d created a twister and thrown them into the core of it. “No,” I argued. “They saw me win a bet using a small amount of magic, thereby evading a kiss. You were the one who suggested I use magic in the first place.”

“To give yourself an advantage, not to flirt with him! Have you lost your mind? How do you think Ela and Wayra will respond to this? They’ll call for you to come home.” He threw his hands in the air before continuing, “Maybe that’s for the best. You’re obviously getting too close to him.”

I’m not nearly close enough! I wanted to shout. “I’m not arguing with you about this right now. I was just having fun, Brecan.”

“It was reckless! Your silly crush almost got you killed. Someone shot an arrow at your heads.” Brecan grabbed my arm, his fingers leaving indentions in my skin.

“Take your hand off me now ,” I warned, the taste of smoke filling my lungs.

“Or what? ”

“Or I will send you back to The Gallows.”

“You can’t send me away.”

My eyes glittered. “I can. And I can bind you from returning.”

A fire blazed in his eyes, and for a moment, I wondered if he’d developed a new affinity. A knock at the door interrupted us. “Come in!” I yelled, wrenching my arm away from Brecan.

“Oh…my…goddess!” Mira squealed. “That was amazing, Sable. Bay is pleased.”

So, no one back home saw the assassination attempt, or the dark magic I almost conjured. I leveled Brecan with an I-told-you-so glare, which he answered with a snarl.

“How do you know how Bay felt about it?” Brecan snapped.

Her smile fell away. “Because I communicate with him. Through water. Don’t you talk to Wayra through the wind?” I could almost see her hair blowing in her own personal breeze as Brecan dutifully reported to her that I’d called on a darker source. Interestingly, Brecan didn’t answer Mira.

The fact they communicated through their affinities was news to me. If they were reporting back, what else had they said? And who else overheard their conversations about me and my time here? If Mira called on Bay, could any other Water witch listen in?

I walked out the door. “Where are you going?” Mira called after me as I strode down the hallway.

“To check Tauren’s food.”

And to get away from them for a while. Especially Brecan. He had no right to spirit me away. I wasn’t a child and he wasn’t my keeper. Or my hand-fasted. He was supposed to be my friend, but apparently couldn’t accept that I had no feelings for him. He was obviously unable to control his own feelings.

I wondered if I could either, as I fought back tears of frustration and humiliation.

And now I would have to face Tauren again. I would have to spell a room to make sure his lunch wasn’t tainted.

I waited outside the dining room between two hulking guards. They were stationed at every door, shadowing Tauren’s every move now, thank goodness. Inside, a girl from Five with colorful swatches in her hair and wearing a bright pink dress waited for Tauren. He walked in using another door and kissed her hand as he seated himself next to her. He’d changed into a smart, sapphire suit and pressed white shirt. His hair was still damp from his archery exertions in the burning hot sun, as well as from the fright he had.

When the staff brought their plates, I spelled the room, checked for traces of poison, and walked out of it, removing the charm and making sure he saw me slip out the door. That was code for ‘your food is fine.’

He apparently didn’t want to accept a simple explanation this afternoon. Moments after I left the room, the door swung open behind me. “Sable?” he said tentatively.

I turned to face him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, are you?”

He affirmed that he was, and I could see he was no longer shaken. “Brecan was furious,” he noted .

“I used magic on the telecast. He was worried I’d upset the Circle.”

He nodded once, like he didn’t entirely believe me. “And did you?”

“I upset two members, but the other two weren’t concerned.” This experience might at least convince them they needed a fifth, to settle disputes among them and to avoid such divisive stand-offs in the future.

“My men didn’t find the culprit.”

I told him they wouldn’t. The witch had fled, then disappeared altogether.

He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “I have to get back to lunch.”

“I know.”

“Can I see you tonight?” he whispered. “Please?”

I swallowed, then nodded my assent.

“Thank you, Sable, for everything.”