Eye of the Ancients Pt. 02

Corsica slipped ahead of me and down the hall to make sure the guests were in place before my grand entrance. As I waited for her to return, a hand grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me toward an unlocked room to my right. I started to scream when another hand wrapped around my mouth. Both pulled me backwards into a strong, firm chest. Thoughts swam through my mind faster than I could catch them as the man that held me stepped backwards into the shadows of the unused room. The scent of pine and cedar and iron lingered in my nose in a familiar way, but I was panicking too much to make sense of it.

Once hidden, the strong hands spun me around and I found myself looking up into Aeron's eyes. His silver hair was like moonlight peeking out from behind storm clouds as it glistened under the witch's magic that had colored it. His eyebrows were turned up in worry as he searched my eyes before speaking.

"I haven't seen you in days," he whispered, his eyes still searching mine. "Where have you been?"

"You're going to get us both killed," I whispered back sharply. I looked around the room to the doorway we'd come through, but Aeron had shut it behind us.

Aeron put his hands on either side of my face and turned me back to him. "You're okay for right now. I only needed a minute. I had to see you...before tonight."

Biting my lip, I suddenly found my shoes much more interesting than they probably were. "I take it you heard what happened?"

He nodded and lifted my chin. "If I could have saved him, you know I would have."

He only knew about Ferdinand.

Tears sprang to my eyes again in an instant, but I fought them back down. I couldn't ruin Corsica's work or my uncle would be mad. I had to at least appear happy. If only for a few more hours. Then I could enact the plan I'd made moments after Dominic had flung me into my quarters.

"I know. But next time it won't be a horse," I said. I couldn't tell him what Dominic had done or he would get himself killed trying to avenge my honor. "Dominic knows where I've been going and what we've been doing. I don't know why he hasn't told my uncle yet, but we're tempting fate meeting here like this. On this night."

"Look at me, Gabriela," Aeron commanded. I closed my eyes before raising them to his. I wasn't prepared for the heartbreak I found in them. "You look so broken." His voice was hushed, but I could hear the pain within it.

"Maybe that's because I am, Aeron! I can't do this anymore! I'm stuck here in this prison with these people who hate me. I don't even know what I've done for them to treat me like this. It's just always been this way." What Dominic had done was beyond any pain the King could have inflicted on me, but I couldn't bring myself to say that.

"But now," I continued. "Now I'm being handed off to someone else who doesn't love me as a political move. Kai doesn't want me any more than my own family does and yet I'm going to be given to him like a piece of livestock. Like a prize he won at the bazaar. It's more than I can bear..."

I let my voice fall away and looked out the enormous windows to our side. Dappled moonlight fell on the stone balcony beyond the leaded glass doors and for a moment, I considered rushing out and throwing myself over the edge. Hurting myself had never really been a thought I'd entertained in the past, but the weight of everything recently kept pushing and pushing down on my soul and I couldn't see a way out. It was just like a gaping maw of misery and sadness that stretched out before me in a cycle that would only end with my death. Aeron let out a tiny gasp and for a moment I wondered if he could hear my thoughts.

"We have to get you out of here," he said with more force than he'd ever used in the past.

I laughed ruefully. "'We'? You know as well as I do that I can never leave this place except in Kai's carriage. Or a coffin. My uncle would burn whole villages just to find me. He'll never let me go."

"He's not as strong as you think he is, Gabriela. And his reach isn't nearly as far." Aeron's voice was lower and darker than I was used to, his expression deadly serious. For a moment, I thought maybe we could run away together, but then sanity returned and I shook my head.

"No. I can't go anywhere. But I love you for trying."

Our eyes widened as we realized at the same time what I'd said. I bit my lip as I looked up at him, wondering what had possessed me to say such a thing. Maybe it was true, though. Maybe I did love him. But it was clear from his silence that he didn't return the sentiment. I laughed nervously and brushed it off.

"You know what I mean. You're important to me. I can't run the risk of seeing something happen to you."

"You've never seen me fight, Brie. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"Maybe not, but it's not enough to take on the crown on your own." As sadness took over my emotions once again, I put my hand on Aeron's cheek and lifted up on my toes to kiss him on the lips. He returned it softly, but didn't tear his eyes away from mine. When I pushed away from him and walked to the door I heard the balcony door open and shut. When I turned around, he was gone. Not two seconds later, Corsica burst into the room. She looked around wildly before her eyes settled on mine.

"There you are! I was worried you'd run away without me." She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, still searching the room as best she could. "Are you alone in here?

I nodded but cast one more glance toward the balcony. "Just taking some time to myself before I'm sold off."

Corsica ran forward and started looking through the drapes, then walked out and looked over the edge of the stone railing. I held my breath as I wondered if she'd see Aeron, though I wasn't sure why. Corsica had been my friend for years. Surely I could trust her with the truth about him. But then again, in the back of my head, I wondered how the guards had known where to look for me after I left the blacksmith shop. Nobody but me, Aeron, and one other guard knew what that specific trail led to and that I was at the other end of it. I knew I shouldn't have, but something in the back of my mind wouldn't let it go. I trumped it up to stress and tried to brush off the feeling.

When she was satisfied, she turned to me and started ushering me out the door and into the ballroom beyond. I let her as I considered Aeron's words. It was sweet of him to think of whisking me away, but it wasn't possible. I hadn't been exaggerating about the lengths that the King would go to to bring me back. He had never found an occasion to use my powers, but that probably just meant he was biding his time. He wasn't one to let a good weapon go to waste, and considering what lengths he went to just to keep me inside the castle walls, letting me go was not an option. I didn't care about my own life, but I couldn't risk those of the people and friends I cared about.

The gilded walls glistened in the candlelight as the sounds of laughter and clinking glassware echoed down the halls. I looked absently at the pieces of art larger than me of dead kings, queens, and nobles of centuries past. Here and there a delicate still life would be thrown in for variety while each was separated by golden trim and paneling that was easily a few hundred years old. I fluffed my dress and adjusted the top to make sure I was covered before we reached the hall where beautiful ladies and well-dressed men hid the darkness within themselves with laughter and pleasant conversation. I adjusted the pins holding my brown ringlets and tried to calm the nausea rising from my belly.

"Ready, Princess?" Corsica asked under her breath.

"As I'll ever be." I took a deep breath and nodded to the guards who stood on each side of the doors to the ballroom. They had been closed for my grand entrance. The one to my right knocked three times on the door and then I heard a herald inside crying out to the crowd. Murmuring and shushing followed before I heard the high pitched tinkling of crystal. A moment later, the heavy wooden doors were hauled open and several hundred faces turned to stare at me. I gulped down my apprehension, plastered on my best fake smile, and stepped forward on shaky knees with my trembling hands clasped firmly in front of me.

When I entered the room, there were a few sighs and gasps - no doubt due to the revealing nature of my dress. The men in attendance forgot their counterparts and openly stared at the skin I displayed. The women, for the most part, maintained their composure, but there was no hiding the animosity in their eyes. Court politics was often a psychological battle sport and these women were pros in their field. I was no doubt going to be the topic of much gossip in the coming weeks, but that was probably my uncle's ultimate goal. This was as much my coming out party as it was a betrothal celebration and the King wasn't one to waste an opportunity. I just wish I knew his end game.

The crowd before me split apart and Kai stepped forward, looking more handsome than ever. Part of me hated him for being so handsome because it forced my body to betray my mind. What I felt and what I knew were two vastly different points on the spectrum of my emotions. Heat filled my stomach as he stared down at me with glittering eyes. There was something dangerous and wild in the way he looked at me that was not wholly unpleasant. As he held his hand out to me, I took it without a thought. His fingers twined around mine and led me out onto the dance floor for our first dance as a newly engaged couple. I had not been invited, or considered, or given the chance to speak because I was not a person. I was property to be displayed and traded in a transaction that was no more my choice than whether or not the rain fell that evening. I wanted to hate Kai for his part in it all, but as he took me in his arms and smiled down at me, something inside me shifted.

He looked...happy. And not in the way one would look happy when they had just been given an expensive gift. He looked genuinely happy to be in my presence. It was the exact opposite of what I'd expected to see.

"You look lovely tonight," he whispered into my ear. His breath tickled and I had to fight the shiver that danced across my skin. Despite my best efforts, all I could think about was the way Dominic had whispered in my ear that night in the corridor. My stomach roiled uncomfortably.

"Thank you," I managed. His hand that held mine was a little damp and his cheek cold like he'd been standing outside for some time. It warmed against my skin as he pulled me closer to his chest.

"I know this isn't what you wanted, but those in our positions aren't often given a choice," he said as he tilted his face into my hair. "I want you to know that I'll do what I can to make you as happy as I can. Fate has put us together for better or for worse and I will not take my responsibility lightly."

I couldn't hide the confusion that broke out across my face. Kai was known to be ruthless in battle. Unforgiving and harsh. But this person standing in front of me didn't fit that description in the least. The man holding my hand with sweat on his palm was kind. Thoughtful and respectful. He was warm, in so many ways. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Could I have been so wrong about him? Judged him unfairly because of those like Dominic who were so often my uncle's favorites? We were all playing our parts in this game of kings, queens, and pawns. Maybe he was just better at playing his role than I had been led to believe.

When words finally came back to me, I drew a breath to speak them, but before I could, a loud whistle filled the air. Conversation stopped as people turned to look at each other as they tried to understand what they were hearing. A half second later, Kai's eyes widened and he threw both arms around me, pulling me to the floor with him.

As the last of the second passed, the entire far wall imploded and fell into the sea below us.