The Reigning Star Read online

There’s an edge to his normally smooth voice, and my eyes squint of their own accord, as if peering at him in a different light will change the version I see. When he first showed up at my door this morning, bright-eyed and chipper as his usual self, I had latched onto his arm, content to keep this dream-like Ian for as long as I could. The one who could hike for weeks in a barren land, only to flash his perfect teeth when he’s told he’ll have to hike for five days more. Though he didn’t speak much throughout our walk to his mother’s rooms, I could feel the buried words between us, rubbing against my skin and turning me raw.

  Will we marry? And if we are forced, will you love me anyway?

  But as with most questions I don’t know the answer to, I didn’t say a word. And Ian, true to his good nature, didn’t force me to either. Because if there is one truth about the Theron prince, it’s he can see the best in anything, even in the girl who needs to break his heart.

  “I’m fine, Ian, really.” I pat his hand, assuring him I won’t float away should some mighty wind come and blow through the halls. “I don’t feel much like eating.”

  His eyes widen, and his head pops back as if lack of appetite should be the last thing I’m feeling at the moment.

  Humph. Sometimes I wish I was a man.

  “What Brave’s trying to say,” Vivi drones, sitting down beside Ian with a healthy second helping of her own, “is she’s nervous. Nerves and foods don’t go well together, if you know what I mean.”

  Ian and Aras look at her, mirror expressions of confusion. No, dearest sister, they do not know what you mean.

  “Oh, come on. Her entire future is about to be decided by someone other than herself. It’s downright unsettling, don’t you think? If I were about to have my next sixty years handed to me on a platter, I wouldn’t feel like eating either.”

  Again with the blank stares, though this time, they are tinged with a bit of awkwardness. While the boys have come to an uneasy truce, the past cannot be denied, whether Aras leaves out the juicy parts or not. At the end of the day, Ian still pines for me with an open heart, while Aras admits his love, but refuses to fully set it free. If only they would ask what I want and believe me when I answer.

  The quiet must give Vivi’s mind some time to stumble upon a rather unpleasant conclusion, because her eyes go wide, and she almost chokes on her bread. “Wait. My future isn’t on the line here, is it?” Silence. And then, “Are you going to make me marry Sam?”

  “No one is going to make anyone marry, if it’s not what’s best for all involved.” King Liam makes his way across the room, joining our dysfunctional group by claiming a side chair as his own. He catches my stare, an encouraging smile posed on his lips, but I’m too caught up in the last of his words to give one back.

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Vivi says, tossing me a knowing glance. Obviously, she must not have heard the king’s words as clearly as I did. I’d be put out, if I didn’t remember she’s nearly fourteen and doesn’t tend to listen to the ends of most sentences.

  “Are you sure about that, Father?” Ian asks, giving my knee a reassuring squeeze. My eyes dart up, and he winks, begging me to break out of my shell and put everyone at ease. It might be the first time anyone has ever longed to hear my sassy mouth. “Penelope and I are less than a week away from our secret wedding, and Knox will arrive for what he believes to be our actual ceremony not long after that. If there was ever a time to decide on Theron’s future, it’s now… before my potential wife tries to run for the woods.”

  My lips wobble their way into an uncomfortable line, somewhere between a grimace and an ugly grin. King Liam laughs, covering us with the jovial sound, but even it seems forced and out of place. There’s a nervous charge to this room, and it probably has something to do with a group of people tasked with solving a problem much bigger than themselves.

  “Brave won’t run,” Vivi says, stuffing another piece of gooey deliciousness into her mouth. Chewing in a rather unladylike fashion, she holds a napkin in front of her lips to save us from what is sure to be a mouthwatering view. “We aren’t much for exercising. We’re more into hiding in dark corners or avoiding people all together.”

  Blast it. Why must she know me so well?

  “And that’s certainly a habit we can all understand,” Queen Rosaline says from her spot by the window. She turns to address us for the first time this morning, and the knot of dread I’d been kneading in my chest falls clean to my feet. “You’ve hidden from both your father and your magic, a strategy we know you needed to survive. But now the time has come when we must step away from the shadows and into the light. We need to fight.”

  Vivi straightens, all traces of humor leeched from her face. “And that’s exactly what we’ll do. Theron will be safe, that I can promise.”

  “Vivi,” I start, a careful warning coloring my tone. “We don’t know if—”

  “She’s right,” Aras interrupts, and I nearly choke on the denial I so wanted to prove. “Brave could easily take Knox on her own, but add Vivi into the mix, and the battle is as good as won.”

  All eyes turn to me, curiosity in the girl who claims to understand her powers the least. Only Mother tips her head, a quiet agreeance of what’s been said. “Aras speaks the truth; there’s a reason Knox wanted you when he found out you were alive. He was afraid, Brave. Afraid of the magic that brews in your blood, but mainly just afraid of you.”

  “Of me?” I balk, staring at my mother as if she’s gone mad. “Knox felt a lot of things when he was around me, but fear wasn’t one of them. How could he, when I allowed the only man who was kind to me to die at my feet?”

  My words stumble out in a mixture of anger and regret, finally acknowledging the horror of my past, but Mother is across the room before I can apologize. Her cool fingers find my cheeks, and she pulls me forward, leveling our eyes so she won’t lose me now. Lose me to the grief of my transgressions. My failures.

  I couldn’t protect Bates. Who else will I fail to protect before this is all over?

  “Bravest.” Aras’ voice seeps through the pain, filling the tiny cracks in my soul and molding me true again. His hand clamps down on my shoulder, breaking the spell with my mother as he kneels by her side. The open show of affection steals my breath, and I lean forward to the boy who displays his heart in front of everyone, even when he knows they’re plotting to give it away. “If you cannot trust yourself, then you must at least trust me. I may not have always remembered myself during my time under Knox’s hand, but I do remember exactly how I felt. How he felt. You were close to breaking through his barriers and taking control. I could feel it in the way his magic pulled and seeped from my soul, frightened with the slightest touch of your power. He kept you unfocused for a reason. He pulled on your heart to keep you from fulfilling your greatest power—the power to overtake him. Don’t be fooled, Bravest. Yes, Knox needed you to take down Theron from within, but he also knows you are too strong to keep around. As long as your heart was distracted, so was your magic.”

  “You’re sure?” But even as I ask, I know the answer as if I’ve given it myself. If there was one thing Knox wanted me to feel during my time in Orien, it was complete despair, followed by a healthy dose of chaos. I never could have predicted my strength because I never could have seen it coming. I was too…

  “Distracted,” Papa chimes in my head, reading my expression just as he always did when I was a child. He leaps on the cushions beside me, the delicate fabric bending with his weight. Nuzzling into my shoulder, he gives me comfort in the only way he knows how. “We’ve already warned you of your importance in this war, Brave. Knox needed you under his control for the pure purpose of taking Theron, and once he has it, he won’t hesitate to pull his resources together to end you as well.”

  And by resources, I know he means Hammel and the rest of Knox’s promised ring. A ring that used to include Aras, the one boy he needed in order to hurt me the most.

  A hesitant finger reaches out, lifting my chin and call
ing me back to the room. Aras leans in, the softest of whispers finding my ear, but this time, there’s not a hint of tease in his words. “You can do this, Bravest. You must.”

  Then he pulls away, leaving me cold and empty and longing to understand exactly what it is he needs me to do. Because if Aras thinks I’m strong enough to end Knox, then I will; but I won’t leave him behind to do it.

  I simply can’t.

  “Thank you, Aras,” Queen Rosaline says, breaking the uneasy silence settling over the room. “If you do indeed understand Knox’s magic as well as you say, then our hearts can rest a little easier for the fate of Theron and her people.” She pauses, head held high as she glides across the room—the light sound of her elegant heels clicking along the floor. “But if you were aware of his presence in your life, wasn’t he also aware of yours? Who is to say he didn’t feel the bonds of your promise snap the very moment Vivi set you free? Better yet, who is to say he’s not on his way right now, ready to tear our kingdom apart?”

  “Rosaline,” King Liam starts, but she shakes him off, eyes pinned on Aras and the answers that have set us all on edge.

  “It’s a valid worry, Liam, one that has kept us from sleep since Vivi revealed her powers and rocked our very way of life. Every plan we have in place is based off a narrow timeline, one we can only hope Knox will keep. Now, I will ask again. This time, I will be more direct—does Knox know your promise is broken?”

  In answer, Aras stands to his feet, prowling toward the windows and away from the building heat of the room. Or ice, if the Theron queen has anything to say about it. Vivi’s gaze catches mine, a worried glance flashing to Aras and back again. Uncurling herself from the chair, she joins her almost brother, taking his hand into her own. He looks down at their fingers, lips twitching at her presence, and all at once, the tension fades from his eyes.

  “Knox’s magic is a constant current, one that pushes and pulls until there is no beginning or end. His control is one so determined, so precise, that it appears almost effortless. It’s as if every being and thing in this world belongs to him, and he’s able to manipulate them as he sees fit.” Aras’ shoulders lift, a heavy sigh filling the air. “Or, at least, that’s what it felt like to me. The only time I noticed anything different, a distinct tug or pull, was when he gave me a direct demand. And those demands, no matter what, could not be ignored.”

  I think of the time he lit a ring of fire around Vivi’s precious feet, or when he stood by and watched as Bates burned on the floor. A sick feeling settles in my stomach, tossing waves without a calming water in sight. Oh, my Aras. My heart. I will make this right.

  “But what does that mean for you now?” Ian hedges, careful eyes studying the room.

  Vivi squeezes Aras’ hand and tosses her arms around his neck, wrapping him up in a protective hug. Proud, it seems, that he understands the magic even better than he should. “It means Knox won’t know Aras is missing until he goes looking.” She breaks away, pulling back until she can see around Aras’ broad frame. “It also means we should act fast.”

  Five

  Act fast seems to be the growing motto for the day.

  As soon as Vivi spoke the words, the whole room had spun on its head, with each person talking above the next.

  Of course Knox doesn’t know yet.

  Yes, but it’s only a matter of time before he does.

  And what then? Will a marriage really stop all that’s to come?

  You know it’s never been about stopping Knox alone.

  The last words were what finally did me in, forcing my heavy limbs from the chair and excusing myself to the less offensive, and decidedly quieter, hallway. Although I feel like taking off in a mad sprint, I pick a spot not far from the queen’s sitting room and settle along the floor with my back against the wall. Tucking my knees under my chin, I stare up at the family portrait hung across the hall, marveling at the crisp paints and hues the artist used to depict the royal family. The king and his proud stance. The queen and her kind, but powerful eyes. And Ian. Sweet Ian, with his golden hair and blinding smile.

  The boy who deserves to be happy, even if it’s not with me.

  “I’m glad to see you stopped several feet short of the woods. When I saw you bolt, my initial reaction was one of envy for not doing so first.” My shoulders jump with the words, my head popping back to bang noisily into the wall. An embarrassed moan escapes my lips, and I look up as Ian’s easy grin fills my view. “May I join you?”

  “Always,” I say, deciding not to regret my answer, even when his pale cheeks turn a light shade of pink. Ian is my friend, and though he may wish for more, there will never be a time when I won’t accept his company. He’s too good and full of everything that’s right to dismiss, but at the same time, I must also make my intentions clear.

  We can’t marry, no matter what his mother thinks.

  “Discussions turned a little intense after you left,” he says, stretching out his long legs and leaning beside me against the wall. “Not everyone is convinced Knox knows nothing about Aras’ free state, so he’s offered to seek out one of his men.”

  “Hammel,” I whisper, the name alone conjuring up images from the past, ones filled with deathly marks and ugly sneers. I turn to Ian, only to find him not more than a breath away, and I jerk back when his swirling green eyes find my own.

  “Hammel,” he confirms, turning toward the hall and gifting me with breathable space once more. “I don’t like it, but Aras assured us he’d be able to get more information out of him, without having to reveal his hand. I suppose Hammel’s reaction will tell us a lot about Knox’s plans.”

  Perfect. We’ve come this far in saving Aras’ hide, only to have him risk it again. But this time, I’m not sure if we can keep him safe from Hammel’s wrath without revealing our hand to Knox. “And if Hammel sees through his lies? What then? Will Aras run him through with a sword before Hammel can light him into flames?”

  Ian considers my question, pursing his lips as he stares a hole into some special spot in the wall. “Aras said that Knox’s magic cannot be used for the intent to harm, unless he deems it so with a direct command. It’s how he keeps his chosen men in check. Powerful, yet powerless at the same time. If Hammel were to wish to harm Aras, he couldn’t.”

  “Unless Knox already knows of Aras’ position,” I finish, understanding the danger of this meeting more than anyone. It wasn’t long ago that Aras tried to do that very thing to Hammel, raising his flame against him, only to watch it sputter out of life. Hammel’s taunt bubbles into my thoughts. What Knox doesn’t warrant, you can’t do.

  We can only hope Knox hasn’t issued a command with Aras’ name on it.

  Ian must sense my hesitation, because he bumps my shoulder, a low chuckle leaving his lips. “Besides, it’s probably not Aras we should be worried about, but your crazy little sister when she tries to sneak after him.”

  Oh, Ashen. I had forgotten about Vivi. It’s going to be hard enough trying to sneak after Aras on my own. Maybe this one time it would be acceptable to nick her with my dagger.

  “Penelope?”

  “Hm?” I jump, fluttering my lashes in hopes it doesn’t look like I was just pondering all the appropriate ways to cut my sister.

  Ian leans forward, his usually smooth, golden hair ruffled from its perch against the wall. A flurry of emotions flash in his eyes. When he opens his mouth, I know whatever he is about to say is going to be about the future… and us. “I—”

  “I was wondering where you two got off to,” another voice interrupts from above, and we flinch, looking up into the warm gaze of Queen Rosaline. “Ian. Brave. I was hoping the three of us might have a chat.” We stare up at her, me too afraid to hear my fate, and Ian too afraid I’ll run when I do. “In private,” she adds when we fail to answer.

  “Of course.” Ian takes his mother’s hand, reaching down with his other to help me to my feet. He takes a deep breath, eyes sneaking in my direction to see if I’m ready
for this—the discussion about the beginning of my end and the beginning of his dream. In response, I square my shoulders, tipping my chin with the smallest of assents. I may be following Ian down a long and twisted path, but it’s not the path I trust—it’s Ian. And no matter what, I have to believe he will stay true to his word.

  We won’t marry unless I want it.

  Seemingly satisfied with what he sees, he turns toward Queen Rosaline. “Shall we?”

  ↄ

  “You can see the predicament we find ourselves in,” Queen Rosaline says, winding down her speech as she takes a seat along one of the garden’s ornate benches. She looks up at me, the willowy sheen of her eyes almost blending with the trees around her. “I only wish you would have voiced your concerns earlier, before this was all set.”

  Voiced my concerns earlier? When? Before I was born?

  Beside me, Ian grows antsy, reaching out and tugging my fingers into his own. His steady presence warms me in a place where ice and formality seem to rule. He’s already asked me several times if I needed to take a break, walk with him down the rows of beautiful flowers until their vibrant colors hide the dark, murky ones that want to take hold of my vision. My future. But every time I politely refuse him, more intent on solving this predicament before it turns into a real disaster. The kind where I end up married to a wonderful man whom I do not love. I know in my heart I’m not the one for Ian, and just as sure as I believe I’m meant for Aras, I have faith there is someone else out there waiting for him.

  I only wish I knew who.

  For now, I must refuse him again.

  Squeezing his fingers, I tug him toward the bench, sandwiching him between his mother and me. Releasing his hand, I cross my arms, staring up into the cloudless blue sky as I consider my next move. If I’m being honest with myself, the queen’s speech wasn’t nearly as terrifying as I thought it might be. Although our arrangement—as she called it—seems unavoidable at best. According to Queen Rosaline, while Theron may seem the kingdom of ease and happiness at first look, under her surface lies seeds of discontent. Mainly because they’ve been kept on edge by the madman who rules through the trees. The way Theron sees it, peace simply isn’t enough, nor is any old marriage.