Princess of Darkness Read online

  Adelaide took a step back and turned away from Saff. Her bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes were already watering. A tear rolled down her cheek but, she wiped it away before anyone could notice it. After a moment of silence Adelaide opened her mouth to speak, only she found she had nothing to say. She suddenly burst into a sob and covered her face with her hands.

  Saff wrapped his arms around his sisters waist and hugged her from behind, trying his best to comfort her without shedding a few tears himself. “It was Marcus Valenti who had landed the death blow.” Saff replied weakly. “That's not all. Apparently the Valenti's have been stirring up some trouble in Bordennia. I think we should take it as our responsibility to lend the Mouridieus’ a hand in this investigation. It’ll help us in the future to begin working on our potential family relationship. This trouble concerns the random killings in Bordennia. Father must have told them about it before he died.”

  Adelaide nodded. “Will Viktor be coming with us?”

  The young Prince shook his head. “He's occupied in Aarengoth, at Quartz Hall. Since father is dead and Viktor is the eldest out of us three, he must attend some meetings father was supposed to go to. He has a few things to handle, leading up to his coronation – he’s also agreed to marry Princess Dominika Urveed, of Illia.”

  Adelaide let out a quiet sigh. “When are we going?” she asked.

  “It’s only midday now but, my men I have been travelling for over two days now. We need to rest, so I was hoping we could leave tomorrow.” Saff replied calmly. Even talking about having to travel again set the Prince off yawning.

  The young Princess couldn’t even imagine how exhausted her brother must have been. The weather had been stifling in Faradwyn and in Bordennia it danced from icy gusts to sudden heat waves. There was simply no guessing what the weather was going to be like in the north of Iradas. It was no wonder the Prince appeared so grouchy after all that travelling.

  Adelaide turned to her Guardians. “Do what you will with your time now, I won’t be needing you for a while. I need to speak to my brother, in private.” she said and then told the Prince to take a moment for himself, whilst she went on ahead to make sure a room was being made up for him.

  Saff took his sister’s absence as the opportunity to address the three assassins claiming to be keeping watch on her. He put up a brave front as, despite not wanting to admit it, the men scared him a little. “You’d best listen to me right now because I’m only going to say this once,” he began, oblivious to the assassins grinning beneath their heavy hoods. Why they never put them down, he didn’t know. “Viktor and I will not tolerate you getting our sister in danger of any kind. Our father had agreed to keep you as her Guardians, so you will honour that role – guard her with your life. You may not think much of it all, apart from honouring your Master’s oath to keep her safe but, what you have to understand is if the Valenti’s find,”

  Berethos shook his head at the Prince. “You think so little of us. We understand perfectly well what it would mean. You can trust us to keep Adelaide safe from the Valentis – believe it or not, I think we all might be starting to get along now.” he replied. He sat fixing up his fingerless gloves as he spoke, the leather squeaking against his skin as he did.

  “One thing you and your brother should take into consideration is this; assassins kill on contracts, for money given by buyers. But question our honour to the oaths we take or the people we protect – and we won’t need a damn piece of paper to give us reasons to kill.” Jasper added in.

  Saff only gave them a curt nod and left them be. He was too exhausted to argue with a bunch of assassins right now, he wanted nothing more than a bath and a bed to lay in. The Prince turned and went in search of his sister.

  *****

  “You need to speak to the King.” Adelaide told her brother as he finished brushing out some knots from his hair, as requested by the Princess. She didn’t want him looking like hell already, after having just bathed.

  “Why? What’s happened?” Saff asked. He placed the brush down onto a small desk within his chambers and fixed up the bottom of his navy tunic.

  The Princess folded her arms over, shrugging as she did. “He won’t listen to me. Athon insists he either speak to Father or to either you or Viktor; apparently a Redbane girl is not good enough for him.” she replied.

  “He said that?” Saff continued with his questioning. He wanted to feel angry on his sister’s behalf but, such a notion was not uncommon. Nonetheless, Saff thought the King was being quite bold indeed. He let out a sigh. “Ok, I will. Shall I give him a good verbal beating for mistreating you, or?”

  Adelaide cut her brother off with a tremendous laugh. “Well, you don’t have to but, if you’re insisting,” she paused a moment, smiling with her brother still. Only, when she perched herself onto the edge of the bed, she hung her head low and finally let a few tears go.

  Saff was by her side in an instant. He slung an arm over his sister’s shoulder and pulled her in for a hug, tears already streaming from his own eyes. A man full grown or not, there was no shame in the young Prince mourning for his own father.

  “Is Viktor ready to be Emperor? Or do you think he’s afraid, of what will happen now, just like us?” Adelaide asked. She wiped her eyes with both hands, only more tears quickly found their way down her cheeks again.

  For a moment, Saff said nothing. “He is afraid. Whether he chooses to show it or not, that’s his decision. Viktor will make a fine Emperor and the best thing we can do for him, right now, is to believe it too. We need to show him our support, Ada, because he doesn’t have anyone else around to do it for him. Which is why we need to go back to Aarengoth to attend his wedding, after our trip to Bordennia.”

  Adelaide wanted to ask for the details of their father’s death but, at the same time she didn’t want to know anything about it. She left it as it was, her mind wandering aimlessly around the topic of Hathor’s death – and it would remain that way.

  Hathor Redbane was dead. Long live Viktor Redbane, Emperor of Iradas.

  Nicademius

  Nicademius’ face bobbed up and down above the ground as he finished off the last of his press ups, sweat trickling down the side of his face and neck as he worked. Even though his arms protested, he remained determined to get his last set done.

  The occasional serving maid peered into the training ground, swooning and giggling at their Prince as they did, only to be scared off by a powerful voice.

  “Women of your position shouldn't be wasting their working time watching the men train.” Queen Nynae's voice came, yet when she looked in herself, her eyes widened at the sight of her son exercising. “Nicademius, training again?” she asked, feeling irritated. The queen didn't need to think twice about how long her son had been at it.

  Nicademius sat down with crossed legs, planting his elbows firmly onto his knees as he did. He tucked a fist under his chin and looked up at his mother. “What do you mean by again? This is the first time I’ve been here today.” he asked in turn. His gaze followed the Queen carefully as she strolled further into the hall.

  “I mean you have been spending more time training than you ever have before.” Nynae replied. Her voice came out razor sharp.

  Nicademius sat upright and blinked hard at her. “But father says I've been taking it too easy with my training!” he only began to protest.

  His mother cut him off. “What you have been taking too easy are your other errands, did you know you had been requested to attend two, no, three meetings concerning the Redbanes and the Valentis? Concerning your future wife?” she hissed.

  The Prince slowly found his feet. Towering over his mother, Nicademius felt like he had the upper hand with authority but, that was hardly the case. He looked down at his mother and dared to frown at her. “Please don't. Don't even mention Adelaide here. The fact that you aren't even letting me get to know her first is ridiculous beyond words and yet you still want me to marry her,”

  “Nicademius.
” Nynae snapped.

  “And she's all you want me to think about.” the Prince finished, with such venom in his voice it even took him by surprise.

  Nynae threw her head back and laughed, a gesture she had once believed unladylike, but that was now familiar to her. She spoke in such a way that was frightening. “Yes. Do I have to remind you once again, you are to put a child in her? Or if not, you'll lose her to Valerius Valenti. Your father will not accept that and neither will I.” at that, she turned and left the training ground.

  Nicademius stood in utter silence, her words were swallowing him up whole - and quickly too - but even as he stared at the open air in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a searing pain of guilt in his stomach.

  Had she really meant that?

  The Prince took a moment to regain his breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. His fingers came back soaked and sweaty; usually he would have looked at it and smiled, proud of his efforts. Now, Nicademius simply snapped the moisture from his fingers and sighed again.

  The training ground was silent.

  He matched its silence.

  The training ground grew cold, chilled down to every stone in the room. Just as Nicademius became chilled to the bone, as his mother’s constant reminders of Adelaide finally took its toll. He stormed straight out of the training ground. Slamming his bedroom door shut, he didn’t bother picking up The Awakening, even after having spent a solid hour or so in his room crouched over it before his strenuous training session. He simply stared at it as it enjoyed its new home on his shelf.

  Nicademius could feel the book staring back at him; calling to him. Instead he pushed any thoughts of it aside, allowing his mind to drift to other more important matters. Morning had already passed. After having eaten, the Prince made his way towards the castle crypts, as he hadn't paid his respects to Kyras yet.

  Serendipity

  With her lessons for the day done, Serendipity was free to wander the castle as she pleased. Her fingers were numb from having held a pen in her hand for so long. She flexed them as she walked, all whilst avoiding been seen by any Valenti other than Valerius.

  Alexandria, the Grand Lady of Valkenn, had been looking for the Princess earlier on as she wanted to meet her privately and away from her husbands glaring eyes. What she didn’t seem to realise was that it really only made Serendipity want to go into hiding for longer. The Princess, after all, still felt shaken by her encounter with the Emperor of Iradas, her supposed father. Especially after what had happened in the meeting hall – when she and Evard had nearly managed to escape Valkenn for good. Serendipity had not yet had the chance to see the boy since he was locked away in the dungeons, as Marcus had ensured a dozen guards trailed after the Princess and kept her from seeing him whenever she pleased.

  As though that would keep her from seeing Evard! Serendipity walked with her head held high, down to the dungeons, with a dozen pairs of feet pressing after her. Marcus had not been stingy with the amount of men set to watch the Princess. It only made Serendipity hate him more. “Evard?” she called out to him from where he sat behind bars. She was relieved to see he was doing as well as he possibly could whilst imprisoned.

  “Serendipity?” the boy called back. He clutched the bars of his cell and managed to flash her a tired smile.

  The Princess dropped to her knees before him, hardly caring about the dirt her dress was gathering from the floor. “Oh, Evard, I’m so sorry! I would have come to see you earlier but, Marcus has ordered a dozen of these idiots behind me to follow me around everywhere. I hadn’t been given a chance to come down.” she began to explain.

  Evard would hear none of it. He placed a hand over the Princesses; his skin was cold and stiff; his eyes heavy and purple underneath, he looked like a mess. “It’s alright, Serendipity. I understand what Marcus is putting you through.”

  “And what about you?” Serendipity cried out to him. “I’m not the one behind bars, awaiting potential execution.”

  Evard managed to laugh at that and he wiped his nose with the end of his sleeve. His clothes had gotten rather dirty in the few days he had been locked up. How many days exactly, he couldn’t tell. Two? Three? Maybe even four, already?

  “Serendipity, listen,” he began.

  “I’m going to beg him to spare you. I don’t care if it will cost me my pride, if it keeps you alive then I’ll do it.” the Princess cut in.

  It took Evard by surprise, the sheer determination in her voice; the desire to set him free no matter the cost. Even though it had been his idea to try to help her escape.

  Serendipity brought the boy’s hands to her mouth and kissed them tenderly. Without saying another word, she found her feet, dusted herself off and went to do what she knew was necessary.

  The surrounding guards didn’t help. They made her more nervous, as their laughter followed after Serendipity whilst she walked and as their eyes rested on parts of her body which were to their liking. The men had been forbidden to touch Serendipity but, nothing had been said about feasting on her with their eyes.

  Serendipity said nothing to them. As they opened the doors to Marcus’ study, she ordered them to wait outside whilst she handled her business. To her own embarrassment, the Grand Lord was not alone. Both Valerius and Aderico were deep in conversation with the Grand Lord, concerning figures which Serendipity had not quite managed to catch a hold of upon entering, and even Reynald was there; seeing as he was Captain and had likely brought these figures to his Lords. All four of the men looked up at their unexpected visitor.

  It was Marcus who smiled first. Yet unlike the younger Lords, whose smiles were genuine and warm, his was cold and wry. He clasped his hands together, elbows pressed up against his desk, and he raised his brows at the girl. “Yes, may I help you with something?” he asked her.

  Serendipity suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at him. Instead, her fingers clutched the side of her gown with nerves. “I’ve come to ask you to spare-”

  Marcus raised a finger at her, tutting as he did. After a moment, he pointed to the ground on which the Princess stood. He had to be kidding? Serendipity looked away a moment and this time she let loose an irritated sigh. When she looked back, she forsook her pride and slowly went down onto her knees.

  The Grand Lord only seemed half satisfied. “Well?” he asked. Oh, he was enjoying this far too much, all whilst the others tried so hard not to pity the Princess.

  “I’ve come to ask you to-”

  “You’ve come to beg me.” Marcus corrected her.

  “You bastard, can you not just let Evard go? Is it not good enough for you to know that there are a dozen guards following me everywhere I go; to know that I won’t be going anywhere?” Serendipity snapped at him.

  Marcus rose from his seat and looked down at her with his dark and frightening eyes. “That, my dear, is what you get for trying to escape in the first place. You didn’t honestly think you’d make it far, did you? My castle is excellently guarded.”

  Serendipity stayed put. “Are you going to spare him or not? Or am I going to have to sit here all day until you’re satisfied with what I’ve given you?” she replied.

  “I want some of your blood.” Marcus announced.

  Four sets of gazes slid to where he sat in his seat and no one said a word to him, or dared to ask why he needed the Princesses blood. It was such a strange request in itself.

  Finally, Serendipity spoke. “Why?” she asked.

  Marcus walked around his desk to extend a hand to the girl, helping her find her feet. Bringing over to his desk, he pulled a dagger from his boot and retrieved a now empty cup from which he had previously been drinking from. He held the weapon up to her and took her hand in his. “Just a little blood, that’s all.” Before Serendipity could even consent to it, he dragged the knife down her palm and squeezed it shut over the cup.

  The Princess hissed at the pain and with her other hand she steadied herself against the desk. She tried to rip her hand free but, Marcus onl
y squeezed it shut tighter.

  “Many thanks, Serendipity.” he said once he was done with her.

  The Princess managed to pull away this time, and she accepted a handkerchief Valerius offered her, quickly. She pressed it against her palm, watching as the material stained red. “What do you need it for?” she asked Marcus.

  The Grand Lord didn’t reply. Instead, he turned to Reynald and cocked his head towards the door. “Go on then. Go free Evard, he’s not to be harmed.” he then turned to look back at the Princess with that same wry grin of his. “And as for you, how would you feel about another half a dozen men being added on to your patrol?”

  Tourri

  In all his excitement, Seb couldn’t wait any longer to show Tourri how much their navy had improved. With Vestus bedbound, he had no one else to show it off to, and he thought the King’s advisor should know what was happening down by the docks too.

  “Seb Faran, what’s with all this excitement?” Tourri asked as the Captain dragged her all the way down to Brittle Beach by her hand.

  The soggy sand squelched beneath their boots as they walked but even that didn’t seem to slow Seb down. He would have run all the way, if the ground had allowed it. “Stop talking so much and we’ll get their faster.” Seb teased. His comment earned a playful shove from the King’s advisor. “Ah, Tourri! Downhill, one shove too many and I’ll go rolling,” he replied and looked back at her to add in, “And I’ll be taking you down with me.”

  Tourri let out a laugh as Seb continued to lead her down to the beach. “My clothes would get all wet.” she said behind her laughter.

  The Captain stopped to admire the few ships they had from afar. “You’d just have to take them all off; as though that would be a shame. Now come on.”