Heir of Beauty Read online

  Snarls and growls emanated from the cage. Alizeh bucked, her head tilted toward the sky.

  “Easy, girl.” I shushed and tried to calm her, but she wasn’t interested in my comfort.

  The inhabitant of the cage roared again, and I froze, the terrifying sound too familiar to be a coincidence. It smacked its large hairy paws against the cage bars, and its razor-sharp claws clicked against the metal. A rough and tangled mane framed its enraged face as it bared a row of lethal teeth.

  “Dad? Is that you?”

  The beast growled and rammed the side of the cage with his shoulder. The bars rattled but still held him captive.

  “Dad, it’s me, Fallon.” I ran across the yard, nausea building in my gut. “Don’t you remember?”

  He growled again and tossed his head back, then slammed the cage again. I jerked away, keeping my hands far from the bars. Who knew how long he’d been locked up here? Had he eaten? Did he think I did this to him on purpose? The questions flooded my brain, but only one answer rang through the noise--I needed to get him out.

  I walked around the outside of the cage until I found the door and the iron lock holding it in place. My father followed my every movement and mimicked my steps. Stalking me like a lion does its prey. I examined the lock. Pretty standard from what I could tell, but once it came off, how would I get my father off this mountain? I grabbed the side of my head as my mind reeled. Only one problem at a time.

  "Don’t worry, Dad, I'll get you out of here”

  I gripped the side of my shoulder bag and yanked the metal buckle from the front. My fingers ached as I stretched out the metal to a long strip with a pointed end. I stuck the end in the lock and fished around trying to move the tumblers, but it wouldn’t work. My father paced inside his cell growling and banging on the bars, the lock shaking in my hands every time he smacked the wall.

  I dug deeper trying to find the sunken spot where I could pop the lock. The number of doors and private cabinets I'd invaded should have made this an easy task, but the lock wouldn't budge. Either it had some other mechanism or the adrenaline coursing through my limbs scrambled my technique.

  I pressed harder then heard a snap as the thin metal buckle broke off in the iron lock.

  Banging my hands on the bars I tried pulling again rattling the bars of the cage and the door, but the lock stayed shut tight.

  From the ground, I grabbed a sharp rock and smashed it as hard as I could against the latch. Sparks flew on contact, but I reared my arm back and smashed it again. Barely a scratch showed on the metal.

  "What do you think you're doing?"

  I smashed the rock one last time against the cage. More sparks flew. I whirled around, the rock clasped in my fist, and came face to face with Edwin Macario.

  "I'm trying to break the lock on this cage. What does it look like? You can't just lock up my father like this."

  His face exploded in a rainbow of colors, each one angrier than the last. “Of course I can. And I should."

  He grabbed the rock from my hand and chucked it over the side of the mountain. "Your father is dangerous. A danger to me, to everyone else, and most likely himself. The cage is for everyone's safety. Do you honestly not think before you act?"

  The purple fury crept up the sides of his face from his neck, and he pushed me away from the cage. I regained my balance and tried to circle around him, but he stood directly in front of the door.

  "You expect me to believe that you're trying to keep him safe? He's been missing for days. My mother has the entire royal guard searching for him. She is sick with worry. If you were protecting him, why wouldn't you tell someone that he was here?"

  “Because he asked me not to and I wouldn't betray his trust like that,” Edwin shouted and my head jerked back as the words smacked across my cheek. “Your father came to me, I didn't find him. If he wanted me to tell the castle, I would've, but he wanted to be left alone.”

  I tossed my hands through the air, the anger rising from the bottoms of my feet and I trembled as it started to take hold of my limbs. "You're telling me he scaled the highest mountain to the tallest peak without any help just to find you? How stupid do you think I am?”

  “From where I’m standing, pretty damn dumb since you tried to let a dangerous beast run free without a backup plan. I don't know how he got here. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I woke up the other morning and he was sprawled half-dead across my doorstep. I fed him and took care of him and now I've locked him up until we find a way to reverse whatever spell he's under." Edwin gazed into the cage at my father, his chest rising as he took a deep breath then exhaled loudly. "I want to help him as much as you do. But my way will be a lot safer for everyone. Plus it was his choice to come to find me instead of going home."

  I shook out my hands, every part of me afire and my brain completely unable to get it under control. I glanced at my snarling father in the cage. What would I have done with him if I’d set him free? He might have killed me and ran off again so that we’d never find him. But Edwin? Something twinged deep in my muscles when I saw his smug face. Things didn’t add up.

  "Why you?” I grabbed the sides of my head and tried to sort out my thoughts as I paced in circles. “Out of every place he could have gone, in the state he's in, why would he risk coming all the way up here just to see you?"

  Edwin crossed his hands behind his back and widened his stance. "Because out of everyone in the entire kingdom he trusts me. He knows I might be the only one that can help him."

  “Really?” I met his stare, not willing to back down so easily. Last time I’d been here he didn’t have the highest opinion of my family, but all of a sudden he was going to help? "Then how come he's never spoken of you?"

  A dark shadow cast over his face as his proud smile deflated to an angry frown. "Because we had a falling out many years ago and I’ll bet he never intended on seeing me again. Besides, from what my daughter tells me you've been left in the dark about a lot of things. It's no wonder you hadn't heard of me."

  I crossed my arms to protect myself while doubting every line he threw my way. He was right, someone had been lying to me, but was it really my parents or was it him?

  Edwin softened his tone and stepped away from the cage. I stared after his every move, but stayed in one spot, still unsure how to react now. His ability to flip from angry to calm tossed me off guard. Maybe all the years of training to be a wise man helped control his emotions. Or maybe he didn’t really care that much at all.

  ”Your father and I used to be very close, and I worked for him at the castle. I was his confidante. A consultant of sorts."

  "So, you were on the Council?”

  "Not exactly, the Council can’t provide the same type of assistance that I can. In fact, the Council and I didn't get along very well."

  "It sounds like there were a lot of people at the castle that you did not get along well with.”

  He laughed, "You're right. People hate what they fear. They ostracize what scares them.”

  I looked him over. Nothing about him, other than his self-righteous sneer, screamed menace. His bulky frame could easily be overtaken by the most inexperienced guard, even though his wider shoulders looked like he might have been muscular back in his younger days. "You don't look that intimidating to me.”

  "Because you’re an arrogant know-it-all. Plus, you haven't seen what I can do.” An odd, mischievous twinkle flashed in his eyes and a chill pulsed through me.

  “Watch that statue over there.” He pointed at the brilliant golden eagle perched on the right corner of the temple.

  He closed his eyes for a moment and brought his hands together in front of him as if in prayer. The mountain fell into silence. Even the breeze stopped blowing while he postured in front of me.

  Suddenly, Edwin whipped his right hand over his head and flexed his fingers into a claw shape. A strange blue light emanated from his fingertips and snaked through the air like smoke. It billowed higher and higher in the air as it sn
aked toward the eagle statue. A loud crack echoed through the peaks and the golden figure spread its metal wings as the blue light wrapped itself around the metal bird. The statue’s head turned and stared at us, then it pitched into the air and glided off the side of the building.

  The eagle statue circled above our heads, flapping its wings occasionally to keep momentum. The sun reflected off its body, and I shielded my eyes, still not believing what I saw. Alizeh jumped to her feet and squawked at the gilded bird, chasing at it, her beak snapping loud and angry behind us.

  "How did you…" But the words stuck in my throat as I kept staring into the sky, wonder and dread mixing a strange cocktail in my blood as my heart pounded a warning my chest.

  "Magic," Edwin said, "I can do a lot of things that you probably haven't even dreamed of."

  I’d heard of people who could do things like this, but never met one, especially not in Aboria. Enchanted creatures walked all over these lands, but humans who could wield magical powers, that was something only people in far off lands could do. Places like Enchantia or maybe even in Oz. But not here. Never here.

  Edwin snapped his fingers and the blue smoke cloaking the eagle dissipated. Immediately, the metal bird’s wings fused back to its sides and it plummeted from the sky smashing into the earth between us. I stumbled backward from the aftershock and tripped over a rock falling down as well, the stones grating my elbows and sending a jolt of pain through my body.

  From my spot on the ground, I examined the bird, but it no longer moved. No chest heaving with breath. No feathers blowing in the breeze. Just hard, precious gold.

  "I think it might be time to tell you more of my story.” Edwin extended his hand, and I eyed it with caution, refusing the assistance. "Except, I think you need to be in a better frame of mind for this tale. A little less hostile, perhaps. Why don’t you spend a few more minutes with your father, then come meet me inside? I'll prepare you something to eat and you can take a rest before we talk. From the black rings under your eyes, I’m assuming you haven’t slept in days."

  "Thanks.” I scrambled to my feet, still refusing his offer of help, and brushed the dirt from my clothes. “And are you going to tell me what you just did there?”

  He smirked, then retracted his hand with a vile snort. “Depends. We’ll see how the rest of the story goes first.”

  I bit down on my cheek wanting to say so much more, many of those things not very appropriate for royalty, but arguing with him likely wouldn’t help my cause--even if it looked like he would’ve enjoyed matching wits with me.

  He straightened the high collar of his robe and tapped the eagle on its head, the metal clanging against the golden rings on his fingers. He cast me one last glare and shook his head, then started to meander slowly back towards the temple.

  I swallowed down the list of insults I wanted to spew behind his back and conjured my most cordial tone.

  "Is Veda here?” I called after him. “I've been looking for her but she seems to have disappeared."

  He halted and stood in silence for a moment. Maybe considering if he really wanted to answer me.

  "I'm afraid not. Women can be quite crafty when they don't want to be found.” He chuckled to himself but I struggled to find the humor. “She said she needed a few days to think. You must have done something pretty stupid for her to be that angry with you."

  "Maybe," I muttered under my breath, but from the sneer on his lips, he likely heard.

  He turned and continued his strut back to the temple. "But at least that means she's no longer with someone of your type. Your squabbles are of no consequence to me."

  I groaned, the prospect of spending any more time with that arrogant man caused my stomach to churn. But if he was finally willing to talk, I needed to take him up on it while I had the chance.

  “However, I must tell you, a real prince would never toss out a diamond because it needed a bit of shine.”

  Ouch.

  So Veda had told her father what happened. Who knows how many details, but it sounded like enough. He already had my past and my father to dangle over my head, now he had my bad behavior to add to his collection of torture implements. Great.

  The breeze picked up again and I pulled my coat closer to my chest. My father sat in the corner of his cage staring out into the distance as it ruffled the fur around his face. His rabid fit had subsided, replaced by a sad glaze in his dark chocolate eyes. A deep pain.

  I inched closer to the bars, each movement long and drawn to avoid throwing him back into a frenzy. He swung his head my direction his lip stuck out, but without any fight.

  "Dad, I don't know if you can hear me in there, but I wanted you to know that I'm here to help. Mom is beyond worried and we both can't wait to have you home."

  I wrapped my hands around the metal bars and he jumped but stayed on the far side of the cage.

  "I love you, Dad. I don't even remember the last time I told you that, but it's true. I wished I'd spent more time with you, learning and just being around you. I took for granted how hard your job is. How hard you have to work to you make the kingdom run and still maintain the respect of your followers. We're going to fix this. I know we are."

  My father glared at me then took his head in his paws and let out a crestfallen whimper. The high-pitched whine stabbed right through my chest burrowing straight through to the other side and leaving a hole I didn't think I'd ever fill until the curse was finally broken.

  I ran my hand across the bars as I walked towards the temple, each one playing its own mournful tune as I delayed letting go.

  5

  31st May

  Metal bars surrounded me. Above. Below. On every side. An iron lock the size of my fist sealed me into my cell, stole my freedom. I grabbed ahold of the bars clanging and rattling them, screaming for help, but only the echo of my own voice came back. Nothing existed beyond the bars, just darkness, deep and hollow. I smashed my fist against the lock until my knuckles bled. Dark red blood poured down my fingers and stained my clothes. I retreated to the center of the cage and sat on the floor with my knees pulled to my chest. A wintry chill prickled up the back of my spine, the hair on my neck standing on end, waiting for something that I didn't know but feared anyway. Suddenly a strange blue smoke started to fill the cell wrapping and twisting around me. It filled my mouth. My nose. I coughed and choked against the unknown substance. My lungs burned, my breath shallower as I struggled against the smoke. The cell filled until I could no longer see. Just blue magic smothering me. Wrapping tight around my neck. The burning in my lungs deepened, scalding my throat. I coughed and coughed and coughed and…

  I bolted upright in the tiny metal cot as sweat dripped from my forehead and across my chest. Just a dream. Or was it? And where was I?

  The tiny room slowly came into focus. The peaked roof loomed above my head and the stark white walls stood bare except for a small hand-stitched sign that read ‘to know one’s mind is to know one’s self’. The temple. I rubbed my face with my hands, the memories of the last few days and my nightmare swirled and merged into a dark play, acting out over and over in my mind. But I was safe here. Wasn’t I?

  I lay back on the cot and rested my head on the soft pillow. The lumpy mattress beat sleeping on the ground, even though being closer to Alizeh would have soothed my nerves a bit more. Even with the serene peacefulness of the temple surrounding me, I still didn’t completely trust Edwin. He seemed to be hiding something from me. But everyone was hiding something from me. Maybe I just didn’t like him much? Either way, the faster I heard his story, the faster I could get off this mountain and go home to send the guards to my father’s rescue.

  I rolled onto my side and stared at the pyramid of light cutting through the narrow opening of the nearly closed door. Sun or lantern light? I couldn’t tell. A tiny ornately-carved table sat across from my face with a glass of water and two stalks of prickly aloe vera placed neatly on top. A note written in meticulous handwriting read ‘for the sunbu
rn’.

  I swung my feet to the floor and sat up, letting my mind recalibrate for a moment before grabbing the glass. The water went down in one gulp, my dry throat craving more as soon as the last drop disappeared, the search mission taking its toll. I squeezed the sticky ointment from the aloe and rubbed it over my arms and face, the coolness instantly feeling better against my scorched skin. Finally, I dared to stand up, but my head ached and the room spun. I grabbed the side of the table until the dizziness faded, then took a deep breath before staggering out of the room.

  Outside, the rich scent of baking bread wafted from down the hall. My stomach rumbled and saliva built on my tongue, as my feet followed my nose.

  "Good morning, Your Majesty. Sleep well?” Edwin asked as I entered the quaint and simple kitchen of the temple.

  I blinked. The clean starkness of the room too bright for my half-asleep brain to process.

  "Already morning?” I rustled my hand through my hair as a yawn stretched my face. I'd only intended to sleep an hour, maybe two, but clearly my body had other ideas.

  "Not quite. It’s nearly two in the afternoon.” Edwin grabbed a metal teapot from the stove and set it on the small dining table, already set for two. "Jasmine tea? It'll help clear your mind."

  I lumbered across the kitchen, nearly collapsing in the empty chair across from him. He offered a basket of fresh buns, my mouth already salivating from the delicious smell. I gazed at Edwin carefully, scanning his face and looking for a hidden agenda. He caught my scrutiny and grinned as if he would’ve done the same in my position, then nudged the breadbasket closer. I kept my eyes locked on him, but accepted the soft bun and let the fresh from the oven warmth seep into my palm.