Chapter 1
My golden skirts swished around me as I slipped behind a large potted plant and contemplated the ballroom. Somehow I had been in high demand all evening, despite everyone in attendance still considering me the family disappointment—born without an ability when everyone had hoped for so much.
My Aunt Lucienne had insisted someone must represent my family at her end of summer ball, and with both of my parents away until the morning, the task had fallen to me. Apparently I was here to answer a myriad of inquiries about my parents’ opinions on various recent policy decisions along with almost as many questions about the new king-elect of Kallorway. Even now, when I finally had a moment to myself, I couldn’t decide which kind of question I disliked more.
A few kindly souls had asked about my studies, but even they hadn’t been able to muster much sincere interest. Of what significance were the studies of a girl—however well-born—without power?
Of course, if they knew the truth…
The long window behind me—closed in an effort to keep out the late summer heat—rattled slightly. I spun around, but not in time to block the hand that caught me around the wrist and tugged me outside.
I stumbled into the gardens, trying to restore my balance so I could wrench myself free. My darting eyes looked for Captain Layna, my usually alert personal guard, but there was no sign of her. Instead my eyes fell on someone far more chilling. Castor, my aunt’s personal guard.
The experienced and powerful mage had stood protectively at her back since before she ascended to the throne. What possible reason could he have to attack me now?
And I couldn’t doubt it was an attack. Although he let me go as soon as I was clear of the ballroom, he whipped out an entire pile of compositions, showing no hesitation as he ripped them all. I couldn’t tell specifics, but I sensed the vague intent of the unleashed power as it rushed toward me. It was coming to wound and to bind me. What he intended after that, I could only guess. I had expected boredom and irritation at the ball but not physical danger.
I had a shield around me—both a habit and an expectation for a royal at court—but I could already tell it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the onslaught of such a powerful mage. Not that I needed a shield to protect myself. But for a precious second, I wavered. If I acted, it would reveal my true abilities.
The power hit my shield, dissolving it instantly and rushing for me. As soon as it hit, my arms and legs became rigid. I toppled and fell to the ground.
Pain lanced through me before I even hit the gravel beneath our feet. The burning sensation cleared the fog of indecision in my mind. I might not understand why, but this was an attack with serious intent, and I couldn’t afford to hold back.
“Take control.” I gasped the words through another wave of pain. I was gripped by multiple compositions, but my mind seized on the one causing my agony.
“Send it back,” I muttered as soon as it came under my direction. The pain immediately fell away.
The composition flew back toward my attacker, but the power fueling it beat itself out uselessly against his shield. I frowned. What was Castor—a personal guard—doing with such a strong shield? But then what was he doing attacking one of the members of the family he had sworn to protect?
He pulled out another composition, so I stopped thinking and ground out four more commands to take control. One by one, the compositions attacking me faltered and twisted beneath my words. I sent them all back toward their creator in a steady stream that beat against his shield.
The third one broke through his protections, and the fourth one felled him just as he was reaching for yet another parchment. I slowly stood, testing my trembling muscles, and schooling my face into granite. I gave my skirts an extra shake, frowning down at the dirt now clinging to them.
I had purposefully sent the binding composition last. So as I strolled toward Castor, he lay rigid on the ground before me, his reaching hand stilled.
I stood over him, staring down at his prone form with knit brows. An involuntary shudder ran through me as my body remembered the way his composition had set all my nerve endings on fire. Turning his own compositions against him no longer felt like enough.
“Connect,” I growled.
Instantly I was inside his energy, with full access to his ability. Knowledge and compositions unfurled before me, organized and concise. Curiosity edged out some of my anger as I sensed open connections of power trailing away from him.
For half a second, I thought of my old year mate Tyron, and his father Conall—the energy mage who led the Tarxi. His ability to steal and keep small pieces of the energy of others—thus binding them to his will in some way—was the stuff of nightmares. Was someone controlling my aunt’s personal guard? I was in even more danger than I had feared if so.
But a moment later I realized that these threads originated with Castor himself, and their flavor was one of protection not control. I pushed deeper, only to be brought back to an awareness of my surroundings by a new voice.
“Enough, Niece.”
I pulled back, severing the connection instinctively. Queen Lucienne of Ardann stepped forward out of the shadows. The deep gold of her dress glittered as it caught reflected light from the ballroom. The material had been embroidered with flecks of obsidian, darkening the gold and allowing her to blend into the shadows or shine under light.
“Aunt.” I dipped into the shallowest of curtsies, regarding her with a hard eye.
I should have known Castor wouldn’t be far from the queen. I just hadn’t considered that a member of my own family might be behind the attack. But as silence stretched between us, my confusion grew deeper. My aunt knew the truth about me and my abilities, and she had no shortage of resources to draw on. Castor’s attack seemed designed to capture or harm me. But my aunt must know she would need more than a single guard, however powerful, to stand a chance of succeeding.
I wanted to accuse and question her, but I had never been more conscious that my parents were away and my aunt was far more than just my aunt. So we continued to stand in silence, facing each other.
Movement behind us shattered the stillness, making me start. My muscles clenched in anticipation of another attack. But the person who burst through the long window calmed at the sight of me. Captain Layna—my own personal guard—faltered, her eyes flicking between me and the queen before dropping to the bound man at my feet. She frowned and looked back at me.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I was distracted…” Her frown deepened as her eyes lingered on the face of her superior—now lying helpless before me.
“I think that was arranged on purpose.” I forced myself to keep my voice light. “You couldn’t be expected to know your own commanders might be a threat to me.”
Layna shook her head. “On the contrary, Your Highness. It’s my job to see everyone and everything as a potential threat.”
My aunt gave a soft laugh. “They told me you were a bright young star among the guards, and I can see they were right.” Her eyes swung in my direction. “And that’s why we needed you distracted.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Layna said, her tone hesitant given she addressed her queen. But as she spoke, she moved to stand behind me, a comfortingly solid presence at my back.