When I called Rose over, she approached me hesitantly. “I need you to prepare Maple’s celebration of life. I might not be able to attend but—”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I understand, and I would be honored.”
She left, and I was about to call over someone else when Jasper spoke from behind me.
“You rang?” Jasper appeared with Trissa at his side.
Relief washed over me. “You didn’t leave.”
He tipped his head. “I am loyal to you, Princess.”
I rolled my eyes. “And our deal.”
He grinned. “And our deal. I hear there is a nice, unused castle in the Fall Court. Maybe I’ll make that my lands to lord over.”
Figured. “Yeah, well, we need to get the crystals back first.”
Jasper rubbed the snake tattoo on his forehead. “Yes, Liam left with his brothers and the army.” Then, he winced. “He took the Sword of Night, too.”
Yeah… he did.
The one thing that would help us control his dad. It panged my heart for a minute that he took his brothers… Would they be safe out there on Earth? He didn’t trust me with his family? His dad had already kidnapped one of them… But it wasn’t my problem. I never said his brothers or the army had to go. I only told him that he had to go. He was a liar and a two-faced scum bag, and if I saw him out in the real world, trying to take my crystals, I’d kill him.
Chapter 2
I wanted to leave right then and start tracking the crystals, but the village was in shock over having a living royal… two for that matter. Word spread, and then they were calling for a coronation ceremony. Elle took a book from the elder library on royal protocols and read the entire thing, cover to cover, in an hour.
I wanted to go out there and fight, get these crystals back or, at least, track them before they were hidden, but my people wanted leadership, and the elders were making me nervous. Aubin and Indra were whispering off on the sidelines. I wasn’t sure what they were plotting, but it couldn’t be good.
Kira curled my hair while Elle set a wreath of flowers around each of my wrists.
“So, they’re not crowning me Queen, right?” Nerves churned in my gut. The real Queen was sleeping. I was just a princess and didn’t even know I was one until recently.
Elle held open her book, peering down at it. “In a moment of the current reigning Queen being indisposed, the princess can be crowned Acting Queen until the original monarch can carry out her duties.”
Acting what?
She must have seen the confusion cross my face.
“You’re a temp Queen. Just until the real one wakes up.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding. Okay. Temp Queen. I could do that.
There was a knock on my front door, and Trissa opened it. She had been stationed at my door in full battle gear as if she expected the entire village to come after me now that it was public knowledge I was a royal.
It was Jasper.
“Come in!” I yelled over to him, and Trissa reluctantly let him pass.
The warlock crossed the room and looked around at my living room, his gaze lingering on a scratch in the coffee table.
“As your royal warlock advisor,” he drawled, “I came to give you some advice.”
“Advice on getting the crystals back?” I perked up.
He chuckled, clasping his hands, “No. Advice on keeping up appearances.” He waved around my modest childhood home.
“What do you mean?” I gave him a glare.
Taking a deep breath, he motioned again to the space around him. “Although this place is… charming, it’s not fit for a princess. You should have the elders move out of the Tree of Life home, and you should take up residence there with your guards.”
Kira, Elle, and I all dropped our jaws.
“You want her to kick the elders out of their home?” Kira snort-laughed.
Was he trying to get me killed?
Jasper looked at Kira like she was a speck on his shoe. “First of all, that’s not the elders’ home. It’s the Tree of Life prayer hall, or it used to be before the elders commandeered it.” He looked deadpan at me. “And secondly, yes, I expect you to protect the Queen and the Tree. How can you do that with those traitors living in there?”
I blew out air through my teeth. So he knew what Indra was up to? Changing memories so that everyone in the village didn’t know of my lineage? Drugging the Queen with a sleeping potion. Caging my mom and cuffing Mara…
Shit.
Maybe he had a point… Why would I allow them to keep their titles and claim on the Tree of Life home?
“The Tree of Life prayer hall has always been a holy place, owned by the crown,” Jasper informed me. I wanted to ask him how he knew all of this, but he wouldn’t answer me anyway.
“He’s right,” Trissa acknowledged.
Finally, they agreed on something.
“I’ve always envied Rose’s room with the large stained-glass windows,” Elle said.
I scoffed. “Seriously, you agree with him?”
She nodded.
“Me too,” Trissa called from the door. “I’ll take Aubin’s room, and I can protect you and the Queen better.”
Her mention of the Queen… my biological mother, settled it for me. I didn’t want my first command as an acting royal to be kicking the elders out of their home, but I had to protect the Queen at all costs.
“For the Queen, then.”
Jasper clasped his hands together. “Please let me be the one to tell them.”
I rolled my eyes. “You need to lie low. Go prepare for our trip. As soon as this coronation is over, we’re going hunting for crystals.”
With a frown, he saluted me and left.
Craning my neck, I met Trissa’s gaze. “Do you think that you could tell the elders…” I hedged.
She straightened her spine. “Absolutely, Princess.”
I pointed a finger at her. “Stop it. Call me Lily.”
She winked. “Do you have an official letter you want me to deliver?” she asked.
Elle nodded. “Yes. I’ll draft it up.”
Wow.
My friends had rallied around me and supported this crazy situation, and for a small second, I’d forgotten that Liam killed my mother… until now. My gaze fell onto my living room couch, and I remembered the kiss we had there. That seemed like forever ago. How could I have been so stupid?
Now that I thought about it, there were times he probably tried to tell me. I knew he had a dark past. I knew he’d killed people. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he killed my mother.
“You’re ready.” Kira bowed her head. The music had started outside, and suddenly I felt like this was all a big unnecessary show.
“The crystals are missing. The village is in shambles,” I said. “We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not appropriate.”
Elle shook her head. “Our people need this. They need someone to look up to, something to look forward to.”
I sighed, standing, and looked in the mirror.
I’d refused to wear a gown. I wanted to do this ceremony for legal reasons and to boost morale, and then I was jumping into the blue door and heading to New York to the Seeker Stone. But even in my hunting clothes, I looked beautiful. Kira had done my makeup, curled my hair, and with the floral bracelets, it was a nice touch.