“You’re sweet on him.”Celesta made a kissing motion as she teased her older sister.
Aizel shook her head. Sol was hardworking and kind, but he was constantly serious and only ever worried about the work he had to do. Not that she had time to be sweet on anyone.
Since the goldenreign of her twelfth year, she had worked as a diver—or “fish” as the Quotidian taskers called them. No matter how tumultuous the weather or the waves, she spent every day combing the bottom of the sea for oysters. And when she came back up, she was too exhausted to even think about being sweet on a boy. That was a luxury she would never be given.
But there was a luxury she planned on taking, if not for herself than for her sister and her parents.
“Good night, my shining star.” Aizel reached down and touched her sister’s cheek, committing it to memory.
“Rest well.”Celesta cradled Aizel’s hand against her face.
With a final smile, Aizel stood and left the room before fresh tears could spill.
Tonight, she was leaving.
Chapter 3
Erich’s heart pounded as he stood by his brother’s bed. Ian’s ball had been a wonderful success—despite his older brother’s attempt to keep it as controlled as possible. Erich had lost himself in the energy of the music and the dancing, leading partner after partner through the swirling chaos on the polished dance floor. He could have gone on forever, smiling and laughing and dancing.
His only complaint was that the evening had been cut short. Not that he blamed Ian for that. A Majis had infiltrated the attendants and attacked their brother Aden.
Aden was the third son of the family, directly older than Erich by two years. At the moment, he was peacefully sleeping in his own bed. But he had been transformed into some sort of human-shaped beast and they had no idea what would happen when he awoke. Two of the palace guards flanked his bed just in case he would act as wild as he appeared.
Erich felt completely helpless as he stared at him. No one deserved this, least of all bookish Aden. He glanced around the room, eager to find something else—anything else—to occupy his mind.
Ian ran a hand through his hair. Erich thought he looked slightly green, as though he were about to be sick. “This is all my fault,” Ian muttered to himself. “The attack was aimed at me.”
Erich’s jaw tensed.
He was no good in situations like this. His biggest strength was that he knew exactly what his own strengths were—a fact he was quite proud of.
He was very good at engaging with others and making sure everyone was excited and happy. He prided himself on turning the most uninspiring and stressful situations into an enjoyable experience. That particular strength was no use at the moment. No one was supposed to be enjoying themselves when their brother could be dying. This was a tragic situation, one in which you were supposed to be sad and morose.
He had nothing to offer here.
Feeling overwhelmed by uselessness, Erich quietly worked his way around the edge of the room toward the half-open door.
Before he could make his escape, a whispered conversation taking place just outside in the hallway reached his ears.
“Councilor Munney is safely secured, Your Majesty,” a voice reported.
“He does not deserve the title of councilor,” Erich’s father replied. “The only title he deserves are words I cannot utter in front of my wife.”
“Frederich.” Erich could hear the quiet reprimand in his mother’s voice.
“He’s a monster, Cara,” King Frederich said. “Only a monster could willingly create another monster. I knew the Majis were capable of horrors, but this... it is less than human.”
“Donotcall our son a monster.” His mother’s voice caught in a strangled sob.
Erich had rarely heard his mother cry, and the sound made him want to both hug her and run as far away from her as possible. If Queen Cara was crying, the situation was truly dire.
Erich’s father felt the same way. “If Munney was not under Gareth’s jurisdiction, I would go to the dungeons now and strangle him for this.” Erich had never heard his level-headed father sound this raw with anger.
Erich couldn’t walk out the door while such an intimate conversation was taking place just outside of it. He bit his lower lip as panic swelled inside him. He had to get out of this suffocating room.
“Frederich.” His mother’s voice held a note of warning. “Justice and mercy make you a worthy king. Not anger.”
“Mercy? This monster deserves no mercy. Some lives are more important than others and his is worthless. I hope Gareth can see that justice is properly done, I will be asking for retribution.”
