Courtly Masquerade Read online

  “It is only me,” Conlan said, sitting next to my bed. “Just me.” He wiped the hair from my eyes as he smiled at me.

  My heart was pattering a hundred times faster than normal. “Your hand was so cold on mine.”

  “You’re still feverish.”

  I looked around the small bedchamber where two chairs sat, one on either side of the bed I imagined where people had watched me during the night. Otherwise there was nothing else except one small bedside table and a chest for clothes in the corner of the room.

  “Where’s Moravia?”

  “Asleep in my bed. She was up with you half of the night. You tossed and turned and talked in your sleep.”

  I’d dreamed about the Dark One. Of course. With all of the talk about him, he would be on my mind in my feverish state.

  “Did I say anything interesting?”

  Conlan smiled. “Mostly she said you mumbled in your sleep. But at one point you clearly stated, ‘I will stop you, mark my words, Zars, oh Dark One. You will find no peace when I come for you.’ Moravia loved it. She said you’d make a great warrior mage.”

  “Oh, sure, in my sleep I’m very brave.”

  He chuckled. “You are very brave. No woman I would know would jump from a moving carriage down a mountain to save herself.”

  I snorted. “Well, I wasn’t smart enough to know we were traveling cliff side.”

  The dimples appeared in his cheeks. “No woman has ever dared steal the prince’s purse.”

  I raised a brow. “You left me no choice when you took mine.”

  “For safekeeping.”

  I smiled. “I took yours for the same reason.”

  “And you tried to spend it.” He still held my hand, his fingers softly caressing mine.

  “Necessity only. Once I finished using the maps I would have given them to you.”

  “Ha! Little good would that have done me. They would have appeared blank to me.”

  She smiled.

  ***

  Later that afternoon, we had a nice lunch of stewed wild boar and a tasty sweet wine. But again, I seemed to fade away. By sunset, Benjorian knocked at the door.

  I opened my eyes to see Moravia sitting beside the bed on one side and Conlan on the other. Benjorian stepped into the room as Moravia told him to enter.

  “I have news, my lady,” Benjorian said to me, grinning. “You have really shaken the Dark One up. He came into my store today asking for the most powerful artifacts.”

  “And you sold them to him?” I must have been frowning pretty hard, because Conlan raised my hand to his lips and kissed it, I guessed to console me. I stared at him, wondering what had come over him. Again, he smiled.

  I turned back to Benjorian, waiting for my answer, figuring I’d have to have a word with Conlan about this other matter later.

  Benjorian nodded, vigorously with the same silly grin stretched across his face.

  I couldn’t believe it. My fellow mages were arming the Dark One to fight against me? Did they think it would make us more evenly matched? More of a challenge in the final duel between good and evil?

  Then his smile faded. “Oh, my lady. I forgot you don’t know much about mage ways.”

  “Please enlighten me.” I couldn’t help the edge to my voice.

  Again he smiled. “He cannot use them for his own dark purposes. No magical artifacts can be used in that way.”

  “But he wears rings on all his fingers.”

  “Yes. But none of them are anything more than mere decoration.” Benjorian wiggled the rings on his own fingers.

  “And the amulets?”

  “The same, my lady.” Benjorian rested his hands on his chest as if he were totally content. “You see he bought the items to ensure you didn’t have them to use against him.”

  “What’s good about that?” I asked, totally puzzled. Even if he couldn’t use the items, now neither could I.

  “It indicates...” He chuckled, so perfectly pleased. “He’s...he’s afraid of you. In celebration of your arrival here, we’re having a feast tonight—in your honor.”

  Conlan stood. “But she’s still feverish.”

  “Her dinner will be served here, my lord. This is a great day. A great day.”

  “I don’t understand how come he fears a mage who hasn’t even undergone any formal training,” I said.

  “Oh, my lady. You are the one. Don’t you see? And he knows it. Deep inside that dark heart of his, he knows you’ll be his undoing. He can buy all the artifacts he can to keep them from you, but you’ll bring him down in your own special way.”

  “You don’t know how, do you?” I could be optimistically hopeful. Though the way things were going, I didn’t expect life to be so simple.

  “No. But you do.”

  Great. It didn’t help boost my confidence when so many had so much faith in me based on some unfounded rumor. Certainly I had no faith in me.

  “Zars said he would harm the princess when she journeyed to Crondor,” I said.

  “Zars?” Conlan said.

  “The Dark One. He said—”

  “How did you know his name?” Conlan asked me.

  “Duke Farthington said it.”

  “When? He never mentioned it when we were at Ro Castle.”

  I rubbed my temple as a headache pooled there from trying to think too much. “No...no, I dreamed it.”

  “A dream?” Benjorian asked, his interest piqued.

  “Yes, he was eating a meal with Duke Farthington and Duke Yalovon. But it seemed so real that I thought—a”

  “He suddenly became spooked, stood up from his chair, and knocked it over?” Benjorian asked.

  I felt as though a million ants crawled over my skin. “Yes, that’s what happened. How did you know?”

  “A friendly mage in high places.” Benjorian suddenly clapped his hands together like a small boy who had just received his first pony. Again his pearly white teeth shown in a toothy grin. “Excellent. You are a shadow walker.” He turned to Conlan. “She is a shadow walker. Most excellent. I shall tell the others.”

  Before I could utter a word, Benjorian had slipped out through the doorway and his footsteps faded fast as he headed for the front door of his home.

  I looked at Conlan who raised his brows at me.

  I shrugged. “I’m worried that everyone’s faith in me is totally unjustified.”

  “You’re a shadow walker,” Conlan said, matter-of-factly.

  “What does that mean exactly?”

  “I haven’t a clue.”

  I looked at Moravia. She shook her head.

  Great. I was a shadow walker. Whatever that meant.

  Only minutes later, a slight, white bearded man entered the room as Moravia poured a glass of fresh water for me.

  “My lady,” he said, bowing low. Then he smiled. “Benjorian says you are a shadow walker. Did you speak to the Dark One?”

  “Yes.”

  His blue eyes rounded. “Pray tell, what did you say to him?”

  “She told him off,” Conlan said, proudly. “She stood up to him.”

  “She didn’t.” The man stroked his beard, and grinned. “I’m Neverat. You are the one.”

  He started to leave the room, but I stopped him. “Please, Neverat, tell me about this shadow walking.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, dear. I forget you have not had formal schooling. It is an ancient art where a mage can seek out another whenever and wherever they wish. Most times it’s used to ‘snoop’ on another. Only good mages can do this, mind you, and only for a good cause. But any who can talk to a mage while they’re shadow walking are even more rare. By ‘telling’ the Dark One ‘off’, you have warned him how very powerful you are. No wonder he was so shook up at the meal he shared with Duke Farthington and Duke Yalovon.”

  “Maybe I can shadow walk only when I’ve had your herbal drink. Or maybe only when I’m in your village.”

  “There’s not a whole lot of documentation about it. Shadow wa
lkers usually keep their ability secret so as not to alarm others they have this special ability. I’m afraid there are none among us who can do this, but you of course. Cantata is bringing meals for you. I must return to prepare for the celebration.”

  “Thank you.” Here I’d thought I’d told Zars off in a dream when I’d really told him off for real? I had to curb the urge to do that ever again.

  Conlan ran his hand over my arm. “I would have loved to have seen his face when he jumped from his seat.”

  “He was frightened. Only I thought it was just a very vivid dream.”

  All evening, mages dropped in to welcome me and to say how pleased they were to have a shadow walker among them. Several even told me to visit them anytime I wanted on my shadow walking journeys. But by late evening, Moravia finally closed the bedchamber door and ordered me to rest.

  Again, I found my sleep disturbed by a vision of the Dark One. Only this time he was at Creshion, back in his study at Prince Sumaria’s castle.

  My first thought was did he notice anything missing?

  In the beginning, he paced across the floor, then he sat down at his desk. For an inordinate amount of time he tapped his ringed fingers on the desk. Really irritating. I wanted to tell him to stop that and to practice a less annoying bad habit.

  Then he looked at his bookshelf. For a long time, he just stared at it. Then he rose from his seat, slowly. Though with his long legs he could have reached the shelves quickly, he covered the floor with a slow step as if he were afraid of what he might or might not find.

  Yet, I sensed he could tell that one of his books was missing. Was it one of his most favored ones? I hadn’t even had a chance to read it.

  He ran his fingers along the spines of the leather bound books and cursed.

  He stormed into his bedchambers. Within seconds, he rummaged through his wardrobe. Back and forth he shoved his cloaks. Looking for the green one?

  Not there, Zars. Sorry.

  He crossed the floor to his box of jewelry and jerked the lid open. He swept his fingers over the items, until I’m sure, he discovered what all was missing. Then he went to the main door and stared at it.

  How did I break in? Not a clue. Just happened.

  “You will regret having come here!” Zars shouted.

  “You will regret the day you were born,” I said in a low growl.

  Zars’ face turned white. He jerked the door to his quarters open and hurried into the hall. After slamming the door shut, he stormed off.

  I didn’t follow. Something else beckoned to me. A familiar voice.

  Princess Lynet’s.

  CHAPTER 15

  I followed the sound of Princess Lynet’s voice and found her in a chamber in Prince Sumaria’s castle where card and board games were sitting on six tables, the games room, evidently.

  She wore a light green dress and looked cross, as she pinched her brown brows, narrowed her brown eyes, and folded her arms across her waist.

  Prince Sumaria—every time I see him, my heart skips a beat thinking he is Conlan—smiled back at Lynet. The sight of them together made me want to stick my finger down my throat and gag.

  “Lyn,” he coaxed, his hands turned up and begging her to join him.

  She remained standoffish as she scowled at him. “What was this business of your soldiers taking me from market and escorting me here under guard?”

  His blond brows rose. “Princess, I was worried sick about you. First, you come to see me without escort. You’d braved an early winter storm. You’re deathly ill. And then without a word, you slip away back into the storm. My physician assured me you were delirious, which would account for your strange actions. But believe me, I was beyond worried for your safety. My soldiers had one order, bring you back to me at once, no matter if you protested or not.”

  Lynet gritted her teeth. “I was just about to buy a lovely emerald fabric, and—”

  “I will have my men return and buy every bit of it.”

  He took a step forward, but she held her hand up to discourage him.

  “I was not here, nor have I been here since the last time I sneaked away from Foxmoor.”

  Then a strange look crossed Lynet’s face. Did she think of me? Most likely.

  “What did this woman look like?” Lynet growled.

  Sumaria smiled. “Why you, Lyn. Why else would we have thought she was you?”

  “You didn’t kiss her, did you?”

  I nearly laughed. Not that I would have wanted a kiss from anyone who cared about, or at least pretended to care about, Lynet.

  “You were ill, my love.”

  “Ooooh,” she groaned and fisted her hands on her hips. “She was to see your brother. How did she ever get here instead?”

  “Prey pardon?”

  “My cousin.” Lynet began to pace. “I’ll have her head posted to the front gate.” She quit pacing. “What was she wearing?”

  “A lovely blue gown. Very regal.”

  “Where did she get a blue gown?”

  “Who are you talking about? Maybe you should lay down, sweet.” He touched her arm, and she jerked it away.

  I stifled the urge to laugh again. The prince thought she was still delirious.

  “My cousin...my cousin!” she screamed.

  “Now, dear, you will overexcite yourself and that wouldn’t do.”

  “Duchess Arabella,” she said through clenched teeth.

  When the prince didn’t react, she added, “She looks a lot like me. Not as pretty, but same coloration.”

  “If she wasn’t as pretty, she wasn’t here. What would she have been doing coming here anyway?”

  Lynet stormed off to the hall. The prince chased after her as I followed, drifting effortlessly.

  When she reached the chambers where I had slept, I realized she was about to investigate my stay here. I smiled.

  She pulled open drawers in a chest, then stared at where her purse of coins had lain. “Where’s my money?”

  The prince clicked his fingers and a lady, the smaller one who had waited on me earlier, entered the room.

  “Where’s my purse? The purse I had left here when I wanted extra money? Where is it?” Lynet’s voice had risen in a shrill-like hiss.

  “My lady, you asked if you had money here. When we said you did, you asked for us to get it for you.”

  “How dare you give my money to my cousin!” Lynet’s hand flew to strike the lady, but I quickly thwarted her by grabbing her hand and shoving her aside.

  The prince’s mouth gaped. The woman cowered. And Lynet fainted.

  I had nowhere else to be at the moment, so I decided to stick around a while longer. After a male servant deposited Lynet in the bed, the prince spoke to his physician.

  “I’m afraid the lady’s mind is quite fragile at the moment,” the doctor said. “It would be good to keep her heavily medicated for a few days until she is more herself. We should send word home to her father, however, that she is safe here.”

  “The old fool,” Prince Sumaria said. “If he’d gone along with our scheme, I wouldn’t have had to bother with this.” He waved his hand in disgust at Lynet.

  So the prince wasn’t so interested in the princess after all. But he wanted her kingdom? Conlan’s words again came back to haunt me. He would marry for power. His brother’s sentiments as well.

  Later that evening, Lynet woke. The servants were in the hall and being the terror that she was, I figured they wanted to stay out of her way as much as possible. Unsteadily, she climbed out of bed, then stared at her wardrobe container. I hoped my mother’s blue gown wouldn’t be there.

  Lynet crossed the floor to the wardrobe, then jerked it open and sifted through the gowns. Then she yanked out my mother’s gown and screamed, “Where did this come from?”

  Four women hurried into the room.

  “You wore it, Princess Lynette,” one of the braver women said.

  “If anyone else says I was here one more time—”

&n
bsp; Just then a man poked his head in. “Princess Lynet, the prince asks you to drink this for him.”

  “I will not drink anything. I want to know what else that hateful witch did when she was here. Tell me! What else did she do, besides take my money and...” She began to jerk her gowns in the wardrobe about. “What is missing? What is missing? What gown did she wear when she left here?”

  “Nothing,” I whispered in her ear, “half as grand as what I had worn here, dear princess.”

  I was very nice to her. Certainly, I said nothing to cause her to faint, I didn’t think.

  Nobody bothered to try and catch her either. Poor thing. She’d have quite a knot on her forehead by morning. Already the area was red and raised.

  The man said, “I will take her back to bed. But the physician says she must drink this to help calm her fears.”

  “Yes, my lord,” one of the women said, then smiled.

  I’m sure having the princess drugged, was the best thing for everyone concerned.

  * * *

  “Oh, Conlan,” Moravia said near my bedside. “Her fever is finally broken.”

  “Good, we must travel then,” Conlan said.

  “Are you so certain she should travel so soon after—”

  “I fear the mages here will not wish her to leave if we don’t go soon. You’ve seen how they visit with her all day long. They cherish her.”

  I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

  “Arabella, we must get you dressed and ready to ride. Do you feel up to it?” Conlan asked.

  “I feel much better. But I fear Zars will attempt to stop us.”

  “I’d hoped the mages would give you powerful artifacts,” Conlan said. “But I’m afraid they don’t want you to leave.”

  I nodded. “Perhaps somewhere along the way, we can find a mage’s store.” I motioned to Conlan to leave. “I must get dressed.”

  Basil hurried into the room. “Beg your pardon, my lord, ladies. Our men have disappeared.”

  Conlan hurried out of the room with Basil as Moravia quickly closed the door.

  My heart quickened its pace as I thought of the implications. Conlan’s men would have kept us safe from bandits who plagued the roads and woods at least. I couldn’t help but feel they were safe though. Was it a way for the village mages to deter us from going? Didn’t they know I had traveled alone for sometime on my own? Not having a large escort wouldn’t stop me.