Page 56 of Her Royal Blood

I followed behind them as Polonius hefted Halo up the stairs.

“Back to your quarters. You will help me find her,” he spat out. “I have to see about my troops.” He threw her into the room then grabbed the pitaya silk from the floor and roughly muscled it around her arms, then pulled her to the chair, tying her back up.

“I don’t know where Aria is? I thought she married you,” Halo’s voice was worried, but calm as he roughly bound her arms and hands.

“I don’t care, you will find her with your magic. I’m sure if you try hard enough, her image will come to you. And,” hefinished tying her binds. “If you fight me or use your magic against me, you’ll be as dead as that girl is, do you understand?” Polonius moved his face near Halo.

“I understand,” she said in a small and distant voice.

“As soon as I find Aria, she’ll be my wife, but soon, I’ll make you marry me as well. Every powerful female mage in Tobran will be wed to me, and thus will be under my control. Prepare.” An evil smile crossed his face, one that was completely devoid of empathy. “Soon you shall be married.”

I waited for Polonius's steps to retreat. As soon as the room was deathly silent I removed the cloaking spell and united Halo’s hands. I sniffled and fought back tears while I worked and Halo simply sobbed. Again without words, I motioned with my head to the window. Halo followed me. We both had just enough strength to cloak ourselves in invisibility as we carefully climbed down from the second floor of my newly reconstructed palace using the stones and vines as footholds as we carefully climbed down the walls.

When we reached the ground, still invisible, but drenched in sweat with our hearts racing we made it through the streets, dodging Crypt Claw warriors, whose numbers had doubled as they prepared to march. Halo and I made it a few miles from the gates of Onyx Rah before we both had to stop using our magic.

“I have a pack,” I breathed, trying to get enough air. “And clothes,” was all I was able to say as I pulled the pack out of the fold in space and time.

We rummaged around inside of the pack and found something for Halo to wear so she wasn’t noticed. I still had on a servant’s uniform, so I changed my tunic to something rustic and less conspicuous. I knew by nightfall the Crypt Claw warriors would be marching in the streets so Halo and I kept to the treeline. We had to make it to the Obsidian Valley before Polonius and the Crypt Claw did. We didn’t say anything to oneanother, not until we were safely in the Obsidian Valley which took us most of the day on foot. We didn’t dare shift into our wolves because Polonius was on the lookout for blond wolves.

By the time we made it to Laura Goldlace's house Halo and I collapsed at her front door. She opened it and gasped.

“Halo? Aria?” She said as we did our best to get up and drag ourselves into her living room while she closed and locked the door behind her.

“Water,” Halo begged and let her head fall upon Lara’s soft brown carpet.

All I did was breathe and stare at the ceiling. Both Halo and I had not spoken and barely breathed as we sped along the forest floor in our journey to reach the Obsidian Valley. We got to Laura's house just after nightfall and were ahead of Polonius's troops enough not to be spotted by them. Laura helped us both onto the couch and gave each of us a cool tall glass of water, which we drank greedily still not saying anything.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me what’s going on here,” Lara said as she patiently waited for us to drink our water. “But I will say,” Lara’s voice softened to a sweet timber. “I am so glad to see you little sister.”

Lara reached her arms out to Halo who fell into them and sobbed in her embrace. Tears came from me too, they were hard to hold back. Lara extended one of her arms to me and took my hand. “I’m so glad to see you both alive.”

We stayed that way, holding Lara and crying for a while, untilHalo and I had the strength to talk to her sister.

“Polonius is on the march to Navarrah City,” Halo said, in an almost crazed desperation.

“I’m sure he is, but the two of you are a mess. Nothing is going to happen tonight. You escaped him, and I’m going to keep you both safe. No one will get to you. Tomorrow I’ll reach out to Xavier and see what we can do. Cheyenne Redveign was here afew days ago asking for our help with the fight in Navarrah City. I said we wouldn’t act against Polonius until we knew Halo was safe. Lara looked at me and smiled an evil grin.

“I mean, you married the man so…” She played and shrugged her shoulders. “There wasn’t much we could do for you.”

“Actually a beautiful, faithful, and amazing woman who was a good friend of ours married Polonius under a decoy spell, and tonight she lost her life pretending to be me.” My tears flooded from my eyes finally speaking of Gabrielle’s death.

I couldn’t control my sobbing as I heaved and convulsed around the grief that had seized my heart. .

“I’m so sorry,” Lara said with true remorse and sadness. “She’s a fallen soldier, then who died like so many have, in battle.”

Lara touched her hand to her heart and Halo I did the same in remembrance of Gabrielle as I sobbed and cried. Halo joined me in tears and Lara simply watched unable to staunch or quell our sorrow.

“She died for all of us..” I bowed my head. “And now we have to kill Polonius. But my troops are under his command and Navarrah City is doing well at the moment, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to sustain it if Polonius puts all of his military might into defeating them.” I felt like, despite our triumphs we were still going to lose.

“As I said, we will go to the Lupine Coalition tomorrow and I’ll see who I can wrangle. I know a fair amount of murderers and thugs who might just love to kick some Crypt Claw ass,” she laughed and because it was desperately needed I laughed too.

“Tonight, both of you are going to eat and get a bath.” With that she gave us a look like we must have really stunk. “And to bed. I’ll call in some of my guys to watch the house while you get some much needed rest. You’re not going to fight me or pull any of this Royal duty bullshit. You two look completely fucked.It’s my house and in it, you do what I say.” I kind of loved her for being such a badass, because Halo and I really did need to be ordered to rest and recover.

I needed to cry and truly grieve the loss of one of my only friends. Gabrielle and I grew up as servants in the Bevata estate. She used to steal extra biscuits for me on cold and rainy days when we’d have tea in our rooms, “like proper ladies,” she’d say. She’d mend the holes in my uniforms, knowing that I’d get in trouble for them. I hated asking Nana Mavia to do things like that because she was so busy, but I was horrible with a needle and thread. All Gabrielle ever wanted was to be loved and needed, and I’d failed her, failed to keep her safe. I sobbed all night long until I fell into a grief dazed slumber that left a whole in my heart that would never be filled.

The next day, I awoke unhappy to discover that I’d slept for most of the day as the sun was already starting to set. I looked over at Halo’s bed to find that she was also still asleep. Having been in captivity for the two weeks, Halo needed to recover from overusing her magic and the constant stress of being under Polonius’ watchful eye and she had grieved Gabrielle too. She also cried for most of the night. They’d been together continuously since Polonius married Gabrielle. I quietly got out of bed so as not to wake her, when my senses tightened and I was on the alert. I felt Lex’s wolf and smelled his scent; I knew he had to be nearby. I quickly opened the door to the sound of voices.

“You two look like and smell like shit,” Lara said, sounding annoyed. “Even worse than Aria and Halo and there was nothing fragrant about them. So, you’re going to bathe before dinner.”

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