Page 34 of The Witch Queen

“You think too highly of yourself. The females are simply welcoming you, as Irequestedthey do.”

“Tell yourself whatever you need to.” I give her a wink, then dip her low before pulling her back close to my chest, committing the feel of her pressed against me to memory. Changing the subject before I do something I’ll regret, I add, “Your magic is impressive. I understand why my father wanted me to learn more about it.” She tenses, but I squeeze her tightly. “Relax, I’m not trying to get information out of you. You can keep your secrets, witchling. I’m just in awe.” She gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me, eyes narrowed in skepticism and lips flattened. “Truly,” I assure her, and I’m surprised at the truth of the statement. “It was not… easy, for me, learning to control the massive power I had on my own. My father isn’t a light channeler, and my mother died when I was young. I had no one to guide me. I imagine it was similar for you.” I’m telling her things only Fionn and Silene know, hinting at the past that has formed me into who I am today. It makes me feel untethered. Her eyes meet mine in the briefest moment of shared vulnerability, and it lights me up from the inside out.

“Yes, it was difficult for me.” The words are practically a whisper, like she’s afraid of admitting even this tiniest of vulnerabilities. She swallows, and my attention drags across her throat, my blood heating. “Many days it still is. There are still manysecrets, as you say, that I’ve yet to uncover about myself and my magic.” Her brows furrow, like she doesn’t know why she’s saying this.

“If you wanted to train together, I’d welcome that. Whatever secrets we uncover, I’ll take to my grave.” There I go again, speaking words I’ve hardly thought about before they cross my lips. I’ve always been impulsive, but being around Laurel unlocks a whole new level of rash behavior. “My magic feels new to me all over again with the strength of the aether here. It requires more finesse than I’m used to. I’m sure there’s much I could learn from you. And maybe theShining Princecan teach you a thing or two.” I give her a grin, and this time she blushes. Those pink cheeks set my skin on fire, and I wrap my arm tighter around her. She doesn’t pull away.

The dance ends too soon, and she gives me a slight bow. “Thank you for the offer. I’ll consider it, Hawthorne.”

An involuntary and genuine smile breaks out across my features when she drops my title, using only my name. It’s a small gesture, but one that makes something in my chest dance with excitement. I bow deeply and drag myself away from her side, telling myself the energy I feel is only because I’m finally making progress in my mission here. If I can get her to train with me, I might get answers out of her. That’s all the dancing butterflies in my stomach mean.

Several more females and even a bold human woman approach me for dances, and I agree to them all, charming them with winks and grins that feel hollow. I play my part well, keeping all the attention in the room on me to distract from my missing entourage. It’s a role I know too intimately, used to keeping up the persona of the Shining Prince in the Velmaran court. It’s never felt comfortable, but tonight it makes my skin crawl more than usual, especially each time my eyes catch Laurel watching me while I dance or flirt with another.

My senses stay honed on Fionn and Silene. While I can’t sense their precise location with my magic, I do sense their movements. When they pace in the short repetitive pattern we practiced, my eyes scan the courtyard for Laurel. I find her sitting in a corner near a fire pit, speaking with Admon. I give her a nod, and her eyes tell me she understands. There’s nothing to indicate she’s used an enormous amount of magic, but Silene appears by my side only moments later.

“Excuse me, but would you mind terribly if I danced with my betrothed?” Silene asks my dance partner. “I’ve barely had a moment to speak with him this evening with all the new faces to greet, and I find I miss his company.” She beams, and the female practically falls over herself in her haste to give my hand to Silene.

“Nicely done,” I say low enough for only her to hear. “How did it go?” We twirl into an extravagant dance, all eyes on us, and I give her an exaggerated kiss on the cheek to cement in the party goers’ minds that they did indeed see Silene and me together. She pretends to blush, giving me a shy and demure smile before answering my question.

“Perfectly, actually. The guards Laurel stationed saw the rebels at the right moment. They pursued us just long enough to justify their job but quickly gave up when Fionn surrounded them with weapons. I expect they’ll be reporting to Carex shortly.”

“Well done,fiancé,” I tease. She scoffs but quickly hides the expression by touching her forehead to mine, like we’re whispering sweet confessions to one another.

“Fionn’s the real star of the show. He bent the metal bars of the cells faster than I’ve ever seen, despite his magic being dampened down in the prison. Even the rebels were impressed. They had several metal channelers with them who asked him to teach them at their next meeting.”

“Let’s hope this gains us their trust and that we’ll be able to meet with their leaders soon. I’m eager to provide something useful to Laurel.”

“Somethinguseful,huh? Guess your winks and simpering stares aren’t all that useful to Her Majesty,” Silene goads me.

I stifle a laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I feign. “I simply want to secure our alliance.”

“Analliancethat gets you into her bed, you mean. You’re obsessed with her. You can’t keep your eyes off her. We’re going to have to publicly break up if you keep staring at her the way you do.” She gives me a wide smile.

“I do notstareat her,” I scoff. “I’m just… intrigued by her. That’s all. And I’m trying to get closer to her so that we can learn more. May I remind you it was ourplanfor me to use my impressively good looks to get her to open up.”

She gives me a long, hard look, eyebrows raised and lips pursed. The song ends, and I dip her low before bringing her up and kissing her forehead, then tuck her arm through mine and exit the dance floor. As we’re walking back to our seating area, I spot Laurel, and her eyes… For a brief moment, I think I catch hurt in them. Or is it anger? She’s so hard to read, but I suddenly regret the public display of affection I just engaged in with Silene. I drop Silene’s arm, but it’s too late. Laurel has turned away to speak with someone else. We attend so many of these kinds of events in Velmara that it’s practically second nature to give her light kisses and pull her close. Silene’s safety in Velmara hinges on our ability to convince the nobles there that we truly are engaged, despite the rumors about my mistress.

We approach Fionn, whose expression is studious, his body tense.

“All good, Fionn?” I ask. He nods. “Then lighten up a little,” I tell him with a shove in the ribs. “Don’t look so serious.”

“The guards who saw the rebels have arrived. I’m just monitoring the situation,” he growls. I put my arm around his shoulder and casually turn him away from where I see the Captain in discussion with three guards, brows furrowed.

“We don’t want to show any interest in the situation. Go find a pretty female to ask to dance.”

He glares at me, then turns to Silene and puts his arm out. “Care to dance, pretty female?” She giggles as she takes his arm, and they walk to the dance floor.

“That’s not what I meant!”

Fionn gives me a rude hand gesture that sends Silene into a new fit of giggles. I feign annoyance but am happy to see them enjoying themselves after the events of the evening.

There’s a commotion near Laurel. The Captain of the Guard is speaking loudly to her and a group of her advisors. I don't like the way he stands over her, like he's trying to show off that he's in charge. Before I can do anything about it, he stalks toward me, the group at his heels. Iron cuffs wrap around my wrists, and I look up at Laurel as she reaches me. Her face is stony and indifferent, not giving anything away.

“Prince Hawthorne, there has been a breach in palace security,” Carex says. “We’re arresting you and your advisors.”

Nemesia

Velmara has the largest and most complete collection of texts on magic and the history of our world. Scholars wishing to visit Velmara’s archives are required to submit a request that includes their research topic and justification for their visit. It is estimated that ninety percent of requests are denied by the librarians who run the collection.

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