Page 114 of The Court of Secrets
The crowd reached the entirety of the courtyard. A block had been raised for me to stand on. People continued to join the swelling crowd surrounding trader wagons that had been left discarded by the tall walls.
Nissa, Florence, Adius, and Morgana were not there, from what I could see. They had to still be carrying out their tasks, and for the first time, I was without friend or family, standing alone with only a court of people I’d shared pleasantries with on occasion. I barely knew any of them, but they all knew me and stared up with anticipation on their faces. In front of me, guards stood along with my new general. This could get ugly, fast.
I moved my gaze over my people. I may not have had personal relationships with them, but they meant a great deal to me. Every person there was a part of a kingdom that embodied strength and courage. Mangaloreans were known to every kingdom as being hardworking, to fight for what they believed in and so much more than their magic. They were innovators, always booming new trade into the markets when it had barely touched other lands.
I stepped onto the erected steps and onto the wood box. It was far sturdier than it appeared. I cleared my throat, projecting my voice. “I thank you for gathering with me today.”
Silence befell them, and pricks of cold ran through me.
“Magaelor is such a beautiful kingdom, filled with hardworking, honorable people of every birthright.” I looked over the wall at the city in the distance. “We have undergone many trials, battles, and wars. We have emerged stronger each time. I could not be any prouder to be your queen and a luna.” Ferocity kept me upright as I spilled more words. “For those of you who have fought for Magaelor or have lost your loved ones to it, I am grateful for your bravery. I say all of this today, for I have come to give news that will be painful for many of you to hear.” I took a couple of deep breaths in, glancing out over the crowd, my eyes falling on everyone and no one. “We have been betrayed.”
Many gasped and turned toward each other. I cleared my throat again, projecting my voice over the whispers.
“Our high priest lied to us.”
I waited a couple of minutes for the crowd to settle. I parted my lips, hoping I was saying the right words, the ones that wouldn’t lead to utter carnage. “I understand this is difficult to hear. It was equally as heartbreaking for me, but we are more than our magic,” I explained. “We have been told, as have our loved ones and the ancestors before us, that we are given power from the spirit realm.” My stomach dipped. “When the matter of truth is we have, unknowingly, been stealing it from the souls of those who have passed on. Every time we use magic, the souls of the people we love are in suffering. They are trapped in a realm built by the elder ancestors so they could remain immortal and kept hidden by high priests and kings before me. I didn’t want to continue their legacy and protect myself.”
Shouting erupted. Some were angry, other questioning, and many rushed toward me. Some stood stunned to the spot. The guards took our their swords, and the general stood at my side. I stepped back as one man tried to force his way through.
A common man, a trader it seemed, stood in front of my guards, next to him, a few more stood, creating another barrier ahead of the guards, protecting me.
“She’s right.” The trader man shouted. “I could feel it too!”
“I implore you to find out the truth for yourself!” I shouted as loudly and clearly as I could, earning some silence among the front rows. “Go to the river in the sacred part of the forest and speak to the ancestors yourselves.”
The statement was enough to calm most of them. I should have led with it. Some still shouted, but as word traveled back, many dispersed. A few threw things in my direction, one calling me a heretic and a false queen before leaving.
I was escorted back inside but looked over my shoulder before I did as the masses walked away from the castle in the direction of the forest. Only a few stayed behind, seeming to take my word for it, and from what I could see, a small group had gathered at the back, including the man who’d called me a heretic.
Adius finally appeared, rushing toward me, and tried to catch his breath. “Your mother is being kept in your room, as many wouldn’t think to look there.”
“Good thinking.” I said and walked beside him. “I told the people. It went as good as it could go, I suppose. Most of them have gone to the forest. Adius, you need to tell the general to go with his men to filter them and to go back against Louis and Gregoir’s soldiers who are guarding the entrance.”
“He won’t have enough to fight them, but Florence is talking to Lord Edur. Still, even with him and others on our side, there’s simply not enough of us.”
I swallowed hard. Lifting my chin, I marched in the direction of a man who could potentially help: Lord Abor. A maddening scream erupted behind me. I turned and watched one of the guards fall, blood seeping through his uniform.
Behind him, a young man with flour on his neck and cheek, wearing an apron, was wrestled to the ground. In his hand, he held a knife. “This is for the ancestors. She needs to die. The heretic must be killed.”
My heart pounded when I saw the determined glint in his hungry stare.
Adius wrapped his arm over my shoulders and forced me away from the scene. “This way. We will need to keep you safe until we can secure the castle.”
“Secure it? With what men?” Tears pricked my eyes. “I can’t hide away and wait for someone believing they’re doing the ancestors bidding to come and drive a knife into my back. I must find Lord Abor. He’s the only chance we have at fighting back. He has influence. Once the soldiers at the forest learn we’ve arrested their lords, there will be only more uproar.”
He relented, looking up and shaking his head. “He’s in the banquet room. I will have him brought to you. Go to my chambers. No one will think to look for you there.”
“With a target on my head, Adius, you should get my mother away from my room too. They will go there now just to find me.”
He nodded and walked away as the other two guards looked at each other, then escorted me to Adius’s room in the east wing.
***
Florence’s clothes were strewn over the backs of chairs and the bed, and her pearls and earrings shone from the dresser. It may have been Adius’s chambers, but Florence had taken it over. I cleared an ottoman and sat on the silver plush, under an arrow of yellow light gleaming in through the top window. I had been in there for an hour, and Lord Abor still had not come. The anticipation of what was happening out there was killing me. My anxiety remained spiked, swirling nausea in my stomach as I waited. The final glows of sunlight poured in. I loved sunsets, but it only brought more worry as day fell into night. People felt braver under the cover of darkness, which only made me more nervous.
Finally, the doors swept open, and Adius marched inside with Florence. Her blonde waves had been pulled up at the back of her head. She wore dark green pants with a sheath on her belt and a dagger with an emerald-embedded handle. Her white top was tucked into her pants, and her boots were laced up at the fronts. Adius wore armor and had his battle sword in his scabbard.
“This isn’t good. Where is Lord Abor?”
