Alex’s jaw dropped at the king’s declaration that she’d been acting like a drunken fool on purpose. She was even more surprised when the audience started applauding her performance, hesitantly at first, and then more boisterously.
D.C. pushed Alex forward to stand beside the king who whispered for her to take a bow. She’d never felt more uncomfortable in her life, but she did as she was told, and the people cheered louder as she curtsied.
“Now that the entertainment is over for the night, please continue to enjoy the celebrations,” said the king, and the guests slowly turned their attention away.
“That worked rather well, if I do say so myself.” King Aurileous sounded pleased. “Now, off you four go, and do try to stay out of trouble.”
The king walked away and Alex hoped he was off to explain to his wife the truth of what had happened.
“So Alex, how does it feel, being known as ‘The Inebriated Guest’?” Jordan asked, smirking.
Alex sent him a dry look. “Better than it felt being known as the assassin. I’m making my way up in the world.”
“What are you two even doing here?” D.C. interjected, and Alex was grateful for the change in topic.
“Don’t ask,” Jordan grumbled.
“Gee, thanks,” D.C. said, fluttering her eyelashes. “I’m glad you’re so excited about celebrating my birthday with me.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Jordan winced apologetically. “Sorry, it’s going to take some getting used to.” When D.C. nodded her understanding, he said, “My parents contacted me at Bear’s house and ordered me to come, saying it was about time I met the princess since it’s her—your—first public appearance in years. I, in turn, pulled the ‘bring a friend’ card and dragged Bear along with me.”
“I didn’t mind coming,” Bear said. “I’ve never been inside the palace before. But Dad freaked out this afternoon when I told him where we were going. It was really strange. And it meant we got here late because he wouldn’t let us leave until we listened to a lecture about palace etiquette and not embarrassing ‘the family name’. He’s never cared about that stuff before. Like I said, really strange.”
D.C. burst out laughing.
“What’s funny?” Bear asked.
“Your dad’s a Warden here,” D.C. explained after her amusement settled. “He’s known about me for years, but when he learned we’d become friends, I made him promise to keep it secret until I found a way to tell you myself.”
“He was probably concerned we’d all run into each other tonight,” Alex guessed, smiling at the thought of poor William having to keep D.C.’s identity to himself. “I bet you were late because he was stalling, keeping you away as long as possible so you would miss Dix’s big entrance at the beginning of the party.”
“Why were you so worried about our reactions?” Jordan asked D.C., looking genuinely perplexed.
“I just didn’t want you to be all weirded out or act differently around me,” D.C. said, blatantly ignoring Alex’s ‘I told you so’ expression.
“Are you kidding? You already behaved like a princess before, now I can legitimately call you that!” Jordan said, grinning.
D.C.’s face fell. “You can’t tell anyone. Please, Jordan. There’s a reason people don’t know who I am. I just want to be ‘D.C.’, not ‘Princess Delucia’, especially at the academy.”
“Hey, relax,” Jordan said, pulling her in for a side-hug. “Your secret’s safe with us.”
Bear nodded his agreement and D.C.’s expression lightened.
“So, this is a birthday, right?” Jordan said. “Does that mean there’s cake?”
“It sure does,” D.C. answered. “And lots of it.”
Jordan bowed with a flourish and held out a hand. “Then lead the way, Your Highness.”
“I’ll go get those drinks from earlier,” Alex offered. “Second time lucky.”
“Do you want company?” Bear asked.
Knowing he was more interested in the cake option, she let him off the hook. “I’m good, thanks. I’ll meet up with you all in a minute.”
Alex headed across the middle of the ballroom, lost in her thoughts about the past half hour and oblivious to her surroundings. She was startled when a hand grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her into an uncomfortably tight embrace.
“What a fortunate surprise.”
Her heart leapt into her throat momentarily before her panic quickly turned into annoyance.
“I can’t say the same for you, Marcus,” Alex said, trying to wriggle free from his grasp.
“Be still, Alexandra. You don’t want to cause another scene, do you?” Marcus hissed into her ear. “Why don’t you dance with me instead?”
Without waiting for a response, he tightened his grip and forced Alex into a stiff waltz.
“You’re a stubborn little thing, aren’t you?” he said, keeping a fake smile plastered to his face even when she deliberately stomped her spiky heel on his foot for the third step in a row.
“The word ‘stubborn’ has such negative connotations,” Alex said. “I like to think of myself as determined.”
“You’re certainly determined to make my life more difficult than it needs to be, I’ll give you that,” Marcus said. “We never did get to finish our New Year’s Eve discussion, you know. And your mind remains silent to me. I don’t like unsolved mysteries.”
She tried to shrug, but he was holding her too tight. “I don’t like to wear running shoes without socks, but you know what they say. When life gives you lemons…”
Marcus clenched his jaw and his eyes narrowed. “You don’t seem to understand the predicament you’re in. I have questions that only you can provide the answers to—and you will answer them, Alexandra, one way or another. Unfortunately, I have no easy way to spirit you out of here, not after your humiliating display earlier. Every single guard in this place has their eyes locked on you as if they’re waiting for a repeat of your imbecilic behaviour.”
“Imbecilic, huh?” Alex said. “Ouch, Marcus. That hurts.”
“You need to stop testing my patience,” he said through gritted teeth.
She returned his glare. “And you need to let me go before I deliver that encore performance you’re so worried about.”
“You can make a scene all you want—as soon as we’re gone from here.”
Alex felt her stomach dip unpleasantly at his implication.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in the middle of the royal palace,” she said with much more confidence than she felt. “I’m not leaving, and you can’t make me.”
Marcus looked at her with a knowing glint in his eyes. “I believe you’ll find I can, in fact, make you.”
He released one of her hands and reached into his jacket, but Alex didn’t have a chance to be concerned about what he was reaching for because Kaiden chose that moment to tap on Marcus’s shoulder, diverting his attention.
“May I cut in?”
Marcus seemed just as surprised by the interruption as Alex was, and he loosened his hold on her enough that she was able to yank herself away from him.
“Absolutely,” she said, facing her would-be saviour. Thankful for the perfect timing of Kaiden’s intervention, Alex had to resist the urge to throw her arms around him in a grateful embrace.
“I apologise for the interruption, Mr. Sparker, but your dance partner is just too lovely for you to keep to yourself,” Kaiden said charmingly to the older man.
“She’s all yours,” Marcus returned politely, as if he hadn’t just been threatening her. He walked away from them with only a hint of a ‘we’re not finished’ glance towards Alex.
Exhaling with relief, she looked back at Kaiden. “Thank you. Really, really, thank you.”
“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” he asked as he drew her close and led her into a smooth waltz.
“Not particularly,” Alex said, easily following his confident lead. “But needless to say, we don’t get along.”
<
br /> “I could tell.” Kaiden nodded towards the pink marks blossoming on her upper arms from Marcus’s rough grip. “Marcus Sparker isn’t someone you want to have as an enemy.”
Alex sent him a bland look. “I promise to keep that in mind next time he invites me over for tea.”
“I’m serious, Alex. He’s dangerous.”
She stared into his troubled blue eyes before she broke the contact and focused on his shoulder instead.
“I know,” she said quietly.
They moved in silence for a few moments before Alex decided to speak again. “You’re really good at this. Dancing, I mean.”
“We’ve danced before,” he replied, and when she looked up, his eyes were no longer troubled—in fact, they were sparkling with amusement. It was a startling change from the serious expression they’d held just moments ago.
All the same, Alex frowned slightly, having no memory of ever dancing with him—and that was something she would definitely remember. But then she understood what he meant and replied, “Sword fighting hardly counts as dancing, Kaiden.”
“I disagree.” He spun her away from his body in a complicated three-step manoeuvre before guiding her back to him, keeping perfect time with the music. “It’s all in the movement.”
“Now you’re just showing off,” she said, now smiling herself. She was impressed he’d managed to not only surprise her with the move, but also guide her in and out of it without her having to do anything but follow along. She hadn’t even stumbled— which was quite the miracle considering the heels she was wearing.
“Maybe,” he admitted, with humour in his voice. “But it’s not every day I get to dance with ‘The Inebriated Guest’.”
Alex groaned and leaned forward to hide her face in the crook of his neck as he laughed at her.
“It’s not funny,” she muttered.
“I disagree again,” Kaiden said, and she moved her head back so she was looking at him once more. “Both the act and the explanation were the textbook definition of ‘funny’.”
She scrunched her face up. “Good to know I’m still a verifiable source of entertainment.”
“I heard a rumour that you’ll actually be participating in Combat this year,” Kaiden said. “If that’s true, I’m sure the entertainment will continue.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.”
“I’m here for you,” he said mock-seriously.
“Hey, Alex, what happened to our drinks?” D.C.’s voice interrupted their conversation.
Alex hadn’t realised that the orchestra had stopped for a brief intermission, so wrapped up was she in Kaiden’s easy banter—and his arms. But her friends had found her and they looked between the two of them with unbridled curiosity. She hastily let go of him.
“Guys, this is Kaiden James,” she introduced. “He’s in my Combat class at Akarnae.”
“We know who he is,” D.C. said, amused. “We’ve been at the academy together for years.”
“Oh. Right,” Alex said, wincing inwardly. Of course they all knew each other.
“Thanks again for helping us out earlier,” Jordan said to Kaiden.
Seeing Alex’s questioning look, Bear explained, “Kaiden and Declan showed us the way down to the dungeons and then kept watch to make sure no other guards turned up. We didn’t know the king and that Warden were already there.”
“So that’s why you were waiting around the corner when I ran past?” D.C. said to Kaiden, who shrugged noncommittally in response.
“Hey, guys. What am I missing out on?” Declan asked as he joined their group.
“Nothing important,” said Alex. She wasn’t sure how she felt knowing the two Combat boys had heard her interaction with the king down in the dungeons, so instead of dwelling on that thought, she motioned to them and D.C. and asked, “Have you all grown up together?”
“For the most part, yeah,” Declan said. “Both my family and Kaiden’s are closely associated with the royal family in one way or another, so we’ve all known each other since we were kids.”
Alex wondered why the two boys hadn’t befriended D.C. at the academy, but then she remembered that her roommate hadn’t wanted to be known as the princess, and these two probably treated her like one, even if it wasn’t deliberate. Plus, they were both a year ahead of Alex and her friends, and unless she was mistaken, D.C. didn’t share any of their potential-based classes.
“What do your families do?” Alex asked, curious.
Before they had a chance to respond, the king called for everyone’s attention.
“We would once again like to thank you for coming to share in the birthday celebrations, but the night is getting away from us and we ask that you begin to say your farewells so our daughter can get some sleep before dawn. Not to mention, her parents as well.”
There were a number of chuckles and the king offered a general “goodnight” and left the ballroom with his wife.
“Ever the concerned parent,” D.C. said, her face showing how much she loved her family. “I’d better go make my rounds, but I’ll see you guys tomorrow at the academy. Alex, I’ll meet you upstairs in a little while.”
“Sure thing,” Alex said.
Everyone else disbursed soon after that. Kaiden and Declan took off after a quick farewell, leaving Alex with Jordan and Bear.
“Are you both truly okay with Dix being the princess?” she asked.
“I had a feeling it might have been her, even before we were friends,” Jordan said. “You don’t grow up in my family and not have some kind of intuition about certain people.”
“Well, I had no idea, but like we said down in the dungeon, it makes sense,” Bear said. “And it’s not like she’s a different person. As long as she doesn’t want us to bow when she walks into the room, then I’m cool with it.”
“You guys are so great,” Alex said, pulling them in for a spontaneous hug.
Jordan patted her on the back. “We sure are.”
“Time for us to get out of here,” Bear said, drawing away. “I told Dad we’d be back by midnight and we’re cutting it close.”
“We’ll see you back at the academy tomorrow,” Jordan promised, and the two of them took off into the departing crowd.
Alex looked around and noticed that D.C. was surrounded by admirers, so she quickly ascended the staircase and headed up to the royal suite. She’d had such a crazy day and couldn’t wait to put her feet up and rest—and finally get her hands on a drink.
When she entered D.C.’s room, Alex had to pause for another moment just to appreciate her surroundings. She’d spent hours with her friend that afternoon but she still couldn’t get over how royal the bedroom was. Like the rest of the palace, it was richly decorated in hues of gold, with lighter and darker shades complementing each other, and white, pearlescent undertones. Everything from the carpet to the walls, the bed and the curtains, was a mixture of gold and white. The effect was stunning. However the best part, in Alex’s opinion, wasn’t the décor, but rather the view.
Although she was practically dying of thirst and ready to drop on her feet, Alex didn’t hesitate to walk across the room and open the glass door that led out to a turret-style balcony. Earlier that evening she’d watched the sun setting across the shining city of Tryllin, the dying light reflecting off the ocean and bouncing along the windows of the city below. At night it was no less breathtaking, the moon bathing the view with an iridescent glow. The sight was enough to send a wave of relaxation over Alex, helping her shake off the stress of the evening.
With a contented sigh, Alex wandered away from the balcony, heading back into D.C.’s suite for a much needed glass of water before she curled up on the lounge to wait for her friend. She must have been more tired than she’d thought, because she was woken later by D.C. poking her in the shoulder. After a sufficient amount of grumbling, Alex had just enough energy to stumble into bed and fall straight back to sleep.
her si de.
Three
“What do you say we get out of here for a while?”
Alex looked at D.C.’s excited face and replied, “I thought we weren’t allowed to leave?”
It was midmorning and they’d been roaming the halls for a few hours, with D.C. giving Alex the official tour. The palace was incredible—and huge—but what both of them wanted most was to get outside. Unfortunately, during breakfast the king had ordered that they remain inside for the day because there was some kind of parade in the city and he was concerned for their safety. The queen, in turn, had sent them both an apologetic look, but she too had agreed with her husband.
Alex had been so awed by the fact that she was sharing a meal with the ruling monarchs of Medora—and the knowledge that they’d both very graciously forgiven her stunt last night— that she’d simply nodded her agreement and ignored D.C.’s huff of annoyance.
“You can’t seriously want to be stuck in here until we have to leave for Akarnae? You haven’t seen any of the city yet!” D.C. said, bringing Alex back to the present.
It was true that Alex desperately wanted to explore at least a small part of Tryllin before they left. Especially after having seen the stunning view from D.C.’s balcony.
“Besides, I sneak away all the time,” D.C. continued, reminding Alex of how often she’d visited Bear and Jordan in Woodhaven over the holidays. “Trust me, I’m a pro.”
True enough, D.C. did manage to get them out of the palace without being seen, but that was more thanks to the contraband Bubbler vials she’d somehow pilfered rather than any real skill on her part. It helped that both she and Alex had donned disguises in the form of cape-like cloaks made out of a shimmery charcoal-coloured material with hoods that cast shadows over their faces, making them indistinguishable even with light streaming straight into their eyes. D.C. claimed the cloaks were made of Shadow Essence, a special kind of energy used by Shadow Walkers—a race of grey-skinned beings who walked around on swirling clouds of shadows. Caspar Lennox, the professor who taught Alex’s Studies of Society and Culture—or SOSAC—class at Akarnae, was so far the only Shadow Walker she had encountered. It took her a while to move past her inclination to compare him to a vampire, but once she did, she’d ended up becoming rather intrigued by him and his perpetual cloud of wispy darkness.