'Thorn Queen Chapter Fourteen\r'

'â€Å"You!”\r\n regular(a) with her transfer bound, Jasmine didnt hesitate to attack me. She came tearing crosswise the means, display case fil take with fury. Im zero(prenominal) current if her tendency was to kick me or simply throw herself at me, scarcely she neer even got close. My follows were on her in a flash, hauling her back. Magic spark offed to fl be near her, unless virtuoso of the cares counte chromatic it with some asthenic nullifying magic. Her weightlift cuffs made magic hard to commit, beneficial the kind in her gave her greater resistance. I move on all told told of them inc rubicundulously.\r\nâ€Å"Thats non the missing girl. Thats my sister! How could you non feel that? She was Ae watchwords sporting lady!”\r\nIt was Rurik who answered. â€Å"A lot of the guard has changed since Aesons time. M some(prenominal) here came as a pass from powerfulness Dorian.” It was true. Dorian had warned that even though Id win the Thorn Land fair and square, many of those who had served Aeson would take on a hard time shaking that loyalty. Rurik had so sifted through and through and through the servants and guards, departting unloosen of those he didnt count could be trusted.\r\nâ€Å"Still,” I verbalise. â€Å" soulfulness should charter kn stimulate. Where the sanatoriumhole is Shaya?”\r\nâ€Å"She is a guidance, tending to administrative errands,” said the guard whod been so excited initially. nary(prenominal) he look break throughmed deeply humbled and up entrap.\r\nJasmine, wetwhile, hadnt ceased in her struggles to boom free of the guards. Without her magic, she wasnt a reas singled deal of a threat and seemed to realize using it was futile righteousness now. She s similarlyd aver progress height for a girl her age, nonwithstanding her build was slim, and she eer seemed a little also skinny. peradventure that just ran in our family. Her eye were biggish a nd downwardhearted-gray, reminiscent of storm clouds.\r\nâ€Å"You cant hold me here, Eugenie!” she screamed. â€Å"Im expiry to lucifer free and shovel in you. Then I for build up be the one to bear our fathers heir!”\r\nâ€Å"deliverer Christ,” I muttered. â€Å"The song remains the same.”\r\nTo be honest, I was actually kind of surprised Jasmine wasnt already pregnant and took it as a positive sign that she was placid referring to it as a future event. The prophecy that loomed oer both of us said that Storm Kings daughters son would be the one to lead the battle to grab va permitity. It hadnt specified which daughter, and apparently, Jasmine was heretofore hell-bent on instanting me to it.\r\nâ€Å"Its deviation to happen,” Jasmine go a coherent. â€Å"You cant stop it.”\r\nâ€Å" be you out of your sound judgment?” I demanded. â€Å"Youre fif teenaged! You substantiate no backup even lecture intimately gettin g pregnant, allow alone conquering the human world. You were raised there, for Gods sake. Do you know how oftentimes Wil misses you?”\r\nâ€Å"I hate them,” she spat. With the crazy cipher in her eyes, I expected to control thunder rumbling somewhere. â€Å"I hate them all. even so him. I n ever so belonged there. This is my world.”\r\nâ€Å" non if I pack you up and send you to Catholic boarding train somewhere,” I mused, rather entertained by the archetype.\r\nâ€Å"Theyd never be suitable to hold me.”\r\nâ€Å"I was joking. Geez, doesnt banter mellow in the family?”\r\nâ€Å"Youll never be able to hold me either. Your men got lucky, and you know it. Ive been dodging them for weeks, for each one time they impression they had me.”\r\nI rolled my eyes at her smug attitude, secretly question what the hell I was freeing to do with her now. Id spent all this time hunting her and had almost gotten used to the idea that she was gone for good. Now that we had her, I was at a bit of a loss. Never would I have guessed that my guards would inadvertently stumble across her while smell for Moria. In the midst of my puzzling, Jasmines words suddenly replayed through my mind.\r\nâ€Å"My guys have never found you before,” I said. â€Å" cere affrighte me, weve been manifestationing.”\r\nJasmine stared at me same I was crazy, which was something, considering that she was the one who requisite to be on medication. â€Å"They almost got me last week. Maybe they were just too embarrassed most how I almost drowned them with a tidal wave to single out you.”\r\nI shot a gestureing look to Rurik, who shook his head. I turned back to her. â€Å"Those werent my guys.” A strange thought suddenly occurred to me. â€Å"Were they human?”\r\nâ€Å"No, of class not.”\r\nâ€Å"Are you sure?”\r\nJasmine gave me a narrow-eyed look. â€Å"I know the difference between hu mans and shining ones. Youre the one whos in denial, hard to act bid youre all-human.”\r\nI doubted she would introduce that if she had any idea what Id been contending with here lately. Her exceptionable adolescent attitude aside, I was approximateing everyplace again about what shed said. Shed spoken of nearly organism caught…by whom? I thought back to my meeting with Moria and her utter about the Red Snake Man. Id made a huge leap about stratagem being responsible for kidnapping her and the others.\r\nAgain, I slowed down my locomote mind to moot of other options. It was possible that Morias red snake was something entirely different. Or, maybe shed just run into him here. Like all shamans, he probably pass over over every now and then. Maybe shed seen the tattoo then. Or, perhaps most likely, was my ear stayr notion that Art had simply banished her back. All of that seemed more plausible. Yet was it exuberant to cause Moria such terror? That was the rep eated question with no answer.\r\nAnd now here was Jasmine, also talking about abduction. It seemed too a good deal of a proportion that that would happen while other unexampled girls were disappearing.\r\nâ€Å"Were they brigands?” I asked Jasmine. â€Å"Like…sort of rough and dirty types?”\r\nâ€Å"They were guards or some other kind of fighter,” she said. â€Å"Stop trying to act like you had zero to do with it. I know the difference between a mint of gross beggars and trained soldiers.”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, yeah, youre a freaking genius,” I muttered.\r\nâ€Å"Thats not hard, compared to you.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, look at that. Sarcasm is in the genes.” When I was younger, Id hated being an scarce child and had longed for siblings. Id never in my wildest dreams imagined this was what Id end up with. â€Å"What did these guys look like? Were they in uniform?” My guards uniforms were mismatched. They all had strap armor, and D orians recruits wore the green of his army while mine had blue left over from Aeson. Some just wore any(prenominal) color tunics they trusted.\r\nâ€Å"Im not telling you anything else,” she said. â€Å"Now permit me go!”\r\nThere was almost a yawp to her command, making her seem very much her age and less like someone literally set on world domination. Of flesh, there was no way I was permitting her out of this place, not when she was understandably willing to spread her legs for anyone who might help bring through our deranged fathers grand plans.\r\nThen, staring at her young formula, a new thought occurred to me. I was al ways so c formerlyrned about her wanting to get pregnant that I never paid much attention to the idea of her facing the same risks I did. My queenly status had given me some reprieve, but there were lock up plenty of Otherworldly guys not above raping me. Jasmine had to be facing the same thing, the shoot for of anyone who wanted to be th e father of Storm Kings heir. These soldiers she was talking about might have had no affiliation at all to Morias abductors-if she had been abducted. Fuck. This was all hurting my brain. I required to talk to Roland and Art before bound to any more conclusions.\r\nAnd in the meantime, this was all good reason to trammel Jasmine under lock and key.\r\nâ€Å"Sorry,” I told her. â€Å"You arent going anywhere. Youll be lucky if I dont break out the Depo-Provera and fill your cell full of sobriety propaganda.”\r\nâ€Å"Cell? You are not locking me in any cell.” Her lips were puffed into a pout. Again, she seemed so much like any ordinary surly teen that I nearly laughed. She looked more like a girl whod been grounded from texting than one who aspired to be an all- top executiveful pansy queen.\r\nWhen I didnt respond, the impact seemed to truly hit her.\r\nâ€Å"You cant…you cant do that! Do you know who I am? Im a princess. Im Storm Kings daughter! My son is going to see the worlds.”\r\nI shook my head. â€Å"No, youre a self-absorbed brat in serious need of discip margin and counseling.”\r\nâ€Å"You cant do that!”\r\nâ€Å"I can…or did you forget who I am? Im the big sister who rules a dry land and isnt going to let you jump all over this prophecy.”\r\nâ€Å"You cant lock me up forever,” she warned.\r\nâ€Å"Shes right,” a vox puke me said.\r\nI turned and saw Ysabel hovering near the openingway. She didnt look terrified of me anymore, but she no longer aegir that cocky arrogance. She looked cool and aloof.\r\nâ€Å"You cant lock her up forever,” continued Ysabel. â€Å"You should kill her.”\r\nâ€Å"What?” Both Jasmine and I spoke at the same time. Ysabel seemed perfectly blase about it all.\r\nâ€Å"Shes your great rival to bearing Storm Kings grandson. So long as she lives, she always will be an obstacle. The only way youll be free and retain your po wer is if shes gone.”\r\nI started to protest that I didnt want to beat Jasmine to the prophecy. Then, I realized that part didnt matter. It was Jasmines own proclivity for getting pregnant that was the problem, and Ysabel was right to a real extent. As long as Jasmine was somewhat, I wouldnt have any peace.\r\nI slowly shook my head. â€Å"Im not killing my own sister. that I am double-binding her. Somebody get another set of compress cuffs.”\r\nI saw a few guards flinch. even off with as little iron as the cuffs had, that was still more than most gentry could comfortably handle. double it would stunt her magic even more, but that human blood was still going to give us trouble.\r\nâ€Å"I want her cell guarded at all times,” I told Rurik. â€Å"With more than you wonted(prenominal)ly would post. And concord sure youve got guards that can actually use magic.” Someone had returned with the second set of cuffs by then, causing Jasmine to start up a n ew round of shrieks and protests.\r\nRurik gave me a nod and then said in a low voice, â€Å"If I could speak to your majesty in private?”\r\nI arched an eyebrow. Rurik always obeyed me but rarely lectureed with formalities or respect, which didnt bother me. In public, though, he always used my titles, and I wondered what was on his mind. We stepped out of the room, past a judge Ysabel, and came to a halt a little ways down the hall.\r\nâ€Å"Keeping the girl locked and under guard might not be the best idea,” he said.\r\nI groaned. â€Å"Dont tell me you think I should kill her too.”\r\nHe shrugged. â€Å"Dorian would tell you to. But if you take a firm stand on keeping her here, then get that devil of yours to guard her.”\r\nFor a moment, I thought of the muster alive demons. Then, I realized he was using a more generalized term. â€Å"You mean Volusian?”\r\nâ€Å"Im not aphorism theyd do it….” Rurik hesitated. â€Å"But Im n ot saying they wouldnt either. A lot of those guards might be tempted by the thought of fathering the heir, and if she offered…”\r\nâ€Å"Good God. Shes fifteen.”\r\nâ€Å"Old fair to middling. It didnt stop Aeson, and if she convinced one of the guards, her age wouldnt matter. Im guessing your, uh, friend wouldnt be so easily swayed.”\r\nVolusian swayed by sex? Hardly. Particularly if he was under my commands.\r\nâ€Å"Fine. Ill summon him.” Volusian would also stop any magic she could muster.\r\nâ€Å"You might also consider purpose a potion master to create a tone of nightshade.”\r\nâ€Å"A what?”\r\nâ€Å"Its a drink that will control her from using her magic.”\r\nâ€Å"Isnt nightshade poisonous?”\r\nâ€Å" non to shining ones. Not if mixed with the right ingredients. With her human blood, it will, ah, leave her a little…disoriented. But it wont kill her.”\r\nâ€Å"Im not going to keep her in a drugge d stupor.” I started to return to the room and then paused to give Rurik a canny look. â€Å" wherefore warn me? I think a time when you wanted to father the heir. wherefore not take your own shot?”\r\nâ€Å"With her?” Rurik snorted. â€Å"I still wouldnt hesitate to beget Storm Kings grandson-but shes not the one. The heirs mother should be a warrior, and unfortunately, that only leaves you.”\r\nâ€Å"Youre never getting near my bed, Rurik.”\r\nâ€Å"Yes, Ive deduced as much. But I would still support Storm Kings grandson and would be nearly as happy for my lord the Oak King to father him.”\r\nâ€Å"Dorian? Thats the only other er sit downz as removed-off as youre concerned?”\r\nRuriks saying seemed to wonder that there could be any question. â€Å"Who else?”\r\nI shook my head and left him, off to inn the imprisonment of my sister.\r\nBefore setting Volusian on enduring guard duty, I had one brief assign for him. He w asnt very happy about it, not that that came as any real surprise.\r\nâ€Å"My mistress, as usual, is target on furthering my eternal torment.”\r\nâ€Å"I dont really see how watching a teenage girl is that bad-for you, anyway. Its going to be a lot harder on her.”\r\nâ€Å"I am a being of considerable power. I cannot die. If you insist on enslaving me, you should use my abilities to bring nations to their knees.” Volusians red eyes narrowed ever so slightly. â€Å"Instead, my mistress dispatches me to supervise children and deliver love notes.”\r\nâ€Å"Its not a love note! Just ask him, hunky-dory?”\r\nVolusian blinked once and then vanished.\r\nWhile he couldnt teleport, exactly, he could travel much faster than human or gentry. After Jasmines capture and Moria implicating Art, I wanted nothing more than to sit down with Kiyo. I needed to talk this out. I wasnt used to this sort of turbulence and indecision in my life. I longed for the days w hen my excogitate had simply been to go out, find the monster, and get rid of it. It had been a lot easier than this sort of deliberation.\r\nKiyo, to my knowledge, was with Maiwenn, and Id dispatched Volusian to see if Kiyo would pursue to me later. It was the closest I could get to making a phone yell in the Otherworld-but still far from it, see that it took Volusian about twenty minutes to get back to me.\r\nâ€Å"You see?” I said when he appeared in my bedroom. â€Å"That wasnt so bad.”\r\nâ€Å"The kitsune says he will come to you in two hours,” Volusian said in his matt voice, not deigning to acknowledge my comment.\r\nTwo hours. Well, it was better than nothing. I sighed. â€Å"Okay. Thanks.”\r\nVolusian simply stared. My gratitude meant nothing to him.\r\nâ€Å"Alright. Go watch Jasmine then. Dont let her escape, and for Gods sake, dont let her get pregnant.”\r\nâ€Å"For how long?”\r\nâ€Å"Until I say so,” I snapped.\r\ nThe malice radiated off Volusian, but my conquest of him would not let him disobey. Demeaning toil or not, he had no choice. He vanished.\r\nOnce alone, I lay back on my bed, hoping two hours would go by quickly. Like everything else among gentry royalty, the bed Id contagious was plush and luxurious, with a thick down mattress. The covers were arduous brocade and almost never needed in this weather-but they felt great to lie against. It wasnt quite sundown outside, but the light was fading, casting long shadows onto the rooms well-grounded stone walls. Id need to light torches soon.\r\nA pink at the door forced me upright. â€Å"Yeah?”\r\nIt was Nia. She gave a polite curtsey. â€Å"Your majesty, you have a guest.”\r\nFor a storied moment, I thought it was Kiyo. Then: no. It was too soon. And Nia wouldnt have announced him. Everyone around here knew enough to let him in by now. â€Å"Who?”\r\nâ€Å"Prince Leith of the Rowan Land.”\r\nâ€Å"Leit h?” I said, certain Id misheard. â€Å"I just saw him, like, six hours ago.”\r\nNia shook her head helplessly. â€Å"Hes here, thats all I know.”\r\nI swung my legs over the beds edge and stood up, slipping my socked feet into short leather boots. Leith? What was he doing here? A flash of holy terror went through me. Had something gone wrong in Westoria? If so, wouldnt my own people have told me?\r\nTheyd taken him to my parlor, where he sit down on the edge of one of the satin-lined chairs. He sprang up at my approach, hurrying over to catch my hands in his. He leaned down and kissed them.\r\nâ€Å"Your majesty. Thank you for seeing me so unexpectedly. Im sure Im interrupting all sorts of important things.”\r\nâ€Å"Not so much,” I said, withdrawing my hands. â€Å"And you should really just call me Eugenie now. Whats up? Is there a problem?” about here, who knew what could go wrong? Famine, flood, locusts…\r\nâ€Å"A problem with- oh, no. Everything in Westoria is great. We made amazing progress straight off.”\r\nI relaxed. â€Å"Good. I was worried.”\r\nLeith shook his head, eager to reassure me. â€Å"No, no problems there. I just…well, I know this is strange, but I just had to come see you. That is, I had to ask you something. I feel like an idiot, though.”\r\nI frowned. â€Å"You can ask me anything. Whats going on? Are you authorize?”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, yes.” His embarrassment grew. â€Å"But after today…I just had to hear something from you.”\r\nâ€Å"Okay, ask.”\r\nâ€Å"Are you pertain with the Oak King?”\r\nâ€Å"Involved with…what, you mean romantically? With Dorian? No!”\r\nLeiths grimace shone like the sun. â€Å"You mean it? When I saw you together today. The way he spoke…and the way you two interacted…well, I thought for sure the rumors were true.”\r\nâ€Å"What rumors?” I asked warily.\r\nâ⠂¬Å"That you were still lovers.”\r\nâ€Å"Where are you auditory sense these rumors?”\r\nâ€Å"Pretty much everywhere.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, the answer is no. absolutely not.”\r\nâ€Å"Really?”\r\nâ€Å"Really.”\r\nLeith exhaled with palpable relief. He reached for my hand, and I stepped back, putt space between us. The rapture on his face made me uneasy. â€Å"Then theres still a chance.”\r\nâ€Å"A chance for what?” I asked.\r\nâ€Å"You and me.”\r\nâ€Å"You and-oh, Leith, no.” It was just like everyone had said. â€Å"I like you-youre really great-but there isnt going to be anything happening with you and me.”\r\nâ€Å"But…” He go forward again, and again, I moved away. â€Å"But you keep wanting to see me and have asked me to be a part of your estate. I just assumed…”\r\nâ€Å"No, no…Leith, Im involved with someone already…you know, Kiyo? The kitsune? Were together.â €\r\nHe frowned and was still too close to my personal space. â€Å"I didnt think it was a serious romance. I thought he was just a…”\r\nâ€Å"Fling?” I suggested.\r\nâ€Å"Yes. I mean, someone like you couldnt take him as a true consort.”\r\nI sighed. â€Å"Why does everyone say that? I love Kiyo. Were together. Were going to be together for a very long time.”\r\nLeiths earlier joy was quick giving way to distress. â€Å"But…I mean, with my soil and the way we get along, were a perfect match. grant it: you are usually happy to see me.”\r\nâ€Å"Of course I am. But thats because I want to be your friend, not encourage you romantically. I like you-like break out with you. But thats it. Im pitiable. Im black if I led you on.”\r\nâ€Å"It has to be more than experience. I know it is for me.” He sighed. â€Å"Ive never been able to talk to someone so easily. It feels natural.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats because you guys always make everything so…exaggerated. There are probably a dozen girls you could sit down with and have great conversations with if you just got rid of the formality.”\r\nâ€Å"No.” The grief on his face was killing me. â€Å"Its something about you. I just cant help it. Im falling more and more in love with you every day.”\r\nâ€Å"You barely know me! You cant love me.”\r\nâ€Å"I do,” he said in a low voice, and some of that anxious passion returned. â€Å"From the moment I saw you. fetch had said youd be a suitable match politically, but even if that werent true, Id still love you. Ive never met anyone like you, Eugenie. So brave and beautiful…Id want to be with you even if we werent ruling a kingdom together.”\r\nâ€Å"Leith,” I said, trying hard to make my voice stern. God-dammit. Why couldnt he have been an annoying hitch like most of my other would-be suitors? Why did he have to be a gauzy guy? With great effor t, I tried to let him down easy instead of in my usual harsh way. â€Å"I meant it: I like you. But thats it. I value your help and your friendship, but Im not leaving Kiyo.”\r\nâ€Å"But I love you.” It was weak and plaintive.\r\nI shook my head. â€Å"Im sorry.”\r\nHis face fell, and he turned away, wrapped in despair. He started to walk toward the door and then abruptly turned, eyes alight once more. â€Å"If things end between you and the kitsune…then Id be adjacent in line, right?”\r\nâ€Å"Next in line? Er, well…” Why couldnt I just lie and say yes? Or why not use a â€Å"I dont want to ruin our friendship” kind of crap line? â€Å"I dont think so, Leith. I just dont think I could ever feel that way about you.”\r\nLeith stared at me simple-minded for several moments, and then at last, his features tightened. â€Å"I see. Im sorry to have taken your time, your majesty. Your workers in Westoria understand my task an d should no longer require my help.” He gave a small, polite bow and then hurried out the door.\r\nâ€Å"Leith…” I took a few steps forward, my plump for sinking. I felt horrible. I knew hed had a beat out on me, but I hadnt thought it was much more than the usual Otherworldly attractions I experienced. His face at the end there had broken my heart. I hadnt wanted to hurt him, particularly after all hed done for me.\r\nDejected, I returned to my bedroom and ordered wine-coloured sent up. It arrived in a jewel-encrusted pitcher, complete with a heavy golden goblet. Had to love gentry room service. I declined any requests to see anyone until Kiyo arrived. I sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed and wondering how much of the wine I could get through before he arrived.\r\nTo my surprise, all of it.\r\nI had no clock there but was pretty sure more than two hours had passed. Id drunk goblet after goblet, thinking about Jasmine, Leith, and Art-and finding no law of closure for any of them. I was staring at the nookie of the empty pitcher, pondering the time, when I heard a soft knock at my door. Finally!\r\nI stood up and felt the world sway around me. I gripped the bed for support. â€Å"Kiyo?” But it wasnt him. It was Shaya.\r\nLike Rurik, shed dropped a lot of formalities and didnt bother with a curtsey. Her face was troubled, and I saw her clever eyes appraise me and my drunkenness in a matter of seconds. â€Å"Im sorry to bother you…but a messenger just arrived from the Willow Land.”\r\nThe anger Id been kindling against Kiyos tardiness ran cold. â€Å"Oh my God. Is he okay?”\r\nShaya hesitated and then gave a swift nod. â€Å"As far as I know, hes fine. Its Queen Maiwenn everyones concerned about…shes gone into labor.”\r\n'