Darkness Falls, Light Rises #Wattys2015

Ch. 23

Ch. 23
Arriving at the castle wasn't an experience that I enjoyed. The first thing anyone could've noticed would be the protestors. But the thing that really bothered me was the fucking idiots who decided that it would be okay to trample over my precious gardens.
Pulling my cloak closer around me, I kept an eye out for people who could harm Mason, who was now relocated inside the carriage with James and Anya.
"Kill him! Burn him!" The crowd cheered, pushing against the men Kevin had posted outside the doors, to keep us alive.
Halting, I jumped off the horse, and opened the carriage door, helping Anya out and waiting for James and Mason.
"Hopefully it's not like this everyday." James mumbled, walking into the lobby of the palace, shutting the door behind him and successfully muffling their chants.
Looking around the room, I was reminded of my childhood, uncomfortable that Mason and Anya were there, contaminating it with their light.
"You came!" Kevin shouted enthusiastically, jogging down the stairs. Stopping directly in front of Anya, he took her hand, raising the tension in the room. Glancing at me, he smirked, pressing his lips to her hand. "Congratulations on your baby boy, princess." He whispered, mischief in his tone.
"How did you know about that?" Anya squealed, backing away, frightened.
"Magic." He laughed, making a twinkling gesture with his hands.
"Yes we came. We won't be staying long, so we should get started with the treaty." Mason said clearly, anger evident on his face.
Kevin chuckled, shaking his head as he made his way over to me. "I've missed you-"
Rolling my eyes, I pushed back my urge to punch him in the face. "Brandy."
"Brandy. Well, if my sister were alive, she would've loved to have seen you."
"I'm not sure if I would feel the same way."
"Brandy, you two were joined at the hip. At least until that drama with your father." Clapping his hands, he smiled brightly. "It's too early for treaties and things like that. Let's catch up!"
Lowering my voice, I gripping his arm tightly. "This is not the time nor place to start acting theatrical, Kevin. Mason is on edge and you aren't helping anything."
"Brandy, if you wanted to bang me, you could've just asked." He shouted, smirking when I glared at him and pulled away. "We'll have breakfast and talk about the old times and then we'll have some fun. Then tomorrow we can start drawing up this treaty."
Running up the stairs, he had us follow him up to the dining area that looked more like a gentleman's club with the servants in skimpy outfits and strippers on a makeshift stage in the middle of the room.
"Classy." Anya muttered, looking at everything distastefully.
Sitting between Mason and Anya, I relaxed, hating how much my palace had changed for the worst.
As the food was served, I picked up my fork and stabbed the meat with it and dipped it in the sauce in my plate. Taking a bite, I favored the taste, not realizing how much I had missed the food here. Sedentians were practically afraid of spice and now I had a full jalapeño on my plate. It gave me a bittersweet sense of nostalgia.
"Are you enjoying your food?" Kevin asked, knowing the answer by seeing that they had only taken only a bite (excluding James; he was on his third plate).
"It's...unique." Mason choked out, his eyes watering.
Handing him the bowl of salad, I gave him an encouraging smile, my hand on his knee.
"So Brandy, I see that you're taken." Kevin observed, his eyes bouncing between Mason and I. "You should've said something."
"It's a personal matter, Kevin." I snapped, giving him a death glare.
"Should I tell your friends here about your time here as our servant?" He teased, knowing that what he would say would only hurt me.
"They don't want to hear about that. It was in the past."
"But those are the best stories." He laughed, chewing on two jalapeños. "Anyway, Brandy here was real feisty. Of course she hung out with Katya more, plotting how to spy on people and creating those devious games that you both loved." He leaned forward, amused by my stoical appearance. I know where he was going with this. "Despite her infatuation with Katya, she loved hanging out with me. We had great times together. Especially when she would tease me; undressing at a turtle's pace. Of course that made the sex so much better." He whispered, observing Mason's reaction completely. "But I should've never doubted her. Whoever said that Rider girls knew how to ride was beyond right."
Dead silence followed.
Although that had never really happened to me, I still felt the betrayal of him disclosing that to Mason. It felt as though all my nerve endings were on fire and Kevin was anxious to burn each one until I cried 'uncle'.
Oh the irony.
"I don't believe that was very appropriate for you to tell, but Brandy and I don't keep secrets." Mason said proudly as I cringed at his comment.
"True, she might've changed since the last time we truly spoke. But I doubt it." Gesturing to my hand that was curling around the carving knife instinctively. "But I wouldn't blame her; it's a cruel world out there. Violence is the only way to resolve it."
"No it isn't. My family has been trying to resolve this feud since it started. So hearing that you wanted to draw a treaty was quite a shock to me." Mason explained, his voice level and not revealing that he really did hate Kevin's guts.
"Fair enough. But let's not dwell on something so serious. If the ladies would like to leave, I have a little show for us men." He said, calling one of the girls on 'stage' over.
"I don't think that that is necessary." Mason said when James nodded his head enthusiastically.
Just stay. He's not going to try anything. Just enjoy a Rider style lap dance or something.
What's a lap dance?
Chuckling, I smiled slightly. Nothing, just don't give him a reason to kill us.
Fine, but please keep Anya safe.
Always.
"I'll leave you guys to your little sexcapades." I announced, getting up and pulling Anya's chair for her.
"Why don't you show Anya where you used to hang out; the castle hasn't changed that much." Kevin suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing." I mumbled, taking Anya's hand to guide her out the room.
Once we were out of the room, my anxiousness disappeared, lifting a weight off my shoulders. As we walked side by side, I could almost see the questions whirling around her head.
"Ask me."
Anya looked at me, shocked, but quickly recovered.
"You really slept with that monster?" She asked, trying her best not to sound disgusted.
"Yes." It had been true and awkward since she had been my friend for so many years. So when she began sleeping with my brother, thinking that I didn't know. That is until I saw them fucking each other in the kitchen. That was when I kicked her out.
Opening the door to the kitchen, I opened the bowl on the island and handed her an apple as I poured a bottle of water for both of us.
"I noticed that you hadn't eaten a lot." I said simply, jumping up on the counter.
"Would it be weird if I asked about your former queen?"
"No." I answered gravely, hating that I was being remembered as a dead queen. Not as the Dark Queen, or something like that.
"I just wanted to know your opinion of her uncle. There were rumors floating around when they visited us for the Winter Ball. Of course they ended, but I wondered if there was any truth to them." She stated quickly, averting her eyes as I bore holes into her.
"What rumors?" I pushed, frozen in place.
"You know, that they were involved. She was a little too attached to him. Plus he was never in his room."
Keeping my face blank, I lied as quickly as possible. "Those have no truth to them. I knew Katya, she didn't have time for that."
"But he was her mentor, so they could've been doing things behind closed doors." She suggested, digging a little too far.
"Anya, just drop it, goddammit! Nothing happened. Okay?" I snapped, turning away from her.
He always evoked some sort emotion from me. Sure no one knew the entirety of anything that occurred between Uncle Theo and I, but the fact that they were so damn close, made me get uncomfortable. It wasn't that he ever touched me, but used me and never gave a shit. He was a liar.
"I'm sorry." Anya murmured timidly. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Sighing, I nodded and gave her a smile. She didn't need to be tangled up in my messed up shit. She knew about Brandy's woes; she didn't need to be burdened with all the tribulations I endured.
"What do you want to do now?" I said softly, knowing that she was still sensitive from my little outburst.
"Can we see where you slept while here?" She asked, hope in her eyes. She acted like such a kid sometimes that it scared me that she was having a child before I would. But children were out of the option for me.
"Yeah, we're actually very close."
I had to admit, I was excited. The real Brandy stayed in my room, which meant that I could visit one of the places where I could relax.
Walking next to her, I instinctively turned the corners, stopping shot when I saw a guard standing outside my door.
"What are you doing here? This is a restricted area." The guard growled, eyeing my hand that was on my dagger.
"Your king has allowed us to explore the castle. He did not tell of any restricted areas." I explained calmly.
"Can you not read?" He taunted, pointed to a sign in Rideran that clearly read, 'Kingly Personnel Only'.
"We apologize, but I do not hold the ability to read and my master, she is Sedentian. She does not know of our language." I said quickly, not needing any more complications while we were here.
"That isn't my concern as long as you leave."
"But my mistress wishes to enter the chambers of the esteemed Queen Katya." I explained, ignoring her tugging.
"You would have to kill me to get a Sedentian into my queen's cell." He snapped, his sword at the ready.
"I do not wish to quarrel."
"An ant does not wish to quarrel with a boot. Yet, one triumphs over the other." He growled, charging, as I slowly took out my dagger.
"I beg you to reconsider." I whispered, pushing Anya behind me.
When he made no move to stop him charging at me, I ran forward, sliding underneath his open legs, slicing at his Achilles heels and hamstrings. Hearing him fall, I turned around and straddled him, scraping the dagger's point to his Adam's apple.
"Now who is the ant?" I whispered, smirking when I detected the fear in his eyes.
"Brandy." Anya whimpered, staring at me in horror.
Sighing, I gave the guard one last glance before getting up. Picking up his sword, I dug it into his hand.
"That's a warning." I said softly, opening my cell door as Anya stepped through.
Shutting it behind me, I smiled, seeing that it was exactly as I left it.
"So, you slept in here with Queen Katya?" Anya said as more of a statement then a question as she ran her hands across my hand carved bed posts. "So you two were the best of friends and yet she killed your father."
Unable to form words, I nodded, opening my wardrobe and pulled out my torture gloves. Stained with another's blood, I sighed in pleasure as I pulled them on.
"What do you think of this?" Anya asked, holding up a sack of books that I kept hidden behind my vanity.
Reaching forward, I opened one of them, a photo falling out. Grabbing it before Anya could, I stared at it intently. There I was with Kevin and Uncle Theo in the hills to the north at our villa. I could remember that day as though it was yesterday. It had been before we had moved in with Uncle Theo, at a family reunion.
"Lemme see." She mumbled, grabbing the photograph from my hands. "That's you."
"Yes."
"Where was Katya?"
Clearing my throat, I pointed to the house behind us. "She was inside helping her father." I lied, spinning some truth with the lie.
"Doing what?"
Brandy!
What's wrong? I asked, becoming tense.
That two faced boy. He doesn't deserve life.
What happened? Did he hurt you? What happened to James?
He never wanted a treaty. He just wanted to boast about his power. Both of us are fine, but we have guards coming after us. We're in the south west quadrant of the land. Near the main well.
I'll be there in a few. Don't move.
"Anya, I need you to trust me."
"Why?" She inquired cautiously.
"Because I'm about to use dark magic."
Taking a second, she nodded, agreeing to cooperating.
Before taking her hand, I went around the room, grabbing things I wanted and needed.
Picking up a candle, I unleashed my dark magic, igniting a flame. Taking Anya's hands, the candle hovered between us as I chanted the words that I had learned long ago from a book in the library. Although I could teleport through minds, teleporting our physical bodies would be a whole different matter. Our essences would be floating around the realm until I brought them back together with my dark magic.
Feeling as our bodies left the room, I directed them to where James and Mason were, binding our particles until we were whole.
Appearing in front of Mason, I grabbed his hand and pulled he and James away from the door. I could practically feel the hoards of guards rushing toward us, their weapons out.
Licking my lips, I hitched my bag higher up on my shoulder.
"Now we run!" I shouted, sprinting toward the hills in the distance.