WILD CARD (#1 COURT OF SUITS series)

THIRTY-TWO

I wanted to glare at this abrupt and impolite implosion into my reunion with my mother, but the energy my mother had felt now warped into me. It engulfed me, blurring my vision, and I started to cough, in time with Mother as she coughed. It was suffocating, sinister; evil.

The presence she'd referred to, whoever it was, was malicious. Magically so, and so powerful it overtook even me, a mere mortal with no abilities. It made itself known, gave me no choice but to sense it, acknowledge it. But I wouldn't accept it.

I kept looking towards the doorway, needing to know who it was. But everything was so fuzzy, I couldn't piece together an identity. No indication of who this intruder was, what they wanted, and why they were so enraged.

What I did know, despite the fogginess in my brain, was that this individual was responsible for all the issues in this realm. They had to be. I felt it, tasted their bitterness on my tongue. Detected the malice in their intentions. They'd caused all the current chaos, putting the Aces in a delicate position. And they'd lied to the princesses.

And something gave me the impression they might have been connected to the riots, too...

Jack. He'd instigated the riots, with his brothers. But he wasn't here. Was he?

Mother had said something about this nefarious presence and its power arriving just as she spoke of Jack. Were they linked? Was it a coincidence?

Focus, Teodric.

That wasn't my own voice in my head—it was Mother's, I recognized it. Soft, yet pointed, piercing. Forcing me to quit overthinking, to quit thinking, period.

How was she able to do that, to speak directly into my mind? Or was I imagining it in my distress?

My heart thrashed about so incessantly in my rib-cage that my eyelids wouldn't stay open, and the blurriness worsened. The presence was intoxicating now, making it harder and harder to breathe. Not once since I'd arrived in this place had I felt something so poisonous.

"Who...why...how dare..." I hunched over, coughing deeper.

I sensed Mother moseying up to me, still crouched, the wool of her skirts brushing against my damp sleeves. She let out one last raspy cough before forcing herself upright. A blast of her green energy blew over me, nearly knocking me sideways. But it did the trick—the fog slowly started to dissipate from my senses.

She'd gathered herself, recovered her strength, and now stood stone-like in front of the opened door, staring at whoever blocked it. Glaring, I thought, though I couldn't see her face.

Effortlessly, and graceful as ever, she extended her arm before me, protecting me from whoever this trespasser was. Like a lioness sweeping in to save her cubs from death, she ensured the intruder's energy couldn't blast into me with as much intensity. She took the brunt of the blow, of the invisible shockwaves in the air that had sent us both into crouches.

She'd been frail a few moments before, but somehow resourced herself with power; how? She'd removed the cloak and veil, so she shouldn't have been infused with Arden's magic anymore.

I was too close to passing out to be confused, and lacking the strength to ask questions. While her gentle touch soothed me and made the blur evaporate, this dark creature's power had filtered into me so deep that it took time to slither back out.

"Show yourself," she said to the being, her demeanor composed, her voice tight with disdain. I detected a hint of fury there, but a whisper of fear underneath it all. She was once a queen; even after all these years, it still showed. She was majestic, authoritative. Even after this unwelcome guest had barged into our private space and shoved its power into us, she held her ground.

I regretted not apologizing to her for my blunt attitude moments before. No, she wasn't my mother anymore; she was something much bigger, much more potent. She was a creature with a vigor I'd never sensed in her before. She embodied the position of Arden, exuding the confidence of a decades-long seasoned sorceress.

I straightened up in time to witness the individual slide from the obscure threshold and into the room. The fog about their silhouette evaporated to reveal a lengthy, lush cloak of mauve velvet that rolled down from their broad neck, draped over their wide shoulders, over their athletic arms, and curled around the edges of their shiny sable shoes.

"Are you commanding me?" Their voice was thick, throaty, as if coated in a rich amber alcohol. Something about it was familiar, but I couldn't place it yet.

When they threw back their hood, ripples of wheat-colored strands unleashed on either side of a sturdy jawline. A set of vivid blue eyes peered at us, the irises sparkling with a sinister crimson.

The voice made sense, screaming in my head as I gasped in recognition. "Oh."

Mother smacked a palm to her breastbone. "What is this? What are you—" She slouched forward for a moment, a slight twitch in her powers from her shock.

As the intruder set a fist on his hip, lifting his cloak from his body, I spotted a silky tomato and taffy threaded shirt, and shimmering breeches bundling over muscular thighs. "What does it look like? Don't tell me you don't recognize me? Have we not worked together for decades? Or," he snorted, glaring at Mother, "perhaps not as long as I thought."

No, this wasn't possible. I was imagining this. That fog still surrounded me, cloaked my senses, didn't it?

It couldn't be him. He couldn't be here wrapped in evil energy that he shot into us, weakening us.

I cupped a hand around Mother's upper arm. "Sir Otho?"

Him? Really? He'd been so discreet, almost softer-spoken than the other mages. Kept to himself, charming everyone from a distance. He took care of morale, watched over citizen behavior, their moods, ensured they were happy.

And here he was now, intruding on private conversations to say such cryptic things? Reeking of nefarious intent and snarling at us as if we were prey?

What did he want? And why did he present himself in such a suspicious manner, with such atrocious, negative power coming off him in waves?

Mother again regained her bearings and swept in front of me. Her green glow grew in intensity, and her arms shook with sparks of green-ish flame curling around her.

I wouldn't push her aside; she had the magic, not me. I kept myself semi-hidden in her shadow, leaning slightly to the side to capture Otho's snarl to memory.

"Otho," she growled, "what are you talking about? What is this?"

His snarl turned into a smirk; one so loaded, so disturbing, I began to tremble at the sight. "I'm talking about you saying Jack isn't evil, and that he wouldn't snatch your precious boy's throne." He swiped at something on his jacket, as if brushing off dust. Venom poured from his perfect mouth, that I'd found so enticing only days ago. Now, he made me sick to my stomach. "You seemed so certain of his innocence, didn't you? I heard you and had to come forward, to tell you the truth. You poor things can't live in your delusions any longer. You have faith in Jack? Well, I mean to disprove it all."

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