Adrienne (8 page)

A small lid with a round knob appeared.

“That’s the ticket,” Adrienne said. She plunked the lid down on the mouth of the vase. The laughter stopped.

She smiled at her accomplishment and looked at the others for praise and words of encouragement. Her companions looked stunned.

“What?”

“Where did that lid come from?” Mushira asked.

Adrienne shrugged. “Don’t know. I wanted a lid and it showed up. It matches perfectly, too.”

“Princess Adrienne, that vase has no lid,” Hani said.

“It’s right here.” Adrienne pointed at the lid. She looked around at everyone. “What’s the problem?”

“You have exhibited both animus and materialization magicks but are trained in neither, Highness,” Qamar said.

“Materialization would mean the lid existed somewhere in the palace, Qamar,” Khursid corrected. “Her Highness performed transmutation magick. She changed some other object into a lid.”

“And? What does all that mean?” Adrienne asked. Her actions shouldn’t get this type of reaction. This was a land of magicks and she had used them.

“Mages are measured against twenty levels of accomplishment, Highness,” Mushira said. “The higher the mage’s level, the more complicated the magicks the mage can control.” She indicated the vase. “You are using magicks reserved for mages of the sixteenth level.”

“Oh.” Adrienne stared at the vase. It had seemed a simple enough task to make it laugh when she did it. She’d imagined all the talking furniture in the cartoons she watched as a kid.

Malik entered the room. As had become his custom, he hadn’t knocked. Everyone except Adrienne immediately bowed or curtsied to him. He nodded to them all. “What has everyone so distracted?”

Adrienne lifted the lid off the vase. Its laughter had died down to small titters until she poked it. That got it laughing uproariously again.

“It seems I’m doing things I shouldn’t be able to.” She replaced the lid. To the vase, she said, “It’s not that funny.”

“Impressive.” He came forward and placed his hand on Adrienne’s cheek. He smiled. “I would expect no less from my future queen.”

Proud. Adrienne felt proud. Her annoyance with Malik’s presence changed the second he touched her. She could have pulled away but decided not to, a small concession since he’d given in to her the day before—albeit to save his palace.

His touch was light and it didn’t seem like he would do more. She looked up at him. His eyes mirrored the pride she felt.

Malik
was proud.

The emotion she felt was his. Knowing he was pleased with her tiny accomplishment made her happy—in a little kid kind of way. Any praise was good praise, no matter whom it came from.

Malik cupped her chin and moved closer. Her breathing sped up. Lust replaced pride. It slunk along her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps on her arms.

A muted crash made Adrienne jump in surprise. She stepped away from Malik, then looked around for the source of the sound. A three-foot vase in the farthest corner of the room sat at a diagonal because the base had cracked when it hit the ground.

“I didn’t mean to break that one. It was actually kind of pretty.” Adrienne had forgotten about it. Floating the tiny blue vase for hours on end bored her so she had decided to split her attention between the blue one and the three-foot one without letting Mushira know. Hani had noticed but kept quiet.

Though Adrienne’s concentration had slipped, the blue vase continued to float. That made her feel a little better.

“That is why I said to limit your activities, Highness,” Mushira scolded lightly.

“The damage is minimal. A construction mage can fix it easily,” Hani said.

“I don’t want to bother them.”

“It is no bother for them to do their job, my lady,” Malik said. “Nimat, see to it.”

Nimat curtsied, then left the room.

“Speaking of bothering people…” Adrienne said, looking at Malik. She plucked the small vase out of the air before it became a victim of her wayward concentration. Its muffled laughter grew louder. The joke started off cute, now how did she shut it off?

“I promise you will only have to suffer my presence for a short time,” Malik said. He smiled when she rolled her eyes at him.

Adrienne sat in the window seat, then continued with her levitation practice. “I’d rather not be bothered at all. I’d also rather be back on Earth.” She spared him a glance, then turned her attention back to the vase. “But we both know what I want isn’t your first concern.”

Malik had prepared for this. He joined Adrienne on the window seat. It was wide enough to accommodate them both without him touching her, and he knew she wanted it that way.

“Your life here will not be as fearsome as you think, my lady. Beyond myself and our personal guards, there are many mages and warriors who are prepared to stand between you and harm.”

“Were these the same mages and warriors who stood between your parents and harm?”

Malik didn’t take offense. He knew Adrienne would lash out at him. He had prepared for physical, magickal and verbal abuse before he decided to visit her.

“No. Those charged with my parents’ protection were executed for failing in their task.”

“Makes you take your job more seriously when your life is hanging in the balance, too, huh?”

“Exactly, my lady,” Malik agreed in a cold voice.

Adrienne tapped the small vase. An identical vase appeared next to it, but this one darker. She plucked the lid off and it started to cry. Water dripped over the rim. She replaced the lid quickly, then asked, “How about I make everyone’s job simpler and never leave my room? Protecting me would be much easier if I’m always in one place.”

“So would attacking you,” he snapped. Malik regretted his words the second they left his mouth. Adrienne’s control on the vases faltered. He caught them—one in each hand—before they hit the ground. “I did not mean to say that, my lady. Forgive me.”

He held out the vases. He wanted to tell Adrienne how proud he was of her ability to not only animate the vases but to conjure another into being. She had no formal training and yet wielded magicks most mages had to spend decades learning to control. Only her imagination limited her abilities, the same as him.

Knowing she wouldn’t want his compliments stayed his praise. She wanted his absence. He couldn’t give it to her. “There is no danger here,” he offered, instead. “I have learned from my parents’ mistakes and do not rely solely on magicks. I have endeavored, in my years as ruler, to make this palace as safe as possible for your arrival.”

“So what? Even if the palace is safe, what about the rest of the world? I’m a prisoner here. If you really want to keep me safe, send me home, Malik.” She took the vases from him, then bent to place them on the floor.

Malik’s eyes narrowed. He kept his silence until Adrienne straightened and looked at him. “Need I remind you of your attack, my lady? I had not thought you would forget it so easily,” he said in a cool voice.

“Yes,” she agreed, “let’s talk about that. Because, God knows, when you aren’t winning an argument, bringing up the stupidity of the other party is a sure-fire way to win.” She held up a hand. “Spare me.”

She looked out the window.

“Then allow me to speak of more pleasant things.”

Malik smiled when she gave him a dismissive wave. She may not wish to be a queen, but she already conducted herself like one. In time, she would realize what Malik already knew. They were two of a kind and meant to be together.

Chapter Seven

“Highness, four days have passed,” Mushira said.

Adrienne raised an eyebrow at Mushira’s reflection in the window. The vases that floated behind her head mimicked her movement—one floated slightly higher than the other. “And your point is what, Mushira?” She’d already had this argument the day before, and the day before that. It had become a ritual of sorts.

“You have only six days more and you have not stepped one foot out of your rooms. How are you to get to know Ulan and its people if you never leave your rooms?”

As with the last few times Mushira had asked this question, Adrienne deemed it unworthy of an answer.

Mushira tried another tactic. “King Malik has ruled wisely since age ten. He has made Ulan the third richest and second most powerful of the fourteen kingdoms. As Ulan’s queen you will be expected to show off that wealth in the way you dress and are adorned. Would you not like to go to the bazaar and pick out jewels to compliment the outfits King Malik had made for you?”

“If he had the outfits made, then he can pick out the jewelry to go with them.”

“Would you not like to tour the beauty of Ulan? There are other, far more beautiful gardens in and around the palace to tempt the eye. Perhaps you would like to see them, Highness?”

“I can see them fine from my perch. Besides, I’ll live longer if I don’t leave my rooms.”

She was only half-joking. The thought of leaving her rooms terrified her. Forget the threat of death. What if she made a mistake or had a slip of the tongue and someone realized she wasn’t from this neck of the woods?

Qamar smiled at Adrienne’s remarks. “You insult Khursid’s and my skills as Elite guards, Highness.”

“I thought you two were enjoying the break. You get to sit around all day doing nothing and still get paid. Sounds like a cherry job to me,” Adrienne countered.

Khursid, who stood as a stoic guard at the entrance of the room with his back to everyone, finally spoke. “I do not know what a ‘cherry’ is, but your use implies it to be synonymous with easy. A true warrior hopes for opportunities to test his skills, not to ‘sit around’ at his ease.”

“You want me to be in danger? That’s nice to know. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside when my own personal guard wants me to get attacked so he can test his skills. What happens if your skills aren’t up to par? What then?” Adrienne asked in an amused voice. She waited to see if Khursid would rise to her baiting. Qamar had learned to bait right back. Either Khursid was born without a sense of humor, or he’d had it beaten out of him at an early age.

“That wasn’t how I meant my words to be interpreted, Highness. I wish only for your well-being at all times,” he replied in a gruff, somewhat defensive voice.

Adrienne recognized the tone. Khursid only became defensive when he feared his words might get him in trouble. The tone also meant Adrienne had the advantage.

Khursid and Qamar couldn’t leave the room. Adrienne had made it an order. She wanted to get to know them and for them to get to know her. The one upside to the command was Khursid’s inability to leave when she started to tease him, which she did when he acted like an ass.

Her next words were well chosen. “Come now, Khursid, you’re telling me it doesn’t suck even a little being stuck in here all day and most of the night with five women who do nothing but talk? You could be swinging big pointy objects at your fellow Elite. Wouldn’t that be preferable to this?”

Hani and Nimat smothered giggles behind their hands. Mushira gave them a stern look but didn’t pull it off since she was trying not to smile herself. Adrienne smiled with them and winked at Qamar, who winked back.

Khursid didn’t see this exchange since he hadn’t face them when he joined the conversation. He stood at rigid attention, showing his agitation.

Before Khursid could even start to form an answer that wouldn’t get him in trouble, Malik entered and signaled Khursid out of the room. The other man practically left a smoke trail in his haste to be gone. Qamar bowed to Malik and followed her partner.

Adrienne couldn’t be mad at Malik for not knocking. She wouldn’t invite him in if he did. Somehow she got the feeling he knew that particular fact.

Mushira and the others curtsied quickly, then busied themselves with some task or another on the far side of the room, a small attempt to give the royal couple privacy.

Their conversations never got intimate so the others’ courtesy served no purpose. Adrienne usually ignored Malik until he decided to leave. She’d hoped Malik would get fed up and stop visiting. It didn’t happen.

“First, Khursid would be stupid to answer that question. Second, Mushira is right, my lady. You need to get out of these rooms and explore the palace. It will soon be yours,” Malik said as he approached her. He didn’t expect her to answer. He had gotten used to her silence.

For the past four days, he had spoken to her of preparations for the wedding or of their plans for after they were wed. When he felt she had suffered his presence long enough, he left.

Malik considered himself a patient man and knew the day would come when Adrienne would have to suffer his presence all the time instead of a few hours each day. He wouldn’t let her continue to hide after they were wed, not unless he joined her. Then they would be occupied with other matters.

Adrienne was prepared to sit and stare out at the gardens. It’s what she had done all the days before and she planned to keep doing it. Her silence was childish—knowing that didn’t stop her from using the only form of retaliation she had left.

A strange shadow reflected in the window caused Adrienne to whip around. The shadow turned out to be a giant black panther. The cat not only had Adrienne’s attention, he had everyone else’s attention, as well.

Nimat gave a high-pitched scream and ran for the bathroom. The silence of the room made the sound of the lock turning clearly audible. Mushira edged behind Hani, who looked too scared to defend herself, let alone Mushira.

“Feyr, I told you to wait outside,” Malik snapped.

The big cat came farther into the room. His eyes roamed over everyone but ultimately fell on Adrienne. He moved towards her.

Adrienne’s gaze scanned every inch of the cat. While the others were afraid, she was intrigued. Its size reminded her of a tiger but it had the sleek shape of a cheetah.

“What in the world is that?” she asked in a whisper.

The cat stopped near her knees. He sat on his haunches and stared at her.

Malik’s frown changed instantly into a smile. Where Mushira’s and his efforts failed, Feyr’s mere presence prevailed. Simple curiosity had made Adrienne break her silence. Malik latched on to this opportunity. “This is Feyr. He has been my constant companion since I was five, a present from my father.”