Borrowed Magic (25 page)

The problem was actually finding the
opportunity. He was sure to have protective spells around him in
addition to his own distrust of others that didn’t let people get
close. Which was why she had to be the one to do it.

They were frequently alone together. Even
close, within arm’s reach. Tonight wouldn’t be any different. Which
meant if he didn’t take her pain throughout the evening, which he
most likely wouldn’t, wanting to make the evening as miserable for
her as possible, she wouldn’t be able to do it herself. Which also
meant that by the end of the night, she probably wouldn’t be
thinking as clearly. And with only a few seconds to act, that
wasn’t good. He was much stronger, bigger, and had magic on his
side. She just had to hope Kern didn’t suspect, that he thought she
would do anything to prolong her short existence.

He was wrong.

Her plan was a long shot. She knew that. She
just didn’t see any other option. Nor had she told Philip. He would
have done anything in his power to stop her.

Her gaze traveled along the head table, past
Daric and Adare, and to the empty seat between the queen and Kira.
Philip wasn’t here yet. And just that one little thing, something
that wasn’t quite right, scared her. What if Kern had discovered
her plan or guessed Philip knew the truth? She thrust the thought
away and forced her attention back to the evening ahead of her.

The only good thing to be said was that she
wore one of the most beautiful dresses she’d ever seen – even if it
wasn’t real. The top fabric was white and made of a filmy material
that sparkled silver as the candlelight reflected off the fabric
underneath. Her hair was unadorned except for a small silver rose
clipped behind one ear. And at her throat lay a giant diamond,
loaned to her by Adare. Even Kern’s eyes had gone wide when he’d
seen her.

She glanced to her left to see him talking
with Lady Croy. He seemed more relaxed today, more like the Teige
she’d first met. Confident, friendly – without an agenda. Too bad
it wasn’t real.

“You look beautiful, Maren.” Daric took her
hands and planted a kiss on each. Then he took his own seat next to
her. She’d never been seated next to Daric. It was the seat of
honor, and she didn’t feel comfortable in it, but Daric had
insisted, even when she’d tried to make Kern take it. “I don’t want
to sit by Teige,” Daric had joked. “He’s not nearly as pretty.”

Adare hugged her and then took her own seat.
Philip should have been next to her, but he still wasn’t here.

Daric looked over the room and smiled. “It’s
perfect,” he said to her. “Are you ready to begin?”

She glanced at the empty seat next to Adare.
“What about Philip?” She said it quietly, hoping Kern wouldn’t
hear.

“Oh, he’ll be here, he’s just getting one
last detail arranged for me.”

She let out a small breath of relief, and
Daric signaled the servants to bring out the first course.

The meal itself wasn’t as difficult as she’d
expected. Daric was the perfect host. Even Kern always made sure
everything was perfect, that she had enough to drink, and that she
was never neglected. He played the part of the doting fiancé. And
halfway through the main course, Philip walked in, handed something
to Daric, and then slipped into his seat beside Adare. Like most
the other men, he was dressed in black. Unlike the rest of the men,
seeing him took her breath away.

As the meal came to an end, and the last of
the dessert plates were cleared away, Maren prepared for the part
of the night she was dreading the most: Daric’s speech. She’d have
to sit while he toasted her and Kern and then listen to all the
immaterial words about how happy they’d be and how excited everyone
was.

“If I could have everyone’s attention,”
Daric called and then waited for the room to grow silent. “As you
all know, this celebration is in honor of Lord Teige and Lady
Maren, to celebrate their engagement.” Daric smiled at them. Then
he raised his glass. “Before I do anything else, I’d like to
propose a toast to their happiness, their love, and their…” He
hesitated for the briefest of seconds. “…health.”

Glasses were raised, accompanied by “to
Teige and Maren” and far too many glances in her direction. They
were truly happy for her. She was marrying the most fascinating,
handsomest man in the kingdom. She was lucky. She should be
happy.

“Now,” Daric continued, “I have another
announcement to make tonight. Although it’s customary for
engagements to last a year, due to,” Daric fought for the right
word, “circumstances that are too personal to share, I have given
the couple my blessing and chosen a date three weeks from now for
the ceremony to occur.”

Shock, followed by excited whispers, echoed
through the room, and it took another minute before it was quiet
enough for Daric to speak again.

“Because they are my close friends, I have a
gift for the couple.”

Maren tensed. She hadn’t considered that
Daric would give them something. She turned to Kern, who sat there
smiling calmly, as if it was every day the king gave him a gift,
and he expected it.

She, on the other hand, wanted to crawl into
a corner and hide. Any gift from Daric wouldn’t matter. She wasn’t
going to live long enough to enjoy it.

Hiding, however, wasn’t an option, so she
sat and listened as Daric gave them money, lands just beyond the
city, and their own private rooms within the castle itself. With
each gift, she felt a little more color leave her face and had to
fight the urge to stand and tell him to stop.

When he seemed to be nearing an end she
breathed a sigh of relief, only to suck it back in when Daric
didn’t wrap everything up and sit down. Instead, he just stood
there, hands on the table in front of him, as if he still had more
to say, and it was going to be hard to say it.

“I have one last gift for Lady Maren,” Daric
said, in a much quieter voice than before. “But before I give it to
her, I need to share some things with you. I need you to understand
my friendship with Lady Maren more fully.”

Her eyes jumped to Daric, catching his
sidelong glance. She shook her head, trying to get him to stop. She
didn’t want to hear it. She’d lived it once already. But Daric set
his jaw and kept going.

“Maren doesn’t want me to do this, but I
hope enough time has passed…and I believe it’s something everyone
should know.”

Every eye in the room was now on Daric.
There was no more whispering, no more bored gazes directed his way.
If anything, people leaned forward in their seats, waiting.

“Four years ago, Adare and I were married.”
He looked over at the queen and smiled. “When I first presented her
to you as your future queen, most of you weren’t impressed.”

Many in the crowd shifted uncomfortably in
their seats.

“She didn’t have the desired political
connections. Her dowry wasn’t impressive.” His jaw tightened
slightly. “She wasn’t beautiful in your eyes. Because of this,
Adare’s first few months in the castle were lonely ones. She knew
how you felt and was determined to win your approval, but it took
time. Although she eventually succeeded even better than I’d hoped,
those first few months were hard. There was one person, however,
who saw past the objections of so many and extended the hand of
friendship. Maybe because she knew what it was like to be on the
outside, to be lonely and not accepted.”

Maren blinked repeatedly. She was not going
to cry in front of everyone.

“As you might have guessed, that person was
Lady Maren. For those actions alone, I owe Maren more than words
can express.” Daric paused, and Maren had the distinct impression
he was getting his own emotions under control. “But Maren did much
more than that.

“As you all know,” Daric went on, “a little
over three years ago, Adare and I had a baby, a son.”

His voice caught at the end, and she focused
on her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Why was he doing this? It
was just going to be painful for everyone.

“He died shortly afterwards. The official
cause of his death was illness. In reality,” again Daric paused and
took a deep breath, “he was murdered by Kern.”

The entire room gasped with one voice. The
men’s faces hardened. The women dabbed at their eyes. Only Kern
seemed unmoved, calmly observing the speech as if he were
remembering every minute, just waiting for the day he’d get his
revenge.

“Looking back,” Daric continued, “perhaps I
should have told you the truth then. I don’t know. Part of me
wanted to hide my own grief. Part of me was afraid if you knew the
truth, panic would override the kingdom. Part of me just didn’t
want to deal with the repercussions. And a great deal of me wanted
Adare to be left alone to heal in whatever way she could.” He
reached over and took Adare’s hand. “Whatever my reasons, Kern is
dead now, and they don’t apply. So it’s time you know the truth of
what happened that night and the role Lady Maren played. A role for
which I can never repay her.”

She felt everyone’s eyes shift to her and
clenched her hands even tighter.

“We knew Kern was in the castle that night,”
Daric began, and then went on to explain the events of a night
she’d rather forget. He didn’t leave anything out, and as he shared
his heartache with the entire room, Maren couldn’t stop the hot
tears from rolling down her cheeks. But she didn’t brush them away,
hoping no one else would notice. Kern did. He reached out and took
her hand. It was almost too much for her. Kern had caused
everything. How dare he act as if he cared? As if he felt any
sympathy or could offer any comfort? She tried to pull away, as
angry as she’d felt in a long time, but he held tight, squeezing
her hand in a warning she couldn’t ignore.

“We were terrified the baby and Maren were
dead,” Daric continued, “but when we got there we found what
resembled a battleground. The heavy iron door was blown off its
hinges and the walls were crumbling all around. Maren lay in one
corner, surrounded by debris, with her body wrapped around…” He
wiped at his eyes. “She had protected him until the end. We ran to
them, Adare pulling our son into her own arms while I pulled Maren
from the rubble, only to find she was still alive – barely.”

She couldn’t hold back silent sobs any
longer. Neither could she let Kern sit there and pretend to care.
She yanked her hand away and reached for her napkin.

“It took all the mages we could find as well
as the healers to save her life. Even then,” he choked on his words
again, “we couldn’t do everything. She still lives with the effects
of that night. She was willing to do anything to save our child,
even give her own life, and for that I will be eternally
grateful.”

He reached down to pick up a long slender
box from the table. “Maren, you have taken a place in my heart that
is second only to Adare. I can never repay you for what you have
done or for what you’ve given up.” His hand came to rest on her
shoulder. “But what little I can give, I do so willingly.” He
turned back to the crowd. “As my personal gift to Lady Maren, I
have taken the steps to officially adopt her as a member of my
family. She has lost her own, and Adare and I can never increase
ours.”

No. No. No. The room blurred in front of
her. Daric shouldn’t do this. It would only make Kern’s claims to
the throne more legitimate. But she couldn’t refuse such a gift.
She couldn’t hurt Daric like that. Instead she faced her king, her
friend, a man almost like a brother.

She took his outstretched hand and let him
pull her to her feet. He held the box in front of her and lifted
the lid. Her hand went to her mouth. Inside lay two items: a ring
bearing the royal seal and a pendent decorated with Daric’s own
crest. He wasn’t just making her a member of his family. He was
giving her all the privileges and rights of a sister or
daughter.

Her knees trembled, and she leaned against
the table just as Kern slid an arm around her for support. She
stiffened and drew away, more willing to appear overwhelmed in
front of the entire crowd than feel Kern’s arm around her. No
matter what the pain. No matter what the consequences.

Daric motioned to Adare who took the pendant
out of the case and fastened it around Maren’s neck. When she was
done, Maren embraced her, feeling her own tears mixing with
Adare’s. Then Daric took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger
before pulling her into his arms.

“If I had a sister or a daughter,” he
whispered. “I’d want it to be you.”

She reached her hands around his neck, not
caring what anyone thought or how inappropriate it was to hug the
king in public. Only then did her eyes momentarily meet Philip’s.
He gave her a small smile that shook her emotional balance and
reminded her why she was planning to commit murder.

“Thank you,” she whispered to Daric and then
let him hold her while she cried.

After all the
congratulations were over, she was exhausted – physically and
emotionally. More than anything else, she wanted to be alone.
Instead, she let Kern escort her to her room. She even stumbled a
few times, letting him believe she was weaker than she
was.

It wasn’t a long walk, but tonight it felt
like it. Her heart hammered in her chest, she had to focus on
taking deep breaths, and it felt as if her voice was lodged in her
throat.

Kern held the door open and she walked
through. Then she paused and turned back. “Can we talk?”

His brows rose a fraction of an inch but he
showed no other sign of surprise as he stepped into her room and
closed the door behind him.

For a moment, he just stood there, his eyes
traveling the length of her body. “I must compliment you again,
Maren. I’ve never seen you look more beautiful.”