Princess Avenger - Brightcastle Saga Book 1 (29 page)

“I find myself without an heir when I had
thought my plans set.” Now it was Jiseve Zialni’s jaw that
clenched. “You all know how important that heir will be to this
kingdom. My brother cannot rule forever and has no children. I am
next in line for the throne but only a son, not a daughter, can be
heir. I had thought perhaps a grandson would solve the problem, but
it is not to be. And so I come to the reason for your collective
visit. From amongst you I will choose my bride and she will bear me
a son, or sons, to ensure Thorius remains in Zialni hands. My
nephew Piotr--” The prince bit his lower lip as though he had
nearly said too much. Benae guessed there was no love lost between
the two.

“My decision will be made in all haste for I
have already let too many years slip by since the death of my
beloved Iona. So raise your glasses.” Everyone at the table
followed his words with action. “To your very good health, my
beautiful guests.”

As Benae toasted the others, her gaze fell
upon Avalin. If looks could kill, Benae would be lying dead at the
ice princess’s feet. Oh yes, Avalin had identified her main
competition. Before Benae’s arrival, the Tylevian princess must
have thought her position secure, though why she would discount the
younger women, Benae could not say. But then Benae had not been
present to witness the interactions between the prince and his
guests.

The kitchen staff arrived to serve the first
course, which was pheasant, served in a broth with fresh white
bread.

“Please give praise, Squire Ramón,” Jiseve
said.

Ramon stood and Benae closed her eyes to
concentrate on his velvety voice as he spoke the blessing. His deep
love of the Goddess was apparent in the heartfelt way he said the
prayer. These seemed not just empty platitudes for Ramón, but a
core part of his being. It struck a chord within Benae who had been
raised to worship all that was the Goddess.

Their eyes met as Ramón resumed his seat and
Benae smiled. He did not return her smile but turned and engaged
Lella in conversation. Nothing could have better reminded her of
her earlier resolve. Jiseve was the reason she was here, not Ramón,
as delectable as the blond squire was with his azure gaze she could
so easily lose herself in. She turned to the equally compelling
sapphire eyes of the prince.

Jiseve reached for her hand and squeezed it.
“Please go ahead and begin, lady. The pheasant was freshly killed
this morning.”

He watched as she sliced a piece from the
bird in front of her and placed it in her mouth. The meat had a
strong, gamey taste but was tender and delicious. She licked the
salty broth from her lips. The prince mimicked her gesture and his
throat moved in a sudden spasm, his pupils dilated, his breathing
quickened.
He is enjoying my little game!
She raised her
glass.

“Your good health, Highness,” Benae said,
tapping her glass against his, the musical note of the crystal
ringing around the table. This was almost too easy.

Avalin went on the attack.

“Lady Branasar, how many people live on your
little
estate?”

“Five hundred, give or take,” Benae said.
“Surely you would know that, as your father is my king.”

Avalin’s pale cheeks flushed. “Oh…you are of
the Tylevian Branasars. I should have realized.” Avalin flushed a
deeper shade of red as she fell from one blunder into another.

“What of Tylevia, Princess Avalin?” Benae
said, pinning Avalin with her interrogator’s stare. “What are your
responsibilities there?”

Avalin turned her gaze on Jiseve who
appeared to be enjoying the rivalry between the ladies to either
side of him. “I have a myriad of responsibilities. Suffice to say I
am well aware of the duties of the head of a household,” then
looking to Benae, “
Lady
Benae.”

Benae narrowed her eyes at Avalin. She was
not sure where this was heading but she had a feeling a change of
topic was a good idea. Just then, Princess Lella piped up.

“I’ve been schooled by my tutors from a
young age to run a kingdom,” Lella said, “even though I have four
brothers who will rule before I ever do. We still have ruling
queens in Brevisten, you see. My mother and father are joint
rulers.”

Prince Zialni seemed not best pleased to be
reminded of the differences between kingdoms. “I don’t believe any
wife of mine will be called upon to undertake the duties of a
ruler. Iona was content to run our household and care for myself
and our daughter. That is all I would ask.”

Avalin seemed content, while Lella’s
pale-blue eyes were troubled. Marey sat across from the squire and
seemed lost in contemplation of him. As for Benae, she resolutely
kept her gaze on the prince, well, mostly.

“Prince Zialni--” Benae said.

“Please, call me Jiseve.”

“Jiseve, surely there are other traits,
other skills you would seek in a wife?”

Avalin sniggered but Benae ignored her.

“My wife must have grace and beauty, she
must be young enough to bear children and she must have good taste
and discretion.”

Well, that left Marey out of the
race.
The Issian princess was still gazing at the squire. For
all Benae knew, the girl was probably playing footsies under the
table with Ramón. She tried to ignore the spike of jealousy that
thought provoked.

“Jiseve, surely you wish your wife to have a
mind of her own, to be able to converse and to be a stimulating
companion,” Benae said.

Avalin sniggered again. “I’m sure Jiseve has
found me to be a most ‘stimulating’ companion over the past two
weeks.”

Jiseve smiled indulgently at Avalin.

Benae’s eyebrows climbed her forehead. Of
all the words Benae would have used to describe Avalin, she never
would have imagined the princess to be so saucy. Perhaps she needed
to reappraise the title of ‘ice princess’. Had Avalin already slept
with Jiseve?
What
is
the true state of affairs
here?

Jiseve turned to Benae. His eyes burned into
hers, creating a private moment between them. Benae’s stomach
tightened and desire trickled through her lower abdomen.
Oh my,
he is seducing me in front of Avalin!

“I’m sure you have all the attributes I
could possibly want in a companion,” he murmured. He caught her
hand and kissed her fingers.

A chair scraped across the floor and they
turned to find Ramón standing at his place. “If you’ll excuse me,
Your Highness, ladies, I’ll take my leave.”

“You will stay,” Prince Zialni said. “You
must help me attend to the needs of these fine ladies.”

Ramón frowned.

“Do you have a problem with that, squire?”
Jiseve’s voice held an undercurrent of menace.

The implied threat brought the previous
conversation about Jiseve’s harsh treatment of his daughter and the
common folk back to Benae. Perhaps there really was a dark
underside to life in this castle.
Or maybe I should concentrate
on my plan and stop looking for problems.
After all, the
situation on Benae’s estate was desperate and Jiseve could offer a
solution that would benefit both of them.

Ramón shook his head. “No, Your Highness.”
He resumed his seat as the main meal was delivered.

Benae sent a smoldering look to her prince.
She could almost taste victory. Soon she would be mistress of
Brightcastle and her people could embrace a future free of the dark
elven menace and of starvation.

Ramón watched as the prince swept Benae from the
table and onto the small wooden dance floor.
Will this evening
never end?
He had other things in mind for tonight, like
meeting up with one of his mercenary spies, but what did the whim
of Ramón Zorba matter beside the desires of the prince. And
‘desires’ was the right word. As the two lute players plucked out a
sedate court tune, the prince steered Benae around the small dance
floor, her body held close to his, his lips moving as though he
whispered endearments. Even Ramón could see that his employer was
different with Benae than he was with the rest of the candidates.
He was smitten, and no wonder. She was enchanting, with her
flashing green eyes, full sensuous lips and perfect form.
Any
man would kill just to have her in his arms
. He almost choked
on his wine. Where had that thought come from?

He scraped his chair back and asked Marey to
dance. The youngest princess giggled her response and he swept her
onto the dance floor beside Benae and the prince. Benae had her
eyes closed as she was guided around the floor. Perhaps the
attraction was mutual and the lady had fallen under Zialni’s spell.
He was handsome for an older man and he had wealth and power. These
seemed important to Benae. Anger welled up within him and he
crushed Marey to his body without knowing what he did. She squeaked
and he gazed down upon her. Marey was young, perhaps eighteen. She
could not have any experience with men and here she was being
offered up to Prince Zialni as a brood mare.

He shook his head. “What are you doing here,
princess?”

Her wide, brown eyes gazed back at him.
“What do you mean, squire? You know the purpose of my visit.”

“You should be safe in your palace,
entertaining the young men of your court, not here vying for the
hand of a man old enough to be your father.”

Marey smiled a ‘come hither’ smile that
shocked Ramón to his core. “Are you jealous that the ‘old’ prince
receives all the attention squire? Perhaps you and I could meet
later and you could attend to my ‘needs’. The prince has asked you
to do so. Did you not take note?”

Ramón choked as breath rushed into his
chest. Not so innocent then, or she was playing a damned convincing
game. He coughed and pushed her back from his body, completing the
dance at arm’s length. They returned to their seats and Prince
Zialni began dancing with Princess Lella.

Ramon’s eyes met Benae’s across the table.
“Please join me in a dance, lady.” Before Marey could raise her
pretty blonde brows, Ramón was beside Benae and pulling her into
his arms for a lively court dance that soon became a waltz. She
moved well and she was so tiny, barely reaching his shoulder, but
her body was formed of hard muscle from her horse- riding. It was a
heady mix of soft feminine curves and toned flesh, but he should
not be thinking like this. He took a deep breath.

“What is amiss, Ramón? You are quite pale.”
Her lovely eyes shone up at him and he was seized by a strong urge
to kiss her full lips. He fought it down.

“Princess Marey propositioned me,” he
said.

Benae laughed. “The Issians are a precocious
people. Their girls are first bedded at fifteen so by Marey’s age
they are experienced in the ways of the bedroom.”

Ramón stared. When would he ever understand
women? Why did they not save themselves so that the giving of their
virginity meant something? He had been saving himself for Alecia
since he had first seen her the evening of her debut at Wildecoast.
And Alecia had chosen Anton, a man so unworthy of her it took his
breath away. After a month on the road with Vard, Alecia’s good
name was surely ruined but he would forgive her mistake, take her
back and she would be his first and only partner. He would show her
that his devotion had no bounds. His manhood stirred at the
thought. It had nothing to do with the lovely woman in his
arms.

“Now you are blushing, Ramón. I would give
much to know your thoughts.”

He frowned at her. “I was thinking of
Princess Alecia.”

“So, that is the reason you are holding me
so close that I can feel your arousal.”

Ramón sprang back and Benae laughed out
loud. All eyes were upon them.

“I will escort you back to your place,
lady.”

Ramón excused himself and left the dining
room, his mind and body flooded with frustration and disgust.
Instead of returning to his room, he fled the castle, exiting the
grounds via the park gate. He craved release from his inner
turmoil, needed to run off the frustration of the last few weeks
when his job had changed to minding four women who would sell
themselves to the prince; needed to forget for a moment his aching
desire to have Alecia in his arms; needed to banish his body of the
angry impotence that Vard Anton had placed there. He broke into a
jog and was soon running into the forest.

That was a magical night, Benae thought. The dinner
with Jiseve and the princesses had ended well and the prince seemed
reluctant to leave her side when he had been called to attend to
another matter. She had left straight after; although Avalin was
still at the table, drink in hand. Well, that was what the
horse-faced trollop got for trying to spoil Benae’s efforts to
impress Jiseve. It had backfired on her, thank the Goddess.

As Benae reached for her doorknob, a low
moaning drew her attention. The sound came again, drifting over to
her from the east wing. Though it was none of her business, Benae
could not ignore suffering. She followed the noise until she stood
before a door. Yes, the poor soul was within this room.

Benae opened the door silently and entered,
closing it behind her. As she crossed the sitting room and peered
into the bedchamber, the stench of rotting tissue hit her like a
physical blow.

Ramón bent over a skeletal form in the bed,
bathing the face of the victim while he murmured words Benae could
not hear. The patient moved his head from side to side and the
covers over the man’s abdomen were stained with blood.

Stomach roiling, Benae joined Ramón at the
bedside. “Let me tend him.”

“What the hell are you doing here,
lady?”

She met his anxious gaze. “I could ask you
the same. Who is he and why is he here?”

“It is none of your concern.”

“Who is he?”

“Lord Giornan Finus, Princess Alecia’s
betrothed and Prince Zialni’s advisor. He tried to stop Vard Anton
from taking Princess Alecia from this castle. This wound is the
result. He has lain here this last month, dying.”