Princess of the Midnight Ball (26 page)

Don’t do it,” Galen said as Rose walked toward the dais.

“I have to,” she whispered. “It will distract him.” She wound her way between the remaining dancers, most of whom were too busy watching the king and the princes to do much more than sway in place.

Galen followed on her heels, only peripherally aware that the other princesses had stopped dancing and were also moving toward the dais. He saw Poppy whisper something to Jonquil, who nodded. “Go, Poppy. Go, Jonquil. Run while you can,” Galen thought. He knew that he should follow them, to row the boat across and back for Rose, but he couldn’t leave her side.

“Dear Rose,” the King Under Stone said when they reached the dais. “What is this you were asking Illiken about? You wish my sons to visit the mortal realm?”

“It was a passing thought,” Rose said airily, but Galen was standing close enough to see her trembling. “I thought my
father should meet them, sire, before we all wed. But it seems that they cannot all leave at once, so perhaps it is not important after all.”

“Not important?” The pale king raised his eyebrows. “To assure your father that his precious girls will be in good hands?” The king rubbed his hands together as if to illustrate, and the dry sound they made gave Galen chills.

Galen saw Poppy, Daisy, and Jonquil moving toward the doors of the ballroom. Rose had a fine dew of sweat on her forehead and was trembling harder than ever. Worrying about how to get her out of the ballroom, he felt cautiously in his satchel with his left hand until he found a particular silver twig.

One he had etched a name on, earlier that day.

“Pardon me, sire,” Violet said, coming to stand near Rose. Galen moved out of her way just before she ran into him. She had an arm around Hyacinth, and Lilac trailed behind them.

“What is it, dear Violet?”

“We only wondered if Rose was feeling well,” Violet said. “She looked flushed.” She put up her chin and bravely faced the king. “Hyacinth is not at her best, either, and I wondered if we might retire to our chambers soon.”

Hyacinth said nothing. She did lean closer to Violet, though, resting her head on the other’s shoulder. Lilac nodded and took Hyacinth’s free hand. Galen groaned silently, wishing they had just left without attracting the king’s notice.

“Now, my dears, surely you would not deny me the pleasure of watching you dance—” The king’s eyes narrowed, and
he looked beyond the four princesses before him. “Where are the others?”

If Galen had found the King Under Stone’s appearance unsettling before, it was nothing compared to how he looked now. White face so pale with rage that it appeared carved from bone, the king seemed to grow ever taller, head and shoulders above even his sons.

“Now
, Rose!” Galen shouted. He grabbed her arm and shoved her toward the door.

“You! Where are you?” the pale king screamed, searching for the source of Galen’s voice. “I can almost see you!”

Galen steeled himself for what he had to do, and then he cast his doubts away and acted.

Switching the silver twig to his right hand, he leaped onto the dais and stabbed the King Under Stone in the chest. Galen kept his hand locked around the shaft of the twig until he forced the immortal ruler back into the black throne.

A roar filled the air, and winds buffeted Galen. He held to the silver twig even tighter, not knowing what would happen if he let go. Ghostly hands seemed to squeeze Galen’s heart, his lungs, his skull, and he thought for a moment that he would die as the ancient magicians had died. But Under Stone was weaker now, and rather than exploding out to wreak havoc on the world, as the magicians had feared, his powers ebbed away into the vessel that waited at his side.

Illiken.

Illiken staggered, and the color leeched from his skin and hair. Galen let go of the silver needle piercing Under Stone’s
heart, and reached for a pistol with shaking hands as the room exploded with screams.

The courtiers saw their king shudder and then slump against the back of his throne. Their screams were almost drowned out by Illiken’s howls as his father’s powers transformed him. Several of the other princes rushed onto the dais, their faces rigid with horror.

Galen glanced around quickly, and saw with relief that Rose and the last three princesses had slipped away during the commotion.

Unfortunately, Illiken saw the same thing.

“Rose!” Illiken shouted. “My bride, my brothers’ brides! They are escaping! Get them!”

The guards surged out the doors of the ballroom, with Under Stone’s hideous court following them. Galen jumped off the dais and pushed his way into the crowd, trying to get to the front, to reach the shore before …

He slowed for just a second, and then fought his way out of the rush with renewed anxiety. How to get all twelve princesses across the lake in one boat? Would Lily have been able to row the younger set across herself? He could only hope.

He was the first one out of the doors and onto the beach, but only by a few seconds. And there, to his horror, he saw the twelve princesses standing on the shore looking lost.

The princes’ twelve boats were too far down the shore. The silver boat, when at last he located it, was out in the middle of the lake, drifting aimlessly. In his haste to reach Rose, he had
not pulled it far enough up the shore. He cursed his own stupidity, then called out to Rose.

She looked around blindly, and he realized that he still wore the cape. He snatched it over his head and tucked it under one arm as he ran. The other princesses cried out to see him appear so suddenly.

Their pursuers were pounding down the beach, Illiken in the lead. Rose pulled her shawl closer about her shoulders, looking around for another way to cross.

“White like a swan, floating on the water,” Galen said, staring at her shawl and wondering….

Rose looked at him, not understanding. He grabbed a corner of the shawl. “The wool, Rose, a magician gave it to me….”

Before he could finish the thought, Rose had nodded and taken it off. Galen cast it on the water.

Before their eyes, the wool stiffened and stretched until it became a triangular raft large enough to hold them all. Galen sagged for a moment in relief, then he scooped up Pansy and Petunia and jumped onto the white raft, the others following suit. As soon as Hyacinth, the last, boarded, the enchanted craft began to speed across the lake.

“They’re coming!” Poppy pointed behind them to where the princes were launching the golden boats with inhuman speed.

“Do you know how to load a pistol?” Galen looked to Rose, but it was Lily who answered.

“I do,” she said, taking the pistols out of his hands. “A friend taught me.” She loaded the pistols with expert skill while Galen attended to his rifle.

“Hold them ready,” he told Lily. “Can you shoot?”

She nodded, and Galen remembered that it was Lily who had threatened Rionin and the others when they had come into the garden.

They reached the far shore and ran onto the black sand. Instantly the white shawl shrank and then disappeared beneath the water.

“Get the others home,” Galen told Rose. He stood on the shore, his rifle ready. “Wait until you have a good shot,” he instructed Lily, who stood by his side looking pale but calm. “Don’t waste it. There isn’t enough time to reload.”

“I understand,” she said. She steadied the pistol in both hands.

“Now for the rifle,” he said, as the front boat came within range. He aimed for Illiken, but the new king lunged to the side as Galen squeezed the trigger. The sound of the shot rang through the underworld, and another prince who had shared Illiken’s boat cried out and gripped his arm.

Galen shouldered the rifle and raised his pistol. Beside him, Lily took careful aim. Galen looked for Illiken once more, but he was crouched low in his boat now, and Galen could not get a clear shot. Instead he aimed for the second boat and fired. The prince guiding that boat fell back, his boat rocking wildly, and the guard with him cried out as they tipped into the lake.

“Ha!” Lily cried out as she fired, and the prince she had been aiming for clutched his shoulder and fell back into the arms of one of his brothers. “Swine,” she screamed, her face flushed.

Galen looked at her and saw tears on her cheeks. “He was my partner,” she explained.

“Run,” he replied, taking her hand. Illiken’s boat was scraping the sand in the shallows.

They raced for the forest, where they found Rose waiting. “I told you to go,” he huffed as they passed into the silvery shadows of the trees.

“I know,” Rose said, falling in beside him. “But I couldn’t leave you! And how will we stop Illiken? He’s king now,
and
half human. He can cross into the mortal world in the darkness.”

“Isn’t it dawn yet?” Lily’s flush was fading to pallor again.

“I don’t think so,” Rose panted.

“Not for two more hours at least,” Galen told them.

They could see the others up ahead, just reaching the pearl and silver gate. Behind them came the crunching of booted feet on the path and the sound of shouts, like the baying of hunting hounds. There was crashing in the trees to their left: a fast runner braving the silver trees to head them off.

Galen whipped his musket off his shoulder and veered toward the sound. With a shout he thrust the bayonet forward, cutting off the triumphant cry of one of the princes as he broke out of the trees.

The bayonet stuck fast, and Galen left it to continue on. Holding his arms wide, he swept Rose and Lily before him through the gate. The other princesses waited at the foot of the golden stairs.

Illiken stopped his headlong run to step casually through
the gate and smile at them. “Come to me, Rose.” He held out one hand, imperious.

Rose swayed beside Galen. Galen put out an arm and stopped her.

“Our mother’s bargain ends with your father’s death,” Rose said bravely, although her face was strained with the effort of resisting him.

“The bargain passes to me, even as it passed from your mother to you,” Illiken said with a sneer. “Now, come!”

Some of the princesses had ascended the steps, but others had lingered, to Galen’s mounting anxiety. A soft hand touched his wrist, and from behind him Lily whispered, “Here.” A pistol was pressed into his hand.

Galen took it, holding it down and slightly behind him. He edged a little away from Rose, so that he could bring the weapon up swiftly.

“Come now, Rose,” Illiken repeated. “Perhaps your punishment for trying to flee should be that you and I wed now, tonight.”

Galen brought the pistol up in a smooth movement and fired. The ball struck true, hitting Illiken square in the heart and throwing him back against the gate. He slumped to the ground, and Galen nudged Rose toward the golden stair. He had one last thing to do before he left.

Illiken groaned and got to his feet like a marionette being pulled upright. “A good effort, gardener,” he said, brushing off his jacket. “But mere iron can no longer slay me, for I am the King Under Stone now!” He raised his arms, smiling.

“We need another silver needle,” Rose whispered. She had put one foot on the bottom step, but now moved back. “Lily,” she said to her sister. “Take the others and go. Galen and I will stay to—” And without finishing her sentence, she lunged past Galen, running with her skirts high, past the startled Illiken and into the silver wood.

“No!” Illiken snarled as Rose grabbed the lowest branch of the first tree, dragging on it to break free a twig. He went after her, seizing her by the waist and hauling her down the path toward the lake.

The clasp of the invisibility cloak was still fastened. Galen pulled it on and disappeared, hurrying off the path and into the trees. He reached up and snapped off a twig, then another, as he followed Illiken and Rose.

When they reached the end of the forest, the remaining princes and courtiers met them, helping Illiken hustle Rose toward the waiting boats. Rose broke free, pushing aside the courtiers and running back toward the trees. Galen met her halfway, pulling her into his arms and covering her with the cloak as well. The court of the underworld gasped as the princess vanished.

“I can see you, gardener,” Illiken shouted. He came striding up the beach. Like his father, he was squinting at a spot near where Galen and Rose stood, as though he knew they were there but couldn’t quite make them out.

“What will we do?” Rose whispered.

“Wait,” he whispered back. Galen could feel her heart pounding against his chest. He dropped his arm from her
waist, pulled a knife from his belt, and scratched blindly at the side of the silver twig.

“Aha!” Illiken reached out, his arms wide, as though to embrace them both, still squinting.

Galen’s right arm snapped up, and he pierced Illiken through the heart with the twig, on which he had just scrawled the prince’s name. Not waiting to see if it worked, Galen wheeled around, keeping Rose under the shelter of his left arm, and ran with her back into the trees. They kept to the shadows, avoiding the path where pale-faced guards searched for them.

“They daren’t spend too much time among the trees,” Rose whispered as they approached the gate.

They huddled under the spreading branches of the tree nearest the gate. One of the princes stood between them and freedom. With one hand, Galen fished in his satchel for the chain.

“When he looks the other way, run for the gate,” he told Rose, who nodded.

Galen tossed a bullet out into the path. The prince jerked and went to get a better look at it. Rose burst out of Galen’s arms and flew through the gate, with Galen hard on her heels. The prince turned, shouting, as Galen clanged the gate shut.

“I am the King Under Stone now,” the gaunt figure hissed, grabbing the latch from his side. “You cannot stop me!” The color faded from his hair as he spoke.

Galen didn’t answer. Steadily he passed one end of the black wool chain through the bars and around the back of the gatepost.

The new king drew back with a cry. “What is that? How have you …?” He winced and blinked as though the dull black wool burned his eyes.