Blinding Beauty (16 page)

“
We’ll be outside palace grounds,
away from nosy ears. It would be more dangerous for you out there,
even with me. I need you to stay here.” And with that, he turned
and began to walk towards the door.

“
And who says I have to listen to
you?” Isa shouted.

When Ever turned back to look at
her in surprise, tears were streaming down her face, making the
dark circles beneath her eyes stand out even more. For a moment, he
was stunned. It didn’t take long for anger and frustration to well
up within him though as he stomped back over to where she stood
with her fists clenched and trembling at her sides.

“
What if I choose not to be
treated like a commoner?” She held her chin high, and her eyes held
his, defiant and provoking.

“
I think you will listen to me
because you know I am trying to protect you,” he growled, glaring
down at her willful expression. “And if it behooves me, I shall tie
you to a chair if I must to keep you safe.”

Shock slowly registered in her
features, and she fell a step back. “You really don’t think I can
help you then?” Her voice shook so hard that it cracked, and so did
his anger. Ever took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“
Kartek has been gifted from
birth. I need her—”

“
More than you need me. I
understand.”

“
Now, Isa, that’s not fair, and
you know it!”

“
You’ve made your point, Everard.
Get on with it then and leave me alone.” Isa slammed the wardrobe
door so loudly it made the windows rattle. The red streaks in her
hair stood out more prominently than usual as she threw herself
down on the bed and crossed her arms.

Ever took in a deep breath before
making his mind up about what to say. A million words of apology
and regret coursed through his mind, the greatest of them being the
truth. He hadn’t expected such a reaction from Isa, not even in the
slightest, and from the glower she was giving the ceiling, it was
evident he had wounded her deeply. But the truth would hurt even
more, he reasoned, and there would be no respite from it until he
had things figured out.

“
I’ll make sure you get your
meals,” he said softly as he paused on the threshold. But he
received no answer. She just lay there in her blue nightdress, her
glare never once wavering from the ceiling. Sighing, he turned to
go before stopping and adding one caution more. “Just don’t touch
the window panes.”

***

“
Someone is
toying with my family.” Ever glowered straight ahead as they
walked. The red of the leaves waved to him, signaling like a ship
in distress. There was no time though to bask in the unusually warm
autumn sun or to enjoy the colors of nature that surrounded
Rafael’s palace. Ever could feel Kartek sending him a wary glance
every few paces, but he ignored her concern. If Isa had been
present, she would have teased him and called it his beastly
brooding. A stab of guilt slashed at him, dangerously close to
breaking his concentration. Isa would not be teasing him for a
while if the words they’d just exchanged were any
indication.

“
Speaking of your family, where is
your wife?” Kartek’s low voice was smooth like oil, and the
familiar cadence of it usually comforted him when she spoke. This
time, however, it only worsened the guilt.

“
In our chambers.”

Kartek stopped walking and fixed
him with a look of knowing disapproval.

“
And did you leave her there by
her choice?”

“
I left her there for her
protection,” Ever huffed, exasperated with his friend, avoiding her
gaze by staring over her head at the distant waves that crashed on
the white beach.

“
Everard—” she began in a chiding
tone.

“
You would have done the same for
Unsu!”

“
No, I would not have locked him
in his room and left him there like a little boy. He is a man, and
it would hardly be respectful of my husband for me to treat him as
anything but a man.” She raised her eyebrows as though inviting him
to challenge her.

“
You don’t understand.” Ever,
still staring at the beach, suddenly felt very small. It was a
moment before he could bring himself to say the next words, and
they came out almost as a whisper. “Her powers are floundering.” He
paused, not wanting to utter any more. Saying them aloud suddenly
made the truth seem more real. But aside from Garin, if anyone
could help him, if would be Kartek. “The fire in her eyes burns a
little less every day.” He turned to her, hating the way his voice
caught in his throat and made it warble. “You know what happens
when our fires go out.”

Kartek stared back at him for a
long time. She no longer looked reproachful, just
thoughtful.

“
I cannot fully empathize with
you, as Unsu has never held a power.” Her lips curved up into the
smallest of smiles. “With the exception of his love. My husband has
the heart of a thousand men. Still,” she took a deep breath and
resumed a grave expression, “have you spoken to her of your
concerns?”

“
Of course not!”

“
And why is that?”

“
She doubts herself enough
already!” Ever ran his hand down his face, fatigue suddenly seeming
to overwhelm him. He hadn’t slept well in over a week. “She
questions everything she does, from her posture to the way she
speaks to the way she chews. I’ve tried helping her, teaching her
to use weapons, something to build her confidence, but her strength
just continues to stall.” He let out a gusty breath. “On top of all
that, the Fortress gossip is ripe with talk. I try to intercede
when I can, but you know women’s tongues...” He stopped himself
when he remembered with whom he was speaking. To his surprise and
relief, Kartek let out one of her deep, saucy laughs.

“
I know a little of that.” She
continued to chuckle after she was done laughing. “It took me seven
months after my marriage to conceive our son. The women of our
palace just knew I was barren.” She patted her belly and raised her
chin high. “Five children later, and the old toads have not
gossiped in a long time! So yes, I know how terrible court gossips
can be. Surely you at least warned her when you were on your
honeymoon.”

Ever shifted uncomfortably again.
Time with his old friend was rare and precious, but like an older
sister, from what he gathered of closely knit families, she knew
just how to make him squirm like a punished puppy.

“
In truth,” he gathered up his
courage for the look she was sure to give him, “We never had one.”
When he finally dared to peek at her, the look Kartek was sending
him wasn’t quite as reproachful as he’d anticipated. It was
worse.

“
You did what?”

“
We were going to go!” he hurried
to assure her, but it didn’t dull her cutting glare of
disappointment.

“
Let me guess. A war broke out. A
famine struck the land. Some poor city was flooded. Everard, after
seventeen years of marriage to a king, I can guarantee you this:
something will always come. But you still cannot put everything
above your queen!”

“
I’m trying! The world just
suddenly seems ripe with distractions.”

“
The distractions were always
there. They always will be. The difference between then and now is
that your father took care of them while he lived.”

“
He always knew what to do.” Ever
sank onto a fallen log on the side of the path, rubbing his temples
and closing his eyes. “I just wish I knew how he did it
all.”

“
It is quite simple. He left you
and your mother behind. She was never allowed to share his burdens
or know his heartache. And look at how that turned out.”

Ever shook his head, staring
morosely at the sand beneath his boots. “Isa worries about so much.
I just wanted to let her be. I don’t want to burden her with more
than she’s already struggling with.” His jaw hardened as he
remembered what she had told him the day before on the way to the
events. “To make matters worse, she was attacked by the same source
of power that created that spectacle yesterday.”

“
The same?” Kartek quirked an
eyebrow at him.

“
In a pane of glass in the
practice room.”

At his words, the southern queen
fell silent, a dark look overshadowing her usually serene face. She
stared out at the ocean, and it was a long time before she spoke
again.

“
I do not like this, Everard. I do
not like it at all. It is too... familiar.” Ever nodded, hoping his
friend would not continue to judge his actions too sharply now that
she knew the foundation of his fears. “But it cannot be.” Her voice
was a whisper. “It has been nearly three thousand years! Surely
they could not have survived!” She shook her head again. “Rafael
should know better, either way. Whatever this power is, it is no
good. I can feel it. And its attack on your wife yesterday just
confirms that.”

“
I told you, someone is toying
with my family. My wife is attacked inside our host’s home, and my
graceless brother-in-law wins the first day’s competition with a
horse and armor that aren’t his.” He paused before adding, “And all
of it comes back to glass.”

“
And you think keeping your wife
locked up while you talk with me is the answer?” The sharpness of
Kartek’s question took Ever by surprise. He stood and looked down
into her deep honey eyes as they stared coldly up at him. “You are
a fool, Everard, if you think walking and talking with me is going
to save your wife while you hide her away. And if Unsu could have
come on this journey with me, you know he would say the
same!”

“
I didn’t know who else to turn
to!” Ever objected, hoping she couldn’t see just how badly she had
wounded him. As she always did, however, Kartek seemed to sense
just that. Her glare softened and she patted his arm as she
gathered her thin, golden skirts and turned to make the walk back
to the palace.

“
I will consider this puzzle of
glass you have presented me, but you are not a lost little boy
anymore.” She smiled at him affectionately. “And it is not my job
any longer to find you someone to sit with at the banquet. I think
your wife, however, will prove to be a great dinner partner. But
first, you have to allow her to sit with you.”

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

The Wrong Color

“
I’m not
supposed to be here, you know.” Launce’s voice was sour. “The
stable master forbade any of us from leaving the stables without
permission once the events began.”

“
I am well aware of that.” Ever
kept his voice cool as he glanced at his brother-in-law. The young
man was back in his village clothes, despite the perfectly good
raiment Ever had sent down to him on the eve of the first contest.
The dark circles beneath Launce’s eyes mirrored those of his
sister’s from earlier that morning.

“
I think you know just why I
wanted to meet you though,” he continued, before Launce could
interrupt him again.

“
She doesn’t like that
color.”

“
What?”

“
Whatever you’ve done, Isa doesn’t
like orange. You’re not going to win any affection back with that
necklace.”

The smug smile on Launce’s face
annoyed Ever more than words could express, but he took a deep
breath and handed the piece of jewelry back to the stall owner. It
pained him to admit that there were many things about his wife that
he still didn’t know, but it wouldn’t do to make the situation
worse.

“
If I may be of assistance, Your
Highness,” the stall owner mumbled, a nervous, short man that
reminded Ever of a hedgehog, “What color does she like? I have many
stones of all different shades...”

Ever opened his mouth to answer,
but stopped. Embarrassment flooded him as he struggled to answer.
How in the heavens did he not know his wife’s favorite
color?

“
She likes light purple.” Ever was
both relieved and livid when Launce finally answered the merchant
for him. The smile in the young man’s voice was about more than he
could bear at that very moment. Thankfully, the merchant held up a
silver bracelet that was inlaid with lavender-colored roses that
had been carved out of tiny purple garnets. When Ever grudgingly
looked at Launce, Launce just shrugged and gave a half nod. At
least Isa wouldn’t hate it.

If there was one thing the
merchants in Cobren excelled at over the ones in Destin, it was
curating foreign wares. Though he had never been one for collecting
baubles himself, Ever had never been able to stay away from the
markets when he visited Cobren. When he was very young, he would
beg his father to let him find gifts for his mother. As he grew
older, and realized his chosen gifts were not to his mother’s
personal taste, after finding them all hidden away in a dusty box,
he began instead to bring gifts to Gigi. Her reactions to his
presents had been much more satisfying than Queen Louise’s tepid
acceptances.

Perhaps, he wondered now as he
scanned the rows and rows of tents and stalls, he would bring Ansel
the next time he came. Isa’s father would have loved this. The
bright colors of the foreign tents, the shine and sparkles of the
wares, and the savory smells of the unfamiliar dishes being cooked
up right in the square could easily overwhelm someone who tried to
take it in all at once. Cobren was known far and wide for its
exotic markets. King or not, Ever felt the burning desire to please
his new in-laws. Perhaps it was because his own parents were gone,
or maybe it was because they were the kind of parents Ever had
always wished to have.