The Pledge (34 page)

I was relieved to see someone I recognized when everything about me felt so unfamiliar. Still, I frowned, and a ghost of a smile curved his lips.

“Where am I?” I tried to ask, but my voice was lost in an arid whisper.

“Don’t try to talk yet,” Max instructed, reaching for the glass of water beside the bed.

I was in a bed, I noted. But where? How?

And more importantly,
why
?

He lifted my head and brought the water to my lips. All I could manage was a sip, because again, I was besieged by the sensation that something was off, like I was a stranger inside my own body. Everything felt different and new.

“Better?”

I tried to smile but couldn’t. “Where am I?” I asked again, trying to register my surroundings. Rich tapestries, fine art, delicate linens.

“We’re in the palace, Charlie. Don’t you remember?”

And, like that, I did. I remembered everything. All at once it came crashing in on me, the queen, the pact, dying . . .

. . . and Angelina.

My skin tingled still.

I drew my hand out from beneath the silk coverlet and stared at it, turning it over and pulling back my sleeve, my eyes widening.

“Am I like this everywhere?”

Max nodded, watching me closely, and I wondered what I must look like from where he sat.

White light flickered from beneath my skin, all over, lighting my entire body. The smoldering glow radiated outward, making even my own eyes ache. It was the same radiant light I’d seen coming from Angelina.

“Your sister, it seems, has discovered her gift,” Max explained.

I didn’t tell him that it wasn’t new to her, the healing. Or
that it wasn’t her only power. There were still so many things I didn’t understand about what had happened, about what Angelina had done to save me.

Instead I asked, “Where is she? Where are my parents?” I sat up, suddenly needing to know that my family was safe.

“They aren’t far, trust me. They’ve barely left your side. I’m sure they’ll be back soon to check on you. They’ll be glad you’re awake.” His lazy grin made my heart stutter. “Sydney’s with them you know?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Sydney? What’s she doing here?”

“Once the news got out, it was impossible to keep her away. She’s very determined when she sets her mind to something. Reminds me a little of Brooklynn.”

“You didn’t tell Brook that, did you?”

His smile widened. “She didn’t really care for the comparison,” he explained in mock innocence.

I slumped back against my pillows, amazed that so much had changed in so little time; I would never have imagined Sydney voluntarily under the same roof as my parents and Brook. But then I remembered the rest of what had happened. My throat was closing even as I dared to ask the question. “What about . . . Aron . . . ?” I couldn’t finish, he’d been too close to death the last time I’d seen him.

Max’s brows lifted. “Angelina. She’s managed to heal Xander, Aron, your parents, and Eden. In fact, I’m not sure even Xander believed Eden would survive. If your sister weren’t already a princess, Xander would treat her as one anyway. I think he plans to build statues in her honor.”

It was all the explanation I needed. Of course Angelina had helped them—she no longer had to hide what she could do. I looked at my hand again. “Is she still . . .” I raised my eyes, hoping Max understood what I was asking.

He laughed again, but this time I didn’t mind. “Glowing?”

I nodded.

“No. She stopped the moment she released you. You’re the only one. Angelina says she doesn’t know why it happened. No one does.”

Tears burned my eyes as Max reminded me that Angelina had spoken. I remembered the sound of her voice as if I’d only just heard it, and I was relieved that I hadn’t been dreaming.

But I thought about what Max had said. “Do you think I’ll stop too?”

He reached over and ran a finger across my arm. “I hope not.” He grinned, watching the sparks that followed in the trail of his touch, flickering brilliantly beneath my skin.

I released an awed breath, but the sensation itself was sinful. I wasn’t certain I was ready to admit what that simple touch had just done to me.

It took several long moments until I felt composed enough to ask the question I’d been afraid to broach. It would have been impossible for him not to hear the tremble in my voice. “What about the queen?” I bit my lip, an anxious knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

Max raised an eyebrow. “The
queen
is safe.”

They were the last words I’d expected to hear, and I jerked upward, shoving Max away from me. “Where is she now? We
have to get out of here! You don’t know what I know, Max. I’ve seen what she’s done, what she’s capable of.”

But Max put his hands on my shoulders and eased me back down. “Relax, Charlie.
You’re
the queen now. At least you will be once you’re officially crowned.” His eyes remained locked with mine. “My grandmother is dead.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but I still didn’t understand. “How could you be so sure that she was the one who’d died?” I asked. “How did you know the transfer didn’t work, that she wasn’t”—I glanced down at myself, my voice dropping dangerously low—“in here? In
my
body?”

Max took my hand, his fingers lacing through mine. Hot embers ignited within me, and my hand sparked with light. “You really don’t remember, do you?” He frowned, looking worried.

I met his gaze. “I really don’t.”

“She didn’t die right away, my grandmother. She lived for several moments after you blacked out, not fully conscious but breathing nonetheless.” His grip tightened. “Seconds before she took her last breath, you spoke.”

“What did I say?”

Max’s face broke into an easy grin, and once again, I found myself craving his warmth, straining to be near him. “You said . . . ‘I win.’”

I wondered how I could possibly forget something like that, something so . . .
momentous
. Queen Sabara was dead. She really was dead this time.

The memory of so many funerals flashed through my mind. How many bodies had she buried? How many souls had she taken?

“Besides,” Max said, his gray eyes sparkling. “Angelina assured us it was you. Apparently she has a knack for these things.”

I smiled back at him, biting my lip. He knew about Angelina’s other ability. It felt good to not have to hide what we could do.

“What if I don’t want to be queen?” I finally asked.

Max sighed. “It’s too late for that. We need you, Charlie. The country needs a queen, and we no longer have one.”

“What about a king?” But I already knew the answer. He was right—of course, we needed a queen. Ludania couldn’t afford to be cut off from the world again; we needed to maintain a balance with the monarchies around us. None of the other ruling queens would ever respect a king born without a power.

“You know it wouldn’t work. You’re
the One
, it’s always been you. Just because your family was removed from the throne doesn’t make you any less suited to rule. You’re the eldest female heir. Besides, look at you. How much more special do you have to be before you believe it for yourself?” His fingertip brushed the back of my hand, and my cheeks burned. I hoped they weren’t glowing as hot as they felt.

The door to the bedroom opened without warning, and I pulled the blankets up to cover my hands, knowing I could do nothing about my face.

Brooklynn came in, with Angelina trailing right behind her. It hadn’t been a hallucination after all; I
had
heard Brooklynn in the hallways.

Angelina was dressed in a pretty pink gown, and an
attempt had been made to braid her flyaway blond hair. If it weren’t for the dirt smudged on her chin, she would look exactly like a princess.

“I just checked on Eden,” Brook said to Max, not yet realizing that I was awake. “She’s ready to get out of bed. She’s tired of being told to rest.”

Even though I knew what Angelina was capable of, the last time I’d seen Eden she was barely clinging to her last breath. It was hard to believe that anything—or anyone—could have brought her back from that.

But it was Aron who drew my attention as he sauntered through the door behind my sister and Brooklynn. His bruises and cuts were all but healed, his skin virtually unmarred. He was walking on his own now, without so much as a limp.

My heart skipped as I shifted in bed so I was fully upright. “I told you I’d never leave you behind,” I told him boastfully.

Aron beamed at me, such a familiar look, so Aron-like that I grinned back. “If I remember right, I think you said you’d leave me in a heartbeat.” His smile widened. “I’m glad you changed your mind.”

Angelina’s face lit up when she heard my voice, and she jumped onto the bed, wrapping her arms around me. “I missed you,” she declared against my ear, squeezing me with all her might, and I wondered if I’d ever get used to the sound of her voice.

Silver wisps of her hair tickled my nose and my cheeks, and I breathed them in, hugging her back, tears stinging my eyes. “I’ve missed you, too.”

When at last I released her I saw Xander, lingering in the
doorway, watching us all with a crooked smile playing over his lips. This was the outcome he’d spent most of his life fighting for. This was the reason he’d turned his back on his family, on his country, on his queen.

The citizens of Ludania would finally be free, no longer forced into a class system that determined what language they could speak, what jobs they could do, or who they could be.

Everything Xander had ever hoped for had come true at last.

He stood straight then, moving to stand directly in front of me as he dropped low and bowed dramatically. “Your Majesty.”

epilogue

I lay there listening to the sounds of sleep beside me, the even breathing, the soft rustling of linens. If only my sleep could be so peaceful.

The nights were the worst, when I closed my eyes and let my guard down, surrendering to the will of my dreams.

She was with me still, I knew that now.

I moved with care, untangling my legs and easing my way from beneath the heavy blankets. There was no need to disturb someone else with my burdens.

The darkness parted around me, cleaved by my very presence as I padded to the window on bare feet and glanced out at the lawns below. The moon blazing brightly in the still night sky nearly matched the intensity of my skin. My own glow had faded over time, but only slightly.

Settling in with my country had not been difficult; I abolished laws, not languages, allowing people to make their own choices, to forge their own place in the world. Of course, not everyone agreed. There were always the voices of
dissention—those who opposed change, even when it was for the best—and I worried that those voices might grow, gain a life of their own, much like the voice within me.

Even now, I could feel the veiled shadows straining to reach the surface.

At first I’d believed it was only in my imaginings, that side of me that whispered malice and dreamed dark deeds. A result of my new responsibilities on the throne. I’d hoped it would go away with time, much like the light living beneath my skin.

But now, as the months stretched on, and my country and I settled into a delicate accord, I knew it was something more. Something infinitely more sinister.

She was there—the ancient queen—wraithlike and vengeful, hoping to take her place once more.

I couldn’t allow it, of course, and she understood that. For now, at least, I was stronger than she was. I was able to keep her at bay. So her only recourse was to find my weak spots, chinks in my defenses, places where she could inject her evils and try to infect me with fear and suspicion. And that was usually at night, while I slept.

Strong arms reached around me from behind, and a stubbled cheek nuzzled my shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I breathed softly.

“I wasn’t complaining.” Max’s lips found their way to my neck, and in the darkness, sparks shimmered brilliantly, showering us both with a display of what his touch could do to me. “Come back to bed,” he coaxed, and again, light flickered and danced around us.

I smiled, letting him lead me away from the window, knowing that, for the time being, everything was as it should be.

It didn’t matter that later, when I closed my eyes, she would be there, making ugly promises and sinister threats.

For now, I had Max in my bed.

And a queendom to rule.

He approached respectfully, cautiously. Warily.

She’d always been capricious, his queen. But of late, she was nothing less than unpredictable.

He knew why, of course: the new queen of Ludania.

He waited twenty paces from the throne, as was customary. She would speak first. Until then, his lips remained tightly sealed.

When at last he heard her voice—like the chords of a song—lovely and melodious—he knew her mood. Tolerant. Magnanimous.

Yet he couldn’t suppress the trepidation that always quivered in his belly during these brief encounters.

“Come closer,” she coaxed, and he found himself drawn toward her in the same way that some animals were drawn toward their brightly colored predators. “I can barely see you all the way back there. And I want so badly to see your face.”