The Queen Revealed (17 page)

So when The Boss gave Charlie an expensive spell and told him to find a small box in the room of the Queen Adelena, Charlie went to get that box, no questions asked.

But now the spell was gone and Charlie was sweating it out in the bedroom of the mad Black Prince as a favor to the witch Queen Adelena. Charlie was left wondering if the Boss would torture him first before letting him die or whether he would feed him to The Eldars, like he had once promised.

The Boss had assured him that those ghouls from the children’s fables were very real, and still searched the world for unfortunates with The Blood coursing through their mixed blood veins. Charlie fingered the amulet The Boss had given him to hide him from the supernatural sight of The Eldars. With The Blood humming in his veins and the silver ring that sometimes flashed about his pupils Charlie figured they would come for him right quick if they ever knew where he was. The amulet was his for as long as he worked for The Boss, marking him as taken, and it protected him from all the other street thugs and goons who would want to exploit a street kid with dark Magic in his hands. But it still didn’t make Charlie feel safe.

At least while I run between the Grey Palace and Belvoir Estate I can tell The Boss I’m searching for his object. Hopefully, he’ll let me live long enough to find it,
thought Charlie, but he hadn’t seen enough of The Boss’s mercy to really believe in it.

The problem was, he hadn’t gone back to The Boss today, which meant The Boss would come looking for him soon. Charlie wondered if the ancient Curse against Magic at Belvoir would protect him from the wrath of The Boss, but he doubted it. The Boss knew far too many non-magical ways to kill a man.

A gust of wind rattled the window, seeking entry to the Chamber. A tiny finger of air reached in under the frame, swirling around the room and lifted the corner of one of the shreds of paper still on the floor. It caught Charlie’s eye and, though it hurt like hell, he bent over and picked up the fragments of the letter, quickly checking the door before assembling the pieces together.

Dearest Rainere,

The hours pass so slowly without you. I am so sorry about what I did to you on that last night. I promise it will never happen again.

I miss you my love.

Adelena

Like the Prince before him Charlie read and re-read the lines. He committed them to memory before scattering them back on the floor just as he had found them.

A love note
? He had almost
died
because of a cat-sucking love note?

Charlie straightened just as the Black Prince stalked back into the room. The Prince’s expression was quite blank, but it made Charlie nervous just the same.

The Prince ignored his guest and walked to the desk with something dark in his hands. As always Charlie’s insatiable curiosity overcame his more feeble good sense, and he stood up to see what it was the Prince was doing. Using one hand to steady himself, Charlie leaned forward to look around the Prince’s shoulder, but his limbs were still too stiff and Charlie’s arm folded making him fall against the mantle, jostling the small objects that cluttered the shelf. Charlie hurriedly tried to straighten the things he’d knocked over, setting back a little wooden box covered in engravings, and the piece of paper that was set behind it, with a child’s drawing on it. The picture caused Charlie to raise an eyebrow but the next object he touched made him yelp as if he’d been burned.

The Prince looked up at the noise and strode over in a few long steps. “Don’t touch anything!” he snapped and took the small glass sphere out of Charlie’s shaking hand.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Charlie, aghast, pointing at the small blue flame that danced within the glass ball.

“It’s not for children to play with,” replied Rainere coldly and rearranged all the things that Charlie had touched, as if to reassure himself they were all accounted for. He touched the little wooden box, coconut wood by the looks of it, and Charlie thought he saw a flicker of a smile twitch at the Prince’s mouth, but his fear might have been making him hallucinate.

“Take this.” The Prince’s tone was at once imperious and defensive as he thrust a small black box at Charlie. “Give it to the Queen’s hand and no other. It is essential that only her hand opens the box. Tell her… tell her I was serious about us.”

Charlie tried not to tremble under the Prince’s dark glare. “The Queen’s hand. I understand, Your Highness.”

“You will return to Belvoir Estate tonight,” ordered the Prince, immediately turning on his heel and heading for the door. He stopped when he realized Charlie wasn’t following him. Turning only to speak over his shoulder Rainere said:

“I will show you a much quicker way back. At least your blood will
probably
be able to tolerate the portal if you remember not to linger. Now come along, she must receive my gift tonight.”

Charlie swallowed a curse. He had been taught about portals by those who knew such things and was told in no uncertain terms not to mess with them. Ever. What the hell was he going to do if ‘probably’ wasn’t good enough to get him through it. As Charlie followed the Black Prince along the dusty corridors and down into the dank and musty bowels of the Grey Palace, he began considering his most immediate future. It was only a little upsetting to him that torture at the hands of The Boss had now slipped to third place on his “Ways to Die” list. Death by Marchant portal or at the hands of the Witch Queen he was heading back to seemed to be his two unhappy options.

Charlie sent a silent prayer to the Goddess Serena to look after one of her Chosen and hurried to catch up with the Prince.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Fear’s Intrigue”

The Prince had accompanied Charlie right up to the underground entrance of the Belvoir manor. A professional curiosity made Charlie force himself to remember the route through the Grey Palace and then along the dark tunnel. The portal had scared the pants off him, but the Prince had ended up guiding him through anyway. He had obviously changed his mind about leaving Charlie’s survival to chance.

Charlie had wanted to watch the Prince’s reaction to the weight of the Curse as their Magic fell away and left them walking as two normal men, but in the dim light of the lantern, he couldn’t discern any physical changes in the Immortal Wizard beside him. He almost smiled at his own childish hope to see nothing but a pile of dust and bones on the ground.

But life was never that easy.

Charlie pulled himself through the little door carefully concealed in the wainscoting of the Queen’s bathroom. He was grudgingly impressed by the directions Prince Rainere had given him through the secret passageways of the Belvoir Manor, considering the man had never been in the Manor himself. Charlie waited, holding his breath and listening hard before he dared to close the door. He made a note of the indentation that, when pushed, would open it again later.

Looking around the room Charlie was happy that a covered candle had been left burning for the Queen, but by its light he could see how filthy he really was. Covered in dust and dirt Charlie could not escape the fact that he smelled of horse sweat and stank of fear.

There was no way he could approach the Queen in this condition.

Charlie carefully set down the little black box on a dressing table along with his knife and holster, and pulled off his clothes. His whole body shook with tremors and Charlie silently cursed the Prince again as he lowered himself into the bath. Blessedly, the water was still warm and smelled fragrantly of sweet oils and flowers. Unfortunately, every pleasant scent reminded Charlie of food and his stomach growled loudly in the silence of the room. He sank down deeper in the water and dunked his head under. Scrubbing with his hands as quietly as he could Charlie washed off all the dust and grime of the last day. The warmth of the water helped release the shock in his exhausted muscles and when he climbed out of the bath he felt very slightly better.

Reluctant to put his filthy clothes back on Charlie thought wistfully of the doublet and trousers he had left at the Grey Palace. It had been a useful uniform and it was going to be tricky to steal another one. He looked about the bathroom and saw the cast off blouse and trousers of the Queen. The blouse was white with simple embroidery on the front, and the trousers were narrow and dark blue. Charlie shrugged. It would have to do.

After dressing himself Charlie put the little box back in his pocket and the knife up his sleeve and quietly opened the door to the bedroom, peeking inside. He stepped through silently enough but his still-clumsy hands let the door slam shut behind him. He froze in the darkness and stared at the bed until his eyes watered but the Queen didn’t even roll over. Right, she was definitely sound asleep then.

This was going to be the tricky bit, because now he had to wake the solidly-sleeping Queen without letting her scream and call the guards’ attention. No doubt there were a couple outside the door.

Charlie tip-toed to the side of the bed and looked down on the Queen as she slept. He put his hand out to shake her shoulder, but hesitated at the last moment.

Even though he had been told she was a witch…

Even though she had sent him into the death trap of the Grey Palace and the hands of an insane Immortal for a pathetic love note…

Even though he knew all of these things…

The Queen looked so sweet as she slept. Her eyelids moved in a dream and a tiny sigh escaped her lips. One naked arm lay outside of the covers and her skin was milky white and unmarked in the soft moonlight from the window.

I’m going soft in the head!
Charlie gave himself a shake.
All I have to do is wake her, give her the box and then run like Hell before she opens it.

Charlie slipped his hand inside his pocket and touched the lacquered sides of the black box. Whatever was inside couldn’t be good. The Prince had not been happy with the letter from the Queen. No doubt, inside this box was something to teach the Queen never to do it again. It was probably going to hurt her, maybe even kill her.

Charlie felt curiously conflicted as he looked down at the Queen and watched as her mouth pursed in a rosebud then ticked up at the side in a smile. Whatever she dreamed about it was pleasant.

Not like Charlie’s life had been.

I’ve got nothing to feel bad about
, Charlie silently chided himself.
I don’t owe this witch anything. In fact, she owes
me
an object for The Boss. Why do I care if the Black Prince hurts her? It’s not my business if she is pining after an insane Wizard. Maybe with this box she’ll learn her lesson?

The Queen murmured quietly and turned her head from side to side. The scent of flowers wafted up to Charlie’s nose. They had shared the same bath water.

I’ll give it to her, but warn her not to open it,
he decided.
Then she can make her own choice and it won’t be on my neck whatever she does.

Newly determined Charlie reached out his hand to shake the Queen’s shoulder.

“You lay one filthy finger on our Queen and you will lose it!” hissed a voice from close behind him, and Charlie felt a jab in his side.

Instinctively he turned to dart away, but hands wearing hard leather gloves clamped down on his upper arms. “Quietly or you will lose your tongue too boy.”

Cat shit! The Queen’s Guard!
Charlie cursed his bad luck. He was so used to having his Magic-heightened instincts to alert him to trouble, it was odd to feel like a normal man must do. Odd and bloody dangerous! His mind raced. Even if they let him talk, how in the name of the Goddess was he going to explain being in the Queen’s private chamber in the wee hours of the night? And that was presuming they didn’t beat the stuffing out of him first.

He was a spy, and carrier of something obviously Magic. He couldn’t imagine the Queen was going to risk her reputation to save his scrawny neck. He could only hope to blackmail her in some way. But that was going to be difficult to do if she was asleep.

Charlie was dragged into the sitting room with the big desk in it. His heart sank down to his feet when he saw who was sitting on the couch: Captain bloody Handsome again and two other guards were with him. Their impeccable uniforms of white and gold were cut close to make the most of their broad chests and tall frames. Charlie fought hard not to be intimidated, but was intensely aware that he was wearing women’s clothing and had only bare feet.

The hands holding Charlie pulled him up short and shoved him down onto a puffy footstool. It didn’t hurt, but he braced himself for worse.

“Captain Lucky, I found this young man here about to lay hands on the Queen as she slept,” said the guard standing behind Charlie, keeping firm hands on his shoulders.

All the soldiers stood immediately making Charlie jump. He tried to shake off the tremor of fear at having three large men glare down at him, not to mention the faceless guard at his back, but he felt his bowels clench. Charlie sat up straight and assumed his most nonchalant expression.

The handsome Lucky was bigger up close than Charlie remembered. He trained his sky blue eyes on Charlie and Charlie was the first to look away despite his bravado.

“So what’s a half dressed lad like you doing sneaking round our Queen’s quarters on this fine morning?” Captain Lucky’s tone was conversational, but Charlie watched as the Captain gripped the hilt of the sword at his hip.

“What does it matter?” growled one of the burly ones. “Let’s take him out back and ask questions later.”

Charlie gulped and shifted to get a look at the guard who spoke. The man was enormous, with huge arms straining the fabric of his dress coat. He was glaring at Charlie with narrow blue eyes, but his mouth was stretched into an eager grin.

Captain Lucky raised a hand, gesturing for silence. “Would you like to answer my question, boy, or would you prefer QG Bear here beat it out of you?”

“I’m not a boy,” said Charlie, attempting to sound indignant. “I’m twenty f – two.” He lied, but not quickly enough. His brain was still sluggish after being petrified earlier tonight.

“Twenty for two?” exclaimed Captain Lucky with mock surprise. “Does that mean no more than fourteen where you are from
boy
?”

Charlie lifted his chin stared down the chuckling men but he was relieved to note that the atmosphere had relaxed just a touch.

“So it looks like QG Bear gets to take you downstairs to kick some of those lies out of you after all,” smiled the Captain. The one called Bear stepped forward and cracked his knuckles.

“Wait,” Charlie almost shrieked. His mind raced frantically to come up with a reasonable explanation that would save him from a beating. “I can’t tell you why I was in the Queen’s chambers.” He lowered his voice to a stage whisper. “She asked me not to say anything.” He added a wink for good measure.

Captain Lucky’s composure cracked. “Why you little gutter cat!” he snapped and leaped forward to grab the front of Charlie’s borrowed shirt. He pulled Charlie to his feet.

“I’m telling the truth,” squawked Charlie, his bravado falling away. “Goddess truth! Ask her yourself. Please?”

Captain Lucky snapped an order for someone to go and wake the Queen, but the men only shifted uncomfortably.

“Sir, the only reason I entered Her Majesty’s chamber was because I thought she was already out of bed but it was this intruder moving about,” said the guard behind Charlie. “I…um…are we allowed to wake her?”

Captain Lucky dropped Charlie back onto the footstool. “Right, I’ll do it then. Keep him here.”

Charlie waited, holding his breath. He had no idea if his pathetic plan was going to work, but he had seen the desperation in the Queen’s eyes when she had given him the letter for the Black Prince. Hopefully, she was just as desperate for his response. Charlie chewed the inside of his cheek and tried to think of a way to let the Queen know he had told her guardsmen that he had spent the night with her. It was the only thing he could come up with to explain why he was dressed in her clothing, in her chamber, with her naked and in bed.

He jumped again, skittish as a kitten, when Captain Lucky re-entered the room with the Queen in tow. As she pulled up the collar of her robe and pushed the hair off her face she looked dazed and worried. But even with the shadows under her eyes and her pale cheeks, Charlie thought he wouldn’t be ashamed to be thought of in ‘that way’ with the Queen.

“So, Your Majesty,” Captain Lucky gestured at Charlie. “This is your intruder.”

The Queen’s eyes found Charlie’s. She looked visibly relieved.

“Oh, it’s just Charlie.” She turned to the Captain. “It’s okay, I know him, of course. But why is he wearing my clothes?”

The Queen smiled at Charlie and his heart-rate ratcheted up its pace. She looked around the room at all the guards standing stiffly at attention and Captain Lucky who was now looking everywhere but at her. Charlie watched as it dawned on her that these men required more of an explanation from her for the boy being in her room. He could tell as her smile died that she didn’t want to expose him, or his work for her.

Cursing his suicidal tendencies, Charlie decided to help her out. “Majesty, I was just telling the good Captain here that you expected me in your chambers tonight when you knew that we would be
alone
.”

Adele’s confusion was obvious to all except Captain Lucky who stared at his feet. “What?”

“The Goddess knows these men would be well within their rights to kill me if I wasn’t in your room for a legitimate reason, my Queen… alone and privately.” Charlie couldn’t have raised his eyebrows any higher. “With you - in bed.” He added for good measure and earned himself a ferocious glare from Captain Lucky.

Charlie looked beseechingly at the Queen and thanks be to the Goddess he saw the penny drop as she finally grasped what he was suggesting. Her cheeks flushed pink.

“Well, I, um, don’t really think it’s necessary to explain the situation any further… it is just that Charlie is… um…” she drifted off, clearly dying of embarrassment. “But I would appreciate it if my personal, um, business was kept quiet… I mean, I would hate for gossip to spread about something private...” The Queen gazed about the room distractedly, but refused to make eye contact with anyone.

Charlie recognized his chance for escape. “I’ll just return to your chambers than shall I, Majesty?” he asked quickly and was up and past her to the doorway before she could say otherwise.

“Right then, well… I, err… will see you all downstairs later,” said the Queen choking on her discomfort and stepped back following Charlie out of the room.

As the Queen shut the door to her bedroom Charlie spun to face her, and prepared to defend himself. The Queen pressed her back to the door and stared at Charlie in shock. He stared back at her from where he was standing, half-hiding, behind a bedpost.

The Queen burst into hysterical giggles. “I have never been so embarrassed in all my life!”