The Black Mage: Apprentice (29 page)

"Who's Artemis?"

"One of the palace scribes. She's not a
particularly cheerful woman. I wouldn't recommend sitting next to
her at any of the dinners if you can help it." He grinned, opening
the door slowly to tease me. "Are you ready for-"

"
You have no right to enter this chamber!
What are your names? Explain yourself at once!
"

Darren's hand froze on the door. His face
lost all of its color. I peeked over his shoulder and spotted the
Three Colored Robes and King Lucius, along with a group of what
look liked the king's advisors standing around a map of Jerar and
its surrounding territories. Two guards strode forward and Darren
swore under his breath. "Run."

The two of us took off, racing down the hall,
ducking into random passages as Darren led us on in a mad dash to
avoid the two men chasing us. Darren kept changing stairwells and
halls so quickly I lost track of where we were.

"Almost – just a little bit further!" Darren
turned down a wider hall than the rest. Gold, real gold sconces lit
the passage and there was a lush rug padding our steps. I followed,
clutching my ribs – I had forgotten how much faster Darren could
run; my heart felt like it was about to explode from my racing
pulse…

"In here!" The prince turned a key and then
yanked me into the room behind him. He threw off his cloak and the
wig and tossed them into a trunk at the foot of the bed. At that
same moment there was a loud knock on the door. The guards had
arrived.

I ducked behind the doorframe and Darren
swung open the handle with a bored expression.

"Your highness."

"What is it?"

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, your highness,
but we think an elderly lady and a young woman might have passed by
here – we just want to make sure that you didn't see them."

"An old woman and her granddaughter?" Darren
spoke a little too loudly. "You must have been nipping at Cook's
wine, Torrance, no one has been anywhere near this hall but
me."

"My apologies, your highness, we were on
orders to check all the rooms."

"The only one with a key to this chamber is
myself – and, of course, Father."

One of the guards muttered something
unintelligible and then cleared his throat. "Of course, your
highness, please excuse me for the error. You said you never saw
them?"

"I didn't. But if I do I will be sure to send
word."

"Yes, if you do please let us know…"

Darren leaned against the doorway and folded
his arms. "Tell me, Torrance, what did you think?"

"The old woman? It's hard to say who she
was."

"Didn't you say there were two of them? What
was the younger one like?" I couldn't see Darren's expression, but
I could tell from his tone that he was grinning. If I had been
standing closer I would have kicked him.
What was he
thinking?

"I'm sorry, your highness, I-"

"I'll bet she was pretty." I could
practically
hear
his laughter. "Did you think she was
pretty, Torrance?"

"I'm not sure, I barely caught a glimpse,
your highness."

Darren sighed. "That is all, you may go. And
you too, Cyrus."

As soon as Darren had shut the door I glared
at him, arms crossed. "Are you mad?"

His eyes danced. "I'm allowed to have a
little
fun at your expense, Ryiah."

"If they find out it was me-"

"They won't." The prince took a step forward,
still smiling.

"But…" I never got to finish my thought.
Darren's mouth was on mine and all protests were lost in the blink
of an eye.

And then we were on fire.

I broke for air, gasping. My heart was racing
and my legs were shaking and my head was spinning and I couldn't
think, I couldn't-

Darren's hand grazed my waist as he pulled me
back to him. "Ryiah," he said.

The two of us stumbled across his chambers.
Behind me I heard the thud of something loud. Books falling to the
floor. Darren pressed me against his bedside table and kissed me
again, slowly, one hand cradling the back of my neck as he laid me
down. Unable to stop I slid my hand under his shirt and felt him
swallow. His chest was hard with smooth ridges and curves against
the lean muscle. My hand trembled. I wanted to run my fingers
across every inch of him and it scared me how badly I wanted to do
it
now
.

Darren's hand ran down my ribs, my waist, my
thigh, and then hooked up under my knee. I had to bite my lip as he
pulled me even closer, not caring that the hem of my dress was
riding dangerously high. Every part of me was burning higher and
higher and higher and I knew we should stop but I couldn't bring
myself to move even if I wanted to because, gods, Darren's hands
were on my skin and in my hair and my entire body was a quivering
mess.

Darren's breathing wasn't so steady either.
His mouth fell to my shoulder and a whimper escaped my lips.
Was
that really me?
I started to pull away, embarrassed, but Darren
took my chin and kissed me hard, biting the bottom of my lip until
I gasped.

My nails dug into his shoulders and I kissed
him back, melting and burning and unable to keep my hands to
myself. Gods, I was losing myself in what it felt like to be near
him. Darren was dangerous, driving me to forget everything and
everyone but this moment and I didn't ever want it to end.

Any semblance of control was broken. The
non-heir choked my name, picking me up and throwing me onto his
bed. Soft pillows feathered my fall. Darren's face was flushed and
his eyes were wild as he pushed my wrists up against the frame.

I held my breath, my eyes locked on the two
dark smoldering stars bearing down on me.

"You have no idea what it is I want to do to
you," he whispered.

The only sound in the entire room was the
frantic beating of my heart, slamming against my chest until I was
sure it would break.

And then there was a loud knock on the
door.

"Open up, brother, I know you are in there.
The guards saw you."

The two of us jumped. Darren practically fell
from his bed as I darted to a corner of the room, the two of us in
a mad panic.

Darren motioned for me to hide behind one of
the heavy brocade curtains hanging at the opposite end of the room.
Then he cleared his throat loudly and made his way to the door,
cracking it open it only a smidge to glare at his brother on the
other side.

"What do you want, Blayne?"

"I have been looking all over for you. Father
expected you to report to him as soon as you arrived."

"I was busy."

"Busy?" Blayne's tone was instantly
suspicious. "Doing what? Avoiding your duties to the Crown?
Priscilla said she hasn't seen you all day either. This better not
be about that lowborn, brother. I have no more patience for
whatever silly infatuation you've got parading around in that thick
skull of yours."

The non-heir stiffened. "Ryiah is not lowborn
anymore, and even if she were-"

Blayne ignored him and rattled on: "What you
need is a good lay, Darren. I've seen how that redhead looks at
you. Tell her whatever she needs to hear and the rest will take
care of itself. Then you can get back to what's important. Like
your role in this kingdom – or have you been training so long as a
mage that you forgot you were also a prince?"

Darren's knuckles on the door's handle
whitened. "I know my role," he said shortly, "and where my duties
lie. I will report to father within the hour."

"Well, see to it that you do," Blayne
snapped. "I can't be the only who takes my role seriously. What
Father sees in you I will never know."

A moment later Darren shut the door, as soon
as he was sure Blayne had left the hall.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."

I stepped out of the curtain, sick to my
stomach. Even without the knowledge I'd been present Blayne had
still managed to make me feel worthless. "
Tell her whatever she
needs to hear and the rest will take care of itself."
His words
made me realize how close Darren and I had come to fulfilling his
twisted prophecy.

This time when the non-heir took a step
toward me, I flinched. Darren's shrewd gaze missed nothing.

"You are upset."

"I-I'm not upset," I stammered. "I j-just
didn't think things would h-happen s-so fast."

Fury darkened the prince's face. "I would
never ask you to do anything you didn't want to, Ryiah. I'm not my
brother. I would never try what he and Ella-"

"I-it's not that." I was stuttering and I
knew my cheeks were now as red as my scarlet red locks.
"But..."

"But you can't stop thinking about what my
brother said."

I couldn't look at him.

A hand entered my vision and tipped my face.
Darren's eyes met mine and there was a grim smile. "Blayne's
wrong," he promised quietly. "I'm in love with you, Ryiah. Nothing
is ever going to change that."

With my best impression of nonchalance, I
exited the castle's formal ascension chambers and followed the
remaining throng of apprentices into the grand ballroom. Everyone
was chattering on in excited voices and even the ornate torches
seemed to reflect the evening's enthusiasm, flickering wildly along
the hall and dancing off the many-colored windowpanes surrounding
it. The orchestra was already playing an upbeat march and the
heralds were having particular fun announcing the newly graduated
mages to the awaiting crowd of nobility.

As we poured into the brightly lit room I
found myself scanning the mass for the one apprentice who had been
noticeably absent throughout the entire ceremony. For the past week
I had barely slept, tossing and turning, dreaming of that moment
Darren finally appeared and put all my fears to rest. Five days had
never passed as slowly as they had the past week. I was convinced
that mountains moved faster than the sun, which appeared almost
stagnant and solely there to test my will.

"Ryiah, don't you want to grab something to
drink?"

I started, drawn out of my thoughts by the
suddenness of my friend's voice.

"Ella," my twin's voice was filled with
irony, "can't you see? She's waiting for
him
."

I glared at Alex. "You don't need to be so
cruel."

My brother made a frustrated noise. "You
don't need to be so naïve either, Ryiah."

"Like all those girls you courted before
Ella?" I stood my ground. I would not let his doubt get to me. Not
tonight. "Darren's not a hopeless flirt like you!"

"Ry – Alex, stop it!" Ella shoved herself
between us to glower at my brother. "Alex, your sister is old
enough to make decisions for herself. The least you can do is
support her."

My brother stared at her incredulously.
"Don't pretend to agree with her, El. You told me last night-"

"It don't matter what we think," she
interrupted hastily, "this is about Ryiah and Darren. No one else
matters."

I never got to catch my brother's reply. At
that very moment the royal herald chose to announce the Crown. My
heart instantly caught in my throat and my gaze instantly swerved
to the room's entrance.

"King Lucius and his royal highness, Prince
Blayne."

The king and his eldest son entered, their
icy blue eyes casting out a silent chill as they made their way to
the front of the room. They bore matching blood red cloaks and
tight-fitted brocade that highlighted their health and the golden
thread and gems that lined their heavy, chained fastenings. The
room had gone silent the moment they made their approach - although
it hardly seemed possible from the heavy pounding in my ears.

I watched as they settled into their chairs,
and then I waited.

There was an odd moment where everything was
still, and then the herald continued:

"Prince Darren, second-in-line to the
throne."

I started to push my way to the front, eager
to catch a better glimpse-

"And his betrothed, Lady Priscilla of
Langli."

The loud clang of metal brought the eyes of
everyone – including
him
- to me. I stood frozen in place,
pale and unmoving as ice, while a red-faced servant bent to pick up
his serving platter from the hard marble floor. It had been
unceremoniously knocked from his arms just moments before.

I didn't hear the loud gasps coming from the
crowd around me. I barely noticed the red stains that now covered
the hem of my blossoming skirts. My eyes were glued to the
indifferent prince staring back at me.

Two pairs of hands took hold of my arms and
gently led me to the back of the room, out of the attention of
others, while I watched the dark-haired stranger and his lady
resume their procession.

"Ryiah?"

I watched as the young man took his seat
beside the king and his heir, with the dark-haired beauty standing
close by and casting a simpering smile while he talked. Not once
did the stranger's gaze stray from her face, nor did he hesitate to
kiss her hand and laugh easily at something a nearby courtier said
in response to the lady's question.

"Ry, if you want to retire early I'd be happy
to join you." Ella's voice was strangely muted – like she was
speaking through glass. Her voice was distorted and muffled, more
like one long humming stance than a question.

What was happening?
Why was he smiling
at
her
like that? I kept staring, waiting for a break in the
façade. Just the barest hint that he wasn't enjoying himself, that
he felt something – anything - other than the nonchalance that was
plastered all over his face.

"You should just take her now." My brother's
hushed whisper seemed even further away. "Before she does something
rash."

I know they forced you into this.
My
breathing became calm, steady. That was it, of course. Darren
needed more time to talk the king around. It wasn't something
either of us had prepared for, but we would find a way.