Dark Throne, The (32 page)

The skirt was like a long pencil skirt
. It brushed her ankles as it clung to every line
of her hips and legs. The band of fabric about her feet was so
tight, that she had some difficulty walking. She’d figured out a
kind of one-two shuffle that surprisingly, didn’t make her look
like a complete moron. It was like a slow glide that suited the
outfit and of course, the occasion.

The bodice was a sweetheart neckline, but rather than
smooth waves like the top of a heart, they were diamond
sharp
. The points were tipped
with the stones Mearth prized and they dug into the soft clouds of
her breasts. The same stones covered the bodice in a strange
pattern that reminded her of lace. It was a beautiful effect. Where
bodice met skirt, there was a ruffled cummerbund in a shade that
reminded her of purple, but was too red and too blue to actually be
it. The sash curled about her hips and draped at her back, down to
the floor. Here, it widened and lengthened into her
train.

The bodice hid the freakish box that had welded itself to
her skin
. The neckline dipped
low, but not low enough to expose Fade’s security device. And even
in this dress, he’d insisted that the seamstress add pockets to the
inner layer of fabric for the doorknobs. Peculiarly enough, the
dress looked better with the added weight at her ankles. With her
normal walk, they banged her ankles every second step. With the
weird glide she’d configured, they merely swirled about her
feet.

She looked odd
. Like
she was marrying an alien on his planet.

But considering that was the truth, she looked good
enough
. In fact, all the sex
must have been doing her good, because without even meaning to and
regardless of all the food Fade made sure she ate, she’d managed to
trim down a little. Nothing too extravagant, but unused muscles in
her body were seeing a lot of action and so, were firmer and
tauter.

Heather could honestly say that she was proud of her
appearance
.

Her hair swung in a smooth ponytail that had gems pleated
into it
. The gaggle had spent
an age arguing over the style and the way they’d weave the stones
into the style. It had nigh on driven her mad.

There was no veil behind which she could hide as she
traversed the aisle
. No
flowers either. She’d have her father at her side though and she
was glad about that.

Her mother had been absent of late
, leaving her alone to get on with the arrangements.
It had been a lot of work and a lot of pressure, but she’d managed.
Surprising herself with what she was capable of, as well as getting
her away from the lash of her harpy of a mother’s
tongue.

Everything had been rather nice these last few
days
. She’d been cool and
calm, Fade had been hot and eager… the pair of them were looking
forward to this day being over. It was impossible to not feel as
though they were walking towards a carnival, where they were the
major events.

A
knock tapped at the door and opened before she could call
out
. She knew it was her
mother before she even showed her face, because the staff would
never have done that. Nor would the gaggle. They would have waited.
Plus, she’d dismissed them all a half-hour or so ago, bored and
edgy with all the simpering looks and
don’t you look beautiful, your Highness
every ten seconds.

Oh, they meant well
.
She knew that. That was the reason they’d been dismissed and not
snapped at. She could never be so churlish as to disregard and
disrespect their well thought words. It was just… after hours of
them and on a constant basis, it was a bit
much
.

And Christ, her father expected her to select from the
gaggle to keep some of the women on for a
lifetime
.

Shuddering at the thought and steeling herself for her
mother to enter the room, she turned and cocked a brow as the other
woman just stood there
.
Dressed in what the Mearthen considered to be a searing scarlet,
Heather could do anything but deny that her mother was a hottie. I
have a MILF for a mother. She snorted at the thought.

She had no idea of how old Setta actually was, but she wore
her years well
. Her hair was
pleated into what Heather knew as a French plait but probably
possessed some complicated name on Mearth. Into it, there were
strands of some strange metal that she assumed was precious. The
color of wheat blended with copper and of all things
blue
. Odd.

The dress Setta wore was stately but still, clung to every
inch of her
. The same
lace-like patterns of precious gems covered the red-brown-purple
fabric of her gown. It swept along her shoulders and down her arms
to wrists that had thick bands of the stones. From her waist to her
feet in a skirt that swirled about her ankles, more stones were
laced together in an intricate pattern.

She looked, in one word, stunning
.

And Heather said so
.

Then was surprised to watch Setta blush
.

“
Thank you, daughter
.
You look beautiful yourself. The gown suits you perfectly. You are
more delightful to the eye than even Fade will believe.”

Charmed by the compliment, because it was so obviously
sincere, Heather smiled
. “I
will not shame my family then”

Setta sighed
. “You
must forgive me my impertinence, daughter. I have been brutish to
you, ever since your arrival. So much so that even though it killed
me to stay away these last few days, I knew I had to give you some
peace. My tongue has seemingly run away with me, whenever I’ve been
in your company and I’ve offended you in more ways than I can
count. I beg your forgiveness for my churlishness, Heather. I truly
do not understand what has overcome me to make me so brittle in
your presence.”

Touched at the apology, Heather reached out a hand and
likened it to an olive branch
.
She didn’t want to argue, nor did she want to lose her mother.
Rather than long to flee from her, she wanted harmony between the
two of them.

“
I do forgive you, because I don’t want to lose you,
mother
. I’ve longed, all of my
life, to know you. To wish and pray and resent what I believed to
be your passing. Aunty May did an incredible job, I loved her and
she loved me. But we both missed you. Her sacrifice was a thousand
times worse, she knew what she’d left behind, I didn’t.

“
I won’t,
can’t,
forget her. She
was, to all intents and purposes, my mother. But, I don’t say this
to upset you. Because I truly want to know you. When I have
children of my own, I want you there. I want to be close to you and
if you continue to push me away, then that simply isn’t possible. I
thank you for your apology,” Heather finished with an almost formal
acceptance. “But I would prefer that you learn to guard your tongue
in relation to my shortcomings. I will learn, gradually. And
considering my past, I doubt few will mind.”

Setta grabbed her hand between the two of her own and
tightened her grip until they were clasped
together
. “I want nothing more
to be a part of your future and your present, my
darling.”

Heather smiled and was about to speak, when a strange
crackling sound burst throughout the small
chamber
. It reminded her of a
lightning bolt that whipped through the airwaves and ripped at the
sound waves. The pair of them flinched as right in front of them, a
hole suddenly appeared.

Heather blinked, sure she was seeing things, but Setta’s
grip on her hand grew fiercer and before she knew it, Setta was
stood before her, protecting her from the hole
. She tried to move away, but her mother had a
surprisingly strong grip and when she tried to pull free, Setta’s
nails bit into her wrist. Subduing a gasp, Heather who was slightly
taller than her mother, peered over her shoulder and saw another
room. It was a strange set of chambers. They held none of the
Jenderian palace’s polish, but were filled with objects that would
have fit in a horror flick.

A
man appeared in the hole and behind him, writhing on the floor were
two people
. Their agony was
clear on their face, their bodies rippled with the pain they were
experiencing.

The man stepped into the room as though he’d just opened
the same door Setta had used
.
He was calm, but there was a grim intent in the lines of his mouth.
He was here for purpose and he wouldn’t be swayed from it. That
purpose could only be nefarious. For what other reason would he
enter in such a way?

He was handsome
, in
his own, murky way. His features held a shade of Fade’s blackness,
the same taut jaw and beak of a nose. But the eyes were different.
A peculiar green that swirled and changed as he blinked and set his
eyes about the room, discerning where he was. Dressed in a simple
robe that reminded Heather of a monk’s back on Earth, the man also
stunk to high heaven.

A
mixture of incense and pig shit
.

What the fuck was that
about?

“
Calder
. Is that you?”
Setta bit out, surprise lining her features. “What on Mearth are
you doing here? This is a gross intrusion. A breach of Jenderian
royal shelter by a commoner of Haden. How dare you?”

“
I’m no more a commoner than you are, Setta of
Jender
. I come from the loins
of royalty and I will take my place as such. With your daughter’s
assistance.”

Setta stepped back as Calder moved
forwards
. Heather had to
concentrate on not tripping over her feet and not getting caught in
her skirt as they crossed the room in a defensive dance. “You will
not come near my daughter.”

“
Won’t I?” he asked and then chuckled
.

“
She is to be wed to Fade, the
heir to Haden’s throne. Surely you understand the reprisals
that this will cause to tumble on your head?”

“
She’s to be wed to the proper
heir to the Dark Throne. Myself. And I see that she’s
properly attired for the occasion. How fitting.”

“
You will not touch her
.” Setta shrieked, as Calder raised a hand to dart over the
older woman’s shoulder to brush Heather’s cheek. Setta slapped out,
her hand battering Calder’s face. But rather than grimace in pain,
the man seemed entirely unaffected, while Setta seemed to shoulder
it instead. She cried out and staggered, her hands pulling free
from Heather’s as she dropped to her feet as some unknown force
caused her to writhe with the same agony as those on the floor in
Calder’s portal.

“
What have you done to her?” Heather cried out, dropping
awkwardly to her knees in the too-tight skirt to study the
pain-riddled features of her mother’s face
.

“
I am untouchable in this realm
. Any violence that reaches me rebounds upon the assailant.
A hundred fold.” Calder’s words were uninterested as he too knelt
beside Setta’s agonized form. Heather stared at him and then
flickered her gaze to the door, she was no fool and knew that the
odds of her escaping, with the stupid, now weighted, band about her
feet hindering every step, were close to nil.

She remained where she was, her hand stroking Setta’s
forehead
. She seemed to come
out of the daze Calder had put her in and at that moment, Calder
pressed a hand to her mother’s chest. He tapped the flesh between
her breast, on the left hand side, and the growing consciousness on
her mother’s face instantly disappeared.

As did her signs of agony and the slow rise of her
chest
.

Heather’s entire body tingled as she stared down at her
mother
. Still. So still. Her
nerves were alight with the realization of what that stillness
meant, but her mind wouldn’t, couldn’t accept it.

“
She’s not breathing
,”
she whispered, her eyes darting to the man who had instigated her
mother’s demise.

“
That’s the idea
,” came
the cruel retort.

“
No
.” Heather cried.
“She can’t be dead. You must have just, Christ, I don’t know,
spelled her? Take it back. Change what you did. I’ll come with you,
no questions, and no fuss if you change her back. Don’t let her
die,” she sobbed. “Please, God, don’t let her die. I’ve only just
found her.”

She gripped Setta’s hands and began to jostle
her
. Her limbs were
sickeningly heavy, so lax Heather knew there was no life in them.
Her eyes were drenched as they clashed with Calder’s. “Please.
Bring her back.” She swallowed. “I promise. I’ll come with
you.”

“
I don’t need your promise, because I know you’ll be coming
with me
.” He stood, ignoring
Setta and Heather’s mewling pleas, as her hands hovered over her
mother’s face, shaping them with longing.