Gaia's Secret (47 page)

My dad yanked on my arm, hastening me
forward.

Fine. I would find Alex later, after all of
this.

Thinking on that, I found it easier to ignore
all the faces and stare only at the green river of velvet that
marked our path forward. The last of the sea divided, and there, in
an elaborate bronze chair, sat my grandfather.

He was dressed even more lavishly than he’d
been during our first meeting, and now a crown of jewels sat on his
head.

I couldn’t believe this. His crown—that thing
filled with enormous sparkling jewels—it belonged in a glass case
at the Tower of London. Not on his head.

“Ah, there you are.” He stood, smiling with
pride. “We were just discussing your victory over the gargons.” He
embraced each of us in turn, but it was stiff and formal and
completely forced. I followed Dad’s lead, faced the crowd, and
gripped his arm harder. There were so many of them, and all of them
were staring at me.

“Lords and ladies of Gaia, citizens of the
realm,” Grandfather’s voice bellowed. “It is time I introduce you
to someone long absent from this world—someone who has been kept
safe since her birth so that she may devote her life to serving
this realm as a daughter of the crown.”

Whispering sounded about the room.

“She has already proven that service, slaying
one of the greatest threats Gaia has seen in centuries. It is with
great pleasure I give you my granddaughter, the daughter of Alaric
and Aurora, Princess Daria Regius.”

Hands clapped and chatter exploded as
surprise and indignation poured through me. I could feel their
scrutiny and expectations—all of which was left wanting.

Much as I was left wanting.

In my ignorance I thought the one thing I
needed—the one thing I wanted—was to know the truth. That the truth
would set me free. But as I stared at the faces—so many devious,
manipulative faces—the truth made itself perfectly clear. And it
was sending me straight into captivity.

EPILOGUE

T
he rest of my day
was a blur. So many names were spoken, so many hands were shaken,
and everyone commented on me slaying a monster. They thanked me as
if their extravagant lives actually depended on it. I never said
much. I didn’t trust these people.

At some point during the commotion, Thad made
his way to shake my hand with a funny smile on his face. He had
known all along. I asked him why he hadn’t given me a pawn instead
of the rook, but he said I’d never looked that innocent.

I never made my way to Alex, although I tried
relentlessly. At one point, I caught his penetrating gaze through
the group of black suits surrounding him. There was one in
particular I noted, standing beside him: an exotic young woman with
long blond hair who frowned at me. After a while, when that frown
didn’t disappear, I deduced it was Vera.

When the commotion died and surprise faded, I
eventually retired to my room for the night. Alone. My dad and
Stefan told me I’d done a fabulous job, but I’d done a fabulous job
pretending and it sickened me. Ironic how the choice Lord Tiernan
had offered me wasn’t so much different at its core.

But this way no one was dying. At least not
on the outside.

I tugged off my gown and pulled on my robe
just as I caught a glint of metal. There it was, lying across my
nightstand. My dagger.

No one had been to this room, no one but me
and Rhea.

I picked up the slender object, and the metal
felt cool. Strange that it should keep returning to my hands. I
tucked it into my drawer and crawled into bed.

A light chill on my cheek woke me. The candle
flickered beside my bed, but the rest of my room was dark, except
for something bright orange on the pillow beside me.

A flower.

Ardor’s flame. It was a burst of fire on my
pillow and its fragrance was strong—much stronger than I
remembered. Beneath it was a piece of paper.

My heart beat fast as I looked around. My
room was empty. The draperies fluttered in the light breeze. The
window. I had closed it.

I picked up the flower and the petals folded
in upon themselves into a compact bundle. Typical. I set the
compressed flower down and picked up the paper.

My hands shook as I opened the folds.

My darling friend,

I know you’ll be furious I was here and
didn’t wake you, but I couldn’t. I’d never be able to do this.

After what happened, the king has requested
volunteers to take assignment with Lord Tosca in Alioth. Now that
my training has completed, it is the perfect opportunity for me to
establish my own person as an Aegis. When I offered my services to
the king for this assignment, he was more than happy to grant my
wish. Never doubt the intuitiveness of your grandfather.

This is where I risk losing your friendship
forever. You may hate me for it, as I hate myself, but there is a
plan for your life and as much as I want it to, it is a plan that
cannot ever include me. Staying near you would only complicate
things and make it impossible for either of us to live our roles as
expected. I tried not to love you so that I could remain your
friend, but I’ve failed.

Remember who you are, Daria. The strong
pillar I know you to be, the confident woman that can do
anything—conquer anything. This realm needs you much more than you
need it, and one day, when you choose the man that is to be your
equal and partner in this life, I can only pray that he deserves
you.

Please forgive me.

I will love you always,

Alexander

The paper shook in my hands.

He wouldn’t. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t
just…leave. Not after…

I rushed to the window and pushed it open,
searching the night. He couldn’t have gone far. I could stop him.
He would not take this choice from me.

Raindrops splattered on my face. It was too
dark to see anything. There was no one. Nothing…but emptiness.

The words I tried to ignore screamed at my
soul, ripping it to shreds. I was too late.

He was gone.

Gone in a world I could not navigate, amidst
a people I could not trust.

I sank down beside the wall, my face wet with
rain and tears, the letter still shaking in my hands.

How could he do this? How could he take away
my choice—the only choice I would fight to keep?

Always protecting me. Always trying to do
what he thought was best. Making the decisions for both of us. This
time he was wrong, very wrong. And I already hated him for it.

Rain slapped against the wall behind me, the
breeze chilling my bones through my thin silken shield. When I
looked up, I noticed something bright red. It lay atop my bed, its
vividness making everything in my room seem dull.

The Ardor’s Flame had opened, and it was
bleeding.

Acknowledgements

Oh, the "Acknowledgements" page. I've been
sitting here, trying to figure out just where to start, because
there have been so many people that have made my debut novel,
Gaia's Secret,
possible! This has truly been a group effort,
and I wouldn't be here today, stumbling over the beginnings of this
page, if it weren't for all the time and energy you put in, helping
me realize my dream.

I've got to thank my family first and
foremost, for being the initial set of guinea pigs (poor things).
Mom, Uncle As, Annie, Teri Lee (a.k.a. Mom #2), Madeline, Hannah,
Aunt Cynthia, Lauren, Joanna, no matter how badly I butchered that
initial story line and character development, you always encouraged
me to keep going until I got it right. Thanks for believing in
Daria and Alex. Without you, they might not have ever gotten
together.

To my friends at the Med Center, for letting
me constantly talk your ear off about my imaginary friends, and not
ever complaining about it. John, Scott, Janice, Laura, Chris, Kris,
and Teri (who, by the way, also fixed all my plural possessive
issues. If you find any, it's not her fault!).

And, of course, all my awesome beta-friends
who were honest and encouraging all the way, giving me more
insightful and thoughtful feedback than I could've dreamed. April
& Troy, Misty, Gina, Amy, Sarah, Kim, Ashley, Kate, Tia. I
couldn't have asked for better readers. You all are brilliant!

My awesome critique partner, Christine, who
is a genius at catching everything I couldn't see. Thanks for
always believing in my characters! And Laura, for giving me a very
thorough crash-course in grammar.

Of course there's the fabulous bloggers. You
guys have been crucial to my sanity. Your own stories and paths and
advice and comments have been essential to this endeavor.

Last, but absolutely not least, I want to
thank my best friend, and husband, Ben. If it weren't for you, I
never would've written those first few (and embarrassing) words on
paper. You've always believed in me, even when I was so frustrated
that I wanted to throw my story against the wall and be done with
it. You've been a constant sounding board, have read every draft
I've ever thrown at you, encouraged me, challenged me, helped me
keep the imaginative spark alive. You've been as invested in this
story as I've been, and it wouldn't exist without you. I love you.
Thank you.