Sign of the Throne: Book One in the Solas Beir Trilogy (30 page)

Malden was overjoyed to receive such a gift. Feeding on Calder would be the ultimate power surge. Well, almost. He had a feeling feeding on Lucia would be even more powerful. Maybe someday he would find out—but not today. Happily, he leapt onto Calder’s chest and began feeding noisily, intent on draining the beast of what little life remained.

“Wait,” Lucia ordered.

What now? I’m eating here
, thought Malden. He looked up at his mistress.

Lucia pointed to a set of doors on the side of the room. A tiny nixie stood frozen in the doorway, petrified at the scene before her. In her hands was a silver hand mirror. “Take care of that first and bring the mirror to me,” Lucia said. “
Then
you may finish feeding. The others may have the scraps.” The buzzing from the Kruorumbrae intensified in anticipation.

Annoyed, Malden jumped down from his prize and streaked across the floor to the nixie, grinning widely.

Nysa looked down at her legs as if she had forgotten they were there and then retreated as quickly as those little legs could carry her, back the way she had come, dropping the mirror in her hurry to escape.

Malden caught her by the back of the neck with his sharp teeth and shook her violently. The tiny water faery let out an unearthly shriek as she struggled against the iron vise of his jaw. Malden tossed her down to the floor like a rag doll. The nixie managed to crawl away toward the edge of the pool, but Malden grabbed her by the ankle with his teeth, tearing at the flesh, biting her all over.
Nysa shrieked again, and Malden shook her viciously and slammed her against the lip of the pool.

As Malden bit the nixie again, she pulled on her necklace, and thrust her small fingers into the mushy hole of Malden’s cheek, pushing something
shiny deep into the flesh. He let go of the nixie and howled in agony as his face began to smoke once again, dripping blackened, melted tissue. The nixie slipped out of his reach and rolled into the water, sinking to the bottom of the pool.

Malden plucked the silver cross pendant from the hole in his face, wincing as his fingers began to blister from contact with the precious metal. He tossed the charm on the floor. “Oh, you people have
really
got to stop doing that.”

He stared at the nixie lying on the bottom of the pool. The water around her small body had a pink tinge; blood was seeping from all the places he had bitten. For a moment, Malden considered going in after her, and then abandoned the idea in favor of his waiting meal. The nixie would die soon enough. He bounded nonchalantly back to the entrance of the conservatory, retrieving the mirror. Though it
, too, was made of silver, he barely felt its sting. He could feel it pulsing with power; there was dark, corruptive magic in this looking glass. Perhaps that was why the metal did not burn his flesh.

Like a dog, Malden obediently delivered the mirror to Lucia, dropping it at her feet before turning back to Calder. Then he drank deep, feeding until his hairy belly bulged. Satisfied, he left Calder, barely clinging to life, for the rest of the Kruorumbrae.

En masse, they swept over the beast like maggots, consuming everything. When they were finished, there was nothing left but the hardwood floor, which had a strange sheen—almost as though it had been freshly polished.

RESTORATION

A
bby opened her eyes to find David and Jon sitting on either side of her bed, watchful and concerned, each of them holding one of her hands. She smiled—she felt refreshed and comfortable.

“Hey, sleepyhead, how do you feel?” Jon asked.

Abby sat up to look around the room. Panels of silk in red, orange, yellow, and purple hung from the ceiling and walls, almost covering them. Through an arched doorway, sunlight glinted off the white marble of a balcony, reflecting the rays into Abby’s room, intensifying the colors of the fabric. Everything seemed so vibrant. Even the simple shift she wore was a deep emerald with swirls of cerulean. 

“I feel good—really good,” she answered. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Not long,” David said, brushing a stray curl from her forehead. “You were badly hurt, so we took you to the pool of healing. You slept for a few hours, and now your injuries are almost completely healed.”

“Wow, that’s quick,” Abby said, running her hands over her stomach. “Amazing—no pain at all. I kind of thought I was going to die.”

“So did I,” agreed Jon. “You almost did, you dork. Don’t do that again. Deal?” He took back her hand and squeezed it.

She returned the squeeze. “Deal. How’s your arm? The bones must have been shattered.”

“Good as new,” Jon replied, flexing his arm to show her.

“Good! What about Eulalia? Was she healed?” Abby asked.

David smiled. “So well, you won’t even recognize her.”

“I’m so glad. I can’t imagine how much she has suffered,” Abby said. She looked at David, suddenly alarmed. “And
you
—oh no!”

“What’s wrong?” David asked.

“Did I sleep through your coronation?” Abby asked.

David shook his head. “Nope. But you have to get ready—it’s almost time.”

“And I’d better do the same,” Jon said, excusing himself. “This is going to be a party like no other. See you soon.” He kissed Abby’s forehead and left for the adjoining room, closing the door behind him.

Abby studied David’s face to see what he thought of the kiss, but David didn’t seem threatened by Jon’s display of affection. She couldn’t help but notice that Jon and David seemed to have bonded while she was asleep. That was good. It seemed like Jon was keeping his promise to curb his jealousy, and David was behaving himself by not rubbing his relationship with Abby in Jon’s face. She didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight—it would have been impossible to choose between the best friend she adored and the man who could be the love of her life. Maybe almost losing her had forced Jon and David to make peace.

David took both of Abby’s hands in his. “Hey there, pretty girl.”

She smiled. “Hello, handsome boy. Happy birthday.”

“You remembered.”

“Yes,” Abby nodded. Then she frowned. “But I failed to get you a gift—sorry.”

“You just gave me a gift by finally opening those gorgeous eyes of yours,” David said.

Looking up at his handsome face, Abby found herself at a loss for words, so she smiled again.

“Thank you for bringing me to Cai Terenmare,” David continued, returning her smile. He kissed the palms of her hands and gazed at her intently. “And thanks for saving my life.”

“You are very welcome,” she managed, lost in his pale blue eyes.

He frowned. “You do realize, however, that seeing you like that was seriously horrific. I’m going to need therapy now, thank you very much.”

Abby grimaced, scrunching up her nose. “Yeah—sorry about that. It
was
pretty gruesome. Next time, I’ll try to keep the gore to a minimum.”

“Thank you. That’s very considerate,” David laughed. Then he eyed her seriously and cupped her face in his hands. “But Abby, what I mean is, I hope there’s
never
a next time. Please don’t ever do anything like that again, okay? I couldn’t stand losing you, especially not like that.”

Abby felt her skin tingling in response to his words. “Okay. But in my defense, I couldn’t stand losing you either.”

“Touché.” He leaned forward and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he scooped her out of the bed and onto his lap. He kissed her again passionately, and then stopped himself. “Sorry—I forgot that you still have to get ready.”

She smiled, a little goofy, her arms still locked around him. “No apologies necessary. So…what do I wear to this thing?”

David nodded toward the dressing area of her room. “That.”

Draped over a chair was a beautiful white dress encrusted in sparkling white diamonds and delicate pearls that looked fit for a princess—or a bride.

Abby’s eyes grew wide. She suddenly felt awkward. It wasn’t like she hadn’t daydreamed about a future with him, but this seemed a bit sudden. “Um—”

“You don’t like it?” he asked.

“No, I do. It’s gorgeous,” Abby said. “But…it’s very…
white
.”

David’s face suddenly flushed red. “Oh! No—no
, it’s not
that
kind of dress. White means something different here than in the human world. In the tradition of the People of the Light, weddings are more colorful affairs. My people reserve white for royal banquets and ceremonies.”

Now
there
was a crucial detail Eulalia had neglected to mention. Well, too late now—perhaps it was best to just move past her moment of weirdness. Maybe he would forget about it.

“Awww, look at you. You’re adorable—
my people
,” Abby teased.

David shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’m trying to embrace my long-lost heritage. I kind of got a crash course in the culture while you were sleeping.”

“Good use of the time, then,” Abby said.

“Well,
yeah
, especially considering this whole coronation thing.
Congratulations, you’re king
. Yeah, no pressure there. I’m a little freaked out—I have
no
idea what I’m doing, Abby.”

Abby placed her palm against David’s cheek and looked into his eyes. “You’ll be a
great king.”

He looked at her, doubtful. “Will I? The Solas Beir is supposed to be this fearless leader. I’m not so sure I’m that guy, not that I’ll go around admitting that to anyone but you. Somehow I don’t think that would instill a great deal of confidence in my abilities.”

“Well, I don’t see a little humility as a
bad
thing,” Abby said, playing with the collar of his shirt. “You recognize that you still have a lot to learn, and that your people will teach you. I actually think that’s a great start for a leader.” She looked up at him and smiled. “You’ve got potential, kid.”

David laughed. “
Wow, thanks—kid. I think
you
have potential too.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose and then moved on to kiss her neck, his hands buried in her hair.

Abby felt her pulse race at the warmth of his touch. She lean
ed into his kisses and he pulled her closer in response, hungry.

“So…back to that
other
thing,” he ventured, whispering in her ear. “Do you have some objection to the idea of marrying me?”

Abby smiled, surprised.
So he’s going back there, is he? Interesting.
“Not necessarily,” she answered, trying to be aloof and mask the wild beating of her heart. “It’s a little too early to tell, but I don’t have too many objections just yet.”

David stopped kissing her, and pulled back to stare at her in astonishment. “So you
do
have objections?”

She tried to hide a smug smile. Well now,
that
was not the response he had been expecting, was it? “Yeah—you’re kind of needy, and it’s been nothing but drama since I met you,” she teased.

“Needy?” There it was again—that thing where he raised just one eyebrow and grinned. It was a mischievous, flirtatious look that begged for trouble, trouble she wouldn’t mind getting into. Not at all.

She forced herself to resist. “No, I’m just messing with you. Now, go away so I can get ready.” Abby kissed his cheek lightly and jumped off his lap, teasingly out of reach.

“Fine. I’m leaving.” David laughed and started to go toward the door, and then turned around and caught her waist, pulling her back to him, kissing her once more.

When Abby emerged from her room, David and Jon were waiting for her in the stone corridor outside her chamber. They were wearing long-sleeved tunics and matching pants of pure white silk in a style that seemed to be inspired by both India and medieval Europe, although Abby guessed that Cai Terenmare fashion didn’t originate in either of those places. Swords in elaborately carved silver sheaths hung from black leather belts at their waists, and they wore matching boots, polished a shiny black. David’s suit was a little more elaborate, with embroidery and interwoven strands of gold and silver, but Jon looked just as handsome in his. She grinned—they both cleaned up pretty well.

She floated over to them, stepping lightly in silken slippers, her white gown flowing gracefully around her body. Her shoulders were bare, and the jewel-covered, form-fitting bodice of her dress contrasted with its airy, billowing sleeves.

“Wow, Abby,” said Jon, offering his arm.

“You look beautiful,” David said, offering his as well.

Abby smiled and stepped between them, taking both of their arms. “Why, thank you. And how lucky am I, to be escorted by the two hottest guys in the kingdom?” She kissed David’s cheek, and then pulled Jon closer to peck him on the cheek as well.

“
Very
lucky,” agreed Jon. “I am
pretty
hot.”

“I was just thinking that
exact
same thing, Reyes,” David teased. “You
are
pretty.”

“Oh, not nearly as pretty as you are,” Jon said, reaching across Abby to take a good-natured swipe at David, who leapt deftly away, laughing.

“Play nice, Corbin,” Abby said, grabbing David’s arm and pulling him back to her side. Jon smirked at David and Abby shot Jon a warning look. “You too, Reyes.” She smiled. “Come on, boys. You can argue about who’s prettier later.”

David led Abby and Jon to the grand hall, a room with a towering cathedral ceiling supported by gothic
-like arches and ribbed vaults. Abby was astounded by the abundance of white—not only was the stonework milky white, almost as if it were ivory, but long, flowing banners of white silk accented in silver and gold hung below tall, arched windows, which were opened wide. The banners rustled in a breeze that smelled of jasmine blossoms and the sea. Brilliant rays of light streamed in from the windows, giving everything a soft glow.

Every being in the room wore some kind of garment in the purest white. David pointed out a few of the people he had met while Abby was healing. Some, like the stony-faced Councilwoman Erela, with her soft
, feather wings and draping Grecian-like gown, were familiar to Abby from Eulalia’s tales of Cai Terenmare. Abby was delighted to finally meet the tiny but legendary Fergal, who looked dignified in a prim waistcoat. Nerine, her fins temporarily transformed to legs, stood with a small cohort of other merfolk, who were shy, but happy to be present. A small band of faeries in varying shapes, sizes, and colors sang together, filling the room with enchanting music.

Abby looked for Eulalia and found her close to Cael and Obelia, the head of the court council. They were st
anding at the front of the hall on a raised dais in front of two thrones and a ceremonial table. Abby was shocked at how beautiful the queen looked—Eulalia was strong and healthy again. Her withered arm was restored, her skin glowed with the vigor of youth, and both of her brilliant blue eyes were cleared of blindness. Her gown was in complete contrast to the torn grey rag she had worn for so many years; it was so clean and white that it seemed unnatural to imagine the queen in anything else. Eulalia’s raven-colored hair seemed even darker against the purity of her gown, and the long, shiny waves culminated in a delicate tiara of diamonds and silver leaves. Seeing Abby, Eulalia’s face lit up with a beautiful smile. Abby returned the smile, elated to see the queen as she should be.