The Underground Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (5 page)

Despite their speed, the sun had already set by the time they reached the outskirts of the palace. The evening light cast a blue shadow ove
r the stones and pathways. Even the trees took on a purplish hint as their branches settled in for night. The chilled air swept through Emmeline’s hair and over the hills where it would melt into distant lands.

Stopping at the top of a hill,
they watched the palace come to life as golden candles were lit one by one and placed in every window. It was a breathtaking display, a welcoming gesture the servants had started once the ban on fire had been removed from the palace. Despite the unease each flicker of the flame caused her, Emmeline appreciated their efforts. Dolmerti was where she belonged, its palace her home, no matter the pain she had once experienced there.

Emmeline smiled at Erick, knowing he
also appreciated the warm glow, but his expression was one she hadn’t seen in several months, and it turned her mouth dry. With his eyes narrowed and his head pulled forward, he seemed to be fighting the fading light to see something near the palace.

Emmeline
flicked her gaze back to the palace just as a shadow passed across one of the lit windows. Only, it was not a servant lighting another candle from within, but a stranger lurking among the shadows from without.

“Emmeline, get on my horse with me,” Erick whispered. “We’ll go together.”

“
No, I don’t want to leave Filia.” She swallowed. “I’ll get power from the candles once we get close enough.”

Erick
raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’ll stay near me?”

Emmeline nodded and spurred Filia into a
trot. She was in no hurry to reach the shadowed man, or the trouble he may have bought with him, but she refused to let any harm come to Dolmerti. In an effort to calm herself, she let her breathing fall into rhythm with Filia’s gait. One, two. One, two. In, out. In, out. She couldn’t help but sense that something dark was about to shadow her world.

Before they cleared the trees, Erick and Emmeline tied their horses off
on a sturdy branch. A breeze wisped along the ground, stirring up fallen leaves and unwelcome memories. Emmeline took a deep breath.

“Are you sure
about this?” Erick asked. “I can approach him first.”

“I just need to ge
t a little closer before I can pull in the flame,” Emmeline whispered in a lie she didn’t know she was making until it had already left her lips. They were close enough for her to gather a little heat, close enough to paralyze the man if she wanted. But why did she lie? Why did she feel so…afraid?

Erick looked at her for a long moment and then nodded, and she wondered if he knew she had lied. Her face flushed with heat. Why
did
she lie? Was it because she was afraid to approach the messenger? No. That wasn’t it. It was because she was afraid of what she might do. An image of the Pamizakian soldiers filled her mind. Cracked skulls, snapped necks. Innocent bodies piled in heaps of grey and blue. Dark uniforms absorbing blood that gushed from protruding bones. She pressed her hands to her ears as screams filled her mind, each cry cutting through her like a thousand shards of ice. They were terrified of her. She was terrified of herself.

“Emmeline?” Erick said, his
hands wrapping around her upper arms.

Emmeline jerked back and shook the memory from her mind. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought I heard something.” Another lie.
She grimaced. Why was she lying?

Erick’s mouth pressed into a tight line.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said.

Emmeline shook her head and marched toward the palace. “If I can’t use my power to protect
myself or those I love, than what good am I to anyone?”

She didn’t wait for a response
and Erick didn’t offer one. The moment they emerged from the trees Emmeline’s eyes traveled over the flickering candles in the windows. Her stomach lurched. She pressed a palm to her stomach and wiped the feeling away. She had no reason to feel nervous. Erick wouldn’t let anyone gain control of her, nor would she submit to anyone. But would she be able to resist the fire’s pull once she opened herself up to it? With both Mahlon and Prince Weldon, the flames had called to her and she’d lost control of herself. Would she be able to stop herself if that happened again?

As they neared
the palace entrance, the shadowed man moved out from behind a tree. His face remained obscured by darkness and Emmeline wondered if it was coincidence that the overhanging branch shadowed his identity, or if he had positioned himself on purpose. Erick pulled his sword and just as Emmeline prepared to open herself to the flames, a glint off Erick’s sword flashed across the man’s face. Her breath caught in her throat.

Mahlon.

Emmeline’s chest constricted and her mind took her back to the carriage where Mahlon had managed to take control of her power, where a small flame had taunted her until its heat slithered into her body. She found herself gasping for air. She wasn’t ready to face Mahlon yet. His control over her still felt so raw.

“I
must speak with His Royal Highness this very night,” a strange voice said.

Emmeline’s head jerked
up and she watched as the man emerged from the shadows. He wasn’t Mahlon, just a messenger. Pulling his bent wrist across his mouth, he gave them a weak smile.

“
I am Prince Richmond Frederick,” Erick said, although his eyes were on Emmeline, a worried expression pulling at his brow

The man
reached into his pack and pulled out a piece of paper. “Your Highness, I have an urgent letter from Volarcus.” The paper shook in his outstretched hand.

Erick
glanced around and then looked at the man. “Are you alone?”

“Yes
.” The messenger drew his eyebrows together as if confused by Erick’s question.

Erick
sheathed his sword and reached out to take the letter. “Why didn’t you come to front gates?”

“
Forgive me, Highness,” the messenger uttered, his eyes flicking to the bushes skirting the palace. “I’m afraid I overestimated my strength.”

The stench of vomit wafted in the air and Emmeline resisted the urge to cover her n
ose.

As if in an attempt to recover his dignity, t
he messenger rolled his shoulders back. “The Volarcus scribe found the letter buried under a pile of papers in his office. He claims to have never seen it before, but due to its urgent inscriptions, he requested I bring it to you without further delay.”

Erick glanced at the paper and then brought his head up
sharply. “It’s dated over a month ago,” he said, his displeasure showing in the lowering cadence of his voice.

The messenger swallowe
d and bobbed his head. “Forgive me, Your Grace. The delay is unforgivable. I came as quickly as I was able. I did not stop.”

Emmeline
took a closer look at the messenger. His eyes were streaked with red, his pale brow wet with perspiration. His horse heaved nearby and while its head hung low, it did not graze.

“
Thank you for your haste,” Erick said. “You are a guest of Dolmerti’s now. You may rest in the palace for as long as you need.”

Emmeline
stiffened. She knew she had no reason to worry about a simple messenger, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread hanging in the air. Knowing her unease was likely because she had mistaken him for Mahlon, she tried to push the feeling away. But what if, while staying in the place, he discovered she was an Incenaga. Would he try to control her? She shook her head. She had the protection of a dozen guards. Even if he tried to get to her, the guards would stop him. But where were the guards now? Why weren’t there any standing outside the palace walls?

The messenger
bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Highness, but I must return at once.”

Erick
’s eyebrows raised a fraction. “Are you sure?”

“Certain.”

“Very well. You are dismissed.”

The messenger
mounted his horse and disappeared into the trees, the pounding of hooves fading into a dull drum. After a long moment of silence Emmeline found she could breathe again.

Erick told hold of Emmeline’s arm and guided her up the palace steps.
“Are you all right?” he asked.

Emmeline
swallowed her apprehension. Mahlon was gone. No one would come for her again. She was safe. “Yes, why?”

Letting go of her arm,
Erick opened the door and waited for her to step through before following her from behind. “You didn’t take on any heat.”

“How did you know?”

Erick shrugged. “I know we haven’t seen a lot of each other as of late, but I’ve seen you shrink away from flames, even small ones. You never sit by the fire. In fact, you often leave a room if the fireplace has been lit. And I’ve found you, more than once, fumbling around the corridors late at night without the aid of a candle. I could tell you were uncomfortable tonight, reluctant even.”

Emmeline grimaced. Considering his hectic schedule, she didn’t think he had noticed her
aversion to the castle’s hearths. She hadn’t used her power since the day Mahlon escaped. It had been raining that day. She had won her freedom from him, and had filled herself with enough power to crush him, but when she had run out into the rain to fight, the water had smothered the flames within her. The rain had left her helpless, useless. And Mahlon had gotten away.

“I understand why you might never want to use a flame again
,” Erick said. “You’ve seen more destruction than anyone should have to.”

“But I
can’t stand by and let you fight for me.”

“I want to fight for you,” he said, taking her arm again.

“I know and I love you for that. I don’t know what happened. I panicked, I guess. We had no way of knowing if that man wanted to control me. If he had, and I’d opened myself up to the fires, I wouldn’t have been able to stop taking on heat. The situation could have gotten dangerous for all of us.”

Erick made a sly face. “I
would have thrown a bucket of water on you.”

“Very funny,” Emmeline said with a roll of her eyes.

Erick shrugged. “I thought so.”

But Emmeline didn’t laugh and neither did Erick.
She bit her lip as Erick led her toward the grand staircase.

“Aren’t you going to open
the letter?” Emmeline asked.

“I will.”

“Now?”

Erick laughed, but it sounded forced, somehow.

“I thought I’d return you to your
quarters first, My Lady,” he said. “There is no sense in keeping you awake with mundane communications.”

Emmeline pulled back on Erick’s arm. “You should read it now. That man nearly killed himself to deliver it.”

Erick swallowed and broke the seal, but before he unfolded the letter he glanced at Emmeline and took a step back, a look of apology on his face.

Emmeline
scowled. As much as it frustrated her to be kept in the dark, she knew he only meant to shield her from unpleasant news. But, the people of Dolmerti expected her to rule by his side, not from the sidelines. The sooner he realized she could handle all aspects of ruling a country, unpleasant or not, the sooner she could help him carry the burden he seemed so intent on shouldering alone.

While Erick read,
Emmeline examined her boot as it made swirling patterns in the carpet. A dull gnawing worked at her stomach, making her wonder if it was a new, foreboding anxiety, or a lingering emotion from the messenger’s somewhat strange arrival. What was so urgent a man had to push himself to the extreme in order to deliver it? And why did he insist on returning when he appeared on the brink of collapse?

Erick took in a sharp breath and
Emmeline brought her head up. “What is it?” she asked. “What does it say?”

“Guards!” Erick shouted.
He turned around and barreled toward the palace entrance.

Emmeline’s heart dropped and, as if the horrible truth would remain hidden as long as she stood still, her feet rooted to the palace floor. But no matter how terrible the news, she had to know what the letter said. She had to face it. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her feet and chased after Erick.

“
A messenger just left on horseback,” Erick shouted at the guards as they clattered around the corner. “Bring him to me!”

“Erick?” Emmeline said once she
caught up to him.

Erick f
umbled with the letter before stuffing it into his coat pocket. “I’ll be in the drawing room,” he said to one of the guards stationed at the entrance.