Arcane Entanglement (The Mage and His Brute #1)

Chapter 34

Evander paced the length of the opulent anteroom, each step leaving a faint smudge of soot on the pristine marble floor. The royal mages guarding the entrance to the Queen’s private chambers watched him warily, some with awe, most with disapproval.

He knew he looked a sight. His once-immaculate uniform was torn and stained with smoke and mud, his hair wild and matted with sweat and ash. The events at the church had left their mark on him, both physically and mentally.

He’d barely had time to see to it that Viggo and the others were safely inside the Arcane Division’s wing before the harried palace messenger who’d been looking all over Scotland Yard for him had found him and delivered the royal summons.

The terse note had made it clear that his presence was required immediately, regardless of his current state.

Dammit. They should at least let me clean up!

He’d asked if he could wash his face before the audience. The stony-faced mage who’d escorted him to the Queen’s quarters had flatly refused.

“Her Majesty’s orders were quite clear, your Grace.” His tone had made it transparent that Evander’s ducal title meant little here. “You are to be brought directly to her presence as you are.”

Evander had sat there for a good hour before getting up and treading the stylish marble floor in front of the Queen’s private chambers, blatantly ignoring the guards whose stares said they wished he’d sit back down quietly.

He knew the Queen was deliberately leaving him to stew.

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Evander. He, who could level this entire wing of the palace with magic if he so wished, had been reduced to anxiously awaiting the Queen’s pleasure.

A clock on the mantelpiece chimed the hour, its delicate tones seeming to mock Evander’s impatience all while adding another knot to his shoulders. He turned, ready to demand entry once more, only to find the doors to the Queen’s chambers swinging open of their own accord.

One of the Queen’s attendants stepped out.

“Her Majesty will see you now,” he intoned sombrely.

Evander squared his shoulders and strode past him, chin held high. Whatever the Queen had to say, he would face it with the dignity befitting his station.

The private sitting room he entered was a study in understated elegance. Delicate floral wallpaper interspersed with priceless paintings, some new from the last time he’d visited the place, adorned the walls. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, keeping away the cold seeping through the windows and casting a warm glow over the rich furnishings.

Evander did not bother inspecting the rest of the chamber.

Because there, seated in a high-backed chair that might as well have been a throne, her posture impeccable despite her small stature, was Queen Victoria.

Her round face was framed by dark hair pulled back severely under a delicate lace cap and bore the lines of age and responsibility. She wore her usual black silk dress, its colour a testament to her perpetual grieving for Prince Albert, and a plethora of dark mourning jewellery.

Despite her advanced years, there was an undeniable air of authority about her, a strength that seemed to fill the room. The weight of her crown, though not physically present, was palpable in her stare.

Evander bowed low, years of training taking over.

“Your Majesty,” he murmured.

“Good God, Evander!” Victoria’s voice was sharp with shock and disapproval. “What on earth happened to you?”

Evander schooled his face into a neutral expression as he straightened and met the Queen’s piercing gaze.

“There was an incident in the slums, Your Majesty. A trap set by dark mages. I?—”

Victoria cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Spare me the details.” Her cold gaze raked him over, taking in every smudge and tear. “I can see well enough what sort of ‘incident’ it must have been. Really, Evander, presenting yourself to your Queen in such a state! What would your father say?”

The mention of his father sent a sharp pang through Evander’s chest. It took every ounce of his willpower to stay impassive in the face of this unjust accusation.

“I apologise for my unseemly appearance, Your Majesty. I came as soon as I received your summons.” He couldn’t fully mask the bitterness lacing his tone. “I did request I be given access to a bathroom to?—”

“Yes, well.” Victoria sniffed, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that it was her orders that had kept him in a filthy state for God knows how long. “I suppose we must make allowances for the nature of your work.” The way she said it made it clear exactly what she thought of his chosen profession. “Though that is precisely what we need to discuss.”

Evander’s stomach tightened. He’d known this conversation was coming from the moment his Archmage abilities had been revealed, but that didn’t make the situation any less challenging.

“You made me a promise, Evander,” Victoria said, her voice low and hard. “You swore to me that you would keep your abilities hidden. That you would not draw attention to yourself or your,” she waved a hand angrily, “—unique position.”

“Your Majesty, I?—”

“I’m not finished!” The Queen’s voice cracked like a whip, making her attendants jump. “Do you have any idea of the position you’ve put me in? Rumours are already flying! There have been whispers in the Court about your lineage for years, about why a Duke with your pedigree would lower himself to common police work. And now this! An Archmage in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police. It’s unprecedented, Evander. It’s reckless.”

Evander clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain silent as Victoria continued her tirade.

“I’ve had quite enough of your fanciful aspirations,” she stated bitingly. “This game of cops and robbers has gone on long enough. It’s time for you to embrace your true role. You will resign from the Metropolitan Police with immediate effect. You will take up your proper place as the Duke of Ravenwood. And,” her eyes shrank to slits, “you will find a suitable wife from high society and settle down, as befits a man of your station.”

Something inside Evander finally snapped, the careful control he’d been maintaining crumbling in the face of Victoria’s cruel demands.

“Everyone out,” he growled, his voice quaking with barely suppressed power.

The attendants hesitated, looking to the Queen.

Magic surged through Evander. “ Now! ”

The room temperature plummeted. The attendants fled, the doors slamming shut behind them.

“How dare you—” Victoria began.

Evander cut her off.

“No, how dare you !” he roared. “You sit here in your gilded cage, passing judgment on a world you barely understand. Do you have any idea what’s really happening out there? The suffering? The inequality? The injustice that festers in the very heart of your precious Empire?!”

Victoria’s face flushed with anger. “Mind your tone, young man. I am still your Queen.”

“And I am still a Prince of this realm,” Evander shot back. “Royal blood runs through my veins! Or have you forgotten that inconvenient truth?” He fisted his hands. “The secret you’re so desperate to keep hidden?!”