House of Mages and Raven (Shades of Ruin and Magic #4)

Chapter 10

10

Barbie

T hrough the leyline, our big group reached Kingdom of Chaos in an hour.

We passed valleys, rivers, mountains, and towns before I spotted a majestic, towering castle. Magic kept it looking relatively new, though the magic here was weaker than in Shades Academy.

Maybe in a century or two, magic wouldn’t be able to sustain the realm. I could see why the supernaturals were so fixated on the Brides Selection, as it was their last hope to bring back the old magic, supposing one of the heirs met his fated mate and the pair produced the prophesized One.

We climbed more stairs and approached the vast door of the palace at the peak of the castle. Stone dragons and columns of pure gold adorned the fa?ade.

“You’ll not speak until spoken to, Barbie,” Cassius ordered me.

“You’ve said it ten times now, and it is starting to hurt my ears, Lord Silent Blade,” I complained.

“No one else dares to call me that,” he said menacingly. “But I won’t hold you accountable at the moment. It’s important you remember how to address the kings, queens, and the Council properly, like we rehearsed on the road. Keep your answers short and to the point. Don’t run your mouth. Don’t try to be cute or aim for funny! And most important, keep your inner thoughts and opinions to yourself.”

“I can’t remember all those,” I said, widening my eyes. “I won’t know how to answer the kings, queens, and the Council properly if I have to focus on your long-winded instructions.”

Rock laughed. “Our scorpion likes to complain about everything before she stings her opponent.”

I scowled at him, offended. “You don’t know anything about me, werewolf.”

“This is very serious, Barbie,” Cassius snapped.

My scowl turned to a smile when I peered at him. “I get it. I’m going on trial. I’ve never been on trial before, so I don’t have much experience or high expectations.”

“Just talk less, Barbie,” Rock said. “Think before you talk. Silent Blade is right”—he tilted his lips up in an amused smile—“about not letting everything running through your head come right out of your mouth.”

“You worry too much, wolf,” I said. “Who’ll be on trial, you or me?”

Rock arched his thick brows, and Cassius shook his head in dismay. “It’ll be a disaster, but it’s out of our hands now.”

We entered the vestibule. Natural light showered through the ceiling and gemstones glowed from the walls. The color theme was lavish violet, the design spelling old money. Armored royal guards were stationed at every crucial post. None impeded us. I bet they dared not stop the Silent Blade.

“The palace is fancy,” I told Rock.

“What did we say about staying quiet and keeping your opinions to yourself?” he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t like to fly blind. It bit me in the butt in the past—” I started to protest.

“Just go with the flow and don’t talk more than necessary,” Cassius said. “It should be over in a few hours, and then we can all return to our house in Shades Academy.”

“And sleep in our own beds,” Rock added.

I cracked an amiable smile. “I like to sleep in my own bed too, especially when the mattress is soft and comfortable.”

Cassius led us along a long corridor. We made a few turns and reached a splendid hall, the violet marble floor spotless, the ceiling stretching so high that I had to crane my neck to check out the paintings. Twelve balcony seatings formed a crescent ring on the high-floor gallery. Two thrones rested on the raised dais on the ground floor, the symbol of seven arrows in a radial pattern etched on their high backs and blue diamonds adorning their armrests.

Other than a dozen royal guards lined up on either side of the walls, the throne hall appeared mostly empty.

“Keep going, Barbie,” Cassius said as he fell back.

“Where are you guys going?” I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Cassius and Rock were moving to join the royal guards. The rest of the escort team hadn’t even followed us into the throne hall. “Where is everyone?”

No one answered me. I was all alone.

Panic rushed over me, but I’d look bad if I chickened out and ran now. I took a deep breath and kept going until I stopped in the center of the hall.

“Knock, knock,” I called, and waited. When no one answered, I did it for them. “Who’s there?”

“Silence!” a harsh male voice barked.

A religious-looking man in a violet robe emerged from the left-hand door near the dais. That door must be reserved for the royals and their court herald, like this one. Two younger attendants, one female and one male, followed him. The young male had a scroll and a magical pen in his hands, and female held a spelled watch.

“Sure,” I said, flashing the herald and hisacolytes a smile. I fell silent for a few seconds before I remembered my manners. “How’s everyone? I was testing the sound effect to see if my voice would carry. It did. This place is huge. It must cost a ton to maintain a castle. Just think of the electricity bill, man.”

“You shall not speak until spoken to, girl!” he ordered me.

“No problem,” I said. “Everyone told me that already. Even today, the headmistress strongly suggested it. Then Werewolf Rock confirmed it, and then even Lord Silent Blade insisted on it. Well, don’t you worry. I got the picture. I’ve had practice in Shades Academy, a good school. Food is superb. By the way, I have a couple of quick questions before I go into silent mode. The first question is, where should I place myself in this big, fancy room? Is this a throne room or an audience room? My second question, is there a seat for me if it’s going to be a long trial? I don’t want to sound like a whiner, but gods forbid it be long, not that gods are that nice. I hope it’ll be less than three hours. Isn’t it nice that we can all sleep in our own beds tonight? Anyway, I just don’t want anything to go wrong. You know what I mean? It’s crucial to follow protocol.” I gave the herald another convincing smile. “Are you a herald? In a mortal court, you’d be called a clerk. I can call you officer if you want.”

He stared at me as if I had two heads. Well, I did, if he counted Sy. His PAs stared at me in confusion. The herald pulled an ivory arrow from inside his robe, and both of his PAs stepped back a pace. I squinted to study the arrow. Shit, it was made of an ancient serpent’s bone. The herald flicked the bone, and a fiery ring dropped around me and trapped me within.

I yelped, staring at the herald. “What did you do that for?”

“Accused, stay where you are,” the herald ordered me in a scratching voice. “Step out of the sacred circle and the magic will burn you alive.”

He didn’t know, or probably didn’t believe, that I could eat wards like candies and dismiss all spells, except for my father’s or the spells on artifacts forged in celestial realms, like the torque and chains that had once bound me.

“No worries. I’ll stay right here,” I said, playing meek for now. “But when will everyone get here? I don’t have all day. I’ll need to get back to the academy to finish my homework.”

The herald glared at me, then he snapped his head toward the entrance as well-dressed courtiers and nobles followed the attendants and strolled in. Then those important supernaturals seated themselves in the audience seats along one wall. I spotted Headmistress Ethel among them, her chin lifting, her gaze sharp and unforgiving as it landed on me. I waved at her with a shy smile, but she didn’t return either gesture. She looked even more pissed.

It was hustle and bustle all around the hall. Then two women and three men filled five of the twelve balcony seats in the gallery. I bet they were the Council members, each representing their own house.

“All rise for the sovereigns!” the herald barked, his booming voice rolling over the hall.

The king and queen of Kingdom of Chaos emerged and perched on their thrones on the dais. They wore matching diamond crowns with the symbol of seven arrows in a radial pattern curved around the golden bands.

Everyone rose to their feet to pay respect to the king and queen. I was already standing within the warded circle, so I shifted my weight from foot to foot, since I didn’t want my feet to fall asleep.

King Vasiliy was a towering figure with a thick neck and broad shoulders. Killian didn’t resemble his father, except that they both carried a cold demeanor, but Killian’s coldness was on the ruthless side while his father was more calculating and crueler. The king regarded me as if I were prey, but I sensed the limitation of his elemental magic. He couldn’t hold a candle to his son’s power. I bet he knew it too and wasn’t happy about it.

Occupying the other throne, Queen Odette stared at me with pure hatred in her big cornflower-blue eyes, a pit of snakes hissing in her reddish hair. I could tell that she wanted to cross the space in one leap and tear my head off. She was only biding her time. The icy confidence in her glare spelled out her plan to inflict slow, agonizing death on me after the trial was over with my being convicted.

The queen might be Medusa’s descendant, but her power was nowhere near that of Kilian’s mother, who was Hades and Persephone’s daughter. I wondered what Killian’s father saw in her, but then, men were stupid when they thought with their dicks. Maybe the king liked an adult doll. The queen’s huge boobs nearly popped out of her tight red gown, in stark contrast to her tiny waist. The heels of her dress shoes were nine inches. It was painful to watch her.

“We’re honored that the sovereigns from all kingdoms are joining the court of Kingdom of Chaos to witness this murder trial.” The herald raised the serpent bone into the air. “Welcome, Queen Melissa of Kingdom of Shifters! King Malik of Kingdom of Vampires! King Emyr of Kingdom of Fae! King Brandon of Kingdom of Mages!”

As soon as he made each announcement, the kings and queens from the other kingdoms projected their holographic images to the gallery, and now ten of the twelve balcony seats were taken. It was safer for the monarchs from other kingdoms to attend the hearing as astral projections and leave no opportunity for an assassination.

I was tempted to rip off their magic and turn off their projections just for fun, just because I could, but I restrained myself from showing my cards and being an impulsive fool.

Everyone was here for my trial. Sy preened and smiled, soaking in all the attention.

I was still an unknown outside Shades Academy, but the chaos in my wake must’ve brought all the authorities here. I drew in a cold breath. It wouldn’t end well for me if I was labeled a security risk to the whole realm.

While the herald was still going on and on, using court jargon and throwing big names around, I watched Cade, Rowan, Louis, and Silas swagger into an empty auditorium box. They sat down, accepted offers of drinks, and stared down at me. I didn’t wave at any of them. I was a criminal on trial now.

My heart skipped a beat as my gaze snagged on who was getting into the last empty box. Killian entered with Queen Lilith, her elegant fingers resting in the crook of his muscled forearm. That gesture showed her claim on him in front of everyone.

The duo’s power overshadowed the king and queen of Kingdom of Chaos and commanded the room. Everyone gasped, and I sucked in a shaky breath. The demon queen wasn’t supposed to be attending, as my trial had nothing to do with her or the Underworld. She was here as Killian’s fiancée. Hadn’t she told him to present a united front? The inclusion of her in this proceeding shouted out her new status in the realm.

The chaos heir had not only ditched me since the day he’d left me in his bed, but he’d also brought her here, parading her in front of everyone. And that spoke volumes of his commitment to her. He’d promised to tell me if he was mine. There, I had my answer.

I’d expected it, though a silly part of me had held an unrealistic hope. Yet seeing them together like this with my own eyes, it still felt like being run over by a bus. By sheer will, I locked my gaze on Killian, and he glanced at me with cold boredom, which sent an ice spike through my flesh and bones.

Suddenly, I found myself struggling to breathe, and my legs wobbled. I was afraid that I’d sink into hyperventilation right where I stood in the center of the hall.

Someone was saying something. The crowd whispered, but their words all passed through me like a rush of frigid wind. The world fell away, my gaze still fixed on Kilian and his betrothed getting cozy in their private box. Two attendants bowed to them and offered drinks and refreshment to the royal couple. Queen Lilith ignored them and trained her predatory gaze on me where I was caged in the warded circle, a mocking smile on her sensual lips.

Pull your shit together! Sy growled. Don’t let that bitch queen get under your skin. We’re not weak, and I’m here with you, like always.

I forced myself to breathe in and out through my nose and nodded in thanks to Sy. Even if I lost everything and everyone, I still had her. I wasn’t alone. I’d never be alone. Sy and I would always have each other. Once again, it was us against the world.

I straightened my spine, pushing steel along it.

A prolonged silence hit me in the face, and I snapped back to here and now as I realized that the herald had come close to me and had been yelling.

“Chill, dude,” I said without heat while tossing my head back to maintain some personal distance, trying to look as cool as a cucumber. “Your spit nearly got into my face.”

The nobles gasped. I bet the royal herald wasn’t used to being scolded. A few snickers rose from the heirs of the rival houses.

The herald shot daggers at me, his knuckles white on the serpent bone as he restrained himself from hitting me with it. If no one had been looking, he would’ve smacked my skull open to punish me for my slight.

“You’ll show respect,” he barked, anger in his gray eyes.

Queen Odette rose to stand on her nine-inch heels. “The trial needs to go no further,” she said in cold rage, pointing a finger at me. “Everyone knows this creature murdered my daughter, princess to Kingdom of Chaos. Princess Medea would’ve been the chosen bride to one of the heirs and birthed the One to bring back the old magic. But now all is lost because this thing robbed my daughter of her great destiny. It must be put down like a rabid animal. I won’t grant it a quick death. Only after it suffers my wrath will I erase its soul for good.”

“But if I am an it , I can’t have a soul,” I pointed out.

The queen lifted her hands, her magic twirling around her fingers, snakes rising from her hair and hissing at me.

Earlier, I’d tested the ward around me. It was inverted—cleverly designed to cage me yet allow outside forces to harm me or strike me down when they decided to punish me or sentence me to death on the spot.

Kilian shot to his feet, ready to intervene, but Queen Lilith clamped her fingers around his wrist and halted him. Of course, they were a couple now, so he’d listen to her. He’d chosen her over me. Then a moment later, as I paid more attention to the couple’s dynamics, I noticed that his starlight tried to push through but her touch snuffed it out. She could neutralize his power due to the bond between them, the one that had prevented any woman from touching him, except me.

Bile rose to the back of my throat.

With my strength, you can leap high enough and drag down that queen bitch! Sy urged. Lay her on the marble, dig my claws into her chest, and eat her heart! She should not touch him. No woman should touch him except us, except you.

I might have done as Sy urged me if not for Queen Odette shooting jets of shadowy water toward me. I widened my eyes as I spotted dozens of snakes streaming along with the water. If the elemental water landed on me, the snakes would be all over me, biting me and pumping venom to paralyze me.

“Shit, shit!” I shouted, and threw up a hand in a hurry.

The attack made a U-turn and shot back toward Queen Odette, faster than when it came at me. Before anyone could react, before any shield could be erected, before any royal guards could spring into action to prevent a disaster, the sheet of water fell on Queen Odette, drenching her.