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

Chapter 11

11

Barbie

D rops splashed onto King Vasiliy’s rigid face, and twin snakes tumbled onto his shoulder. He swatted them off and frowned at his wet queen before snapping his cold stare at me. For a second, he seemed unsure what to make of this turn of events. I guessed that it didn’t happen too often. Luckily for his queen, the assaulting snakes were her signature power, so they just returned to her hair, nesting. I was glad that they didn’t get me, or it would have hurt like hell.

“Your Majesties and Council.” Headmistress Ethel bowed to her betters. “The girl proves to be more than an Echo, as I said in my transcript. She can null almost everyone’s magic.”

I couldn’t nullify Killian’s power.

“Seize the creature!” Queen Odette screamed. “Kill her! She tried to assassinate me!”

At least she’d stopping calling me it.

The royal guards rushed toward me as one, their weapons drawn.

“Shit!” I cried out. “This is all going to hell on a bullet train.”

Shit! Sy echoed, her claws at the ready. We’ll have to fight our way out. Let’s drag a sentient being with us to eat later. Or you should just use that darkest flame of yours to burn them all to cinders.

Don’t burn the bridge! Pucker in his phantom form zipped to us and shouted in panic. Look, here he comes.

Killian leapt off the gallery, breaking Queen Lilith’s grip. Fury flashed across her gorgeous face before she schooled her expression to calm.

The chaos prince pushed his starlight across the expanse between the royal guards and me. The guards reeled back only because their prince hadn’t meant to kill them. Killian was in front of me in a heartbeat, his back toward me, killer lightning sparkling at his fingertips. At the same time, the heirs from the other kingdoms leapt from their balcony box, lithe as panthers, and surrounded me in a ring, their shields raised. A second later, Rock and Cassius joined the ranks as well for more than moral support.

“Back off!” Killian commanded the guards of Kingdom of Chaos coldly.

It shocked me that he was still defending me. I blinked back the moisture that stung my eyelids. He hadn’t abandoned me completely, and he hadn’t done exactly what his betrothed wanted him to.

“What is this?” King Vasiliy demanded. “Are you out of your fucking mind, Killian? Are you defying your mother?”

“She is not my mother and never will be,” Kilian said with icy disdain.

“You’ll disrespect me in my court, son?” Queen Odette hissed.

I almost chuckled. Like daughter, like mother. Medea had been the same way—insisting on calling Killian “brother” while he’d constantly asked her to stop calling him that. A lot of people just didn’t listen well.

Killian was a lot more powerful than his father. In this realm, power was everything. Power even trumped rank.

“No one touches a bride candidate in the House of Chaos,” Killian said.

He was clever to play the bride candidate card, since the laws of the realm offered candidates protection.

“Barbie is a bride candidate from the House of Vampires as well,” Prince Louis chimed in, his deep voice booming in the court.

“No bride candidate can be from more than one house,” a dark-skinned shifter Council member declared. Of course, any shifter would discredit a vampire.

“Barbie was a bride candidate from my house before Prince Killian poached her illegally,” Prince Silas said. “The issue of which house Barbie belongs to hasn’t been settled, and I have yet to bring this dispute to the Council, since Barbie is a dormant wolf.”

“Barbie also has the scent of a fae,” Rowan said, crossing his muscled arms over his chest.

Sy smelled of fae, though she was not fae.

“Not that fast,” Cade said. “Barbie confessed she has mage blood.”

I didn’t remember confessing anything to anyone.

The Council stared at the princes incredulously before they all trained their gazes on me. Now they seemed to take me more seriously.

If they knew you’re a three-quarter goddess… Pucker chimed in.

The kings and queens of the other kingdoms in their holographic images all started to yell at their sons, demanding answers.

“Barbie has bewitched all the heirs,” Headmistress Ethel said, her eyes on fire.

“The girl has some power,” the fae king commented, keen interest glimmering in the eyes of his projected form.

The fae king had a strong face, pointed ears, and a silver mane that stretched down to his shoulders. His dark silver eyes brimmed with elemental power. There was no resemblance between him and Rowan because he wasn’t the fae heir’s true father, a terrible secret Rowan had confessed to Sy to show his commitment to her during one of their unholy couplings.

“My king,” Queen Odette addressed King Vasiliy, her lips quivering. “That abomination murdered our beautiful daughter. And now our son, who’s bewitched by the abomination, has defied your order. I want justice. If you love me, you’ll give me the head of the abomination on a plate.”

King Vasiliy gave his queen a look. Her wet gown clung to her skin, outlining her big tits, her snakes hissing in her hair. He waved a hand, air rushing toward her and drying her instantly.

“You shall have your justice, my beloved queen,” King Vasiliy said, leveling his gold-and-diamond scepter in my direction.

Killian moved to park himself right in front of me to shield me, ready to take the blow from his father.

“Move, Killian,” King Vasiliy snarled. “The girl attacked my queen, so she shall die.”

“Barbie didn’t assault your queen, Your Majesty,” Killian said. “This bride candidate has a special magic. Whoever attacks her will suffer double the effect of their own power, unless the caster is stronger.” He surveyed the room coldly. “Just remember, attack her and it’ll backfire.”

Gasps and murmurs of surprise rippled across the throne room. Killian had just warned that whoever tried to come at me next would risk losing face in front of the entire assembly. They’d seen how easily I’d disarmed the Queen of Kingdom of Chaos. And the headmistress had also ratted me out early by telling everyone here that my magic could neutralize almost anyone’s.

King Vasiliy stayed his hand. He narrowed his cunning hazel eyes, which were so different than his son’s pure storm-blue ones.

“We’ve given our heir too much leverage, and he turns on us,” Queen Odette chirped. “He defends the thing that killed our daughter, as if his sister meant nothing to him!”

The veins in King Vasiliy’s temples throbbed. His lips pulled back in a half-snarl.

“Medea triggered her own self-destruction when she tried to kill Barbie with a forbidden weapon provided by the traitor druid and the Legion of the Brotherhood,” Killian said harshly. “She conspired with the realm’s enemies. While we’re still investigating all those who were involved in betraying the realm, I won’t allow the innocent to become a scapegoat. Not on my watch.”

“That thing isn’t innocent!” the queen shrieked. “It killed a royal princess who would’ve been the promised Bride!”

“Barbie shall get a fair trial,” Killian called over Queen Odette’s outburst, “as originally agreed by all the sovereigns and the Council.”

The rest of the heirs shouted their agreement, backing up Killian and showing their support for me. Queen Lilith watched from her luxurious box, her face harsh and her lips tight.

“Who will defend her, then?” asked the vampire king. His projection looked like an older version of Louis. “Prince Killian isn’t legally allowed to argue for a member of his own house since he could be biased. The best course is to bring the girl back to the House of Vampires, as she was originally my subject. My son can discipline her, and we shall go from there.”

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, did it? And Prince Louis was one of the few vampires who were natural-born purebloods.

“Not a chance.” The holographic image of the shifter queen sneered at the vampire king’s image. “The girl is a dormant wolf, illegally poached by the chaos house.”

Then the projections of the kings and queens from the other kingdoms all got into an argument. Noise and shouting filled the room. The Council members argued against each other as well. No one agreed with anyone.

“Please, Your Majesties!” the herald of Kingdom of Chaos shouted, and bowed around at the monarchs’ projections. “We must finish the trial and read the Accused her sentence. Barbie is guilty of?—”

“Innocent until proven guilty.” Cade stepped out of the ranks of the princes. “Prince Killian isn’t legally allowed to defend a member of his house, but I can, and I will defend Barbie. The defendant has never been a member of my house, though she has mage blood. I witnessed the event that caused the demise of Princess Medea, and thus I’m the perfect neutral party. I also bear no agenda; all I want is to speak the truth. The House of Mages is the House of the Truth Seekers for a reason.”

After a few more bouts of heated arguing between the kings, queens, and the Council, Killian let his roar of support for Cade drown out everyone else’s voices. Then the rest of the heirs roared for Cade to be my legal defender.

“Let the trial begin!” Cade called in a bright, booming voice as he moved to pose at my three o’clock and half faced the king and queen of Kingdom of Chaos.

“Thank you for defending the honor of my house.” Killian bowed to Cade before he stepped aside, and the other heirs all moved toward the audience seats with him.

The herald glared at Cade for stealing his show, but Cade didn’t spare him a glance as he adjusted his fashionable scarf.

“Tell the court your name,” Cade said.

I smiled at him. “I’m Barbie.”

“What’s your family name?” he asked.

“I have no family, so it’s just Barbie, high sir,” I said.

Some whispers came from the audience seats, but I didn’t need their pity. If they knew who my father was, they wouldn’t want that family name attached to them either.

“Where are you from, Barbie?”

“The mortal realm,” I said. “I don’t remember the name of the exact city, though. Maybe it’s S-Sussex?” That was a lie, but I wasn’t here to tell the truth but to throw them off the track.

More whispers. I didn’t think these supernaturals had ever heard of Sussex, and Cade frowned at me.

“It’s in the U.K.,” I added, trying to educate them.

“The daughter of the God of Ruin, who is suspected to have infiltrated our realm, also comes from the mortal realm.” Queen Lilith’s silvery voice rang from the balcony. Blood rushed to my ears. I jerked my head up, our gazes clashing, a smug and menacing light glinting in the demon queen’s green eyes. “Lady Moirai, the Maiden, spinner of the thread of life, shall unveil all things. I’ve brought her to the court to provide insight on the trial.”

Shit! Shit!

My heart rammed into my ribcage wildly while blood still pounded painfully in my ears. Icy fog filled my vision. This was it, then. The oracle would reveal everything about me in front of everyone, and then it’d be over. I wasn’t going to wait for them to come for my blood.

Before I could bolt, Pucker appeared beside me in his ghost form and tugged my sleeve. Hold your horses, Barbie.

We don’t run, Sy agreed. We’ll see this to the bitter end.

“The triunity —the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone—haven’t shown themselves to the world for over a millennium.” Whispers of awe spread across the hall.

“Isn’t Lady Moirai the first oracle?” asked King Vasiliy, a greedy, calculating light coming alive in his hazel eyes.

“Yes, King Vasiliy,” Queen Lilith said fondly, tearing her eyes from me and fixing them on the king. “And I’ve brought her. The first oracle also revealed that the God of Ruin is on the move toward the realm and that his daughter is trying to pave the path for his arrival.”

My heart nearly jumped out of my throat while my blood iced over.

Bitch! Pucker murmured.

“I’ve heard enough of these whispers and rumors of the ancient gods,” the shifter queen, Silas’s mother, sneered in her projected form sustained by magic. “They’re but a fear tactic. The gods are long since dead.”

Know thy enemy and read the room, I told myself.

I’d studied Queen Lilith before she hijacked my mind. She was more powerful than the other kings and queens in the realm. The monarchs of Mist of Cinder had been wary of her, but King Vasiliy saw the benefits of aligning with the Underworld and pushed his son’s engagement to the Queen of the Underworld. I bet if Queen Lilith had nodded at him, the chaos king would’ve abandoned his adult doll queen and chosen Queen Lilith as his new queen. I’d noticed the lust in his gaze when he looked at Queen Lilith.

The alliance between the House of Underworld and the House of Chaos created a power imbalance in the realm, and none of the other kingdoms were thrilled about it. The shifter queen was openly showing her distrust. I should use it to my advantage, if and when I had to refute the demon queen’s claim that I was the enemy, the daughter of an ancient god.

“Hey,” I would say with a mocking smirk, “do I look like a goddess to you?”

The audience would agree that I didn’t look it. Politics were a messy and dirty business, and I could play dirty too.

“One of the three original gods is making a comeback,” Queen Lilith said coolly. “He’s been active for the last twenty years, mostly in the north, where he formed a kingdom and built an army. His influence has spread to this continent of late, following his daughter’s footsteps.”

“You think the remaining old god is going to invade?” asked the fae king.

“The God of Ruin might just mind his own business,” the vampire king said hopefully.

“Ruin is the worst threat to all of us,” Queen Lilith said. “You have all seen the blight outside the Veil at Shades Academy, which I believe was his daughter’s work. He’s coming, and believe me when I say that Princess Ruin is already here.”

Princess Ruin?

I tried to put on an innocent look, but my heart was leaping to the back of my throat then plunging to the pit of my stomach. Queen Lilith knew who I was, and she was toying with me before her final pounce.

Everyone started talking at once. All the noise made my head spin.

“Then who’s the daughter?” the vampire king demanded.

“Do you seriously expect that we’ll just trust what you said about the God of Ruin and his aggressive movements, Queen Lilith?” the fae king challenged.

“It’s a fear tactic, as I said before,” Silas’s mother called again.

“You’ll say anything to gain more power, won’t you, Queen Lilith?” a vampire from the Council asked. “Everyone knows that you have your sight set on the seat of the high queen.”

“Enough!” King Vasiliy’s voice thundered across the hall, but everyone ignored him and kept arguing. No king or queen from the other kingdoms respected his authority.

“We’re reviewing the bride candidates from house to house.” Queen Lilith raised her voice above all, her potent power vibrating in the air. “The process is slow due to resistance. I’ll need all of your support to purge the enemy among us. And today, the oracle will show us the path.”

The Queen of the Underworld had come prepared, ready to pin me to the wall like a fly.

“How do we know she’s the real deal?” asked the fae king.

“You’ll see for yourself soon, King Emyr,” Queen Lilith said with a bright smile, looking around the court. “To ease your doubts, we can test it first. Lady Moirai will reveal one of your secrets that no one else knows about in front of the court of Kingdom of Chaos. Is anyone up to it?”

Silence fell over the hall.

“I see no one is volunteering,” Queen Lilith said. “I have an idea. How about let’s test it on Barbie, the girl on trial? No one knows about her origin, and she’s quite a mystery in the realm. Why not let Lady Moirai have a read on her? Nothing and no one can hide from the oracle’s sight.”

I froze. My bones felt icy cold. Everyone’s attention snagged on me. I hoped these powerful supernaturals didn’t hear my pounding heartbeat. They all had superior hearing, and they could smell the scent of fear as well.

Killian glanced at me, his face unreadable, then stood from his audience seat.

“That’s unnecessary,” the chaos prince said. “This trial is about finding the truth and proving that a member of my house is innocent. All the other heirs and I witnessed that Princess Medea used a forbidden artifact made of black magic on Barbie, but the dark spells consumed her instead. We have evidence that Princess Medea was working with the druid. We’re still investigating how he recruited her and who else are were involved. But that’s not our focus today, and neither is a psychic reading. We’ll proceed with a proper trial.”

Rage rolled off Queen Lilith, hellfire flashing in her eyes at Killian’s defiance. The Council traded glances. The golden royal couple weren’t exactly presenting a united front. King Vasiliy cleared his throat in warning to his son. Queen Odette hadn’t taken her venom-filled eyes off me, the pit of snakes in her hair hissing at me. I gave her a fearless look. Not even her ancestor Medusa could freeze me and turn me to stone.

“Indulge me, beloved, will you?” Queen Lilith said with a honeyed smile, no trace of her fury visible. “I promise this won’t be a psychic reading but will unveil the truth. It won’t take long. If Barbie is innocent and has nothing to hide, you should not worry about her.” She nodded at a dark-skinned, horned archdemon standing behind her seat. “Usher Lady Moirai in.”

“Yes, my queen.” The archdemon bowed and slid from the gallery.

Killian stood very still, the calm before the storm.

A long moment passed. The archdemon returned without the oracle in tow. His queen stared at him sharply. He bent over and whispered into her ear, his wings fluttering behind his armored shoulders, and with Sy’s superior hearing, I caught his words. “The oracle’s gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?” Queen Lilith demanded in a hushed, annoyed voice.

“Vanished, my queen.”

Queen Lilith quenched the spitting hellfire in her eyes as she realized everyone’s attention was on her.

“My fellow sovereigns,” she announced, “unfortunately, Lady Moirai foresaw an emergency and had to depart.” She gestured to Cade. “Let’s proceed with the trial. The oracle will return at a later date.”

That is an anticlimax, Pucker mocked.

Be careful what you wish for, I warned him, my breathing coming easier.