The Crown Prophecy

Chapter 15.2

Colette had the even less enviable task of letting Vanessa in on our plan. Given how she acted toward me until she knew I was involved with Evander, I could surmise that she would not be happy to share.

As predicted, she fumed all the way up to the fourth floor, flinging Evander’s door open with a sense of familiarity that I envied.

“Your Heinous,” she shot.

“Rat,” he threw back.

When they embraced, Colette and I shared a look that plainly said “ Freaks.”

“Gods, you look like shit,” Vanessa said, pinching his cheek like an overzealous aunt.

“Thanks, V,” Evander responded, swatting her away. It was the most animated I’d seen him in days.

“Should we get this over with?” she asked, throwing in a signature eye-roll for good measure. It irritated me to no end that she was so cavalier about the whole affair. She and Evander had known each other her entire life. That connection could make a difference for him.

“What do you suggest?” he asked.

“For some reason Quinn,” she shot me an unsure look as she said my name, as if acknowledging the fragile state of our relationship, “seems to be resistant to my mother and me. Maybe the echo of some magical ancestor way up in her family tree, I don’t know. But I’m thinking if we add your strength to my persuasion, we might be able to crack her shields.”

She rounded on me and I threw up my hands, interjecting defensively. “I’m not exactly comfortable having my mind wiped for this experiment.”

Colette found something incredibly interesting to study on the ceiling while Evander came up to me and took my hands.

“No wiping, I promise,” he said. “Just pick a memory and hold it in the antechamber of your mind. Focus on it, but keep it sealed off. All we’ll do is see if we can find it.”

I nodded. Even if I didn’t trust Vanessa, I trusted him.

“Ready?” Evander asked. He searched my face for any trace of hesitancy, protecting me until the very last. “You don’t have to do this.”

But I did.

“No use prolonging it. Go ahead.”

I focused on an afternoon in Mellie’s bakery, many years ago, when I pulled a successful batch of tarts out of the oven for the first time. I bathed in the memory, recalling the smell of blackberries and butter, the snow falling gently outside, like a scene from a picture book, and the warmth in Mellie’s eyes when she told me how proud she was of me.

Vanessa’s eyes flashed that same intense gold color I had seen before. Evander came up behind her, pushing out into the room with his hands bracketing her body to amplify her skill.

A gentle knock on the door of my mind asked permission to enter. It didn’t feel invasive or threatening. In fact, I wanted to let it in. But I held firm. The presence didn’t push, though I could see the veins bulging in Vanessa’s temples.

Finally, she let out a breath and her eyes returned to their normal amber.

“Anything?’ she asked, panting.

I explained the experience as best I could.

“It’s like it was a guest asking for entry, but I had complete control.”

“That’s . . . not what’s supposed to happen,” Vanessa groused.

“What about you?” I asked, turning to Evander. He somehow looked even worse, as if a strong breeze would blow him over. For someone well over six feet, it was disconcerting.

“Nothing,” he panted.

“Colette next,” Vanessa said over her shoulder as she moved to sit down.

“Do you need a moment?” I offered Evander my arm, but he waved me off, even as he swayed on his feet.

“I’m fine.”

Liar.

Colette extended her hand, no pity in her face. Good. He would appreciate that.

“It’s good to see you, your Highness. And I have to apologize for my forwardness with this idea. I know the idea of marrying me is likely not your first choice.”

Evander shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t apologize, please. It isn’t you,” he tried feebly, “it’s only that–”

“It’s fine,” she waved him off. “If I were in love with Quinn, I don’t think I’d pay attention to other women either.” She winked.

My face heated when Evander made no move to correct her.

Vanessa glowered in the corner.

“I’m not,” Colette clarified, rolling her eyes. Vanessa had rubbed off on her. “All I’m saying is that our girl is a good one.” My heart swelled with pride as she squeezed my arm affectionately before continuing.

“Shall we try?” she asked.

Evander assumed the same position behind her and ugly jealousy turned in my stomach at the sight. I needed to get a hold of myself.

Colette swirled her hands around one another, and a beautiful golden daffodil bloomed from the ground. Evander raised his hands around her, and the daffodil shot up another inch. My heart leapt into my throat, but nothing else happened.

“Evander?”

He shook his head sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Colette said earnestly, mostly to me.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I should be upset, but more than anything else I felt relieved.

It made no sense; this only meant he would need to choose someone else to marry, but I don’t know how I would’ve borne it if I had to watch one of my friends take that role.

Suddenly, something horrible dawned on me. Something I should’ve thought about weeks ago.

“What happens if none of the women are a match?” I asked.

The grim set of Evander’s mouth told me he had been thinking the same thing.

“We start over,” he exhaled.

“And in the meantime?” I asked. “You keep fading away until you’re like your mother?”

He rounded on me, anger and hurt flashing like a storm on his face.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized quietly. “I didn’t mean anything against her. It’s just hard to see you like this. I don’t want you getting even more hurt.”

“As much as I like to give you hells, I don’t either,” Vanessa chimed in.

“How were the contestants chosen?” Colette asked. “Is there another pool to choose from?”

“The scribes traced the lineages of some of the more powerful Wielders present at the founding of Enorias. There were over three dozen of them, so we called on the female descendants of everyone we could track.”

And then he let half of a dozen of them go home. Because of me. I was going to be sick.

Evander trudged over to me, putting his hands on my upper arms and rubbing up and down to comfort me.

“It’s going to be fine,” he promised, even as his eyes betrayed his fear.

I refused to add my own stress to his, so I put on a brave face, twisting my lips into my best approximation of a smile. “I’m sure it will be.”

. . .

On the morning of the final trial, I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. I couldn’t stop moving, because if I stopped moving, I would start thinking, and if I started thinking, I was going to lose my mind.

I didn’t know which was worse: the possibility that none of the castings would produce a viable result, or the idea that they would and I would have to stand there, smiling, as I watched Evander marry someone else.

It would be more selfless to say that the former was more frightening, but it was the latter that had kept me up all night, tossing and turning.

Regardless, I would do what needed to be done. I would remove myself from the situation, resign from my post if necessary, and let Evander move on. But it was going to absolutely shatter me. It was that possibility that kept me pacing the kitchen, starting a dozen projects but never finishing any of them.

Mellie had offered me the day off, but the thought of sitting alone in my room was worse than the idea of working. Still, I knew I was likely being more of a hindrance than a help to anyone here.

The trial was set to occur directly after breakfast, and meal prep had never gone more slowly. For the third time in the last ten minutes, I checked my egg and caramelized onion puff pastries to see if they were finished baking.

“Why don’t you work on some pancakes, Dumpling?” Mellie suggested gently, coming up behind me.

I groaned like a hormonal teenager.

Pancakes. That’s how far gone I am right now. All I can handle is pancakes.

I trudged to the pantry for flour but was intercepted by Jacques, who handed me a note. The tiny piece of parchment looked like a corner that had been ripped off a larger document, and I recognized Evander’s hand.

Can you be there?

I traced the words with my finger, the corners of my mouth pulling down. If he didn’t already know I was coming to support him, he was even more frazzled than I thought.

I worked up the pancakes, making sure they were light and fluffy and adding a pinch of lemon zest for some zing. Then I started on whipped cream to go with them. Anything to keep my hands busy.

The food was sent up to the kitchen and the staff all gathered around their communal table to eat before the trial. Everyone seemed to move around me in slow motion until I was the only one left in the kitchen.

I don’t know how long I had been standing there, staring at the countertop, before I heard a throat clear.

Behind me, Serena was tapping her foot and holding out a plate.

“Eat,” she ordered.

“Thank you, Serena,” I said, “but my appetite seems to have a better place to be right now.”

She set the plate on the counter and pushed it over to me insistently.

“Eat,” she repeated. “I’m not going away until you do.”

I stared her down for a moment before realizing I didn’t have the energy for a battle of wills right now. Sighing, I shoveled some pancake into my mouth.

“Happy?” I asked around the mouthful of food.

Serena didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she leaned on the counter next to me, watching to make sure I wasn’t going to dump my plate the second she left the room.

“No offense, Serena, but why do you care if I eat breakfast? You’d better be careful, or someone around here might think you like me,” I joked.

“I do like you,” she said matter-of-factly. “Besides, you’re about to watch the man you’re in love with get engaged to someone else. You’re going to need all the help you can get to get through it.”

I started to sputter an excuse, but she cut me off immediately.

“Don’t try to be sneaky about it. That’s below you,” she said. “You know, one of the things I admired about you even when I couldn’t stand you was that you get shit done. Regardless of how you’re feeling about it, you do the right thing.”

“Feels pretty great right about now,” I mumbled sarcastically.

“But you’ll do it,” she said. “You’ll do it and you’ll keep going and you’ll be all right. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even a month from now, but you’ll get through it.”

“Thank you, Serena.” I was more than a little confused at her praise, but her words made me stand just a little straighter.

At that moment, James stuck his head in the doorframe like a character in a children’s picture book. Upon seeing Serena, his face lit up and he bounded over, kissing her on the cheek. Her mouth turned up in an embarrassed half-smile that looked a bit too girlish on her.

“Wait . . .” I gestured between the two of them. “When did this happen?”

“For me? Twelve years ago. For her? About three weeks,” James laughed. The corners of his light brown eyes crinkled with pride.

“James visited me a lot when I was sick,” Serena explained, blushing as he took her hand.

“It only took almost dying for you to notice me,” he joked. “I’ve been trying to get her attention since we were in school. Didn’t think I’d have to follow her all the way to the castle to do it,” he shrugged, “but all’s well that ends well.”

She squeezed his hand and my gaze lingered on the tender touch.

“Oof,” James grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand as he squinted one eye. “Sore subject?”

I groaned again, my face in my hands.

“Does everybody know?”

“Pretty much,” Serena confirmed. “Did you think no one would notice you disappearing from dinner every other night?” She raised an eyebrow.

Great. Not only was I going to have to endure this, but I was going to do it while everybody I worked alongside watched me with pity.

“No one blames you,” James said. “I mean, the king is . . .” he waggled his eyebrows and tilted his head. “You know.”

Serena elbowed him lightly, glaring up at him through her scrunched eyebrows.

He kissed the top of her head cajolingly. “I’m just saying that if I wasn’t already so taken with Serena . . . I see the appeal.”

Despite my somber mood, I let out a giggle.

“There she is,” Serena smirked, raising her chin.

I did my best to mirror her posture, holding my head high, and we walked up to the throne room together.