Blakeshire (Insight #9)(55)
I acted like I couldn’t see it as I moved forward.
“Where are you going?” Drake asked as I broke free from his grasp on my arm.
“I’m going to find a robe. Then I’m going to find my brother. I’m tired of trying to play this part. I hate it here, and I will not let you shape me into some symbol that your people need to find hope—for there is no hope. This is hell. A hell I am getting out of.”
I felt his confusion. I had called my cousin my brother, as the court believed he was, yet Drake’s stare mocked rage. “You are not roaming around my palace of your own free will. And your brother is not letting you go home. This is home. You will stay here until the right girl is found and you will give my people whatever I tell you to.”
I rolled my eyes at him and turned to briskly walked to the study.
Every room in this place had a ceiling that was hundreds of feet in the air. Deep red carpets paved the way; gold gilded archways and priceless paintings. Even the smallest thing in this palace surely cost more than the house I grew up in, and what was so sickening about it was the fact that everyone outside of these walls was only given enough to survive on, enough so that they had the strength to work.
The study was empty, which was a good thing because the last thing I wanted to know was that Perodine, the woman who protected Willow and guided both Landen and Drake, was evil, too.
I opened the closet door and pulled out one of her long robes. It fit like a dress; tight at the top, then flowing outward as it hit the floor. To make it fit right, I had to take off Olivia’s jacket. I hung it up in the closet, knowing she was here just as much as anyone and that she would surely find it.
Once I was covered, Drake nodded in the direction I was to walk in. I stayed one step in front of him, which was the custom here. At the end of the hall, there was a group of eight men. A sigh of relief came to me when I saw Chrispin standing there. These must be the guards from Chara that were in place not only to protect me, but also Drake, in this palace that held more traitors than loyal servants. That was part of the ploy we had used to get me here in the first place: we arrived by ship with three hundred souls from Chara. I was starting to think that number was far too small, especially considering that the one man Drake should be able to trust not only looked like evil to me, but smelled like it.
Chrispin and Zander came to my side as others framed themselves around Drake and me. I was relieved to see that Zander was not evil, at all. In fact, I felt a wave of peace flow over me when he came near. Drake gave him a simple nod. Brotherhood.
I walked closer to Chrispin on purpose. My expression was stern, and I affected that I was unimpressed with my surroundings.
We moved through the vast hallways that had more than their fair share of visitors. As we passed, each of them stopped his stroll and bowed to Drake, who was one step behind me. The jealousy that I was known to swim in absorbed me as more than one of the female members of the court bowed extra low to reveal their carefully placed cleavage.
They were all wearing black veils to show that they were mourning the deceased king, but their eyes held nothing less than seduction. I might have gotten over that if I didn’t manage to see Drake smile darkly at them as we passed. The girls’ grins would expand as they winked at him, clearly offering an invitation to a private meeting.
It took all I had not to knock them down with a single thought.
“Ready for your part?” Zander said under his breath.
Right about then, we approached a girl who was standing before a host of others. Her face was not ink, at least not constantly. A beautiful image was flashing every other second, and when the image flashed I could see into her life. I could see every private moment she thought she lived with Drake. Some supernatural being was trying to tick me off. Too bad Zander didn’t give me lines to say because I was surely going to muck this up bad.
I halted just as I saw her move to speak to Drake behind me. I moved my body in front of hers as I stared forward, unable to handle how her image would be there one second and ink and sulfur would be there the next. I felt every one of the souls in the hall tense, with the exception of Zander.
“How dare you approach a king as he strolls through his palace? Your services are no longer needed. The future King of Esterious wants a real woman in his bed.” I glanced over the ink image her face now was and coldly said, “You’re dismissed.”
And walked on.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me, but I didn’t care. Once out of earshot of the others, I heard Zander say, “Bravo, Sovereign.”
“If any of those images were true, I am coming for you.” I could tell he wanted to smile, but he didn’t.
My glare became fierce, but I refused to look down in front of these girls, to give Drake a sign that this ridiculous walk was testing my nerves.
What was killing me was the confusion I still felt in Drake’s emotions. I knew he was trying to pick apart what I said to that girl before in the hall, if there were any truth at all to my words. I’m sure my angry stance right now wasn’t helping him figure anything out faster.
Before long, the walls receded and the hallway grew wider. You could see the floors below. I smelled that stench of sulfur and glanced down.
Below, there were at least fifty men in robes like what Alamos was wearing. They were all holding candles and walking in a straight line from one side to the other. I couldn’t see their faces to know which one reeked.