Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy (33 page)

"I think I can actually do these dances," she said to Helen.

"They aren't hard. No one really asks, though. They seem intimidated by the whole seated princess thing."

"Well, that just sucks."

"Hmm, I agree. Want something to drink?"

"Yes, please."

Helen went off toward a large table with many glasses littering it. Syney sighed and looked out over the crowd. She almost immediately found Hunter and Fern standing by the far wall, talking with several others. She knew it was him, even though he wore a mask. It always came down to his eyes. He looked good dressed in a suit that was very similar to Leaf's. The thing that really bit her ass was the fact that Fern looked gorgeous. She was in a much less showy
dress than most of the other women. It was a long, black, leather skirt with pleats from the knees down and a black leather halter top. It seemed unfair that she was so good-looking and good at her job and well liked and engaged to Hunter. Good attributes really should be doled out to everyone, not hoarded. She must have had a sour look on her face when Helen returned, because she asked who Syney wanted to knock out.

"What? No one," she said, taking a glass and downing half of it in one swig.

"OK, whatever you say. But I wouldn't want to be at the end of that look."

"I don't have a look. This is neutral face. That's it," Syney said, motioning around her face.

"You keep telling yourself that."

Syney shook her head and looked back toward the dance floor. She and Helen stayed on the sidelines for almost an hour with no other contact. Helen was right; everyone seemed to want nothing to do with them. Syney was close to telling Helen to go get her books so at least they could get a lesson out of this bored state when Leaf returned and swept Syney onto the dance floor.

She fell into step easily with him but was very thankful for her heels, or else reaching his broad shoulders would have been a problem. She smiled up at him. "You know, I wanted to really thank you for being my escort. And dancing with me. The sidelines are boring."

He laughed a genuine laugh, which was nice to hear. "You're welcome on all accounts. It's an honor for me actually."

"Right." She rolled her eyes.

"You really don't understand, do you? All of the...expectations come from your family."

"The Vilori line," she said, suddenly happy he had decided to ask her to dance.

He nodded.

"I'm guessing you don't remember them," Syney said.

"Not really. I was only a few years old when the last queen died. My mother, however talked about the great Vilori line a good deal."

"I actually met your mother. She's a nice woman."

Leaf smiled. "I heard you went to the festival. That wasn't something Hunter should have done."

"I needed a distraction. They were a good one." She returned his smile. "So what did she tell you about the Vilori line?"

"They were the most powerful Magic Users, out of all of the lines—which is why they were the ruling family. She used to talk about Queen Amelia, the last queen, as if she were an angel. She barely was in the palace, always out among
the people. She even traveled the lands and into the Human Realm." He looked around. "My mother said this place was very different then."

"Sounds like a good thing to me."

Leaf looked back at her.

Syney couldn't read his expression because of the mask, but she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. "What?"

"You're just like her. My mother even said so. You could make this place the way it used to be."

"And how do I do that?"

"By taking the throne."

"She won't give it up that easily."

"So take it. It's yours by law."

"I don't...want it."

"You will, and when that happens, you won't be able to take it. You have to do it now."

Syney sighed. "What do I have to do?"

"The first step is to become the seated queen. That means—"

"Yeah, I know. 'Seated queen' means you're next in line for the throne. Lessons with Helen actually help."

"Princess Helen chose not to be crowned in order to take the vows of the high priestess. Princess Adanna's coronation is set for early next year. The plans were never canceled, and they won't be unless you request it."

"How do I do that?" she asked with a little more force. This was unbelievable! Syney wasn't sure she even wanted to be queen, but how could they just take it away from her like that and give it to Adanna? She was like a Mellisandrianna clone!

"At the next council meeting. Make a motion to be crowned seated queen. I'll second it."

"And that's it?"

"It's rightfully yours. The queen can't stop it if you make the motion."

Syney took a keep breath. "I want to out of principle, but...I don't know if I can be queen, you know? I can't stand it when people call me 'Princess.' My best friends are my handmaiden and a Vampire. The only place I've ever felt completely comfortable here was at a Lycin house—and an outcast Lycin house at that. I'm not sure I'm the right person to lead this place."

"All that stuff. That's what makes you the best choice—except maybe the Vampire."

Syney laughed. "He's an acquired taste." She let her laughter drift off as the song ended. "I'll do it. But if I suck at it, I'm blaming you."

"Deal."

Syney stepped back and glanced at Helen, who looked even more bored than before. "You should dance with Helen," she told Leaf.

"Oh, um..."

Syney looked back at him. He seemed a little frazzled. In fact she never had seen him like this. It was interesting. "She's bored out of her mind. Besides, if we're planning a coup, she should be on our side."

"I'm sure you can handle that."

"I could. But I'm delegating." She started to walk away, still facing him. "That's what queens do, right?"

He grumbled something and headed past her, over to Helen. Syney watched as her face lit up when he asked her to dance. She wondered whether her face did that when Hunter was around. If so then they weren't fooling anyone. She made a mental note to keep an eye on those two, just as someone walked up next to her. Without turning she knew it was Hunter. She wasn't sure whether it was a smell or just his closeness, but she felt him there.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked softly.

Syney shook her head without looking at him "No."

He sighed and moved to stand in front of her. "Syney—"

"Fine." She turned and walked back to the dance floor. He followed, and when their hands touched, Syney tried to push back the calm feeling. She needed to be on edge with him now.

They danced in silence for a while, neither looking at the other.

Finally Hunter broke the silence. "I want to make this easier on you, but you need to tell me how."

Syney thought about this for a moment. There really wasn't any way this would be easier on her when he was always there and always with Fern. She told him as much and steeled herself for his reaction.

He was quiet for a long time—long enough for her resolve to end and for her to look up at him. He was staring off into the distance. He sighed and looked down at her. "Do you want me to...step down as your Protector?"

That would solve everything
, she thought. She wouldn't have to see him or Fern. She could try to move on and maybe find someone else who could make her happy. She was going to be queen after all. She was a catch. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "No," she whispered, fighting back tears. "I just... Just don't bring her around and stuff—out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of thing. And stop asking if I'm OK and looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like it hurts to look at me."

"It does."

"Well, suck it up."

"Anything else?"

The song ended, and Syney took a step back. "No touching," she said, and headed off to the sidelines. She grabbed two glasses of vinum and threw them back. After a few minutes, she was feeling a little better. She looked back toward the dance floor. Helen was still dancing with Leaf. They both looked happy, laughing over a shared joke. It was a nice sight to see. She looked away, suddenly getting a little sad. She caught sight of Fern, and her mood dropped even further as the older woman practically marched up to her.

"Princess," Fern said, giving Syney a bow. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Fern of House Snow. It's an honor to meet you."

Syney forced a smile. "And you. I've...heard some things about you."

Fern's face remained completely neutral. "All good, I hope."

"Uh-huh. So you're on the Royal Guard, right?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Please. It's just 'Syney.' "

Fern didn't even nod in acknowledgment. She just stared.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you," Syney said.

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Syney nodded and caught sight of Noelle not far away. She gave her a "save me" look then smiled back to Fern. "It's a really nice...ball, isn't it?"

"Yes." Still neutral.

Syney started to wonder whether Fern was a pod person as Noelle walked up.

"Excuse me, Syney. Several royals are requesting your presence," Noelle said, throwing a smile over to Fern.

"Oh, OK. If you'll excuse me..." Syney quickly moved away with Noelle. "Damn, she is scary."

"Shhh, Lycin hearing is much better than ours. Didn't you know that?"

Syney gave her an exasperated look. "There are obviously a lot of things I don't know. I think I might have you supplement Helen's lessons with some street-smart lessons."

"Um, sure...if I knew what you were talking about."

Syney spent the rest of the night hiding in a corner with Noelle, talking about anything and everything. Syney gave her the synopses of some of her favorite movies, while Noelle pointed out all of the people in the room. The girl had a memory like Syney never had seen before. Once everyone started filing out, Leaf approached them with a bow.

"Would you like to go?" he asked.

"God, yes. I'm exhausted."

"I'll see you in the morning," Noelle said, and waved as she moved off.

"I really like her," Syney said.

"She's very nice." Leaf extended his arm, and she slid her hand onto it. Once in the hall, they practically walked into Hunter and Fern. The wolves gave each other terse greetings, while Syney just smiled.

"Would you like some company escorting the princess?" Fern asked.

"I'm sure Leaf can handle it," Hunter said, quickly shooting Syney a look.

"I'm not doubting the commander's ability, but for a high-profile royal, it is always good to move in numbers," Fern said in her even tone.

Hunter opened his mouth, probably to protest again, but Syney spoke up. "That would be nice. Thank you."

The four began the walk to Syney's room in silence. She appreciated Hunter's attempt to honor what she had said earlier but felt that the more he fought Fern, the odder it would look. Why would a Protector insist they
not
escort his charge at night after a large party? She was thankful, however, when they reached her room. She turned to them all and gave a twenty-watt smile. "Thank you so much for the...walk. Good night." She opened the door and slipped in, shutting it quickly behind her, which made the room to go dark; the only light came from the moon outside.

That was the worst five minutes of her life. She sighed and only then realized there was no way she was going to get out of her dress by herself. She kinda remembered how to get to Noelle's room. She was about to go back out when she started to feel scared. It was the same feeling she had gotten at the convenience store before the Shifter attack. She looked around the room, knowing she wasn't alone, but she couldn't see anyone. She knew she should just get out of the room, run as fast as she could, but something stopped her. She was about to call out when something smacked her upside the head. She fell to the floor as the room started to spin. She got onto her hands and knees and immediately received a kick to her stomach, which not only knocked her down but also knocked the wind out of her. She gasped for breath as someone stood over her. She couldn't make out much, just an outline of a body. She assumed it was a male, but her vision was getting fuzzy. Her attacker climbed on top of her and landed some good punches to her face. Her mind started to shut down. It was almost surreal. She was in her room being attacked, and she couldn't focus long enough to do anything. All of her thoughts turned to Hunter. He should be here. Two more punches. He needed to save her. She tried to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth but blood. She looked up at her attacker as he/she pulled out something long and shiny.
Oh, god, I'm going to die
, Syney thought. She flailed her arms, trying to find something, anything. She needed to make noise, or else there was no way she was going to make it to become queen. She wasn't going to make it out of this room or this night.

Fern

Fern stared at the closed door for a moment. Syney wasn't what she had expected. She was young and acted it. She was too personal with everyone, even with those she had just met. She didn't know the Village or its people. And she thought Fern was "scary." Fern especially didn't like the last part, considering both of the men she was now with seemed to spend more attention than was warranted on her. But she would have to accept her and move on. Syney was going to be the savior of the Village and the Lycin people. There was nothing Fern could do but offer to help and be happy with whatever progress she made.