Royal Games

Chapter 18

"Where have you been?" Megan asks suspiciously as I'm about to go back into my room in Ash House. I turn. She stands leaning against her open doorway. I curse myself for not noticing her before. Fat chance I have of survival if my observation skills are slipping so quickly.

"Just out for a stroll."

"Sneaking out when you think the rest of are asleep. Coming back in after 1am. I don't believe it was just a stroll."

"Is there a problem with me enjoying night-time?" I grumble. I'm not in the mood for another interrogation. All I want is to curl up in bed and be whisked away to a world of sweet dreams.

"No. But lots of sketchy things go on in the dark. I don't want you getting the rest of us in trouble." Why is Megan talking about the rest of us as if there's a divide between me and them?

"I have never done anything sketchy, nor do I plan to." I insist. "Please can I go to bed now?"

She stares at me. I feel the intensity of her attention as she seems to weigh up how much she believes and trusts me. For a few uncomfortable seconds, she doesn't say a word. Then, "Good night." And she walks into her room, leaving me out in the corridor with only my thoughts for company.

What just happened? I wonder as I collapse into bed, drifting away to a land of make-believe.

My childhood home appears before my eyes. I'm back in my birthday gown, entering the ballroom. I take in the familiar glass dome above and pearly marble floors below. Stars twinkle like diamonds in the indigo sky outside. Applause fills the room as everyone watches the arrival of the newly-eighteen princess. I smile at the cheering crowds bathed in rich colours and elaborate designs.

I get swallowed up by the mass of decadent bodies. Dancing. Laughing. Getting lost in the fun of it. No games. No performance. Just enjoying the moment.

Then I catch a glimpse of a black that seems to drown out the light. It's only a miniscule flash of colour, but it sends a shiver through me. It's filled with promises of danger and death.

No one else notices except me. The party continues, but I no longer feel like celebrating.

I push my way through the throngs, trying to find the source of blackness. Maybe it's suicide. I don't care. All I know is I can't let it hurt any of the guests.

"Alyssa!" I hear a cry. I whirl round.

The ballroom and its elegant guests disappear before me, replaced by the thick white fog rolling towards me. I can no longer feel the floor beneath my feet. I fall.

Panic grips me as white nothingness surrounds me. I no longer know which way is up or down. I simply float in a sea of clouds.

Then my feet hit solid ground again.

The fog parts as a mirror glides forwards, coming to a stop right in front of me. My reflection shifts. My mucky dress is no more than shreds, barely concealing my body. Ugly red scars rip jagged lines across my skin. Some still drip blood. A scar across my throat leaks inky madness. The same deadly black I followed through the crowd.

Abruptly, I realise I can't breathe. All the air drains out of me. My hands go to my throat.

I hear cackling that sounds a lot like my mum.

Cackles morph into an annoying ringing. An alarm.

I wake gasping for breath.

The next day, I meet Liam in the late afternoon. As I near the cottage, he steps out from behind a tree. My body tenses for a moment before I realise it's him.

"Good to see you again." I say, relaxing.

"Same to you. Although I do wish it were under better circumstances." He replies.

"Careful what you wish for." I warn.

"I know, I know. A wish come true often provides unforeseen consequences. That's why I added the word 'do'. Now, I don't know how much longer I have before I have to return to the palace... Tell me everything." The way Liam speaks is far from how guards are expected to talk to a princess like me. Just how I prefer it.

I put up a magical wall around us to shield my words from prying ears. The world ripples as the magic rises from the ground to create a dome. Then the world appears normal once more, with only the tingle of magic confirming the spell's success.

I tell Liam everything. How my mum led me from the banquet to retrieve a gift, only for her to betray me. How I evaded my assailants. How I made it to London before travelling here. The people I've met here and the magical goings-on.

He seems surprised by most of my story. Horrified at some parts. Never judgemental of me, even when I tell him of my use of illegal magic.

He wants to meet Isaac and Madison. I tell him now's not the time. Not while I'm still struggling to keep up a believable cover story. I don't mention how close to the truth Isaac is, simply because I couldn't come up with better lies.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about dark water?" I ask hopefully.

Liam shakes his head. "I'm afraid you've taught me something today. Can I see the cut?" I take off my jacket and release the glamour on my arm. "Well, it's small, at least." He gives me a smile that's meant to be reassuring. I feel nothing when I see it.

"The blade merely grazed me. The only real problem is that I can't heal it. I don't even know if another injury would heal."

"Do you want me to test it?" Liam gives me a serious look.

I hesitate. "Go for it."

I hold out a hand for him. He presses the tip of a dagger to my thumb. Blood slowly trickles to the ground, one drop at a time. After a minute, the bleeding stops.

Liam continues to examine my poisoned wound, as I watch my thumb. He gently strokes a finger along it, just like Isaac did. Only this time there is no smoke. Liam looks deep in thought.

It takes a few more minutes, but I notice a new layer of skin over the prick Liam made on my thumb. If I run all the way back to university, it would be fully healed by the time I get there. The dark water must be contained within the scar on my arm. Not my blood, like I have been thinking.

"Meet me back here, same time, every week." I say to Liam. "Learn what you can at the palace, I'll learn what I can here, and we report back to each other."

"Sounds like a plan." Liam agrees. "I'll see you soon. Stay safe, Alyssa."

"You too."

As we embrace each other, I lower the sound barrier around us.

A faint flicker of hope follows me back to campus. I have someone who knows the truth. Someone working on my behalf. I wonder if that now makes Liam my spy, in addition to my guard.