Against the Crown

Chapter Ten

With Forlorn on duty, Malachi was able to sleep in his hidden room, which was connected to the prince's. All royal guards slept in rooms connected to their charges' rooms, with the only door being the one leading out of the royals' room. Malachi never used that door unless he was stepping out with the prince; most of the time, he was already out front before he emerged.

At least, that was the case with the king. He still didn't know how the king and queen hid their battle until it ended in his death.

Malachi lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about this, but his mind drifted to Dhara. Fated. They were Fated. He didn't know why, but that excited him, despite Dhara's declaration that she wasn't going to go along with it. It wasn't uncommon for Fated persons to be in love with other people, or to never marry, but he was determined to have his Fated with him, forever.

He grinned and fell asleep, looking forward to the challenge of winning her all over again.

Malachi woke up before the servants came in to bathe and dress the prince. He went in to check on the prince and the room, covertly inspected all the servants as they walked in, then left, making sure no one saw him disappear into the wall. In his room, he sensed Forlorn's presence in the prince's room. The wraith made him uneasy, but once those creatures start calling themselves servants of Light, it means they are on the good side until they fade.

He went through his room and to another secret entrance, which led to several hidden spaces throughout the house. A study of the building plans Samson had shown him showed him exactly what routes to take to come out of the wall opposite the door to the prince's room.

Malachi was a warrior mage, making his power one of supreme battle prowess and tactical command, but, with all mage powers and abilities, his were not without their limits. He was able to sense when danger was near, but he never sensed that the king and queen had as much trouble getting along as he already suspected.

Neither did he know that the queen had killed him.

He also hadn't sensed the beings surrounding Dhara's home before Owl brought her report, and it rankled.

It didn't mean that something was wrong, per se. It meant that his power was waning. Waning because...

Malachi stopped, then groaned.

His powers were waning because he was going to meet his Fated, and now that he had, he was supposed to consummate with her forthwith. Malachi dragged a hand across his face.

Marrying one's Fated gave an incredible boost to one's powers and abilities; staying away from them made one's powers to dwindle to a certain level, not enough to leave you powerless, but enough for you to know that you had lost something.

Malachi knew his warrior senses and reflexes may be dampened over time, but his fighting skill was something he had physically trained and honed, so that wasn't going anywhere. He tried to imagine what boost he would get if he married Dhara. If...

Malachi sighed and broke into a jog. He would deal with things one at a time.

Everyone had slept early because of the hectic day, and at 7 in the morning Brynn stormed Dhara's room with a glowing orb, ranting about overprotective parents and privacy. The conversation with her parents went just as she thought it would: they forgot about the impending doom the queen had planned and focused on the fact that Malachi was back in her life. Sort of.

She didn't tell them she and Malachi were Fated, or they would have started planning a wedding. She ended the call, stretched, and went into the bathroom to get her morning ablutions over and done with.

She couldn't wait to see what the day brought next.

Brynn came to her room, dressed in pants and a sleeveless top, claiming she could feel the future heat getting ready, and they left the room, meeting a maid in the hallway.

"Good morning, my ladies. This way please," and she flitted away. She had a greenish hue to her, with what looked like leaves braided into her wild, bark-colored hair. A dryad.

They reached the landing above the stairway and went down, finally getting to see what downstairs looked like. The mansion was massive and had a lot of household staff. The dryad took them through the foyer, past towering double doors, and into the dining room, where the prince was already seated, Malachi smoldering behind him.

Dhara met his eyes across the room, and her heart jumped a little. Pissed, she glared at him and pulled out a chair far away from him and the prince, forcing Brynn to take a seat beside her.

"Just say what it is you would like to eat, my ladies," the dryad lilted. Her voice was pleasant, soothing.

"Green tea with lemon, unsweetened. Two pieces of avocado toast. A fruit salad, without the pawpaw, please," Dhara ordered. Her meal appeared before her in beautiful black plates and mugs. Brynn huffed and asked for a glass of red wine, changing it to mango juice when Dhara shot her a look.

They ate in silence, ignoring the people at the head of the table. They became so engrossed in their breakfast that the prince walked the length of the table and stopped beside Dhara and they didn't notice until Malachi cleared his throat.

"Gah!" the ladies screamed. Prince Lucius laughed with glee, Malachi deigning to crack a smile.

"When you're done, we're having a ..." the prince looked at Malachi.

"Strategy session," he supplied.

"Strategy session," the prince nodded, "in the library. Please join us as soon as you are done."

Brynn and Dhara watched them leave the dining room, sensing the cold presence of Forlorn the wraith leaving with them.

"The boy sees him as a father figure, not a bodyguard," Brynn noted. Dhara snorted, finishing her bowl of fruit. Brynn raised an eyebrow at her. "That does something for you, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does. I always knew Malachi would be a great father. I just never knew it wouldn't be to my children," Dhara snapped.

"You are so petty. And such a shrew," Brynn hissed, getting up. Dhara threw her napkin at her and got up as well.

"Ah, but that's what keeps me warm on cold days," Dhara retorted.