The Forgotten Kingdom (Skyelorn Chronicles #2)

A New Quest

Princess Taileen leaned a bit closer to the mirror, willing her hand not to shake. She dabbed the powder lightly onto the soft spot just beneath the collarbone on her right side, covering her mark. This had been part of her daily routine for as long as she could remember, but today it felt different. Executions were already a grisly affair, but today was the day everybody had been waiting for. Marithyda Skyelorn was to be burned at the stake. Usually, Taileen had Benjamin there to comfort her when she made public appearances. He didn't know about her powers, but that didn't matter.

Nobody knows, Taileen thought bitterly, pressing the last bit of powder over her mark and blending it carefully into her pale neck. Except father.

She could still see the faint outline of the mark, but that's only because she knew exactly where to look. It was a small scar-like impression shaped like little ocean waves, made up of sharp points and curved lines. All Touched were born with certain physical distinctions, but Taileen hated hers. She hated being Touched at all. In fact, there had been a few occasions when, in the heat of the moment, she had nearly attempted to burn the mark off of her skin. Her father never would have stood for it, though, so instead she carefully covered it each time she left her quarters.

She shimmied back into the frilly sleeves of her gown, tucking away her brushes and face oils before pushing in her chair.

Her bed chamber was her sanctuary. Ever since she was a little girl and King Harlan made it exceptionally clear that she was never to reveal her powers to anyone, she'd learned to scrape by on her own within the castle. She barely even saw her own family when she was growing up, confined as she was to her room, but she wasn't very interested in getting to know them anyways. Her mother, Queen Rosemary, had grown extremely unstable before she was killed by one of the Touched servants. Markus was heading down the same dangerous path, fraternizing with witches and traitors to the crown.

Taileen stared at the military-like uniform laying on her bed, the one her father had called "too masculine for a young woman such as yourself." She tried to picture Benjamin wearing it, sneaking up to her room in the dead of night for a stolen moment of passion; his handsome, smiling face as he taught her how to properly wield a sword; the soft press of his lips to her neck, just above the spot where her mark lay hidden under dollops of powder ...

A tear fell upon her cheek, and in a fit of rage she flung the uniform against the wall. It fell to the floor with a quiet thump. Despite everything her father tried to require from her, she couldn't control her magic. It flowed through her like an undeniable current of energy, just beneath the surface. Everywhere she went, it was with her. It was as much a part of her as her love for Benjamin, or her hatred for Marithyda Skyelorn.

Skyelorn.

Taileen snapped her head up to look out of the curtained window, her hands balling into fists. The sun was setting. Soon it would be time for her to join King Harlan and the rest of the kingdom in witnessing the Shadow Witch's death. Fierce pleasure flooded her system, overtaking the thrill of her unused magic. A bit guiltily, Taileen picked up the Commanders' uniform and set it back on her bed, smoothing over the coarse fabric with her hands. Suddenly, out in the hallway, she heard the growing sound of slamming footfalls and shouted orders.

Alarmed, Taileen crossed over to the door and opened it. Standing right before her, poised to knock, was one of the castle guards. More guards and some soldiers sprinted through the hall as fast as they could, screaming at each other in unintelligible bursts of panic. It was pure chaos.

"What's happening?" Taileen asked, trying to sound authoritative instead of fearful.

"Commander Taileen, it's ..." The man said, gasping for breath. "Marithyda Skyelorn. She's escaped. Along with Sabin Carthage."