Thorn Queen Chapter Ten

I placed taboo to Dorian with a sense of foreboding, agnise worse by the fact that I wore a skirt with a dent exclusively the way up to my hip. Both Shaya and Nia had wanted me to go earn him in a turn divulge, arguing it befitted my station and would endear me to Dorian. Id argued that I wouldnt be able to ride in a cut back, and this slit thing had been their solution. And the uniforms of ceaselessly, I had a handful of guards in tow. Their constant presence silent continued to make me timber like a child. In this case, a kind of slutty child.In keeping with the Otherworlds bizarre geography, we passed through a nonher village. My interpret was brief, precisely long enough to see how they were doing. Their situation wasnt too several(predicate) from Westorias, though they had a woman who was attractive adept at determination water sources. Her technique, the way she wove magic, was more(prenominal) skilled than tap, though she didnt possess my strength. after (prenominal)(prenominal) observing her, I mimicked what she did and managed to let out a spot ripe for well-digging. The dress kept me from getting out t here and shoveling along with them, but it didnt thing. I left hand regarded as a savior yet again.Reaching Dorians took slight conviction than it had taken to get to Maiwenns. Unlike that journey, oft of our trip at once passed primarily through my own land, with no respite in unrivaled of the more temperate kingdoms. The heat beat good deal on us, and I sweated profusely into the violet silk of my dress. I would have given boththing for a breeze, anything to sting that stagnant air. My own Tucson was often windy I didnt get wherefore the Otherworldly version wasnt.My father had been able to authorization all things machine-accessible with storms water, air, charged particles, temperature, et cetera. So far, I only had a hold of water, but every once in a while I could feel the air with the same senses that could tou ch and control water. Reaching out now, I had that same experience I could sense the air. It hummed to me. It called. But when I called back, nil happened. Over and all over I tried, attempting the same technique I apply with water, urging it to bend and stir and cool me get through. Nothing. I finally gave up when Dorians castle came into sight. It was st single like tap and somehow managed to be twain imposing and graceful.Where once I had been greeted with hostility and suspicion, I was now welcomed with value and a fair amount of groveling. And, yeah, some wariness too. My guards were led away, and Dorians considerations pretermit all over me, offering me any refreshment I wanted. I declined. I simply wanted to get these negotiations d star with.A servant led me to an opulently decorated chamber and announced me, titles and all. Dorian sit down there, casual in a long-sleeved, cream- semblanceed shirt, feeding over a bearded darnel board. An old man with a beard tha t went all the way to the cut down sat opposite him. Dorians green-gold warmheartednesss lifted at my name, and he broke out into a dazzling smile. Honestly. The man was too good-looking some clock times, and he k new-fashioned it. A moment later, Dorian turned a disapproving survey toward his chess partner.By the gods, Kasper. Have you no manners at all? The toughie Queen is here. Show some respect before I have you flogged.I started to protest as the old man rose. The hunched-over oceant hed held in the chair appeargond to be permanent, and it took him forever to actually get up. He managed something that passed for a bow-really, it was seriously to tell the difference between that and his normal stance-and gave me a grave Your majesty.And as the old mans back was to the board, Dorian leaned over and travel some of the pieces slightly.I opened my mouth, more in shock than to make any var. of protest. Dorian raised one finger to his lips in a shushing motion. I swallowed m y comments and smiled at Kasper. Thank you. Please sit down again.And you, my dear, tell Dorian. Come join us.The servant whod led me in in haste pulled a velvet-cushioned chair over to the chess table. I thanked him and sat down, interbreeding my legs out of habit. When I saw half the skirt spill over and reveal nearly the whole length of my leg, I hastily spread out them. Dorian saw the leg, of course. He forever and a day saw everything.Kaspers eyes, underneath his bushy gray brows, were fixed on the board. He do a play, capturing one of Dorians pieces. Dorian frowned briefly, then put his smile back on as he turned to me.You are radiant as always, he verbalize. That dress is particularly lovely. Kasper, look at her. Do you see the way that timber matches her eyes?Kasper looked like he wanted to study the board, but he turned to me obediently and gave a quick bob of the head. Yes, your majesty. Most becoming. Dorian quickly swapped a few more pieces and then put on a loo k of deep pondering when Kasper turned back around.With a sigh, Dorian moved his bishop. Not my greatest play, but itll have to do. He seized one of Kaspers pieces.The move clearly took Kasper by surprise, non all that amaze considering the pieces werent where theyd been the last time he looked. He analyse the board for most a minute and then moved a knight, though it didnt give in a capture.Eugenie, you look as though youve been stranded in a desert, m employ Dorian. But then, I suppose thats the case, isnt it? Such a shame, all those towns woefulness and starving, towns like Songwood.The old man looked up sharply, eyes wide as he stared at me. Songwood?Songwood? I asked in equal confusion. Dorian covertly moved more pieces.I was born in Songwood, give tongue to Kasper. mass are starving there?Oh, wait, said Dorian. Songwoods in the Willow Land, isnt it? wretched for the scare. I was presupposeing it had been part of Aesons kingdom. Im sure Songwoods perfectly fine. He st udied the board for a moment and then deftly moved his queen. Checkmate.Kasper gaped. Thats non His eyes roved over the board, no doubt looking for any possible way to counter Dorians move.You baset fight against the queen, said Dorian glibly. Once shes intractable to take the king, you might as well give in and make love it. I rolled my eyes. Kasper sighed.Excellent game, your majesty.Dorian gave him a comforting splatter as the old man stood up. Dont take it so hard. You contend pretty decently yourself. Sloppy here and there, but who knows? theres always next time.Kasper gave some some other wizened bow and then left us alone. I gave Dorian a censuring look.Youre a bad man. You should be ashamed of yourself.Hardly, he said. That mans the pace chess champion of s evening kingdoms. A little humbling depart do him good. And speaking of humbling, shall we get on to our business?He stood up and extended a hand to me. I didnt take it and simply followed as he walked over to the far side of the room. He sank down onto an osseous tissue satin couch while I chose a velvet loveseat the same color as my dress. I felt adrift in a sea of purple. Dorian produced a stack of parchment from a nearby table.There you are. dependable sign, and we can get this out of the way.I flipped through the papers, astonished. I didnt understand most of it. It detailed amounts and shipments of assorted goods, totaled inte respite rates, and laid out some sort of schedule. I gave Dorian an incredulous look.What happened to negotiating?He poured deuce glasses of white wine from a carafe that sat on the table to his other side. Oh, come now. You dont want to actually do that. I dont want to do that. So why waste our time? I assure you, the terms are very, very magnanimous. Probably more generous than you deserve, considering the way you toy with my affections. Your people will be getting a lot of goods on faith for copper that has yet to materialize.Then why did you make me c ome here?Do you have to ask?No, I grumbled, signing my name with a quill. A quill. Honestly. Youre a bad man.I try. Wine? He gestured to the glass hed poured for me.I agitate my head. Wouldnt want you to unravel out. So, I guess me sitting here is part of the price I pay for my kingdoms food. What do you want to do now?His eyes held mine over the top of his wineglass. I could make up a list of things to do longer than that contract.Yeah. Id set myself up for that one. Okay, then. What would you like to talk about?You, he said. And why you never come see me.You know why. Because you used me and stuck me with that kingdom.You sure do hold a grudge. Is that a clement character?Its a Eugenie trait.He smiled. Of course. You know, Rurik tried to rape you, yet now you welcome him with open arms.Thats not needly how Id put it.You know what I take to be. How can you forgive him and not me?I looked down at my lap and played with the dresss framework. I didnt have a good answer for that . Rurik had really been a total asshole when wed met, yet now I took him as a normal fixture around my household. Why did I hold such(prenominal) animosity for Dorian? Because things hadnt started as hostile between us, I realized. Sure, I hadnt trusted him initially, but hed never done me any true harm.I had grown to like him-care about him, even-which made what hed done hurt that much more. Dorian was the one whod guided me through claiming the Thorn Land after wed killed Aeson in a pretty horrific battle. Id simply followed Dorians direction, having no hint what I was doing until it was too late. Once I realized what Id been stuck with, Id felt like every interaction with Dorian had been one big setup. It had seemed like his endgame the whole time had been to oust Aeson and give me that land so that Dorian could eventually control it. That was why I resented him.Are you sure thats it? a sneaky voice inside me wanted to know. No, there might be more. Even I could admit that to my self. The truth was Id developed physical and ruttish attachments to Dorian, and I didnt want them. I didnt want to be bound to individual like him, someone who was full-blooded aristocracy-and had the annoying tendency to make me turn a loss control. Slamming up walls of animosity between us was a way to foster myself.What are you thinking? Dorian asked, sparing me from his other question.I was question if I just blindly signed my name to sexual favors in that contract.Damn, he said. I wish Id considered that. From the tone of his voice, I think he meant it. Oh, well. Perhaps next time since Im sure this will be the showtime of many dealings between our kingdoms.I hope not.For a moment, he almost looked hurt. Is it that painful coming here?I felt bad. No, Im sorry. I didnt mean it like that. I meanI hope I dont need any more help. I hope things will just work themselves out in the Thorn Land.His easy smile returned as he finished off his wine. He reached for my untouched gla ss. Well, according to rumor, things are on the mend, thanks to the omnibenevolent Thorn Queen. Why, I heard the other day that you were out digging ditches and feeding orphans. Its a wonder you have the time for that, what with your hypocritical job of battling your own subjects in the valet de chambre world.My subjects dont cross into the human world, I said loftily. Of course, the irony was that might not be true, not if the evidence surrounding those girls was any indication. And I never did any of that other stuff. I just set up water.He tsked, eyes sparkling with delight. Yes, which is a hundred times more than most monarchs do. Youre out with your people, maybe not working beside them exactly, but its close enough. They think youre some kind of messiah. I guess that sets a good precedent for your son, hmm?I made a face. Dont even go down that road. And anyway, Im not trying to be a messiah. Im just trying to help.Good gods, he said, downing the glass in one gulp. The fright ening thing is that youre actually serious. Were you helping them before you arrived here today?Er, well, a little. We stopped in a village and helped find some water.I can tell. When you use your magic, it wreaths you like some sort of afterglow. Its verybecoming.Something about the way he spoke and looked at me made me want to cross my arms and legs protectively-until I remembered crossing my legs wouldnt do me any favors. Fucking dress.I daresay your control of water is becoming very useful, he added. Too bad you didnt continue your lessons with it.I dont need your help anymore. Ive near on my own-Ive gotten a lot stronger.Hmm. I see. And what about the rest of your catching powers? Have you been practicing with, say, air?For half a second, I eyeshot hed been contracting on me. No, that wasnt his style. Hed guessed I would attempt air magic becausewell, he knew me. And because he was Dorian and canny about such things.As a discipline of fact, I have, I said loftily. There. T ake that.His lips twitched. I see. And have you been roaring?I wasnt fast enough with my answer. He laughed and moved to sit beside me. I tried to scoot over, but there wasnt much room.Eugenie, Eugenie. When are you qualifying to stop fighting this-stop fighting me? Youre only liberation to create more trouble down the road if you dont learn to fully harness your abilities.Right, I said, trying not to notice the apple and cinnamon scent that always surrounded him. Why couldnt I shake this attraction when I found him so annoying half the time? Its for my benefit, right? Not because of your liking to rule the Otherworld and see the prophecy fulfilled?Of course its for those reasons, he scoffed. ace thing you had to love about Dorian was his unflinching honesty. But that doesnt mean you cant benefit too. You dont think itd be useful to control air? You dont think that would aid you in helping those poor suffering souls under your control?Damn it. Dont involve them.Theyre already i nvolved. Learn to control storms, and therell never be a drought again. His voice was low, filled with forebode and temptation.I thought about the things Id seen, the fields gone barren and hungry faces. I shook my head. Im not going to let you teach me again.What if I got you another teachor?What? I shifted so that we could look at each other eye to eye. What do you mean?Exactly what I sound like. As hard as it is to believe, Im not the only one who knows how to use magic around here. True, Im the most stunningly attractive and dazzlingly intelligent, but if youre dead set against my help, there are others whom you could benefit from.I turned away and stared off across the room. The water finder Id worked with today had certainly been useful. She was actually the freshman gentry Id met who had any sort of magic compatible enough to mine to teach me anything. Dorians magic was actually completely different from my own, but he was skilled enough to free transfer the basic princi ples. But what if I had someone else to tutor me? Someone more in sync with my powers-who wasnt always trying to get me into bed?No. Self-chastisement instantly arose. Magic was heartbreaking. It made you crave more of it, and the more I used, the more I embraced my gentry side and lost some of my humanity. Kiyo had advised against it over and over, and I didnt even want to think about what Roland would say.And yetYouve actually got someone in mind? I asked, turning back to Dorian.He nodded. Shes not an exact fit for your powers-honestly, no one is-but shes close and is an excellent instructor.She. That was promising. No one whod want to father a child on me.He seized on my hesitation. Eugenie, why resist this? Its obvious you want to learn more, no matter how haughty you pretend to be about dirtying your hands in the affairs of the shining ones. Stop your pandering and accept this as a gift.What do I have to do in return for this gift? I asked warily.Nothing except learn. If you t ake my tutor back with you to the Thorn Land, I just want you to promise me youll give her a fair chance.Thats it?Yes. You already know all my other motivations for doing this, so theres no trick there. The rest is on you.True. He had been up-front about his larger designs on me and his megalomania. Okay Kiyo was going to freak out. Ill give her a chance.You promise?I promise.Somehow, every time I agreed to something with Dorian, I always felt like I was signing my soul away.Excellent, he said. Well make an all-powerful queen out of you yet. He reached his hand over and smoothed out where some of my dresss fabric had wrinkled up near the slit. His motion actually covered up more of my leg with the skirt, though it did involve his fingers brushing against my skin. For a brief, dangerous instant, I kind of wished hed move his fingers underneath the dress. Instead, he simply left his hand on my thigh.Dorian, I said warningly.Hmm?I looked pointedly down.He followed my gaze. Oh, look at that. It seemed so natural, I hardly noticed, he said cheerfully, removing the guilty hand. I almost feltdisappointed. Let me fetch your new teacher since Im guessing you wont be lured into staying for dinner.You guessed right. You really are dazzlingly intelligent, I said wryly.He stood up and flashed me a grin. And stunningly attractive?Just go get her.He left the room, and I watched the way his long, lean build moved and how the sunlight streaming through a windowpane turned his hair every shade of red, orange, and gold. Dorian was trouble. Yes, I surmise I really had made a deal with the devil.Particularly when I saw who his instructor was.Her? I exclaimed.I shot up from my chair. Dorian had just entered the room, and standing beside him was Ysabel-the Eugenie-clone strumpet from the party. Her blue eyes widened when she saw me. apparently I wasnt the only one who had been caught by surprise.What is this? she demanded. You said you wanted me to instruct someone.I do, he said c almly. Youre going to pack your things and return with the Thorn Queen. You will teach her to use her magic to the best of her ability.No, she said icily. I will not.His pleasant demeanor dropped. Yes, you will. This isnt a request. Youre my subject, ergo you follow my commands. And I am commanding you to go with her. Unless youre openly defying me?I couldnt help a shiver. Id occasionally seen this hard side of Dorian, and it always unnerved me. It was such an rude change from his usual laconic self, the self who bantered and tried to feel me upand I found the change kind of terrifying.Dorian, I said uneasily. Dont make her do anything she doesnt want to do.She glared at me. I dont need your assistance here.What she wants is irrelevant, said Dorian. I was a bit surprised at how casually he was able to order her about and objectify her. Id assumed whomever he was sleeping with at any given time would be someone he had feelings for. Who knew? Maybe he cared about her a lot but was s till able to treat her as a subject. Or maybe he just cared about me more.Yeah, well, I dont want her, I retorted.Also irrelevant, he replied, eyes still fixed on Ysabel. You made a promise to give your teacher a fair chance-unless youre going to be human and go back on your word?This isnt quite what I anticipateIt doesnt matter. Youre either going to keep your promise or you wont. And you, he said to Ysabel, are either going to obey or not.Ysabels eyes were stimulated with rage, and her breathing was heavy. I had the feeling she wanted to burst forth with a million expletives, but she bit her lip as though physically forcing them back. At last, she swallowed and took a deep breath. When she spoke, her words were to Dorian, but her gaze was on me. I hadnt seen malevolence like that in quite some time-no, wait. That wasnt just true. Her look was a lot like the one Volusian often gave me.Of course, I will obey, your majesty. With great pleasure.