The Gentleman

  “Which is why it’s a huge compliment that Dureau came here on our invitation,” the queen added with a broad smile. “In the past, his faction has chosen to remain separate from our kingdom.”

  “Unless it is not a compliment at all!” I retorted. “What if Luce sent him here as a decoy?” I posited while they both shook their heads in denial. “Regardless of your gullibility, I prefer not to allow him to accompany the Lady Bryn, and most especially, I should forbid them from being alone.”

  “Sinjin?” the queen replied with a warning tone, but I simply shook my head.

  “Let us suppose for a moment if he should attempt to disable the wards protecting Kinloch Kirk from the inside,” I theorized. “Or perhaps his true mission is to brainwash your sister, which he could be accomplishing at this very moment. Have you not considered that?”

  “Sinjin!”

  “We must assume everyone is an enemy of the state until and unless they prove themselves otherwise!” I explained. I must admit I was slightly amazed that no one else seemed to be following my lead. We were on the precipice of war, and any stranger had to be presumed a threat, at least, as far as I was concerned. “My queen, may I request your permission to go after your sister!?”

  “Sinjin!” Both Randall and the queen silenced my inquiry.

  “My sister is safe,” the queen eventually replied.

  “Dureau is a friend, not an enemy, Sinjin,” Mathilda added.

  I nodded quickly. “Very well, my queen. I beg to apologize.”

  Without waiting for her response, I bowed quickly before taking my leave of all of them. I was fuming. My sudden failure to control my anger both surprised and unnerved me.

  I could not understand how they so readily accepted Chevalier’s appearance without any question. How did it not occur to them that he could simply have been a trap devised by Luce? For all anybody knew, Luce could have orchestrated a nefarious conspiracy with some of our own citizens. What better way to infiltrate the enemy than from the inside?

  I found myself following the Lady Bryn’s scent. Even though I knew I should not, I continued to follow her. She was walking beside Chevalier and they disappeared down the corridor, heading toward the rose garden. Neither was talking, and the awkward silence did nothing to allay my tension.

  The French imposter stopped walking when they reached the center of the courtyard. He casually took a seat upon one of the cement benches that was deliberately placed to overlook the wide array of flowering yellow roses before it. Hoping to remain undetected, I immediately hid behind a large pillar in the breezeway, only about two yards away from them.

  “Then you really did appear to me in the forest?” Bryn asked as she faced the supercilious imposter.

  “Of course I did,” he answered.

  “Why did you disappear then? I was convinced you were a hallucination.”

  He laughed at her reply, and I fought an irrepressible urge to hit him. “It was not the right time to reveal myself to you just then, mon coeur,” he said in a thick French accent. His banal term of endearment, calling her my heart, made my fangs lengthen again. I realized it when they poked my lower lip.

  “So all this time, you were real?” Bryn inquired, shaking her head in disbelief. “I always assumed you were just a happy figment of my imagination.”

  “Non,” the mealy-mouthed, French codpiece said, clasping his hands in front of him. His eyes dropped from her face to her overflowing, ample bosom. “I have been with you for most of your life.” Leaning down, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, allowing it to linger there entirely too long. Just as my seething rage was about to make me manifest my presence, the fop stood up.

  “How could that be?” she asked, shaking her head in obvious surprise and puzzlement.

  “That tale must wait for another time, mon coeur,” he answered. As he pulled her onto her feet, he added, “For now, I must seek the company of your sister. There is much to discuss.”

  The Lady Bryn did not respond but only nodded when the French dandy gave her a low bow and walked away. I repositioned myself behind the pillar so he could not suspect my presence. Only when the frog was well out of sight did I step out from the shadows and approach the Lady Bryn. At her expression of curiosity upon seeing me, I felt the need to explain.

  “I followed to ensure you arrived at your room safely,” I said. “However, it appears to me you were not en route to your room at all,” I finished as I glanced around.

  “Right,” she answered with a brief nod before growing silent again.

  “And are you still en route there?”

  “Yes,” she nodded. She seemed to remember herself before she immediately stood up.

  “Very good, then I shall escort you there.”

  Strolling in silence through the rose garden, we eventually reached the corridor that housed both of our billets.

  “Thanks,” she said when we reached her door. Holding one hand on the doorknob, I could see the other hand trembling at her side.

  “You are most welcome,” I answered without making any motion to leave. “I suppose then, we should part for the evening?”

  “Yeah, probably a good idea to,” she answered, but she avoided looking into my eyes.

  “Very well,” I said as I turned to leave.

  “Sinjin?”

  “Yes,” I turned toward her, and at least two yards of space separated us.

  “Thank you,” she said, twisting the doorknob to her bedroom before she disappeared inside.

  ELEVEN

  Bryn

  I couldn’t believe he was real!

  All this time, the man who regularly appeared in my dreams ever since I was fourteen years old, was actually real! And he went by the name of Dureau Chevalier.

  As soon as he walked through the doors to the green room, I recognized him. Of course, it was hard not to recognize him with his dashing good looks. But what surprised me most was that neither one of us could tear our gazes away from the other. As soon as he spotted me and I saw him, it seemed like everyone and everything else in the room just vaporized into nothing. It seemed like we were the only two people in the whole world.

  Relief. That’s the first emotion I felt as soon as the shock of seeing him in the flesh wore off. Relief. I finally knew for sure I hadn’t hallucinated him in the forest, and he wasn’t just a figment of my fertile imagination. After the sense of relief faded away, I could only wonder. I absolutely could not understand how this man managed to reach out to me through my dreams for all these years. How could he even know who I was?

  I figured there would be plenty of time for questions and answers later. For now, learning the real reason Dureau came here was the next mystery I had to solve, and I sensed it had everything to do with Luce and the impending attack. Of course, that information was high priority and of the utmost urgency and importance. My questions could wait. They had to.

  But even now, lying beside my sister, I couldn’t stop thinking about Dureau. Naturally, my focus should have been fastened exclusively on what was going on around me—Mathilda and Mercedes were ready to attempt to recreate my vision for my sister to witness.

  Jolie invited everyone into a spare guest room where the spell would be taking place. Once all were assembled there, Mercedes instructed Jolie and me to lie down next to each other on the king-sized bed that was in the center of the room. The rest of the furniture was removed to allow everyone plenty of standing room to observe the incantation. And maybe to help if needed.

  Rand sat on Jolie’s side of the bed, holding her hand. He gazed into her eyes, stroking his other thumb up and down the side of her arm as he smiled sweetly at her. I could tell he was nervous, and I didn’t blame him. I was nervous too.

  Sinjin stood on my side and he was pacing, which affected my nerves in an adverse way. His restlessness wasn’t doing me a damned bit of good. I refused to look at him and closed my eyes, taking my sister’s hand in a hopeful attempt to calm myself.

&n
bsp; Mercedes was busily concocting a mixture. In a deep bowl on the far side of the room, she was stirring it repetitively with a wooden spoon and adding pinches of this and that as she chanted after each ingredient. Whatever her spell was, I could only hope that it had nothing to do with my demise. Knowing Mercedes, I was well aware of her intense dislike for me, not to mention her distrust, so I wouldn’t have put it past her.

  “Everything is going to be just fine,” Mathilda crooned softly. She stood at the bottom of the bed.

  I opened my eyes, and Jolie tightened her grasp of my hand. When I glanced over at her, she was already smiling at me. “You good?” she asked.

  I just nodded. She turned to face Rand, who was far more agitated about the whole thing than she was. Worry lines creased his forehead, and the ones around his eyes seemed to grow deeper with each passing second.

  “We are almost ready,” Mercedes blurted out as she continued to stir her magical potion on the other side of the room.

  Walking up from the foot of the bed until she was hovering over both of our faces, Mathilda said, “When you go into the vision state, it will seem as if you are both there together,” she started. “You will not think you are dreaming. Your mind will be utterly convinced you are seeing only reality.”

  Mercedes brought the bowl over and put it in between Jolie and me, near our heads. “Please don’t forget how dangerous this is,” she warned as she eyed us both with unconcealed purpose. “It’s very possible that Jolie could get lost inside of Bryn’s mind. If the vision she saw is actually a transplant by Luce, you must realize that’s exactly what he’s aiming for.”

  “Thanks for the pep talk,” I muttered unenthusiastically.

  Mercedes turned her fierce gaze on me immediately. “You must be fully aware of the possibility of dire consequences from this action.” Then she walked over to the windows and drew the pleated drapes. Mathilda turned off the overhead lights until we were immersed in darkness. Like a ritual, Mercedes began lighting the various white candles she had arranged around the room. Once the flames flickered and grew higher, the room seemed to instantly radiant with warmth.

  Sinjin stepped forward, moving closer to my side of the bed. His gaze traveled over me and then landed on my sister. I knew him well enough that I could sense when he had lots to say, but now, he was watching his words more closely. He knew how important this was to Jolie. More than anything, she had to understand my vision in order to save her people. And as much as I preferred she did not see what I saw in my dream, I thought it admirable that she kept insisting on it. Jolie was a good queen.

  “What’s wrong, Sinjin?” Jolie asked him as he paced this way and that.

  “My queen, I must request that you give me permission to enter the vision if something … tragically unforeseen happens,” he said to Jolie.

  “A person who is least connected to you both emotionally will have the best chance of extracting you both from the vision, should that happen,” Mercedes replied placidly.

  “A person who is least connected to us emotionally?” I repeated as I glanced around the room. I focused first on Rand, then Mercedes, then Sinjin, and finally Mathilda. “That leaves no one in this room,” I answered.

  “Then you must make sure you both come out of it together,” Mercedes finished, sitting down on the bed near my feet.

  “How can we communicate while we’re in the vision?” I asked Mercedes.

  “Telepathy is always the best way to communicate with your sister,” she answered. “That way, if Luce tries to linger in your mind, Bryn, he won’t know what you two are saying to one another. Try not to do it, however, or only when you must, and use it to search for any clues you can find. Basically, you’ve got to get in and get out as fast as possible.”

  “And will we be able to communicate with you?” Jolie asked her.

  “No,” Mercedes answered. “You have only each other.”

  Jolie glanced at me. Her piercing blue eyes were full of concern and fierce determination. She was very brave to take such a chance. And no matter what anyone said to dissuade her, she intended to do whatever she had to if it meant saving her people, even if she were lost in the process. Lying on the bed next to one another, we stared into each other’s eyes. I never felt such a protective love or such intense emotions as I did for my twin.

  “Stay close to me, please,” she said.

  “Of course. We must always stay close to each other.”

  What you’re going to see will hurt you, Jolie, I thought the words in my mind to her. But you must please try to divorce yourself from it. You must view it without any emotion, if you possibly can. Don’t get too caught up in the pain or the loss. If you do, you won’t be able to get out again.

  I know.

  And remember: just as much as you need my strength, I need yours.

  Don’t worry, Bryn, she answered. Together, we can find what we’re looking for, and together, we will come out of this.

  Of course, she had no clue of the depths of destruction I’d witnessed. She hadn’t seen any of the things I’d seen or experienced the feelings I did. I could only hope that when she did begin to feel them, she would have the strength and willpower to resist being taken in by the vision. Most of all, she could not lose herself to it.

  “Before you enter the dream state, there are a few things you should be aware of,” Mercedes said as we both faced her. Her gaze alternated between Jolie and me. “Everything in Bryn’s vision will seem slightly translucent, and sometimes, you can see right through it. The only things that will appear solid are both of you. If you happen to see anything else that appears solid, don’t believe it! It’s not part of the vision. Remember that.”

  “What does that mean? What do we do if that happens?” I asked.

  “That’s when you get the hell out of there,” Mercedes answered. “It would mean that someone else has accessed and entered your vision.”

  “Can we get hurt in the dream state?” I inquired. “For instance, what if Luce finds a way into my vision and wants to attack us?”

  “Physically, no. He can’t physically hurt you,” Mathilda answered. Her melodious voice sounded like bells ringing, something which never ceased to soothe me. “But he can provoke you until you accidentally lose yourself inside the vision; and he can also confuse you with his trickery. You must remain emotionally unmoved as well as in close, physical contact with one another.”

  “Don’t let your emotions play games with your mind,” Mercedes interjected. “Remember where you are at all times! Keep track of where you go and where you came from while inside the vision. You will need to retrace your steps in order to come back out again. If you panic or lose sight of your original location, the vision can change by itself. You’ll become so disoriented, you won’t be able to find your way back. That’s why if anything seems odd to you or out of sorts, don’t stick around to find out why! Just hightail out of there!”

  Rand kissed Jolie’s hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you sure about this, Jolie?” he asked as he shook his head and audibly sighed. “It sounds way too dangerous.”

  “I’ve already made up my mind,” Jolie replied tersely, her lips tightening.

  But Rand wasn’t finished. Of course he was trying to talk her out of it. “Someone else could go with Bryn and search for whatever you’re hoping to find. Why do you have to go with her?” He took a deep breath. “I would happily go in your place. You know that.”

  He’s right, Jolie, I thought in my head to her. But I wasn’t thinking Rand was as cut out for the job as a certain vampire was. Maybe Sinjin would be a better candidate to do this instead of you. Remember: you’re the queen! You belong here, and you must remain in a place where you can lead your people. Not off on a fool’s errand; especially one that could risk your life!

  I need to devise a strategy, and for that, I must first understand the risks we face, Bryn.

  If you feel even slightly emotional after you see all the deat
h and destruction that I saw, there is a very good chance we could lose you, I thought.

  We could lose you too, Bryn. We still don’t know if this vision was the product of Luce’s meddling, and if it is, you’ll need me! We will need each other. We’re going to do this together or not at all.

  I breathed in deeply and then slowly exhaled as I turned toward Sinjin, only to find his gaze already pinned on me. His eyes shone with worry and concern. I scanned the rest of the room, and Sinjin ran his fingers over the top of my hand. I brought my eyes back to his.

  “Stay safe, bête noire,” he said with a sad smile. “Remember: nothing and no one can hurt you.”

  “I will.”

  “And protect our queen, your sister,” he added, kneeling at the bedside, his blue eyes growing warm again. I was starting to become accustomed to that radiant heat.

  “Of course. I won’t let anything happen to her,” I answered as I smiled at him. I’m sure he knew my sister was my main concern and I would sacrifice myself in an instant for her without a single thought.

  “My advice is not to stay confined in the vision’s space longer than fifteen minutes,” Mercedes said. “You may search for anything that could suggest what season or month it is, as well as the time of day, but I strongly encourage you to leave before the ugly chain of events begins to unfold.” She took a breath. “One of you should be in charge of keeping tabs on the time.”

  “I can do that,” I said with a brief nod. Then I faced her. “So once we’re ready and we need to get out, how do we go about that?”

  “When you are ready to depart from the vision, you must search for a single flame. You will find it very near the same point at which you entered the dream state. As soon as you are both inside the vision, locate the flame immediately! That way, you’ll know how to find it on your return.”

  “What do we do once we locate the flame?” Jolie asked.

  “You must touch it,” Mercedes answered. “It will instantly eject you from the dream state and return you to the here and now.”