Made From Death (The Darkest Queens Series Book 1), page 6
A door slammed shut. The sound of it closing jolted both of them to an upright position, their eyes trained on the doorway.
Ace
"Shelby! Are you back here?" A hoarse and weary voice called until the words echoed back to them in the empty warlock common area.
Shelby's eyes grew to two large circles, his head snapping back toward Ace. "Hide!" He half hissed, half whispered, panic seeping into his voice.
Frantically, he closed the space between them, ushering her around the large warden’s desk. His large palms curled over her shoulders as he shoved her down.
Ace struggled with the hoop of the skirt, lucky it was one of the smaller varieties. She squatted in her heels. Her new extraordinarily tall and curvaceous body was much harder to hide than her smaller and squared one.
Footsteps were already making their way down the corridor. A steady tap of a stranger coming to find them in their devious act. Ace's heart began to hammer, that at least was the same no matter what body she wore.
"Do not say a word. Do not even breathe." He shook his pointer finger at her before disappearing on the other side of the desk.
The spell had left behind its sour scent in the air, a fresh layer to add to the old smell that already existed in the room. It clung to her clothes ever so slightly.
"Hey! Shelby!" Whoever it was, they were close now.
Shelby cleared his throat as the person stopped in the hall. "Hey, Rodrey."
"What are you doing in here? I wanted to hear the end of your story about that servant girl you ran into, and I could use an extra set of hands…" The male voice trailed off.
Ace pressed into herself behind the desk. Whoever had come looking for Shelby sounded younger than she anticipated. She listened for creaking floorboards as the person came further into the room but he never did. Instead, she heard Shelby shuffling.
If he wanted to get rid of her now was his chance. Her throat went dry at the mere thought of it. She would be nothing against these two men. She'd be hanged by the queen faster than the gods could even think up a way to get her out of this.
Don't do it. Don't do it, she silently begged him. Yet, she knew her place in his life—what little she'd become in under five minutes. She was nothing to him. The girl who'd forced him here on the end of a butcher knife and swore she worked for the gods. Anybody with half a mind could have guessed that what he wanted most was freedom.
The real question was, did he really believe her? Did he think he could trust her? How much did he want that freedom?
"Uh, inspiration struck for a good spell that I thought the queen would be interested in. I wanted to make sure I wrote it down before I forgot." There was an odd tremor in his voice, like he didn't even believe what he was saying.
Ace let go of her breath.
"Is that…is that my knife from the kitchen?"
Then she sucked it back in, holding it in her chest.
Metal scraped against wood as Shelby picked up the object. He laughed dryly. "Bad joke? I thought it would be funny to have you searching for it. Here." He moved away from the desk, the floorboards groaning.
"You have…such a weird sense of humor."
Shelby laughed again. "I'll finish writing down that spell then see you in there?"
"Sure, yeah." His friend sounded confused at best, but ultimately, he turned and began down the hall again.
Neither she nor Shelby dared to move until they heard his steps disappear and the thud of that door closing down the hall. Ace finally let go of her breath, curled her fingers around the top of the desk, and peeked over the edge. Shelby faced away from her, his head hung, shoulders slumped like that one lie had taken everything from him.
"So tell me about that servant girl." Ace broke the silence.
Slowly, his shoulders straightened and he turned around. His cheeks flushed as he snarled at her. "I've known you for less than an hour and you've already turned me into a liar."
"And a criminal!" she added, though the words made him flinch. "You're a terrible actor, you know." Her palms smoothed out the lavender dress around her, the skirt swaying as she walked around the desk. The page from the spell book crinkled inside of her sleeve.
Shelby frowned at the sound. "Rodrey is my best friend."
"Then he will probably understand when you explain the situation to him one day."
He picked up the spell book from the floor and neatly placed it back where he'd gotten it. Not that that mattered. "What's next?"
"You can escort me to the party."
"Oh, you were serious about that."
"Why would I joke about something like that?"
"I don't know, you seem to think everything else is a joke?" He folded his arms over his chest.
"You'll give yourself wrinkles with that sort of attitude.” Tamar would be proud of her. “Now be a good escort, take my arm, and lead me to the party."
Shelby wasn't a good liar and he was also not great at following directions, Ace thought to herself as he turned on his heel toward the door and walked away.
"Follow me," he huffed. What he did seem to be good at was pouting. That much was very clear.
Ace scurried after him. Her hands dug into the thick materials of the dress, so much finer than her outfit before. Her hurried steps were a bit unsteady as she got used to moving in this body and wearing heels. Both her ankles ached.
Shelby made his way down the hall and back through the open sitting room. He didn't stop to wait for Ace until he reached the door at the farthest end of the room. Ace weaved her way through the furniture, knocking the side of her thigh against the corner of an end table. His face remained blank as he ignored the squeal of the table when she straightened it up again and walked the last few steps to meet him.
After studying the blueprints of the castle she knew enough to guess that this door would pop them back out into part of the servants’ quarters that then led to the dining hall. They weren't too far from the party, though getting Ace there unnoticed could still be a problem.
"Do you have a plan?" she asked.
"Don't you?"
Well, she had one before she decided to steal herself her own warlock. Thankfully, she thought she was pretty good at thinking on her feet.
"You could pretend that I'm your date."
"You think we’re allowed to court someone?" He raised one brow. "You think you even look like my type?"
"Okay." She drew the word out as she thought. "I could be a guest of the queen's that you brought back to give a tour of the warlock’s quarters? Now you're just escorting me back. Then I could be flirty—"
She paused as his grip on the knob turned white knuckled. She didn't want to be flirty but it sounded like a believable story and it wouldn't be the first time someone had taken advantage of a warlock before.
Inhaling, she started again. "I could pretend to be flirty and demand that you join me at the party."
"And who might we say you are?"
"The queen’s cousin." She was grasping at straws. How much of the queen’s personal life or family tree did any given citizen know? Not much. Ace knew for a fact that Queen Sienna didn't have any cousins. Did Shelby?
"The queen’s cousin?"
"Yes. That is indeed what I just said. Thank you for repeating it."
"And what if they usher you right up to her side?"
"Don't you mean 'us?’"
"They won't take me to the queen. That would be an insult unless she's requested my presence. I am no one special to her and I am not high enough ranked as a warlock to even be a passing thought in her head."
"But if I, as a noblewoman, insist."
He stared at her. Then stared some more. Was this the moment he would decide to back out?
One heartbeat. Then another. Until her chest was tightening with panic. She couldn't have him as a loose end.
Finally, Shelby sighed, his grip loosening. "So many lies. Only a heathen like yourself could so easily play along like this."
"Think of it as an art."
"It's a crime."
"It's not a crime if it's for the greater good." She took a step closer to make a show of straightening his scarf. Near him, she could smell something like fresh mint or soap. She wondered if everybody had their own specific smell or if it was just him. Searching her memories, she never remembered other men particularly smelling so good. No one except her father of course, who often smelled like dampened earth. "Now that's enough of this goodie-two-shoes act."
"You're the queen's cousin. And what shall I call you?"
"Just make something up." She waved a dismissive hand already feeling her role of noblewoman.
Shelby made a noise that sounded like he was trying to hold back a snort but he offered her his elbow. She looped her bare arm through his. Though he wore long sleeves she could feel the heat of his skin through the material.
He twisted the knob, opening them up immediately to the rush of work. It took a moment before they were truly noticed as Shelby began to usher Ace away in her disguise. Not more than a few steps down the hall they started to receive curious looks.
Much of the staff started by giving them a quick bow. In her dress, more expensive than anything she could have ever bought even in her past life, Ace was certain she looked her part. Though she hated it, it was in thanks to Shelby. Admittedly, her original plan was shoddy at best. The god of luck, Bedesh, must be silently playing his part.
Down the hall, not much farther than two rooms away from the entrance that would then lead them to the queen's event, Shelby tensed. Ace's eyes moved over the bustle of staff rushing to and from to lock eyes on the one person who wasn't moving.
A guard.
And he stared back.
With narrowed eyes, and his hand firmly clamped around the hilt of the sword that patted against his leg, he watched them approach. She patted Shelby's arm and prayed he could keep the act at least a little bit longer.
As a lady, she would have to wait to be introduced, so she clamped her lips shut and tried to be patient. Maybe the guard would say nothing. Maybe, just maybe—
"Warlock. What are you doing?" The man was tall but not taller than Shelby. He looked up to the warlock without even the slightest bit of nervousness of what he could so easily do to him. No, only hatred showed in his gaze.
"This is Miss Dior, cousin to the queen."
"Cousin to the queen?" The guard with his greased back black and silver hair stood a little straighter and a smile spread across his greasy face. "Does Miss Dior have a first name?"
Ace smiled a little at that.
"Derfla."
Her smile fell. Derfla?
The guard blinked once but otherwise paid no mind to the hideous name. He gave a little bow just as all the other staff members had before him. Gone was his suspicion of her, now replaced by his undoubted brown-nosing. Ace refused to allow herself to roll her eyes.
"What's someone as special as you doing back here with the help?"
She made sure to give Shelby's arm a little squeeze, ignoring the way he took a sharp inhale. "I asked for a little tour! My baby cousin has suddenly gotten herself a castle and I needed to know the ins and outs of it! It's almost as big as the manor I grew up in. I'll have to give her that."
Ace didn't grow up with any cousins to model this after but she did have a friend who had a cousin that came to town every summer and she was a total bitch so this seemed like appropriate cousin behavior.
"Well, don't let me stop you from your tour." He turned his attention to Shelby, all signs of playfulness gone. "The minute you are dismissed you need to go to your chambers."
Shelby bowed his head.
"Thank you." Ace purred and began pulling Shelby the way they'd been headed.
His weight pulled her to a stop when he didn't move with her. Her pinned curls bounced as she whipped her head around to look back at him. The guard had him by the arm and whispered something fiercely in his ear. She couldn't make out what he was saying but she could see the way his fingers dug into Shelby's arm. She felt uncomfortable just looking at it.
As soon as the guard stopped his whispering, Shelby straightened his now ruffled sleeve and guided Ace down the hall. The pitter-patter of footfalls and the shouts of voices calling out directions all faded away as they passed through yet another door.
This half of the castle wasn't the dingy bare walls of the servant quarters, this half, oh this half…
Ace had never been in a castle. What she imagined, the grandeur, the spectacle of it all…this was so. Much. More. The stone gave way to polished tiles, golden trim, and doors carved from something like marble. Sconces were lit every few feet, and between them, small alcoves in the walls were filled to overflowing with blooming flowers. Their fragrant scent filled the air.
Above her, chandeliers were suspended from the ceilings that were possibly a mile high or more. Farthest from them, past the double doors propped open to allow the—mostly male—guests to enter the ballroom, was a staircase that rose up and up and up some more. Veins of gold sparkled against the white where light shone off the railing. Ace wondered if it ever truly had an end or if it just stopped when it reached the heavens.
There was no way any of the queens had access to the heavens; they were too sinful, she reminded herself.
Her lips parted in surprise as she was met by life sized pieces of art depicting the queen in many different poses along the path beside them. Ace had met the queen before, something she regretted, but knew she could not change. The queen’s face was as recognizable as Ace's own mother. She knew the other queens’ faces well enough too.
Her stomach twisted. Nausea crept up her throat like acid.
Still, Queen Sienna was utterly gorgeous. The way the artist showed the sun bouncing off her brown skin like a golden blush across her cheeks bringing out the streaks of gold in her iris. While the sunshine might just be a trick of the artist, Ace knew the beauty in her gaze wasn't fake.
"She's stunning," Ace whispered mostly to herself as they paused before the pictures.
"Beauty is more than what you look like on the outside," Shelby leaned down to say quietly between them. He righted himself quickly and turned her toward the door.
He wasn't wrong. Queen Sienna might be walking art but she was certainly ugly on the inside. Utterly atrocious. If only that could have been reflected in these pictures.
She let Shelby guide her into the flow of guests filling the large room. Over their heads, she was able to make out the abundance of decorations that had been hung or placed out on tables. Purple flowers, a darker hue than the more vibrant purple Shelby wore, were stuffed into every available space. Ribbons and gems and so many things…
Staff came and went from a door on the farthest end of the room taking empty plates and replacing them with full trays of meats, fresh vegetables, fruits, and their own assortment of finger foods. All of them gave birth to the one eyesore of the room, the one thing that wasn’t pretty.
A wooden platform had been raised with rope hung ready and waiting for necks to fill them. A lump built in Ace’s throat as her gaze lingered on it too long. Carefully, she let her sleeve fall over her hand, making sure the spell was still kept within. Paper crinkled against her fingertips and she relaxed just as Shelby brought her to a stop.
“Dinner and a show?” She tried not to let her nervousness seep into her voice.
“Are you surprised?”
She wasn’t, but he appeared to be by her question.
"Where is the queen?" Ace steered the conversation away from the one daunting topic.
"Waiting to make her grand entrance." The second Ace slipped her arm from his he clasped his hands in front of him and stood still as a board. The way he glanced around the room, knowing he didn't belong, made him look—in Ace's opinion—like he wanted to melt into the wall.
She hadn't noticed at first, but here and there guests shot her and Shelby inquisitive looks. It wasn't exactly common for a warlock to attend an event unless they were meant to be some sort of entertainment. He stuck out like a sore thumb with that purple sash hanging around his neck. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he withstood the clear scrutiny.
"Hey," she looked up at him, "what did that guard say to you back there?"
His eyes widened a fraction as if he'd been surprised that she'd talked to him at all. Or maybe he'd already forgotten or was trying to forget that they were in this mess together now.
"You know some name calling, some demanding, some reminders of what he thinks I am and who I should serve."
"Whatever it was, you probably deserved it." She didn't catch his expression as she tried doing her best to take in every detail of the room. Should she be talking to people? Should she be trying to get some dirt on the queen? Well, she already had dirt on the queens according to the gods but did any of that matter in the eyes of the people? Probably not.
Shelby scoffed at her. That's as close to a laugh as she figured she'd get from him.
"Oh," she continued, "why did you tell him my name was Derfla? That's the most hideous name to ever have graced my ears."
"That's my mother's name."
She glanced at him. He stared back, unflinching, with a blank face. Of course, that was his mother's name. He looked exactly like the type of person a woman named Derfla would raise.
"Well, your mother has a terribly ugly name, I hate to break it to you."
"You remind me of my mother," Shelby said.
Gods she was thankful the voices in her head were quiet today. She could only guess what the gods would have to say about this entire conversation.
"Really?" She looked away, unable to hold his stare any longer.
"Yeah, she was always coming up with stupid ideas."
Ace snorted. A hand quickly flew up to cover her mouth and nose. That was something the cousin of the queen would probably never do. How unladylike! It wasn't often that Ace needed to care about being ladylike but here and now it was a big deal.
Across the room, Ace caught the heavy gaze of the armored uniformed guards watching Shelby with a level of scrutiny she would never understand. One of them peeled themselves from the wall and began making their way toward them. That hadn’t taken long at all.
