Lexi Monarch Page 10

  “I can’t believe he pretended his season was ending to try to get you to mate with him! What a cretin!”

  Lexi smiled, enjoying his anger, then chastising herself for her enjoyment. “So now you understand why I need to get to the castle first. If he talks to the Governor, who is also my brother-in-law, before I do, he could make things very unpleasant for me.”

  “What is it you’re afraid he’ll say?”

  Lexi frowned. “I think he might try to convince Limen—the Governor—that we are already married, and I have run away from him.”

  Cam groaned. “That would be bad. Let’s fly faster.”

  Lexi laughed. “You already look exhausted. Why not stop and rest? We can meet up at the castle for dinner.”

  “No way,” Cam said, shaking his head with dogged determination. “I just met my very first princess, and she confided in me. Now I must rescue her from her evil ex-fiancé.”

  Lexi smiled. “No rescuing necessary; I can rescue myself.” Lexi’s smile grew thoughtful as the truth of her own words sunk in. She had rescued herself from Talan...twice. “But could you please call him something else? I don’t like to be reminded how close I came to marrying him.”

  “Fine,” Cam nodded, “evil lying cretin it is.”

  Lexi laughed. “It’s a little long.”

  “Hmm...it makes a lousy acronym, too. I’ll work on it.” Cam looked at her curiously a moment until she felt his gaze and turned. “What do I call you?”

  “Lexi will be fine.”

  “Aren’t I supposed to address you by your title? Her Masterful Worshipfulness or something?”

  Lexi laughed humorlessly. “I don’t like titles.”

  “Why not? You could make everybody call you She Whose Jokes Are Always Funny or Princess of the Perfect Lips,” he suggested, then blushed and looked away.

  “Titles are barriers; they make people feel separated from you and inferior.”

  Cam scratched his chin thoughtfully. “So when you get to the castle, you’ll tell everyone you’re Raven the farm girl?”

  “I don’t know yet. I need to talk to Limen first.”

  A look of determination crossed Cam’s weary face and he doubled his speed. Lexi caught up to him, panting.

  “We’re going to get there before the Cretin,” he announced, his breath coming fast. “Can you keep this pace?”

  “Can you?” Lexi panted.

  Cam grinned, the dimples sinking deep into his cheeks. “Maybe.”

  They flew hard for two and a half hours before Cam landed in a little meadow. “Mit said there’s a trail somewhere around here that we can follow in, but I don’t see it yet,” he managed between ragged breaths. Sweat ran down his face as he spoke, and he pulled up his shirt to mop it.“Ready to fly again?” he asked when he had caught his breath.

  Lexi shook her head, panting. “We shouldn’t arrive together.”

  “I think we’ll get there before the Cretin.”

  Lexi took a long drink from her mother's cowhide canteen before answering. “I don’t want it getting back to my mother that someone helped me get here.”

  “What if the Cretin is waiting for you?”

  “Then I will face him and undo any damage he’s done with Limen as best I can.” Noting Cam's thoughtful frown, she surprised him by taking his hand. “You can’t help me now, but I appreciate that you want to.”

  Cam stared down at their joined hands for a moment. “Stay with me until we find the trail,” he compromised.

  “Do you promise you will let me go alone once we find the trail?”

  Cam nodded, running a calloused thumb across the back of her petal-soft hand.

  “The trail is right there,” Lexi said, pointing behind him. She gently pulled her hand free as he turned to look. “Goodbye, Cam, and thank you.”

  “You already knew where it was!? That’s not fair!”

  Lexi let out a small laugh as she flew towards the trail. “I am certain we will see each other again.”

  “Wait!”

  Lexi turned and frowned. “You promised.”

  Cam grimaced. “I know, but...”

  “Bye, Cam!” Lexi called over her shoulder, and flew hard for the trail as the overcast sky began to drizzle. By the time the trail finally opened up into the castle courtyard, the drizzle had become a deluge and Lexi was forced to walk, her wings heavy and dripping. The courtyard was deserted, with puddles flooding the gray flagstones while the heavy raindrops plinked off fifty metal tables and stools. Lexi sloshed towards the enormous front doors, the impressive five-story facade little more than a gray blob in the obscuring downpour. She put a hand to one of the ridiculously oversized handles and pushed. A resistant scraping and two inches of give rewarded her efforts. Lexi sighed, folded her sodden wings, then shoved an aching shoulder into the door. The door reluctantly opened with an eery creak and she slid inside. The interior architecture was much like the palace, but the stench coming from the stained tapestries ruined the illusion. Home always smelled of flowers or spices, depending on the season. A couple having a rather intense conversation in the corner looked over irritably as she approached, scowling when they recognized she was about to speak with them.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation. Would you please tell me where I might find the Governor?” Lexi's polite smile faltered when she realized they were both whites. Their heavily-streaked wings had appeared green and gold from across the room, but the background color was clearly white. Lexi took an involuntary step backwards. She had been warned about whites. The hormonal changes associated with wing birth and being in season brought on temporary mental illness in whites: they were perpetually angry and frequently aggressive until their season ended.

  The man flicked his lime-streaked wings and fixed steely gray eyes on her. “One floor up, first door on the right.” He jerked his platinum head towards the balcony above them as the scent of pine trees caught her nose.

  The woman rolled her eyes and tucked her matching platinum hair behind her ears. “New arrivals have to check in with the clerk,” she informed Lexi coldly as she nodded across the room to the first of two doors, both of which stood open.

  Lexi gave them both a bland smile and a pleasant "thank you" as she moved to the dark hallway beyond them to hunt for the staircase.

  “You can chase her later; we're having a conversation now!” the white-winged girl snapped as she yanked on the man's arm to stop him from following Lexi.

  “Fine,” he conceded, knocking her hand away.

  The remainder of their strident conversation faded into a bristled murmur as Lexi turned into the stairwell. Her riding boots made a soggy slurping noise with each step while her clothing continued to rain down on them. Lexi rung out her braid and wished for a place to change before she met with Limen. Wistfully, she peeked at the mostly dry clothing inside her bag. Frowning, she removed a clinging, wet fragment of cinnamon bread and stuffed it in her mouth just as she reached the top of the stairs. The double doors before her were nearly as grand as the Old Castle’s entrance, and reminded her of her father’s throne room where he performed wedding sealings. Running her tongue quickly over her teeth, Lexi knocked.

  “Check in with the officiant,” a gruff voice said through the door.

  “No,” Lexi answered, then waited as bolts slid, and the door opened an inch.

  “All business must be cleared through the officiant.”

  “This isn’t business,” Lexi said, drawing herself up to her full height. “Tell Limen I need to see him now.”

  The guard raised bushy eyebrows at her casual use of the Governor’s first name, then shut the door and locked it.

  Lexi swallowed her rising irritation and listened. Two minutes later, the bolts slid back again and an mischievous face met hers, his eyes lit up with anticipation.

  “The Governor will see you now,” he announced, grinning as he folded his white wings to let her by. He eyed her curiously as he pulled back a curtain th
at led into the throne room.

  The two-story room was decorated in brightly-colored tapestries, giving it a lush feel that combined pleasantly with the scent of fresh orange rind. The Governor sat on a red velvet stool with the heavy ornate framing of a throne behind him. His cranky expression fell away as Lexi approached, and his face paled as his mouth hung open.

  “Mona,” he gasped, leaping to his feet and taking a few hesitant steps towards her. “How?”

  The mistake was easy to understand. Lexi and her sister Mona were nearly identical. Lexi shook her head quickly, liberating more rain from her drenched head.

  “No, Limen. Mona is at home with your twin daughters,” Lexi said, smiling a little as she thought of her baby nieces. “I’m Lexi,” she added, pushing the dripping tendrils back from her face.

  Limen let out a huge breath, stealing a guilty glance at a curtain to the right of him. “I apologize, Your Highness. I should have recognized you.”

  Lexi shook her head. “You could not have expected me, and we hardly know each other well.”

  Limen nodded his agreement. “Why are you here?”

  Lexi stood taller, and steeled her shoulders. “To find a mate.”

  Limen snorted out a surprised laugh, then his face grew somber. “Weren't there any noblemen in season?”

  Sensing the battle before her, Lexi took a deep breath before answering. “Only Talan Admiral.”

  “And he was not a pheromone match,” Limen guessed, nodding sagely. “Fortunately, Lady Nessa’s grandson Van is here. Perhaps we can solve this dilemma quickly. Erynnis!”

  The curtain to the right of the Governor quickly parted, and a small man with somber brown wings scurried out.

  “Get Van,” the Governor commanded. “And I know I don’t have to remind you that this is strictly confidential.”

  Erynnis dipped low in a menial bow aimed at Lexi, then quickly disappeared behind the curtain.

  “Beck, Charis,” the Governor called, then waited as the two guards came around the curtained doorway. “That goes for the two of you as well—especially you, Beck,” the Governor warned.

  The guard, who had let Lexi in, made a face and rolled his eyes, but nodded as he shuffled back behind the curtain.

  “May I assume you arrived with little fanfare?” Limen asked, returning his attention to Lexi.

  “Yes, but I should warn you that Talan is following me,” Lexi said, wondering how much she ought to tell him.

  “You were the only in-season noblewoman?” Limen asked, his dark eyebrows arching in surprise.

  “No. The Queen commanded him to follow me.”

  “The only available nobleman, and she made him your escort?” Limen asked, unspoken questions troubling his brow as he stepped closer to her. “What am I missing, Your Highness?”

  “The Queen intended us to marry; the king helped me escape.”

  Laughter danced in the Governor’s hazel eyes for a moment before it began to play about his mouth. “You ran away to escape Talan?” he asked, struggling to suppress his amusement.

  A small smile crept across Lexi’s face.

  The Governor cleared his throat several times with a wide smile. “Wait. How did you know the Queen commanded him to follow you?”

  Lexi’s face sobered. “He caught up to me in Shady Cove.”

  “And you managed to escape him?” Limen asked, open admiration in his face.

  “Not until yesterday,” she conceded.

  Limen frowned, running a hand over his jaw. “Have you been flying alone with him, then?”

  “Only yesterday morning. Before that, we had two of the royal flying guardsmen with us.”

  Limen’s dark eyebrows climbed high into his forehead again. “What happened to them?”

  “One’s season ended. Talan broke the wing of the other.”

  Limen frowned. “Your Highness, I apologize that I must ask this, but has Talan...” he hesitated, searching for the right words, “...compromised your honor?”

  Lexi’s jaw set tightly; she knew how her mother would answer that question. “I have not mated with him.”

  Limen raised a placating hand. “Of course you haven’t.” His mouth opened, then he shut it again with a quick shake of his head.

  Lexi jumped slightly as a heavy knock sounded at the outer door followed by muffled conversation and angry demands.

  She sighed. “Talan is here.”

  Beck’s irate face appeared around the curtain, but Limen interrupted before he could speak. “Just let him in.”

  The command did not improve Beck’s sullen expression, nor did the angry shove Talan gave him on his way in. Talan marched angrily around the curtain, then stopped dead when he saw Lexi. The mottled look of anger on his wet face dissolved into concern as he hurried to her, trying to take her hands in his. Lexi backed away from him warily.

  “What happened to you? I worried that you had drowned or gotten lost. I spent most of yesterday looking for you. Are you all right?”

  “I am fine,” she answered stiffly, trying to ignore the haze of hickory and cloves that tainted the air. She sidestepped the arm Talan tried to slip through hers and retreated behind her brother-in-law.

  Talan glared at the Governor, then sniffed. “Limey, you’re still in season,” he accused, glancing suspiciously between them.

  The Governor scowled. “Don’t call me that, Talan. I outrank you here.”

  “Yes,” Talan smiled condescendingly. “You’re king of the peasant mountain.”

  “Perhaps you would like to experience the peasant dungeon?” Limen threatened through clenched teeth.

  Talan stared him down a moment before his face relaxed into an easy laugh. “You always were a hot-tempered kid, Limey,” Talan said, clapping Limen’s arm.

  Limen knocked his hand away. “Guards,” he called. Beck and Charis surged forward, then stood hesitantly behind Talan.

  Talan gave them both looks of disdain before he turned back to the Governor. “Come on, Limen, you’re not still angry about the deer carcass, are you?”

  Limen’s jaw worked, a purple hue suffusing his face.

  Talan laughed. “You are! It was just a joke, Limen, and it’s been three years; let it go.”

  “I have,” Limen growled.

  “Good. Then why don’t you write us out a new marriage certificate, as the last one was...damaged.” Talan gave Lexi a chastising smile. “Then we'll be on our way.”

  “Limen,” Lexi said, laying a hand on his arm and turning her back to Talan. “I haven’t married him, and I will not.”

  The Governor glanced down at where her hand lay, his muscle tensing beneath it. “Talan,” he began.

  “She ought to marry me, Limen. It’s gone that far,” Talan asserted, stepping up between her wings and placing a possessive hand on the back of her neck.

  Lexi struggled to remove Talan's hand as he brushed up against her wings. Limen’s eyes darkened in fury, and he nodded to his guards who quickly separated the two.

  “Dungeon,” Limen decreed, pulling Lexi to him protectively.

  “Don’t think I don’t know why you’re doing this,” Talan spat out venomously. “It’s just like having Mona back, isn’t it? I’ll bet she even smells the same!” Talan shouted as the guards dragged him from the room.

  Limen released her as soon as the door shut. “It’s not...I mean, you don’t...”

  “It’s okay, Limen. Talan would say anything to get what he wants,” Lexi assured him, brushing at the wet spots she had left on his white shirt. She glanced surreptitiously at his handsome face, wondering if the orange scent she had caught before was his. She remembered Mona sobbing as she inhaled the scent of Limen’s pillow after he left. Her sister had been very attracted to him. Was she? Lexi abruptly abandoned the wet spots on Limen’s shirt and stepped back, uncomfortably aware that they were alone.

  The awkward silence was broken by a discreet knock from the side door. Limen turned to it, his face a tangle of emotions.
>
  “Yes, Erynnis,” he called.

  The door opened, and the brown-winged officiant emerged with a polite bow. “Van West, grandson of Lady Nessa,” he announced as Van moved around him with a charming smile. He flew towards them, his underwings an intricately-patterned beige camouflage. Halfway across the room, his face registered shock and he landed abruptly, his mouth hanging open.

  “Limen, is that...?” he faltered.

  The Governor nodded at his officiant, chuckling. “Thank you for your discretion, Erynnis.” The officiant simpered at Lexi and disappeared behind the curtained door. “Yes, Van. This is Her Highness, Princess Lexi.”

  She smoothed her braid self-consciously, uncomfortably aware of her soaked clothing and the puddle beneath her boots. “Hello again, Van.” In the three years since she had last seen him, Van had grown much taller, and his long, slightly crooked nose seemed to better fit his face. His blonde hair still clung to his head in ethereal wisps, and Lexi had the sudden desire to touch it.

  “Your Highness,” Van effused, moving smoothly across the floor to take her hand and kiss it, “you grace the mountain with your presence.”

  Lexi inhaled the scent emanating from him; it was sweet and familiar. She breathed deeply, trying to recall the memory it stirred. She could see herself hiding in the vegetable garden from Tiger, giggling behind a big, green...ah, yes, cabbage. He smelled like cabbage. Lexi swallowed down her disappointment with a polite smile. Cabbage is...pleasant, she thought, then laughed inwardly as she recalled saying the same thing to Talan over Delpha’s pea scent.

  “Allow me to escort you down to the hot spring pool so you can get out of that wet clothing,” Van urged her, a soft smile curving his full lips. Lexi shivered; the thought of a warm bath made her realize how cold she was.

  Limen raised a hand to stop them. "Wait! You can’t parade the King’s daughter around in public. Take her to my private bath, and you will need a guard. Beck!” Limen called, then frowned when he received no answer. “Charis!”

  “Both your guards are gone?” Van asked, incredulous.