Siege: A Borrowed Magic Novella Read online

  Philip staggered backwards, his eyes wide with horror.

  Kern only laughed. “It’s not so bad. With me as a father, no one will ever hurt you. You can leave behind this farce of ‘society’ and join me. We’ll repay those who have tried to hurt and separate us and build something we can rule together.”

  Philip set his shoulders. “The only one who has tried to hurt me is you. You, who tried to destroy the kingdom I call home and all the people I love who are in it. I’ve lived most of my life in fear of you. Hating you.”

  Kern frowned. “Hate. Love. Such complicated words. Would your friends have loved you knowing who you are?”

  Philip went perfectly still, and Maren was even more afraid – if that was possible. She put a hand on his back, trying to reassure him, but he stepped away from her. No, he pulled away, as if he couldn’t bear her touch.

  “They know who I am,” he said to Kern.

  He sounded sure, but Maren wasn’t fooled.

  Kern only smiled. “Do they? Then by all means stay. I hope your confidence in your friends isn’t misplaced.” He wrapped his cloak around him. “When you discover it is, come find me.” Then with a wisp of gray smoke, he disappeared, leaving the room in perfect, dead silence.

  Maren moved first, stepping to Philip’s side and throwing her arms around him.

  He caught her wrists, staring at her with suspicion and disbelief.

  Then he scanned the room. Every eye was on him, most not even bothering to hide their horror as they backed away, leaving Philip and herself alone in the center of the room.

  Maren felt his hands tighten, saw the determination settle in his eyes, and then he shoved her away and fled, leaving her staring after him.

  Two

  Her father sat at his desk, a book propped against his knees, while Maren paced erratically across the small space. She didn’t understand his ability to remain calm.

  No one had seen Philip since he’d left the ballroom. Maren squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to remember the look in his eyes as he’d turned from her. As if she’d somehow betrayed him.

  “We have to find him. Something’s wrong.”

  “No,” her father said. “When he’s ready, he’ll come.”

  Which wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Philip was avoiding her. She just didn’t know why.

  “Maren,” her father sighed. “He’ll come.”

  She had to believe that. Otherwise, she’d go mad with worry.

  “Why didn’t Kern kill Daric?” she asked, doing anything to distract her from thoughts of Philip – and where he might be, or who he might be with. “He vowed revenge, and then he has the perfect opportunity, and he doesn’t take it?”

  Her father frowned. “I don’t think Kern was strong enough. He’d been in that tomb a long time, and it drained his power. What little he had left, he used to escape.”

  Maren scowled. “It didn’t look drained to me. You weren’t there. You didn’t see the blood or feel Philip’s pain or hear him gasp.”

  “No,” he said, his eyes full of sympathy. “But it’s the only thing that makes sense. I think he was looking for Philip and that’s all he was doing.”

  “Then he’ll come back. He hasn’t forgotten.”

  “No,” he said. “He hasn’t forgotten.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me who Philip was?” she demanded next. “How did you even know? And more importantly, how could you possibly believe he’d be anything like Kern? That’s why you wouldn’t consent to our engagement. You were afraid.”

  “Yes. I was afraid.”

  “Why?” she cried. “He’s like a son.”

  “But you are my daughter. I have to protect you.”

  She almost laughed. “From Philip? That’s ridiculous. He’s not Kern.”

  Her father looked down at his hands and then back up, intense sorrow blanketing his face. “He could be. Kern wasn’t always…” He shook his head. “That’s why I had to keep Philip hidden, keep his true identity secret. That’s why I—”

  The door banged open behind her, and she spun around to see Philip. She wanted to run to him and tell him everything would be all right, but he wasn’t even looking at her. His eyes were glued to her father.

  “You knew? You knew my ‘parents’ weren’t that at all, that Kern was my true father.”

  Her father hesitated and then his shoulders slumped. “How much did you hear?”

  “Only that you helped hide me from Kern. That was enough.” Philip’s voice was harsh, his words thrown at her father as if they alone could injure him.

  And yet her father still managed to remain calm. “I did.”

  Philip clenched his fists, his knuckles white with tension. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I promised your mother I wouldn’t.”

  Philip paled at the mention of his mother. He probably hadn’t had time to consider all that being Kern’s son meant. That his mother was dead, murdered by his father.

  If her father noticed Philip’s reaction, he didn’t show it, just continued his explanation. “She came to me for help, before she was killed, to save you from Kern’s influence.”

  Maren realized she was holding her breath. How had her father known Kern and Philip’s mother? Why would she come to him for help?

  “You still should have told me,” Philip spat. “I could have handled it.”

  “Maybe,” her father remarked. “It wasn’t my decision to make.”

  Philip scowled but then it faded. “How could you?” he whispered. “You were like a second father to me.”

  “And you are like a son.” Her father paused. “But even without the promise to your mother, I wouldn’t have wanted you to know. I was afraid Kern would find you.”

  “Or that I’d turn out to be just like him?” Philip said, his voice so cold it was unrecognizable. “Well, he did find me, despite your best efforts. I’ll never forgive you for this.”

  Her father’s face fell, and she wanted to run between them, to make everything right again.

  “I’m sorry, Philip.” Her father stood and walked to the door. “I truly am. I never wanted to hurt you. I only wanted what was best for you…and Maren.”

  Even after he was gone, Philip didn’t move, and she didn’t know what to say. Part of her was furious with him for how he’d treated her father. Part of her understood what he must be going through.

  “Philip?”

  He flinched, almost in surprise, like he hadn’t even remembered she was there.

  She took a step towards him, but he held out his hand. “Don’t.” He just stared at her for a long time, as if he didn’t know who she was and was trying to figure it out.

  “Philip, please tell me what’s wrong,” she begged.

  “What’s wrong?” He barked out a laugh. “How dare you ask me that?”

  “Because I don’t know,” she cried. “You’re like a stranger right now.”

  “The feeling is mutual.” He strode across the room and grabbed her hard by the shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth? I loved you. How could you have kept something like this from me?”

  “I…I didn’t know,” she whispered.

  He all but threw her away from him. “At least have the courtesy of not lying to me.”

  “I’m not lying,” she insisted. “I didn’t know, not until last night.”

  “You expect me to believe that?” He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “You were the one who gave me the ring, Maren. Kern’s ring. Your father told you it would protect me.”

  Her stomach twisted into a painful knot. “My father only told me it would guard you against magic, not that it only protected someone who shared Kern’s blood.”

  Philip threw his hands up. “And I’m his son!”

  He set his mouth in a firm line, and she felt her heart drop.

  “You said you loved me,” he continued. “I believed you.” He took a deep breath. “I still believe you. But love isn’t enough, is it? Fear
is stronger. And you’re afraid of what I could become, of who I am, of whether I’ll turn out like him, like Kern. That’s why you didn’t press your father harder for his consent to our engagement.”

  “No!” Her cry felt as if was ripped from her. “You’re not thinking clearly. You’re in shock. Kern’s words are poisoning your mind. You’re angry and—”

  “Yes, I’m angry. But I am thinking clearly – for the first time.”

  The strength of his misplaced feelings overwhelmed her, but she couldn’t give up. “I don’t care who your father is. And knowing the truth doesn’t change the way I feel about you. I love you. You need to believe me. You need to trust me.”

  “I wish I could.” He closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

  For a long minute they just stared at each other, and then he pulled the ring off his finger and held it out to her.

  “No,” she backed away. “You need it. Now more than ever. What if Kern comes after you? What if—”

  “I don’t want it.”

  “But it’s yours,” she insisted, desperate for something to cling to, some sign he still cared. “I gave it to you.”

  “And I’m giving it back. I don’t want anything to remember you by.” He placed it on the table and disappeared through the door. He never looked back.

  She’d always wondered about girls who cried over a broken heart. Now she understood. It was something intangible that she couldn’t explain. But it brought with it a physical pain that shot through her chest and robbed her of breath.

  Three

  Adare screamed again, her pain a stinging reality. Maren could relate. Sort of. Adare was having a child much too early. There was fear for the baby, in addition to the actual physical agony. Maren’s pain was different, and yet no less heartbreaking.

  Four months.

  That’s how long Philip had been gone.

  There was a place inside her that would never be the same. It wasn’t empty, as she would have expected, like a hole that could never be repaired. No, it was full. Of pain. Of memories. Of what should have been. She’d learned to lock it away, deep inside, in dark areas she didn’t have to explore. But times like now, seeing others’ pain, she couldn’t seem to keep that lock in place.

  Adare squeezed her hand so tightly it hurt, and Maren looked over at Daric. His brow was creased with worry and his eyes were red. He didn’t look much better than Adare, with her face drenched in sweat and her hair in wet clumps on the pillow.

  Everything was wrong, had been since the day Kern appeared. The day Philip left. At first Maren thought it was just temporary. Philip would come back. He’d apologize and everything would be all right. Then days passed. Then weeks. Then months. He wasn’t coming back.

  She didn’t even know where he was.

  In that hidden place she avoided at all cost, she was terrified. For Philip. For Daric and Adare. For the kingdom. They still didn’t know when Kern would be back. No one had seen him since that horrible day. But there was no doubt he wasn’t finished.

  Adare screamed again, and Maren bathed her forehead with a cool cloth. “Adare, it’s all right. You’re going to be fine.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Adare sobbed. “The baby won’t make it.”

  “You don’t know that.” Maren tried to sound confident but wasn’t sure she managed. “They’ll find someone. Not all the mage healers are gone.”

  But they were. After Kern had been imprisoned, fear of magic had run rampant. The mages were forced into the shadows or fled to other kingdoms, hiding what they were – and what they could do.

  Maren wiped Adare’s brow again as another contraction hit and then glanced up at the midwife. She shook her head. This wasn’t a normal delivery.

  A knock sounded, and then the door opened to reveal her father, out of breath, as if he’d run the entire way to Adare’s room.

  “They found a healer.”

  Daric almost wilted in relief, a light in his eye Maren hadn’t seen in days. “When can they be here?”

  “A few hours,” her father said. “But I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to get them here faster.”

  Then he was gone again, leaving Maren with the painful knowledge that Adare might not have that long.

  The next hours were horrible. The baby wasn’t turned right. Adare had screamed herself hoarse and now only moaned occasionally, in and out of consciousness. Daric looked as if he were living a nightmare.

  Maren tried to be strong for all of them, but the past few months had taken a toll. She felt years older, as if the pain of losing Philip had stolen some of her life and forced her to grow up too fast.

  Adare’s eyes suddenly popped open then squeezed shut again as her body shuddered in agony.

  The midwife rushed over. “The baby’s coming. At least it’s coming the right way now.”

  Maren didn’t know whether to be more scared or relieved. The healer still hadn’t come.

  “Lady Maren, I need you right here.” The midwife motioned to her side. “Do everything exactly as I say.”

  Maren reached for a clean cloth, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

  “Adare,” the midwife said, “I need you to push as hard as you can.”

  Adare whimpered and…tried.

  Maren felt tears fall on her cheeks and wiped them away. “Adare, you can do this.”

  A baby’s cry rang through the room a few minutes later – and then fell silent. Maren wrapped up the small prince and held him close, but he struggled to breathe.

  Adare was essentially unconscious as the midwife tried to make her more comfortable. Daric didn’t leave her side. Maren held the small baby, quickly losing hope he’d survive.

  And then the door banged open, and her father and a man she’d never seen rushed in. The stranger took one look at Adare and then searched for the baby. He rushed over and grabbed the boy from her arms. Words streamed from his mouth as his hands roamed over the baby’s chest. And then a second tiny cry filled the fear-paralyzed room.

  Maren let out a small sob and rushed to Adare’s side. “He’s all right, Adare. Your son is all right.”

  Adare managed a tired smile and then her body tensed.

  The healer handed the baby to the midwife and pushed Maren out of the way so he could examine Adare. “She’s hemorrhaging,” he said, his face creased with worry.

  Silence blanketed the room as the occupants went from hope right back to despair. Maren felt her father’s arms pull her close as they all turned to Daric.

  “Can you help her?” The king sounded desperate.

  “Yes,” the healer said. “But she won’t be able to have more children.”

  Daric squeezed his eyes shut. Then he took Adare’s hand and bowed his head. “Do it.”

  Four

  Maren paused outside her father’s study. Someone was with him and his voice sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Which didn’t surprise her. She was exhausted after the past two weeks, and her brain felt muddled from lack of sleep. Adare was better but hadn’t left her bed. The young prince, Justin, was perfect.

  “…should have known she’d go to you for help.”

  The anger surprised Maren, and she leaned closer, trying to listen.

  “Yes, you should have,” her father replied, his voice laced with something akin to disgust. “Especially since you’d cut her off from everyone she knew. You, who claimed to love her.”

  The other man laughed. “If I remember correctly, you also claimed to love her. And yet she still chose me.”

  Maren’s eyes widened at the pieces of her father’s life she’d never known, pieces that were before her mother, before her.

  “The worst decision she ever made,” her father commented.

  “No.” The man’s voice was calm, but there was something dangerous beneath the surface. “Leaving me was the worst decision she ever made. And the reason she’s dead.”

  Maren suddenly knew why the voice was so familiar. She’d h
eard it only once, a few months earlier. Kern. The man responsible for Philip being gone and her life crumbling.

  Panic seized her, gripping her heart in its claws. She pushed against the door, but although the knob turned, the door wouldn’t move. Something else held it closed, something beyond what she could see or touch. Kern had his power back. She pounded until her fists were numb, but it made no difference.

  “As much as I’ve loved reliving the past,” Kern commented. “It sounds as if our time is up.”

  Maren heard something crash to the floor. Then a strangled cry that tore at every piece of her rent the air, and she fell to her knees.

  Not another sound came from the room, but when she desperately banged against the door again, it creaked open.

  Kern was nowhere to be seen, but her father was face down on the rug. She stumbled forward and rolled him onto his back. All she could do was stare, as if her eyes couldn’t be seeing what was right in front of her. Then she screamed, bending over his body and pressing her face against his. For she couldn’t look anymore. His chest was scorched black, as if he’d been burned. Which she guessed he had. Only it wasn’t by fire. It was by magic.

  The horror of it engulfed her, holding her hostage. She didn’t understand what had happened. She couldn’t think. Everything was wrong. Philip…and now her father… She needed to do something. Kern was—

  Her mind snapped out of its numbness. She pulled herself away from her father’s body and fumbled towards the door. Kern was in the castle. And no matter what had just happened, her father wasn’t his main target. She had to get to Daric. To warn him. Without even looking back, she ran.

  She headed for Adare’s room, where Daric spent most of time since the baby was born. Which was probably good. Kern wouldn’t look there first. Maren didn’t knock, didn’t offer any explanation, as she barged into the room.

  “Kern’s here,” she said, breathless from running so hard. “In the castle. I heard him. My…” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “He killed my father.”

  Adare’s eyes went wide with fear. Daric jumped up and enveloped Maren in his arms. She pushed him away a second later.