Dark Illumination

Chapter Nine

On her sixth sleepless night, Serena had had enough. She rolled onto her back on her goose feather bed and huffed. This was insane. All the waiting was starting to get to her. The Prince of Light making the Princess of Dark wait. Who ever heard of such an absurd occurrence? None of the histories spoke about something like this happening. She knew because she personally spent hours in the palace library checking.

She wanted to get the union over with and return balance to the land. With each day that passed, she received new disturbing reports of minions massing along their borders. That was to be expected. They were drawn by the weakening of the wards ultimate caused by the waning powers of the sorcerers who put them there. The same sorcerers who drew their powers from The Dark. This was the natural chain of events that occurred when the prince and princess have not united to become the new High King and Queen.

More often the union ceremony was in place two weeks after the week of mourning allotted for the passing of the former monarchs. According to her uncle, this was the first time in their history that a union ceremony had taken so long to accomplish. This sort of blatant reluctance was unheard off from any of the chosen.

For the prince to put all their people in this kind of danger…it was unacceptable!

Serena slapped her mattress with both palms. What a reckless and careless man the Prince of Dark had become. Such a disgrace.

Frustration pushed her to kick away the covers. She sat up and ran her fingers through her untamed hair. Restlessness skittered like beetles beneath her skin. She had to do something. Sleep was too far beyond her capabilities at the moment. But the rest of the palace was asleep. It would be rude to wake someone just so she could spar with them. Work up a sweat that may lead to the shut eye she craves.

Then the feel of warm lips on hers made Serena gasp. She brought fingers to her mouth as a blush crept up her face. That bastard Sebastian. Another reason for her lack of sleep.

Immediately after their encounter in the combat arena, she summoned Katarina and performed a cleansing ceremony. She had to miss her afternoon meetings due to the prayers required to ascertain her purity. The Duke of Lightning was the most insufferable man she had ever met.

Serena dedicated herself to avoiding him. Of course this was to save him from her wrath and not for any other reason. She wouldn’t want his blood on her hands just as his brother was travelling to her kingdom so they could get married. That would be an awkward first conversation between them. “I must apologize for ripping your brother, the great Duke, apart, Your Highness. Please forgive my slip in tempter.”

Yeah that would indeed be the worst way to begin a marriage that she planned on lasting for many years. Pretty soon after the union the new prince and princess will be chosen. Serena was determined to give both of them time to mature before they would need to ascend into their expected positions of maintaining the balance. No more teenage weddings if she could help it. No one was dying prematurely between her and the prince; she would make sure of it or so The Dark help her…

She sighed. There was no point in worrying over what hasn’t happened yet. First and foremost the prince must get here. The missive she received via hawk from his chief adviser, Riona Hearth, had informed her of his departure from their base camp at the far border of Lumeria. Apparently they were having the same minion infestation there as they were here. At least they had the extra protection of the wastelands. The band of bleached trees acted as a buffer that allowed them to rally their forces in defense of their people. Teare had no such luxury. The nearest town to the border was about an hour’s ride away. Not long enough for troops to martial if an attack by The Void occurred. Hence the previous High Queen from several generations back had outposts erected to serve as bastions of protection for their people.

A rumbling growl startled Serena away from worrying thoughts. She placed a hand on her stomach. Stress always upset her stomach. She eased to the edge of the bed and pulled back the curtains aside.

Silver moonlight streamed from the glass windows. Another sigh left her lungs. The next time the light of the moon entered her bedroom she would be a married woman. Again her stomach growled. Maybe all she needed was a glass of warm milk. It would certainly help settle her nerves if not aid in allowing her to catch a few more hours of rest before she had to get ready for dawn prayers.

Scooting off the bed, a shiver ran up her legs as soon as her feet touched the cold floor. She danced toward the chair where her lady’s maid had left her night robe and immediately shrugged on the thick material made of the best silk. It smelled of lavender and sweet night jasmine. She brought the collar to her nose and inhaled deeply. The scent was enough to relax her. Then she slipped on wool-lined booties and made her way to the double doors of her chambers.

No use trying to sneak out of her rooms or be quiet about leaving. The gargoyles posted at her doors were ever alert. The moment she opened her doors, their forever grimacing faces were already turned toward her.

She smiled up at both of them. “Can’t sleep.”

They nodded before facing forward once again. She wouldn’t need an escort. The palace was the safest place for her and the kitchens weren’t that far. Her skin tingled from the wards Lucius himself had placed all around the castle for her protection. Any danger would alert all the sorcerers and manticores and Knights in attendance. Pity whomever meant her harm.

After letting the guards posted at her door know she wouldn’t be long, an hour tops, she made her way along the lengthy corridors through the palace, past the great library and the throne room, and down the winding staircase to the kitchens. By her estimate, she would have the place to herself before the apprentices woke up to start the day’s meal preparations. The head chef was a fierce siren who liked everything in its place.

Serena snapped her fingers and the light orbs flickered to life from their sconces. They reacted to her energy the way any other light source within the palace would. Just a snap of the fingers was all it took. Such an ingenious creation. She remembered the first time she encountered it during her first week at the palace. She must have spent hours walking in and out of rooms snapping her fingers. They didn’t have light orbs at their village because any use of The Dark powers close to the border would attract minions, so they used candles instead.

Once the kitchen was fully illuminated, she descended the last few steps. The countertops gleamed, cleaned within an inch of their lives. All knives clung to a magnet strip along one wall. Pots and pans hung from hooks on a rack suspended from the ceiling. Baking tools were stacked and sorted within their respective selves. And the pantry—a separate stone room adjoining the kitchen—overflowed with every conceivable ingredient the head chef and her apprentices may need. Whatever food or delicacy or dessert anyone could think of they could prepare. Thank goodness Serena didn’t have to think about the daily menu or it would be pasta and cakes all year long. She and the entire palace would weigh twice as much as they do now. Katarina would never forgive her.

Shuffling to the cooling cases where they stored perishables like meat and dairy, Serena pulled over the glass door. A soft hiss followed the change in pressure. She reached in for the carafe of milk. Spying ingredients for a sandwich, she gathered everything she needed until her arms were full. Using her hip, she bumped the door closed to reseal the case. Once she had forgotten and the entire thing defrosted. All its contents had to be cooked that day or the food would be wasted. It was a feast that prompted an impromptu celebration just so that everything prepared would be consumed. Afterwards her uncle had lectured her for hours on wastefulness. Wanting to avoid another mishap, Serena deposited all the items she’d retrieved onto a counter and checked the case.

Only when she was sure that the seal was in place did she return to the counter. She pulled a plate from the cubbies by her knees and began assembling a turkey and ham sandwich. A smile tugged at her lips as she sent a silent prayer of thanks to the head chef. The siren knew of Serena’s tendency to suffer from the midnight munchies. The tomatoes have been sliced, the lettuce washed, and the condiments placed in small ramekins for easy access. Less fuss and less chances of messing up the pristine kitchen. The last thing she wanted was for the apprentices cleaning up after her.

“Can you make me one of those?”

The question startled Serena into dropping the spoon she had been using to ladle honey mustard onto her creation. The silver clattered onto the floor, smearing sticky yellow sweetness by her feet. She stepped back to avoid the subsequent splatter caused by the fallen utensil. Hands raised, she aimed a glare toward the man who spoke.

The admonition she had been prepared to hurl toward Sebastian for startling her died in her throat when she took in his rumbled hair and the shadow of stubble along his jaw. The way the night shirt clung to his broad shoulders wasn’t terrible to look at either. Not to mention how low his cotton trousers hung from his hips. The inside of Serena’s mouth dried up faster than a puddle under the summer sun. Her throat closed, preventing any speech. Talking would have been impossible anyway considering the way those unnerving ruby eyes stared back at her. When they dipped down was the only time she had noticed her robe had fallen open, revealing the thin nightgown she preferred to wear. The smirk that followed his gaze told her he had noticed her complete lack of underclothes.

Gasping, she pulled the flaps of her robe tight around her body. “What are you doing here?” she sputtered. Her fingers were not quite up to the task of securing the sash. Not that it mattered since her brain had completely forgotten how to tie a proper knot.

Larger, more callused hands pushed hers aside. “Let me.”

“What are you doing?” She stepped back, which caused her robe to open again.

“Tying your sash,” he said simply, but there was nothing simple about the grin on his lips. The same lips that not a week ago were on hers.

“Don’t touch me.”

He raised his hands in surrender as he moved to the other side of the counter. She suspected his retreated had more to do with the harshness in which she said the words rather than the actual command itself.

“I apologize, Your Highness.” He took a knee and bowed his head.

It was the tone of his voice that caused her to blow out a breath. How could she hold on to her anger when faced with such sincerity? She had been taught to forgive, and forgive immediately. What kind of a High Queen would she be if she was quick to anger and selfish with her mercy. So, after taking a moment to secure her sash, she rounded the counter and placed a hand on top of his head. Forcing herself to ignore how soft the black strands felt beneath her palm, she recited the benediction of her people.

But before she could take her hand back, he grasped it in both of his then placed her knuckles against his forehead. His breath touched the inside of her wrist as he thanked her for her compassion and blessing. Then he looked up, pinning her in place with those unnerving red eyes.