Chapter Seven

Entry:

Cole, Daisy, Lucas. I yearn to see you, I need to hear you say something witty, I must feel your soft locks of hair as you smile.

I miss you even in my dreams when you visit, even when I wake and you leave, but especially when the day turns grey, and I know you will not return.

Phoenix.

--

Water shot up Phoenix's nose and her whole body stung from the impact. When she tried to open her eyes, all she could see was brown muck, so she shut them tight.

What now, what now, what now? Swim. Dissect what happened later, escape now. More than anything she needed air.

Upon breaking the surface to breathe, she heard the King scream, "Phoenix, I mean no harm! Get back here!"

Did he think Lowlanders were that stupid? Right before she dove back under, she heard the guards shout at her. Then, a shout that did not belong here. A quiet voice that usually quipped her favorite snarky remarks.

"Bird! Please come back, we need to talk!"

It was the voice of a tall and lean boy who hated early mornings and color. Looking up, Phoenix saw Cole standing side-by-side with soldiers, looking down from the Throne Room.

"Just stay there until the royal family comes down!" Cole told her.

Every fiber of her being screamed to move, to escape, but Phoenix couldn't leave Cole behind. She needed to save them both. The moat hugged the castle, and she swam to the edge before hauling herself up and sitting on the green on the other side.

Then, she saw them.

Cole walking between soldiers, coming out from the side entrance of the castle, crossing the bridge. The royal family was close behind. But Cole walked slowly, calmly, and without restraint. A loose black buttoned up shirt screaming wealth covered Cole's body, matching his clean and fitted dark pants.

What had Cole done?

Cole shook off the guards and ran up to Phoenix, and the guards didn't chase him down. The guards let Cole run freely.

"Phoenix, are you okay?" Cole asked.

He tried to wrap an arm around her but Phoenix slapped him away. She stormed off toward a large tree, determined to get away from the moat. Cole remained by her side, watching, but he was wise enough to shut up.

"You're not going to be executed!" King Malik yelled from the distance, his guards and family approaching.

"No. Send away the guards then we'll talk!" Phoenix countered.

"Only if you swear not to run away," the King replied, lowering his voice the closer he got.

"You have my word," Phoenix said.

Cole had her absolute trust, there was no way he would get involved with the royal family. He had to know something she didn't. Phoenix refused to believe in any other explanation.

But the royal family killed mom, they were the enemy, they implemented the Lowlander tax, they lived in this castle while the Lowlanders starved. Cole must have been forced here against his will.

Then why would they clothe him?

Cold rattled Phoenix's body and she crossed her arms over her chest. Everyone stood underneath a large willow tree that sagged with the burden of its leaves.

A silence settled as everyone formed a circle, Cole right beside Phoenix, and the royal family a large step away. Phoenix scanned the King.

"No weapons this time," the King remarked, noticing her search. Phoenix wished she still had the sword, but she had lost it somewhere in the moat. "And you listen this time, no interruptions. We're alone, like you agreed."

Figure out what's happening. Get Cole out.

"You are one troublesome girl," the King remarked. "I need you to do a service for me."

"If you think-" Phoenix started.

"Silence. I am your King," he commanded, raising his fist in anger.

"You dare-"

"Bird," Cole smoothly inserted, "listen."

Did Cole just take the King's side? Phoenix scowled at Cole, anger grinding her teeth.

"I need you to do a service for me," the King continued. "You won the Tournament of Crowns, so it is your duty and privilege to come work for me. First and foremost, you are not allowed to tell anyone what I am saying to you. Understand?"

Phoenix didn't take her eyes off Cole. Not a single cut, scrap, or bruise to suggest he was hurt while getting here. Did he come voluntarily?

"We understand," Cole answered for her.

"There have been two assassination attempts on the Queen," the King lowered his voice. "We believe there's someone in the court either orchestrating or assisting someone in the hopes of killing her. No one else could be close enough to the Queen other than a court member to know her moves.

"Members of the court don't watch the Tournament of Crowns, they think it's too savage, so they wouldn't recognize you as a trained soldier. And, as a woman, you would blend in seamlessly with the countless other twiddling females roaming the castle. Your job is not only to find the person doing this, but also to track down any accomplices and shut down future plans against the Queen. I never thought that having a woman as a winner would be a good thing, especially after what happened to the last female winner, but here we are."

How dare he refer to mom in such a dismissive tone! Phoenix took a step toward the King, ready to fight. Cole reached out and grabbed her balled fist, stopping her, keeping her in place.

How could he be so calm over this?

No. As she looked closer, she realized that Cole was anything but calm. His eyes seemed to be glazed over with tears and his hands were shaking, as though remembering.

Phoenix's anger melted into worry as Cole's body swayed, tittering. How could Cole be upset? He was the one who left the kids behind. He was the reason she couldn't escape.

There had to be more to this.

Phoenix shut down her emotions. She opened her palm and intwined her hand with his, and he slipped his thumb over his wrist. Then, they switched. Two hearts beating anxiously, together, they'd get through it together. Cole squeezed her hand in gratitude. He wasn't calm or emotionless, he just didn't know what to do with the abundance of raw emotions he felt.

Phoenix gave her full attention to the babbling King.

Seemingly ignorant or too bothered to care about what just transpired, the King continued, "Your job should be simple enough, really, if your skill set is as large as your ego."

Phoenix smirked, thinking of all the ways she could hurt him to prove him right. In her peripheral vision the Prince squinted at her in confusion, as if deciding if she was good or bad. The cut on his neck appeared to already be healing, a thin crust of dry blood adorning his sharp jawline, so there would be no scar.

"I have arranged for you and your family to be a part of my court until you find the people responsible and bring them before me," the King said. "After your mission is completed, you all will return to the Lowlands. You will continue your regular duties in our guard, giving legal ownership of your siblings to your youngest sister."

Phoenix didn't want that to happen, Daisy was too young to assume responsibility for Lucas. Plus, if the Lowlander tax couldn't be paid, it would be Daisy's fault, and she would assume punishment.

"And why would I do this for you?" Phoenix asked.

"For your life, my dear. You are a criminal who cares for nothing except your family, and I will have you killed for lying to the crown and working with kids under your name. A room for you has been prepared in the residential wing of the palace, as well as rooms for your siblings. They can eat anything they desire in the castle. Take infinite baths and sleep in beds larger than their bodies, I don't care. You'll stay here until your task is complete. You're not permitted to return to the Lowlands or tell anyone anything about your mission."

It was too good to be true. Everyone moving into the castle together? Not being punished for breaking the law?

"Your brother has already agreed on your behalf," the King pointed out.

After another pause, Phoenix looked the King in the eyes. There was something more but the offer was too good.

"Consider it done," she sighed. "Are you going to be the one to show me to my rooms?"

The King scoffed. "No. I told the two guards at the end of the bridge where you'll be staying. They'll introduce you to court life, as well. I'm eager to see what you can really do."

The King turned his back and walked away without so much as a proper farewell. The Prince followed the King like a puppy, and the Queen and Princess walked side-by-side. For a split instant, the Prince looked over his shoulder, eyes darting from her to Cole then back again. Phoenix raised her eyebrows and the Prince smirked before turning back.

Neither Cole nor Phoenix dared speak until the royals crossed the bridge and disappeared back into the castle, powerful figures turning small as they walked away.

"What are you doing here?" she angrily blurted to Cole.

"Could you take a step to your right? You're stepping on a flower."

Phoenix's eyes flared. She didn't move a muscle.

"Don't worry, Lucas and Daisy are safe."

"But why are you here?"

"A carriage arrived at our doorstep, and I was pressured inside by a couple of guards. They explained that you rejected the King's job and wanted me to help change your mind. I was right outside the Throne Room about to see you when I heard the window shatter and you jumped out."

"Why did you agree to help them?"

Cole sighed like everything was Phoenix's fault. "We need the long-term money and the food, Bird."

"But you haven't been in contact with the royal family before this, right?"

"I've never even seen the royal family or their court before this, Bird. I swear. They came to the house and brought me here, dressed me, and then told me the King's plan."

Phoenix narrowed her eyes. "And you just went along with everything?"

"I wasn't going to say no to the hot meal, if that's what you're asking. Besides, I really do think that you should take this job."

"Just go home and get Lucas and Daisy back here."

"They're being brought here as we speak."

Tired, frustrated, and worried, Phoenix's shoulders collapsed into themselves, and she walked back to the palace with Cole by her side. A weighted silence enveloped them, allowing her thoughts to simmer.

She wrung it out her wet hair. A drop of water snaked down her wrist and to her arm, causing a shiver, or perhaps that was the anxiety seeping through. Phoenix instinctively reached out her hand and Cole grabbed it, neither saying a word, both understanding.

Cole let go of her hand and took a step back.

"What are you…?" Phoenix trailed off.

He stared at Phoenix from head to toe, circled around her body, and lifted her arms for a better examination. "We should find the infirmary."

She looked down at herself and was startled by the number of cuts tearing through her uniform. Phoenix had been too distracted to notice the random strikes of blood that ran along her skin in an oddly beautiful pattern. As soon as she became aware of them, her body burned in pain.

"Damnit," Phoenix's body crumbled into itself.

Cole wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned on him, the bridge growing closer with each labored step, all pretenses of fearlessness dripping out of Phoenix's body. Her soaking shoes squished with each step, wet socks rubbing uncomfortably on her feet, blisters a promise to come.

The bridge greeted them, with guards on the other side guarding a large set of doors. She didn't have the patience to deal with them, her whole body shook from the cold, and her stomach pinched in hunger. The guards gawked at Phoenix. Their lips stuttered in an attempt to say something.

She glared at the guards. She was mentally exasperated, her head pounded, her stomach felt as though claws were scraping her skin, and she was shaking from the cold embedded in her bones. Above everything else, she simply wanted to lay down on a bed and sleep. And the stupid guards were in her way. One was still looking at her in confusion and another was studying Cole in a curious fashion.

"Where are our rooms?" Phoenix demanded.

The two guards exchanged glances.

After what seemed to be a staring contest between the two soldiers, the man who'd been studying Cole let out a defeated scoff. "I'll show you, but you need to be nicer. I'm a guard to the King, not a servant to you.""Nice went out the window the second I did," Phoenix snapped.

"Frankly, you look ridiculous trying to be commanding while you have algae in your hair."

"What's your name?" Phoenix's voice softened a touch.

"Greyson."

"Phoenix," she replied, "and this is my brother, Cole."

Cole gave a small, polite nod.

She studied Greyson for a minute. He was just shorter than Cole yet taller than her, with average brown hair and a warm skin tone with flushed cheeks. His eyes were hazel and guarded with thick lashes.

"Can you show us the infirmary?" Cole asked eagerly.

Greyson smiled and dragged his eyes over Phoenix's body. "Follow me."

Phoenix took one last glance at the grass and water behind her, beyond the green hills, knowing home was far away. Her body silently followed Greyson into the formidable castle.

Her mind screamed knowing there was no turning back.