Enchantress (Evermen Saga, #1)
James Maxwell
Prologue
THE great war that destroyed Lady Katherine’s life was a seventeen year old memory. The Emperor crushed Altura, and the hope of the Western Rebellion ended with the bitter taste of betrayal. Yet on this day, Katherine would join the ranks of the traitors. Only the Lord of the Sky could forgive her, for she would never forgive herself.
Katherine navigated the sprawling market, a veil clutched under her eyes. She felt naked without her guards, yet she was terrified she would turn a corner and there they would be — come to escort her back to the palace and end it now, before it even began.
A man bumped into her, turning and mumbling an apology. He stopped mid-sentence, realising who it was he had just knocked.
"I’m sorry, My Lady, I didn’t recognise…"
Katherine whirled past him. Alone and unprotected, she had never realised before how frantic the market could be. A woman hurried by, a steaming pot in her hands. Liquid sloshed and spilled onto the ground.
Katherine’s husband was Tessolar, High Lord of Altura. She had servants and lived in a palace. She wore fine garments of silk, and jewellery of gold and emerald. At state dinners she sat at her husband’s left hand, and people of all ages and stations sought her ear, begging her to speak with the High Lord on their behalf. When she walked into a room, conversation halted and people stood, touching their fingers to their lips and forehead with respect. Women were envious of her, jealous of her beauty and the prestige her position brought her.
Yet what if the people in this market — her people — could look into her heart, and see how easily she had been manipulated, how readily her loyalties discarded? Katherine’s betrayal wasn’t of her own making, but it was a task she knew she would carry out. The thought of what she planned to do caused a part of her to recoil, not because of any feelings for her husband, but because of her people. She knew she had no choice.
Katherine tried to calm her breathing. Her reddened eyes darted to the left and right, and her ivory skin was greyed and drawn. She had known this day would come, but she had never expected it to be like this.
It began with a nightmare.
Katherine always slept soundly and alone, yet this last night she had felt a presence beside her. It was there in her dreams, full of menace, and she fought to tear herself from slumber's grip. She woke gasping for breath, her heart beating in her ears, the blindness banished when she opened her eyes.
Crisp morning sunlight poured through a barred window. The bed linen was soft and luxurious, and Katherine stretched, feeling the blood flow through her body. She banished the nightmare to the back of her mind and inhaled, slow as a summer breeze, catching the scent of flowers in the air.
Her breath stopped. There was something next to her head on the pillow.
It was a rolled piece of paper, sealed with black wax, resting atop the silk like a lover’s note. But Katherine had no secret lover, and she froze as she realised who it must be from.
She stayed motionless for several slow heartbeats, looking at the message like facing a coiled viper. She willed her limbs to take her body closer, but simply couldn’t summon the courage to reach forward. A maid could walk in at any moment, or even Katherine’s husband. The fear of discovery finally overcame the fear of what she would read, and Katherine sat up, snatching the paper and breaking the seal with shaking hands.
You must go today to the Poloplats market and visit the girl’s stall. Do not do anything out of the usual. I will be watching you. You must buy a single nightbloom from the girl to indicate you understand what you must do, and that you know what will happen if you do not do it. If you need reminding…
Katherine read on in horror. Shaken and terrified, she dressed and summoned her guards. Instead, to her shock and surprise, her husband entered the room.
Katherine’s arm whisked behind her back, hiding the message behind her body.
"Where are you going?" Tessolar demanded, his face curled into a scowl. "You are not going to the market."
Katherine took a slow, deep breath before answering. Her heart raced and beads of sweat formed at her brow. "I won’t be long." She stepped towards Tessolar, hoping to distract him from the hand behind her back.
"No, Katherine." He lifted his chin. "Enough. Your visits are becoming an embarrassment to me."
"Husband, please," Katherine implored. "Just this once…"
"Husband?" Tessolar raised an eyebrow. "You must really want to go this time. No, Katherine, I forbid it. The High Lord’s wife is not some simple woman of the fields who can associate with all manner of folk."
"This is about the girl, isn’t it?"