Page 117 of The Kingdom's Crown

I glanced over his shoulder, watched Head Guard Amos move quietly into the cell, drawing the thin sheet up and over Camellia's body, leaving only shadow and firelight in her place.

29

Bryony

“You don't have to do this today, Mistress," Owen murmured as I paused in front of the mage's office. Inside, the conduit pulsed like a heartbeat. "Aric said he could manage the work."

"He did, but I am faster," I said, stroking my hand over Owen's forearm to reassure him. "The coronation preparations are being made, and we can't expect Holden to wait much longer. None of the other Chosen even waited for her funeral."

Not that Camellia's funeral had been much to speak of. Officially, Camellia's illness had been lumped in with my grandmother's, and the burial had been a small affair. It looked shameful, that was what I thought as if we were trying to hurry through the event and move on from Camellia quickly.

Owen was still frowning so I added, "Anyway, it helps me to keep busy."

He relented at that, as I knew he would. It was the truth too. I was glad my mother had decided she could only tolerate one round of mourning in a year, even though carrying on in life as if everything were normal was just another injury against Camellia's memory. My sister would be a footnote in our line, like all the other sisters who had died in some far off castle. On days when I burned with anger, that felt right. Other days, it made me queasy and sad.

Owen opened the door to the mages' workroom just as Simon and Aric bustled out of opposite doorways, heading for the conduit. Surrounding the great crystal prism on the ground were deep crates of pennies and crowns and quarters. This wasn't my first day pulling magic from the conduit, pushing it into crystals to be buried throughout Kimmery, but it was our last opportunity to finish the work. We'd leave Kenneth and Holden a little pool of magic to work with, enough to frighten Kenneth but not so much as to allow Holden to go to war.

"Princess," Aric said, eyebrows lifting briefly. He looked me over, studying my expression, and then nodded. "Good. You know I hate heavy lifting."

My lips quirked, and I considered running into his chest to push him roughly and kiss his cheek. Aric seemed to understand best of all my Chosen my need tokeep moving.

"Well stocked?" he asked.

I thought I might've blushed, which was kind of silly really, considering I'd spent almost a year enjoying my Hunger with my men. I glanced at Simon, who looked amused and more than a little curious.

"Yes," I said simply. I was well stocked on my magic. I'd spent the morning in bed with Owen, Cosmo, and Cress. And then another hour or more in the bath with Daniel, Thao, and Wendell. "Do I really need to be if I'm pulling from the conduit?" I asked.

Aric shrugged. "Can't hurt. Come here, there's an open spot."

"Where are Kenneth and Nathan?" I asked, moving to the other side of the conduit, where crates had been pushed aside to make room for someone to stand directly in front of the conduit's frame.

"Nathan's keeping Kenneth busy. And truth be told, I don't know that Nathan would approve of this exact method of magical distribution," Simon said, grinning down at the coins.

"It is safe, though?" I asked, glancing at Aric.

"Safest I can think of, princess," Aric said, hands circling my waist to steady me. "Metal's more resistant to taking magic on and tougher to pull it out of."

I nodded and rolled my shoulders. The pulse of the conduit was a little overwhelming from this close, but while Aric and Simon had sorted out a way to draw the magic out, it tired them in a way it didn't with me. I took one deep breath, reached both palms out, fingers splayed, and felt the brief curious tug from the conduit at my own magic before grabbing fistfuls in my grip, yanking with all my might and concentration, then bending to thrust them down to the coins waiting in the crate.

Metal rattled as if the pennies were wriggling in excitement, and the shaking grew stronger until the wooden crates were thumping and bouncing in place. I released the magic and stood, blinking down at the instantly still coins.

"Two down," Simon said.

"Doesn't even feel like a dent in the conduit though," Aric said, frowning at the prism over my shoulder.

"Then we do it again," I said, standing straighter, taking another breath, and reaching out to the magic of the queen's line.

* * *

Thao'sorange tiger prowled around the rose garden, and my own itched to join him.

"We could seat the countess of Amonsbury with the Duke of Pemony," Morgan said, making a hasty scribble.

"Ah, no. Their families were cousins and there was a great falling out," Wendell said, fingers working almost aimlessly at the tense muscles of my shoulder as I traced patterns in the fine gravel of the pathway. "Seat her with Lord and Lady Sandimon."

"Urghh! Where is Nora? Ihatethis sort of nonsense," Morgan growled, scratching repeatedly at the marks she'd just made. We were planning the seating for the feast after the coronation. Well, the others were. I was resting my head on Wendell's thigh and enjoying the sudden warm spell of the day.

"This sort of nonsense is valuable if you want to work with the council," Wendell said, and I could hear his smile and the laugh he was trying to restrain.

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