Page 98 of Blooms of Darkness

“Princess Lana!” a young boy leading the pack shouted. “Princess!”

They joined in unison, shouting my name. The young boy skidded to a stop in front of us and gave me a quick bow, the others in the group following his lead.

Lord West stepped back and snickered in disgust.

Each of the children, five in total, held out handfuls of dirt, and Lord West’s eyes widened. “Be gone, children,” he snarled. “This is the princess, she has no time for your antics, or piles of rubbish and dirt.”

I grabbed at his arm, failing to hide my disgust. “They’re children, my Lord. They enjoy showing off their magic.”

He snorted. “From the looks of them, it can’t be that impressive.” He ignored me completely, turning back to the children. “Run along. I only get one hour with Her Highness, and I will not have it wasted watching magic tricks from children.”

A little girl with bright-red hair tied into pigtails stuck her tongue out at him as she shoved her hands forward, revealing a beautiful purple carnation, sprouting from the dirt in her hand. She offered me the flower earnestly, beaming with pride at her creation.

I clapped. “It’s beautiful.”

I knelt, ignoring the indignation and grumbling from Lord West behind me. Each of the other children followed and handed me their flowers, creating a small bouquet for me to take back to the palace.

I studied their faces, the excitement they had at creating life. Each of them were blessed with earth magic, and the way they gingerly handled their dirt and sprouted flowers seemed so innocent. So beautiful.

“Thank you so much for this incredible gift,” I said. They launched forward, hugging me, until we were all laughing.

As quickly as they’d come, they ran away again, returning to play. Only once they disappeared did the moment of joy turn to a sharp sting in my chest. A painful reminder, for even these children, so young and small, who clearly worked in the fields maintaining our crops, had more magic than I could summon.

I wiped the dirt off the skirt of my dress watching the last of the children run off.

“Shall we keep going?” I asked before resuming our walk down the street, choosing to ignore his spiteful comments from earlier. The man behaved like a weasel, and I would stop at nothing to ensure he didn’t ascend the throne.

His lip hadn’t relaxed from the snarled curl before he could answer me, when an older woman approached, bowing low.

“My condolences on Elisabeth, Your Highness.”

I reached for her hands, recognizing her immediately. “Thank you, Thea.” I blinked away tears threatening to spill and not stop. Clearing my throat, I quickly changed the subject. “How are the young newlyweds holding up?”

The woman’s voice transformed from one of empathy to one of pure joy. “To be young and in love.” She chuckled and bowed her head again. “I can’t thank you enough for your generous food and gifts. It was too much.”

I shushed her. “A wedding deserves to be celebrated fully.” I grinned. “Besides, if I recall, there wasn’t a single time I ran through Ellevail as a child which didn’t end with a chocolate milkshake in my hand.”

“Well, the milkshake kept you and Ian distracted from purchasing my entire stock of pastries every week.” The woman chuckled, patting my hands before releasing me. “I will let you be on your way.” She bowed her head and backed up before heading back toward her shop.

Thea and her husband ran a small bakery in the lower levels of town. They made enough to make a living, and their baked goods rivaled even the best bakers the richer nobility used. Ian and I stopped in frequently, and even though I could have paid for it, Thea and her husband never allowed me. Ian made sure payment showed up anytime they were in need though, which made me feel better accepting their generosity.

Lord West coughed into his hand before holding a finger under his nose. “We should return to Duke Street.”

“I enjoy being with all of my people, Lord West.”

He looked me up and down. “It sounds as though your handouts may cost your kingdom. Does your father know of these activities?”

I clenched my hands into fists at my sides, and my lip twitched. The implication that I provided goods without my father’s consent wasn’t the problem. Fates, I was the Hidden Henchman andhadbeen doing such things for over a year now. No, it was the audacity to imply I needed approval to assist my people. “They are citizens of Ellevail. I’m allowed to give gifts and assistance to whomever I wish.”

He snorted. “You’ll have to obtain a savvier business acumen when you take the throne.”

“Well, it’s a good thing this is a city of Fae I love and care for as if they were each a member of our palace, who will repay those acts of kindness tenfold when asked and able. Sounds like the only person in need of savvy business acumen is you, Lord West.” I took a step away from him, veering back to the castle, noticing it far in the distance. I longed for it to be closer, or to run through the hidden tunnels to take me straight to my room. I’d been out here with this man long enough. “We should head back. By the time we return, the hour will be complete, and I have another date to prepare for.”

I didn’t wait to hear his response before I walked back toward the palace. All I had to do was change into my training leathers for a date with Ryland and then endure whatever he had planned.

After that, my day would be complete. I could see Hale tomorrow and then get back to ensuring contenders like Lord West would never have a chance at becoming King.

Chapter 28

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