CHAPTER 30

“Very foolish of you, my boy. Very foolish indeed,” Damien said late in the night, sitting on his throne and surrounded by the candle-lit mural of the throne room. Calix stood before him, bravely taking the criticism. Despite Calix’s stoic face, the king knew how deeply this would cut through the young man, how much it would make his insides writhe with torment. “You lost your grip on your power. You let your anger toward the girl rule you, and you stepped away from wisdom and control. I gave you several days to come back to your senses, and you have not. You hardly speak to the girl, this Adian you brought to my mountain. You are better than this.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Calix said quietly, sounding like something was caught in his throat. “You are right.”

“Now, it’s not too late. She still lacks your crown and Xanthe’s rose. Perhaps you could help her with both. This will be your greatest challenge yet, but I am confident you are up to the task. Woo her. Win back her affections. And do it soon. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the boy responded with great relief.

“Good. She is with Xanthe tonight. She may earn her rose before you have a chance, but I have my doubts. Xanthe has not been her normal self recently. She seems to have lost her will to win, her appetite for power. My guess is that Tovi will return to you tomorrow, rose-less but knowledgeable enough to have something to work with. Use this, Calix. Do this for me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Of course. Consider it done.”

“Good. Now run along.”

Calix prepared to leave just as Rhaxma entered. Their eyes met, and the king was fascinated by the energy exchanged. Nonchalant coldness from Calix. Burning hot desire from Rhaxma. One side of his lip curled up. Very few things were as entertaining as the imbalance of unrequited love, and it was this lopsided affection that had caused him to call both to his throne this evening. The idea for this little game had come to him earlier in the day as he observed Xanthe’s distant and uninvested teaching methods. Today had been her chance, her opportunity, to mark the Adian. A few months ago, she would have been ravenous with her appetite for victory. What had happened? He tucked that question away to consider more thoroughly later.

When he was alone with Rhaxma, Damien smiled fully in her direction. He knew she was hurting. It was the prime opportunity to mold her pain into something constructive like Wisdom or Power. He put on his most fatherly and kindly demeanor. “Good evening, my dear girl. We have something very important to discuss.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. How may I serve you?” He noticed an extra glitter in her eyes. Tears. Good, she was ripe for this type of assignment.

“Your lesson for Tovi was absolutely brilliant,” he said tenderly. “Creative. Astounding. Unrivaled. I have not stopped thinking about your skill and potential. I think it is time that you step beyond your title of Master of Perfection. You could be great and so much more.”

Rhaxma blinked several times. This was clearly not what she expected from being summoned here late in the evening. “Thank you, Your Majesty. But, what do you mean?”

“You will wear a crown someday, Rhaxma. You deserve it. Whether it is Adia or the Sea or the Desert to the North or somewhere yet undiscovered, you will be a queen, ruling side-by-side with my descendants. I want to mentor you, invest more time in you and our future. To prepare you for that day, you must hone the skills beyond Perfection.” He let this sink in for a moment.

The tears were gone, replaced by shimmer and energy. It was as if he could see the visions sparking in her imagination.

“I want you to start with the rose. Xanthe failed to mark Tovi yesterday, and I’d like to see what you can do. This is a prime opportunity for you to teach her what her body can do, especially when there is something she wants to gain. I would start with identifying what she most desperately wants, and then pinpoint someone who could give it to her. Teach her what she must do to gain what she wants. Do you understand this new challenge?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I think so.”

“Good. Keep it just between us. I don’t want the others knowing you are receiving special attention and instruction. However, I look forward to hearing about your success. Now, I must go to bed. Good night.”

She nodded and left the chamber.

When he was alone, Damien stared at the muraled wall without really seeing it. His thoughts bounced from Calix to Rhaxma and back again. Who would succeed? Or would they unknowingly work together?

Yes, he wanted Tovi to have all the marks, but this game was really about something more. His own offspring may never show enough desire to be worthy of his crown. He needed a backup, and the winner of this new game would be the new focus of his attention.

A face popped into his head, quite uninvited. The slow uncurling of grief nearly took his breath away. Lena. She should have been queen someday. His little girl. Oh, what he would do to go back and keep her safe.