The Servant Crown

Prologue

Many , many years ago

He is evil, Silver said, her hair flowing around her as if it had a life of its own. Her bright gossamer gown billowing and wafting in the breeze, enhancing the illusion she was floating rather than walking.

Yes, Red chimed in. Her own gown, like Silver’s, a match for her name, hugged her shapely body in an almost obscene way, her very ample bosom being nearly forced out due to the tightness of the shiny fabric. Using us like he did, pitting us against each other. He. Must. Die!

Yes, death would be a goal. Black pushed her own unruly midnight hair back with a flourish that set the very air around them to movement. But remember what we have learned, my sisters. DinRau is a powerful being. Killing him would be a waste. All that energy would be lost. Her sisters were too emotional. Always acting without thinking things through. More concerned about their looks and age than they were about power and immortality. If she didn’t need them for her grand plans, she wouldn’t even let them in on it. How could they not understand simply killing the man for his arrogance could not be allowed?

Silver huffed when Black held out a hand to stop the duo. But both Silver and Red had been on their way to confront the very dominant DinRau. A huge mistake. Black was angry, too. It was extremely upsetting the man, as it turned out, was a lover to all three of them. Black wanted the blue-eyed bastard dead, as well. But if Black’s sisters knew anything about the man, if they knew him like Black knew him, they would not even attempt such a thing.

DinRau had been hers. She had taught him so much. Half his damn power he had learned from her. How could he have betrayed her like this? How could her sisters have betrayed her? Somehow Silver and Red got their fucking claws into him, each not telling the others that they were being bedded by the man.

Humiliating!

But it was water under the bridge.

Facing Black, Silver sighed, You are right, my sister. He is probably much too powerful for us to kill, anyway. You have another plan?

Black smiled. Oh yes, she had a plan. She despised DinRau for what he had done, and her plan would speak volumes to that. If we pool our efforts, we can make him suffer. And suffer greatly.

Go on, the two other sisters said in unison.

I know a spell. A spell out of the Great Marsh, itself, punctuated with the very nectar of the Rabbit Rose. Black heard her sisters gasp.

Rabbit Rose? Red exclaimed. A fairy tale only!

No, my sister. I have discovered one. It lives. It makes Gray Valley its home and bloomed for me. I have several vials of the nectar right now on a secret shelf. She had planned on sharing her great discovery with DinRau, planned on the two of them creating a spell with it that would give them both supreme power. Until the day she found Red coming from the man’s house. At first, Black had simply been surprised that Red even knew the man. But when she caught up with her sister, she could smell him on her.

But legend says it only blooms every seventy-five years.

The legend is true. And I have all the nectar the flower will give for this blooming. I left nothing for anyone else. Couple that with the new spell I have learned, and we will have our revenge. We will lure DinRau here and weave it around him, rooting him forever in the swamp itself. And once the spell is complete, we will be able to suck all his power into ourselves.

And become true witches? Red whispered, her eyes wide.

Yes. Black smiled, her heart pounding just a bit faster. The second-best part? He will be fully aware of it for the rest of his life. And there will be nothing he can do about it.

Silver huffed at Black. "What is this power spell you speak of? Where would you learn of such a thing?"

Black chuckled. You sound jealous, Silver.

Hardly, my poor sister. But it seems power is the only thing you desire. It is the reason DinRau chose me over you. Silver laughed. "Oh, go ahead and raise those eyebrows. It will do you no good. He obviously only toyed with you, Black. He loves me. Only me. She leaned closer to whisper, He told me so. Silver laughed again as she preened herself, her thin beautiful fingers creating snaps of fire as she combed them through fine hair. Tell me truthfully, sister. How could he not? Look at me."

Untrue, oh vain one. Red pushed at her sister, her face taking on the color of her name. "He must tire of your constant need for praise, as we all do. It is I the man truly loves. I guarantee it. He craves my skill in bed. I, unlike you would ever be able to do, put him first. And he told me so just the other night."

Black growled, her heart hurting all the more and her anger taking even a firmer hold. Only in her heart would she admit her jealousy of Silver’s incredible beauty that attracted every man who saw her. Like a moth to a flame, they flocked to her, promising anything if she would stay by their side. But she was no less jealous of Red and her voluptuous body she enjoyed showing off with how little she tended to wear. Along with her insatiable sexual appetite, all men simply fell at her feet, obsessing over her if only to get her in their bed.

On the other hand, Black had been born with brains. She was proud of her ability to control and manipulate. But few men stuck around her for any length of time, mainly due to being intimidated by her intelligence. However, she didn’t care. She was more interested in becoming a powerful witch, and a man would only get in the way of that.

Until DinRau.

Oh, yes. DinRau. He had been impressed with her, not at all afraid. He thought her brilliant and, surprisingly, had often compared her to her sisters.

You are so much more beautiful, my Black witch. We will be unstoppable together. I am so very much in love with you…

But the memory of those words was hardly a comfort now.

What hurt so much, though, was the fact she truly loved the man. His amazing blue eyes always undid her when he gazed at her the way he did. She had never been in love before and so did not know its power. She had no idea how to handle it. And being betrayed by him, she knew how to handle even less.

Still…

"You are both wrong, she cried out, knowing she gave away her pain. He knows I am the strongest of all of us. I have the greater potential, and DinRau knows that. Men like him love only one thing. Power. And that would be me. Me! I should know, for he tells me…oh, he… She closed her eyes as she recalled how many times that had happened. —tells me." Her last words were only a whisper.

Silver harrumphed. Seems he has told each of us what we want to hear. Clever man. Like I have already said. He is evil.

Red nodded, fury showing on her face. "He is evil and must die."

Black opened her eyes again, trying hard to change her deep sorrow back to anger. "He is evil and he will die—eventually. Before that, we will strip him of his power. What say you, my sisters?"

Chapter 1

Present day Elven Port , Ice Dragon Lands

Tama was the last to leave the graveyard. His father, irritable and disheartened, had left at least fifteen minutes earlier, right after the priest said his final Commitment Prayer. Even the priest at that point, with a quick nod to Tama and a brief harried look around, gathered up his robes and fled as if some demon chased him. Sadly, other than the gravediggers, who worked to cover the grave even as Tama stood there—the wet dirt making a disturbing hollow sound as it hit the coffin—the three of them had been the only ones who bothered to witness Kelay’s burial. Of course, the continuous February sleet didn’t help, making the ground greasy and treacherous. Still, Tama was sad for Kelay that no one else came.

Tama sighed as he trudged through the freezing mud to the heavy iron gates of the cemetery. Although women died in childbirth all the time, he was still in shock his sister had suffered such a fate. She had been strong and healthy right up to the moment she announced she was in labor. The woman who had suddenly appeared days earlier, a woman who identified herself only as a midwife, gave no indication there was even a problem, only that Kelay had given birth to a strong, robust son. And then, minutes afterward, something had gone horribly wrong.

Exactly what, Tama had no idea, and his father was ignorant as well. Tama should never have left the house. He had been told the birth would take hours yet so he decided to quickly tend to the animals. He had been in the barn when Kelay breathed her last. Sensing something amiss, Tama hurried back to Kelay’s room only to catch the midwife packing her wares and hastening out the door, his father wailing that he had lost his precious daughter, and a baby crying heartily on the bed next to a lifeless Kelay.

To think, even carrying a crown prince couldn’t save her.

Yes, that was the story Kelay had told them. She had been impregnated by a king. But no one other than their father had truly believed her.

Kelay wanted out of Beourn Hilman’s house. Beourn was their abusive, gluttoness, lazy, angry father. Her only hope? Find a husband. Once she reached of age, she began her search. However, in Elven Port, there were no great opportunities for the likes of the Hilman family. Those with money had options. But with no possible dowry, Kelay had few prospects. So, unfortunately, she chose to frequent the ale houses, carousing with the sailors, pirates, and ruffians. Tama knew Kelay obviously did far more than just drink with them, though. Sometimes she didn’t come home for days. So how she knew her offspring had royal blood, Tama had no clue. But Beourn argued women were mysterious in that respect, so at least he would not question it.

She had been so happy, making her plans to travel to Castle Blade Rain to tell the king herself. But only after the baby was born. To be sure, she had said. To be certain.

Their father, too, had beamed as Kelay’s belly grew round and heavy. He will be a big baby, he boasted to her at least once a day, giving Kelay any of the extra food, encouraging her to eat heartily. He will be a boy the king will be proud of.

Aye, father, he will indeed.

Why do you have to wait, Kelay? Tama had asked her early on. You have certainly told enough people already you carry this prince, have you not? Why not travel to the castle and tell the king now?

You fool, Tama! How will he believe he is the father before the child is born? I need to wait to reveal the baby’s eyes. That will be the proof.

The eyes?

Oh yes! King Diagus’s eyes are the bluest blue I have ever seen. Surely the baby will have them and no one will question his birthright—or mine.

Tama had scoffed at that. How is it you are so certain the baby is a boy in the first place and what possible birthright could you claim, Kelay?

Women’s intuition, my brother. And my birthright comes from the fact I am the child’s mother, of course! The rumors are the mighty King of Blade Rain must marry to produce an heir but takes no woman to his bed. Fate may have it that he is waiting for me. Once he sees the baby, he will make me his queen, you wait and see.

Tama had doubted that particular scenario of Kelay’s intuition, where the king would marry her. But the part about the baby being a boy and having amazing blue eyes had both been true. If the king had eyes this color, then even Tama would have to believe Kelay’s story of how she became pregnant, however sordid.

Tama was now sad, though, that even he had a bit of that woman’s intuition. His doubt had also been true. Kelay would not be marrying the King. It broke Tama’s heart that the big strapping baby, who cried out in a strong voice right from the start, unfortunately was calling for a mother who would never come.

He smiled when he heard the baby’s wails even before he arrived back to the front door of the cottage where they all lived. He was most likely hungry again, and Tama almost ached from missing him in his arms.

There had been a nursemaid called in by a caring neighbor to help with the feedings directly after Kelay’s death. But, unfortunately, the kind lady did not have enough milk to feed both her son and Kelay’s hungry boy so another had to be located. In the meantime, Tama had fashioned a bottle of sorts out of a wineskin, allowing for the baby to suck cow’s milk from it. The child had become content immediately, cuddling into Tama’s chest, slurping loudly as he took nourishment. Tama knew in that moment, he loved the small child as if he were his own. Even rejoicing silently that a new nursemaid had yet to be found.

Tama entered the small house and went immediately to the cold storage where the cow’s milk was being kept and filled the makeshift bottle. He then went to the cradle where the baby fussed from and picked him up, the boy quieting immediately. He glanced at his father who was sitting by himself and staring into the fire in the hearth, saying nothing, not even acknowledging Tama’s return.

Tama sighed. Ever since Kelay had announced she was pregnant with a king’s baby and her assurance they were all soon to become royalty and move to the palace, he had no time for Tama other than to shout out the endless chores needing to be done and to beat him for his slowness to finish them all at once. Day after week after month, he endured his father’s irrational behavior while his sister enjoyed lazy days, additional blankets, and surplus food when there was any. Even to the point of Tama going hungry if he was late to the table due to any number of delays, which his father often made sure of.

He loved his sister but was dismayed at her willingness to