Alive (The Veiled World Book 1) Read online

  Amber wrapped her arm around my neck, positioned herself behind me and told me to float on my back, which, after trying several times, I did. Salt water stung the inside of my nose, and not to mention my as yet unhealed wounds from the salting the guards had given me.

  “Stay calm, everything will be okay. You’ll stay afloat and I’ll swim with one arm and get us to shore,” she said between breaths.

  Breathing in and out, I willed my heart to settle into a steady rhythm, but it was difficult to do when visions of my brother’s still, pale face slipping below the surface of the river he’d drowned in kept appearing inside my head.

  “You’re doing great,” she shouted, her teeth chattering against my cheek.

  The aeroplane was getting smaller. She was doing a good job, we were already several metres away from the plane.

  “I need to get…one of those bronze medallion things,” I spluttered. She shushed me for distracting her.

  A couple of minutes later she said, “I can touch the ground with my feet, but only if I put my head under. Soon you should be able to stand.”

  I heard shouting from the shore and twisted around to see.

  “What’s he on about?”

  Amber stopped swimming and I clawed at her arm again only to see Jacob waving his hands about, shouting at us and pointing at something behind us.

  “What?” I shouted, and at that time realised that I could, in fact, stand. I took hold of Amber’s shoulders and set her on her feet.

  He was saying…oh shit, he was screaming, “Crocodile!”

  “Get out of the water!” Jacob shouted. Two guards were with him, waving at us, but I knew they wouldn’t get into the water because they couldn’t swim either. Not many from the kingdom could.

  Amber screamed and raised her knife, her eyes frantically searching the water.

  I turned just in time to see the crocodile’s head disappear beneath the water. It surged forward, creating an arrow shape in the water, an arrow that was pointing right at us.

  “Get to shore!” I shouted at her, relieved to finally be able to assist her in some way. I flipped my knife out just as the beast grazed my belly and continued towards Amber. She couldn’t die. There was no way she was going to die today. Not after surviving the Change.

  There was nothing else to do but lunge at it and stab at it with my knife. The creature thrashed beneath me, bowling me over when my knife finally struck through its tough exterior to spear flesh. The knife slipped out of my grasp, it was so deep in the beast’s flesh.

  “No!” I shouted as Jacob dragged me away. I couldn’t leave my grandfather’s knife behind.

  I shook him free and threw myself at the shore, my hands seizing hold of the knife and yanking it free. The crocodile snapped at me, and I rolled out of the way, saving my face by an inch. The lifesaving device I wore burst against the blade and deflated almost instantly. The sound seemed to have frightened the creature because though it snapped its jaw once more, it then sank back into the water until its body, then its head, and finally, its beady eyes, disappeared beneath the surface.

  Two shadows loomed over me and when I shielded my eyes with a hand and looked up, the two guards stood smirking down at me. Heaven forbid they thank me for saving a prized challenger.

  “You’re welcome,” I said, folding my blade away and tucking it into my sopping wet pocket.

  They continued to smirk.

  “You’re needed for the preparations. The feast is about to begin.”

  Chapter 9

  Amber

  “Thanks,” I said to Axel as he was dragged away by one of the guards.

  He didn’t acknowledge me, but simply stared ahead, his fists bunched up, his shoulders hunched forward as the man who gripped his arm yanked him forward so roughly that he stumbled more than twice. Their rough treatment of him was puzzling. For someone who was supposedly so loved by the king, he certainly wasn’t treated like it.

  “You okay?” Jacob asked.

  Before I got a chance to open my mouth, one of the guards interrupted.

  “We must get moving. You two are to dress appropriately and be ready for the feast. The others have already rested, washed, and dressed, and are now seated.”

  Okay, so we nearly just drowned. But still, I followed the guard, Jacob close to my side. I couldn’t wait to get out of this sopping wet and completely uncomfortable dress.

  The guard called something out, a word my ears didn’t quite catch, and the wall slid open to allow us through and then slid shut, sealing us inside something that could only be described as the secret garden from the book The Secret Garden. I spun around several times, my eyes drinking in the coloured roses that grew like vines over the fountains, the walls, up tree trunks and the side of the glass castle, twining around the gold gilded balconies as though the vines had always been there. The Change both fascinated me and proved to me that what Axel had said about his place was very real.

  After passing a group of curious observers, mostly middle aged women and a few old men, we were taken into the castle through a thin glass door. It was here they decided to separate us.

  “No. I want to stay with him,” I said, shifting to stand beside Jacob when one of the men tried to seize hold of my arm.

  The guard raised his brows and mumbled something to his friend, who laughed and raised brows at us both. Jacob’s cheeks reddened.

  “There will be separate rooms for boys and girls. It’s not appropriate for you to undress in front of the boy.”

  “Even if he is your lover,” added the other guard, before the two laughed.

  Jacob’s cheeks turned so red he looked ready to explode, however he said nothing and stared at his feet. My own cheeks burned with contained rage. I put my hands on my hips.

  “You know, we’re in a strange land here. I don’t know you. I don’t know anyone here. So why would I just leave the side of the one person I know to go off with a strange old man?”

  The guard beside Jacob laughed. “I like this one,” he said, grinning at me. Even the guard I’d insulted grinned and nodded. He slapped the back of Jacob hard, so that he stumbled forward a little, and laughed again.

  “Not to worry, young lady. Gerald here will bring your beau back to you as soon as you’re both properly attired. Trust me.”

  Trust. It was something I was going to have to get used to.

  “He’s not my beau, he’s my…” I hesitated and Jacob looked up, his dark eyes curious. “He’s my…my friend.” My face flushed with heat but Jacob nodded, and in that nod I received the first confirmation that I finally had a friend. My first confirmed friend since Sam died. If Noah continued to be friendly towards me, then perhaps I had two. I exhaled a long held breath and looked away.

  “Let’s go,” I said to the guard, my voice embarrassingly hoarse. He led me to a grand set of golden stairs that wound their way up towards the seemingly never-ending ceiling. It took a couple of minutes to reach the second to last floor.

  My room was stone-walled, thank God, apart from the outside facing wall which was made entirely out of glass—a floor-to-ceiling window really. I’d been worried that the entire building would be made of glass inside and out, but, thankfully, solid stone separated the rooms and made for some privacy. And because I was so high up, there was no chance anybody would see me get undressed through the window.

  The room was tastefully decorated in what I could only describe as a weird mixture of styles and period pieces that somehow worked when together. Running my fingertips across the smooth white surface of the dressing table, I guessed marble or perhaps ivory. Hopefully marble. The rugs appeared ancient and exotic with vivid red patterns and golden fringes, but they were in such great condition it was hard to believe they were very old. A chandelier brought a warm glow to the room, casting glittering rays of light across the walls. And the bed, the bed was so soft, that when I sat down on it, I couldn’t resist stretching out onto my back.

  I yawned. Though it was ri
diculously comfortable and I hadn’t slept in who knew how many hours, if I stayed here, I’d be asleep in about two minutes. So I forced myself up and moved towards the window to catch the setting sun as it disappeared below the horizon. The floor-to-ceiling view made my breath catch and my heart stutter. Breathtaking and heart stopping all at once.

  Not just the ocean, but the distant sloping hills and jagged mountains that stretched out until there was only darkness, and, perhaps, The Land of Resting Souls.

  If it is real, and not some crazy dream, then I’m coming for you, Sam.

  “I’ll return in fifteen minutes. That should be sufficient time to wash and dry.”

  I jumped. Wait. He’d been standing there the whole time? Goosebumps prickled my skin but I rubbed them away and nodded.

  My hair was almost dry already. But my clothes were damp with sweat. I wondered if it was this warm in the evenings here, how hot would it get during the day?

  On a long, narrow wooden table the opposite side of the room, sat a basin of water in front of a large, gold framed mirror. At the other end of the wooden table stood a full crystal carafe of what smelled like sweet white wine, a bowl of bananas, and a bar of soap, along with various hair brushes, combs, ribbons, and hair lackeys. When I spied a pair of scissors, an idea formed. If I was going to take this “journey” seriously and come face to face with mortal danger, then I wanted to be as prepared and warrior-like as possible. There would be no ribbons or fussiness for me.

  I caught my reflexion in the mirror and stared hard at my long, white gold hair, slightly curly from the seawater.

  It had to go.

  Before I could stop myself, I seized a handful of hair and began to hack at it with the heavy scissors. My hair fell down in golden spirals. The blades were sharp, which made the job easier. So easy that within minutes I stood with piles of white gold hair at my feet and a new hairdo.

  I sucked in a deep breath and stared at the new me in the mirror.

  My hair finished just below my ears, with shorter parts at the top and near my fringe. Not boy-short, but not a bob either. The natural wave in my hair made it curve around my temples and ears in a way that I didn’t mind. If I wasn’t so tall, I’d resemble a pixie or an elf.

  I quickly washed myself with the scented soap and water, dried off with the provided towel, and scanned the room for a wardrobe. There wasn’t one, but a white dress had been hung on the back of the bedroom door. It appeared to be made out of lace, yet the material felt soft, not scratchy, when I pressed it against my body. It seemed a little small, but when I slipped it on over my head and yanked it down, it fit perfectly at my bust and my waist. However it was short. So short that it practically revealed my legs from heel to butt.

  Frantically I searched the drawers for pants, but found nothing. Great. I thought longingly of my shorts and pants in my suitcase, but they were probably making a nice bed for the crocs at the bottom of the ocean.

  I slipped on the sandals left for me beside my bed, grateful that they fit even if they were a tiny bit tight, and extra grateful that they weren’t heels. It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart to know that the pink heels Bruce’s stylist had made me wear whilst boarding the plane were a thing of the past.

  A loud knock came at my door.

  “What a pretty picture you make.” The same guard had returned. He stood in the doorway grinning. “If that boy isn’t your beau yet, then he certainly will offer to be after he lays eyes on you in that dress.” He narrowed his gaze. “Did you change your hair?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and let myself out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

  “Next time, please knock and wait for me to say so before you barge in like that.”

  Jacob met me, with the guard named Gerald in tow, at the top of the stairs. Jacob was dressed in a suit that appeared on the tight side. Nevertheless it was flattering. The dark blue showed off the glow of his naturally tanned skin and the slim fit of the material accentuated his muscles. His eyes flitted over me, perhaps staying a little too long on my legs and then on my hair, but he said nothing.

  “Let’s go join the others,” I said to fill the awkward silence, but the awkwardness soared to even greater heights when Jacob remained silent. Gerald nudged my guard and he laughed. God, they were annoying.

  When we reached the ground floor the guards led us into an enormous ballroom where a long table at the room’s centre sat laden with brilliantly coloured food along with several crystal carafes of red and white wine and water. Seated on each side of the table were all of the Red Gum students, along with Bruce, Prince Ollie, and the king.

  As I moved closer to the table, unsure of where to sit, I caught Prince Ollie gazing into Bella’s eyes, his chin resting in his cupped hands.

  “Go on, please do go on,” he said, and she giggled, as did Claire, who was seated beside her.

  Everyone seemed to be engrossed in conversation, that is, until they caught sight of Jacob and me. At first I thought it was because of how great Jacob looked in his suit, but then my skin prickled with the uneasy sensation of having all eyes in the room on me.

  Noah stood up, breaking the silence. “Wow, Amber! Your hair! You look like Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief…but taller, much, much taller.”

  Prince Ollie left his seat in a creepy kind of way that made it seem like his eyes were leading the rest of his body. He took my hand in his own and gazed up at me, his dark eyes glittering. “That hair is a masterpiece. Did you cut it yourself?”

  I looked around, desperate for an empty seat at the opposite end of the table.

  “She looks even more like a man now,” said Bella, snickering behind her hand. Claire joined her. I didn’t know why this hurt. I shouldn’t expect anything less.

  “Come. You must sit with me, sweetheart.”

  “You.” He nodded at Bella and made a flicking motion with his index finger. She frowned but stood up, and a waiting guard seated her at the far end of the table, the seat beside the one Jacob had just sat in. Noah was on his other side. If only that was my seat.

  Sighing, I sat down, my cheeks still warm from Prince Ollie’s comments. At this rate, if he said anything else, I was going to turn into a tomato by the end of the night.

  “Food!” he snapped to a small, old woman who stood waiting nearby, a starched apron that glowed with whiteness tied around her narrow waist.

  My stomach grumbled at the mention of food.

  “No, I’ll get it myself,” I said, and stood, reaching for a ladle of a creamy liquid that looked and smelt like soup.

  Ollie slapped my wrist. “Sit down at once and wait to be served. That’s what servants are for.”

  A shriek of laughter came from the other end of the table. It sounded like Bella, but I was too busy glaring at Ollie to bother with her. Did he seriously just slap my wrist?

  From out the corner of my eye I saw Claire cover her mouth and snicker. “Sorry, but it was kind of funny.”

  “I can’t let such a beautiful butterfly extend herself. That’s what servants are here for,” said Ollie, who was now standing and guiding me back into my seat with his damp, limp hands. At his touch a horrible shiver coursed through my body and Ollie removed his hands and sat back down, thank God.

  The old lady shuffled over to the corner of the table. Years of respect for my elders, ingrained into me by my parents, made it almost torturous to watch this poor woman bend over the table awkwardly and ladle soup into my gold edged china bowl with a trembling hand.

  “Thank you, this looks great,” I said, smiling up at her. She smiled back, revealing several missing teeth, before returning to her corner.

  “Wine!” said Prince Ollie, rolling his eyes and glaring at the old woman.

  “I’ll pour the wine myself,” I said, and got to the carafe before the old woman did and started pouring. When Ollie twisted in his seat I glared at him and said, “Slap me again and I’ll slap your face into next week.” Then I fell into my chair, took a s
ip of my wine, my face steaming hot from my outburst, and took several deep breaths to calm myself.

  The king must have overheard me, because his robust laughter echoed across the ballroom. Even the guards who stood behind the king snickered behind their hands. As I spooned soup into my mouth, I snuck a glance at Prince Ollie and was surprised to find him sulking like a child, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. But when he caught me looking, heat flushed his cheeks and he glared across the table at the smirking guards who stood behind the king.

  “Where is the boy? Bring me that fool. He’s had enough time to ready himself.”

  Five minutes later Axel entered the room, his jaw set and his blue eyes dark and stormy. Dirt streaked his face and arms like war paint and the scent of earth and animal that clung to him overpowered even the garlicky scent of the vegetable soup I was eating.

  “Is this the way you should be dressed when you enter the dining hall?” Ollie giggled behind his wine glass before taking a sip. “You stink of dragon’s dung.” He crinkled his nose theatrically. “It’s offensive to the ladies in the room.”

  “Including you?” Axel muttered beneath his breath.

  “Dragons?” Noah shouted from the other end of the table. “Actual dragons?”

  Everyone ignored him. They were too busy watching the exchange between Axel and Ollie.

  “That’s because I have been shovelling dragon shit since I washed up on the shore of the castle, at your orders.”

  Ollie turned to me and smirked. “You obviously didn’t work hard enough or quick enough or else you’d be dressed and ready to serve. Poor old Anya has been doing all your work serving, and you know how frail she is.” Ollie frowned, his bottom lip jutting forward. “I hate working her.”

  The old lady raised her brow and muttered something beneath her breath, something surprisingly filthy for an old woman. My respect for her grew.

  Ollie clicked his fingers at Axel, who was now shooting invisible daggers from his eyes straight at Ollie’s head.

  “Now bring Amber some bread.”