Millissa Read online

  She swallowed and nodded.

  He leaned forward, indicating for her to do the same. When his lips were close to her ear, he whispered. “How long do you think it will be before the imp betrays you and tells the King you lied about the boon? I don’t know what you did to gain its loyalty, but I’ve seen these ‘deals’ backfire many times.”

  Millissa’s eyes widened. “How do you—”

  “There’s no marking on your wrist, which tells me you must have given the imp something valuable for making that gold.” His gaze bore into hers. “And now you’ve concocted a story to keep your virtue.”

  She parted her lips, trying to form a lie, but nothing came out.

  “I won’t spill your secrets, girl. But you will do me, Autumn, and the United Kingdom of Seven a favor.”

  Millissa glanced around the room to see if the servants were listening in, but they were all chatting among themselves. “What do you want?”

  “We suspect the Soldiers of Fortune are ogre infiltrators.” Before Millissa could respond, he added. “Half-ogre or quarter-ogre. Human enough to fit into polite society. This scourge, including their usurper leader, needs to be cleansed from our lands. Now that we have the offspring of King October, we have a figurehead for a coup.”

  “Oh…” She wanted to tell the General that Donkeyskin, King October’s legitimate granddaughter was a more suitable candidate, but stopped herself. She would wait until she got the girl’s permission before bringing her up in conversation.

  “Are you interested?”

  The door slammed open, and King Donovan stomped into the room. “The blasted creature has sealed the stairs!”

  “So it has a measure of self-preservation,” mused the General. “Perhaps we can approach this problem from a different end.”

  “What do you mean?” The King’s voice was breathy.

  “Your bride is how old?”

  “Answer him!” yelled King Donovan.

  Millissa licked her dry lips. “Eighteen, sir.”

  “With the right training, she may be able to break the boon herself.”

  King Donovan’s eyes lit up, and he gazed at Millissa with a lascivious smile. “How long will that take?”

  General Cazador shrugged. “It’s a time-consuming process. She’d have to complete all three terms of training at the Academy—”

  “Yes, yes. How long, man?” The King grabbed Millissa’s hand, rubbing his greasy thumb along her skin.

  “Upwards of two years. Perhaps three.”

  King Donovan sagged and waved his hand. “Take her.”

  Millissa’s eyes widened. “When will I be going?”

  “Now,” said both men.

  General Cazador stood, gave a shallow bow and held his arm out for Millissa. “Your Majesty?”

  Millissa turned to her new husband, who gave her an eager nod. “The sooner you return, the sooner you can perform your duties as my wife.”

  She suppressed a shudder and stood. King Donovan continued his conversation with the other advisors, and Millissa left the tavern room with the General. The moment the door closed, she said, “I need to pack and say my goodbyes.”

  He nodded. “I will be waiting in my carriage.”

  After instructing a servant to pack a few essential items from her half-sister’s bedroom, Millissa visited the dungeons. An overpowering tang of urine drowned out most of the other smells, but underneath lingered the cloying smell of decay. Like the storeroom which now held the spun gold, the dungeons were made of stone, and were equally cold.

  Father rushed to the window of his door. A relieved smile stretched across his haggard face. “Millissa! I knew you’d come for me.”

  “Actually, I’m here to say goodbye.”

  His expression fell, and his hollow, stubbled cheeks hung limp. “What?”

  “I’ll be in Metropole for the next few years.”

  “But what about me?” spittle flew from his lips.

  “Most likely you’ll stay down here and suffer.”

  “How could you be so cruel?” he sobbed. “After everything I’ve done for you.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I remember saying those exact words to you when you forced me to marry King Donovan. Do you remember what you told me?”

  He bowed his head. “You know what the drink does to me, my love.”

  “Yes, it’s served as an excuse to take out all your anger on me. I hope that during your stay, you’ll feel some of the agony you dished out on Mother. And if you die before my return, you should know you are a failure as a husband, a father, and a man.” She spun on her heel and walked down the hallway, not taking a backward glance, not taking heed of Father’s sobbing entreaties for her to come back.

  Millissa returned to the old palace, but Donkeyskin had gone. She walked across the dusty hallways and up and down the stairs, shouting the girl’s name.

  “She left,” said a voice from behind.

  Millissa spun and came face-to-face with the imp’s quicksilver gaze.

  “Oh. Do you know where?”

  It shrugged. “I could tell you, but you’d have to make a boon.”

  “Right.” She glanced away. “I’m leaving for Metropole.”

  “Yes, I heard. And while that General was wrong about my nature, I do approve of you staging a coup.”

  Millissa gaped at the imp. “I thought you would kill the King yourself.”

  “Death is too good for him.” The creature bared its teeth. “No, I will torment him until he’s lost everything, and only then will I kill him.”

  Swallowing, Millissa nodded.

  “Goodbye, then,” it said.

  “Bye.” Millissa ran out of the palace, across the leaf-strewn gardens and to the new courtyard. Her heart thudded hard in her chest, and she was glad to be leaving such a wretched place. With the General’s help, she would be able to depose her tyrant husband. It was a morbid thought, but she hoped the imp would kill the King sooner rather than later.

  Although her enrollment at the Academy was a mere ruse for Millissa to muster support within the capital to overthrow King Donovan and his soldiers of fortune, she hoped to make a few friends and have some fun. These were luxuries Father had denied her. But she knew one thing for sure: she had to maintain the falsehood that she was under a boon, lest word got back to King Donovan and he demanded her return to his bed.

  MILLISSA’S STORY CONTINUES IN THE ACADEMY

  Also by Cordelia Castel

  Cendrilla: Book One of The Perrault Chronicles

  As the clock ticks closer to midnight, can Cendrilla escape her enemies and put an end to the chaos?

  Cendrilla Perrault isn't much of a catch. She’s not elegant, graceful, charming or hospitable and she's stuck in a life of serving her stepsisters and emotionally abusive “mother.” Cendrilla can't wait to come of age and inherit her beloved mansion - and finally make her own choices.

  However, Mother has a different plan. After striking up a betrothal with serial wife-killer, Lord Bluebeard, Cendrilla makes a run for her life.

  She navigates the United Kingdom of Seven with her new companion, Jack, and encounters the enchantment and danger of magic. With Lord Bluebeard’s henchmen on their heels, they must brave the elements and a myriad of hostile inhabitants to find sanctuary within the capital’s high walls.

  Cendrilla is a re-imagination of the classic Cinderella story. It blends fairytales, mythology, and centuries-old folklore into an adventure that turns every damsel-in-distress legend on its head.

  www.cordeliacastel.com

  Mother’s Misfortune

  Candide Perrault thinks she's committed the perfect crime: selling her step-daughter to an ogre and stealing the girl's mansion.

  But when the girl runs away, and the village busybodies gossip about her treachery, Candide finds herself being investigated by constables and chased out of town by an irate ogre.

  Anyone who ever wished the wicked stepmother got her comeuppance will love M
other's Misfortune.

  Free Bonus Story:

  www.CordeliaCastel.com/misfortune

  The Academy: Book Two of The Perrault Chronicles

  So much for the ball. Cendrilla has more pressing issues now.

  When Rilla rescues the Crown Prince from a abduction by of trolls, she thinks taking up his invitation to the prestigious Academy will be the perfect way to escape her betrothal to serial wife-killer, Lord Bluebeard.

  Instead, she ends up bullied for being an ex-servant with ideas above her station and hiding magic powers that can get her executed.

  And when a not-so-secret assassin makes Rilla their target, she finds herself failing the Academy and falling back into Lord Bluebeard’s clutches.

  This fast-paced tale will have you hooked, as it hurtles around each twist and turn in a curious backdrop of vindictive Princesses, cunning beasts and one very handsome Prince.

  www.cordeliacastel.com

  Millissa

  Magic will be her savior. Or her downfall.

  Born into a world as cunning as it is magical, one brave young woman must navigate the court of a deranged usurper King and uncover the truth behind its tangled, horrible past.

  To save herself from hanging, she must risk summoning illegal magic into her dungeon cell to fulfill the King’s staggering request: spin straw into gold—or die.

  With the help of an imp and a mysterious girl, Millissa must unravel the history behind the King’s terrible curse and the bonds that tie her to Autumn’s ultimate fate.

  The truth will either set them free or bind them to their doom. Secrets and lies swirl about the court as a magical storm brews, threatening to uproot the monarchy, a marriage, and the miller’s daughter.

  www.cordeliacastel.com

  The Witches: Book Three of The Perrault Chronicles

  There is no rest for the wicked, nor the brave.

  Hot on the heels of a band of trolls, Rilla finds herself the only hope of a kingdom fractured by fear and ambition. Having previously saved a group of women from the bowels of the Academy, Rilla is shocked to find they’ve been kidnapped by trolls.

  With a less-than-stellar team beside her, Rilla must pick up the slack and the trail before a terrible fate befalls the women. Over mountains, across forests, and into the depths of the dreaded dragon tunnel, Rilla and her motley crew will face more than just the forces of evil that plague the Kingdoms.

  Cowardice, disloyalty, and resentment make for powerful enemies, and terrible allies, in a world where anything can happen— and often does.

  Armed with just her wits, and a powerful yet completely illegal brand of magic, Rilla has little time, and little help, in her quest to save the lives of others. For in the outlands of the United Kingdom of Seven, danger and deceit rule the day. You never know who you will meet— or who you can trust.

  www.cordeliacastel.com

  Beastly Bride

  The fate of the United Kingdom of Seven rests on the lips of Princess Freida.

  Prince Alek has been turned into a frog and needs a kiss from his betrothed to turn him back.

  Too bad Freida's a spoiled, selfish sociopath who won’t kiss an ugly old frog. She has her twisted heart set on the prince's younger and more attractive brother.

  But when Freida has to choose between kissing a frog or banishment, she gambles everything on a plan so dastardly, so insane, she will either get her happy ever after or be executed for treason.

  If you like scheming princesses, broken betrothals and twisted takes on classic fairy tales you'll love Beastly Bride.

  www.cordeliacastel.com

  About the Author

  Cordelia Castel is the author of The Perrault Chronicles, a YA fantasy series where all the fairy tales are happening at once. When she's not trying to redeem Lord Bluebeard, she's relaxing in her London residence with a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea.

  How to connect with Cordelia:

  www.CordeliaCastel.com

  [email protected]