Chapter 29

Princess Jenifer had escaped the palace.

Well, she liked to believe she had but she knew that while they hadn’t come to drag her back, she was still being followed. She even recognised the ants that were following her. Jenifer thought these guards were really nice and for the past year, they had often been assigned to watch over her.

The ant that she gossiped with quite often had told Jenifer that her guard-sisters called her Cutter and her quieter partner was called Blade. Jenifer learnt that while quiet, Blade had a wicked sense of humour and was most apt at delivering the one-liners that cracked her up the most.

Jenifer’s mission today had been prompted by Cutter’s guard-sisters Scar and Dent. Jenifer hadn’t seen Scar and Dent guarding the gate to the markets for a few months and had asked Cutter where they were. Cutter said that she wasn’t supposed to talk about Scar and Dent’s new assignment, as it was hush-hush.

Jenifer had badgered and cajoled Cutter for several weeks to find out what that mission was. She was surprised when Cutter finally told her that her friends were now working for the wizards. When she had asked, ‘what wizards’, Cutter was reluctant to say more and had tried to correct what she had blurted. She said that the Whites weren’t real wizards’ just powerful mages. Cutter was a crummy liar and Jenifer knew this.

Jenifer wasn’t stupid; she knew that her half-sister, Louise, several of the Lords and her mother planned to have her presented at the ball that was at the end of the year, wearing the magical items of the Queen of the Island. If they truly did have wizards on the island, they would know the truth about the items the moment they saw them.

Jenifer was wearing a two gemmed magical ring that her grandmother gave her before she died nine years before. She had only been twelve at the time. Her twenty years older half-sister, Louise, had been very distressed when she saw Jenifer leave their grandmother’s room wearing the ring.

At the time, Jenifer wasn’t aware that her grandmother had passed the ring on to her before she had died for a very good reason. She had been too upset by her much loved granny passing on only hours after she had been to see her, to understand the angst she had caused through no fault of hers.

It wasn’t until her great-grandmother, the Queen, succumbed to a fever and died four years later that Jenifer learnt that Louise had fully expected to get the ring as a precursor to getting the crown jewels later. The fact that the now dead Queen’s items wouldn’t go to Louise either had caused quite an uproar on the island. Louise had been hysterical when the items failed to work when they were placed on her.

She had screamed in fury and thrown the items across the throne room, narrowly missing several people. The humiliation of being rejected by the magical items had her storming from her coronation celebration. In a towering rage, she had then trashed their great-grandmothers room searching for magical items that worked. Her screaming and demented ranting could be heard all over the palace.

The gossips had a field day and Jenifer learnt firsthand that her sister wasn’t very well liked by the general populous. In the excitement of Louise not being chosen, quite a few people voiced their true opinions, without realising Jenifer, who had faded into the background, was listening with great interest. Jenifer wasn’t offended by the talk because she knew better than most that her sister was a vindictive bitch just like her mother was.

Jennifer often had a hard time believing that she was related to the two women. Her mother’s sour disposition had to do with the fact that she had next to no magical ability at all. She had never worn a magical item. The single-gemmed ring she had been given by her grandfather had not gone to her; it did, however, go to Louise when she turned twenty-one. Hence, they had expected the crown items to go to her when her great-grandmother passed, so this was why Louise had been trained to take over.

In the months and years that followed, Jenifer kept her opinions to herself, as she still had to live with her mother and sister. Both of whom had been very upset for many weeks after the disastrous ball. Even though Louise had not been crowned, she continued the role of Regent, while they waited for Jenifer to come of age.

They doubted the Lords would wait for Louise’s twelve-year-old daughter, Candice to come of age. The fact she had no magical ability was also well known. Louise had Candice tested by the Guild Mage as soon as she realised that she was not going to be Queen. Poor Candice had been banished to the manor at Stinger Point with her father. Jenifer didn’t believe that either of them were unhappy about this development and wished she could have gone with them.

Recently, the duo came up with a new scheme and Jenifer wasn’t really happy that they planned to rule by perfecting a sleight of hand. For a hefty price, a mage had agreed to make the items disappear after they were put on her at her coronation ball. Jenifer was then supposed to toe the line and do what Louise and her mother told her to do. The fact she wore a magical item even if it only a novice ring, meant that she could do some magic.

Jenifer could make it look like the Queen’s Items did work, so she met the criteria to wear the crown better than her sister had. She knew that if she were ever called upon to perform magic at the level, she should be able to do, as if she wore the real items, then the house of cards would tumble. She would be caught between a rock and a hard place.

If she refused to go along with her family and then the general population found out that most of the items were broken and no one could claim them, then her family would all be tossed out on their ears, if not killed or imprisoned. Even worse, it could cause a civil war if the Lords who did have magical items decided to fight over who was going to rule.

Since most of the gentry who ruled the provinces had magical items that were stronger than her ring was, she was sure that a war was going to happen the minute the fraud was exposed; however that happened. She was also aware that some of the Lords knew the items were broken, as they wanted concessions to keep them quiet and to support Louise retaining the regency even if Jenifer sat on the thrown.

The other problem was the ants. Who would they support if things came to a head and war broke out? They weren’t loyal to the royal family; they were loyal to whoever wore the magical items and ruled. Jenifer had been wondering why they hadn’t done anything so far. Neither Cutter nor Blade had an answer for her on this point either; the Ant Queen was keeping very quiet on the subject.

Jenifer had brooded for several weeks over what she was going to do with the information that they did have strong mages who might even be true wizards on the island. Unlike her sister, Jenifer paid attention to any gossip that came from the other islands and had heard rumours of other strong mages appearing in recent times on several of them.

Jenifer didn’t want to see her family hurt, any more than she wanted them using her. She was hoping that she could convince one of the mages to claim the throne and be merciful to her family. She’d even marry one of them if it helped.

She was disposable as far as her family was concerned and as much as she hated the idea of being in a loveless marriage, she knew a princess had little say anyway. Until Louise found out that she couldn’t claim the crown, she and her mother had been planning on finding her a mate on one of the other islands, to form a new alliance.

Both Louise and her mother had been more than happy to get rid of her before they learnt that the magical items were broken.

Princess Jenifer crossed the road into the marketplace.

She had deliberately dressed like a maid and even had a shopping basket. Initially, she wasn’t sure how Cutter and Blade had recognised her to follow her as she had used a glamour to hide her appearance but follow her they did. Her silver-blonde hair, pale pink skin and purple eyes were now all shades of brown. She had also altered her features to look more like a person from the Burgis race.

Jenifer walked through the market and turned down one of the side streets. She waited in a shadow near a big garbage bin for the ant guards to catch up. She then surprised them by saying in a commanding tone, “Cutter, you and Blade are going to help me get to where the White’s live.”

Cutter had been startled when Jenifer appeared out of the shadow behind her. She eyed her young charge warily, “I’m pretty sure our Queen and your family will be very unhappy if we helped you do that Princess Jenifer.”

“Fine, don’t help but you will not hinder me either. Cutter, I can’t see any other way to keep my ungrateful family safe and stop a war from happening. You probably know better than I do that some of the Lords have been stockpiling food and weapons. I know some people think I’m young and stupid and you all try to keep me in the dark but I do have ways of finding out what is going on.”

Blade sniggered, “Yes, we ants know how sneaky you are. Your concealment spells are getting very good. You do, however, need to find a spell to hide your scent better if you wish to hide from us, Princess.”

“I thought that was how you were tracking me; that’s why I hid near this bin. I could see you both searching for me but you couldn’t determine where I was. I’ll remember about the scent for next time. So, now I know how to hide from you, you have two choices, either help me or I go alone and you will have to decide how you are going to explain losing me.”

Blade looked at Cutter and thought, ‘I say we help.’

Blade sighed, ‘I hope they put us in the same cell as Dent and Scar because you know they will help her too, don’t you?’

Cutter nodded. To Jenifer, she said, “We need a Carrier, as it’s a bit too far to walk.”

Jenifer beamed them both a broad smile.

“Hey bro, we got more visitors,” Possum called out to Gazza.

It was Scar who spoke first when the visitors were ushered into the lounge room by Possum. “What are you two reprobates doing here with Princess Jenifer?”

Cutter chuckled and replied, “Hey! We can’t let you and Dent have all the fun and intrigue.”

She then bowed her head at Gazza and Bette and said in a more conciliatory tone, “Wizards Gazza and Bette, I’m sorry but it is my fault that Princess Jenifer wished to come and visit with you. She is in a bit of a bother and I accidentally let it slip that you are not ordinary mages and I may have hinted that you could help her.”

Bette stood and came over to Jenifer. She cocked her head a little and studied the girl. She then turned to Gazza and asked, “Gazza, come touch her for me, please.”

Gazza stood and then moved towards the girl. Jenifer shifted her gaze from the very cute, petite and pale green haired Bette, to the slim man with the short-cut brunette hair and bright blue eyes that stood about ten centimetres taller than she did. When her eyes met his, the world seemed to stop and fade as darkness descended upon her.

When she came to, she was laying on one of the comfortable couches. The tall auburn haired Shifter, who was in male form, was patting her forehead and face with a cold cloth. He smiled at her and she had to smile back, as she found him very cute, even if he was a good thirty-five centimetres taller than she was.