Royal Rebel (Alfheim Academy Read online

  Wait. What?

  “Next month!” I blurted. “I thought I had a pass until I turned eighteen!”

  “You turn eighteen in September.” My grandmother spoke as if I were slightly slow.

  “I know. And next month is June!” I didn’t know what I thought a few months would buy me. Maybe some sanity?

  “Coronations have always been held in conjunction with the summer solstice.” Constance studied her polished fingernails. “It is the time of maximum alignment between the realms, and therefore provides the most synchronous start to a reign.”

  “Yes . . .” I hedged. “But I think if we went with the autumnal equinox, then maybe—”

  “Your coronation will take place on the third Saturday of next month. Invitations to foreign dignitaries will go out next week, after which time we should be able to better approximate our head count.” Constance made a mark on her paper. “Do you have any special requests?”

  “That we bypass the ceremony, and get back to the business of governing,” I muttered.

  Constance swatted the back of my hand.

  “Ow! What was that for?”

  “As queen, you will do many things you prefer not to,” Constance said. “You do them because you love your realm, and its citizens, and more importantly, because being a ruler means living a life of service. And formally welcoming one’s new ruler is an important rite of passage. Accept the hand you’ve been dealt. And move on.”

  Jeez.

  “If you have no requests, I shall tell Eunice to go forward with the organization of your coronation ball. The dance will follow your anointment, and mark the first formal event of your reign.”

  “Oh. About that.” I rubbed my still-stinging hand. “Jande wants to be involved in the planning. I kind of promised him, since I made him miss last year’s Solstice Dance.”

  “We have discussed the importance of doing things a certain way, Aura.” Constance peered down her nose at me. “I have allowed you to insert your friends into our governance, but they are hardly equipped to plan an event this steeped in tradition.”

  “Uh, agree to disagree.” I mirrored Constance’s steepled-finger pose. “Because if there’s one thing Jande knows, it’s how to throw a truly fabulous event. He’s an amazing host. Trust me.”

  Constance’s brows pinched together, but she exhaled slowly and said, “Very well. Tell your friend he may set up a meeting with Eunice. To co-chair the ball.”

  Whew.

  “Look at us.” I grinned. “Compromising. Working together. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

  “I suppose that we have.” A hint of a smile danced across Constance’s face. “Now I suggest you reach out to Vanaheim again, and let their representatives know you will personally be seeing to the security situation. We have much ground to cover in restoring our standing amongst the realms. And you, as I am continually told, are our best chance at a brighter future.”

  No pressure.

  I lifted my teapot and poured a generous serving of hot cocoa into my cup. As the thick, chocolatey goodness slid down my throat, I was grateful for the progress we’d made—albeit slowly—in the past year. Alfheim was improving day by day, our citizens were beginning to regain trust in the government, and so far, Narrik had remained locked in whatever portal he’d jumped through nearly a year ago. The question was . . . what was he up to?

  And how long would it be before he returned?

  Chapter 2

  LATER THAT NIGHT, MY heart filled with pride. Viggo, Elin, Finna and Jande raised their right hands in front of the full cabinet, and swore to uphold the virtues of Alfheim.

  “To honor its values,” they chorused. “To preserve its legacy, and to bring light to all of the realms we are sworn to protect. I will serve my community, my realm, and my queens to the best of my ability, so long as I shall live.”

  My lips parted in a smile as they lowered their hands, and Ella Andriskog turned to the cabinet. “As minister of state, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to Their Majesties’ cabinet. I look forward to many years of dedicated public service at your side.”

  Elin’s grin lit up the entire table. She’d dyed the tips of her hair a vibrant purple to mark the occasion, and as she sat, she leaned over to rap her knuckles against Jande’s.

  “Let’s do this,” Jande said. Elin nodded in agreement.

  When the meeting ended, I hooked my arm through Elin’s, and led her out of the council chambers. “I think this calls for a celebration.”

  “What did you have in mind?” she asked.

  “Dessert,” I said solemnly. “Lots and lots of dessert.”

  “It’s ten o’clock.” Elin shook her head. “The dining hall’s been closed for hours.”

  “Not for the regent.” I waggled my eyebrows. “I’ve got a little something set up for you guys.”

  “Well in that case . . .” Elin grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hallway.

  I glanced over my shoulder to find Viggo standing in the doorway. “Viggo, get a move on. Dessert waits for no man!”

  Viggo turned his head, a bemused grin lighting up his angular features. “Tell that to Jande. He’s talking the outgoing science minister’s ear off about . . . something involving crystals, I think.”

  “I’ll take care of this,” Finna offered. She’d been walking our way, but now headed back into the chamber. She emerged a minute later, Jande’s elbow hooked firmly around hers. “I know you’re excited, Jande, but you need to let the poor man retire in peace!”

  “I was going over important ministerial work,” Jande huffed.

  “Yes, and that work will still be there in the morning. After poor Minister Fredag gets some sleep. He looked exhausted!”

  “Is that why you dragged me out of there?” Jande scowled. “So Minister Fredag could rest?”

  “Yes,” Finna said frankly. “Also, Elin wants dessert.”

  Jande’s eyes lit up. “We get dessert?”

  “If you get your butt back to the academy before eleven, then yes.” I shook my head. “I may be co-queen, but I’m powerless when it comes to curfew.”

  “You should have said that in the first place.” Jande picked up his pace. “What are you all waiting for?”

  “You!” Finna rolled her eyes.

  “Pshaw.” Jande charged down the hallway, and was the first into the waiting carriage. When we were all inside, it ferried us back to the academy where, as promised, a sugary buffet awaited us at a window-side table in the great hall.

  “Mmm.” Elin moaned as she sank her teeth into an éclair. “These are so good.”

  “You’re telling me.” Finna helped herself to a second cupcake.

  “But the mousse,” Jande groaned.

  I nudged Viggo with my elbow. “Which one’s your favorite?”

  “Hard to say.” He placed a strawberry tart on my plate before helping himself to its lingonberry counterpart. “But I’m pretty impressed you convinced the cooks to do all of this after-hours. I can’t even get them to make me a smoothie before my morning workout.”

  “That’s because you exercise at zero dark thirty—Chef Niko is still asleep.” I reached up to tweak one of Viggo’s inky, black waves.

  “I’m your minister of defense now. Gotta make sure my queen’s well protected.” Viggo grasped my wrist and brought it to his mouth. His lips brushed the sensitive skin on the bottom of my wrist, and a shiver shot straight up my arm. Yum.

  “You two need a room? And if so, can I eat that?” Jande pointed to the untouched tarts on our plates.

  “Leave them alone.” Finna swatted her friend. “They haven’t had a moment’s peace since we all got appointed.”

  “And we’re not about to have many more.” I reluctantly removed my wrist from Viggo’s lips, and turned to our friends. “Vanaheim asked us to help them with a security issue. Viggo, you and I are going to have to take a quick trip off-realm to investigate another specter issue.”

  “Specter?”
Viggo’s brows furrowed together.

  “The shadow that appeared last year—the one that caused all that trouble in their realm? It’s back. And Crown Princess Idris thinks it’s out for both of our realms. We need to head to Vanaheim to try and track down the source, and hopefully, imprison it.”

  “Isn’t Maja coming this week?” Viggo asked. “Think she can help us out?”

  Viggo’s dark faerie cousin had abilities the rest of us didn’t. With her ability to control both light and dark energy, she was in a unique position to read intentions and discern potential outcomes. Plus, she was a major badass who got skit done.

  “I’m sure she can,” I confirmed. “We’ll head off-realm this weekend—and, Frigga willing, be back with time to study up before finals start. In the meantime, Finna and Jande, Idris wants to talk to you about your resonance . . . thing.”

  “The resonance code?” Jande tilted his head. “Why?”

  “The specter’s managed to breach Vanaheim’s security,” I confided. “They’re using a straight retinal scan as a keycode, which is good but not breach-proof. I remember you said the resonance code had potential security implementations. Think it could help Idris?”

  “Definitely,” Finna confirmed. “It’s a significantly more secure system than a simple scan.”

  “Good. I’ll message Idris and tell her you’ll be in touch in the morning. She’ll probably want you to draft some kind of briefing—if it’s too much with your exam prep, I’ll tell her—”

  “We can handle it,” Finna said confidently. “We’re your ministers of science now—we’re going to do everything we can to help Alfheim’s allies. ”

  “You guys are the best,” I said gratefully. “Now, eat up. We’re in for a crazy month between work and exams and graduation and my coronation—"

  “Your coronation?” Viggo glanced down at me. “I thought that wasn’t until September.”

  “Apparently it’s in June,” I muttered. “Not that Constance asked what I wanted.”

  “Can I—”

  “Yes, Jande.” I raised my hand. “You get to co-chair the coronation ball.”

  “Yes!” Jande fist-pumped the air.

  As my friends turned their attention to their desserts, Viggo leaned over to whisper in my ear. “You okay with all of this?”

  “Not really,” I said honestly. “But like I said, Constance wasn’t exactly asking for opinions.”

  “I’m sorry this is all coming at you so fast.” Viggo’s fingertips grazed the back of my hand. “Let me know what you need from me.”

  “Thanks.” I turned my hand upward and laced my fingers through his. “I really appreciate it.”

  He squeezed my palm lightly, then reached for my plate. “You going to eat that?”

  “Hey.” I batted his hand away. “Get your own dessert.”

  With a laugh, Viggo tossed his lingonberry tart into his mouth, then took two more from the platter. We eased into relaxed banter with our friends, enjoying the rare night off from our duties. Soon enough, we’d be buried in work and studies and responsibilities and stress.

  Again.

  “Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence.” The next day, the nasally voice of the girl I’d learned to loathe—again—assaulted my ears. Britney “Bitch Face” Blomgren had emerged from her coma completely unchanged. When she’d been knocked out in our battle with my dark elf uncle, Dragen, I’d asked the healers to administer extra doses of light. She’d been horrible before the incident, but I was positive she’d awake a changed girl, with nothing but gratitude for her new lease on life.

  Shows what I know.

  These days, Britney and her Styra friends dedicated their free time to planning our graduation party. And, so far as I could tell, to ensuring these last few days of school were as miserable as possible for everyone outside of their social circle. Most of the time, my friends and I just ignored them. We sat at opposite ends of the dining room, and since none of us were in the Styra program, we usually managed to steer clear of the mean girl mafia. But once a week, we all had to sit through the same Keys class. It was supposed to be preparing us for the roles we’d be taking on after graduation, but since Britney sat directly in front of me, all it did was give me a massive headache.

  No matter what realm you lived on, high school was Helheim.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was in a meeting. A confidential meeting.” I ignored Britney’s eye roll as I slid into my seat, and pulled my notebook from my bag. Then, I hastily copied today’s lecture topic from the smartboard at the front of the room.

  Alfheim: Our future.

  Gulp.

  Elin reached over from where she’d slid into her own seat across the aisle, and squeezed my shoulder. “Ignore Britney. She’s worse than usual today.”

  “You have a problem with me, Musa?” Britney leaned forward.

  “None that couldn’t be solved by you taking a long walk off a short pier.” Elin shrugged.

  A low growl ripped from Britney’s throat, but before she could hurtle what was sure to be a dim-witted insult, our teacher entered the room. Britney slouched back in her chair with a disappointed frown, and I tried to hide my annoyance.

  Two more weeks. Two more weeks until I graduated. Then I’d be rid of Britney once and for all. I could handle anything for two weeks. Couldn’t I?

  “Welcome, ladies and Viggo.” Elin’s mom, Larkin, taught our Keys class. She’d been responsible for our Alfheim classes back on Midgard, so I was used to her style. Plus, she didn’t tolerate any of Britney’s B.S.—a fact that endeared her to me even more. “Let’s get right into it today. It’s been a year of tremendous upheaval for the realm, and as Keys, Alfheim will look to you to continue to steer us on a steady course. I’d like for you to identify four main areas of change, and examine what you, as Keys, can do to guide the realm in an upward direction. Any ideas?”

  Sela raised her hand. “Our ecosystems. They suffered extensively during Minister Narrik’s tenure. He stripped resources and drove multiple areas to uninhabitable status.”

  “Correct.” Larkin wrote environment on the board. “And what can we do to counteract that?”

  One of my Empati classmates raised her hand.

  “Yes, Vira?”

  “The restoration teams have been working for nearly a year with great success,” Vira began. “Pairs of Empati and Elementar have successfully brought three regions back from uninhabitable to endangered, and they’re well on their way to restoring them fully. Continual support of these teams, and the departments that run them, will provide consistent, result-oriented impact.”

  “Nice.” Larkin noted restoration team—support on the board. “Who can name another area of change? Kyler?”

  The crimson-haired girl to my left twirled her pen. “Academy admissions. The short-lived ban on all non-pure-blooded Alfheimians was lifted during the last senate vote. Next year’s class will be skewed, but moving forward, our school will continue to train a broad group of future leaders.”

  “And with the Alfheim barrier lifted, off-worlders have integrated fairly seamlessly,” Vira added. “Empati evaluate intentions, while welcome teams determine the most advantageous placement for new residents, then help them settle into their lives.”

  “Excellent.” Larkin made her notes on the board. “Two more areas of big change. How about you, Aura? What do you think?”

  Britney turned around to stare at me.

  “Diplomacy, for sure.” I ignored Bitch Face. “We’ve reinstated relationships that fell dormant during our more, uh, trying years.”

  “And how can you, as Keys, use those relationships to continue bettering the realm? Britney, we haven’t heard from you yet.” Larkin wrote diplomacy on the smart board, then walked over to Britney’s desk.

  “We can continue developing relationships. Obviously.” Britney flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder.

  “By working with our foreig
n ministers to identify potential allies, and reaching across borders to implement cultural exchanges.” Elin crossed her arms.

  “Precisely. Well stated.” Larkin scrawled on the board, leaving Britney to transfer her glare from me to my bestie. Typical.

  “And one more area of change . . . Viggo, what do you think?” Larkin asked.

  “Governance.” Viggo’s lips quirked up in a smile. “The regent, her cabinet, and the balance of power within the senate have all completely shifted over the past twelve months.”

  “Correct. And how can we best support this change in governance? Sela?”

  “By striving to uphold the values of new Alfheim as we transition into our posts. Regular check-ins with our aligned cabinet members will keep us abreast of any fast-moving changes, while circling back with the department heads we’re assigned to support will ensure implementation of new policies.”

  “You guys are on fire today.” Larkin turned away from the board. “Your ministers and department heads are going to be in very capable hands.”

  “Excuse me?” Britney tossed her hair. It cascaded over her shoulder like a glossy waterfall. “I haven’t been assigned a minister yet. Or a department head.”

  “Yes, well.” Larkin pressed her lips together. “There seems to be a bit of a . . . setback with your assignment.”

  Don’t laugh, Aura. Do. Not. Laugh.

  My hand flew to my face to disguise my smile. Signy had told me all about Britney’s ‘setback.’ It seemed that in spite of her being a Key, and medically cleared to resume both studies and work, none of the ministers wanted her. Apparently, being unapologetically awful did not grant one many job prospects.

  Snort.

  “I’m sure the matter will be resolved shortly. In the meantime, I want each of you to write an action plan pertaining to your assigned discipline. Explain how your studies here at the academy have prepared you to assist in your unique roles as Keys, and make sure your explanation is pertinent to the cabinet member and department head to whom you’ll be reporting. Britney, so that you have a framework for this assignment, you may write as if you were serving under me. Aura, Viggo and Elin, since you hold seats on the cabinet, I want your papers to focus on how your studies have prepared you to best serve the departments that now report to you.”