Page 6 of The Rat King
“Hmm,” she said. Her chin lifted, tilting to the side slightly. I imagined she was trying to calculate precisely how long it had been, which meant it had been a while. She finally answered, “Sixteen years.”
“No, seventeen,” Alice corrected, walking back into the room. “She’s the seventeenth one. I counted.”
April’s face knotted up while her eyes moved absently, like she was doing some math in her head. “You’re right. I always forget about Madeline.”
“Who’s Madeline?” I blurted, as alarm bells went off in my mind. She was the seventeenth what? Witch sent here? It couldn’t be. And why was I just now hearing about this? The thought made me more than a little anxious.
The women’s heads snapped toward each other, and their eyes wide as if they said too much. “We really shouldn’t say, Miss. It’s not our place.”
“Well, you can’t exactly give me a teaser like that and then leave me hanging, can you? It’s cruel,” I said, knowing that I was pushing the limit on what I felt was acceptable considering my position. But after what I saw last night and what I’d just heard, I really had to know. I just had to.
“Madeline wasn’t here long. She couldn’t handle it, him, really. None of them could,” April supplied.
“Who?” I demanded.
“The warlock, but you really need to ask His Majesty about this, Miss. He is a gentle man and very tolerant. But I don’t think that he will take kindly to us sharing any of this with you. In fact, I believe we have already said too much.” April’s insistent tone shut down the follow-up questions her explanation aroused. Namely, what was so wrong with the warlock I’d met that seventeen witches had called it quits? Had I been one witch earlier, I’d have gotten stuck with the man and probably found out the answer firsthand. But somehow I’d gotten lucky and was betrothed to Xavier. The knowledge should have filled me with relief, but that’s the furthest thing I felt.
“She’s right,” Alice said, worrying her lip, exposing her two rat front teeth. It was a horrible visual, but I would not look at them and wince. I would save that for their king. My future husband. Alice continued, “Please don’t say anything.” Her dark eyes met mine, and I could see the plea in them.
I huffed, throwing off the covers. “Fine, but you owe me,” I said, not thinking anything of it. It was something I would say to a girlfriend whenever I played the wing-woman and struck up a conversation with the ugly friend so she could get the attention of the cute one she’d set her sights on. The way the two rat-women tensed indicated to me those words carried a lot more weight on this plane.
I waved my hand through the air as I sauntered into the bathing chamber. It was a modest space with an old timey looking porcelain tub, a toilet closet, and a small sink. I had a feeling I should be grateful for modern plumbing. The women followed me into the steamy room.
The witches warned me that this world would be different, and I was prepared to adjust my expectations. In my plane I had my creature comforts, my little luxuries. Here I had attendants. Two who were currently waiting to attend me. Fortunately, I wasn’t particularly modest. Between dancing around in leotards my whole life, string bikinis, and the copious amount of money I spent at the spa on the ground floor of my building, I was used to being nearly naked around strangers. I was determined to let this be something I enjoyed. Aside from the people helping me looking like mutants, this should be normal-ish. I would imagine them as if they were costumed characters like the performers inCatsand consider their help a live in spa experience.
A dozen bottles and jars were lined up on a bench awaiting me. They laid fluffy white towels and an even fluffier white robe out along with an adorable pair of slippers with a pair of embroidered eyes, and a nose and little tufted mouse ears sewn onto the top. They probably thought it was cute, but I thought it was sadistically ironic.
“Don’t worry. You don’t actually owe me. I won’t say anything. That’s just a phrase that we say where I’m from. Like whenever we do somebody a favor and we’re trying to guilt them about it,” I explained, raising my arms so Alice could pull my white shift dress off, her fur brushing against my skin.Don’t react, I scolded myself as I felt my features begin to twist uncomfortably. I redirected my attention to the dress realizing whoever had delivered me to my bed hadn’t bothered to remove it. This I was grateful for. The thing was a rumpled mess now, and the linen would need to be cleaned and ironed. That was fine because I noticed there was a whole wardrobe full of brightly colored clothing I was dying to get my hands on.
An hour later, they’d scrubbed, dried, and dressed me in a happy yellow, a-line dress that complimented my warm skin tone. April stood behind me taming my waves into a feminine low ponytail. As her furry fingers brushed against my temples when she smoothed out my flyaways, I didn’t flinch. Proud of my fortitude, I grinned at her reflection in the mirror, earning a grin in return. I shifted my head back and forth and praised, “It looks great, April. Thank you both.”
The women shared a wary glance as if my compliment was unusual, before curtsying and leaving me at the vanity to tidy the bathroom. Whatever. They’d get used to me and my ways. None of us had a choice. At this point, that was about the only thing I was certain of.
I finished getting ready by applying a minimal amount of makeup. Standing up I gave myself a once-over. My insides might be a jumbled mess, but outside I looked like a ray of sunshine, ready for whatever the day was going to throw at me. Fake it till you make it. I would not scream again, and I would not faint. And I would not give into my festering anger. I knew this wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, and I’d almost convinced myself my coven hadn’t known the extent of what I’d be facing. That they’d prepared me as best as they could. Anything else was unfathomable. I was ready to be queen. I would rinse and repeat that mantra.
A knock sounded at the door. Alice scurried over to it, and she let a mid-height, narrow rat-man inside. His dark fur was slicked back away from his forehead with some type of gel, and he wore a boxy coffee-colored three-piece suit. The thick white pinstripe and the watch chain draping across his vest made me think we could have been on the set ofThe Great Gatsby. The rat-man gave me a once over, studying me in return.
“Ah, good to see you are ready for the day. I am sorry you experienced quite a shock upon your arrival. Nighval can be,” he scrunched his face in disapproval, “abrupt. My apologies. I trust the witches have prepared you, and you are ready to see your future kingdom.”
“I am,” I said, straightening my spine. I wasn’t sure who this man was, but he seemed to hold some authority, and I offered him the respect of meeting his gaze, keeping my expression blank.
“I’m Leviticus, advisor to His Majesty King Xavier Helicanus, and your humble servant. If you need anything, all you need to do is ask.” A wry smile tilted Leviticus’s rat-lips, and he held his partially human, clawed hand out, gesturing in the direction of the hallway.
“Actually, there is one thing I need,” I stated.
“Yes?” he asked.
“I understand there’s been a curse placed upon the kingdom which is why I’m here. Is there somewhere I could find more information on that?” When his eyes narrowed, I threw in for good measure, “See, in my plane, we have cell phones and the internet where we can look things up. I mean, you could tell me about it, or point me in the right direction.” I gave the advisor my best winning smile. Rat lips curved down into a frown, and I realized Leviticus would not be the one to tell me about the curse.
“Come, Miss Plath,” he said, outright ignoring my request.
That really pissed me off. It was one thing to deny it, but to fail to verbally acknowledge what I’d said was incredibly rude. “Really?” I asked, my temper getting the better of me. “At least you could respond out of courtesy.”
Leviticus drew in a deep breath and let out a sigh. I could only imagine this wasn’t the first conversation he’d had like this over the years, so on one hand, I understood. On the other hand, rude. “I’ll recommend His Majesty introduce you to the library, as much information is contained there. You may, of course, speak with him about the current state of affairs of our kingdom, and he may divulge as he wishes.” He gave me a reluctant smile that was more of a grimace and gestured toward the hallway once again.
“Thank you,” I said, only borderline pleased with his intentionally vague answer. In the few short minutes of knowing him, I was getting the impression he’d make a great politician in my plane.
Still, it was better than a no and if I couldn’t get Xavier to tell me about the curse, which seemed to be the trend thus far with everyone I’d met, maybe I could discover what I needed to know in the library. It had been going on for long enough there ought to be some sort of record about it and where else would that be kept than a royal library? It made perfect sense to me. Knowing that by the end of the day I might be able to discover it and at least know what I was dealing with lightened my heart and my steps as I headed for the door.
