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  Burdened Bloodline

  ~A Court of Mystery Novel~

  Sarah E. Burr

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Sarah Burr

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First Printing, 2018

  www.saraheburr.com

  Other books by Sarah E. Burr

  The Court of Mystery series

  Paradise Plagued

  Burdened Bloodline

  Sovereign Sieged

  Crown of Chaos

  The Ducal Detective Mysteries

  The Ducal Detective

  A Feast Most Foul

  A Voyage of Vengeance

  A Summit in Shadow

  Throne of Threats

  Centuries ago, priests of the Ancient Faith lorded over the continent, building their empires on fear and greed. Poverty and sickness ravaged the world, forcing a faction of rebels to rise and overthrow these tyrants preaching in the name of silent gods. The leaders of this movement, known in the annals of history as the Rebirth, proclaimed the realm would no longer answer to nameless demons and gods, but to the virtues of bravery, humility, kindness, and intelligence. Sealing their pact, these newly anointed leaders drank the dew of the fabled kingsleaf flower, marking them and their offspring forever as destined rulers of the realm with their royal eyes. Under their care and guidance, the dukedoms flourished for over five hundred years. Now, greed and oppression have seeped back into the Realm of Virtues, as the ruling dukes and duchesses of each region lust for more and more power. Fearing the duchies are going the way of the all-but-extinct Ancient Faith, Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier, the self-appointed protector of the realm and ruler of Saphire, has put a plan into motion to secure the freedom and prosperity of the world, despite growing opposition to her cause.

  Contents

  Principal Characters

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Note from the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Dedications

  Principal Characters

  Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier – our heroine, “Jax”

  Lord Percival “Perry” Pettraud – Jax’s husband

  George Solomon – Captain of the Saphire Ducal Guard

  Lady Uma – Jax’s lady-in-waiting

  Vita – Jax’s lady’s maid

  Hendrie – Perry’s valet

  Duke Cornelius Pettraud – Perry’s father and leader of Pettraud

  Philippe – Perry’s oldest brother and Crown Prince of Pettraud

  Elias – Perry’s second oldest brother

  Galahad – Perry’s third oldest brother

  Ivan – Captain of the Pettraud Ducal Guard

  Isaiah – Twin of Ivan and Head Scholar for the Library of Pettraud

  Kaul – Perry’s brother, closest in age

  High Courtier Shavon – Duke Pettraud’s lead advisor

  Mistress Lenora – the Pettraud court physician

  Lady Sabine – a Pettraud cousin

  Madame Neasa – the Pettraud royal tailor

  Sir Olavo – Duchess Tandora’s private secretary

  Chapter One

  Someone tried to kill me.

  Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier sat up with a start. With her heart pounding in her throat, she struggled to calm the flurry of nerves ricocheting through her body.

  “Is everything all right, Jax?”

  She turned her amethyst gaze to the Captain of the Ducal Guard, who sat alert in an armchair tucked away in the corner of her room. Knowing her life was in danger, he had refused to leave her side, even when she begged for privacy in her own chambers. Her husband, Lord Percival Pettraud, slept calmly beside her, despite his adamant protests that his protection would be enough to keep her safe.

  “Jax?” George Solomon’s low voice coaxed her for an answer.

  She broke away from his intense stare reflecting in the pearly moonlight, her attention drawn to her balled fists that clutched the bedsheets for dear life. “It was just a bad dream.”

  He straightened, edging forward on the chair. “You’re safe here, Duchess. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Her royal gaze locked with his chocolate eyes, seeing the conviction bleeding from his pledge. “I know.” And she believed her own words. Any threat George Solomon saw coming, he would take care of. He had always taken care of her. But what about threats that remained unseen?

  Relaxing into the sea of pillows strewn around the head of the bed, Jax shuddered. She was supposed to be enjoying a romantic getaway with her husband, not fearing for her life. She had thought that by leaving her life in Saphire behind for a few weeks, she would find some respite from court. Using a disguise to remain anonymous, Jax and her closest friends had traveled to the deserts of Kwatalar, seeking a few days of carefree frivolity. But like so many of her well-laid plans, things had gone horribly wrong. Her enemies had found out about her trip and her intention to disguise herself as Lady Victoire Rapaste and sent poisoned chocolates to assassinate her. Whether or not by the hand of the Virtues, the chocolates had been intercepted by another guest staying at Ogdam Oasis, and he had died as a result.

  Lord Tarek Killiam’s death weighed heavily on her. She couldn’t help but blame herself for his untimely and cruel demise. Regardless of the comforting words her friends used to soothe her raging guilt, she was the reason Tarek was dead. The poison had been meant for her, after all.

  George watched her silently, seeming to know it was best for him to let her sift through her tangled thoughts alone.

  Part of the guilt clawing at her heart was her undeniable happiness at still being alive. If Tarek Killiam hadn’t whisked away the chocolates for himself, she would have eaten them. Virtues, she had tried to share them with her friends. If any of them had died because of her well-known love of sweets…

  A tear slipped down her cheek, mingling with the sweat pouring from her brow.

  “Would you like to take a walk outside?” George asked, as if sensing her growing heartache. “The night air might help clear your mind.”

  Nodding wordlessly, she pushed back the light linen covers, eager to be away from the confines of the small bedroom suite. The alabaster stone walls felt like they were caving in on her.

  George handed her a dressing robe, and she quickly tossed it on over her flowing nightgown. Despite the searing daytime temperatures, the desert cooled significantly at night, and she’d need protection from the chilly elements.

  Lighting a small lantern, George glanced back at the bed. “Do you want to leave a note for Perry? If he wakes, he might panic to find you gone.”

  Jax studied her sleeping husband’s lean, muscular form outlined beneath the sheets, his mop of curly dark hair strewn wildly in stark contrast to the white linen pillow. “He’ll
be out for hours. I had Vita put a sleeping tonic into his evening tea.”

  George’s eyebrows rose with a voiceless question.

  “Someone around here should at least enjoy their rest while they can,” she said with a half-hearted shrug. Her eyes darted back to her husband. “He wasn’t prepared for this. I owe it to Perry to make sure his world remains innocent a little while longer.”

  George guided her out the suite, his hand protectively resting on the small of her back. “He would hate to hear you talk like that. You owe him nothing, Jax. Perry knew what he was signing up for when he married you.” He paused when they reached the second-floor landing, shrouded in shadow. “We all do what we must to support the people we love.”

  Her hand trembled as she reached for the staircase railing. “But what if it becomes too much?” Her words were barely a whisper.

  George’s handsome face pierced the night. “It will never be too much.”

  She wondered if they were still speaking about Perry and the role he was now destined to play by her side as her husband. The unwavering devotion burning in George’s common-born brown eyes made a crimson flush in her neck unfurl like lotus petals. He was her oldest and most trusted friend. They’d met shortly after he joined the Saphirian Ducal Guard when George was sixteen and Jax was nine. All throughout her youth, she’d pined after the handsome guardsman, ordering him around just so she could be near him. She even tried to convince George to run away with her after her nineteenth birthday, wanting to leave her destiny to rule Saphire behind. Yet, George was a loyal soldier and convinced her that neither of them could escape their responsibilities. So, her lusty desires had succumbed over the years and a strong friendship had grown in its place. There was no one she trusted more in the world—besides Perry—than Captain George Solomon. The storm simmering in his dark eyes conveyed the feeling was mutual.

  George was the first to look away, the flickering lantern emphasizing the heat on his cheeks. “After you, Your Grace.”

  She couldn’t find the right words to summon a response, so instead, she descended the spiral staircase leading to the opulent foyer of Ogdam Oasis. The massive villa belonged to Ferran and Abra Ogdam, and it had been Jax’s home for the past three days. It felt like she had been trapped here a lifetime.

  Their footsteps were the only sounds reverberating in the night, echoing against the marbled walls. Reproductions of exquisite artwork beamed up at her in the moonlight, filtering in from the scattered windows. In order to keep their ancestral home afloat over the past few years, the Ogdams had sold the original pieces in their impressive collection. Despite the estate’s beauty and famous spring pools, not many travelers visited the piece of paradise situated in the Kwatalarian desert.

  With the lantern in George’s hand illuminating the way, the pair followed a plush carpet to two solid-gold doors, a fitting entrance to the outdoor oasis. George held the door for Jax as she silently made her way out onto the expansive wraparound patio encompassing the main house. As she expected, it was void of guests. While the Ogdams had been playing host to six other people—besides Jax and her party—after the trying events of the past few days, most had either ended their stay early or kept themselves locked away in their rooms. Once Jax had revealed she was not Lady Victoire Rapaste, but the Duchess of Saphire, her newly formed acquaintances seemed to retreat into the shadows. Her power and authority frightened them. It was a reaction she had grown accustomed to since assuming the throne.

  Monsieur Louis Bergoiuse had departed early that morning, bowing profusely the entire way out to his carriage, apologizing that he needed to see to an urgent delivery. The poor merchant was likely just anxious to be out from under her looming shadow and the growing turmoil swirling around her.

  Alasdair, a Beautraudian huntsman who had been staying at the Oasis while pursuing a contract to capture a beast terrorizing the nearby village, also had left. He’d rolled his bow and quiver up in a tent and slung a bulging pack across his broad, sturdy back, saying he’d have better luck catching the beast if he camped out in the wilds. Jax winced as she remembered his terse farewell, embarrassed that the man would rather risk being eaten by desert wildlife than remain anywhere near her company.

  Silvery moonlight bathed the patio, the glimmering sea of sand eradicating the need for the lantern hanging at George’s side. “The peacefulness feels unreal, like a trick of the Virtues,” Jax murmured, her amethyst gaze studying the idyllic scene.

  “It’s as if the world is taking a deep breath before plunging into the future.” Setting the flickering lantern on a nearby patio table, George folded his muscular arms across his chest. “I can’t deny it, Jax. I’m worried.”

  “I would think there was something wrong with you if you weren’t.” Jax’s attempt at humor fell flat.

  His eyebrows drew together. “It would be one thing if we were within our own borders, but Saphire is leagues away. Are you sure it’s wise to request aid from Pettraud? Why not just send for our forces at home?” He referred to the messenger Jax had sent out the day before, after she’d discovered the assassination plot arranged by the Duchies of Tandora, Beautraud, and Savant. She had ordered the Ogdams’ son, Nadir, to travel on horseback as fast as he could to the palace of Duke Pettraud, Perry’s father and one of Jax’s staunchest allies.

  Jax sighed. She’d had this argument with George many times in the past two days. “Nadir said he could make it to Pettraud in three days’ time. It would have taken him nearly a week to make it to Saphire. This way allows us to secure a guarded escort within six days, rather than a fortnight.” Clutching her hands behind her back, she paced. “I know it is not ideal, but I’d rather be surrounded by a trusted ally than left sitting here like squatting ducks waiting for our army.” Although word of her enemies’ botched assassination attempt had not yet left the estate, Jax knew it was only a matter of time before news of their treachery began to spread. Earl Killiam had arrived at the villa early that morning and had understandably flown into a rage upon learning his son had been the unintended victim of a political plot. As much as Jax tried to reassure the distraught man his son’s death would not go unpunished, her pleas for his continued silence went unanswered. She was not his ruling sovereign, and with only George to defend her against the Earl’s twenty guardsmen, she had been forced to let the man ride off, hellbent on revenge. No doubt, Earl Killiam was on his way to the Kwatalarian capital to demand retribution from his own Duchess.

  In response, George reached for one of the daggers sheathed at his waist. “You’re worried Beautraud or Savant might send someone to finish the job.” The edge in his voice hardened.

  “The thought has crossed my mind,” she said, giving him a tired smile. “Considering how close you’ve been hovering, I’d say it’s been weighing you down, too.”

  “It’s my job to worry about you,” George replied.

  His words made her stiffen. “As Captain of the Ducal Guard…yes, I know.”

  “No,” he said, reaching out and taking her delicate hand in his callused palm, “as your friend, Jax.” His chocolate eyes glimmered in the moonlight. “I know you well enough to realize you don’t always think first about your own safety, but I can see this time, it’s different. What changed?”

  She glanced down at their threaded fingers and squeezed his hand hard, searching for reassurance that everything would be all right. “If the Virtues hadn’t intervened, I’d be the one lying in the Ogdams’ cellar, George, not Tarek. I guess when you’re faced with your own mortality, priorities change.” She swallowed her bubbling emotions. “In all our past brushes with death, the victim was never intended to be me. If I’m to build the world I envision, I need to survive long enough to bring it to fruition.”

  George put an arm around her, pulling her into the protection of his chest. “It takes a rare person to want to live to bring freedom and happiness to others, not just for themselves.”

  Staring out across the vast expanse of glittering s
and, Jax sighed. “I just want this realm to be set right. It’s been led astray for far too long.”

  Centuries ago, when the leaders of a victorious rebellion overthrew the corrupt priests of the Ancient Faith, they had designed a realm in which everyone lived by the four Virtues: kindness, humility, intelligence, and bravery. The leaders of the rebellion seated themselves as the rulers of the newly formed duchies, believing their bloodlines would always be dedicated to ruling with a just and merciful hand. By drinking the dew of the now-extinct kingsleaf flower, the newly anointed sovereigns ensured their offspring would always be marked by the Virtues to lead their people. Jax’s amethyst eyes had descended from those first leaders, signifying her royal heritage and her ability to lead. However, in recent years, Jax had noticed many of her counterparts across the realm no longer lived in service to their people, and greed and corruption flourished within royal courts. She intended to stop it. Common-born people, marked by their brown eyes, had been pushed into serving those of noble or ducal rank without the chance to advance their own station. For so long, Jax had been blind to their suffering, their desire to live outside of the shadows that had been cast over them. She was determined to set it right. Regardless of a person’s birthright or bloodline, everyone deserved the chance to live a life of free and equal opportunity.

  Her stay at the Oasis had been most enlightening, as she’d realized not only the common-born people were affected by the current societal structure, but also those within the noble class as well. Ferran Ogdam’s only title was Master of Ogdam Oasis, and for that he was looked down upon by the region’s earls, barons, marquesses, and so on. His first-born, Nadir, would inherit the title one day; but his daughter, Samira, would be left with nothing, all because of her birth order. She worked tirelessly to maintain her family’s home and did whatever she could to secure their honor, but in the confines of Kwatalarian society, Samira was little more than a servant.