by CS Patra
“But why?” Lavinia asked. “Why does it hunt around the Petal Kingdom? What about the ball that is happening? Will that affect anything?”
“I don’t know. The ball is being held for people to come out and be somewhere safe for a while. However, there are chances many people won’t arrive due to the demon and its birds being around. If you do run into it, use that curse of yours against it.”
“My curse?” Lavinia’s eyes widened at that and she looked down at her hands. “How did you know I was cursed?”
“You have the touch of destruction. I have seen it many times in the years.”
“Many times? Are you saying I’m not the only one with this curse?”
“No, and you certainly won’t be the last. Your friend has the touch of creation and that can be of help. Yours only breaks things apart.” The stranger explained. “You need to be very careful with what you touch. Until you get that curse removed, you need to keep away from anything living. That includes your friend. I know what you are feeling and what you really want.”
“What I really want? Alice is just a friend though.”
“Is she? I feel like there’s more and you want more. You’re only holding back because of the curse. Whatever your reason, you won’t find the cure for the curse here. You have to keep moving forward.”
“But how do you know about all this? And how can I remove a curse? I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.” Lavinia was at the point of pleading now. “Please help me! I need to do this! I need to remove my curse!”
“Vinnie! Vinnie, where are you?!” This time, she heard Alice and turned toward where her voice was coming from. “Vinnie, are you all right?!”
“I’m here, Alice!” Lavinia called out to her, holding up her arms. Now that the birds were gone, she realized it was safe to yell to her. “I’m okay! In fact, I was saved by_” She turned around only to find that the stranger was no longer there. They had been by her side one minute and now they were gone. She couldn’t tell where they had disappeared to either. “What is this?”
Touching the spot that the stranger had been, it felt warm until it all turned to ash under her palms. Someone had been there so she knew she didn’t imagine it. However, where had they gone and why didn’t they turn to ash when she touched them? This person, whoever they were, knew a lot about her and her curse. They had called it a ‘curse of destruction’, which seemed apt. She destroyed all she touched. They also gave her hope that it could be removed but no idea as to how she could do it.
“Vinnie! Oh, Vinnie!” Alice finally made it to her side and kneeled down by her. She almost reached out to hold her but stopped. Their curses were still holding them back. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” Lavinia brushed herself off and stood up. “That stranger saved me but then they disappeared. I never got the chance to thank them.”
“A stranger?”
“Yes. They were able to keep me from falling into the water and protected me from those birds. Apparently, they are pets of that demon and it sends them out whenever it wants a victim. I’m just lucky we’re both still alive,” she sighed. “The other funny thing is that this person knew I had a curse and they know about yours as well. Not only that, they didn’t crumble to ashes when they were holding me. I didn’t understand that.”
“Do you remember what they looked like?”
“They were completely covered up,” Lavinia sighed. The sun was starting to set and she wasn’t feeling so well anymore. They had everything they needed and she didn’t want to stay for those birds to come out again. “I think we should leave now. I’ll tell you everything when we’re back with the others.”
“All right.” Alice stared back at the Petal Castle and saw the damage they had caused to the bridge. Half of it had more plants growing out of it and the other half had come undone. She just hoped no one else had seen this. “Do you suppose they will allow us into the ball?”
“If they don’t, we’ll have to get in our own way,” Lavinia murmured. “I’ve come this far, Alice. I’m not ready to turn back now.”
“Neither am I,” Alice sighed. “There’s one thing I want more anything right now and I can’t get it if I go home.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
Alice started to say it but she stopped herself. There were just a few things there that she couldn’t reveal to Lavinia yet. These were matters of the heart and they needed to be told at the right time. It was something she had been waiting for and she could wait a little longer. Now wasn’t the right time. “You’ll find out soon enough. Now let’s go back. The others are waiting.”
“Okay then.” Lavinia blushed, feeling like she had asked for something big. “I’ll wait for the answer.”
They started to head back but both had the same feeling deep down. There was something growing between them. It was warm and deep and they needed to know more about it. They wanted to explore it a little more but now was not the time. If all went right at the Petal Kingdom, perhaps they would get their chance sooner than they expected. It was what they wanted.
And they wanted it as fast as possible.
Chapter 17
Lavinia was able to tell everyone about their adventure earlier as they were sitting down to eat. The dragons and Madelyn were happy to have some cold meat while the others were thrilled that they were getting a warm meal. Even Coryn seemed to be more comfortable with these new people and she was sitting closer to the fire to join the conversation. They were feeling more like a family that was going on this journey together. It was true that Alice and Silas still didn’t know much of each other but that didn’t matter. There was something else on her mind.
Lavinia told them about the stranger who saved her from the birds and that they had tried to meet the King and Queen earlier. She did leave out the part about her curse bringing the bridge down and how the stranger knew about it. She wasn’t ready to reveal her truth to everyone yet. Kian kept looking at her as if he expected her to say something more but she never did. She was holding back for some reason.
““I wish I knew who saved me,” she said. “I could only see their eyes and they just had dark eyes.”
“That won’t help much, Vinnie. A lot of people have dark eyes.” Kian said.
“I know that. If I could get a better look, I would be able to know who it was. It was strange that she seemed to know me better than I knew myself,” she murmured. “They told us that we needed to get out of here quickly.”
“So what do you want to do?” Silas asked. “Do you want to leave?”
“Not yet. I didn’t get to say what I needed to say to the King and Queen. No one was at the gate to let me in. Therefore, my only chance will probably be at the ball.”
“What if they don’t want to hear from you then?”
“I’ll have to make sure they hear me. I won’t leave until they do.”
“In the meantime, I need to show you the outfits you’ll be wearing. Since it’s not a masked ball, we can show off our faces. I didn’t see much in terms of how to dress except we’re supposed to be extravagant.” Alice explained, going over to where some of the things were. “I want us to blend in with the extravagance but not show off too much. I don’t want people to get suspicious of us.”
“The material you got doesn’t seem like it is going to draw too much attention,” Coryn said. “I liked all the different colors. I just don’t want to do too much with my hair. I like how it is.”
“You don’t even want to brush it?” Lavinia asked.
“Not too much. I have too many knots in it and I know they can hurt. Ask Silas. I had to take out all the knots in his hair.”
“This is true,” Silas nodded. “I also hope you didn’t buy anything extravagant for me. I was thinking of going with something I already had.”
“Considering you don’t have many outfits, I had to buy you more,” Lavinia explained, showing him some of the clothes. “These wil
l make good traveling clothes. They won’t tear and wear out so easily and some of them are warm enough to help you get through the cold nights. I got something similar for you too, Kian. I’m not sure if it’s to your tastes but it’s the best I could do at the moment.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Vinnie. I’ve never had fancy clothes before so I would take anything.” Kian looked down at the colorful garments that Lavinia had bought. For him, it was very simple; a fuchsia colored jacket with golden buttons and thread that made intricate designs on the back. It would be paired with a cream-colored shirt to go underneath as well as brown trousers. “This must have cost you a fortune.”
“Not really. The shopkeeper was just happy that I was willing to buy things from her.”
“I told you things are pretty quiet down there.” Alice added, showing Silas his clothes. They were similar to Kian’s except his jacket was a dark blue with silver buttons and silver thread used to sew the designs. “I still can’t believe this ball is going to happen. Between that demon, those birds, and no one walking around outside, I don’t know if it would be a good idea to hold one.”
“Well, you did try to talk to the King and Queen and it didn’t really work out. Maybe if we go to the ball, we’ll see why there haven’t been too many people around,” Silas said, trying on the jacket. He turned around to show it off to the others. “I have to agree with Kian. How much did you pay for it? I don’t think the average person in this kingdom could buy this.”
“Don’t worry about how much it is.” Lavinia reminded him. “I’ve told you all that money is no problem. You don’t need to worry if we have enough. We’ll always have enough.”
“How? Are you wealthy by any chance?”
“Yes!” Kian cut in. “She’s a very wealthy girl. Her family owns... a lot of land back in Themasa. They are one of the wealthiest families there, am I right?”
“Exactly right,” Lavinia nodded. “My mother and father will not mind me spending money. They have plenty back home.”
“Speaking of mothers and fathers, don’t you think you should talk to yours? You’re the only one who has parents.”
She knew that was going to pop up and Silas was right about it. The others had no one to go home to but she did. She had a home and a family that was worried about her. Any minute now, the guards would try to search the Petal Kingdom and see if she was there. “Well, I’ve sent a messenger bird to them so they will hopefully get it and know I’m all right.”
“Messenger bird,” Alice whispered, suddenly remember the message she had sent. She had found Lavinia but she had no idea where her message had gone. A horrible thought fell on her with what they had been talking about families. “Vinnie, can I talk to you for a few seconds in private?”
“Of course. The rest of you can go ahead and finish eating.”
Alice took Lavinia right outside of the cave where they could talk in private for a few seconds. The moon was out now with clouds rolling by and the air had gotten colder but it was more bearable than in the Frost Kingdom. They didn’t want to stay out too long because it was dark and getting late.
“So what is on your mind?” Lavinia asked.
“I just remembered that I sent a messenger bird to find you,” Alice murmured. “I don’t know if it got to you but what if someone intercepted my message? I kept it vague as possible but maybe someone could have figured out what I was saying. More importantly, what if the King’s guards intercepted that message? They could be headed here.”
Lavinia swallowed when she realized that Alice was right. The guards were always close by and, while they had gotten past them, it wouldn’t take long for them to catch up. “I have been wondering about that. If they do see me, what do I do? I can’t tell them why I’ve left. At the same time, I would hate to fight them. I don’t know how I can make them understand.”
“Then what do you propose we do? You’ve kept your identity hidden from Silas and Coryn. I understand you aren’t ready to reveal everything to them but you’ll have to come clean eventually. I think they should know who they are traveling and the real reason we’re on this journey.” Alice stared down at her hands. “I’ve been careful not to use my ability on anything. Do you suppose anyone at the Petal Castle will fix the bridge before the ball?”
“I’ll be surprised if they can get it put together in time. We both caused a lot of damage especially me,” Lavinia sighed. “I just hope they don’t postpone it. We’ve come too far for everything to end so quickly.”
“Let’s just hope for the best,” Alice said, rubbing her arms to stay warm. “Come on. It’s getting colder. We can discuss more of this in the morning.”
“Very well. Until I say so, let’s keep quiet about my secret.”
They went back in the cave where the others had finished dinner and were trying on the new clothes. Coryn had put on her new dress and was showing it off for the boys. Alice was pleased to see that it fit her perfectly and the she was happy with it. For her, she had gone with a white and red material that wasn’t too flashy but still perfect for the ball. Now that Coryn was wearing the dress, it seemed like she was willing to go.
“You did a nice job, Miss Alice. I didn’t think you could get anything done fast enough.”
“Well, I worked during the free time that I had. I told you I could sew fast. Although I must say that I can’t take all the credit. The shopkeeper helped finish it up,” Alice explained. “That’s why it took us some time to get back. She was working on this for us.”
“Do you suppose she’ll be at the ball so we can thank her?”
“I hope so. I’m not sure who will be at that ball but I hope we can meet some people who live here. All I see are these butterflies and birds made of flowers. Don’t get me wrong, they are all very lovely. Still, it would be nice to talk to someone who can give me some information,” Alice sighed. “I wish Vinnie had been able to get the name of that stranger so we can thank them.”
“Well, I’m holding onto hope that they will be there.” Lavinia nodded. “I can’t wait for the ball. I hope it’s much bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. I want it to be…” She almost started to talk about balls in the castle back home but stop herself. “I want it to be magical.”
“It will be something I’ve never seen before. I hope it doesn’t get too dark crowded or bright.” Coryn murmured, touching her dress. “If it does, I may have to step outside. What about the animals here? Will we be taking them?”
Alice looked over at them, all of them napping in the corner. “I don’t think the big dragon will be allowed at the castle. He might scare off the guests. At the same time, I’d hate to leave any of them alone. Maybe we can find another safe place for them so they are nearby.”
“You know, we have never given him a name,” Kian said, looking at the ice dragon. “We should have done that by now. What do we call him?”
Lavinia started to think of various names in her mind. Some of them sounded too fancy and others sounded far too simple. Finally, a name popped in her head and she had to say it out loud. “Lynx. His name is Lynx.”
Hearing that, the dragon opened one eye as if to acknowledge that and went back to sleep. Alice nodded with approval. “I think he likes it. What made you pick that name?”
“No reason. It just seemed perfect.” Lavinia didn’t want to tell the others that Lynx had been the name of a toy dragon that she had when she was younger. “At least we don’t have to keep calling him ‘the dragon’ anymore.”
“Now that’s settled, let’s talk about what we’re going to do. After the ball, where do we go from there?” Silas asked. “Something tells me this isn’t over.”
“Well, it might be if we get what we want tomorrow. In the case we don’t, our next stop is going to the Sugar Kingdom,” Alice explained. “I don’t suppose anyone knows much about that kingdom, do they?”
“Aside from the fact that it’s made entirely of candy? No, I really don
’t know anyone over there. What I do know is that everyone is very friendly and they are willing to help you with anything. I have only traveled through it though. Needless to say, it’s a very tasty kingdom.”
“Tasty kingdom?” Kian smirked. “I don’t think they would be happy if we decided to start eating their roads and houses. How about the King and Queen of the Sugar Kingdom? They must be nicer than the ones here.”
“I wouldn’t know. I never met them. However, if they are anything like the people, then they probably would be kind. I haven’t heard about anything dangerous happening around it. In fact, if there is a safe kingdom out there, it’s the Sugar Kingdom.”
“Yet there’s a Sugar Witch, isn’t there?” Lavinia asked. “Aren’t they afraid of her?”
“I don’t think so or else we’d hear more about the dangers in the Sugar Kingdom. Anyway, the hardest part about it will be the journey. It will take at least two days to get there provided that we don’t have anything slowing us down. If Lynx is up to it, he can fly over there and it will probably take less time. In any case, I think the weather will be more favorable for all the animals. It never gets that hot down there.”