by Casey Bond
I quirked a brow. Creepy? She hasn’t seen creepy from me yet.
As she took a dainty sip from her cup. I whispered a transformation spell and darkness descended over the room. The walls began to bleed coal black paint from the ceilings to the floors, until each was evenly coated. “What are you doing?” she cried.
Tauren gave an approving laugh and Knox watched in awe, though Estelle seemed a little unsure of how to react.
The rosettes that lined the rim of Rose’s cup turned black, and when she looked from me to them, her eyes grew wide. “There are words at the bottom of my cup,” she said, squinting until she made them out. “You’ve been poisoned.” Her wide eyes turned to mine, questioning.
Does she actually think I would hurt her?
“Have I?” she shrieked, dropping the cup and saucer. As soon as the porcelain hit the table, the spell broke and everything was pink and perfect again.
I smiled at her aghast indignation. “Of course not. It was only a joke. I told you we witches have senses of humor.”
“Dark, creepy humor,” she jabbed, trying to cover the fact that she was shaken.
I shrugged. She wasn’t wrong.
“I like her sense of humor,” Tauren announced, winking at me as he took another sip.
Estelle began to laugh, shaking her head. “That was awesome. I wish I could do things like that. My mother would never rest.”
Rose guffawed. “Well I, for one, pity her future husband.”
Her pretty feathers ruffled, Rose pretended I wasn’t in the room for the remainder of the tea party – which thankfully was nearly over. At which time, she sweetly thanked everyone but me for attending. The moment the cameras were off, she strode from the room with her shoulders back and her chin up.
“That was hilarious,” Estelle whispered as we stood.
Admittedly, I may have taken it a bit too far. Rose was already on edge, and even though she was prickly, I shouldn’t have teased her, even if I only meant it in jest.
“Ladies,” Tauren declared as he stood, “we leave for the coast in half an hour.” With that, he excused himself and rushed from the room, jogging in the direction Rose had stormed.
“Looks like he’s made his mind up. Guess you’re riding with me,” Estelle said playfully, nudging me with an elbow.
Brecan glanced into the room from the hallway. I walked to him. “Mira is getting something ready for you to wear.” I nodded and thanked him, and then we headed to our rooms. “I don’t like this,” he finally admitted. “I have a bad feeling.”
“As do I.”
“Then why are you going?”
“To protect him.” It really was as simple as that. “Besides, it’s not him I’m worried about; it’s something else. I just can’t put my finger on it yet.”
Brecan paused outside my door. “I’ll wait here. Scream if you need me.”
I took in the splintered door frame, thankful he’d felt magic erupt from me earlier and came to help. “I will.” My eyes drifted to his lavender ones. “Thank you, Brecan.”
He pursed his lips together and inclined his head. I could tell he wanted to say more on the matter of leaving, but he wisely held his tongue.
I slipped into my room where Mira was waiting. She sat in a chair with a garment folded over her arms. “I don’t know if you’ll like it or not,” she said nervously, standing and clutching the fabric to her chest.
“I’m sure I will.”
She slowly unfolded it, revealing a gauzy, strapless dress that was black around the bust and waist, fading to deep teal around mid-thigh, lightening to a lighter shade around calf-length, and morphing to white at the bottom hem that grazed my bare ankles.
“It’s beautiful,” I marveled.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d like that it wasn’t all black.”
“It’ll look like I melted into the sea.”
She grinned, handing me the dress. “That’s what I envisioned.” When I gave her a bone-crushing hug and thanked her, she pulled back, surprised at the contact, but beamed. “I have the perfect sandals, too!”
I quickly changed and emerged from the washroom to find her ready with the shoes. They were made of white leather that had been stitched into a tangle of pale thorns. They wound around my foot to the ankle, and like everything she’d made, fit perfectly.
“What about my hair?”
She fingered a wavy strand. “It’s perfect the way it is.”
“Are you excited to visit the sea?” I asked.
Her eyes welled up. “I’ve seen it once, but it wasn’t enough. Besides, I wonder if I might be able to contact Bay through the power of the ocean.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but Mira was a genius. “Brecan might be able to reach Wayra, as well. The sea breeze should be strong.”
Mira’s eyes met mine as she gently gripped my elbows. “Let’s hope it’s strong enough.”
Brecan sat beside me in our carriage and Mira settled across from us. I glanced out the window as the road twisted and curved, watching the lead carriage ramble through the countryside. Estelle, Rose, and Tauren were inside, and the dark teal carriage was large enough that two cameramen traveled with them as well.
An unsettled feeling pricked at me. I would meet with Arron, Son of Night when I returned. Would he be able to tell me more about what was happening in The Gallows, or why the witches couldn’t break free of Cyril’s hold and exit the Center? The pentagram was the source of their power, but all witches could harness it; it shouldn’t bind them. Then again, it was where Ela had bound Cyril in the earth, and her connection to it was probably stronger than most.
Our carriage ambled through Sector One and we passed Rose’s house again. I couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy, even though I knew Tauren didn’t want to choose a wife at this point. Between what was happening in Thirteen and his father slowly dying, he had enough to worry about. But once we resolved the issue in The Gallows, and after King Lucius passed, Tauren would need someone to comfort him.
Rose would be there. She lived close to the palace anyway, and her life would meld seamlessly with Tauren’s. She’d practically been raised as royalty.
Through Sectors Two and Three, Brecan began to fidget.
Mira noticed and shot me a concerned glance.
We traveled a simple spiral through Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Eight, but the trip still took hours. I expected the long travel duration, but I didn’t anticipate the feelings that came with it. It felt like time wasted. We should be doing something to help our kind, not going to the beach to look for some ‘blessing’ from the sea. If Tauren found a nautilus shell it would either be a miracle, or it was planted beforehand.
Brecan sat on the edge of his seat through Nine.
“What’s the matter?” I finally asked.
“Don’t you feel it?” he grimaced, raking clenched hands through his pale hair.
I did. In the pit of my stomach, insidious ropes of dread had coiled. “I do.”
“Me too,” Mira admitted.
We left the main road and took a smaller one through Ten, all the way across it. The feeling in my stomach never eased and Brecan never relaxed, even when the air became thick and humid, with a briny taste.
Mira’s eyes glazed over. “Do you smell the sea?”
I had to smile. “I do. How long has it been since you’ve visited the sea?”
“Years. I was just a little girl. Bay took a small group of us to see it. We’d just displayed our affinity and been accepted into his House.”
“Bay seems kind,” I said quietly.
“He is. He’s the kindest person I know. That’s why I’m so worried.”
“Do you think we should send another animal to spy on them?” I asked.
She nodded. “I will as soon as we stop. If I send a sea bird, Bay will know i
t’s from me. I want him to see it and know we’re aware of what’s happening.”
Fate flared in my stomach. He approved of sending a message, but not of me leaving Tauren.
“How do we help them? I can’t leave Tauren.”
“We could bring him with us,” Brecan said with a poor attempt at a smile.
Fate whispered to me… You will save them.
But how? I asked. If you won’t let me go to them, how can I possibly save them?
Fate did not answer.
As the carriage lurched to a stop, Mira was the first to climb from the vehicle. The ocean glittered in the distance, sparkling like diamonds across a vast, undulating terrain.
“I thought it was only accessible by cliffs?” I asked, remembering the lesson I received during my initial journey to the palace.
Tauren strode toward me. “This is the Kingdom’s port. The cliffs are that way.” He pointed in the direction I’d been staring, toward Sector Eleven. “They want to film me with each invitee near the sea. Would you honor me by being the first?”
My lashes fluttered, along with the moth wings taking flight in my stomach. “Of course.”
He offered his arm and I took it, noting the downward slant of Brecan’s mouth and the way his eyes latched onto the place where my hand met Tauren’s arm. As we walked toward the ocean, I was mesmerized by the undulating motion of it, the ebb and flow. A few ships were moored in the distant waters, bobbing with the tide. Rowboats had been dragged far up onto the shore and temporarily abandoned.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It definitely is,” he said. But when I glanced at him, he was staring at me, not the sea.
With each step we took to the shore, the soil underfoot lost its vegetation and turned completely to sand. Warm grains sifted through my sandals. I stopped and removed them, happy to feel the warm sand between my toes. Tauren tugged his shoes and socks off and rolled the legs of his pants up, revealing the lower half of his muscled calves. He rolled his sleeves up to match, and when he offered his arm a second time, my fingers curled around his soft skin.
I wasn’t sure if the cameras were rolling.
In truth, I didn’t care.
Tauren led me through large puddles that he called tide pools. “There’s a starfish!” I exclaimed, dragging him to go look at it. He threaded his fingers with mine and let me tug him from pool to pool to examine the treasures nestled inside. Some were empty, whereas others had shells as large as my head. An urchin, sharp and spiny, crept across one pool.
“Careful of those,” Tauren warned.
The sun was bright and beautiful overhead, warming my shoulders as we walked toward the water. Frothy waves lapped at our feet and I was mesmerized by the sight. The water wasn’t frigid, like I expected. Something so vast and deep… I didn’t think it could ever be warmed. Tauren’s fingers tightened around mine for a second. “You look like you belong here.”
“The earth belongs to all of us. We’re a part of it; not just bodies dwelling on it.”
Farther down the shore, Estelle was gathering shells into a pile, chattering to Rose about grinding them for iridescent paint. Rose, ignoring the cheery words pouring from Estelle’s mouth, glared at Tauren and me.
Mira was waist deep in the water, staring into the surface and whispering spells in an attempt to connect with Bay. When we made eye contact, she shook her head. Brecan’s hair thrashed in the wind, but from the strained look on his face, he couldn’t reach Wayra, either.
I stared at the sand for a moment, noticing a nautilus shell lying only a few feet away, half buried in wet, smoothed sand. I was about to discreetly point it out when Tauren pulled me close so that I faced him. “Sable –” he began.
In that moment, the sun suddenly disappeared and dark clouds rolled over the sky. “What is this?” I blinked at the intrusion, confused by the sudden change in weather.
Searching the shore for Brecan, I found him running toward us, gesturing wildly. The wind gusted fiercely, lashing my hair across my face in painful welts. “Go! Sable, get back!” Brecan yelled.
I faced the sea, only to find that it had reared back and was charging toward us.
Rose and Estelle, Mira and Brecan, Tauren and I… we would be crushed by the wave. There was no time to spirit everyone away. Mira thrust her hands out, but she needed help.
“Go!” I screamed to Tauren, whispering a spell that dragged him far away from the shore. He kicked and fought the entire way, but I had to keep him safe. His guards, who’d been standing back a discrete distance, surrounded him in a flash.
Brecan whispered a similar spell for Rose and Estelle, but unlike the Prince, they went willingly. Working with Mira, he directed his wind to hold back the sea; instead of stopping its tumultuous force, it built higher and higher, frothing and churning, anxious to consume everything in its path.
“Recede,” I commanded.
The wave resisted. Something – or someone – was pushing it toward us.
Fate urged me toward the vertical wall of water, so I obeyed, taking careful steps toward it. Brecan growled as he poured more wind against the water. Mira’s face was strained. “We can’t keep this up, Sable. You need to go.”
I couldn’t run from danger. Not when Fate demanded I walk toward it.
“Sable, no!” Tauren screamed. Fighting against his guards, he somehow freed himself and raced toward me.
I thrust my hand into the ocean and all the water fell, crashing straight down instead of over our heads. Whatever force had been pushing it, suddenly let go. The force knocked me off my feet and soaked me from head to toe, but we were all alive. The Prince, the invitees, the camera crew, Mira, Brecan.
Brecan rushed to me. “Are you okay?”
Mira, visibly frightened, shook as she threw her arms around my neck.
Fate whispered one name… Cyril.
“Mira, send the gull to Thirteen. That was a message from my mother. Let’s send Bay one in return.”
“Are you sure? What if it upsets her?” she asked.
“Let her come for me.” I’ll be ready for her. I could feel Fate nearly purring at the thought. He would give me the strength I required. He would guide me and together, we would win.
Brecan and Mira stepped away as she called for a sea bird. One landed on her arm and she whispered to it, sending it wheeling toward Thirteen. The gull shrieked as it flew away from us, disappearing within seconds.
Tauren was livid. “You could’ve been killed!” he seethed.
“But I wasn’t,” I argued, turning my attention back to him.
“You shoved me away,” he accused, his voice rising with each word.
“Of course I did!”
“Why would you do that?”
“I had to protect you.”
“Why, Sable?” he angrily demanded.
“You’re my prince,” I offered weakly.
“Why, Sable?” he growled.
He was insufferable. He knew why.
“Why, Sable?” he repeated, softer this time.
I threw my hands in the air. “Because I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you!”
I couldn’t. If he died, the weight of my soul would bring his back. But still, the thought didn’t just sour my stomach. It ripped my heart to slivers.
The anger melted from his face and he pulled me into his chest and wrapped me in a hug. I held tightly to his back, fighting tears that threatened to spill.
Cyril could have killed us all.
“I love you, too,” he whispered, sliding his hand over my hair. He took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry I yelled. I was scared out of my mind. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you, either.”
“Look,” Mira said from nearby. She bent at the waist and plucked something off the sand. “A nautilus
shell.”
“What is happening?” Rose demanded.
In the blink of an eye, the wind died and the ocean stopped roaring.
Everything went completely still.
Mira covered her gasp with her hands. “Bay,” she whispered, dropping to her knees.
Brecan knelt beside her, his face full of despair. “Wayra, too.”
“Are they dead?” I asked, dreading the answer but feeling the truth in my bones.
Fate stirred within me.
Mira sobbed, head in her hands, rocking back and forth in front of the still sea. The nautilus shell lay forgotten in front of her.
The camera crew caught the entire thing.
“We’re returning to the palace. Everyone to the carriages!” Tauren shouted.
Brecan grabbed the shell Mira found and stuffed it in his pocket, then he and I helped her stand and walked with her to the carriage. I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry on my shoulder.
Tauren would have to explain what happened, as best he could, to Rose and Estelle.
“Are you sure they’re gone?” I rasped when the carriage lurched forward and we rolled away from the dead sea.
“I’m sure. Remember how everything in the soil died with Ela? It’s the same with Wayra and the wind, and Bay and the sea,” Brecan explained.
Even without their confirmation, I felt the loss of them.
“At this point, it’s safe to assume that Ethne is also gone. We can’t wait any longer. We must return to Thirteen before she kills all the witches.” Brecan’s knuckles turned white as he clutched the nautilus shell, turning it around and around in his fingers.
The sun began to set as we raced through the countryside at a much faster pace than we’d set on our way toward the shore.
Mira’s eyes glazed over as we passed into Sector Six. “The gull has crossed the border.”
A tear fell from her eye. Her message to Bay arrived too late.
Within moments, she began to shriek, flailing around and patting herself down. Brecan took her face in his. “Mira. Look at me.”
She snapped out of the daze she’d been in, panting until she could speak. “Fire. It… someone set the gull on fire,” she choked out as the scent of singed hair flooded the carriage.