Chance, Javier, and I bid Lucky farewell, and the attendants led my pet toward a massive barn. We walked along a path through the forest before emerging in the village built at the base of the mountains. It was breathtakingly adorable. And that statement really held water since the temperature had dropped enough that I could see my breath.
The buildings, taller than they were wide, were tightly situated next to each other and painted an assortment of colors. They reminded me of a town in Germany that Daniel and I once passed through. Unlike Germany though, every building in Clevaunt—whether commercial or residential—had gold infused in its design. The gleaming metal swirled over walls, crowned the window frames, and bordered every rooftop.
“I think the décor on one of these shops could feed a family of five for months,” Javier marveled.
“Gold is an easy commodity for us to produce,” Chance responded. “My dad and five of his eleven kids have some form of gold-generating power. My grandfather made a lot of mistakes with his magic when he was young, but when he reinvented himself and changed, he vowed our family would always share our powers with the people. That’s allowed Clevaunt to be one of the richest kingdoms in Book. We always keep our population well fed and taken care of. But within the kingdom, we don’t use gold for trade. We use traditional money like all the other lands. If we didn’t, then we’d probably have a lot of infighting and inflation problems. The gold we infuse into the buildings is purely for decorative purposes. Everyone likes it and it reminds them that even though the castle is at the top of the mountain, our family is ingrained in every part of the village.”
Chance pointed up. Javier and I followed his finger and saw mainly gray clouds. The only hints of the castle were a few glimmering lights.
“Dude, I kind of get it now,” Javier said. “You spent years acting like a pretentious Mr. Rich Guy at school. Growing up like this, it’d be hard not to.”
Chance looked at Javier with a serious expression. “Javi, honestly, that guy’s not me. I put on an act like most heroes do when they start at school.” His mouth quirked into a semi-smile. “If I remember correctly, didn’t you arrive at orientation riding your horse Zapote and wearing a full silver-spurred getup, claiming you’d stopped six bandits on your way to campus?”
Javier grimaced. “Ugh, the older kids called me Wild Spurs for a year. That was not my best plan for impressing people.”
“Neither was mine. Problem was, I got too good at it and after a while, I forgot how to not be that way at school. That’s why I apologized to you guys at the start of the semester. I finally got a good look in the mirror thanks to this one.” Chance gestured at me.
“Then I thank you on behalf of the entire student body, Crisa,” Javier said. “This guy was a mega tool before. Now we’re friends. Never would’ve thought it was possible.”
“Aw, friendship,” Chance mused sarcastically. “When it becomes totally okay to insult someone to their face.”
Chance escorted us through the fairly busy town. Restaurants and bars were full whilst other businesses were starting to close. I caught glimpses of places I’d like to visit—a cheese store, an ice cream shop, boutiques with super cute wintery dresses in the windows.
“We can come back,” Chance said, noting my excitement. “You guys are going to be here a while. I’m sure you’ll get to know Clevaunt well. The first thing you’ll need to remember though is this.”
He pointed out a small tunnel that went into the mountain. There was a castle guard standing on each side of the entrance, and about a dozen more spaced out inside. The guards saluted Chance as we proceeded through. Glowing lanterns hung from the ceiling and gold beams stretched across the tunnel acting as support rafters.
At the end of the tunnel, a set of dark gray sliding doors was built into the rock. As we approached, Chance nodded at one of the guards next to the doors. “Three to the top please.”
The guard pressed a button hidden in the rock and the doors slid apart. It was an elevator. Moderate orange lights illuminated the interior. Chance stepped inside; Javier and I followed. The doors closed in our wake then we started to ascend speedily.
“There are only three ways to reach the castle,” Chance explained. “The first is by landing on that runway where you parked Lucky. He was cleared for approach, but our castle’s air defenses hidden in different towers are ready to blast anything unfriendly out of the sky. Then there’s the traditional steep road to the castle—the way pretty much everyone else has to take. Lastly, there’s this lift, which holds up to five people. It’s really only used by the royal family for quick access to the village, but you’re all granted admittance while you’re here. You have full clearance to come and go as you please.”
“As secure a castle as I’ve ever heard of,” Javier stated. “Keeping Mauvrey here makes total sense.”
Chance nodded. “The castle and this village are the most guarded parts of Clevaunt, but there are a lot of other security measures throughout the kingdom to keep our populace safe. We protect the villages on the outskirts of Clevaunt too.”
I felt the slight vibration of the elevator beneath my boots. It put me on edge a bit. I’d never considered myself claustrophobic, but I’d never been in a tiny elevator inside a mountain before. “This thing only goes to the castle and back to basecamp? There are no other stops?”
“That’s correct. The elevator can also be shut down from the castle, so if anyone who’s not supposed to be here hitches a ride, they’ll never make it to the top.” Chance pointed out a tiny blinking light in the top right corner of the box—it was some kind of a security camera. “You can take the lift down whenever you’re ready to depart tomorrow, Javi.”
I felt my body grow heavier as the elevator slowed. A couple of seconds later, the doors opened to reveal the runway where we’d landed. It extended off to the left while the castle sat on our right. Six guards stood on either side of the elevator’s sliding doors when we exited. They saluted Chance and the prince guided us to his home.
The warmth of the palace hugged my cold cheeks. As we followed Chance down the corridors, we passed the most elegant (and arguably most expensive) rooms I’d ever seen. Gold crept up the walls in the shapes of vines with flowers. Gold crested the ceiling and edged the perimeter of the floors. Gold was fused into the chandeliers, fireplaces, and furniture. It was everywhere, yet used tastefully and with enough contrast to other colors and materials that it didn’t look gaudy or kitschy. It just looked beautiful.
“This is the sitting room,” Chance said, stepping aside and gesturing to a new room.
“You can tell because we’re sitting in it.” Blue lounged back on a pale blue couch covered with decorative throw pillows. A fluffy crème-colored blanket with small tassels covered her lower half. She had a big, fancy cup of hot chocolate in her hand, as did Jason and SJ, who were sitting in armchairs that matched the couch.
“SJ!” I rushed over to give my friend a hug.
The girl had acclimated fully to the Clevaunt environment and wore a gorgeous long-sleeve purple dress made of soft velvet with dark brown fake fur on the cuffs and neckline. I assumed it was fake fur anyway, given her strong princessy relationship with woodland creatures.
“I am sorry about Emma,” she whispered in my ear as we embraced.
We pulled away from each other. I gulped as I darted my eyes away for a second, then readdressed her. “You doing okay? How’s Mauvrey?”
“I am fine and Mauvrey is fine. I shall show you where she is later.” SJ gave me a wistful look that I found curious, like she was a bit uncomfortable.
“How was the trip below?” Jason asked.
“The village looks awesome,” Javier responded. “Can’t wait to check it out when I get back. For now though, man,” he turned to Chance, “I think I should probably hit the hay. I have to leave early tomorrow if I want to get back to campus by nightfall.”
“Yeah, sure thing. I’ll send up some food in a minute so you can snack
before you sleep.”
“Much appreciated.”
Chance waved for a guard in the adjacent hall. “Can you please take Javier to Guest Room Twelve?”
“Yes, sir. Follow me, please.”
Javier clapped his hands together. “Well, good night, everybody. I probably won’t see you in the morning, but I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Night, Javi,” we chorused.
Once he was gone, I looked around the room and beelined for the large hot cocoa contraption in the corner. There was even a topping bar and an assortment of fancy mugs. The machine looked kind of complicated, but I trusted my chocolate instincts would allow me to figure it out.
“My family should be finishing dinner right about now . . .” Chance said, a touch of something I couldn’t quite place in his voice. Concern? “I told them we wouldn’t be joining them, but they asked if I could introduce you once you arrived and got settled. They’ve known SJ for years, but you three are new, and they get pretty enthusiastic when I bring friends home.”
“You have a history here, SJ?” Blue asked.
SJ sighed. “Despite our kingdoms’ distance, my family has been close with the Darling family for a long time. We used to visit a lot when I was younger; my parents even had me spend two winters here when I was little. My younger brothers had not been born yet, and since I was a quiet child, I think they thought spending time around so many other children would be good for me. I think they may have also hoped that Chance and I would be a good match for a future coupling.”
I took a sip of my luscious, successfully brewed hot chocolate and gave the prince a look.
“We weren’t,” Chance said matter-of-factly. “I was a quiet kid too, and a pair of quiet kids in the same room equals zero connection.”
“So you’re friends with the other Darling kids then?” Jason asked SJ.
“I would not say that,” SJ replied. There was that wistful look again.
“I feel like there’s a story here,” Blue said.
“Every scene of our lives could be a story,” SJ responded. “But now is not story time. I think you should all go say hello to Chance’s family now. Once we get that over with, I can take you to Mauvrey.”
I sadly glanced down at my beverage.
Hm. Put my feet up and drink this rockin’ hot chocolate or go meet a king, a queen, and Chance’s ten brothers and sisters?
Sigh. They were hosting us. Preference didn’t matter; we needed to be polite and show proper thanks and respect to the Darlings. They were kind enough to let us keep Mauvrey here, even though that increased their threat level, and hospitable enough to let us all stay here too. We needed to be grateful, do as they asked, and be on our best behavior.
I took a final sip, relishing the warm richness, then put down my fancy mug. “Lead the way, Chance.”
The Darling dining room had gold-infused décor like the rest of the castle. The rich mahogany floors reflected the flames roaring in the marble fireplace opposite the main entrance. A long, solid gold table ran down the center of the room, and each ebony chair with beige upholstery that faced it hosted a Darling family member. Only one seat near the center was empty—likely Chance’s chair. The two seats farthest from the fire and closest to where we entered had booster seats to accommodate the smallest members of the family. They were adorable.
The entire Darling clan looked up at us when we entered; it was kind of intimidating, all those eyes at once. Chance cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Everyone, may I introduce Princess Crisanta Knight, Blue Dieda, and Jason Sharp.” He gestured at us in turn.
Chance’s parents had been sitting at the head of the table and immediately came over to greet us in a personal and casual manner I hadn’t been expecting. SJ stepped back to not be in the way.
“It is wonderful to meet you,” the queen said, shaking my hand enthusiastically. “I am Queen Lydia Darling and this is my husband King Dominique.” The king followed suit to greet me, then he and his wife shook my friends’ hands with equal vigor. They wore big smiles and did not carry even the slightest hint of pretention.
“Your majesties.” I curtsied, Blue mimicked me, and Jason bowed. “I can’t tell you how much it means that you let us stay here, and that you let Mauvrey stay here too. Most people wouldn’t open themselves up to that kind of risk and we—”
“Nonsense,” the king said jovially. “Peace is a team sport. Chance has told us all about the antagonist threat and your efforts to stop it. We can think of no better way to protect our realm and therefore our kingdom than to assist you with this—albeit odd—situation.”
I was genuinely taken aback. Chance’s father—open, warm, and informal—had so far proved to be the opposite of my own father. I loved my dad, but it was a nice change of pace.
King Dominique had a short brown beard and bushy mustache. His light hazel eyes contained flecks of a darker shade of wood like the floors we stood on. Meanwhile, the queen had very straight, light blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and a single charming mole on her cheek. She put her silk-gloved hand on my shoulder and directed me, Blue, and Jason to the head of the table where she and her husband had abandoned their seats.
“Introductions,” she said.
The queen and king stood on either side of our trio as we stared down the extremely long line-up of princes and princesses.
“First we have the twins—our eldest children, Daphne and Cereus,” Queen Lydia said.
The aforementioned pair stood from their chairs on either side of their parents. Both outstretched their hands to shake ours.
“Pleasure,” Daphne said.
“We welcome you and your allies,” Cereus added. “Let us know if you need anything.”
Daphne and Cereus were in their late twenties, probably around Pietro’s age. While Cereus had dark brown hair like his father and was about five-foot-nine with a tan complexion, Daphne was a pale-skinned girl with dark red hair that cas-caded like flames down her shoulders. Over six feet tall when standing, I felt intimidated the moment she got up from her chair.
The queen and king escorted us around the table as they introduced the rest of their children. There was Sammi, Trenton, and Ivy Lynn, all in their early to mid twenties. Next came the ten-year-old triplets: Agatha, Adiana, and Isabelle. Unlike Daphne and Cereus, the three of them were identical. They all had the same orangey-red hair, blue eyes, and endearing dimples. Lastly, we met the youngest boys—Thurgood, who was eight, and James, who was four.
All the kids were attractive in their own way; I guess taking a swim in Chance’s gene pool was like taking a lap in Lake Good-Looking. The cutest by far was little James though; there is nothing more adorable than a toddler prince in a tiny suit. Especially this one, who was struggling to grasp the breadbasket just slightly out of his reach. I took a quick step forward when we walked past his chair and passed the basket to his longing hand.
“So is it true that you fight bad guys on a regular basis?” Agatha asked once the rounds were complete.
“It’s good exercise,” Jason replied. “And someone’s gotta do it.”
“And you both have magical powers?” Adiana asked, pointing to me and Blue.
“Uh-huh. I have the power of life and she has . . .”
“Dangerous wildcard powers I got from a giant monster,” Blue responded.
“WHOA,” said several of the little kids to Blue’s delight.
“Are bad guys after you right now?” Agatha followed up.
“Probably,” I said. “Unless they’re on a dinner break.”
“Is the sleeping princess upstairs good or evil?” Isabelle asked.
My friends and I looked at each other. That was one question we didn’t have an answer to.
“Children,” Queen Lydia said as she resumed her seat beside her husband. “You will have plenty of time to get to know our new friends.” She turned her gaze to us. “Do you know how long you are staying?”
“Honestly no,” Jason answered.
“It kind of depends on what happens with Mauvrey’s memories once we see them.” He looked at Chance. “You told everyone here the full backstory, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Holding something back, little brother?” Ivy Lynn asked coyly. She had very dark hair highlighted with streaks of green, like she’d taken her name too seriously. “For example—how you got mixed up with these cool protagonists in the first place? You are hardly the type to just make this many friends.”
“Ivy Lynn,” her mother chastised. “Just because Chance has never brought home friends from school before does not mean he does not have them. Be a bit kinder, dear.”
“She is only asking a fair question, Mother,” Sammi replied. The boy was slender and blond, with perfect cheekbones. “Ivy means it not as an offense, but an observance. Factually speaking, I can count Chance’s childhood friends on one hand. He hardly had the skill or charisma to keep up with the rest of us at social occasions. He was always in the corner with grandfather’s astronomy texts. Like SJ over there and her dusty potions books.”
“Perhaps you should try reading one, sometime,” SJ said, her arms crossed. “Or any book in your room, Sammi, as I am sure they are all sufficiently dusty.”
“Snap,” Blue said under her breath.
Sammi and SJ exchanged a glare.
“Changing the subject,” Daphne said, frowning at Sammi. “Would you and your friends like to join us for dinner, Chance? We could have another table brought in.”
“They’ve been flying all day so they’re probably tired,” Chance answered brusquely on our behalf. His jaw had been clenched through most of the sibling banter. It was strange; he was hardly the shy type from what I knew about him, but his siblings viewed him in a completely different light.
“I’ll have dinner sent to their rooms.” Chance made a subtle gesture to us indicating we should head for the door.
“Boo, you’re the worst,” Trenton said. He was just as handsome as Chance, but his eyes were dark blue and his hair was curly. “You finally come home with interesting stories to tell and now you choose to be all aloof. Not cool, Chance Pants.”
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