“You aren’t either.” Ezzie answered, crossing her arms over her chest, “Why were you allowed to go this time?” She asked in a sing-song voice.
Lucas sighed, glancing back at Luna like he hoped that she hadn’t heard, “Father asked me to come to the meeting, so I could help Luna…” He answered, looking at his feet like he had been caught.
“You aren’t normally there?” Luna asked, feeling kind of sheepish watching Lucas and Ezzie talk about her while she was standing right there.
“Oh, sorry Luna.” Lucas turned to the young girl at his side, “This is my sister, Ezmerelda, or Ezzie.” He introduced the strange girl who was still staring at Luna. “And no, I am not usually privy to the council meetings, not until I am granted the title of King in waiting…” He added as though he wanted Luna to know that one day he would be privy to the meetings. “I was asked to sit in so you would feel more comfortable…”
“Oh.” Luna tried to hide her surprise. She hadn’t known that Lucas had a sister he had never mentioned much about his family while he was on Earth, and Luna hadn’t met her during her last short stay. Though she could see why Lucas wasn’t normally at the council meetings, they were boring and formal and it seemed that everything had already been decided before the meeting had even begun, there was no point in dragging him through the meetings until he had a reason to need to know what was going on.
Ezzie stared at Luna and curtsied, “It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Blackwater.” She tipped her head formally.
Luna stared at Lucas, suddenly more uncomfortable, she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to greet a Princess, “You can call me Luna, really…” She smiled at Ezzie, not sure if she should curtsy back, “It’s nice to meet you too, I didn’t know that Lucas had a sister…” She admitted passing Lucas another look.
Lucas blushed, “She wasn’t a part of my story on Earth…” He tried to explain, “I didn’t tell you about her because… you couldn’t meet her, at least not on Earth… I would have told you about her eventually…” He tried to defend his choice to omit his sister’s existence from his life but it was apparent that Ezzie was offended that he hadn’t mentioned her.
“You didn’t tell her that you had a sister!” She huffed, crossing her arms again, “No wonder she ran off…” Ezzie rolled her eyes, “What did you tell her?” She asked quite pointedly.
“We were kind of on the run when she found out about this place…” Lucas reminded his sister, “I didn’t really have time to give her my whole family history, she didn’t even know that Eranox existed…”
“Didn’t even know about Eranox?” There was a twinkle in Ezzie’s eyes, and Luna wasn’t sure if it was because she had found out something she wasn’t supposed to know, or if she was planning something mischievous.
“Don’t give me that look.” Lucas stared at her, clearly knowing which of the two it was that had caused her eyes to spark.
“If she doesn’t know about Eranox…” Ezzie smiled, “Well, I can change that…” She turned to Luna, “You need the grand tour. The good one without someone boring trying to ruin all the fun.” She shot a look at Lucas. “Come on, you are going with me today.” She insisted reaching for Luna’s arm. “You can stay here and keep pretending that you don’t have a sister.” Ezzie smirked at Lucas as she started tugging Luna down the hall, leaving him standing there looking confused.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“There is so much that I need to show you.” Ezzie let go of Luna’s hand as they turned a corner, another corridor spread out ahead of them, “Oh, you are going to love Eranox.” She giggled leading the way.
“How on Earth did I not know that Lucas had a sister?” Luna chuckled, Ezzie sure had a way of making her presence known.
“That’s just it.” Ezzie frowned, “You were on Earth, and I wasn’t allowed to go with him…” She trailed off, a slight bitterness in her words. “Next time you go back, I want to go with you.” She whispered, looking over her shoulders like she was afraid of being heard.
“That would be interesting.” Luna answered politely, imagining Ezzie, a Princess from another world, trying to fit in in River Falls. It would be amusing at the very least.
Ezzie kept walking, finally reaching the front doors to the castle. She swung her arms out, the doors following her command and opening wide, allowing the bright sunlight to enter the castle.
“Come on.” She danced down the steps, waiting for Luna at the bottom, “You’ve got a whole city to see.”
There was a carriage waiting outside the front doors as though it were expecting them. The strange horses that she had seen when she had returned with Lucas were waiting impatiently, their wings ruffling as they tapped their hooves on the stones.
Ezzie however, walked right past the carriage, waving it off, “We go on foot.” She announced, “There is so much you cannot see from a carriage.” She turned back to Luna, “Are you ready?” She asked excitedly.
Luna looked out at the castle walls, remembering her first trip on foot through Eranox, “Sure, I’m ready…” She answered, following Ezzie towards the castle gates.
Ezzie walked with a hop in her step, so lightly that Luna was sure she was going to bounce right into the sky. She was petite and smiled easily, it was hard to believe that Eranox was cursed with all of the cheer that radiated off of her.
“So, what is it like?” She asked, turning to Luna with a curious eye, “Being a High Wizard that is…” She clarified when Luna didn’t answer right away.
“Strange.” Luna answered, there was no other way to describe it. She had felt the fire rolling through her blood, felt the curse with her power and burned it in her mind. She hadn’t yet found a way to describe how it felt to her other than strange.
“I’m just getting used to my power.” Ezzie admitted, “I just turned sixteen last moon, and finally started my training.” She flicked her hand and a small flame appeared.
“Well Happy Birthday ...” Luna smiled, wondering what was involved in the training that Ezzie had just begun. “Any chance you could show me some of the things you’ve learned?” She asked, wanting to watch how Ezzie used her powers so she could figure out where to start herself.
Ezzie’s eyes lit up, “Really?” She stopped walking a few paces before the gate to the city.
“Yeah, I would love to see what you’ve learned.” Luna wasn’t sure if anyone in Eranox was supposed to know that she hadn’t been trained, so she kept it to herself, hoping that Ezzie wouldn’t pick up on it.
“Here.” Ezzie turned, pointing to a shrubbery, “Watch this.” She scrunched her face up, her hand extended towards the plant. Slowly it began to smoke, the branches heating up, though it wasn’t enough to start a fire.
“Cool.” Luna smiled, watching Ezzie, she seemed to be out of energy.
“It takes a lot out of you…” She huffed, “I’m still trying to get used to it.”
Luna knew the feeling, she still felt drained from the test spell on the cat. She could only imagine how much energy it was going to take to lift the curse from a full sized human.
“We should get going.” Ezzie pulled herself together, turning back to the gates, “I’ve got a lot to show you, and curfew is so early these days.” She sighed.
“Curfew?” Luna asked.
“Two hours before dusk.” Ezzie impersonated someone that Luna didn’t know.
“That’s pretty strict,” Luna commented, “but that curse is very dangerous, so I’m sure it’s for your own safety.” She reminded Ezzie, she knew that Lucas wouldn’t want his sister putting herself in danger, and she had seen first-hand what happened at night.
“Oh, I know.” Ezzie rolled her eyes as they stepped through the gates. The guards nodded to her and Luna as they passed. “It’s just so frustrating…” She trailed off apologetically.
Without having to say anything, Luna knew that it was her fault that the curfew had been put in place.
“What should we do first?” Ezzie’s t
one changed as the gates closed behind them and they entered the bustling streets of Eranox.
Luna stared out at the crowd, some of the pedestrians had stopped to look, realizing that the Princess and the High Wizard were in the streets seemed to cause them some alarm. They rushed to bow and quickly scattered, whispers filling the street as the crowd grew, peering at them from a distance.
“Hilda?” Ezzie called to no one in particular.
A girl appeared from behind them, startling Luna, she was one of the servants from the castle.
“Yes Miss?” She tipped her head to both of them.
“We would like a lunch in the square, and I think I would like to take Lady Blackwater to see the Potion Master.” She smiled thoughtfully.
“Is that all?” Hilda asked, tipping her head to the side to wait for Ezzie’s answer.
“For now.” Ezzie smirked, reaching for Luna’s hand, “Come on Lady Blackwater, we have a lot to see.” She pulled Luna into the street and led the way through the watching crowd, seemingly unfazed by their stares.
It was a different route than the one she had taken with Lucas through Eranox on her first visit. Though the street looked much the same, the stores were quite different, and the houses were much stranger.
“This is row Seven.” Ezzie caught the look on Luna’s face, “Leads out to the Gateway like all the others, but row Seven is my favorite place to look. It has the prettiest gardens and the nicest shops.” She took a deep breath, “Plus the square between Seven and Eight is a beautiful little place to take a meal.” She added wistfully, “You’ll love it.”
“So where are we going first?” Luna looked around at all the shops lining the street, there were fewer houses in row Seven than there had been on the street Lucas had led her down towards the castle on her first visit. It seemed that Ezzie had taken her to the shopping district in town.
Though she still didn’t know much about Eranox she was starting to feel a little excited about being able to look around and learn some things first hand. It was much better than relying on her mother’s notes from the Eranox she had left eighteen years ago.
“Potion Master.” Ezzie answered, “Just up ahead.” She led the way down the busy street, though the people seemed to part for them, watching with curious eyes as the Princess and the High Wizard passed them by on the street. It was clearly a sight that they didn’t see often.
Ezzie turned towards a large storefront, it seemed to take up a whole block with its glass windows and signs. Painted on the front window, in what looked like gold, were the words Potion Master in large elegant letters that were full of swoops and spirals.
Ezzie pushed the door open, walking inside and taking a deep breath of the air inside of the shop. “Can you smell it?” She turned, whispering to Luna as she followed her inside, “It smells like power.” She turned away, walking towards the first of many shelves.
“There is so much stuff in here.” Luna reached for a jar, turning it to read the label, “Sage…” She stared at the contents, trying to figure out if it looked like the sage from Earth, or if Eranox had a different variety.
“This is where they keep the more common ingredients.” Ezzie explained, looking at the shelf that Luna was staring at like it was too boring for her to bother with, “Anything more… potent… is kept towards the back.” She lowered her voice mischievously.
“And these are all used to make potions?” Luna tucked the jar back onto the shelf.
“Some are used for common things, cleaning, cooking, but yes, they are all ingredients one might need for a potion.” Ezzie’s eyes lit up again, “Come with me.” She looked over her shoulder again, like she was about to do something that she wasn’t supposed to do. She lowered her voice, “They also carry ready-made potions…” She whispered.
She slipped out of the aisle and crept towards the back of the shop, slipping behind a curtain that blocked the area from view.
Luna was sure that they weren’t supposed to be there, but she followed Ezzie, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“These are all potions?” Luna stared at the shelves, they were filled with different shaped glass vials and jars, some similar to the one that had held the potion she had used to lift the curse on the cat at the castle.
She was afraid to touch the bottles to see what was written on them, though Ezzie didn’t seem to have the same concern. “Look at this one.” She reached for a twisted bottle, the cork at the top had turned a glowing green.
“You probably shouldn’t touch that…” Luna backed up a step, she wasn’t sure what was in the bottle, but she also didn’t want to find out. Some of the potions were probably very dangerous, there was a reason that they were kept away behind the curtain.
“Oh, you’re just like Lucas…” Ezzie tisked, tucking the bottle back onto the shelf as she rolled her eyes at Luna.
“You aren’t supposed to be back here.” A voice whispered, seeming to come from nowhere.
Luna turned, trying to find where it had come from, but Ezzie didn’t seem to be alarmed.
“Where are you hiding Jack?” Ezzie crossed her arms, though there was a smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.
Luna watched her with amusement, wondering where Jack was hiding, and how he and Ezzie knew each other.
A moment later a young boy, about Ezzie’s age, hopped down from the top of one of the shelves. He had been perched on the top watching them.
He looked disheveled, like he had stepped out of an old book about a boy who lived in the woods and liked to fish. His feet were bare and his pants were ripped at the bottom and barely covered his ankles, but he had the same mischievous twinkle in his eye that Ezzie had in hers.
“You two are friends?” Luna asked, watching as the boy stared.
Ezzie looked up, her cheeks blushing like she had forgotten that Luna was there.
“Yes.” She smiled, putting on the airs, “Jack, this is Lady Blackwater, the new High Wizard.”
Jack turned, standing tall as he mocked Ezzie’s posture, “A pleasure to meet you Lady Blackwater.” He bowed deeply, nearly hitting his head on a shelf.
“You can call me Luna.” Luna rolled her eyes, knowing that Jack was the rebellious type and wasn’t likely to treat her any differently than any other person, which she was perfectly fine with.
“That would be much easier.” He smirked, turning back to Ezzie, “What are you looking for today?” He asked, poking at a bottle on the bottom shelf as though he were trying to guess.
“Nothing, this time…” Ezzie giggled, “I’m just showing Lady Blackwater around Eranox.” She lowered her voice, but Luna could still hear her, “She’s new here.” Ezzie whispered, winking.
Jack peeked over his shoulder at Luna, giving her a long once over that was quite uncomfortable. Then he turned back to Ezzie, “She the one from Earth?” He whispered with curiosity.
“She is.” Ezzie answered, the twinkle back in her eye again.
Jack turned to face Luna, looking her over again, “You from Earth?” He asked.
“Yes.” Luna answered.
“Is there magic there?”
“No, I don’t think there is.” Luna wasn’t really sure.
“And you’re the High Wizard now?” He continued.
“Apparently.” Luna crossed her arms, waiting for Jack to get to the point, there was clearly something that he actually wanted to know.
“The one who cured the cat?”
“How did you hear that?” Luna asked, wondering how fast word spread in Eranox, it couldn’t be as bad as River Falls.
“My dad’s the Potion Master.” He answered smugly.
“Sir Hawthorn?” Luna asked to be sure that it was the same man that she had met at the council.
“One in the same.” Jack nodded proudly, “I hear that you get to cure the real High Wizard tonight…” His smile was growing.
Luna didn’t answer, it was clear that Jack knew enough.
“What’s Ea
rth like?” Jack finally asked.
Ezzie peered over his shoulder at Luna, she seemed to be wondering the same thing, but had been too proper to ask straight out.
Luna chuckled, “I don’t know enough about Eranox to really compare,” She admitted, “But it’s like Eranox without magic, and maybe a hundred years in the future.” She looked up at the fire lit sconces, wondering when Eranox would learn about electricity.
“A hundred years in the future?” Jack’s eyes went wide, “You live in the clouds?” He asked, serious.
Luna wasn’t sure how to answer, it was clear that his idea of the future was quite different than what she had been trying to explain. “We just… Earth I mean, they learned to advance without magic…” Luna tried to think of a way to explain it, “It’s very different from here, but kind of the same…”
“That’s it?” Jack sounded disappointed at her explanation of the other world.
“Maybe you can see it one day, once the Gateway is safe again.” Luna suggested, “I could show you around.” She glanced towards Ezzie, “You too.” She added.
Jack stuck out his hand, “It’s a deal then.” He nodded his head, accepting her offer.
Luna reached out, shaking his hand, the promise that she would show him Earth one day hanging in the air.
Something banged from the back of the store. Jack lost his smile immediately.
“You should get out of here before my father comes back out for more ingredients.” He suggested, glancing over his shoulder as another loud crash sounded from the back.
Ezzie’s eyes went wide, “Come on Lady Blackwater, we should go.” She whispered.
“It was nice meeting you Jack.” Luna nodded to the boy and followed Ezzie back through the curtains towards the front of the shop.
“That was a close one.” Ezzie whispered, opening the door and darting back into the street, “Sir Hawthorn gets very cranky if he catches you in the back without an appointment.” She twirled her dress, catching it on a breeze.
“So, how long have you known Jack?” Luna asked, giving Ezzie a knowing look.
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