Viviana cast one last glance at him, and slowly turned around. He could see a light at the bottom of the stairs, but when he reached it, he stopped. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
They were in a forest, but it was like no forest he’d ever seen. Everything…glittered. Like the silver of the brightest moon. He took a few steps, again taken aback at the amount of enchantment and sorcery that surrounded these princesses.
When he looked back to his quarry, they’d hurried ahead. He looked around, and reached up and snapped off a branch. He’d need proof. No one would believe him—he barely believed it himself.
Viviana whirled again, hearing the crack. “What was that?” She was afraid. She stared hard all along the path behind her. He held his breath, not daring to move.
Finally, she moved to catch up with her sisters, and he half ran to keep up. Suddenly, the forest changed. It was still glittering, but now it was as though a thousand suns had come out all at once. The trees, the branches and leaves, the flowers, the undergrowth—even the forest debris—all gold!
He fell behind again, and carefully broke off a branch, hoping to avoid any noise. But his hopes were in vain. The crack echoed through the woods.
Once again, Viviana stopped, and this time she came back to see what might have caused the noise. “Thea!” She yelled for her sister this time. None of the decorum he’d seen thus far from the princesses was in evidence. “Come here!”
The rest of her sisters stopped, and once again, Thea came back. “What is it?”
“I’ve now heard two cracks, two loud cracks as though the branches are breaking. Never before have I heard anything other than us, not in all this time. Something is amiss.” She put her hands on her hips and glared as though the offending branch would stand up and apologize.
Thea looked around and Hadden could see the weariness on her face, the desire to just get through tonight. He’d been on enough all-night marches to know that face, that feeling. “Vivi, there is no one here but us and the princes. Now come,” Thea took her arm and turned her back towards where they were heading. “We must go. All will be well, or as well as it can be.” Vivi turned, and as she began to walk, Thea looked around again. Her eyes sought him, sought the source of this noise, but he’d hardly breathed since they’d stopped.
As they walked on, he could see the forest was changing again. Now it was returning to silver, but an even brighter silver than previously. He stepped close to the edge of the path, and he could see that tiny stones dotted the branches. Diamonds! Diamonds on trees. A man could make his fortune ten times over just by strolling along this path. He let Viviana get further away, and then stepped off the path, hoping to get a low branch and not attract so much attention. He bent it a few times, and then snapped it off. To his ears, it was not loud. He leaned out and glanced up the path. Viviana had not turned around, probably because the sisters were stopped, and all were talking.
He tucked the third branch under his cloak and ran to catch up.
“We made it here before they arrived,” Adelaide said to Thea. “I’m glad. They are off balance when we’re late. It’s unnerving.”
Thea was nodding. Hadden scooted closer, barely avoiding bumping Emaline and Celestria as he did so. He had to remember they couldn’t see him.
“I think it’s because they have only a few commands in their heads. She’s made them forget, you know. I’ve tried talking to Roderick about Ulric, and he barely speaks a sentence or two before he’s on again about the Lady, or the number of couples at the ball, or the food, or some trivial thing. She’s taken away their entire personalities. Who they are! They are just mindless bodies, putting on a smile and dancing well.” She stamped her foot.
Adelaide put her hand on Thea’s. “It’s frustrating. I wish we knew how to let their families know they are alive and well.”
Hadden could see small lights on the water, bobbing and getting larger. What was that?
“It continues to baffle me that no word has come from any of their families,” Thea said. “Particularly given it’s not been a healthy time for princes in our kingdom.”
Adelaide stared at her, then started to laugh. The rest of the princesses went silent for a moment, trying to ascertain what Adelaide found funny.
Before they could start talking again, the lights got closer and Hadden saw a flotilla of small boats as they pushed up to the shore. The boats were big enough for two or three people, and each was piloted by a handsome young man. Each man jumped out, pulling his boat onto shore. Each went to a specific princess. He edged closer to see who went to Thea and to Adelaide.
“It does me good to hear your laughter, my lady,” said one, bowing over Adelaide’s hand with a grand flourish.
Hadden made a face. Surely this was not sincere.
“You are indeed a picture, and only brighten our fair realm. You will outshine all the other guests,” said the second man to Thea.
He tried to get a look at the sisters. They both looked bored, as though this was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Thank you, Lord Roderick. Shall we go?” Thea wasn’t even trying to be polite, much less as polite as the man. Nevertheless, the man took her arm, and helped her into the boat. He started to talk again in a low voice. It mustn’t have been all that engaging because Thea just stared out over the water, not even pretending interest.
The man with Adelaide did the same, and Hadden could see that all the princesses intended to make the trip across the lake.
The thought hit him. He needed to get a seat in one of the boats if he wanted to get across. He looked up and down the line of boats, and saw that Viviana, as the youngest, took up the least amount of room in the boat. He hurried down the shoreline, hoping the general noise of departure would muffle his steps. Once he reached the boat where Viviana now sat, he waited until the man had started to climb in, then grasped the side and leapt in to sit behind Viviana. The boat tilted slightly, which caught the young man off guard.
“Are you all right?” Viviana asked him. She’d grabbed onto the sides of the boat but as the rocking stopped, she reached out a hand to the man.
“I am well,” he replied cheerily. Hadden knew the tone well. It was that of a man who would never admit anything but the good. The man finally made it into the boat, and with a heave, he cast off from shore.
He pulled at the oars. Hadden could tell that the man was having to work harder than he was expecting to work. Hadden tried to move as little as possible.
“Is it not hot this evening?” Viviana asked. “It’s as though the sun is beating down on my neck.” She reached behind her to lift the tendrils of her hair up.
Hadden leaned back. He was too close to her.
“It is more difficult than normal to row tonight,” her escort agreed. “Perhaps it is hot.”
There was no more conversation until they reached the opposite shore. Hadden knew his mouth hung open as they approached. They were on the periphery of a beautiful castle, lit up for a ball.
Once ashore, the man stepped out, and helped Viviana out. Hadden waited so that his movement would be less obvious. He watched all the other princesses around him also being helped out of boats by their escorts. He stepped out carefully, hoping nobody would notice the ghostly movements of the boat as he did so.
He followed the couples up a pathway and into the castle.
The men were lively, chattering, the perfect courtiers, he thought. When he observed the princesses, they didn’t seem as engaged. That fact didn’t stop the men. They kept up their fine manners and gallant behavior. It was not normal. Something about this, other than the basic fact that it was taking place in the middle of the night below the court of Gallivas, he thought, was not normal.
Once inside, they went into a grand ballroom. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of candles. The sheer expense of it was staggering. He’d never seen anything so well lit.
After the last couple entered, music began to play, and all the men immediate
ly led the princesses to the dance floor.
Then it dawned on him. He crossed his arms under the cloak. They were here at this magical ball under the castle dancing. This is how they ruined their slippers each night. He wondered how long it would go on.
He walked through the ballroom. The princesses and their escorts were the only people there. However, he had the impression there were more people. It felt very strange to keep thinking there were others there when he saw no one.
He kept his eye on Thea. She didn’t leave her partner’s side, and her facial expression hadn’t changed. Even though the man with her carried on enough conversation for the both of them, she seemed to barely tolerate the ball and him. Suddenly, she stopped, and moved her partner away from the dance. She put her hand on his arm, and walked towards one of the open doors. No one else had done so. He carefully skirted the other couples and made his way to the door.
It led outside to a tidy balcony with plants and a view of the lake they’d crossed.
“What do you want with me? I’ve done everything you asked.” Thea didn’t sound happy at all.
“Did you give your latest suitor the potion?”
“Of course I did. I want no more deaths. I am doing as I am told.” Oh, Thea was bitter.
The other person didn’t answer.
“What new game is this?” Thea asked.
He crept closer to the window, hoping to see the person with whom she was talking.
The woman was as tall as Thea, with dark hair. Suddenly, just as he’d found a good spot, she whirled about and marched to the door.
She was a pretty woman, an older woman. The expression on her face, however, was not pretty.
“Who have you brought?”
She turned back to Thea, hands on her hips.
Thea’s eyes widened, showing her surprise. “I brought no one but my sisters, as I have been instructed to do each night.” The surprise didn’t change her anger, Hadden could tell.
“There is another,” the woman muttered. “Where are you? Who are you? I know you’re here. Come out, and it will be easier for you.”
Hadden held his breath. He had to do that a lot this evening. He didn’t want to be on this woman’s bad side. She was angry, perhaps as angry as Thea. Unlike Thea, he found her terrifying. Her anger had the feel of a chained beast, kept civil only by shackles. If she let it loose, the damage would be tremendous.
“I will find you,” the woman said, and walked away from the door.
“You’re always mad, but you are more so than is normal even for you,” Thea observed in a snide tone.
“Go away, little girl.” The woman waved her hand. “We’re done for the evening. Go away.” She strode to the rail of the balcony, ignoring Thea.
Thea looked at her, and then shook her head, coming back into the ballroom. Her partner was waiting, and he lit up like a candle when he spotted her.
“There you are, my lady! I was beginning to worry for you. Are you well?”
“Indeed I am, my lord Roderick. Let us return.”
The man, Roderick, asked no questions, did nothing other than beam, and led her away.
Hadden leaned back against the side of the door. How had the woman known he was there? She must have magic, as Grizelle did. They said those with the gift saw with different eyes.
He stilled himself as he heard her footsteps come closer.
“Where are you? How did you come to be here? I will find you, you know. So were I you, I would leave as you came in and not return. This is not your concern.” She stood still, barely breathing herself. As a soldier, Hadden could tell she was listening, observing, and seeking him.
Who was this woman? Why did Thea speak so to her? Had she orchestrated all of this? She acted like a general, surveying his troops. This had to be her creation.
But why? How could he ask Thea about this tomorrow? One thing he’d noticed was that no one else came over to the little balcony. None of her sisters even looked over. Everyone seemed under the same spell of dance and made merry with no other thoughts.
He walked away from the balcony, taking the opposite route he’d used coming to the door. He passed a footman, who, if his eyes didn’t deceive him, was transparent. Hadden snatched an empty cup from the tray the man—spirit?—carried. If he didn’t make it back, he needed to have some sort of proof. He hurriedly tucked the cup into the pouch under the cloak, not wanting to accidentally drop it and make his presence known.
He continued sidling along the wall until he reached the main doors that led from the ballroom. This would be the safest place for him until it was time to leave.
He settled in and prepared to wait.
And what a long number of hours it was.
They didn’t do anything other than dance. Like a child’s toy, each couple danced and spun, sometimes weaving in and out of groupings that were not there. Every so often, one of the men would get refreshment for himself and the princess he danced with, but other than that, the repetition nearly put him to sleep.
None of the princesses wanted to be here. They might have screamed it, it was so obvious.
Through some signal he couldn’t decipher, the men all stopped and applauded. For the musicians? He looked around. He didn’t see any, but in this place, that meant nothing. There was music.
The men began to lead the princesses towards the door. Hadden hoped with all his might that this was the end of the evening. He was irritable. Now he could see why the princesses might be, as well. He’d only done one night of this. He couldn’t imagine every night, day after day, week after week.
He could feel his anger fading. Someone was directing this, and it wasn’t the princesses. Not even Thea, in spite of her potion. She had no choice, based on what he had overheard. The challenge now was to get her to talk about it. He hadn’t seen any of the other princesses do anything other than dance with their partners.
He realized that everyone had left. He had to run to catch up—he didn’t want to be caught on the island with no way of getting back. He needed to be able to get in a boat—but whose?
He saw that Serafina was close, and once her partner had handed her in, he stepped in behind her. As with Viviana’s escort, the man rowing was working hard to keep up with the other boats. And just as before, this man didn’t complain, but rather put a cheerful face on it.
The men were so pleasant and perfect that it gave him the chills. It wasn’t normal. His mind turned over all he’d seen, and before he knew it, they were on the shore opposite the castle. He left the boat last, sliding out the other side from where the man stood, being careful not to jostle the boat next to him.
He moved to catch up to the princesses, hoping to hear something more from them. It might be optimistic, but he could hope.
“How long will we have to do this?” Mirabelle and Sybbl were in the rear of the group.
Sybbl said, “I wish I could say. I’m so tired of it. I think Thea saw her tonight.”
“What? Why do you think so?”
“She looks more upset than usual. And irritated.”
“She never looks anything but upset,” Mirabelle said.
“That’s true,” Hadden could see Sybbl lift a shoulder, shrugging. “But there’s irritation on top of the usual upset.”
He looked ahead of them. There was no way he could work his way to where Thea was. For whatever reason, she was the key to this. Or, at least, that is what it sounded like it from listening to her sisters. He stayed close to Sybbl and Mirabelle, but they didn’t talk again. He could understand. He was tired too, and he hadn’t even been dancing.
As they came to the end of the forest and the sisters lined up to go back up the stairs, he found he was anxious to get back to his room. Why had Roytsen not woken? Why had he been able to stay awake? What had he done differently?
He was so lost in his thoughts he nearly walked into Mirabelle. Only good fortune allowed him to stop himself before he ran into her. He held his breath, hoping she was to
o tired to notice him.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice anything. He looked at them all as they crowded up the staircase. They were exhausted.
Once they had all come back into their sleeping chamber, he hurried to get out of the stairs. He wasn’t sure how it opened and closed, and he didn’t want to be trapped.
Back in their bedchamber, he moved away from where a number of the sisters were standing, yawning and rubbing their eyes.
“Another night,” Adelaide said, speaking to Thea.
Thea shook her head. “I was hoping so very much that this Hadden would be different, but they were asleep as everyone else has been. He seems like a nice man. Oh, Addi, I can’t keep doing this! None of us can!”
“It’s got to end soon,” Adelaide said, trying to be soothing.
“I saw her again tonight, the hateful thing. She’s more insane than usual. She accused me of bringing someone with us!” Thea rolled her eyes. “After, of course, she made sure I was using the potion.”
“You could just dump it to the side,” Adelaide said.
“I’m afraid to,” said Thea quietly. “If I do something that angers her, she’ll kill one of you. Losing Casimir, and Ulric, and soon this poor knight—it’s bad enough. But one of you?” She sat on the bed now over the stairs. “I can’t bring myself to take the risk.”
“We’ll figure this out somehow,” said Adelaide.
On that note, Hadden stepped quietly away from the princesses until he was able to leave their chamber. He needed to try to get some sleep himself, and he couldn’t wait to tell Roysten what he had seen.
He made it to his room without seeing anyone, and once inside he heaved a sigh of relief. He carefully hid the branches from the three forests and the cup inside the cloak. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to follow them again, and he wanted to ensure he had the proof to keep his head three mornings from now.
His last thoughts as he fell asleep were of Thea. How could she send men to their deaths? He’d need to talk to her tomorrow. Gentle behavior be damned. This was his life, and he wanted to keep it.
Chapter Thirteen
Casimir's Journey Page 21