Breaking His Spell

by Foster Bridget Cassidy

  I wanted to plant my boot in the guardsman’s side for turning his back on all Yarling offered.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “It was your idea to begin with, Carishina. We’re going to give him a love potion.”

  She gasped. “No, Klint.”

  I stared down at the guard, his face peaceful as he slept. “Why not? You didn’t have a problem with doing this before.”

  “And you did. It’s not the answer, Klint. You can’t force this.”

  I met her eyes; they were wide and pleading. “Yes, I can, Carishina. I’m a magician. I can do anything I want.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  SHE TRIED TO talk me out of it. I didn’t listen.

  I rummaged through all my books, trying to find a love spell. I’d never paid attention to them before, so I had no idea if there was one inside these tomes. I growled in frustration as the sixth turned up nothing.

  “See?” Carishina said. “You don’t even have the spell. You can’t perform it correctly.”

  Then, I remembered seeing the recipe in one of the prince’s books. We’d have to sneak up there anyway to get a lock of Yarling’s hair for the spell.

  “We’re going plundering,” I told her, standing from the bed.

  “What? Where?”

  “I’m designating you as the lookout.” A strange sense of madness had taken root inside me. I’d never felt so determined, so fired up about a task. I would make Antonio love Yarling. Or die trying.

  The guardsman was still unconscious but tied up with one of my cotton tunics to be safe. Once we fed him the concoction, he’d be breaking down doors to get to Yarling. The prince would be so happy.

  I rushed out into the hallway after a quick peek revealed it to be empty. Carishina followed, an accomplice after all. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d gone running for Franik. Instead, she proved yet again she was my dearest friend.

  We moved swiftly, quietly, down the corridor to the stairwell at the end. Yarling’s chambers were on the floor above us. With luck, he’d be at the banquet for some time yet, allowing us to slip in and grab the book.

  “Klint, think this through,” she tried again. “You aren’t being rational.”

  “Since when did you become the voice of reason?”

  “Since you stopped. One of us has to be.”

  I ignored her and focused on climbing each step with as little sound as possible. At the top, voices carried from the expanding hallway and I craned my neck to peer around the corner. Two servants, dressed in black suits, leaned against the wall as they conversed. They seemed to be taking a break, relaxing instead of doing their tasks.

  Myl, they could stand there for hours, with the royal family preoccupied in the banquet downstairs.

  “Carishina,” I whispered. “Go give them something to do. Have them fetch you a chocolate pudding.”

  “Klint—”

  “And then when they come back, I want you to stand here and send me a warning if anyone should approach. Especially if it’s Yarling. We need to move fast.”

  “All right,” she said with a resigned sigh. She strode forward.

  The servants snapped to attention when they glimpsed her. “Alma,” they both greeted with respectful bows.

  “Can you please bring me a chocolate pudding. I’m still hungry.”

  “Yes, Alma,” the one on the right told her. “I will be back shortly. Would you like me to deliver the dessert to your room?”

  “Uh, no. I like to walk as I eat. Bring it right back here.”

  They both eyed her oddly for such a request, but they did not question. They set off in the opposite direction, probably to the closest servant stairwell leading to the kitchens.

  I hurried out as soon as they disappeared. “Thanks,” I told her, not adding how she could have handled the situation better. She’d done as I asked, and they were gone, so she had been successful.

  She tagged along as I made my way to Yarling’s door. I was glad we didn’t need to break into the royal chamber with the Rynce wood. Though we meant no harm to anyone, the motivations I had were not pure. The wood could sense my half-crazed intentions and deny us entrance. Yarling’s bedroom had a normal door, and I muttered a few words for the door to fly open.

  “There’s no ward?” Carishina asked, getting ready to accompany me into the room.

  I stopped her. “You need to wait out here. The servants will be back shortly. Send me a quick word if anyone else comes up.”

  She wrinkled her nose but nodded.

  I shut the door. The books I’d seen before dinner were still on the table beside the window. No one had been in here since. I stalked across the floor. Though I knew I was alone in here, I still felt as if I were being watched. I stayed to the shadows and didn’t add any light—normal or magical.

  My toe struck the bottom post of the bed and I almost let out a string of curses. I didn’t remember the layout as well as I thought. Next, I nearly tripped over a rug. The thick fibers raised the floor slightly, and I hadn’t expected the sudden change in elevation.

  Okay, maybe I needed a little light. I snapped my fingers and a tiny flame danced atop my palm. Frozenfire—a source of light, not heat. The wavering ember cast flickering shadows around the room. I could see much better and hurried to the table.

  With my free hand, I picked up the top book. “Potent Potions” read the title. This was it.

  Suddenly, Carishina’s voice sounded in my ear. “Mphem cophen.”

  I froze for a moment, wondering what her words meant. Then I understood. The child had pudding in her mouth. She couldn’t give me a better description of what came this way.

  To be safe, I dove into Yarling’s adjoining room—a bathing chamber—and closed the door all but an inch. I released my light and the room plunged back into darkness. A heartbeat later, the prince’s door opened.

  Yarling gave a command and all the lights flashed to life. I pulled farther into my hiding place, barely daring to peek out through a small gap between the door and frame.

  “She’s a very strange magician,” Yarling said as he closed the door. He stripped off his shirt and tossed the garment to the side, revealing toned muscles and dark skin on his hairless chest.

  “I like her,” Desian answered. “She’s got an interesting outlook on life. And her magic is… complicated.”

  “How so?” Yarling walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of silk pajamas. He donned the shirt, then slipped out of his formal pants. I bit my tongue to keep my thoughts focused on their discussion, not fixating on the sight of the prince’s shapely legs.

  “She looks at magic the wrong way. She’s told me at the Alma Palace she’s not very good at her studies. But here, she’s excelling. It’s because she can’t see magic the same way as the others. They try to teach her the way they learned, and it doesn’t work.”

  “A sort of magical dyslexia?” Yarling put on the pajama bottoms.

  “Perhaps. I’m very glad she’s going to stay.”

  Yarling smiled suddenly, turning to his dragon companion. “Desian, I think you may be developing feelings for the Alma.”

  To my surprise, Desian’s cheeks turned red.

  Yarling laughed, a sound of delight, not mocking. “You may as well admit it.”

  “I won’t admit anything,” the dragon said stubbornly. “Besides, the topic at hand—before you so casually veered us off—was your feelings for the Alma.”

  I stiffened in my hiding place. Carishina? Yarling’s affection for Antonio shifted to Carishina?

  “Desian, we’ve been through this already.” The tone of his voice sounded oddly familiar. “I’m not in love with Klint.”

  I fell backward, landing on my bottom, my breath coming in short, quick pants. My view cut off and I didn’t dare move. I strained to hear their words.

  “I know we have,” Desian said. “And I know you’re lying.”

  “I’m not. I want Antonio. I’ve always wanted Anton
io.”

  “My dear,” the dragon said sympathetically, “you need to stop the charade. I know why you think you have feelings for Antonio. I remember when he pulled you from the water. You were so happy to be alive, you placed all these emotions onto the man who saved you.”

  “That’s not—”

  “Listen. Yarling, that’s admiration not love. The two are completely different, despite what the young Alma says.”

  “I know they’re different. I have both for Antonio.”

  “You’re afraid to be alone,” Desian said, his voice cutting, as if it were a knife he meant to stab into Yarling’s heart. “That’s why you summoned me in the first place. You’ve held on to this affection for Antonio because you’re afraid to not have someone to love.”

  “I… I….”

  “If you want to be happy, you need to stop this.”

  I crept forward to peer out the gap once more. Desian’s hand gripped Yarling’s chin; the two stared at each other.

  “I see the way you are with Klint,” Desian continued. “I see the way he is with you. Those are real feelings, Yarling. That’s what love is.”

  The prince shook his head, freeing his chin from Desian’s grasp. “Klint would never give me the time of day if I didn’t force him into it.”

  “And is it any different with Antonio? Even our elaborate plan didn’t successfully get you a kiss. But think of Klint as a person, as he was today. I knew if I gave you time alone, you’d be able to see what he’s really like.”

  “It’s all been an act. Even when he kisses me, I can tell there’s no feelings there. He wants this to end so he can go back home.”

  “You don’t know for sure. You need to ask. See if he’ll stay.”

  “I don’t want to keep him here if he doesn’t want to. There’s something in his past, something painful. He doesn’t like being in the palace.”

  “But you don’t know for sure,” Desian repeated. “Yarling, you are the most important thing in the world to me. I want to see you happy, not wallowing in unrequited love.”

  The prince growled in frustration, running his fingers through his hair.

  “Do you realize,” Desian continued, “how your view has changed? Before, you focused on getting Antonio any way you could. Now, you want what’s best for Klint. You have no desire to keep him here against his will. You’re putting him first, which is odd for you.”

  “Oh, be quiet,” Yarling said, but his words lacked force. “I see your point, but it doesn’t change the fact—”

  A sudden knock on the door made all of us jump.

  Desian walked over and turned the knob. A guard stood there, his face ashen. “Lord Desian. Guardsman Antonio is missing.”

  Yarling gasped and rushed to the door. “What happened?”

  “We don’t know, Your Highness.”

  “We need to find him,” Yarling said, his hand clutching his chest. “We have to look.”

  Desian nodded. “He was down at the banquet earlier. Let’s start there.”

  The prince and his familiar dashed off without a backward look. The guard glanced over his shoulder and after a moment, took a step into the room. His features contorted, and suddenly Carishina stood there.

  “Klint?” she called.

  I got onto unsteady feet, wobbling like a leaf in high wind. “I-I’m here, Carishina.”

  She came to the bathing chamber and gripped my shoulders, steadying me. “Are you okay? I didn’t know what else to do to get you out of here.”

  “You did fine. Help me, please?”

  She slipped her shoulder under my arm and hefted me. “What happened?”

  “I… I….” I couldn’t even speak the words aloud. The overheard dialogue fuzzed my brain like a fever dream.

  We hobbled out of the room. Carishina raised her eyebrow when we left without the book I’d gone in there for. She didn’t say anything but was likely pleased I’d changed my mind.

  “We need to wake Antonio,” she said. “Everyone will be looking for him now.”

  I glowered at her. “Your way of talking me out of it? Causing the palace to go into a panic so we’d be forced to free him.”

  She gave a half shrug, as I leaned my weight on the other half. “I knew you would regret it, Klint. It’s not something you would have chosen yourself.”

  “Maybe,” I allowed.

  We made our way back to my chambers without running into anyone. Carishina helped me sit on the bed. Antonio lay beside it, still asleep.

  “I’ll see to him,” I told Carishina. “Will you find Yarling and let him know Antonio is here and safe? I don’t want him to worry.”

  Carishina smiled and softly gripped my shoulder. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

  Once she left, I bent down and untied the guardsman. My limbs were responding much better now, and I only fumbled with the binding a little. Once he was free, I released him from my spell.

  He bolted upright. His eyes frantically looked around the room, falling on me. “Alma? What happened?”

  “I intended to hurt you guardsman. But I changed my mind. Yarling is worried where you’ve disappeared to. He’ll be here in a moment. I suggest you think hard about what to tell him when he arrives.”

  “What I need to tell him? You’re the one who attacked me.”

  I ignored his words. “You’re going to have to tell him everything you told me.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve told him all that before. He’s never listened. I thought you would be able to convince him since he’s so smitten.”

  I closed my eyes as my heart fluttered uncomfortably. The prince was smitten? Apparently, a little bit. What could I do? There might be a chance for us to actually be together.

  Did I want that? Maybe Carishina was right and I loved Yarling. But loving someone and acting on those emotions were two very different things. I wasn’t sure I could love again, not in the way Yarling would be expecting. He was mortal; he’d die, just like Vulten. My heart wouldn’t survive such a parting again.

  The door to my room swung open and Carishina gestured Yarling and Desian inside. Of course, Franik followed them in as well. He smirked at me when he entered.

  Antonio’s eyes were wide under the attention of so many people. Yarling walked forward and touched the guardsman’s arm.

  “Guardsman, are you okay?” the prince asked.

  Antonio bowed deeply. “I’m fine, Your Highness. I only wished to speak to Alma Klint. I didn’t mean to cause such an uproar.”

  Yarling retreated a few steps, returning to Desian’s side. “There was no uproar. We were only concerned.”

  “As you say,” the guardsman said, bowing again. “I will return to my post.”

  “Of course,” Yarling answered.

  Antonio scampered out of the room. I glared after him. He needed to talk to Yarling. Break the idea of them together once and for all.

  The room fell into silence. Franik seemed to enjoy the uncomfortable tension, sitting at the table and thumbing through one of my books. Carishina fidgeted with her hair, twirling a golden locket around her finger. Desian’s eyes were glued to her—maybe the dragon was enamored with her. I didn’t know a familiar could feel love outside its master. But it was Yarling’s familiar, which made all things possible.

  Yarling seemed unable to meet my eyes. I found the task difficult as well. What did I say? What did I do? I couldn’t go through with my plan to slip Antonio a love spell. It was unfair to both the guardsman and the prince. Yarling deserved real devotion, real admiration, real affection. And that definitely cut me out of the deal. I couldn’t give him those things either.

  “Well,” I said into the quiet room. “It’s late now and it’s best we all went to bed.” I met Yarling’s gaze and felt my cheeks heat. “Our own beds, of course. Everyone to their own rooms.” I was rambling and obviously so.

  Franik chuckled at my discomfort.

  “Actually, Klint,” Yarling said after a fleeting glance at
Franik. “I need a word with you.”

  I nearly squeaked in response. I had to take a few breaths before saying, “Perhaps we should save the discussion for in the morning, Your Highness. It’s very late.”

  “Carishina,” Desian interjected. “Would you allow me to walk you to your chamber?”

  Carishina beamed. “Of course, Lord Desian. Thank you.” She gave my back a pat as she walked past. “Good luck,” she whispered.

  “Then I better leave too,” Franik said, a tad disappointed. “Maybe my lady is free again. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  WHEN YARLING SHUT the door, a suffocating aura filled the room. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.

  “Klint, are you okay?”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed and rested my forehead on my palms. My surroundings spun at an alarming rate.

  The prince’s fingers on the top of my head sent a tremble through my body. I looked up.

  Yarling said, “Antonio told you he doesn’t love me?”

  I lowered my face again. “Yes. I’m sorry. I hoped we’d be able to change his mind.”

  “I’m the one who’s sorry. Klint, look at me.”

  I did as he asked. The prince’s light-brown eyes seemed darker.

  Yarling continued. “I behaved recklessly and selfishly. My desperation for Antonio made me overlook who I hurt along the way. My parents. I worried them so badly. Roberta. She might have faced consequences as the lead suspect. You and Carishina and Franik. I gave no regard to what it would have cost you to leave your home behind and fix my problem. I’m so, so sorry.”

  “That’s how love is. It’s a juggernaut, refusing to be stopped by anyone or anything. It’s the worst emotion humans can act upon.”

  “You really believe that, don’t you?”

  “I’ve seen it. I know it for a fact.”

  A small smile touched the prince’s lips. “I think you’re wrong. Whatever you’re thinking of couldn’t have been love. Love doesn’t act in such a way.”

  “What about you and Antonio? You just mentioned all the pain you caused.”

  “I’m saying that wasn’t love either. Desian told me I had admiration mixed up with love and I’ve finally seen the truth of his words. This person you’re thinking of, they hurt you?”