“Hi, Ryker.” Nolan waved, his mouth in a thin line, trying to keep from smiling himself. Ryker’s grin only widened.
“Who is this gorgeous creature we have here?” He wheeled himself in his swivel chair until he was in front of Angel, and he gazed up at her with admiration. “I must know your name.”
“It’s Angel,” she said, trying not to blush.
“Yes you are,” Ryker smirked, and Angel couldn’t hide her blush anymore.
“You’re the pilot?” Angel asked, looking around at the equally luxurious pilot’s pit and at the controls and buttons in the front. Out the window, all she could see were clouds and the night sky.
“Yeah, this is my aircraft. Dad gave it to me so I could ‘use my powers for something useful’. He was tired of palace guards complaining that I was speeding past them. So now I channel my abilities and voila, I own the fastest transportation in the entire magical world.” Ryker beamed. “To be perfectly honest, I think Dad’s just mad that I’m not a wizard. Like, sorry I’m not all powerful, Dad, I can only go fast; but at least I don’t have to cast a spell or anything.”
Angel was having a hard time processing everything and her head was starting to spin.
“How do you guys remain hidden so well?” Ryker just shrugged.
“Great disguises.”
“We’re careful,” was all Nolan said his expression back to being imposing and scary.
“And it’s not like strange, weird things don’t happen in the human world that are caused by magical people don’t happen. You people just can never identify the sources of strangeness,” Ryker continued. He shrugged. “We cover up our tracks well.”
“All of this is so crazy,” Angel breathed, barely a whisper, but Ryker just laughed.
“You’ll get used to it, no problem. Look, Nolan, here’s your stop. I’ll be seeing you kids soon.”
With that, he shoved them out of his quarters and slammed the door behind them. Angel could feel the vehicle coming to a stop, and she turned to Nolan, who nodded to the door.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Four
Palatul de Aur. The Romanian name for The Gold Palace. It’s a fitting name for something so grand, so extravagant, and so, so gold.
“How on earth can someone not just happen across this?” Angel asked incredulously, staring at the richly carved columns and totems and the pathways practically paved in gold.
“There are invisible boundaries that keep out both humans and unwanted magical beings.” He gestured around him. “Someone could be staring right at it, but never actually see it.”
“It’s absolutely incredible.” Angel beamed, a wonderful feeling in her chest beginning to bloom. She couldn’t quite identify it, but she was no longer scared by what she was about to face. Somehow, she knew that this was all meant to be, and that it would all work out for the best.
“Come on. You’re needed inside.” Nolan tugged at her arm and led the way inside, through the gold paneled doors, guarded by armed men, with similar weapons to the men who had caused her and Chase’s wreck.
“What are those?” Angel whispered, pointing to the weapons. They were long, thin, almost wand-like, but there were other instruments branching out from it.
“Peretes. It’s several weapons rolled into one, all meant to take on one sect of the magical community. They have the ability to defend and fight against any creature, wizard, vampire, etc.”
Angel stared at them for a little longer until she was dragged along some more. “Come on, we have to go.”
They continued through the golden hallways, Angel staring around her, amazed.
When Nolan led her to a pair of double doors, they both paused, and Angel took a deep breath. Nolan placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it. Whatever you’ve been summoned here for, I can at least assure you that no harm will come to you.” Nolan nodded to her, and Angel sighed.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and Nolan smiled, then pushed open the doors, which led into a grand hall.
It was gold just like the rest of the palace, lined with royal guards and servants carrying trays, hurrying along. Everyone was clothed in the same black and gold fabric.
At the head of the room, seated on a tall, golden throne, was a richly dressed woman in emerald green fabric, which caused her to stand out against the black and gold; however, that wasn’t the only thing that made her catch everyone’s eye. The royal lady was beautiful, and everyone who
looked at her mirrored admiration and adoration.
Nolan led Angel to the center of the room, in front of the throne for the woman to see. The woman gazed down at her, her face unreadable.
“My lady,” Nolan began, bowing. “May I introduce you to Angel Berry.” Angel, unsure of what to do, hesitantly bowed. The woman nodded.
“Welcome to Palatul de Aur, Angel; I am the Queen Kelandra. I’m glad that you’re here, and I’m sorry for all the trouble you must have gone through to get here. You’ve been summoned here because it was rumored that you might have some type of ability. We just wanted to be certain.”
“Me? Have some ability? I’m completely normal, I swear,” Angel insisted, shaking her head. The queen, however, did not seem surprised by this. She shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, we’re all terribly busy here, and I cannot afford to post any guard on you in the human world to make sure you don’t do anything magical. So I suppose we’ll just allow you to stay here for a week or so, just until I feel confident about sending you back to the humans.” Kelandra
leaned back in her throne, but Nolan was furious.
“You mean to tell me I went to all that trouble to bring her here, and it was basically for nothing?” Nolan spat. The queen, however, remained calm.
“Who’s to say it was for nothing? We aren’t yet sure-“ she began, but Nolan interrupted.
“Pardon me, your grace, but we never allow humans to stay here. Why change that now? She can’t be here!” His chest was rising and falling, and his breaths were becoming heavy.
“Nolan, we’ll perform a memory wipe, just as we always do. However, Angel Berry will be staying here for a week and you are going to have to learn to be okay with it.” The queen looked almost smug, and Nolan’s face contorted in an effort to hide his anger.
“Of course, madam.” He bowed, then quickly strode out of the room, the golden doors slamming behind him.
“Don’t pay him any mind. He enjoys brooding and complaining. He’ll come around.” Kelandra stood and descended the steps until she was standing in front of Angel. “I hope you enjoy your time here. The wonders of the magical world never fail to impress. The Gold Palace is just one
of the many magnificent places for you to see. Explore. Enjoy yourself. Just be safe.” The queen gave Angel a pointed look at this. She simply nodded.
“Of course.” Angel was perturbed by the way that Kelandrs was looking at her, seeming to stare through her soul. Her eyes searched hers, searched her face and her body. Angel was uncomfortable and shifted under the weight of her stare.
“Well, I’ll have someone escort you to your room. Adora,” she called, waving her hand, and a servant was immediately at her side. She was short, with brown, curly hair and a cute, chubby face. “Will you take Miss Berry to one of the guest rooms? Give her one with a nice view.”
“Of course, my lady,” Adora bowed, then gestured for Angel to follow. Kelandra ascended the steps to her throne, but before Angel left, the queen called out to her once more.
“Oh, Angel?” She stopped and turned back to the queen, who smiled brightly. “It’s really wonderful to have you here.” With that, Kelandra turned away, seemingly without a second thought, and Angel paid her no mind.
Adora led Angel through the never-ending golden passageways, her curly locks bouncing behind her.
“So how long have you worked here?” Angel asked, wanting to make conversation to break the silence.
“Oh, about 3
years. Ever since I was 18.” She looked saddened by this, suddenly, but immediately brightened. “It’s great work, really. A real honor to work in the service of Queen Kelandra.”
“I’m sure. She seems great,” Angel replied, unsure. She didn’t know why, but it seemed like she was hiding something. But why hide anything from me?
“She’s been more than generous to me and my family. Kelandra is the kindest woman I’ve ever met, and I think we’re lucky to have her as our ruler.” Adora sounded like a crazed fan, but it was cute. At least she wasn’t acting this way about a boy band or worse.
“I’m happy to hear that your ruler is so loved and admired.” Angel smiled, attempting to be understanding of the strange new world that she had come to find.
“Alright, here we are,” Adora said, stopping abruptly at a closed door.
“Oh,” Angel halted along with her. “I just realized I have no things.” Adora waved her hand.
“Pfft, don’t worry about it. The room is well-stocked, you won’t be in want for anything.” Adora’s smile broadened and she gestured again to the closed door, so Angel reached and slowly turned the doorknob.
Inside was the most elegant, not-gold room that Angel had ever seen.
She noticed how not-gold it was in contrast to the rest of the entirely-gold palace around her. The beautiful bed was covered in red and brown, silky-looking materials, and it looked absolutely satisfying to lie across. Angel was looking forward to doing just that. The windows were covered in brown drapes, with the slightest hint of gold in the tassels that hung from it.
Her mouth most have been open, because Adora chuckled next to her.
“Wait until you see the bathroom.” She smirked, then scooted along. “You just go on inside now, miss, and make yourself comfortable. You get some rest, I know you’ve had a long day!” Adora skipped away at that, leaving Angel to continue gaping at the gorgeous room.
Angel did the first thing she could think to do, which was fling herself across the bed, which felt just as lovely as she had imagined it would be. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying not to worry about what the next few days had in store for her.
Chapter Five
“Snow,” Angel hissed as she sat bolt upright in her bed, annoyance searing through her brain. How could snow follow her to such a magical place? Did these magical people actually like snow? Maybe she had misjudged them.
She slowly crawled out of bed, and was even more annoyed to realize she had fallen asleep in yesterday’s clothes. Angel trudged to a beautiful armoire that was situated kitty-corner across the room. She flung it open to reveal a nice selection of clothes, all different colors, and several
warm choices. Angel was thankful at least for that.
As she sifted through her options, a purple-knitted sweater caught her eye. She carelessly pulled her original blouse over her head and tugged the sweater on. Fumbling through the drawers, Angel grabbed the first pair of plain blue jeans she could find, pulled a comb through her hair and walked out the door.
Upon exiting her room, Angel suddenly realized she had no way of finding her way back to the entrance of the palace. There were so many hallways and so many turns, there was no possibility of her getting back to where she came from unless it was by pure accident.
Hesitantly, she started down one corridor, unsure what the good in doing so would be. Hopefully she would bump into someone who could show her the way. Unfortunately, she didn’t count on that person being Nolan.
“Ow!” she cried as she walked into his stiffened body. Nolan frowned down at her.
“I was just looking for you. You have some explaining to do.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his black eyes fixed on her, his expression angry. Angel backed away.
“Excuse me? I’m the one with explaining to do? You people are the ones who dragged me to this place for no real reason!” At this, though, Nolan’s mouth twitched.
“But there was a reason. And I want to find out what.” He shrugged. “Let’s just say for personal reasons. I’m invested in my missions.”
“Kelandra said it was to make sure I didn’t have any hidden abilities-”Angel began, but Nolan stopped her.
“No, this has never been done. I cannot express to you just how uncommon this is. Humans aren’t allowed at the Gold Palace. Magical people of any kind are forbidden to reveal themselves to humans unless it’s for a good reason, and this does not seem like a good enough reason to me.”
“Okay,” she breathed. “Then do what you want. But I want to explore.” Nolan looked stunned by this.
“You can’t go out by yourself, you need a guide!” At this, Angel smiled, bringing her face close to Nolan’s.
“Then I guess you better come with me, Guide.” Nolan’s face flushed, and he squinted angrily.
Angel only winked and walked away.
“Fine! I’ll take you somewhere. Follow me.”
XXX
“So where are we going?” Angel asked, seated in Ryker’s Golden Airways transportation oncemagain. Nolan grunted.
“I didn’t take Nolan for a market kind of guy myself,” Ryker teased, and Nolan’s scowl deepened.
“Market? What market?” Angel sat up at this, looking eager.
“Lord, you ask so many questions.” He sighed. “The Fairbanks Market. Where all the fair folk have little stands where you can buy trinkets and magical fruits and vegetables from. It’s too quaint and sunny for my taste. However, it’s close to the werewolves’ forest, so they occasionally put on a show for us, which is fairly exciting.”
“Werewolves? Wow. You’ll be telling me that vampires are real, soon.” She laughed at this, but Nolan and Ryker suddenly looked uncomfortable. “What did I say?”
“It’s just, vampires are real. We’re just not on friendly terms at the moment,” Ryker explained carefully. “Their leader, Akabar, screwed them up really bad, so-”Nolan growled at Ryker for this, however.
“Shut up. We do not speak of him.” Nolan sat back in his chair, and Ryker threw his hands up in surrender and muttered an apology.
“Well anyway, we’re here now. Get your butts off my plane.” Nolan and Angel quickly exited, and it took her a moment to actually notice the beauty of Fairbanks Market.
“Oh, wow,” she breathed, finally looking up. The sun shown hot and bright on her skin, and she sighed in relief. “Finally, no snow.” Nolan chuckled at this.
“I’m not a fan of that stuff either,” he whispered, and Angel smiled warmly at him, thankful for his sudden attempts at kindness. Still, she straightened up.
You’re just being nice to me so you can get information out of me,” she laughed, and Nolan did the same.
“You caught me. Alright, let’s go.” He placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her through the throngs of people in the market. It was sunny, full of trees, and full of magic. The roads were full of people doing tricks, impressing other magical people somehow still. Instead of performing coin and card tricks, however, these were real. Making objects appear out of thin air was apparently an everyday occurrence.
“This is so beautiful,” Angel breathed once again, then looked at Nolan, who didn’t seem to quite detest it as much as he made it seem like he would. He halted, however, then grabbed her arm and dragged her to a stall.
“Come, this way.” When they were standing before the old man at the booth, he smiled at them and gestured to his grand collection of jewelry.
“How may I help you young people today?” he asked sincerely and kindly. Nolan looked closely at the pieces before them.
“Sir, I have a hypothetical situation for you.” Nolan stood and looked the man in the eyes, and the man returned his gaze with a look of amusement.
“Certainly, let’s hear it.”
“Well,” Nolan began. “Say there’s a person who is unsure if they have magical abilities, and they want to find out if they do. How could that person do that?” The old man looked down at his collection of jewels and frowned
.
“I can’t really think of anything that they could do to reveal if they have abilities or not. All I can think is this ring,” he says as he displays a gold ring with a red crystal. “This particular crystal will glow if the person wearing it is about to use their abilities. It’s a piece I offer to individuals who are training and attempting to control their powers; it allows them to see their own abilities flaring and helps them to learn to control the initial surges.”
The old man handed the red ring to Angel, who took it hesitantly and slipped it on her index finger. Nothing happened, not that any of them thought that something would, but she stared so lovingly at it that Nolan sighed and turned back to the man.
Romance: Angel-The Fire Princess: Vampire Werewolf Shifter Fantasy Romance Page 3