“I did what was necessary.” Millie looked away. “The same as you would have done had the roles been reversed,” she whispered.
“No, Millie.” I stood on my shaky legs and grasped her shoulders. She looked up at me and her seafoam eyes shared the turbulence that disquieted me. I saw the truth in her glassy gaze. My heart sank, her continued weakness since the ship making sense now. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I wouldn’t let you die, Cici.” Her eyes flared. “I have strength, too, though of a different sort than yours.”
“I know, and please don’t take it wrong. I’m grateful. I’m just worried about you.” I drew her close to my chest and kissed the top of her head. The black in her hair burned my lips but I didn’t loosen my hold. I didn’t want to let go. She was all I had left. My only ray of hope in this dark place. “You need to spend more time under the moon tonight. I…”
“Seer,” Catonia arrived stepping inside the room with Evercy alongside her. The oppressive atmosphere of the La Ville Sombre seemed to cling to them somehow, a reminder of the reality I desperately wanted to escape. In addition to my exhaustion I suddenly felt as though the walls of the library were closing in on me. “It’s time to go.”
“Ok.” Muscles quivering, I took Millie by the hand but was too shaky to help her stand. Stone scooted between us and took over. The resigned look he and Millie shared made me suspect that he already understood everything I had only just figured out. Was that what was causing the tension between them and not the impossibility of their love? Did he share the dread that was dragging at my heart?
The weight of worry a heavy burden, my footsteps slogged as we left the library. Equally as tired if not more so, Millie stumbled, her tennis shoes catching on the plush runner in the hall. I reached to right her but Stone was quicker. He swept her into his arms. She didn’t fight him. Her head dropped to his shoulder. The vamps exchanged a concerned glance. I straightened my spine determined not to show weakness. It wouldn’t be wise to let on how drained I became after using my gift. By will alone, I determinedly put one foot in front of the other, trudging along behind the rest of them.
Once on the main landing at the entrance to the La Ville Sombre, the vamps abandoned us jogging down the steps and heading straight to Roderick’s table. We followed at a much more deliberate pace. The crowd parted for the gargoyle. I was relieved to find that a place had already been cleared for us. With Stone standing guard directly behind us, Millie and I took our pick of the food, and afterward we were the first to stand beneath the moon. All that time I could feel Roderick and his gang watching us with undisguised malice in their eyes.
When we returned to our pod, I insisted Millie go first to shower. She looked steadier and less pale when she emerged. A white towel around her neck to catch the drip from her wet hair, she touched my shoulder softly as I passed her on my way in. I gave her a soft smile and took my turn. The hot water reinvigorated me, too. I lingered under it, as if it could somehow wash away my growing unease.
Opening the door, I discovered Stone dancing with Millie. Tears glistened in my sister’s eyes as he sang to her in a language I didn’t recognize. They swayed slowly together to the sound of his rough voice, emotion evident in their entwined forms, her hands on his shoulders, his arms possessively low around her waist. Her head tipped back to gaze up at him. His dipped to do the same. My gaze widened in awed wonder, and if I were being completely honest maybe even a tiny shred of jealousy, the stark walls of our pod the only witness to my reaction.
It wasn’t the lamplight that made both sets of eyes glow, rather the worshipful adoration that I now realized was entirely reciprocal. Breathtakingly so.
I didn’t recognize the song but suspected it was one he had composed himself. I wondered if the lyrics paid homage to her kindness and her beauty. He ended with a phrase intoned so low that I couldn’t catch it even though I leaned forward, but whatever he said pleased her. She lifted up onto her toes tilted her head up toward his, slid her hands behind his neck, and brought her lips to within an inch of his. I held my breath waiting as she seemed to be for him to press his mouth to hers. When he didn’t she murmured something that made his expression fill with such incredible longing that it made my chest ache. Eyes locked on hers, he shook his head subtly. Reaching backward, he removed her hands from his neck bringing one palm first and then the other to his mouth for a gentle kiss.
The pressure of unshed tears built behind my eyes. Millie had found her prince. He might not match the stereotype of the handsome hero from the stories she loved but it was obvious those things didn’t matter to her. He was hers and she was his. There was no doubt in my mind that what I was witnessing was truly love.
Catching me staring, Millie glanced away as if embarrassed. The gargoyle met my gaze directly, pressed his lips to the top of her head and moved away. I snagged the abandoned brush, braided Millie’s combed hair, then picked up the guitar and met the sizeable crowd that had assembled outside our pod.
It seemed that they expected a performance every night. I didn’t mind. In fact, I think the music comforted me as much as it did them. It was all that remained of the dream that was my former life. It was also my choice to sing and play…one of the few freedoms left to me inside this place.
Tonight, we pulled the curtain completely out of the way letting the interior of the pod serve as a stage. The vamps appeared and joined Stone and me for several songs. They sang brilliantly, their accented voices so reminiscent of the Caribbean that I could almost hear in them the rhythmic sound of the ocean as it met the shore. For a time, I let the tide carry me away from our present troubles.
My imagined tranquility had dissolved by the time we returned the next morning to Phoebus’ library. New requests filled the space we had cleared. Dismayed but determined, Millie and I pulled our chairs together again and started working through them at the same hectic pace as the day before.
One exhausting day became another. A month of them. We never saw Leonardo, Fiori or Phoebus. But we were watched constantly, during the day by the Sun Elves ant at night by Roderick and his crew. In my mind Phoebus and Roderick represented nearly the same level of threat. However as long as we kept up with Phoebus’ quota, I determined that the demon presented the more urgent one. I knew he was waiting for Stone to slip up so he could take advantage. I could never relax, not in either place, but especially in the La Ville Sombre. I was responsible for Millie, and I resigned myself to the knowledge that as long as Roderick remained, she and I would be in jeopardy there.
“What about this one?” Millie asked.
“Huh?” I blinked refocusing on her. She was leaning heavily on the armrest of her chair. The low glow of the lamps revealed the weary circles under her eyes. My worry for her gnawed like a worm in my brain.
“The cheetah hybrid. The missing mother,” she reminded me.
“No.” I shook my head. That one had some tie to Apollyon that made me uneasy. I didn’t want to think about that demon on top of everything else. “Choose another,” I directed gently trying not to fixate on how long the black strands in her hair had become, or on how much her strength and stamina continued to wane despite a month under the moonlight. Not only had the lock lengthened, it had also gotten progressively warmer. I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Every night as I braided her hair, it singed my fingers. Worse than the worry was my growing fear that there might not be a way to make Millie better again.
That fear had me feeling as frantic as the night our parents died. I wrapped my fingers tighter around the feather inside my pocket. Touching it eased my anxiety. I let out a tight breath.
“Ok. How about this one?” Millie slid a new sheet of paper across the desk.
The request slipped through my fingers when an unexpected knock sounded at the door. Wondering why Stone hadn’t alerted us, I swiveled around in my seat. It was the princess. What was it with the gargoyle and Fiori? Why did it seem as though he trusted her? The vamps, too.
“Hey.” Her blonde tresses flowing loose around her slim shoulders and a multi-tiered burgundy gown weighting down her slender frame, she flashed us her engaging smile. It was hard to remain neutral to her. “Leonardo has returned and you look like you could use a break. Would you care to join us for lunch in the garden?”
“Sure,” I replied, but my response was tentative. I wondered if she really understood that we had little choice. “But we won’t be able to finish all of these requests by the end of the day.”
“They can wait.” Her delicate brow scrunched. “You completed a year’s worth of inquiries in one month already. Daddy was testing you. He made me stay away but he’s been watching. He says you passed.” She winked. “I think you did better than that, though he won’t admit it. His coffers are filled with finder’s fees, and his little black book is bursting with favors owed to him because of you. He’s in an amazingly good mood. I haven’t seen him like this before Aunt…well, not in a long, long time. He hasn’t even punished anyone in the court since you. And he’s agreed…finally,” she sighed dramatically and took in an exaggerated breath, “to let me meet you…officially. Since of course, we must adhere to courtly protocol.” She winked again.
My eyes widened. I didn’t know what to make of her. I had never met anyone like her. I wanted to believe her, but I found it difficult to imagine that just doing our job had changed her father so much.
“Come on.” She stretched out her arm and offered me her hand. As if my body were hers to command, I got up and took it. She grasped it firmly tugging me out into the hall. Millie and Stone followed. I glanced back at them several times as we wove our way through a portrait lined corridor with a common Phoebus-conquering-various-mythological-creatures theme. She led us through a heavily guarded section of the palace I had never been in before. I had to jog to keep up with Fiori but I didn’t want to go too fast. I didn’t want to lose Stone and Millie. As much as I was drawn to her, I wasn’t entirely certain I could trust Phoebus’ daughter.
Fiori let go of my hand when we reached a set of French doors that were thrown open to the outdoors. Tiptoeing down a wide set of steps out onto a vibrant green topiary lined lawn, she gestured toward a large circular table. The white linen covering it fluttered in a gentle breeze. An elaborate buffet laden with silver warmer trays stood near it.
The aroma of toasted garlic drifted to my nose. My mouth watered and my stomach grumbled. Most days we did without lunch in the library.
“It’s lovely.” Millie smiled softly.
“Thank you. I arranged everything myself.” Fiori moved toward the buffet table. We followed as if enchanted. She removed one lid after another and my eyes widened in surprise. I felt more than enchanted. I felt awed. Many of my favorite Puerto Rican dishes beckoned. Arroz con pollo. Carne guisada. Pan de agua. Mofongo.
“This is very unexpected…and thoughtful.” Tears blurred my vision of the princess. “How did you know where we come from?”
“I asked Leonardo, silly.” Making no secret of the fact that she reveled in my response, she reached behind a crystal bowl piled high with mangoes and pineapple and withdrew a metal goblet. Steam billowed from the rim. She offered it to Stone. “I hope this is prepared properly. The recipe was a little different everywhere. I wasn’t sure which one you would prefer.”
Looking stunned, Stone accepted the beverage.
Fiori didn’t seem to mind that he didn’t thank her.
A throat cleared. Her head snapped up. “Leo and Daddy are here.” She clapped her hands excitedly. I turned at the same time studying the two men who paused on the raised terrace. Both were impeccably dressed in loose shirts and tight britches. The Sun King wore a long jacket that seemed to be melded to his broad shoulders. The rays of light overhead seemed to lovingly caress his form.
I swallowed nervously. My previous appetite abandoned me despite the plethora of tempting aromas drifting over from the buffet.
A jog down the steps and a couple of confident strides brought both compelling men directly before us. I locked my shaking knees together taking comfort from the fact that Millie and Stone were nearby.
“Seer,” Leonardo greeted warmly. “Might I introduce you to Phoebus, son of Zeus and Marabella. Tenth ruler of the City of Lights.”
“The last ruler of the Sun City. My dear father will discover the truth in that should he ever think to appoint a successor.” Phoebus’ gaze cut to me, the intensity nearly knocking me off my feet. I squeezed my fingers into fists and shut my eyes. A warning clanged inside my head. It seemed that he wanted me to remember, as if I could ever forget, the sway he held over me.
And then just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. A warm gentle breeze kissed my skin. I opened my eyes. My jaw dropped. Phoebus was close, so close. Those desert eyes of his drew me in, the threatening ring of fire around the sandy brown extinguished for the moment.
“Cecilia.” Phoebus didn’t just move. He prowled and purred my name as if he were a jungle cat and I was his intended mate. Taking my hand, he held me prisoner with his gaze until his bow made that impossible to maintain. My lids fluttered as he brushed his warm lips across the sensitive skin of my knuckles.
He knew the effect he had on me. He wore a pleased grin when he straightened. He was using some kind of persuasion no doubt. He obviously enjoyed messing with my head. Frowning, I snapped out of my haze and yanked my hand from his.
Why had I let him take it in the first place? I couldn’t seem to think straight when he was around, especially this close. The severe sovereign with the sadistic bent was one thing, but this flirtatious debonair duke was something else entirely. How was I supposed to react with him behaving like this? What did he want? Was Fiori right about him? Had filling his coffers really changed his behavior this dramatically?
“You’re not eating. Let me help you.” Phoebus wrapped his strong fingers around my upper arm. I tried not to reveal my unease as he guided me toward the buffet. I still remembered the scalding pain those hands of his could inflict. But today his skin was only warm and his grip was as gentle as a lover.
I kept my composure as he pointed out several dishes I should try, enough to overload the delicate china plate he solicitously filled for me as if we were on a date. He pressed his hand into the small of my back, his firm touch stirring forbidden desires as he escorted me to the table.
He withdrew a chair for me. I slid into it while trying to avoid further contact with him. Setting my bounty in front of me, he leaned in, his face an inch from mine, and inhaled deeply. “You smell delicious,” he commented low, his warm breath tickling the fine hairs beneath my ear.
A shiver I couldn’t control rolled through me.
“I’ll just get some food and be right back.”
I wanted to tell him not to hurry. I needed to regain my self-control. What the hell was wrong with me? I glared at his back.
Leonardo took one vacant seat beside me. Fiori slipped into the other. I found myself fenced in between the two of them. Thank the Creator. I wouldn’t have been able to carry on a coherent conversation with Phoebus’ muscular thigh pressed against my leg.
Did the Sun King have magical pheromones he was employing to dazzle me? Or was there some deeper, older, more complex magic at work?
“In the long run,” Leonardo whispered leaning in towards me, “it would serve you well not to anger him. Consider staying on his good side, Cecilia. Be willing to bend a little.”
I blushed at the image his remark conjured.
He’s right, I thought as I watched Phoebus return from the buffet. But that’s a much more dangerous game. I pasted on a bright smile for the monarch as he took the remaining seat beside Stone.
“Gargoyle,” Phoebus greeted Stone politely.
I found myself stunned anew. However, I also caught a glimpse of Fiori’s smug smile. I imagined she had more to do with her father’s changed demeanor than anything else. Quite a feat, orchestrating a luncheon where a trio of Dark Immortals sat at
a table with a being who felt entitled to enslave them.
“Sun King,” Stone returned politely, lifting his chalice. Strangely at ease in this privileged setting, I recalled that at one time the gargoyle had been royalty, too.
“How’s your grog?” Phoebus asked.
“It is a bit salty but Stone approves.”
“Good, Fiori took great pains to make everything perfect.” Phoebus waved a hand in the air and a servant, a slave like us, I reminded myself, scurried forward with a crystal decanter filled with sparkling liquid. A young demoness, her horns so tiny they were barely visible above her wiry curls. Her hands shook as she filled our glasses.
I wasn’t the only one who got nervous around Phoebus.
When everyone’s glass had been refreshed the Sun King raised his in the air. “A toast. To our new seer. And to my daughter for suggesting that I get to know her better.” He stared directly into my eyes and his lips slowly curved in a way that made me fidget. “I must say that I am looking forward to uncovering all of her secrets.”
Phoebus pulled me aside after we finished eating. Brow creased, Fiori lifted her head to track us as she took the spot her father had vacated. Leonardo watched us too, but I couldn’t tell whether it was approval or concern that narrowed his gaze.
“My daughter seems fascinated by you,” Phoebus observed, drawing me closer to him beneath the shadow of a tall pine scented hedge.
Dream Magic Page 14