“The constellations are different. We use the stars to navigate when we’re at sea, so I know them well. These are different.”
“But we’re on the Fairy Mountain, aren’t we?” Rosa asked.
“Of course you are, darling!”
We all jumped.
An arch across the room filled with light, and a woman in a flowing green dress stepped through. Her skin glowed warm and golden, drowning out the silver light of the stars. Delicate wings peeked out from beneath her waves of blond hair.
Lorenzo let go of my hand and bowed.
“Godmother, please forgive my coming unannounced.”
The fairy waved her hands in a dismissive gesture.
“I’m happy to see you any time, Lorenzo. And who are your guests?”
“This is my friend Alma, and these are my bodyguards. Forgive the precaution, but there have been attacks.”
“Of course. You are all welcome.”
Lorenzo cleared his throat.
“I need-”
“Of course you do, darling. I wondered when you would come to ask for help with the treaty.”
Lorenzo’s face flushed, and he looked down at his feet.
The fairy turned to me and took my hand. Her skin felt slightly cool to the touch.
“I am the fairy Divinia. It is a pleasure to meet you, Alma. It seems you’ve gotten yourself into some trouble.”
“Yes, Donna Divinia. I was using a salt charm, and-”
She laughed.
“Just Divinia, darling. Only humans care about titles. I will do my best to help you, but your soul is in quite a tangle. Everyone, follow me.”
If she noticed Ethan’s shoe marking our entrance, she didn’t mention it. A cool breeze blew over me as I followed her through another gate. The silver starlight faded, and we entered a narrow hallway lined with torches. After we had walked for a few minutes, Divinia stopped and gestured to a door.
“This balcony overlooks all of Castana. It is too dark to see much, but you might still enjoy the view.”
I stepped onto the balcony and caught my breath. I was on top of the Fairy Mountain! Peaks and forests, streams and valleys stretched beneath me. The lights of Castello twinkled in the distance. I could just make out the castle, still illuminated for the ball. I traced the thin line of a road until I found where my estate should be. It was too dark to see my house. The moon reflected on rivers and lakes throughout Castana. The sea glistened on the horizon.
I bumped into Ethan as I turned to go back inside. He stared at the sky.
“Are they different?” I whispered.
He shook his head.
“These are the right stars. We’re in Castana.”
“So where were we before?”
We left the balcony and followed the fairy through more hallways. Lorenzo walked beside her.
“There have been attacks, Godmother,” he said. “Unrest.”
“You want to know who is responsible?”
He nodded.
“Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you. Don’t look so distressed, darling. I have a friend who has just the thing.”
She turned down another hallway. Rosa and Ethan tripped over each other in their eagerness to follow her. I had to jog to match their pace, and my legs brushed together with each step. I formed a soul loop and pulled myself forward with my gown to help me keep up.
Divinia led us through a maze of hallways before ducking through a narrow door.
The room was dark except for a single beam of moonlight streaming through a small window. Divinia’s magical glow added a bit of light, and gradually my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Another fairy sat by the window looking through a spyglass.
I only guessed she was a fairy because of the wings peeking out from under her hair. Her skin did not glow golden like Divinia’s, and her hair was a muddy mixture of red and brown. Was she ill? Or was Divinia just particularly bright?
The other fairy turned away from the spyglass and studied us. Her face looked younger than Divinia’s, but dark circles lined her eyes as if she hadn’t slept well in months.
Divinia gestured to the her.
“Everyone, this is Celia. Celia, this is Alma, Prince Lorenzo, and his bodyguards.”
Celia glanced at Rosa and Ethan, who still wore their guard’s hoods pulled down over their faces. A small smile twitched across her face as if she were laughing at a private joke.
“It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Was there something you wanted, Divinia?”
She spoke softly and slowly, as if it took effort to form each word. Divinia beamed at her, and the room grew a little brighter.
“Prince Lorenzo is concerned about the unrest in his kingdom. I suspect he is also wondering if he can trust the Salarians to uphold their end of the treaty. I thought you might let him search for answers.”
“How did you know I have doubts about the Salarians?” Lorenzo said.
Divinia winked at him. Celia frowned.
“We don’t interfere anymore, Divinia. You know the rules.”
“Lorenzo is my godson, and he came to me for help. We will not offer council. Just let him look, and he can draw his own conclusions.”
Celia glared at Divinia, then sighed and motioned for Lorenzo to come forward.
“What do you wish to see, Prince?”
Lorenzo faltered.
“Um, something that will prove, that is-”
“What can he see?” I asked. “What can the spyglass show him?”
“Anything. It can show him anything, anywhere in the world, present or past.”
“Oh.”
Rosa and Ethan leaned forward to get a better look at the spyglass. Celia stayed focused on Lorenzo.
“What do you wish to see?”
He twisted his ring.
“Show me the person who attacked Alma.”
“I can show you the ballroom on that night. I can’t provide answers by showing you the person you seek. Not unless you know their name.”
“Very well.”
Celia twisted the spyglass and turned a few gears in the handle. She stepped back, and Lorenzo looked through it. I realized I was holding my breath and exhaled slowly.
“Will he be able to hear them?” Ethan asked.
“That depends on him, but most likely yes,” Celia said.
“Be a dear and show him some of Princess Ingrid’s council meetings when he’s done looking at the ball,” Divinia said. “That may ease his mind about trusting the Salarians.”
“Isn’t that spying?” Ethan asked.
With the hood covering his blond hair, it was easy to forget that Ethan was Salarian. Of course he wouldn’t like us spying on his government’s secret councils.
“It is no different from reading a report on that meeting,” Divinia said.
“But how would he get such a report unless he had spies?” Rosa said.
Divinia ignored the question and flashed them a brilliant smile.
“Perhaps you two would like to look through the spyglass once the prince has finished?”
Rosa and Ethan exchanged eager glances. Celia crossed her arms over her chest and rustled her wings.
“This is not a toy, Divinia. It is not a trifle to entertain humans.”
“Of course not, but these two are very interested in magic. Aren’t you?”
She gave Rosa and Ethan a sharp look. They nodded.
“We do not interfere,” Celia said.
“Showing is not interfering,” Divinia said. “What about a trade? A transaction instead of a favor?”
“These humans don’t have anything I need.”
“What about this?”
Divinia waved her hand, and Ethan’s salt charm appeared in her palm. Ethan reached into the pocket he had put it in, but his hand came back empty.
“It’s broken,” Celia said.
“You could fix it.”
“That’s my charm!” Ethan said. “You can’t just trade it away!”
> Divinia laughed.
“Of course not, but you can.”
She handed the bracelet to Ethan.
“A broken charm for a chance to look through an enchanted spyglass. And I’m sure Celia will be happy to answer any questions you have about fairy magic while I’m gone.”
Celia looked far from happy, but she didn’t protest. Ethan offered her the charm.
“Do we have a deal? It is extremely rare.”
“It is one of a kind,” Celia said grudgingly.
She took the bracelet from Ethan and tucked it into the folds of her deep blue gown.
“Come with me, Alma,” Divinia whispered. “We have work to do.”
“What about Lorenzo?”
Lorenzo was still looking through the spyglass. He hadn’t noticed our conversations.
“He can wait here,” Divinia said. “Celia will take care of him, and I will take care of you.”
Chapter 26
I followed Divinia through more hallways. Whatever this place was, it was vast. I glimpsed more balconies and dark arches before we stopped at an intricately carved silver door. The fairy pushed it open, and bright golden light spilled through the opening.
I stepped inside and found myself surrounded by portraits of the most beautiful people I had ever seen. Their clothing and hairstyles varied, as if they came from long ago and across the world, but their graceful features rivaled even Alessandro’s paintings. They all glowed with warmth and happiness. Dazzled by the beauty, I stared at the paintings far longer than was polite.
When I turned away, I realized the rest of the room was well worth seeing. Jewelry and dresses hung in ornate wardrobes that lined the walls. The ceiling was covered in gold lace that matched the pattern on Divinia’s wings. Crystal chandeliers added sparkle.
“Is this your room?”
Divinia nodded.
“Much nicer than Celia’s cave. Now, what can I do for you, darling?”
I looked down at my feet.
“I’m shrinking,” I said. “And- and widening.”
“You certainly have bloomed rather quickly. The salt charm caused this?”
“I used it to disguise myself as Rosa. When it ran out of salt, I used my soul loop to power it. And then this happened.”
I gestured to my full figure. Divinia’s eyes gleamed as she studied me.
“You used a soul loop to power a salt charm? You must be very confident in your skills. How long have you studied magic?”
“Just a few days, but I can work fabric charms now.”
I snapped my fingers and changed my dress from purple to blue. Divinia raised an eyebrow.
“It seems the salt curse has enhanced your soul loop. This is tricky, Alma. I won’t lie to you. And what do you have in your sleeve?”
“Oh, I forgot.”
I pulled out the fairy corset.
“This attacked me at the ball. It tried to choke me. I thought maybe the fairy charm failed. The merchant in the Dark Market said it was fine, but I’m not sure I trust her.”
Divinia smirked and took the corset. She examined it for a moment, then tossed it onto a nearby table.
“The fairy charm is fine. Someone used fabric magic to pull the strings tight. Lucky for you, the fairy who made this corset put a safety spell on it. You might not have survived otherwise.”
Her cheerful tone didn’t change, but I swallowed. This was even more confirmation that someone wanted me dead. At least I could protect myself with fabric magic now. I twitched my wrist and loosened my gown a little.
Divinia noticed the motion and smirked.
“I’ll speak with my godson about providing better security at his events. Now, let’s talk about your other problem.”
She waved her hands, and my skin tingled. Her magic washed over me for a few moments, then she nodded her head in satisfaction.
“When the salt charm failed, it tried to turn you from Rosa to Alma, making you shorter and wider. Your soul loop tried to maintain the enchantment by keeping you tall and thin. The two forces fought each other until the salt charm touched your blood and the spell absorbed into your body. Everything is tangled.”
“Tangled?”
“It’s the best way I know to explain it, darling. No one knows how to cure a salt curse. Not fairies, not Salarians, not Castanians. The disguise charm is a part of you now, and it is still trying to change you from Rosa to Alma.”
I unwrapped the bandage around my wrist. The blood had dried, leaving a narrow cut on my arm. The edges of it were tinted silver.
“But I’m already Alma! The charm has taken me well past being Alma!”
“Yes, but the curse doesn’t know that. All it knows to do is make you shorter and wider. And it will keep doing just that.”
I stared at her in horror. I would keep shrinking? I would keep growing?
“How do I stop it?”
“It can’t be stopped, but it isn’t all bad news. Adding the salt curse to your soul loop strengthened your magical abilities. You’ve got the ease of a salt charm powered by your soul. Unusual and quite useful. You’re a powerful enchantress now, Alma.”
I stared at myself in a mirror. It wasn’t that I looked bad, but I certainly didn’t look like myself. And I was already so short and wide. How much further would the curse take me?
“So there’s no way to restore my body?”
“Of course there is. I am an expert in appearance charms.”
She gestured to the portraits on the wall.
“Some of my past work. I think a necklace will do the trick. Best to stay away from your arms after the salt curse.”
She rummaged through a golden box and pulled out a silver necklace. A small, swirling pendant dangled from the chain.
“Some of my latest work. This will use magic from your soul loop to transform your body back to its original shape. We can’t undo the curse, but we can fight it.”
Divinia fastened the charm around my neck. My stomach churned, and my skin itched. My dress got looser and looser. The fairy snapped her fingers, and a mirror appeared in front of me.
I stared at it.
My dress hung off my body. It was so big that I looked like a child caught trying on her mother’s gown. I was thin as a bud and taller than I had been before. My face was prettier in a way I couldn’t put my finger on. More symmetrical, maybe.
I reached up to touch my cheek and stared at my hands. My fingers were longer, and they moved gracefully through the air as I studied them.
“I made a few other adjustments,” Divinia said. “If we’re changing your form, why not make the most of it?”
I smiled into the mirror. My new face beamed back at me. The fairy had straightened and whitened my teeth.
“I look like an Alessandro portrait,” I said.
Divinia nodded.
“I expect you’ll have one painted soon, darling.”
“Only donnas are painted.”
“Who says you won’t be a donna?”
She winked at me.
“Now, I’d best find another dress for you. We can’t have my godson seeing you like that.”
I watched while she sorted through the dresses in her wardrobe. I had never seen so many different styles of gowns. Most were old-fashioned and made of fabrics I didn’t recognize. They spilled out of the wardrobe in a wave of frills and flounces.
Finally, the fairy found one she liked. She snapped her fingers, and it appeared on me in a shower of golden sparkles.
I studied my reflection with wide, bright eyes. If my fashion history was correct, the dress was at least a hundred years old. The sleeves were short, and the skirt was wider than anything I had ever worn. I pushed against it to confirm my suspicion. It was held out with hoops.
“You look exquisite!” Divinia said. “This style suits you.”
I turned back to the mirror and focused on the whole picture. I looked like a princess in an old portrait who had stepped out of her frame. I blinked, and long ey
elashes fluttered back at me. Seeing myself so polished was even more unsettling than seeing myself fully bloomed.
“Just wait until he sees you,” Divinia said.
“Lorenzo?”
She nodded.
“You’re a well-matched pair now.”
She moved towards the door, but I continued staring at myself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, but hopelessly old fashioned. It wouldn’t take much to make it look better. A few small changes.
Longer sleeves, for a start.
I thought of Mirella and the garden and waved my hands.
Nothing happened.
I thought of Mother and tried to feel my soul loop.
I felt nothing at all. No loop. No magic. The memory stirred only the faintest emotion. I stared into the mirror, and the perfect face stared back at me, eyes wide with horror.
“Is something wrong, Alma?”
“I can’t feel my soul.”
Divinia laughed.
“Of course not. You can’t work magic while you’re wearing the charm.”
“None at all?”
“It takes a lot of magic to counteract the curse. Fortunately, you’re powerful enough to do it now. The charm uses your soul loop to change your appearance. All of your soul loop.”
“But I just learned magic. I liked it.”
“You don’t need it, Alma. Remember, you’re going to be a donna.”
I followed her out of the room. The hoop skirt was far too wide for the door. I pushed and pulled until I popped into the hallway. She was right, wasn’t she? I didn’t need magic.
Donnas didn’t work magic.
My skirt scraped the hallway on either side as we walked. I pushed the hoops down to make it through Celia’s door. There was an art to maneuvering in the gown, and I was slowly figuring it out.
Rosa and Ethan were huddled together over the spyglass. Lorenzo stood to the side talking to Celia. Everyone stared at me when I entered.
“That dress?” Celia said, disbelieving. “Of all the gowns, that one?”
“Alma!” Lorenzo said.
“What did they do to her?” Ethan whispered to Rosa.
Lorenzo ran across the room and hugged me. The hoops pushed against him, and I held him close, trying to find comfort in the warmth of his soul. It had been faint before, but I felt nothing now.
“I’m so glad you’re alright, Alma,” he whispered. “I’m so glad she could fix you.”
Lady Alma Page 18