"Eat fast,” she urged. She slipped her forearm inside mine and tugged me toward the food. "We’ve got to meet the seamstress in ten minutes.”
I’d forgotten all about the dress fitting. “I guess I can’t put it off any longer.”
“The Midwinter’s Ball is tomorrow, and you haven’t been to a single dress fitting,” she scolded. “The seamstresses cannot be put off any longer.”
With everything going on, this was the last thing I wanted to do. I whimpered, but Ariel wasn’t having any of it. She meant business this morning, practically shoving the food down my throat. Before I could take my last bite of a croissant, she was scooting me into the bathroom to brush my teeth. By the time I finished, she had already picked out my clothes. I reached my limit when she tried to get me undressed.
Yup, I was going with her whether I wanted to or not.
The seamstress was two floors down. When Ariel opened the wooden door, my eyes widened. Walls lined with a mix of small to massive spools of fabric piled on top of one another. Every color I could’ve ever imagined in every sheen. A large rectangular table sat in the middle of the room filled with sewing machines, needles, threads of every color, and multiple pairs of scissors. I imagined they made all the decorations for the castle in here, along with the clothing.
Five seamstresses greeted us. I had to blink twice before I could believe what I was seeing. Their skin looked like tree bark. Their hair made of thin green vines that hung wavy down their backs like dreadlocks. All wore matching white silky tops and skirts made of long woven flower stems. Like soldiers, they stood silent in a straight line, staring forward. Each held a sewing kit and spare pieces of cloth tucked under their arms.
Ariel stepped onto one of the two tree stumps in the corner of the room, instructing the glam squad. "I expect nothing less than exceptional. For the princess, a one-shoulder or strapless gown is best. Something with an A-line shape will look lovely on her.” She tapped her finger against her lips. "My gown should be strapless and have a matching shawl. I prefer an empire waist. Has the fabric arrived?”
They bowed in unison while the one standing the farthest away reached down, picking up an enormous amount of cloth wrapped around a long spool. Curious, I strode over to her and ran my fingers across the material. It was the softest silk I’d ever touched. I’d never seen that shade of shimmering yellow before. Ariel had chosen something truly unique for me. The small piece of ‘girlie’ I had inside of me giggled.
"The fabric is from Paris,” Ariel gushed. “It took the manufacturers six months to make. It’s a one-of-a-kind.” She sighed like a little girl in love. "It’s perfect for the ball.” She held out her hand, helping me onto the stump next to the one she stood on.
“What about your dress?” I asked.
Ariel pointed to a spool of sparkly lavender fabric. “Purple is my favorite color.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
Her eyes followed the material as one of the seamstresses carried it over. “I know, right?”
Two seamstresses appeared in front of each of us. They measured, poked, and prodded while Ariel stood quietly humming to herself. I tried not to stare, although I desperately wanted to run my hand over their skin. They were a different breed of elemental—something I’d never seen in the books or dreamwalking with Dad.
When their fingers grazed my bare skin, I answered my question—definitely tree bark. Each time they nicked me, tiny bloody scratches appeared. I winced. My subtle complaints did not seem to matter since they continued to work without any acknowledgment. The one taking my measurements called out to the others in a language I didn’t understand.
Whatever she said sent them over to the spool of material. They started cutting. "What are they?” I whispered to Ariel.
She glanced at the seamstresses then smiled at me. "I’m so sorry, Kalin. Sometimes I forget you’re still new here. We call their species of fae brownies. They’re the best dressmakers in all of Avalon.”
The one standing closest to me smiled proudly. For a brief moment, our gazes locked. I admired her bright moss-colored eyes. "Do you understand their language?”
Ariel adjusted the top of her dress material, so less cleavage showed. "No, only the king and queen of the woodland court can translate. They never speak our language, but I have no doubt they could if they wanted.”
I watched to see if anyone would respond, but none did. It was clear they weren’t interested in revealing anything to us today.
After an hour of standing in silence, I could barely keep my eyes open. My sleepless night had caught up with me. All I could think about was passing out in my soft bed. I did fall asleep once. The lovely seamstresses had a solution for my exhaustion. A sharp poke in the ribs with a sewing needle was all the inspiration I needed to stay awake. These brownies were ruthless.
When I finally looked down to check out their progress, my mouth fell open.
The spool of fabric I had admired only an hour ago had been cut and sewn into a full-length yellow silk gown. I swayed from one side to the other, still not believing what I was seeing. To be sure, I ran my fingers down the asymmetrical one shoulder strap, then across the glittering diamond star-burst accentuating my bust. The gown was amazing—the most beautiful dress I had ever seen.
"I would guess by the look on your face that you’re pleased,” Ariel chimed in.
I wanted to live in this gown. "It’s insanely gorgeous.”
Ariel admired her strapless gown. She ran her hands down the matching shawl. "I told you. They are the best in all of Avalon.”
The brownies each turned to us and smiled proudly. Although they never spoke, they seemed to enjoy the compliments.
I yawned. “I’m sorry. I’m just so exhausted.”
"I know what you need.” Ariel clapped her hands. One of the guards stepped inside the room. "Please bring the princess a glass of sunrise wine.”
"Is that like a Red Bull?”
“Sunrise wine is infused with herbs that will give you a natural pick-me-up. I drink it when I need a boost. You’ll feel much better in a matter of minutes.”
The guard returned, carrying two wine glasses on a gold tray. The liquid was amber, similar to the other wine I drank at the dinner with the council, except this was much darker. He brought the first glass to me. I took a sip. It tasted like sparkling honey. “This is really good. Thank you.”
“Don’t drink it all at once,” Ariel warned. “Continue to take sips. When you start to feel better, stop drinking it.
I followed her instructions, and within a matter of minutes, I felt refreshed. As I moved around the room sipping the wine, the exhaustion I had seemed to fade away. This stuff was amazing. I went back to the mirror to admire my gown. As I stood, I noticed the temperature of the room had increased. It had to be at least eighty degrees. “Is anyone else warm,” I asked. I met eyes with one of the seamstresses. “Could we open the windows to get a breeze in here?”
“That’s strange,” Ariel said, watching me closely. “I was about to say I thought it was chilly.”
My eyes blurred, and I was suddenly dizzy. The room spun. Ariel was still talking, but the words came out as if I’d pressed the fast forward button on a TV remote control. “Something is wrong. Could I have gotten sick from the wine?”
“I doubt it,” Ariel replied. “You only had a few sips.”
I closed my eyes and tried to take a few relaxing breaths. Something shattered. I heard shouting all around me like an echo in my head. There were too many. I couldn’t make out the individual voices—too much spinning. My stomach churned as sweat dripped down my back, and my knees wobbled. Was I about to faint? “I don’t know how to make it stop.”
“What’s happening?” Ariel shrieked, and I could hear the fear in her voice.
There was a burning sensation coming from my mid-section. I wrapped my arms around my middle. It was as if someone had thrown boiling water on me. The pain increased with each passing second. “My skin is on
fire,” I yelled. My eyes scanned the room, searching for scissors. “I can’t breathe. I need to get this dress off. Now, right now.”
The brownies raced over to help. They cut and pulled and tugged at the fabric until the dress was off. I gasped. Rashes were covering my entire body. The brownies were panicked, speaking to one another in their language. The seamstresses took the dress away. They circled the spool, talking while they inspected the fabric. I stood in my underwear and high heels with my arms over my exposed chest.
Ariel quickly put a silk robe on me. The cloth did very little to comfort me. “What would cause me to break out in these rashes?” I asked, shaking. “What is that fabric made of?”
“It’s hypo-allergenic,” Ariel insisted.
One of the guards let out a pained scream. The yellow spool he was inspecting fell to the floor. He turned his hand over. There were burns on his palm. “The fabric didn’t burn the brownies. Could someone create a poison that only affects air court elementals?”
A few of the brownies nodded.
“Guards!” Ariel called out. “Take this fabric to Jarrod. Tell him we need to know who had access to this material.”
The guard wrapped a coat around the fabric, so he didn’t touch it. As he walked out the door, I realized my hand was bleeding. In all the craziness, I’d shattered my wine glass. Cuts filled with shards of glass and blood dug into my palm. My dizziness returned, and I sat on the ground. “Can someone help me?”
“Oh, no!” Ariel said, covering her mouth. “Do we have a medical kit in here?”
Two of the brownies rushed over, carrying a bag made of twigs. Inside, they had containers of different liquids and creams. They used their sewing needles to remove the glass from my hand. Without any pain reliever, I could feel every scrape. It made me want to vomit. While they bandaged me up, Dad’s warning rang in my head. Someone I trusted would betray me.
I glared at Ariel as an echo thrummed in my ears. "You did this.”
Sharp pieces of glass and droplets of wine covered the floor. A few woodland faeries cleaned up around us while Ariel stood in front of me with a shocked look. "What are you saying?” she asked, eyes welling with tears.
"You’re the one. Dad told me someone I trusted would betray me. You insisted on this dress fitting. You picked out the fabric.”
"Kalin, please. The poison is still in your system. We need to get you to the—”
I put my hand up, stopping her mid-sentence. "I don’t have any proof, but I will find some. And when I do, there will be no mercy for you.”
Ariel backed up, her eyes as wide as tennis balls.
I couldn’t trust any of these elementals to help me find my father. He was right. I had to find him. Avalon was an island, not a country. There were only so many places he could be, right? He was in the fire court. I would show the council. I’d show them all. I’d find him without any of their help, and when I brought him back, I’d make sure they were all punished for their incompetence.
I stood, taking a few wobbling steps before I was able to balance. “I don’t need you.”
Ariel reached out. "Princess Kalin, please let us help you.”
"Traitor, you don’t speak to me. None of you will speak to me.” I pulled my injured hand from the woodland seamstress grip. "I’ll find him myself.”
Her shoulders sunk. "What are you saying?”
I narrowed my eyes at Ariel. "I’m out of here, and don’t even think about following me, traitor.” I headed out the door, slamming my shoulder into the wall as I rounded the hallway corner. She continued to shout my name, but I kept going until her voice was little more than a whisper.
Nothing would stop me. I’d save my father.
Chapter Eighteen
Kalin
I held onto the wall as I trudged down the winding hallway.
The muscles in my legs burned, and I wanted to rest. How long had I been walking? Air court elementals I passed asked if I needed help, but I refused. I couldn’t trust anyone in this castle. I would find the artillery room on my own. I stopped to catch my breath in front of a large mural. All of the figures in the painting were deformed and distorted. Why would anyone want something like that on a wall?
I heard a voice coming from behind that sounded like Ariel. I couldn’t make out what she was saying. The buzzing in my head was too loud. All I knew was that I had to escape. I scanned the area in front of me and saw that there was a staircase. With all of the energy I could muster, I took off toward the exit. I stood on a cement landing, weighing my options. It seemed like it would take less energy to go down. I gripped the railing as I headed downward.
Sweat pearled on my forehead and the back of my neck. The further I went, my vision seemed to clear. It was the poison. My impromptu exercise session was sweating the toxin out of my system. I ignored the pain in my legs and forced myself forward. By the time I reached the final landing, the effects of the poison had nearly diminished. I sat down on the step to rest. My elbows were on my knees, and my face cradled in my hands.
As my mind cleared, I realized I’d stumbled to the lowest level of the air court castle. There was a tug on my midsection. I’d run out of there wearing nothing more than a silk robe that only came up to my thighs. The robe had blood stained all over the sleeve. I held out my hand. Blood had soaked through the white bandage. The cuts must’ve been deep. I should’ve let the seamstresses finish cleaning me up.
Panic rippled through me, and I started to shake. What had I done? The memory of Ariel’s pained face flashed in my head. My heart ached with a mix of horror and embarrassment. I had yelled at Ariel and blamed her for my father’s disappearance. It made no sense. She couldn’t have poisoned the dress. No air elemental could’ve touched it without suffering serious burns. I flinched, remembering the hateful words I spewed at her. How could I have done that? I had to find her and beg for her forgiveness.
But how do I get back to where I was?
I stared blankly at the basement entryway with my arms folded around my middle. There was no way I could travel up all those stairs. My legs were about as sturdy as two wet noodles. Maybe if I found someone, they could point me toward a portal. There had to be some inside the castle. There were portals everywhere else in Avalon. Since I had no desire to crawl back up the staircase, this was my only option.
I twisted the rusted bronze handle, and then pulled until the door opened with a screech. I strode inside. The windowless walkway echoed the click of my heels against the cobblestone floor. Dimmed candles in rusted sconces barely kept the area lit. A cold draft pushed against me. I shivered as goosebumps rose from my forearms. If the air court had a dungeon, this was it. I fully expected to find jail cells.
I lumbered forward, hoping to find a magic carpet or a winged elemental. All I could think about was getting back upstairs and apologizing to Ariel and the woodland faeries. They had worked so hard on my dress, and I had ruined everything. Not to mention, they had also cleaned and bandaged my hand. Yeah, calling myself a jerk doesn’t even begin to describe how badly I had behaved.
Near the end of the hallway, a bright light shone through the bottom of a sealed door. Shadows beneath flickered from movement inside. Why would anyone want to be down here in such an awful place? Were there prisoners in the castle? Out of all the courts, I’d always thought of the air elementals as the kindest. This loathsome place didn’t line up with the overall reputation of our court.
I had to know who was in that concealed room. I tiptoed up to the door and leaned forward. Deep-toned male voices came from inside. There were at least two from what I could tell. I touched the metal door, and the skin on the tip of my finger seared. It was iron. It took everything I had not to scream out in pain. There could only be two reasons an elemental would be in there: imprisonment, or someone who had gone to great lengths to stay hidden.
Something deep in my core screamed foul. For that reason alone, I couldn’t let them discover me. Putting my ear against the door would c
ause serious pain, so I had to consider other options. Maybe if I were lucky, I might be able to see them by looking underneath the door. I quietly dropped to my knee, then down onto my stomach. The cobblestone floor cooled my cheek as I tried to peer through to the tiny space. That didn’t work. I shifted onto my side and looked through with only one eye.
A thin layer of dirt covered the rock flooring, which gave me the impression that this place didn’t get much use. I saw a tattered cream-colored sofa with rips in the seams and a cushioned brown chair on the opposite side of the room. One of the elementals had a pair of expensive-looking leather dress shoes and black suit pants. I couldn’t make out anything above their waists. The other wore suede sandals and air court yellow pants. He was the traitor. But who was the other elemental?
They spoke in hushed voices; at least that was all I could hear thanks to the thick iron door. I repositioned my head until my ear was closest to the opening.
"We can’t afford any mistakes,” he said with a nervous edge to his voice. “Everything must go as we planned.”
The one with expensive shoes paced. He had to be the one talking. A ping of fear slithered down my spine when I realized he sounded a bit like Rowan. Could it really be him? The voice was too muffled to be positive. I pushed those thoughts aside. I had to hear more before I allowed myself to jump to any conclusions.
"The council is where I want them,” the air court male replied. “They suspect nothing,”
The other male stopped pacing. "And the princess?”
Anger burned in my chest. Iron door or not, I was ready to burst in there when he replied, "She isn’t a concern.”
These two were responsible for my father’s disappearance. But that meant nothing at this point. Without proof they were involved, the council would dismiss anything I said. I needed to know the details of their plan or something I could use to find and rescue him. I tried to move closer to the door. A tinge of pain surged the tip of my ear, and I winced. I’d moved too close.
Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set Page 17