by Deiri Di
She started to walk away, trying to find Vladmir before she lost her nerve and fled.
The scent of flowers surrounded her and a hand grabbed hers, lacing warmth through her fingers. She turned, and there was Vladmir.
Music wafted through the air.
"Shall we stun them?" he asked her. He lifted her hand and spun her into the beginning of the dance. Her feet moved automatically, following the steps that were drilled into her earlier that afternoon.
She could see everyone looking at them, and her ears burned. They were the center of attention. She grew stiff, nervous from the attention.
"You are wonderful," Vladmir said, his voice low and only for her. "Just relax and remember, every woman here wishes she was you."
They whirled past Silvia, and Mari caught the calculating look in her eyes.
"I don't think she does," Mari replied, nodding in her direction.
Vladmir laughed, his chuckle smooth like an actor selling creamery butter. "You are worrying her, Mari. No matter what she says to you, don't ever forget that she would do anything to get you out of my life."
Mari stared at his chest. She was dancing with a prince at a ball, a gorgeous prince that was in love with her and chose her over someone far more stunning. She sighed, happy in the moment. She moved closer to Vladmir, trying to take advantage of the moment to touch him, to see what he smelled like under his perfume.
He stiffened, holding himself back. Every time she moved closer, he forced her away, spinning her out into a turn or just moving ever so slightly backward. She felt disconnected from him like he was just going through the motions.
Her love for him hit her like a hammer, demanding, and consuming her attention.
The music winded down, and Vladmir brought them to a stop, moving even farther away from her.
"Come," he said. "I have something for you to see."
Vladmir led Mari through the ballroom as the next song started up. He brought her to a small circle of elves, including the Queen, her consort, and Lady Silvia.
The Queen stood next to a crystal. It was a small rock, no larger than the palm of her hand, but it was cut in a shape that made it look like a large diamond. For all Mari knew, it could be one. It was mounted on a pedestal, held up high by gold prongs. It wasn't part of the illusionary ice cavern - it didn't have the fuzzy transparency of every other crystal in the room.
"Now child, show us what you think of the Prince," said the Queen, pointing a long finger at the diamond-shaped crystal.
Mari looked to Vladmir in confusion.
"This is important," he said. "I need you to do this for me. Hold me in your mind, think of how you feel for me, and touch the stone."
He pushed her forward until she stood next to it.
Uncertain, Mari did what he asked. She thought about the Prince. She thought about the warm feeling inside of her whenever she saw him. She thought of her happiness to know that there was a love story for her, that she could be a heroine with her own romance. She thought about how much she wanted to be around Vladmir, touch him, and learn more about him. She knew the more she grew to know him, the better it would all be.
She reached out and touched the stone. A tingle ran down her spine.
It flooded with color, radiating a sharp pink out of every crevice of stone, illuminating the circle of people with rosy light.
Mari turned to catch a look of dismay on the Prince's face. She also saw Lady Silvia murmuring something as her fingers danced in a pattern. With the last twitch from the woman's fingers, the illusion in the room changed. Every surface of the entire icy cavern reflected the same startling color of pink, letting everyone in the massive ballroom see it.
The Prince's ears flushed red.
He stepped forward, grabbing Mari's hand and pulling her away from the stone.
"Is something wrong?" Mari asked, knowing full well by the expression on his face that something was.
The Prince didn't respond. Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand and rushed, pulling her through the pink flooded room, the sound of elven laughter behind them. Chatter filled the room - everyone was talking at once. Mari couldn't understand a single word as it was all obscured in the noise.
The Prince pulled her out of the ballroom and down through the halls of the Palace. She had to break into a running walk to keep up with him. She couldn't ask any more questions, so focused was she on not tripping over her skirts or the fairies that darted in excitement around her.
Vladmir pushed open a carved wooden door and pulled her into a room she was happy to see. Massive bookshelves lined the walls of the room, curving in a circle. Several ladders were set up, wheels on their tops and bottoms to allow them to slide around the curved bookshelves with ease. The center of the room was filled with tables and chairs. Chase was standing next to them, a knocked-over chair at his feet and a pile of books on the table to his side. Their entrance had disturbed him.
"Take care of her," Vladmir said. "There is something I must attend to." He released Mari's wrist and fled the room.
"Vladmir!" she called after him. She'd done something wrong, and she didn't even know what it was. She turned to follow him, to beg him to talk to her, when Chase stopped her.
"Stay here with me," Chase said. "I have something for you."
She turned to look at him.
His face held no expression.
It was neutral, closed to her.
"But I need to... I don't... I don't even know what I did wrong!" Mari shouted, raising her voice to the one person whose fault it wasn't.
"I know," Chase said, scowling at her. "But you aren't going to find that out if you get lost in the castle like an idiot." He turned to the table next to him and picked a book up from the pile, holding it out to her.
"What is it?" Mari asked, walking over to him.
"Common Rituals and Customs of the Fae Court," he replied. He put it down on the table and pulled a couple more out of the pile. "This one tells you about the more dangerous creatures of this land and lists the ones known to go into the human world, and this one covers self-defense techniques for nonfighters."
He grinned at her. "We could practice some of the techniques from that one right now and get you ready for another round out in the garden."
Mari smiled back, her dismay fading away. Chase had holed himself up in the library, finding books for her while all she had done was dance and make Vladmir unhappy.
"I'm not sure I'm dressed for it," she said, looking down at her skirt.
"We can always start by reading," he said, handing her the book.
She ran her fingers over the thick cover.
"There was a stone in the middle of the ballroom," she said, tracing the lettering on the cover of the book with her fingers. "It was on a pedestal, and when I... when someone touched it, the stone changed colors. I know that it is magic - but what is its purpose?"
Chase began sorting the pile of books, laying them out in an order known only to him. "Emo-" he glanced up, catching himself. He stopped what he was doing, removing his hands from the books as his mouth opened in shock. His eyebrows creased, his eyes tightening in an understanding that had evaded him until that moment, a final piece of a puzzle sliding into place for him.
"How did you feel right after you took the language in a bottle Vladmir gave you?" he asked, the question coming out of the blue.
"I... ah..." The question threw off Mari. "I... it hurt... I guess..."
"How did it hurt?" Chase demanded. "Was it physical pain?"
Mari shook her head. "No, it... it felt like...." She bit her lip, trying to remember that moment. It was a hazy mess of pain and confusion in her memory; the only thing that kept her together was Vladmir. "It felt like everything was wrong... everything... if Vladmir hadn't been there..."
"I'll be right back," Chase said, his tone dark.
Mari frowned. Chase moved to the door, and she followed after him.
"What is the stone?" she demanded, insan
ely curious.
"Stay here," he said. "Don't let anyone in but me; I'll be back soon." He started to swing the door shut.
Mari grabbed on to the edge of the door. "Answer my question!" she insisted.
"I'm... I have to... I need to double-check, and then I will!" he replied. "Now, get your hand off the door or lose a finger."
Mari let go of the door. She didn't think he would slam it shut on her hand; she just wanted to act compliant. If he thought she would stay, he'd be less likely to tie her to a chair or something. Mari was sick of incomplete answers and evasions. Chase was hiding something, and she wasn't going to stand in that room and just wait around for him to get back.
She waited a few moments before opening the door and following after him. He turned the corner at the end of the hallway just as she stepped out of the room. She rushed after him, grateful for the thin slippers that masked most of her footsteps.
At each corner, she slowed, peeking around to try to catch the direction he was going. At one point, she almost caught up with him and nearly squeaked when she looked around the corner to find him standing there, his hands on the top of his head, fingers laced through his hair. His pause was short, and soon she was following him again. The elves and servants they passed didn't give her a second glance; they were used to seeing her trailing after him like a sheep.
Chase passed through a door, shutting the wooden barrier behind him. Mari leaned against it, trying to look nonchalant as she cupped her hand around her ear and pressed it against the material.
"You're cheating!" Chase said. He wasn't very good at keeping his voice down when he was angry.
"You're surprised?" Mari recognized the second voice as it triggered immediate excitement and happiness. She could recognize Vladmir's dreamy voice anywhere. "Most would be surprised if I wasn't cheating in some fashion or another."
"No! I'm not. I am surprised about the way you're cheating. It doesn't work that way! You can't cheat with a spell on this one."
"The spell is just a leg up," Vladmir replied. "In the end, my win will be all my own."
There was a pause. Mari wished she could see their faces; it would add a lot more context if she could see their body language.
"She asked about the stone," Chase said.
"Tell her it is a bauble or an ornament of some sort; I don't care."
"I don't want to lie to her," Chase said, his voice serious.
Vladmir's laughter pierced through the door and filled the hallway with his amusement.
"What has gotten into you? Not lie? Don't be ridiculous! She's human! You could tell her the sky was green, and she'd believe you!"
Mari started to feel dizzy. Those words slipped through her mind's grasp like oil on a lake, difficult to contain. Vladmir said... he said... she staggered back from the door, breathing hard, unable to catch her breath. Her head felt like it was splitting. Her legs took her away from the door, forcing her to miss the rest of the conversation. She moved down the corridor, back the way she'd come, leaning against the wall as she walked, unable to see straight. She found an alcove set into the wall and moved into it, letting the shadows hide her from prying eyes.
Mari pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes, trying to hold onto her thoughts with pure physical determination. There was something important...
Mari grabbed hold of the necklace Vladmir gave her, clutching it in her hand and tracing a finger along the smooth circle.
Mari's cheeks burned. She shouldn't have been sneaking around like that. It was a good thing that she stopped listening the second she heard Vladmir's voice. If he had caught her spying on him like that, he would be so hurt. She had to be a better person for him.
Someone was standing in the corridor, staring at the alcove she was hiding in.
"Come on," Chase said, holding out his hand, his voice filled with concern. Suddenly, as if it hadn't happened at all, the softness in his face stiffened into a scowl.
"You should have stayed put," he said, practically growling at her in irritation. Despite his sudden shift in temperament, his hand remained out and ready to help her.
Mari put her hand in his, feeling the dry, rough calluses from years of swordplay. He pulled her from the alcove, and they began walking back through the castle.
"My head hurts," she said. She couldn't get past the ache to care if he was annoyed with her or not. "Did you find out what you... what about the..." Mari's voice trailed off as she winced. There was something she had asked him before, something about colors.
Chase pressed his lips together and stopped.
"Can you keep quiet?" he asked. "I want to show you something, but you can't talk at all."
"Can we go to the garden first?" she said, glancing down at the fairies who were still tied to her dress. Their beady little eyes were fixed on her, all staring.
They went to the bedroom, got the injured fairy, and headed to the gardens where Chase helped her unclasp the fairies one by one. The fairies took their injured fellow and flew off with it, vanishing into the plants.
Mari left the purple black-tipped fairy for last. She scooped it up in her hand, holding it still attached to its tether, ignoring as its sharp little claws wrapped around her fingers.
"Free me!" it demanded.
"You're the one that dumped the coffee on me," Mari said. At the time, she'd wanted to smash it, and now she had her perfect opportunity to get revenge.
The fairy hissed at her, its little demon teeth bared.
"What?" Chase asked.
"Back at my home, this little monster attacked me," Mari said, wrapping her fingers up around the fairy so that it couldn't leap out of her hands. "Now, tell me how you got here."
"Lies lies!" the fairy said. "Elf said give me chocolates and shiny things. Went away without pay. I follow here. It not pay!"
"What did the elf want you to do?" Mari asked. An elf told the fairy it would give chocolates in return for what?
"Scratch fly attack!" the fairy said. It ran a claw along the inside of Mari's hand, scratching her.
Mari didn't let go.
"Free! Free!" the fairy hissed.
Mari hesitated, remembering her earlier anger at the fairy.
She undid its clasp and let it go.
It was a monstrous little creature, but it didn't attack her out of hatred. Someone else tricked it into attacking her, ordered a hit on her, and she was pretty she knew a certain female elf that would do that.
"Why did you free it when it attacked you?" Chase asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"I gave my word I would," Mari said.
Chase smiled at her. "You are very strange," he said.
Somehow that felt like a compliment, and Mari's cheeks started to burn. She changed the subject quickly.
"What was it that you wanted to show me?" she said.
"It needs to wait until tomorrow," he said. "Why don't we get back to the books for now."
Mari grinned. She was excited about those books.
#
The next day Mari had read half of the way through the book about monsters and other critters in the sidhe world and was storming her way through the rest of it in the soft garden light when Chase interrupted her.
"Ok," Chase said. "It's time."
Mari looked up from her reading. "Time for what?" she asked.
Chase traced a pattern in the air and whispered a few words.
Mari felt a sharp tingle down her spine.
Chase grabbed her wrist and held up her hand in front of her face. Her short stubby fingers were in a transparent case, long delicate elven hands covering them. She wiggled her fingers. The transparent elven fingers wiggled along with hers.
"Now pretend you're an elf, follow my lead, and don't say a word! You say anything, and you'll expose yourself."
Mari nodded. It was a little adventure! She got to sneak around the castle, looking like an elf, and no one would know who she was!
Chase led her towards the center of the
castle through winding halls she'd never been down before. They passed a line of waiting creatures that stretched down a vast hall, not all of them elves, and the few that were elves were not dressed in the pristine flimsy garb of the court elves.
He led her into a throne room. At the end of the long room were two thrones on a raised dais. The largest one sat in the center of the dais, the Queen sitting in it, her skirts artfully arranged around her. The second, much smaller throne was placed behind her to the right, where her consort sat. To the Queen's left was the stone from the ballroom, a large crystal-cut, so every side gleamed in the light. It was set a few yards in front of the left of her throne.
Chase and Mari pressed their way into the crowd that was milling about along the edges of the room, waiting behind silk cords that kept them from spilling out into the center. A long black carpet ran down the center of the room, leading from the door they came in from all the way to the throne. An elf standing near the Queen was holding a scroll. The elf leaned over and whispered to the Queen, reading something off of his parchment. She nodded.
The elf turned and shouted. "Approach Velt Karingstho and briefly state your case."
An elf dressed in dirty brown rags hurried down the carpet towards the throne. When the elf with the scroll nodded, he stopped and bowed low. Mari could see the skin clinging to his bones on his bare elbows. His hair was greasy, and his gaunt features could have been drawn on his face with a chisel.
"Eminence," the elf said, his voice shaking. "My town-"
"Put your hand on the stone," the elf with the scroll snapped.
The disheveled elf took a few steps forward and put his hand on the crystal. It started swirling with colors, yellow and red, hints of orange and gray.
"My town had a poor harvest. We need a break from our taxes so th-"