13

13

W homever was in Tauren’s room used magic to leave it. There was no other exit but his door, and I’d been on the other side of it. They made themselves invisible, and when I came to his aid, spirited themselves away entirely. Both abilities required a level of skill that only Elevated witches possessed.

Elevated witches were given the title when they showed mastery over their affinity. Only the priest or priestess of a House could Elevate someone and those who were honored with the title were permitted to practice more complicated and strenuous magic. It was a position that required a certain amount of trust – that the witch was ready to handle stronger magic and that they would not misuse it .

The only other witches in the palace were Brecan and Mira. Now, it seemed I couldn’t trust them.

Was this why Fate wanted me here? To show me that I had no real friends, that everyone was an enemy, and that no one could be trusted?

In the morning, I didn’t mention the night’s excitement. Mira greeted me with a smile, carrying the nude and black gown she’d made me the night before. “My helpers made something special for today, since you don’t want to wear the t-shirt provided.” She hung up the gown and ran back across the hall.

I sat by the open window and sipped herbal tea while my hair dried in the breeze. “You shouldn’t sit so close. There are no screens,” she warned with a giggle.

“Why? Do you plan to shove me out?” I smiled, wondering if she might...

“Of course not! I want to see you in this,” she said with a flourish, pulling out from behind her back a black sundress she had hidden. “Besides, you could simply spirit yourself someplace safe.”

The dress gathered at the waist and flared at the hips, and would emphasize my figure without showing every inch of my skin. “It’s lovely.”

“It’s perfect for your schedule.”

“You’ve seen it?” I asked.

“They didn’t leave one under your door? I found a stack downstairs on a table.”

“I didn’t receive one, but thank you for bringing one back.”

“Are you feeling okay?” she asked carefully, sensing a change in my mood.

“I didn’t sleep very well,” I admitted .

She gave me an understanding nod. “It’s an unfamiliar space.”

I pretended to agree and looked around the room. “That must be it.” She worried her hands. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Your hair,” she answered. “You can’t just let it air dry and not style it.”

I blew out a frustrated sigh. “Why not?”

“Because… it’s beautiful and all, but you need to look like one of the invitees. Each of you will be filmed today. So, may I fix it?”

I nodded reluctantly. “You may.”

She squealed and ran to my side, pulling me into the bathroom and assaulting my hair with dryers, hot irons that left curls in it, and spritzes and sprays that made my hair shine like silk, but not budge an inch.

“That’s enough!” I coughed, waving the lingering sprays of hair product out of my face.

She smiled. “Perfect. I’ll leave you to get dressed, and meet you in the hallway. Breakfast is a buffet and will be served in the north dining room,” she announced. “Wherever that is.”

Exactly, wherever that was.

Brecan stepped out of his room the same moment I did. We locked our doors and turned to face one another, me still holding my room key, belatedly realizing I had no pockets. He held out his palm. “I’ll hold it for you.”

“Thanks.” I gave him my key .

He straightened his back and cleared his throat. “You look beautiful, Sable.”

“And you look handsome,” I complimented honestly. He did. Wearing dark jeans and a matching t-shirt, in one way, he looked like he fit in here. Yet in another… he didn’t. His blonde hair lay arrow-straight over his shoulders, and his lavender eyes clung to mine a beat too long before sliding away.

“Mira said we’re scheduled to have breakfast with the others, but then the rest of our day is free,” he said. “Tauren is spending an hour with seven of the invitees today, but you have no scheduled time with him.”

It stung, to be honest, but it was for the best. The more time we spent together, the more I craved. And the more, it seemed, he wanted with me.

He had to choose a wife from this group of women, and that required getting to know them and spending ample time with each to make an informed decision. The time we shared would be focused on finding the one who wanted him dead, of course.

“What is there to do?” I asked.

Brecan smiled. “We’ll have to explore and find out, but first… breakfast.”

Just then, Mira walked out of her room. “Ready?”

“You’ll have to spell the room to check his food,” Brecan warned. “Is Fate still telling you he’ll be poisoned?”

“Yes,” I lied.

I tasted nothing bitter, but couldn’t rule it out. Fate had given me the taste of poison just yesterday. My stomach still felt sour from it. Yet, today the bitterness was gone. It seemed as if the person who wanted Tauren dead hadn’t quite made up their mind on how to go about it. Though they’d almost managed it last night.

With the staff’s direction, we found the north dining hall, already filled with pastel-clothed young women and their escorts. Neither Rose nor Leah would even look in my direction. Such well-mannered young women – but only in Tauren’s presence.

He stepped in moments after we did. “Will you check my meal?” he bent to whisper in my ear. His warm breath slid over the shell of my ear, making me shiver.

I nodded.

Brecan, Mira, and I sat at a table with four chairs while Tauren sat with two women I hadn’t formally met. A girl from Nine and one from Eleven, per their tee shirts. Perhaps the shirts did help the viewers identify them more easily at first. They certainly helped me, as I only knew two of the ladies’ names. Nine had olive skin, shiny, medium-brown hair, and a pretty smile. Eleven was the most muscular of the women in the room, but not overly so.

I watched as Brecan smiled and chatted with them. When platters of food were placed in front of them, I spelled the room and stood up from my seat, watching for anyone unaffected. Mira and Brecan were still. Brecan’s mouth was open, stuck in the middle of guessing who’d been Elevated in the House of Air. Apparently, he was about to remark on one who had an unusual talent with water.

I removed the silver lid that covered Tauren’s plate and inhaled the aromas stuck in the air. There was no poison. Even the odorless ones left the slightest flavor on the tongue. His water and orange juice were also untainted.

His food was fine. Fate confirmed it with a satisfied, full feeling in my belly. I replaced the lid, but couldn’t resist dragging a knuckle down Tauren’s cheek before walking away. I took my seat again and lifted the spell.

Brecan continued his story. Mira listened intently.

Tauren’s eyes caught mine. He ran his fingers over his cheek, over the trail I’d left, and one side of his lips curled up. Is it okay? he mouthed.

I nodded once.

And somehow, I made it through breakfast, enduring scathing glances from women who considered me a threat, smiling my way through a conversation I didn’t care about at all, and watching the one person I was beginning to care about very much break his fast with two other women.

Silently, I spent the meal begging Fate for a clue to help me quickly solve this mystery, to help me save him, and allow me to go home.

Fate remained stubbornly silent.

Mira promised she would join us later, but was in a tizzy because there was a heated indoor swimming pool here, and none of us brought swimsuits. She ran back to her room to remedy the situation, leaving Brecan and I to spend our “free” time together until she finished. Mira liked to swim and was determined to have us swim with her this evening .

We had no plan when we stepped outside, so when Brecan suggested, “Let’s see what the palace has to offer,” I eagerly nodded.

It took us half an hour to make our way around the palace, through beautifully manicured gardens and over to a lake where a gentleman sat alone under a tree.

“Hello,” he greeted cheerfully, rushing to stand up. He pointed to three canoes large enough to each hold six people. “Care to paddle out onto the lake?”

Brecan waggled his eyebrows. “What do you say, Sable?”

I smiled. “I say yes.”

I sat on one of the built-in benches and gripped the paddle while Brecan climbed in at the edge of the lake. The canoe bobbed back and forth until he sat down, and then the motion subsided.

The gentleman handed Brecan the other paddle and told us to come back whenever we were ready. There was no time limit.

“She’ll have to mind her schedule,” Brecan replied, giving me an ornery grin.

I felt like knocking him with my paddle, but refrained – only because I didn’t want to rock the boat again. I could swim a little, but I’d never been in water that was deeper than I was tall.

Lily pads hugged the lake’s edge. Brecan caught me admiring them and rowed close enough to pluck one of the only flowers left now that autumn was leaning further toward winter. He offered it to me with a tentative smile. I thanked him and cradled the pale pink bloom in my palm .

It was mid-morning, and warm sunshine yawned across the sky. “It would be horrible to have your entire life scheduled. It almost makes me feel sorry for our prince,” Brecan mused.

“Almost?”

He smiled. “Well, he has everything else anyone could possibly want.”

“No one has everything they want, Brecan.”

“No, but you see, Tauren does. He has an army at his command, power, unimaginable wealth, the respect of his people, and the love of his parents. He’s fully supported from every angle but one, and that deficit is about to be filled. He will literally have everything when he marries.”

I had no response to offer him. Tauren was certainly very lucky. “Why would someone want him dead?”

“Any number of reasons,” he said, resting his paddle on his thighs. I took mine out of the water too, and we floated contently in the calm, green-brown water, resting beneath the sun and the wispy clouds that attempted, but failed, to cover it. “He is to be King, so it could be to prevent him from taking the crown. He has a younger brother, if I recall correctly.”

Yes, I’d seen him at the Equinox. “I wonder why he wasn’t at dinner.”

“Likely to protect him from the evil witches from Thirteen,” Brecan replied, only half joking.

“No one here thinks that.”

He guffawed. “Please, Sable. Look around you! Everyone is pleasant. Too pleasant. Their smiles are forced. They’re glad to give us what we require so they can be excused from our presence. We frighten them. ”

“Only because they don’t know us.”

“I heard the redhead talking at breakfast. She plans to provoke you so that you’ll retaliate with magic. She thinks you’ll be dismissed from the palace if you use magic against any of the other invitees.”

Rose , I thought. Her parents should have named her Thorn.

“I won’t use magic against anyone.”

“But you have used magic here. You spelled the room this morning.”

“Discreetly,” I pointed out. “ You had no idea.”

“True, though it’s hardly the first time I’ve fallen under your spell,” he teased, then glanced at me as if gauging my reaction.

“Brecan—”

“I was joking.”

“I was going to ask you a question,” I fired back. He waved for me to continue, so I did. “What do you know about Mira?”

“Not much. Water witch. Weaves clothing. Has weird glass spiders that completely make me shiver.” He shivered dramatically.

“What about her magic?”

“I only know about animation and water.” His eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

“You only control air, right? What about spells?”

“I know a few, but in the Houses, we’re mainly encouraged to master our affinities. The spells and incantations are performed by the Priests and Priestesses. Why so many questions?”

I swallowed uneasily. For the first time I could recall, I wasn’t sure I could trust him .

Fate stirred within, and a cool breeze swept over my skin. Brecan was safe.

“Something happened last night,” I started.

He straightened his spine. “What happened?”

“Fate sent a strong message that someone was going to attempt to kill him – by stabbing.”

Brecan’s brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you wake me?” His tone wasn’t angry, but concerned. Almost desperate.

“Whomever it was, disappeared when I showed up. Literally disappeared, Brecan.”

“You thought it was me?” he asked, clasping his chest, stung by my accusation. “I volunteered to come here to protect you . I know what it means for you to have Fate pushing you, and what you go through if you don’t do his bidding right away.”

“You shouldn’t—”

“Don’t tell me I shouldn’t speak it! It’s true. He needs to understand that he doesn’t have to hurt you to have you do his bidding. He needs only ask. You’re one of the kindest, most loyal witches I know.”

I pinched my lips together, thankful he thought so highly of me.

“But I want you to know that I could never – would never – hurt you. And right now, I know that hurting Tauren would do exactly that.” He began to paddle again. “I see how you look at him.”

A hard knot formed in the back of my throat.

“Besides,” he paused. “You’re my very best friend, Sable.”

I’d hurt him by even considering that he might have been involved, and I felt terrible for it. “I’m sorry for even thinking it,” I told him .

He nodded, but refused to look at me. “I don’t know Mira well, but I don’t think she would hurt him. Besides, you read his fate before we agreed to come. Whomever wanted him to die, was already close to him.”

Fate filled my belly with warmth. Brecan was right.

“A witch was in his room, Brecan.”

He shook his head and chuckled darkly. “Not every witch in the Kingdom chooses to live in The Gallows.”

That was a possibly I’d never contemplated until he said it. I assumed all witches would want to live amongst our kind, but never considered there would be dissenters. And the King… he knew my mother. Which meant that when she was alive, there must have been more movement to and from Thirteen.

“You never knew?” he asked, a hint of wonder filling his voice.

“I never had the chance to know.”

“The Circle emptied the House of Fate when your mother died, Sable. Those witches didn’t die with her. If I was them, I wouldn’t go into the Wilds; I’d head straight for the lower sectors. And anyway, there must be others who grew up in the Lowers. Witches aren’t bound to pieces of earth or to their own kind. Not everyone wants to be ruled by the Circle, or by anyone, for that matter.”

Brecan knew, but few others likely did. The Circle forbade me from leaving Thirteen for trade, afraid Fate would ask me to end the life of someone while I was outside our sector.

It was another reason I considered accepting the invitation. Only the royal family could overrule one of the Circle’s mandates. With their permission, I could see the Kingdom, even if it was because the Prince needed my power.

Besides, every girl, witch or not, dreamed of becoming a princess. Not with crowns and gowns, but princess of the heart of someone she loved, and who loved her in return.

Witches only hoped to tolerate their hand-fasted for a year.

What would true love feel like? Love that knew no boundaries...

“I’ll help you,” he vowed. “We’ll find the witch responsible, and then the three of us will go back home.”

Home .

My House was there. Ready for me to finish cleaning it. Ready for me to paint. To revive and resurrect it.

Then I could figure out how to reclaim my position in the Circle.

That was all I wanted, until he sat down at my table for a reading of fate…

“You have to distance yourself from him, Sable.”

“I’m not near him right now.”

“Are you sure of that?” he asked gently.

Of course he knew I was thinking of Tauren while paddling with him. He knew me better than anyone.

“Hey,” Brecan interrupted my thoughts. “Why don’t we have some fun? My affinity may not be water, but… you should hold on.”

I gripped the side of the canoe as he pointed a finger behind us. Wind whirred out of his fingertip, propelling us across the water so fast, the air stung my eyes. I closed them, unable to prevent the laughs that bubbled from my chest, followed by a squeal as we accelerated .

The sound of horse hoofs clomping to a stop made Brecan pause and the canoe skidded to a sudden stop, lurching us forward. Brecan caught me when I was flung into his lap. On the far bank of the lake, two horses had stopped.

Tauren sat atop a dark stallion while his date, none other than the scheming Rose, rode a glossy white mare. Its silky mane matched her off-white riding habit. Her escort had done her research and styled her accordingly.

Tauren’s easy smile was missing as he took us in. I carefully scooted back into my seat. Brecan broke the tension by waving. “Sorry! Apparently we row quicker than either of us realized. Thank goodness we didn’t roll the canoe.”

“Can you swim?” Tauren asked.

“Of course, Highness,” he answered.

“And you, Sable?”

I nodded once. “Yes.” Sort of.

“Good,” he answered, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He clutched the leather reins with his gloved hands. “Enjoy your day.”

Before we could bid him the same, he’d kicked the horse and flicked the reins. Rose did her best to keep up.