16. Esmira
ESMIRA
“ I want to leave right now, before more of them come,” Prince Methrin demanded, eyes blazing as he glared at the king.
More of them?
King Ithrani’s expression darkened. “Clean up the mess,” he barked to the guards. “Put him in prison, I will question him when I return.” To Methrin he added, “Follow me,” and whirled away from the door.
Half the guards hung back while the other group followed the king. Methrin waited in the doorway as Lyra and I joined him. He reached out a hand for me, changed his mind and let it hang by his side. “Are either of you hurt?”
I shook my head, unsure if I could form words.
“No, but that was startling,” Lyra said. “Who was that man? Why did he attack?—”
“I will explain soon,” Methrin interrupted. “There’s no time to return to your rooms. We have to leave now. ”
Why the urgency?
But I withheld my question as we hurried down the hall, staying away from the wide-open space that led to the amphitheater.
The bags Lyra had carefully packed for our journey were left behind in the prison-room.
Once again, I was being ripped away from what I considered safe, fleeing into the unknown.
I glanced at Lyra, who walked with her head high, eyes bright, a calmness emitted from her as though we hadn’t just been attacked.
A tremor began in my lower limbs, and suddenly I wasn’t sure if I could walk anymore. I took shallow breaths, fighting to contain my panic. I focused on the group walking behind the king.
The guards were obvious, dressed in silvery purple armor, slender swords at their belts, nothing like the great, wide swords my father’s army carried.
Curved blades were tucked into their belts, and they carried themselves with an elegant grace, light on their feet as though they might break into a dance or a coordinated battle position.
Helmets covered their heads with secured cheek straps, decorated with a horsetail crest.
But they weren’t the only ones who walked with us.
A white-haired female walked beside the king.
She was a head shorter than him, wearing a pale purple robe and her waist-length hair flowed loosely to her waist. I’d never seen such a style, all women knew to keep their hair bound, braided, coiled on top of their heads or pulled back from their faces.
To wear it completely untamed was uncouth. But apparently not here .
An older male walked just behind her, carrying a stack of thick tomes. He had a thick gray beard and curly gray hair peppered with silver to match. Like the woman, he simply wore a long robe and muttered under his breath as though he were reciting a phrase over and over again.
The hall narrowed, sloping down gently until it ended at a door.
One of the guards shouldered it open, and a hazy golden light spilled out.
As I stepped out onto a grassy knoll, I realized that this was my first time being outside in the realm of the Everminati.
The place where Lyra and I had stayed was a false replica, but this was beauty.
I’d never seen colors so vivid or smelled smells so tantalizing.
Wind rushed through the nearby trees, singing a song in a two-part harmony.
The scent of salt hung in the air along with a deeper, almost musky fruity scent.
The emerald hill rolled down, long lush grass on either side, a wide path opening up to the sapphire waters.
A long dock led out over the blue. At the end of it sat a great ship, carved into the shape of a dragon with a terrifying maw, an arched neck and silver sails instead of wings.
Panic faded into awe.
This was the world Methrin had come from, making my home feel like a pale comparison.
Every blade of grass was brighter, more vibrant, the ground beneath my feet shifted as though it were alive.
A delectable taste hovered on my tongue, and the music in the breeze was intoxicating.
How was it possible there was no magic? For everything surrounding me felt like the work of pure magic.
I shifted my gaze to Methrin only to find him studying me, gauging my reaction as if it mattered to him. My breath caught, and there came that ache, a wanting coiled deep within my belly and a memory of last night’s heated kisses surged to the forefront of my mind.
He stepped closer, fingertips grazing the small of my back. I leaned into his touch as he dipped his head, his words like a caress. “I’m sorry for what happened. I would have been there sooner if I could.”
“You knew about the assassin?” It was a question, not an accusation.
“I was up most of the night with the king and his council.”
I noticed he did not say father , perhaps the king was his uncle or some other kin.
“Oh?”
“Once we push off from shore, we can speak freely, and we’ll begin magic lessons. Today.”
A zing of nervousness shot through me. Methrin kept the light pressure on my back as we walked the dock up to the ship.
“What’s this?” A male on the boat called as we approached, then bowed when he caught sight of the king. “Your Majesty, I was not expecting to leave today.”
King Ithrani’s expression gave away nothing. “You leave now, any missing supplies you will procure at the next port, otherwise, your mission stays the same. Go with all speed. ”
The male lowered a ramp, shouting at the crew on the ship to prepare for departure by order of the king.
The guards escorted the curly-headed male and the white-haired female onboard.
Lyra linked arms with me, and we walked up the ramp together, ascending high above the blue waters as though we’d climbed on the rooftop of a house.
Awe filled me as I stepped onto the deck. I’d never been on anything larger than a rowboat, and the ship put it to shame. It was bigger than a house, with curved railings gilded with gold. Up close, the dragon head was even more fearsome, and bone-white teeth appeared more real than a carving.
On the main deck, crew rushed around, rolling barrels out of the way, tying down ropes, calling to one another.
The front of the ship bobbed in the water, offering a commanding view of the lush hilltop where the great stone building we’d just left perched.
To the rear of the ship was a shadowy opening that led down.
Above it was an upper deck, accessible by a ladder where two men stood on either side of a large wheel.
A male Everminati approached us with a bow-legged gait as we boarded the ship.
“Captain Draemir at your service,” he announced.
His skin was bronzed from sunshine, his black hair cropped close to his head.
His gaze shifted over the group, lingering on Lyra and me.
“We set sail soon, please make yourselves comfortable.”
He waved toward the back of the ship and the guards escorted us through the doorway beneath the upper deck.
Stairs led down to another level and the scent of wood and water grew stronger.
A long table filled the rectangular-shaped room and light poured in from shuttered windows.
The guards remained standing while the white-haired female and curly-haired male took seats.
Lyra and I followed their example. An awkward silence filled the air as we eyed each other, no one willing to break the unspoken truce.
Methrin entered last, shutting the door behind him. Relief filled me as he ran his fingers through his hair, his presence mitigating the tension in the cabin. His gaze held mine as he took a seat at the head of the table.
The white-haired female cleared her throat and waved to one of the guards. “Find us refreshments. Please.” Then she shifted her attention to the four of us gathered at the table. “Prince Methrin, these are the two you spoke of last night?”
“They are,” Methrin confirmed.
Lyra’s eyebrows lifted. “There was a meeting last night?”
“Patience,” the female said, resting her hands on the table. “Introductions first, and then we will explain your part in this quest.”
A shout came from outside, and the ship shuddered. I gripped the table as it moved, wishing I were outside to see its passage.
“I am Lady Velune, High Seer of the Order of the Moon,” the white-haired female continued.
The curly-haired male rested a shaking hand on his stack of books. His voice was high and whispery, as though he’d lost some of his vocal chords. “I am Lord Pelgrin, Head Historian and Cartographer. ”
I opened my mouth to speak but Methrin was faster. “My companions are both from the realm of mortals.”
“Humans,” Lady Velune said flatly.
“Princess Esmira is human,” Methrin conceded. “However, Lyra is the daughter of Rydlin, the Sorcerer.”
The air shifted as both Lady Velune and Lord Pelgrin turned to Lyra in surprise.
I watched their faces, mouth dry as I sensed she was now more welcome than I’d ever be.
Unknowingly, I’d committed two grave transgressions.
I had Mirror Magic and was human. It was clear.
The Everminati would not accept me. Now Methrin’s proposal of marriage made sense, but the kiss of last night did not.
It wasn’t the kiss of one who felt sorry for me or someone who was trying to protect me.
I was sure it went much deeper and I longed to be alone with him again, wondering if I’d be brave enough to ask.
“Interesting,” Lady Velune said, studying Lyra. “I see, you hope to do for Princess Esmira what Rydlin did for Prince Methrin.”
Lyra’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Lady Velune shifted her gaze to Methrin. “Your methods have always been unorthodox, but this . . .” She trailed off with a laugh. “What an endeavor.”
Methrin did not share in her amusement. “Will you tell my friends what you shared last night?”
“Knowledge of the quest? Yes. King Ithrani tasked Lord Pelgrin and myself to find the reason why magic vanished from our lands. And to return it. You see, our magic is drawn from Nocthera.”
“Nocthera as in the moon goddess?” Lyra asked.