Chapter 66
Discovery
Evelyn and Moeller spent four hours training her magic in the enchanted greenhouse.
He reported that Leo had been strongest in Earth magic.
The king had formed the soil into a short staircase that could bear a person’s weight.
Moeller attributed Leo’s talent to the fact that Earth powers were more often used productively instead of violently.
Evelyn was able to conjure small amounts of water and transfer soil between pots, but she had the most success with Air magic.
Moeller repaired broken windows after she caused hurricane-force winds, then made Evelyn practice Earth magic by repotting all the soil she’d scattered across the floor.
She was sure that pairing her Air and Fire magic would be unstoppable.
Moeller wouldn’t let her test it inside—something about not burning down his godsdamned castle—but said they could train outside next time.
Damien met Evelyn in the hall after her lesson. “Hey, Princess.”
“Where are Rory and Simon?” she asked.
“Getting an early dinner. Come on, there’s a room I want you to see.”
Evelyn fell into step beside Damien. It took about ten minutes and only a little bit of backtracking before they found the correct nondescript door. Damien took her hand and led her into the small, dark room.
As soon as Evelyn crossed the threshold, she plummeted through the air. Her stomach flew up to her throat and she cried out. Damien squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Why isn’t he panicking?
The falling sensation stopped after a few, very long seconds. A feeling of weightlessness replaced it. Evelyn and Damien were hovering a few inches above the ground.
“What the fuck?”
“I probably should have warned you about that part,” Damien said sheepishly.
She scowled at him, but their surroundings distracted her. They were aboard their ship as it sailed away from Lochmatten.
“How did we get here?” Evelyn asked. “We aren’t supposed to be leaving yet.”
Damien pointed across the deck with his free hand. Evelyn’s eyes widened as she saw herself standing next to the railing.
“That’s me! And you’re over there talking to Leo.” Evelyn gaped at the other versions of herself and Damien. “What is this? What’s happening?”
“I think we’re seeing the future. When I came in earlier, the first thing I saw was myself packing my bag to leave.”
“The first thing?”
No sooner had she asked the question than the scene shifted. They were in the sitting room in the palace, still hovering over the floor. Other-Evelyn was seated on a couch with her father.
“Why can’t we hear what they’re saying?” Evelyn wondered.
The only noise around them was the sound of rushing wind, like they were on top of a mountain.
“I don’t know,” Damien replied. “But I bet you and King Tristan are talking about your mother.”
Evelyn could see “I’m sorry” form on her father’s lips. “I think you’re right.”
The world changed again. They were in Evelyn’s room at the palace this time, where Other-Damien and Other-Evelyn were talking.
“You’ve been crying,” Damien noticed. “But your dress is different. I don’t think this is the same day as before.”
“Why is there blood on you? Are you hurt?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. Why do you look so upset?”
“I don’t know. Are we fighting?”
Other-Damien took Other-Evelyn’s hands and leaned forward, forcing her to listen to him.
“No, not fighting,” Damien realized. “It’s more like that day in the hospital when I had to calm you down.”
The setting moved once more to the beach in front of the palace. Leo and Other-Evelyn were the only people around.
“The two of you are fighting.” Damien winced.
Evelyn went pale. “He’s screaming at me. We’ve argued before but not like that.”
Leo started to walk away, but Other-Evelyn grabbed his arm to make him stay. Leo removed himself from her grasp and left. Other-Evelyn sank to her knees in the sand, sobbing.
“What happened?” Evelyn whispered.
“Nothing good,” Damien said ominously.
Suddenly, they were on the palace roof. It was dark, the moon and stars shining overhead. The fire pit burned brightly. Most of the furniture had been pushed to one side, creating a large open area. Other-Evelyn and Other-Damien were dancing, their spins wild and ungraceful.
“Are we drunk?”
“Maybe a little.” Damien grinned. “I can see two empty wine bottles in the corner.”
“You don’t sound surprised.”
“I saw this earlier. I don’t know if any of these are real, but this is my favorite scene.”
“Why?”
“Because you look happy.”
I do. I’m laughing and Damien is smiling at me.
“You better hope I don’t puke on your shoes with how fast you’re spinning me around,” Evelyn warned.
“Nah,” Damien said casually. “If we’re drunk, you’re more likely to fall off the roof.”
“Hey! I’ll remember that and push you off first!”
“Try it. You aren’t that strong.”
The falling sensation returned. Evelyn and Damien were back in the little room where they started, their feet firmly on the floor. The space was completely empty, with bare walls and no furniture.
“Is it over?” Evelyn asked.
Damien nodded. “The room shows you five things and then kicks you out.”
“What else did you see when you came earlier?”
“I saw myself packing. Then I was on the ship, angry about something. In the third scene, it was dark outside and I was trying to find someone. Then I was talking to a man I didn’t recognize. He had bright red hair like your father.”
“That could be Rowan. But why would you be talking to my brother?”
“I don’t know, but we were definitely in the palace. The last thing I saw was you and me on the roof.”
“Do you think what we saw will really happen?” Worry crept into Evelyn’s voice.
That was rage in Leo’s eyes. Is it my fault? Did he learn about my lies? Or did I do something else… something worse?
“I think we should ask Moeller,” Damien decided.
Evelyn and Damien were late for dinner. Leo, Moeller, and Heinrich were already seated at the table when they arrived.
“Where have you been?” Leo asked with an edge to his voice.
“Exploring the castle,” Evelyn said.
“We came across an interesting room today,” Damien added while filling his plate. “We think it shows the future.”
Heinrich looked impressed. “You found the Invenion?”
“What is it?” Evelyn asked.
“A trap, mostly,” Moeller muttered, sipping his wine.
Damien frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The Invenion does show the future,” Moeller explained.
“But it’s no miracle. The future is not set in stone.
The room, as you likely noticed, doesn’t give you any context.
Whatever you saw might be five minutes or five hundred years away, if it happens at all.
Most significantly, it shows you what it wants to show you, which is not necessarily anything important.
I’m sure you had fun, but don’t put all your faith into whatever the room chose to reveal. ”
Leo’s eyes darted between Evelyn and Damien. “What did you see?”
“It’s always five things,” Heinrich noted.
Evelyn kept count with her fingers. “Damien was packing to go home, then we were on the boat. I was talking to my father at the palace. Damien was searching for someone outside. Then we were on the palace roof, like the night before the wedding.”
Damien didn’t correct her modified version. Evelyn’s new bracelet cooled to just below room temperature, as if it weren’t pleased but couldn’t reprimand her for half-truths.
“Like I said,” Moeller continued. “Nothing important. I would advise you not to visit the Invenion anymore. If you are so fitfully bored in the castle, you should practice your magic.”
“I spent hours practicing magic,” Evelyn whined.
“And you can barely lift dirt,” Moeller quipped.
Damien snorted.
“What are you laughing at?” Evelyn snapped. “You don’t have Elemental magic!”
“Sounds like you don’t, either,” Damien teased.
“Desirée will gain Rory’s magic if they get married. I wonder how much fun they could have together with sound shields and water.”
In the back of the room, Rory was as red as Evelyn’s hair, while Simon turned blue from the effort of containing his laughter.
Damien pointed the tip of his fork in her direction. “Leave my sister out of this!”
“Or you’ll stab me with a utensil?” Evelyn challenged.
“I don’t think your guards will defend you right now.”
“Can we get through dinner without threats, please?” Leo said irritably.
Evelyn caught Moeller’s I told you expression and glared at him.
“My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty,” Damien said dramatically.
Evelyn’s bracelet went cold again.
I’m not going to wear this stupid bracelet if it can’t tell the difference between lies and sarcasm.
But wait… my bracelet was warm during my magic lesson and in the Invenion.
That means nothing else Moeller and Damien told me this afternoon was a lie.
So Damien’s favorite vision was dancing with me, and Moeller really doesn’t know where my mother is.
If he doesn’t know, how am I supposed to find her?