Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The queen was never seen again and the king eventually passed away, becoming one with nature. Morvith and her foul creatures lay low, although there are whispers every now and then of the land growing sick, fae gone missing or random attacks.
The dark forces can’t pass through the invisible barrier around the Academy. It makes me feel a little safer.
It is nearly impossible for the fae who live in Solunara to cross Nocthyr — the now dark and decayed version of Aurelune — or the other way around.
Many have tried, few have returned or reached their destination without being harmed.
It means families are separated, with only a magical butterfly that lands on your forehead that functions as a communication tool across the realm.
When I reach my room, I am not surprised to see Ami sitting on the bed. “There you are, I thought you had become one with the books in the library.”
I smile sheepishly. “Sorry, I had a couple of questions and, well Sirideán explained them all quite extensively.”
She giggles. “I can imagine, he has such a broad knowledge over all sorts of subjects, he could talk for hours and still have shared the bare minimum.”
I walk to my closet and open it, surprised to see a lot of new swimming pieces that definitely weren’t there before. “Where do all these clothes keep coming from?”
Ami laughs and I give her a confused look.
“What is so funny?”
“Oh, babes, I’m sorry, it’s just I thought you would’ve figured it out by now. Your closet is magical.”
It is a pretty closet, the clothes in it beyond what I could dream of. But I’m sure she’s not talking about that sort of magic. “Meaning…?”
“Meaning it creates what you need at the moment you open its doors.” She stands next to me now. “You see, you need swimwear, and seeing you’re not sure if you want to wear a bikini or a one-piece, it gives you multiple options of both.”
She runs her fingers through the bathing suits, knowing I am not ready for a bikini just yet and stops at one with broader cream-coloured straps, the neckline in the same colour with a little V-shape in the centre and the rest of the body is a deep brown.
“Isn’t that a little much?” I ask, lacking the confidence she obviously has.
“What? No! Not at all! Everything that needs to be covered is covered up. Your ass will look amazing and the little details on the cleavage? It will look stunning on you, without a doubt.”
She pulls me in front of the mirror, stands behind me and holds up the bathing suit. “Try it on Mai, we can always search for something else if you don’t like it.”
I quickly put it on before I change my mind, and stand in front of her, not yet ready to look at myself. She has somehow also changed in her own swimsuit, which is odd since I didn’t hear her leave the room. “And, what do you think?”
She takes one look and her mouth falls open. “Dear moons Mai, you look as stunning as the sun itself. I love this on you, but please, take a look for yourself.”
I walk over to the mirror and look up from my feet until my eyes find the swimsuit. I do look good, to my biggest surprise. My waste is accentuated and so are my breasts. I look elegant without it being inappropriate.
Ami appears behind me once more, holding my shoulders and letting her chin rest upon my right one.
“Do you see now how beautiful you are, my sweet Mai?” I meet her eyes in the mirror, frowning at her.
She sighs. “Of course you don’t. Well, I’m sure there will be at least two fae of the opposite sex who will agree with me. ”
My cheeks burn and I quickly turn away, browsing through my closet for a cover-up. I grab the first thing I see, a gauzy long skirt in the same cream as the swimsuit and put on a pair of slippers.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She grins, obviously not believing a word I say. I don’t either. “Uhu, if you say so.” She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door. “Time to go. You will love this party, trust me.”
Ami ushers me out of the room and closes the door behind me. I vaguely remember the route from when I visited the lake with Aramis. The only difference is that there is much more noise coming from the cave. I take a deep breath.
You can do this, Mai. Just keep breathing.
Ami passes me and walks down the stairs. I quickly follow, not wanting to stay behind. As I reach the last steps, the lake comes into view. It is definitely busier than previous time, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.
As I take off my cover up, I let my eyes roam over the lake, seeing multiple groups of fae lounging and laughing, not at all paying attention to me or Ami.
And when a pull inside of me directs my gaze to the left side of the lake, I am not surprised to see Aramis there who is talking to…
Conláed. Zale and Enver close their small circle and if you would tell me they were supermodels, I would’ve believed you.
It’s unfair how good they look.
“Don’t let them hear you say that, their egos wouldn’t be able to fit in Moonveil.”
I hadn’t realised I’d said it out loud, but I laugh. “I’m sure they wouldn’t.” As if on cue, I feel how two gazes trace my face, only to find Aramis and Conláed watching me, as if my laughter was a tune only they could hear.
Deciding faking confidence and pretending I didn’t notice the longing stare in Aramis’ eyes might not be a bad idea, I follow Ami to the edge of the lake. But when I let my gaze roam over the other fae and see some of them are looking at me too, my confidence evaporates into thin air.
Ami is already swimming away, but turns around when she notices I’m not actually following her. She reaches me in no time and rests her arms between my feet. “Are you alright?”
I shift from one leg to another. “I…It’s just…you know…”
Her hand touches my ankle, reassuring me. “Sit down.”
It feels safer to sit, so I let my legs dangle off the edge. The slightly cooler water feels heavenly against my flushed skin and steam floats up from where my legs meet the water.
Ami holds my calves, drawing small circles there with her thumb. “Breathe, Mai, or you will boil everyone in the lake.”
I try to let my panic evaporate, but the harder I try, the worse it gets. Small bubbles start to rise to the surface. “I don’t know how to make it stop.”
The fact that I’m not hearing anyone scream is a good sign, but I’m not sure how long it will take until they do.
“Okay, just keep breathing.”
I slowly let the air flow in and out, counting down from twenty to one. I’m about to scream that I need help right now, when I feel a sharp, ice cold sting where Ami’s hands still lay. Cold starts to run through my veins, chasing away the lava that was spreading there.
After a couple of seconds, the steam is gone and Ami’s hands stop glowing.
“Better?”
I nod.
She squeezes my calf again. “It’s a little tricky to do, I don’t want to damage your veins, and technically I’ve never done something like this before.
But,” she continues as my worried gaze meets hers.
“I was about ninety-five percent certain it would work. Now, tell me, what’s got you freaking out like that? ”
I quickly look around, again meeting too many eyes. “Everyone’s staring.”
“And that is a bad thing?” she asks.
“Ami…”
“What? Besides, they are not staring, they are admiring you.”
I raise my brows. “It’s not like that at all.”
“Oh, but it is. I’ve told you so many times before, you are drop dead gorgeous. When will you be able to see that too?”
I cover my cheeks with my hands, trying to cool down the burning skin there. “You’re exaggerating.”
“Am I? Biased, that I might be. But those two over there can’t keep their eyes off of you, and that means something.”
I lower my hands and quickly look at her brother and Conláed, their gazes finding me every now and then. And it is not disgust I read in their eyes, it’s more like I’m the sun after years of darkness.
“You know, I can always call them over. I’m sure my brother would love to share his thoughts, don’t you think?” She turns away. “Ara —”
I quickly cover her mouth, nearly falling into the water. “Please don’t. I believe you.”
I feel her laugh against my palm and let my hand fall in my lap. But it never lands, as Ami grabs my wrist and pulls me into the water.
The cool water closes above my head and I quickly break through the surface, spitting out the water I nearly choked on. “What was that good for?”
Ami laughs, drawing the attention of some admirers. “You were taking too long. I just wanted to help you.”
I send a wave towards her, which only makes her laugh more. “How thoughtful of you!”
“Come on you, let’s go to the others.”
The others being Siri and Neoma, who are lounging on some naturally created rock chairs, their soft voices reaching my ears. “…will win?”
“Win what?” Ami asks as she holds the rock Neo is sitting on.
“Their little sports game of course, you know how competitive males can get. They’ll do anything to prove how strong, athletic and manly they are.”
A loud whistle sounds and our attention is drawn to the opposite side of the lake, where a sand and stone platform rises out of the water. In the middle of the platform stands a net and stone benches appear around it in a staircase kind of formation.
“Right on time,” Ami says as she lets go of the rock she was leaning on. “Come on, or there won’t be any good spots left.”
We follow her lead, walk on the slope once we reach it and take our seats. We have a perfect view on the playfield, although I’m still not sure what we’re about to watch. I turn to Siri who sits next to me. “What sport is this?” I whisper.
She turns to me, lowering her voice as well.
“It’s called volleyball, specifically beach volleyball due to the sand.
” I had figured that one out, but it’s sweet of her to clarify it, so I smile and nod.
“It’s a two versus two game, where the players have to send the ball across the net.
They can only touch the ball three times before they have to send it back over. ”