Chapter 29 #2
And indeed, her words are not kind or soft. They are sharply-edged and ruthless, and I feel them in my soul like she’s lit fire to it. Beneath my armor, beneath my self-doubt.
“Well,” I say with a shy smile, fidgeting with the waistline of my dress. “I’d appreciate if your next show of devotion was a little less violent.”
Marina grins, her sharp little teeth gleaming. No promises. A pixie can’t change their nature, after all.
Her form begins to flicker, and without thought, I grab her hand.
“Stay, Marina. As you are. Sam and Tiernan and Adira are all here, and I know they miss you.” Shame washes over her features, and I clutch her hand tighter.
“Why have you been using your magic for so long when you know what it costs you? Why haven’t you gone back to Chrys? ”
She lifts her chin. Why did you send Niko away? The true reason?
I stare at her.
I suspect our reasons are the same.
With that, she disappears.
“I knew you snuck in without anyone noticing,” Tiernan exclaims in exasperation when he finds me a few minutes later. “The pixies have been nipping at my heels to find you.” He scrunches his face in annoyance. “Literally, Willa. Literally nipping at my heels, the little menaces.”
He shoves a new drink in my hand.
“I’d down that if I were you. They’ve got big plans of grandeur and they’ll tear out both our throats if we deny them of it.”
I do exactly as he suggests, and tip the entire glass of wine back with a few large gulps. To my disappointment, it does nothing to slake the nervous energy gathering in my stomach. “The thought of being announced like we’re at some pretentious ball makes me want to die.”
“Too bad for you, you can’t!”
I roll my eyes. Tiernan gives me a quick once over. “You don’t clean up half bad, Willie.”
“You don’t look terrible yourself.”
It isn’t a lie, as Tiernan looks particularly dashing tonight in a deep emerald tunic and matching trousers.
The seams are stitched with golden thread in a silhouette mimicking the mountains of the island.
His auburn hair has been combed into submission, and he’s even swapped the worn leather sheath at his side for an ornate black scabbard.
“Did you learn to use a hairbrush just for the occasion?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” he laughs. “Torturous contraptions.” He tilts his head, his expression sobering. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m going to vomit,” I answer honestly.
Tiernan nods as if this is perfectly understandable, and offers his hand. Though a large part of me would rather kick him in the knees and run away, I link my arm through his.
He leans in conspiratorially. “Maybe wine wasn’t the best choice. If you’re going to puke, do it before your speech.”
I whip my head around, hissing in horror, “Speech?!”
Tiernan laughs. “Relax, I’m kidding. As much as the people want to see their queen, Dreaming’s Eve isn’t about you.
It’s for all of us to enjoy the magic of the island.
” He steers me away from Niko’s portrait, around a corner and out into a crowded street.
“No speeches, I promise.” He wrinkles his brow thoughtfully.
“Though I can’t guarantee no fawning. You’ve saved the kingdom twice and the people are enamored. ”
I grip his arm tighter as we pass a group of pixies, their whispers elevating to delighted giggles the moment they notice me. Tiernan shoots me a smug look, pulling me around another corner and away from prying eyes.
“I suppose that’s better than the alternative,” I admit hesitantly.
“Which is?”
My cheeks heat. “Burning me at the stake for killing their dreams.”
Tiernan rolls his eyes as if I’m ridiculous. “No burnings on Dreaming’s Eve either. The smell of burnt flesh would really kill the mood.”
His laughter settles my nerves, and I relax somewhat, allowing him to steer me through the Hollow City.
Each level we pass rings with different music, one jubilant melody fading into another as we descend.
A symphony of different cultures and styles, each one a gift from the many corners of the mainland represented in the population of Letum.
The warmth of it all expands in my chest, and for an aching moment, I wish Celie could see it.
The dancing. The laughter. The starlight. The possibility.
She would have loved it all.
Tiernan leads me around the back of one of the largest temples to a small set of stairs concealed from the street. I breathe a sigh of relief, just now realizing I hadn’t trusted that Tiernan wasn’t actually about to thrust me onto some glaring stage.
The top of the steps opens to a cozy balcony, set into the stone recess above the temple. Adira and Sam are already there, spread out on a multitude of brightly colored blankets, a feast of food laid between them.
“Quit stealing all the dumplings,” Adira hisses, slapping Sam’s outstretched hand away from the plate nearest hers.
“You’ve had seven!” he protests. Sam grimaces as she shoves another two into her mouth, and then sticks her tongue out from between her comically ballooned cheeks in taunting.
“I’ve been gone for ten minutes,” Tiernan says, letting go of my arm to plop down between the two, “and half the food is already gone.”
I sit down beside Sam, tucking my legs beneath me.
“You could have at least left me one of the sweet cakes,” Tiernan whines.
Adira shrugs unapologetically. “You should have been faster.”
I bite into a flaky, pyramid shaped pastry filled with spiced meat and crisp peas, nearly moaning at the taste.
Sam pours more wine, handing Tiernan and I each a glass.
The Hollows glow with excitement and happiness all around us, but it is nothing to the glow of the magic behind my heart.
This is what I have fought for all my life—a chance for safety, for beauty, for freedom.
A sudden hush falls over the city. Adira squeals in delight, grabbing my arm and dragging me to the edge of the balcony. “It’s happening!” she whispers, as Sam and Tiernan come to stand beside us.
For a moment, everything is still, like the island itself holds its breath.
And then, at once, the beasts of the forest and the ones beneath the earth roar in unison, the sea crashes against the windows, and the morphellia vines begin to flower.
Large white petals unfurl to reveal golden centers that bathe the Hollows in their glow.
For a moment, it feels like we are in the second star itself—like the moment I fell into Letum, when everything was infinite colors and radiant light.
Gasps sound from the kingdom, wondered breaths of delight echoing from every floor as flowers bloom all over the city.
Sirens gathered outside the windows begin to sing, their soft song floating gently through the streets.
The melody latches beneath my ribs, a hopeful sonance that blooms in my chest as surely as the flowers themselves.
Adira smiles, threading her fingers through mine.
Tiernan bumps my shoulder. Sam’s power wraps around us all in a warm shroud.
I don’t know if it’s the song or the morphellia or the magic, but a tight knot releases a wave of contentment I’ve felt only once before. The reprieve that comes with the certainty of knowing—this is what the agony was for. All of it led me here, to this moment, tucked between my friends.
My whole life I’ve been fighting, and never once felt the sweetness of victory. But it lights my chest now, and it is the most beautiful triumph of all as it isn’t just for me. It’s for everyone. On the island and on the mainland.
Feeling lighter than I have in so long, I let go of Adira’s hand. She gives me an encouraging nod. I don’t know if I’ve earned her faith, but I am grateful all the same. I smile, before stepping to the edge of the balcony.
Into the glow of the morphellia, and the attention of my kingdom.
A creature like yourself, used to the comfort of the shadows…the light must be burning you alive.
Niko’s words once rang so true, but perhaps, it is only because I hadn’t yet found a light meant for me.
This one wraps around me like silk, shimmers in my hair and dances along my skin. My magic rises from behind my heart to greet it, the gleam of possibility both inside me and outside me, bright enough to chase away even the shadow looming behind me.
The eyes of the kingdom turn toward me, waiting for whatever sentiment I’ll bestow upon them. But as words have never been my strength, I simply close my eyes and dredge up my magic, painting it into the space around me.
Careful lines, delicate strokes. I shade with tender care, choosing only the rarest of colors.
And when I let it go, a roar of cheers and awe erupts from the kingdom around me.
I step back to admire my work, breathless and exhausted. My shadow twitches behind me, its hollow hunger swelling so suddenly, I nearly choke. Sam’s brows furrow in concern, and he lurches forward, pulling me into the crook of his arm before I fall over.
But my own exhaustion hardly matters—not when wonder fills the city, as my people begin to understand what I’ve given them.
A child is the first to come forward, as children are the bravest of us all.
She sticks one tentative foot over the videntis, and then, with a wild giggle, closes her eyes and leaps.
My magic catches her in its womb, suspending her above the chasm.
A thousand dreams burst around her at the first touch, and she squeals in delight as she reaches for them.
The kingdom watches with bated breath as she swims through a night sky, twirling through celestial dust.
Her sounds of joy echo throughout the city, and my eyes sting with the beauty of it. One by one, the people of Letum follow her into the videntis. No longer a never-ending hole to the sea below, but a magical wonder of stars that holds their wildest imaginings.
I stand with my friends, and watch my kingdom take back what I never meant to steal: their dreams.
And in their reverence, one soft phrase floats upward, more magical than any other:
Long live the Queen of Dreams.