CHAPTER 29 CORY
“I t’s beautiful beyond belief,” Mili continues, her heart threatening to leap out of her chest. I can’t believe how calm she sounds, even though I’m sure she knows we can hear her pulse racing, feel her rage churning just beneath her skin. It’s as if we weren’t even here, as if she were talking to an empty room, practicing a speech or a poem recitation.
“Of course, though, that’s not what’s so valuable about it. It’s the people who are. The faeries, the wizards, the gnomes and pixies on the outskirts of town, the spirit of my grandmother in the sugar maple up North –all of them are what keep the spirit of the town alive. Our energy trickles into the energy of the whole Realm, bringing it life and joy and beauty.”
I finally let my breath out as she breaks eye contact with me and turns to address Port and Max. She’s tapping on the table again as she speaks, and I lose track of what she’s saying as I watch her delicate fingers dance along the hardwood’s ridges. I shake my head to refocus myself and glance back up to see her glaring at me.
“Am I boring you?” she hisses. I know, I know she’s mad, and she has a right to be, but I’m unfortunately very aroused by how beautiful she looks with her face flushed with anger and her fingers tap-tap-tapping viciously on the table. She’d be a good ruler, I realize. Vicious, caring, and clever. Ok, maybe not vicious.
“You’re not,” I reply, coating my tone with apathy.
Her jaw clenches and she cocks her head, sizing me up somehow, and she stands slowly, slowly from her seat. At this point, I’m getting annoyed with her irrational anger, so I rub one of my temples with my thumb. She scowls at my nonchalance, and I smile to myself – I’m winning .
“What’s the meaning of this tantrum, Milica?” I ask, tone cool. Max whips around to stare at me, incredulous at my sudden chilly demeanor, but I don’t budge. Leaders – dragons, especially –have to be the bad guy sometimes.
This is one of those times.
I realized what Mili was upset about as soon as Port asked her about Ethelinda and her heart started pounding. It must have hit her that we’ve been so busy training and drinking and (Realm save me) flirting, we haven’t had that much-needed discussion about her plans to actually save the town.
It’s perfectly understandable that she’s angry we’ve wasted time, since we sort of have. It’s even fair that she blames me, at least, to some extent. The problem is, Mili doesn’t thrive on anger; she thrives on peace. As long as she’s like this, riled up and unreasonable, I can’t have that conversation with her. Better to stomp her fire out than let her burn the whole place down with her. Although could she do that? Wait, that sounds more like something I would do.
I sigh aloud at the thought of that. My parents would kill me if they could see me now, letting a faery wander around the volcano, doing whatever she wanted with me and charming all the guardians. My father would mock me relentlessly; oh, letting a woman rule the roost are you? What a fool you’ve turned out to be .
That’s not entirely fair of me though, and it wouldn’t be fair of my parents to say that, either. After all, it isn’t her fault that she’s here. I could have turned her away, or offered to meet her on neutral ground.
No, it isn’t her fault at all that I wanted her here. I needed her. I can’t punish her for that, not when I welcomed her in on my own.
“Tantrum?” Mili replies, suddenly matching my quiet, icy tone. “Who’s yelling?”
My blood runs cold as I feel a sudden power surging up in her. Oh, I underestimated her, didn’t I? I realize with a start that this isn’t going to be a simple matter of knocking her down a peg; no, I need to match her power.
I stand at the table, then, placing my hands down on the hardwood and pressing until the legs creak beneath me. “Whatever you have to say,” I growl, “say it.”
Mili’s breath catches, just for a moment, and she hisses out “You haven’t agreed to help me. You’ve been distracting me with all this –this training, the gifts and the food, but you forgot why I’m really here, didn’t you? I need your help, Cory. Ethelinda needs you, or have you forgotten that, too?”
“Enough!” my voice booms across the room. I realize I’m panting, and I’ve balled my hands into fists on the table. “Take her to her chambers,” I order Max and Port.
“But Cory–” Max starts.
“ Now!”
As my voice booms across the dining hall for a second time, Port and Max scramble up from their seats and each place a hand on Mili’s back. She stares at me, her expression torn between rage and disappointment, as they turn her to the door.
“Come on, Milica,” I hear Port whisper to her.
“I’m fine,” she replies as they reach the door, her voice quivering.
Once the door shuts behind them, I leap up to it to try and hear them speak in the hallway. Max and Port can probably hear my footsteps, but I try to muffle them as best I can anyways.
“Mili, you’re not ‘fine.’” Max says.
“I am fine,” she growls. “I just want to be alone.” Their footsteps suddenly stop, and I can imagine Port or Max grabbing one of Mili’s arms to hold her. The thought makes me jealous, but relieved, too.
“Milica,” Port murmurs.
Mili sighs, exasperated. “What is it, Port?”
“I’m sorry I brought up Ethelinda,” Port says softly. “It wasn’t the right time.”
There’s a pause, and I can almost hear Mili weighing her next words. “It never would be the ‘right time,’ you know. One of us had to break the spell, sooner or later. This little bubble we’re in couldn’t last forever. Now, I just need Cory to help me so I can go home and save my people.”
“You’re right,” Max says gruffly, “that you two have to address whatever is plaguing the town. I don’t think though, that that means we have to be apart after this. Not forever, at least.”
Mili laughs dryly. “If Cory would even allow that. Half the time he can’t stand me.”
I grimace at her words, but Port tuts and interrupts me before I can start to spiral too thoroughly, “He would. He –he cares about you, strange as it may seem.”
There’s silence, but I can smell something shift in Mili – excitement, maybe, or relief? It lights a little fire in my stomach, gives me hope that I haven’t completely ruined what there could be between the four of us.
“I should apologize,” Mili sighs.
“No!” Port and Max exclaim together.
“I mean,” Port starts, “um –Max? Help me out here?”
“He’s a little hot-headed sometimes. Might be a good idea to ... give him the night off.”
I grumble silently behind the door. More likely the two of them just want some time to themselves with the faery. My irritation dissolves, though, at the sound of Mili’s bright, tinkling laugh through the door.
I smile at the sound of it, and sigh as the three of them finally make their way off down the hallway.
I realize I’m still staring at the floor by the door, so I quickly clear my throat, brush myself off, and return to my seat at the table to await Port and Max’s return. Minutes pass. Then half an hour. Then a full hour.
Realm’s Mother, where are those two buffoons?
Finally, the door swings slowly open.
“Cory,” Port says cautiously.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, Port, I’m still here.”
Port and Max creep in, one after the other, and peer at me warily. “Um,” Max starts, “how are you ... doing?”
“I’m fine ,” I sigh.
“You know, Mili said the same thing,” Port says, eyebrows raised.
I wave my hands airily, brushing them off, and Max smirks. “Charming.”
“Is she okay?” The words come out more earnest then I meant them, and I feel myself frown.
“She’s completely fine,” Port reassures me. He walks over to where I’m sitting and rests a hand on my shoulder. It’s grounding, and I find myself sighing under the slight weight of his palm. “I would venture to guess, though, that she’d like to hear from you tomorrow.”
In response, I nod, lips pursed together in thought. Max plops down on the chair across from me and I roll my head to face him. “Must you nearly break every piece of furniture you encounter here?”
Max scowls. “I’m not used to all this fancy stuff.”
I open my mouth to make some snarky rebuttal, but Port pats my shoulder firmly and I bite my tongue. “Let’s leave it for tonight, hm?” he murmurs. “We’re all tired, I’m sure.” I roll my eyes a little at his nearly-patronizing tone, and smirk to see Max making the same expression.
“As delightful as this has been,” I deadpan, “it’s about time I head to bed. You two ought to as well.”
“Are we up past our bedtime?” Max grins devilishly.
In response, I simply scowl and motion to the door. Max pretends to sulk and shuffles slowly away, and Port holds back laughter. “Not funny, Max!” I call out, even though I’m close to chuckling myself.
Once they’ve left, I move to sit in front of the fireplace. I kneel low, imagining brushing my fingers through the fire as I might tangle them in Mili’s hair. Before long I’m fast asleep.