CHAPTER 17
Lady Raena was nowhere to be found.
After the prince had left and the servants had helped me into a simple gown, I entered Raena’s room, assuming she’d still be asleep. Though, the empty bed and yesterday’s dress thrown messily over a chair proved otherwise. After that, I’d searched around the palace, and even poked my head into the forbidden library. It was as if she’d disappeared off the face of the realm.
Eventually, as the fear that somehow the faeries had taken her crept into my throat, I decided to wander through the gardens. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, and maybe she needed to walk outside to clear her head, especially after the chaos of last night.
My heart stopped when I finally found her.
Lying sprawled across a stone bench, wearing a lavish red gown that was much too revealing for the occasion, was a rather dazed-looking Lady Raena. Her cheeks were rosy, and she appeared to be giggling softly to herself as she held a small lilac flower suspended in the air above her lovely face. One by one, she plucked the petals from the stem, letting them float gently to the ground. A few landed in her curled hair, which was spread out across the seat of the bench. All the while, a dozen nobles who had gathered around her only watched and giggled at what they were seeing.
“Raena?” I called out to her, shoving through the crowd. As I approached, a thick, sickly-sweet smell filled my nose, almost making me gag. It was so cloying, I couldn’t understand how she, or the others standing so close, could stand it.
Reluctantly, Raena’s head turned away from the flower, but when she noticed me, a wide smile lit up her face just as it had done in the faery kingdom. The moment I caught her eyes, my heart sank.
Glazed over. Once again.
“Naria!” she almost sang. “I’m so happy to see you! I tried to wake you up this morning, but you were still fast asleep. And I would’ve waited for you, but oh, my heart was just bursting! I had to step outside to breathe, but then I saw the flowers and…” She sighed dreamily. “I’m just so in love.”
So, Arenn hadn’t cleared the charm then. But why would he lie? None of this made any sense.
I went to respond and try to find out more, but someone nearby stole my attention away.
“I wouldn’t bother talking with her, Your Highness,” a familiar voice sneered. “She’s been like that all morning – babbling about some man with green skin.”
Ignoring their tittering laughter, I glanced up to see the owner of the voice.
Giselle, with her pretty copper hair, smirked back at me.
“She’s probably just not feeling well,” I responded, hiding my panic behind a blank expression. Raena completely ignored me as I tried to pry her off the bench, too focused on pulling petals from the flower. Finally, after a minute of pointless coaxing, I leaned in closer and spoke in a low tone. “Come on, now. Let’s get you inside and figure out what’s going on.”
“I really wouldn’t bother. We all suspect she’s gone mad,” Giselle snorted. “What did you give her?”
“Excuse me?” I swung my head to face the sneering girl.
“You’re from Corlixir, aren’t you? We’ve all heard the stories about Corlixin healers giving special ‘herbs’ to their friends. You know, the ones that make you feel a certain… type of way?” Hushed laughter rippled through the group. “If you give us some, we won’t run and tell the prince about Lady Raena’s current condition.”
My lips flattened. Was this some kind of tragic attempt at blackmail?
“I haven’t given her anything,” I stated firmly, shooting a glare at Giselle and her friends. “Lady Raena just isn’t feeling well.”
“Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” she chimed, continuing to pluck petals from the flower. “I’ve never felt lighter.”
Giselle tossed me a look before she and her friends burst into laughter.
“Come on, Raena,” I hissed, taking her limp hand in mine. “As Princess, I am ordering you to come with me.”
The dazed girl sighed, but still eventually swung her legs off the bench. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
I went to help steady her as she rose to her feet, when my hand brushed against something hard on her wrist. The moment it touched my skin, a bolt of intense warmth buzzed through me. Gasping, I staggered backwards, almost falling to the grass.
“What… was that?” I stammered.
Raena just smiled at me, seemingly unaffected. “What was what?” she asked innocently.
Stepping forward, I reached for her hand again and pulled it closer. Wrapped tightly around her wrist was some kind of wooden bracelet, and carved into the wood were strange markings. Oddly, there was no obvious clasp or way to remove the bracelet. It was as though it had always been there, bound forever to her wrist.
“I’ve never seen you wear this before,” I thought out loud while studying the bracelet.
“Oh, Valen gave it to me. Isn’t it lovely?” she replied with a proud grin.
Hesitantly, I brushed my finger against the bracelet again – this time bracing myself for the warm feeling. Once again, it pulsed through me, and I immediately yanked my hand away. Clearly, it seemed that the love charm wasn’t the only gift from that guard.
“We need to get this off of you,” I decided, leading Raena away from the whispering onlookers. She protested at first, completely oblivious to the odd looks from the people who passed us by. But it didn’t take long for her complaints to turn into pure excited babbling about the green-skinned guard.
“Oh, you should meet him properly,” Raena insisted as we arrived back inside the palace. “He’s so wonderful and really strong too!”
“I’m sure he is…” I brushed off her comments, trying to focus on what to do. Surely a healer wouldn’t be enough – they didn’t know magic. So, perhaps a bookkeeper from the library? Then again, I’d have to reveal that we visited the faery kingdom, and I was sure that wouldn’t go down well.
Come on, think. But it was so hard to focus with that sickly-sweet smell filling my nose. At least now I was certain it was coming from the bracelet and not the flowers outside.
I knew I couldn’t go back to the faeries. After my conversation with Lukas and now this bracelet, I honestly wasn’t sure if I could trust them anymore. And I couldn’t exactly wander off through the forest in the middle of the day. We’d be spotted by the guards or a hunting party. It would be far too risky.
“You’re not taking me back to the library are you?” Raena whined behind me. “Seraphina creeps me out.”
Seraphina… She might not be able to remove the bracelet, but still, she seemed to know an awful lot about the fae. Maybe she would know what to do.
“That’s a great idea!” I beamed, tugging Raena along as she groaned in protest.
Truthfully, I had no idea how to find Seraphina. She wasn’t in the forbidden library when I’d searched there for Raena earlier, and I couldn’t exactly wander into the King’s chambers unless he’d summoned me. I was sure that somewhere within the Steel Palace there would be a medical bay, and perhaps she would be spending some time there, but I didn’t want to draw too much suspicion to Raena. In her current state, they would surely at least want to keep her overnight.
My silent prayers were answered, though, when I decided to peek one more time into the forbidden library – as there, curled up in a small armchair, reading a pocket-sized golden book, was the blonde-haired healer.
She peered up from her reading as we entered, giving us a soft smile – the typical pale blue hood concealing part of her face. “Good evening, Naria,” she greeted, nodding her head. Then she glanced at Raena, who was still a giddy mess beside me. Her brow instantly furrowed. “What’s this?”
“I’m so glad to see you,” I said, relieved, steering Raena towards the centre of the room. “She’s under some kind of spell. It’s this bracelet.” Lifting up Raena’s arm, I gestured towards the wooden cuff that was still tightly bound around her wrist. “I think it’s magic. I can’t see a way to take it off.”
“Who says I want it off? I think it’s charming.” Raena pouted. “It makes me feel… fuzzy.” Her cheeks were like two red rosebuds, practically glowing.
Seraphina sighed, heaving herself out of the armchair. As she stood, the purple-edged cloak that hung from her shoulders swayed down her back, finishing just off the floor.
“I see you paid a visit to the fae,” she noted, taking Raena’s hand to study the bracelet. Bringing it close to her face, she sniffed a few times, then stared at the markings. “This is just a simple enchanted cuff, easy to remove and nothing to worry about.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank the Ancients… Do you know someone who can remove it?”
The healer nodded once, then moved to the back wall of the library. Propped up against one of the tall bookshelves was a mop and a wooden bucket that appeared to be filled with magical books. Seraphina leaned down to collect the bucket, and promptly emptied all of the books onto the floor. A few of them seemed to cry out in protest as their pages collided with the hard floor.
I’ll never get used to magic.
Once the bucket was empty, she returned and placed it on a desk next to Raena.
“This won’t hurt,” she said gently, lifting Raena’s hand again.
“What is she doing, Naria?” Raena panicked, and I moved forward to comfort her, rubbing her arm. “Tell me she’s not going to make me forget about Valen!”
“Oh, you won’t forget.” Seraphina grinned, bringing her own hand up to hover over the bracelet. “Although, once this is off, you might beg for a memory charm.” And with that, the healer swished her wrist, and the bracelet tumbled to the ground with a clatter.
Immediately, Raena cried out and grasped her chest. Her once rosy brown cheeks paled to a sickly green as Seraphina thrusted the bucket into her arms just quickly enough for Raena to retch deep into it.
“You’re a mage,” I breathed, trying to comfort Raena while also trying to make sense of exactly what I’d just witnessed.
The healer shrugged. “Not quite, but you may call me that if you’d like.”
“But you’re so young, I thought mages were supposed to be old and—” I gasped. “Is that why you’re here with the King? Are you some kind of magic prodigy? Can you fix his curse?”
“So many questions,” Seraphina tutted as Raena retched again. “Age does not define your power. And yes, I came here to help the King, but my magic cannot help fix a curse that strong. He knows there is no cure. I can only make him comfortable now.”
“But…” My mind was spinning with so many questions. “You must be part fae then? Is that how you know so much about them? Do you—” I lowered my voice – “do you visit them at night too?”
Darkness flickered over her gaze. “The faeries have no business with me,” she replied sharply as her tone shifted to one of annoyance. “Now, please, I do not wish to speak of this further. You should let your friend rest here for a few minutes and then take her to bed. Do not tell anyone about the cuff or that I helped you remove it. I must leave now, the King needs me.”
I wanted to argue, to ask her more questions, but she’d disappeared up the stairs before I could say another word, her purple-edged cloak billowing behind her.
Beside me, Raena still had her arms wrapped tightly around the wooden bucket. Once Seraphina was gone, she slowly lifted her head to reveal her face, now sweaty and tinged with green.
“Naria,” she winced, groaning, “I can’t… I never want to go back.”
Returning my attention to her, I patted her back softly. “It’s alright, Raena. You don’t have to. And after all this. I’m not sure if I want to either.”
“You must do what is right for your kingdom.” She groaned again before retching into the bucket. “If it is the only way to save Corlixir, then you should go back.” Tears formed on her already wet cheeks. “But please, be careful.”
“What happened?” I asked delicately. “If he put his hands on you, I swear I will send an army.” I didn’t have an army, of course I didn’t, but I would find one. For her, I would marry Lukas and make him send one; the divine beings only know he already hates the faeries enough to do it.
Raena shook her head. “He didn’t hurt me. I remember everything.” She shuddered, still gripping the bucket. “He dragged me to the cell, and when I tried to break out, he cornered me and slipped the bracelet on. My memories are strange after that. I can still see everything, but it’s like looking through honey.” She swayed for a second, and I held my arms out, thinking she might faint. “Oh, Oceans, I am so tired.”
“Let’s get you to bed,” I told her, trying to ignore the growing anger inside me. “It’s been a long night – and day – for the both of us.”