Chapter Ten THE LIGHTING Charlotte #2
Keir looked at Idris, confused. Hadn’t he just fought with him about speaking at all? And now here he was, rambling away…
“Tonight marks the first step in that journey, a journey we will take together. We begin with the ‘lectrics, courtesy of your very own industrialist, whom I’ll be introducing shortly. But first, I wanted to make one more announcement.”
A hush went over the crowd.
“As some of you may know, I’ve chosen to take a profession in addition to my royal duties.
I’ve devoted my life to the pursuit of knowledge, and I can think of no finer place to continue that pursuit than right here in Wilderise.
I’d like to announce the construction of the King’s College in Wilderise, beginning this very summer between Fossholm and Gull Bay! ”
A cheer went through the crowd. No one clapped louder than Lady Sibba, who seemed as though she might scream herself hoarse.
“To support the university in its mission, we will also be opening a branch of the King’s Hospital in Fossholm under the supervision of your very own Marquess of Caernock, Dr. Keir Ainsley!”
This was a surprise to Charlotte. She looked at Keir, who stood near the back of the stage. His expression was difficult to read in the dim light from the streetlamps, but it seemed as though it was a surprise to him as well.
Perhaps this was what Keir had meant about Idris being a buffoon.
“To help support the continued growth of ‘lectrics here in Wilderise, I’d also like to announce a new manufactory under the supervision of Yordin of the Rodaz Mountain dwarves and your very own Gwenla of Herot’s Hollow!
Happy Solstice to all. Looking forward to working together to build a better Wilderise in the new year. Gwenla?”
Gwenla also seemed surprised by the news, but she concealed it better.
“Welcome, everyone, to Herot’s Hollow!” The crowd was still murmuring about Idris’s news.
He stepped forward again and held up a hand, which silenced them almost immediately.
“Thank you,” said Gwenla. “We’re here today to mark a new beginning for Herot’s Hollow, and indeed, all of Wilderise.
I never thought I’d be the one stood before you. I am here because I love this town.”
There were quite a few cheers at that.
“I love this place. When I heard about the plans for it, the only thing I could think of was to find a way to preserve our home. And with the help of some very clever friends, we’ve done it, and we’ve brought ‘lectrics too!”
There were many more cheers now.
“The ‘lectrics that will light this tree came from the sun. The very sun that grows our crops. It’s good, clean ‘lectricity, and no one’s house had to go to the bottom of a lake for it!”
There were a few scattered cheers from the Herot’s Hollow villagers, and a lot of confused murmurs from everyone else.
“Anyway, enough from me. Let’s see the lights! Count down with me in five – four – three – two – one—”
Gwenla flipped a brass switch in a box at the front of the stage.
And nothing happened.
There was a collective groan from the crowd. “Wait! Wait!” shouted Gwenla. “The wire was a bit loose. Let’s try it again.”
She flipped the switch again, and this time, a string of lights from the streetlamp to the tree’s base came on.
“Is that it?” yelled an older woman.
“No, no, hang on. Hang on, folks, we’re still working out the kinks.”
Finnli led Charlotte up to the stage as Alison and Rinka tried to work out what to do.
“Magic?” suggested Rinka.
“I don’t know if I could pull it off,” said Alison. “Idris?”
“Now wait, all of you,” said Gwenla. “This ought to work. Some of the lights are working.”
They followed the string of lights with their eyes to the base of the tree. “Is a wire loose there?” asked Charlotte.
“I know what’s wrong,” said Alison. “It happened in the street near my office. One of the bulbs is bad. Gwenla, did they send any spares?”
“There was a box with a dozen or so bulbs without any string. It’s under the stage. I didn’t know what to do with it.”
Alison led the charge, retrieving one of the extra lightbulbs and heading to the base of the tree to switch it out. Charlotte led Finnli back to their spot in front of the stage.
“Alright, let’s try this one more time. In three – two – one—”
A gasp went through the crowd. The Solstice tree in its forty-foot glory shone like the sun in the market square, the lights reflecting on the silver ornaments and twinkling in the tinsel like diamonds.
There was a slow, awed applause that built into a cheer that went on and on.
“We’ve done it!” yelled Gwenla. She pulled everyone she could find into a celebratory hug. When she reached Charlotte, she pulled her in too. “I’m so glad you’re here, love,” she whispered to her.
Charlotte looked out at the crowd behind Gwenla. There were so many people here, all of them brought together to celebrate the holiday. Everyone had someone.
Everyone except Julian.
“Come on,” said Finnli. “It’s lit now. Can we go see Mr. Blair?”
“Let’s go,” said Charlotte. Gwenla was busy greeting all the well-wishers. Charlotte was sure she wouldn’t mind her watching Finnli a bit longer.
“Mr. Blair!” yelled Finnli as they approached Julian. “Would you do the coin trick again?”
Julian looked much more joyful in the glow of the new ‘lectric lights. He smiled broadly at Finnli. “One more time. Then I’m going to have to find a new trick, or you might think me a one-trick pony.”
“I think you’re a human, not a pony,” said Finnli.
“There’s no fooling you,” said Julian. “Alright, there’s nothing in my hand.”
Julian held up his hand and turned it over, showing nothing concealed.
“But there’s something here behind your ear,” he said, reaching behind Finnli’s left ear and retrieving a silver coin, which he tossed to Finnli.
Finnli squealed. “How do you do that? Is it magic? Will you show me?”
“A sleight of hand, but I can’t reveal my tricks in front of an audience.” He gestured to Charlotte then pulled Finnli in conspiratorially. “Come by my shop next week,” he whispered loud enough for Charlotte to hear.
“Okay,” Finnli whispered back even louder. Then he spotted something beyond Julian’s shoulder. “Hey, Michael! Want to play coin flip?” Finnli ran off in the direction of a human child.
“Don’t go too far,” called Charlotte. Finnli waved back, staying just within sight at the edge of the crowd.
“I think he stole your silver,” said Charlotte to Julian.
“He’ll bring it back. He’s a good lad.”
“What do you think of it?” asked Charlotte, gesturing to the Solstice tree.
“It’s not my first time seeing the lights. But they never had a tree that big in Arcas Dyrne, not even at City Hall. Not even at the castle.”
“You’ve been to the king’s Solstice festival?”
“Just the once,” said Julian. “Last year, before my father was released. I was in a festive mood.”
Charlotte already knew how that had turned out for him. “And now? Has coming out here gone as you hoped?”
Julian shifted his weight, considering how to answer. “In some ways, yes. The village has taken to the shop like I hoped they would. But I’ll admit that there are things I didn’t see coming.”
Charlotte felt her pulse quicken. Perhaps he was coming to his senses at last. Perhaps he was beginning to see the harm he was causing the bakery, beginning to consider what he might do to end the feud. “Like?”
“Like you,” said Julian.
Well, that was fair enough. Not what Charlotte was hoping to hear, but it was fair.
“I never thought I’d see you again. There was a time when I hoped for it. When they didn’t find your…body. I went looking myself, you know.”
“I didn’t know that.” Charlotte had seen many of the people searching for her, the korrigan’s magic helping her blend into the riverbank and the woods. But she had never seen Julian among them.
“It was after all the official searches stopped. Father wouldn’t let me join them; I think he was afraid of what I might see, and now that I’m older, I don’t blame him for that.
But I knew you were a good swimmer. I’d swam in that same river with you a dozen times.
I told my father I was going to school, and then I crept past the schoolhouse and went down to the river.
I told Lady Sibba I’d been ill. It took about a week before they caught on to me. ”
“You went every day?”
Julian laughed. “I wasn’t the best at avoiding getting caught. You were better at that, from what I recall.”
Mostly true, although Charlotte had plenty of missteps of her own. “I never saw you.”
“But you were close. You were nearby, weren’t you?”
“Probably,” said Charlotte. “The korrigans tend to stay near that part of the river, although they do move to the lake and beyond at times. But I might have been nearby.”
Julian looked up, unable to look Charlotte in the eye. “I liked to think you were nearby. Hey.” He pointed to something green near the top of the archway. “Is that mistletoe?”
The breath caught in Charlotte’s lungs. There was a spark of something between them, rivalry or not.
There was a history, a friendship deep and pure that had been lurking under the surface, ready to resume at the first opportunity.
Charlotte had tried to reject the feeling once she learned of Julian’s plans, but it tugged at her, willing her to look upwards into Julian’s eyes.
They were soft and filled with the sparking reflections of the Solstice lights. Charlotte felt the pull of them, saw the tilt of Julian’s head, the lean in, the warmth of his body near hers.
She leaned too, gave into the urge for a moment. They could argue about the shop later. She could find a way to get him to come around. It didn’t matter right now. It was a nice night, a nice moment—
Finnli crashed into Charlotte’s legs. “Ow! Oh! Miss Ainsley. I’m sorry Miss Ainsley. Ow!”
“Are you alright?” asked Charlotte, feeling the earth return under her feet along with the throbbing of her knee. The dwarf boy was on the ground rubbing his elbow.
“Mmhmm,” said Finnli, his little mouth set into a line, his eyes full of tears.
“Let’s see it.” Charlotte took a look at his elbow—not a mark on it, but she bet it hurt nonetheless. Her knee surely did. “You’re a brave little soldier. You’ll be alright.”
Finnli nodded and slowly stood. “We lost the coin,” he said to Julian.
“What are you talking about?” asked Julian. “It’s right here.”
Julian plucked another silver from behind Finnli’s ear, returning the smile to his face.
Charlotte’s heart fluttered and flipped in her chest.
If she hadn’t been in trouble before, she was in trouble now.