34. The End of a Hurricane
THE END OF A HURRICANE
Irene
The golden globes were a welcome addition to the otherwise gloomy corridors. The fairy lights affected even the plants because the flowers close to them started to blossom again although the fog and the snakes still engulfed the palace.
But it didn’t matter. Today, a hurricane could be sweeping across the hallways, and I would keep smiling.
I held Alex’s hand as we headed for Darius’s room after we’d spent the night together, holding each other. He had a lovely boyish smile that started a flutter in my chest, the hint of a blush coloured his cheeks, which was something, considering how pale he was.
Deadly pale, Darius was sitting up on his bed, surrounded by trays of food and silk cushions, just as he liked it.
Myrtha sat on a chair next to him. She wasn’t faring well either, if the dark circles around her eyes were any indication.
Why having been saved by Darius had caused her such strong turmoil was a mystery to me.
“Good morning.” I kissed Darius’s cheek. “How are you?”
“Much better.” He sipped a cup of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. “I don’t look great, but I reckon my magic will be back soon.”
Alex pointed at the fog. “I’m looking forward to your recovery when you can work on that abomination. The servants need to come back, and I’ve had enough of Esmeralda preaching to me.”
“Darius hasn’t recovered yet, but you’re already pressuring him.” Myrtha glowered. “He needs rest. For once, we should solve our problems without his magic.” Her aura was light brown with annoyance, but a flash of yellow happiness sneaked through when she stared at Darius.
I glanced at Alex. Myrtha had changed her attitude towards the mage.
Alex folded his arms across his chest. “Let Darius decide what he wants.”
“I want a chocolate cake.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “With whipped cream and more chocolate. And I want to be made an earl of the Dark Court, like Lord Morquen.”
“What is the point?” Alex gave a shrug. “It’s a title, and you have nothing to prove to Morquen.”
Darius’s hair became more dishevelled on its own. “I want to be an earl. In fact, I wonder why you haven’t bestowed the title upon me a long time ago. Do you take me for granted? And I don’t understand—”
“Fine. Fine.” Alex held up a hand. “You’re an earl. From now on, you’ll be an earl. There. Done. What has changed? Nothing.”
“Well…” Darius sipped his tea slowly. “I hope the allowance for my personal expenses will increase, for starters.”
I squeezed Alex’s hand. “Of course. Alex will be thrilled to increase your allowance.”
He grumbled. “As thrilling as an entire day on a sunny beach. He’ll spend everything on new waistcoats and silk pillows.”
“Oh, shush.” I sat on the bed. “I was thinking that I want to give a ball.” I smiled, even though Alex stared at me with a worried expression and Darius frowned.
Only Myrtha brightened. “The fog is losing its power, Darius is getting better, and Rothbart is secured. It’ll be an opportunity for everyone to rejoice and be jolly. ”
“Yes!” Myrtha clapped her hands. “We haven’t used the ballroom in years. It’ll be fantastic, as soon as Darius gets better.”
I patted Darius’s hand. “Of course.”
“A ball?” Alex scrunched up his face.
“Why not?” Myrtha sounded like her old self. “We used to have such wonderful balls here, with flowers and champagne.”
Darius made a noise, half snort, half chortle. “I agree. We need some balls here!”
Myrtha glared at him. “What are you? Twelve?”
When Alex opened his mouth to protest, I stood up. “Let’s see how Lucy is faring.” I hooked my arm through Alex’s and led him out.
“A ball is going to be a lot of work,” he said as we walked down the corridor.
“But it’s what the court needs, and we’ve never danced together.”
“For a good reason. I’ll tramp on your feet, step on your skirt, and look like an ogre.”
“I don’t believe that.”
We stopped at Lucy’s room. For safety, she was resting in a bedroom at the end of the east wing with silver bars on the door and windows. It wasn’t the most charming view, but if she rose as a feral vampire, she had to be contained.
Graves stood up from the chair he’d been sitting on when we entered. Tension snapped between him and Alex, but Graves offered a bow of his head anyway.
“How is Lucy?” I didn’t know why I was whispering. Lucy couldn’t hear me anyway.
“There has been no change.” Graves stroked his sister’s hand.
He’d regained his healthy complexion and wasn’t as gaunt as before, but shadows haunted his gaze, and he didn’t stand proud and straight as he usually did.
Instead, Lucy remained unchanged. Aside from the paleness and coldness, she looked as if she were asleep.
Alex leant closer to her and sniffed. “She isn’t decomposing.”
“Alex.” I touched his hand to warn him.
“It’s true.” He shrugged. “She doesn’t smell either.”
“Oh, dear.” I rubbed my temples.
Graves narrowed his gaze. “Is that a certain sign she’s going to turn?”
Alex cradled his chin. “I think so. She’s in stasis. Why Bethlen turned her into a vampire is a mystery though.”
“Is she going to suffer when she wakes up?” Graves asked.
A little tug at the bond meant Alex was reluctant to discuss the matter. “If she remains in this deep sleep and wakes up as a vampire, she won’t feel any pain. But yes, the transformation is excruciatingly painful. I won’t hide that from you.”
Graves pressed his trembling lips. “That’s what I thought.”
Alex put a hand on his shoulder, surprising both Graves and me. “We’ll take care of her. And we’ll make sure she doesn’t drain anyone. We’ll keep her soul safe. And you’re welcome here.”
Graves gave a solemn nod. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Two months had passed since we’d returned to the palace, and Darius had performed a true wonder.
Taking inspiration from the legendary mist of Avalon, he’d turned the fog into a protective, concealing shield around the estate.
The shield glittered in the sun, and when the moon was full, it sparkled with silver light.
I found the constant shimmering a bit bothersome, but at least it was confined to the border of the estate. Conjuring the shield had taken Darius an entire week. He’d worked, rested, and eaten at intervals, absolutely refusing any help from the fairies. I supposed he’d wanted to prove a point.
The plants had recovered almost completely, but the grass was still brown and crunchy. The great sycamore had put on some new green leaves, which was encouraging.
We hadn’t found Bethlen or Odette yet. Although another criminal had been found bloodless, which was an improvement of sorts. At least Bethlen wasn’t killing at will. Not that Rothbart was concerned about the fate of his men. He was too worried about his own fate for that.
The good thing was that the occupants of the palace had safely returned to work and the snakes had vanished with the fog.
Instead, Carabosse hadn’t improved, at least physically.
Her magic hadn’t returned, and the dark vines were still covering her skin like a cobweb.
She hadn’t spent a lot of time out of her bedroom, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
Although rumour had it that she and Graves had spent some time together, forgetting past arguments and finding solace in each other’s company.
They’d both lost something precious to them.
That was why I wished to see her.
“Cara?” I almost tiptoed into her bedroom, not sure if my presence was welcome.
I came to a halt upon seeing Graves next to her. The rumours were true.
“And what is this?” he asked in a rather sweet voice.
“That’s Aurora’s country, a small principality in the south of France.” Cara’s aura had improved. Azure light—calm—suffused it.
Even Graves’s aura was less in turmoil.
They were sitting at her escritoire, surrounded by books. One of them was a world atlas, opened to the central part of the Continent.
“Good morning,” I said. “Graves.”
He stood up. “Miss Harlowe. I was here for… I mean, Cara needed help with… We’re just reading.”
I had no idea why he was so nervous, but if he’d found a friend in Cara, I would only be happy. “That’s wonderful.”
“Irene.” She almost smiled. “Is something the matter?” Her aura was saturated also with determination, shining with a mahogany colour.
“You didn’t tell me if you’re going to join us at the ball. I would love for you to attend. Graves? What about you?”
He beamed widely. “I would love to come. Darius said Lucy isn’t going to wake up for a while, and I know she’s in good hands.”
A flicker of orange surprise went through her aura. “Do you want me to come?”
“Of course. I hope you’ll join us.”
Tears blurred her eyes, but she blinked quickly and turned her gaze towards the desk.
Her aura radiated such strong sadness that it affected me.
I didn’t simply feel it. It became mine, which worried me.
My mama had let people’s sadness into her heart, and it’d killed her.
If this sadness was affecting me, it was destroying Carabosse.
I caught her gaze. “You must let go of this deep sadness. It’s always good to face your feelings and understand your emotions, but you can’t let sadness destroy you.”
She hunched her shoulders. “I have nothing left. I lost my family centuries ago. My power is gone. My last spell failed. I wanted to do something good for once, to bring Aurora back from her death, but instead I made everything worse. The Duke of the Wraith Court was a necromancer. I thought I’d learnt something from him.
On top of everything I’ve done, there’s also my arrogance. ”
Quietly Graves handed her a handkerchief.
She took it, whispering, “Thank you.”
I agreed she wasn’t painting a thrilling picture of the situation.
“One bad decision led to another,” she continued. “I wanted to bring her back, and my obsession with necromancy brought me to follow people who pushed me towards even darker paths. And that’s the result. Alone, powerless, and hated by everyone.”
“I don’t hate you,” Graves whispered.
“Your power might return,” I said. “Darius said the loss might not be permanent.”
Her aura remained dark and heavy with sadness. “Darius is rarely discouraged.”
“Come to the ball. Please.”
She sat up straighter. “I will, but afterwards, I’m going to take a long journey with Graves if he wants, if he can leave Lucy’s side for a few weeks.”
He nodded. “I’ve never been outside the kingdom.”
Cara and Graves travelling together? That was shocking. “Where are you going?”
She showed a fleeting, timid smile and touched the atlas. “I’m taking Aurora home.”