Chapter 26
Sarah hums idly while staring out the window of the limousine taking her, Eddie, and Hakeem to the portal station. Eddie tries to calm Hakeem down who had never before been in a limousine.
“I thought when you said your sister was picking us up you meant in her car.” Says Hakeem, leg bouncing a mile a minute, biting his thumb nail from the reality of his situation crashing down on him as they drive through the city.
He is just a random guy from La Fay, from a random family with no major connections, being escorted by a very eligible bachelor to a literal fairy ball.
It was surreal when Eddie asked him, now it just seems impossible.
His heart beats rapidly, his palms sweaty.
And now the worry of pit stains is added to Hakeem’s growing list of anxieties.
Sarah lets out an amused sigh as she touches up her lipstick, closing a small hand mirror and returning it to her purse which probably costs more than Hakeem’s monthly expenses.
“Oh relax ,babes. It’s just a standard stretch limo.
You should see the party limos that come fully stocked with a bar, snacks and a karaoke machine.
Now calm that pretty head of yours before you explode. ”
Eddie holds on to his spare hand, thumb rubbing small circles on the back. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m just used to this.”
“No, no I’m fine. Just worried I’ll make a fool of myself in front of a fey royal court, and your family nonetheless.”
Eddie loops an arm around Hakeem’s shoulder, gently pulling him closer. “You’ll be alright. I’ll never be far from you. Besides,” He lifts Hakeem’s chin towards him with a caring hand, “I think you’re amazing, so I know my family will agree.”
“His favorite sister already does,” says Sarah melodically.
Eddie chuckles warmly, allowing Hakeem to relax into his embrace. “The jury is still out on that one, Sarah.”
“Rude,” grumbles Sarah.
“Only for you.”
“By the way,” Sarah points a manicured nail towards Hakeem, “will you be okay to wear your glasses under the mask?”
“Huh? Oh, I figured that out last week. A simple spell to temporarily fix my vision.”
Eddie furrows his brows, “Is that safe?”
“Completely. I realized my wish magic limits include physical body changes. When I lost my glasses as a kid my cousins tried wishing for me to see. Didn’t work, so they wished for me to find them.
Should they have wished for that first? Yes.
Did it provide useful data on the limits of my wish magic? Yes, yes it did.”
Hakeem moves away from Eddie, reluctantly, and pockets his glasses into his jacket. He focuses on his reflection in the car window, eyes sparking to life with mana, the spell barely a whisper on his lips.
“Clear as day, let fog be lifted. Arjineh.”
His magic sparks around his eyes. He blinks once, then twice. His vision comes into focus without the aid of his glasses.
Sarah whistles, her eyebrows raised. “Impressive. So, can you see okay?”
Hakeem lets his vision settle, turning to Eddie. He can’t help but smile as he looks up at the man coming into focus, who looks back at him in awe. “You really do have a spell for everything.”
Hakeem gives a small shrug, “I guess. My vision will be fine without my glasses for a few hours, hopefully I don’t need the mask for the whole night.”
Sarah can’t fight her smirk-ignoring the fact that Hakeem didn’t answer her- as she glances between her brother and his date. They are lost in each other’s eyes, grinning like idiots.
* * *
After they pass through the portal to the Spring Realm, the limousine pulls up to a luxurious castle, parking in front of a pond of crystal clear water.
Bathed in the light of dawn, dazzling shades of pink, blue and purple coat the marble spires of Castle Primavera.
The Spring Realm is the land of eternal dawn, where the sun never rose farther than the edge of the horizon.
Castle Primavera is taken out of a story book. Lush gardens and orchards scattered across the acres circling the grounds. Towers that pierce the clouds, stain glass windows and walls of ivy climb its ancient stone. Birds flutter around, filling the sky with their chorus.
The limo pulls up at the carved steps of the castle; a servant of the Primavera household acts as a valet, opening the doors for the group.
They appear to be a nymph, elemental beings born of Undine, goddess of water.
Nymphs are known for their blue hair that flowed like water, the sound of crashing waves could be heard as their hair swished.
Sarah is helped out of the car by the servant, while Eddie gets out on his own to offer a hand to Hakeem. “Ready?”
Hakeem swallows the lump that formed in his throat, shakingly taking the outreached hand. “With you? Absolutely.” They walk into the castle, Hakeem holding on to Eddie’s arm as he escorts him in.
The castle opens to a grand foyer, the halls lit up by torches of daylight.
People pour in, dressed to impress. Tailored suits, elaborate masks, high fashion dresses and gowns from across history.
Everyone in attendance seems to exude opulence, as though they owned the world (Oh gods, do they?).
The air is thick with magic, overwhelming Hakeem’s senses. Not the best time to be half-djinn.
Hakeem tightens his grip on Eddie’s arm, his breathing shaky. Eddie closes a hand on top of his, gently squeezing. “You’re okay, I’m right here.”
“Yeah, it’s just overwhelming. I can practically see the mana flowing through the air of the realm. This is a royal’s castle? I never knew magic could be so abundant, it’s almost suffocating.”
“Did you want to leave? I can call the car back around in an instant.”
“No!” exclaims Hakeem. “I want to be here with you, Eddie.” Eddie smiles adoringly at the flustered mage by his side. They walk arm in arm towards the grand ballroom of the castle.
* * *
“This was a mistake, I should go.” Jackson freaks out as Wendy, not-so-gently, pushes at his shoulders, guiding him towards the castle steps.
“You’ve said that every five minutes since you called Jean-Claude. You can spiral and walk at the same time, you seem quite adept at it.” States Wendy.
“Do I look okay? How’s my mask? Do I smell alright? Does my hair look stupid tied back? Should I lose the bowtie? Did we leave Princess enough food and water for the night? Should I have told my parents I was crashing the ball?”
“You look handsome. Your mask is lovely. You smell like pine aftershave. Your hair is cute tied up like that. No, because bowties are cool. And Princess is stocked for the night. I swear I saw her lining up a show on the TV before we left. As for your parents, I’m sure they’ll see this as a pleasant surprise as will a certain two men waiting beyond those doors. ” Replies Wendy patiently.
Jackson’s body freezes at the mention of Eddie and Hakeem, though he keeps moving as winds wrapped around his body, propelling him onwards. Jean-Claude dropped them off at the castle gate, where they were waved in by the guards. Wendy walks steadily by his side as her winds do the hard work.
“Maybe I should go back to check on Princess, just to be safe.”
“I can go back with Jean-Claude to check on her. You can go find your dates.” Wendy isn’t letting him off that easily.
“What if they resent me for showing up after saying I wasn’t going?”
“They literally were hoping you would join them up until the last minute, they’ll see it as a solstice miracle. Gods know I do.” Wendy murmurs the last part.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I don’t have self destructive tendencies that keep me from pursuing my own happiness. Furthermore, I see how they both look and talk about you. Trust me, Jackson, those boys are smitten.”
Jackson’s words leave him in a barely audible whisper, followed by a dry gulp. “I really hope you’re right.”
Wendy sighs, “You’ll see that I am.”
* * *
Eddie and Hakeem enter the grand ballroom of Primavera Castle, the air filled with the sound of a live orchestra playing what Hakeem believes to be a piece by a human composer.
‘Vivaldi’s Spring’ he believes it’s called.
Appropriate. The odd thing about the fey realm is the popularity of human made musical compositions.
Lack of magic aside, humans do make good music.
Sarah waves them over to a group of six other people.
One of the men has chestnut hair, black eyes and a wide frame like Sarah and seems to be accompanied by a tall, curvaceous, curly ginger haired woman in a frilly dress.
Hakeem goes over his mental notes: Michael and his mate Meghan.
Besides them is a petite woman standing tall in six inch white, red bottoms heels, with dark brown hair and similar black eyes.
Besides whom is a woman in a well fitted pantsuit who matches her frame closely.
Her dirty blonde hair is kept in a neat bun.
That must be Amelia and her mate Courtney.
As they approach the group, Hakeem’s attention shifts briefly to the last couple, a large man who shares Eddie’s ocean blue eyes, and a petite woman with whom he shares her black hair.
His mother and father most likely. All the Seung-LaLune women wear similar evening gowns that sparkled in the light in swirls of black and white sequins.
They let their hair fall in elegant waves.
The men wear their best suits, hair swept to the side.
The group all have simple masks on for the event.
Polite greetings are exchanged as Hakeem and Eddie join Sarah and the rest of the group. It quickly turns to hugs and ‘I missed yous’, the familial warmth evident between Eddie and his family. Hakeem missed that feeling when he was away from home, he’s happy Eddie could experience it now.