Spellbound

Chapter 5

    “This is so exciting!” Liane exclaimed, gripping the windowsill of the carriage and letting the wind rush through her hair. “I’m so glad you two convinced your parents to let us have a carriage to ourselves. Thanks, Veira, Ellaine.”

    “Oh, it was nothing,” Ellaine said. “Father was the one who suggested it first. He said we should give Senya a good time since she’s been looking forward it.”

    “Yes,” Veira agreed. “He was quite adamant in giving us a carriage for ourselves.”

    “Sen-ya!” Liane in a childlike voice. She grabbed Senya’s arm and leaned her head on Senya’s shoulders. “I’m so happy you’re coming with us!”

    Senya chuckled. “Calm down, Liane.”

    Though Senya managed to keep her outward appearance calm, her insides were wobbling like gelatin. Nerves struck her with every lurch of the carriage, and she could barely hold herself together. But, bouncing in excitement was Liane’s job, so Senya sat back and maintained her usual calm.

    “Hmm.” Liane sighed. “It would have been great if you could have gotten your brother to come, too.”

    Senya scowled. “No. That would have been a disaster. Rellon doesn’t know the first thing about balls. He can’t even dance proper.”

    “I bet he’s better than Leril,” Liane countered. “That little monster is a nightmare to deal with. Last year, he grabbed a girl’s skirt and made her fall because she took the last cupcake. Aunt Hethel was terrifying when she found out. That’s why Leril isn’t coming this time. All the better for me.”

    “When we get to the palace, let’s show her around,” Ellaine suggested. “There’s this garden in the middle of the western building, and a giant tree that grows from the ground to the sky. It’s even taller than the palace itself!”

    “Yes, the Illios Garden,” Veira said. “But, no one’s allowed inside until the ball. We can peek through the windows, I suppose. It’s still a fantastic sight from the outside.”

    Senya had heard of the Illios Garden before. Every so often, magic seeds from the palace would be sent to her mother with a letter of gratitude. Senya didn’t know the details, but she was aware that her mother had a hand in creating the garden in the first place.

    “I can’t wait,” Senya said, unable to stop the grin that broke through. “How long will it take to get there?”

    “Three or four days,” Veira said. “It depends on the weather, really.”

    “I’m bored,” Ellaine drawled. She leaned against the door. “What should we do? It’s always so boring on the road.”

    “Spot the bird?” Liane suggested.

    “Ugh, no.”

    “Should we sing a song?”

    Ellaine giggled. “That won’t last long. Wait, I know!” She clapped her hands together. “Senya, do some magic!”

    “M-magic?” Senya blinked in surprise. “But…what would I do?”

    “Brilliant!” Liane chimed in. “Senya, do one of your light shows. Here, let me draw the curtains. Veira, can you get your side as well?”

    “Oh.” Senya pursed her lips, thinking of a routine. “Sure.”

    When all the curtains were drawn and it was dark enough for Senya’s orbs to be fantastic, she tapped into the magic within her and chanted a spell under her breath.

    A white globe of light appeared in the middle of the carriage, and Ellaine squealed in glee. With a smile, Senya used her finger to direct the light, and it went whizzing from one side of the carriage to the other. Its speed created a blur, a tail of light behind the orb, and when Senya split it into two, the orbs danced with each other. A vast number of shapes were exercised in the carriage. First a hollow circle as the orbs chased each other’s tail. Then, they met in the middle and twirled, dancing to the music of the carriage’s rickety wheels, leaving behind a double helix of light.

    By the time Senya had fused them back together and snuffed it out in a finale, Ellaine was thoroughly impressed.

    “That was amazing, Senya! I wish I could make my own light like that.”

    Senya chuckled, cloaking her magic once more. “It helps that I have one of the most knowledgeable witches as a mother.”

    Their conversations shifted once more, and for a good few hours, the girls laughed and gossiped and teased. It was the most Senya had spoken, and her jaw hurt from laughing and talking for so long. They had lunch in the carriage and only stopped briefly at a town for a short break before heading back on the road. Eventually, a peaceful quiet settled over them, and lethargy struck.

    Senya was in the midst of dozing off when the carriage drew to a halt. There was a loud bang on the door, and she jolted awake. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as the door swung open.

    “We’re stopping for the night, ladies,” said the driver. Senya shook Liane awake then stepped into the cool night air. They had stopped in another town, one large enough to have streetlamps on the side of the road. The carriage was parked in front of a warm row of buildings, and based on the sign, Senya gathered that the Rivocan Hotel was where they would be staying at.

    She grabbed her luggage and found Torren, Alton, Hethel, and Amiara (the Knights’ mother) outside their carriage. With her friends by her side, Senya joined the adults.

    “Did you have fun?” Alton asked, leaning forward ever so slightly. “I hope the journey wasn’t too taxing on you. I know it’s a bit tiring to travel for so long, especially if you haven’t done so in a while.”

    Senya flushed. No! She scolded herself. She had to stop reacting like this. It was clear Alton had no interest in her, and she wasn’t keen to become a clingy girl who chased after a boy. It was a waste of time, and Senya could expend her energy in more productive tasks. She had let him go that night at Reina’s ball. It was time to move on.

    “Yeah. I’m fine.” Senya caught Liane watching with a keen interest. She squared her shoulders and shot a warning glare back. Liane only laughed and ushered the sisters away. Oh, Senya was going to kill the girl the moment they were alone.

    “That’s good.” Alton started moving, and Senya followed like a startled mouse. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Walking next to Alton’s tall, comforting frame, Senya couldn’t stop the tingle of nerves that trembled her hands. There was a faint scent of perfume. It was a masculine fragrance that sent her pulse racing, and Senya lagged behind him to calm herself.

    They paid for three rooms. One for Alton, Torren, and Amiara, one for the sisters, and one for Senya, Hethel, and Liane. Though it was still time for dinner, the exhaustion of the day weighed over Senya, and she turned in for an early night.

    The journey of the next day was nearly identical to the previous. When night fell, they stopped at a city, booking an even better hotel. All the while, Senya was careful to remain a safe distance away from Alton, though she still had to put up with the teasing from Liane.

    As they moved further northeast, the air became cooler, and the first signs of rain forced them to stop by at a town earlier than they usually did. So, three days became four, and finally, by nightfall, they had reached the Ellorian Palace.

____________________ 

    “Whoa.” Senya’s jaw slackened at the size of the room that was given to her. She glanced back at the maid and her friends. “Are you sure this is just for me? I’m not sharing this with anyone else?”

    Liane chuckled. “Isn’t it amazing? The palace is filled with so many rooms that all the nobles gathering here for the ball can have a room to themselves. Mine will be right next to yours.”

    “Ellaine and I will be sharing.” Veira smiled. “We’ve always shared a room. I think we both lose sleep when we’re all alone.”

    Ellaine nodded. “Yes. Our room will be after Liane’s.”

    “Okay.” Senya walked into her room, wonder still filling her. It was larger than the apartment her family lived in. She wasn’t even sure what the room she was standing in could be called. It wasn’t a bedroom, but there was a large bed set next to a window and a curtained door that led to a balcony; it wasn’t a sitting room, but there were two long couches on either side of a low table and a rocking chair in front of a cold fireplace. There was even a chandelier hanging from the ceiling that shimmered and lit up the room.

    Senya threw her luggage bag on the bed and rushed to the balcony door, throwing open the white and gold curtains. Glass was embedded in the wood, and Senya saw pitch blackness in the sky. She tried the door, then when it didn’t open, she turned the key that was already in the hole. The air was crisp from the rain that had fallen that morning, and Senya stepped outside.

    The balcony looked over the palace courtyard, and Senya could see several rows of glowing squares from the eastern building. Between it and the western building was the palace garden, fit with a square fountain at its center. Poles of light followed the stony path that cut through vegetation.

    Senya was in the middle of admiring the garden when a strange feeling washed over her. It was…familiar. Senya blinked in confusion. The garden, the fountain. She could have sworn she’d seen it before. But she had never been to the Ellorian Palace. Why was it so familiar? Had there been a garden like this in Giligha? No. There hadn’t…

    “Senya!” Liane’s voice startled Senya from her thoughts. She whipped to the direction of the voice and saw Liane waving from her own balcony, laughing in a childlike glee. “Isn’t this amazing?”

    Senya grinned and waved back. There was something fun about seeing her friend on a different balcony. “Hey, Liane! Yes, it is!”

    “Are you going to bed soon?”

    Senya looked back into her room. At the mention of bed, her shoulders slumped. “Yes.” She yawned. “I think I will. See you tomorrow, Liane.”

    “Good night, then.” Liane stretched, also yawning.

    “Good night.”

    But Senya couldn’t sleep that night, not matter how exhausted she was, because she was in the palace, and excitement simply wouldn’t allow her to rest.