Smoke and Mirrors (15)

Fifteen

Her name was Seraphina

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A chill ran down my spine.

Who had left the note?! I feared it was Sterling. He had to know I was here by now, since all the other royals now knew.

All too quickly, the ball was over. No matter how much I scanned the faces around me, or jumped when a person passed me, it did nothing. I still didn’t know who gave me the letter, and although part of me was intrigued by the mystery, another part of me was terrified to find out.

I was escorted back to my chambers by four guards, just to ensure my safety. Another guard or two would be stationed outside my door all night for my safety. I had nothing to worry about.

--Yet there I was, worried.

It was late in the night when the mystery writer was revealed. I was just about to fall asleep when a knock came from my bed post.

I sat up quickly, my head swimming and my tired eyes wide.

“What, did you forget to expect me?”

I had never heard the voice before.

I leaned over and flipped on my lamp, which was a round tube full of magical, glowing water. Apparently the fairies could easily make lamps and things glow without electricity. Sadly, they weren’t very bright.

The woman at the head of my bed was tall, with a round face, a rounded figure, and eyes so dark, I could barely see them blinking at me from the shadows.

“Who are you?!” I demanded. “How did you get in here? I’ll call the guards!”

She snorted and crossed her arms. “No, you won't.” When she did that, something about her reminded me of mom.

My eyes widened. “You’re Seraphina, aren’t you?”

She uncrossed her arms. “Ding, dong. We have a winner. Looks like your mother hasn’t kept you too out-of-the-know on things.”

I grit my teeth as the memory of the handprint burned into mom’s shoulder flashed through my mind. “Of course not. You’re my only aunt, after all.” Fear twisted my gut. “What do you want?”

She narrowed her dark eyes. “I’ll settle with you here and now. I don’t believe in making things longer than they need to be, so I’ll tell you the truth. You need your powers Tested, correct? Well, to do that, the Testing uses a Unicorn’s fossilized horn. It’s been in use for ages, distributing powers and taking away powers. It works great.” She inhaled and a small smile crossed her features. “I stole it.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You what?!”

She nodded. “I stole it. It’s at a place of my choosing--which I will not disclose--and I want you and your betrothed to go here so I can conduct a little. . . experiment, if you will.”

I snorted. “What are you talking about?! Look Seraphina, he hates me, first of all. There is no way he’d ever agree to taking a trip with me. Secondly, what kind of experiment?!” And how did she ever get the horn to begin with? I was sure it had to be well guarded.

“I know you have the ability to control both fire and water. Adara never had her powers removed when she married your father. I know she faked being Talentless. That means you could have three powers once you marry Sterling.”

I pulled the blankets tighter. “I could call the guards right now and they would arrest you.”

She tilted her head, her dark hair tumbling around her shoulders. “You could, but then you’d never see your precious unicorn horn again, and society would label you a freak for so closely resembling the ancestors we’ve gone away from. You would never be allowed to marry, and quite possibly, you could be banned from the throne, or from all of the kingdoms. You would have nowhere to go.”

I shook my head, the fear in my gut twisting worse. “No way. My father loves me! He’d never let that happen.”

She chuckled softly. “Does he, now? Mess up. See the disappointment on his face. He won’t love you after a while. My dear Tessa, he barely knows you.”

My fists tightened around the sheets. “Get out. Go! I’ll call the guards!”

She nodded. “Alright, I’ll go. But just know that if you don’t follow my orders and go to the exact location I tell you, it won’t just be your future that will be doomed, it will be everyone who ever has a power from this point on. Society will go back to the way it was hundreds of years ago, when people couldn’t walk the streets out of fear of the lawless and Talented.”

I swallowed. “Where do you want me to go?” I cleared my throat. “Y’know, if I accept. Not that I have, but I’m curious.”

She laughed and crossed her arms again. “You have no choice. You will accept, just wait. Your first place is in the mirror kingdom. Ask your betrothed about the Weeping Stones. Your first clue will be there.”

She stepped away from my bed as if to leave, then paused. “Oh, and make sure you and your betrothed come alone. I don’t want any guards to delay things.”

I nearly choked. “Are you kidding me?! You do realise he has tried to kill me on multiple occasions right?!”

The space between her brows wrinkled. “Really? Huh. Well, I guess every couple has their quirks. Alright, you can bring a guard if you think you need it so badly. One guard. No more.” With that, she marched towards my bedroom door. “Oh, call your guards off, will you? Getting in here was easier than getting out, it seems.”