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Chapter 33
A week later, Cal stuck her head furtively around a corner in the hallway. No, no one there. Privacy was a commodity in short supply. Over the past few days, everyone surrounding her seemed in perpetual movement. It was like a bad merry-go-round ride she couldn’t get off from, with her being the pole around which everyone spun.
Eriannon’s populace expended so much effort, food, time and other materials to pull off the bonding ceremony that her head swam. Relian assured her all this was normal and expected. His father could do no less if he wanted to show full support for the upcoming union that was to occur three days from now.
She disliked those social and political maneuverings but knew she’d have to get used to them. After all, she’d face them for a very, very long time to come. Blanching, she rubbed at the goose bumps that popped up on her skin. Her mind tried to shy away from looking too closely at a fact that still unsettled her, one she couldn’t truly comprehend and didn’t necessarily even want. She’d never dreamed of gaining immortality, and when it came coupled with a position of power, the very notion of it all too often made her chest tight and painful.
She couldn’t even confide most of her concerns to Relian, for she rarely saw him. When she did, it was in the company of innumerable others. Though she didn’t like the big crowds she found herself subjected to, there was one fortunate thing she learned: which persons were friendly and open-minded and those who only played at it. The latter were easy to spot. Their amicable demeanor couldn’t hide the derision and superiority that leaked out toward her like a gray cloud. Again, like so many times before, she couldn’t say anybody was downright rude to her. But she definitely discovered whom she wanted behind her in a dark alley and whom she wouldn’t.
Cal shook her head. She needed to find her friend. Where was that girl?
In her search, Cal wandered down less frequented corridors. Maggie was probably doing the same, as she hadn’t been in her room. Not that this was surprising, for their rooms weren’t the private sanctuaries they once were. Seamstresses, handmaidens, ladies-in-waiting, plus various other figures filed in and out with alarming regularity.
She trod through a few more hallways and then groaned, not wanting to return to that chamber of chaos, but Maggie could be anywhere. Should she go back to her room to see if she’d returned? If she hadn’t, she could always ask a servant.
Just as she started back, the sound of raised voices caught her attention. She paused. One voice, in particular, sounded like Maggie’s. The other was lower in register but had a familiar ring to it.
Her feet moved toward the direction of the noise, even though her mind hadn’t consciously decided on movement. The female’s voice became louder. She frowned, pulling nervously on a lock of hair. Did she really want to see what was going on? She had enough concerns as it was.
However, her feet still propelled her down an adjoining corridor she vaguely remembered as leading outside. She smiled dryly. Most hallways in the palace at periodic intervals led outside, so no surprise there.
As she rounded a corner, she froze and stared. Then blinked. And blinked again.
She’d indeed found Maggie. She just never expected to find her pinned up against the wall, hemmed in by arms that formed bands on either side of Maggie’s head. Cal retreated around the corner, peeking around it cautiously. Neither of the two people before her seemed aware of her presence, so she leaned in as close as she dared.
The elf lowered his head nearer to Maggie’s. “Little girl, always so full of fire and not knowing when to be quiet.”
Maggie glared up at him. “Yeah, and I suppose you believe you’re the one who can shut me up.”
“I do?” he questioned, his voice soft. If it was possible, he lowered his head even more, and Cal almost gasped. His profile resembled Relian’s so much. The raised eyebrow was the same, the nose. But of course they’d be.
Maggie sniffed derisively and tried to knock his hands away, but he didn’t yield.
“Are you so eager to escape my company, young one?”
“Well, aren’t you an Einstein.” Maggie’s voice spat out venom.
He merely gave her a bland look. “I’m afraid I don’t know this Einstein of which you speak. Is it a person, place, or thing?”
Maggie smirked. “My, my, know your definition of a noun, do you? Quite impressive.”
A mysterious smile curved his lips as he withdrew his arms and gazed down at Maggie. “I know a lot more than you could ever imagine.”
Maggie made a shrieking, strangled sound before she stormed off right toward where Cal was hiding. Cal withdrew her head from around the corner and pressed up against the wall.
Maggie passed right by her. Her friend was indeed angry if she didn’t even notice her. Now she saw why Maggie was often in such a high-strung mood after a run-in with the elf. It was like watching a cat batting at a mouse, with Maggie as the prey.
Once Maggie was out of sight, she glanced around the corner to see if the king headed her way. She exhaled in relief. He still stood near the wall, his profile visible. A faraway look played across his thoughtful countenance, belying his previous nonchalance before he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
Just what was that all about? Maggie and Talion sniping at each other was nothing new. She shrugged. Well, Relian did say his father enjoyed matching wits with Maggie.
***
Cal stood with Relian, high up on a balcony overlooking the palace grounds and the town below. As she looked out over the landscape, the fact that winter hadn’t yet set in hit her with all the delicacy of a brick. Back in her old world, the season would’ve already gone and passed. Eriannon seemed ever blessed with springtime, though it was basically December right now.
“Why is it still so temperate? I thought time passed roughly the same way here as it does on Earth.” Her voice rose from within the nest of Relian’s arms. Though their bonding ceremony would happen tomorrow, both were in accord that they snatch time together before the event. It felt good to feel his embrace again. She hadn’t realized how she missed these moments until now.
Amusement colored his voice. “If you remember, my people—soon to be our people—have some measure of control over nature. You were so surprised at the enchantments we placed on our windows to allow only fresh air and light in. We influence the weather in much the same way, though we’d never stop the seasons. To do so would be folly, but we can blunt them where we will.”
