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“Of course, festivities,” she chirped. “You didn’t think we invited you here without having a party planned, did you?”
I paled slightly, but Jace’s smile broadened. Suddenly, the word “party” was leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn’t help but remember the last one we’d been to.
“You shouldn’t have gone through the trouble,” Jace told them genially. “We would have been happy to come to visit you alone.”
“Nonsense,” Queen Zephyrine laughed. “And it’s always good to have an excuse to have a party.”
Nervously, I twirled my fork around, but Jace appeared overjoyed at the prospect of a ball for that night.
“Why don’t you meet me after breakfast, and I’ll take you on a tour of the grounds?” Queen Zephyrine offered. “I imagine the kings will want to discuss business, and I have no interest in listening to that drivel.”
I cast Jace a sidelong look, and he nodded encouragingly.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Jace conceded. “Although I didn’t really come here to compare notes.”
“All the same, I wouldn’t mind bonding with Miss Elix,” Queen Zephyrine insisted. “Without the males.”
“Elix,” I corrected her again.
“Zephy,” she reminded me with a wink. I felt myself relaxing despite the formality of my surroundings.
The rest of the breakfast went by smoothly. The banter between the kings was more akin to a friendly discussion than a matter of global interaction. After we had eaten, they branched off to King Cade’s study.
Queen Zephyrine took my arm and led me through the castle toward the back of the massive structure.
“This place is so stuffy,” she informed me in a low voice, like she was telling me a secret. “I always preferred the gardens. We’ll hold the ball outdoors tonight. The weather will hold. Of that, I’m sure.”
Her eyes gleamed mischievously when she said this, like she was sharing in a private joke that only she understood, but I was soon let in as she raised her hands to the sky. My head swiveled toward the blinding sun, wincing as I took a ray to the eyeball.
“Let me do something about that,” Zephy offered brightly. With a flick of her wrist, the white, fluffy clouds nearby raced toward one another, blocking the sun and creating a delicious shade on us both.
I gaped at her. “You moved the clouds!” I gasped.
She shrugged and tittered.
“It was getting too hot for my guest. I could arrange for a rain shower if you’re still too warm.”
“Really?!” Awed, I watched as Zephy whipped her fingers into a spiral, swirls of magic emanating from her tips to turn the clouds gray. A second later, rain sprinkled lightly on my head. “This is… it’s incredible!”
Caught up in the moment, I conjured a burst of wind and shot it upward, dispersing the clouds to spray the rain over the gardens as Zephy laughed happily.
“Your talents are quite amazing, too,” the queen replied, ending the sun shower as quickly as it had started. A luminous rainbow appeared over the whites of the cumulous clouds, but I couldn’t appreciate the beauty as I waited for Zephy to pepper me with questions about my elemental magic and demand to see more. But the moment passed without her asking, and we continued on our walk, allowing my shoulders to fall back into place.
Queen Zephyrine proved to be a lovely and down-to-earth hostess, her conversation free-flowing and easy. By the time we circled back around to the front of the castle, the sun rode high in the sky.
“I highly recommend you take a nap. Our galas can run quite late, and knowing the kings, they won’t let us off the hook too early,” she suggested. I thought of the last party I’d attended with Jace. I hadn’t slept that night at all.
“Duly noted,” I agreed with a laugh.
“I can have lunch brought up to you,” she offered, but I told her not to trouble herself. “Nonsense,” she laughed. “You’re my guest. Your comfort is important to me.”
I thanked her and retreated upstairs, hoping to find Jace in the suite. He wasn’t there, and I flopped onto the bed, suddenly insurmountably tired. The lack of sleep and walk with the queen had finally worn me out.
Laying vertically, I closed my eyes, and in seconds, sleep washed over me, allowing me into a dreamless slumber. I didn’t hear Jace come in half an hour later.
A gentle shakerocked my shoulder, and I opened my eyes in confusion. Jace’s handsome face hovered over mine, dark eyebrows knit into a vee.
“What’s wrong?” I mumbled.
