“So we are going on the word of a seven-year-old,” she said, staring at the room.
A gentle laugh. “He’s very convincing.”
Luci bit her lip, debating. Brielle would never have hesitated. She would have run into that room full speed ahead without a second thought. Brave and careless. It wasn’t who Luci was, but at the same time, Brielle might never forgive her for spurning the opportunity. More than that, there was the ugly truth. The feeling of wanting to know pressed down on her shoulders and left an itch in her feet. If she didn’t take the next step, she might always regret it, which was a risk she wasn’t willing totake. Regret was something she tried very hard to avoid at all opportunities.
Cocking her head to the side, she met the prince’s cool eyes. “Well, are you coming?”
That arrogant smile fell, and for a moment, something powerful and overwhelming ran over his face. There and gone, but its memory is potent. This meant something to him. Whether it was finally feeling the magic or something else, this moment was important to him.
“No, I think my presence would be more of a-” he searched for the word, “-deterrent.”
It didn’t make perfect sense, but little about this evening did. Which was probably why Luci lifted her foot off the ground and took the next three steps.
As her heeled foot touched the glass floor, a humming ripped through her ears, and then there were no more steps. Only a demanding pull that came from her stomach like a fish on a hook. The magic demanded its sacrifice, and Luci was helpless to its call.
Everything went dark as the striking of a clock resounded in the distance.
Chapter six
A Touch of Magic
One should always be wary of plump, red apples given as a gift from a stranger.
-Tales from Meridea, Volume III
This was a new world, unlike anything Luci had ever experienced. Her skin hummed with tiny pricks that started at her fingertips and worked their way up her arms and down her body, covering her until there was not an inch of her skin that wasn’t touched. Holding out her hand before her eyes, blue sparkles of light danced between her fingertips, almost as ifsaying hello. Despite her racing heart, it felt as if it had ceased beating entirely.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the many mirrors, she jerked her gaze up and saw that her entire body was dancing with the blue mist as it swirled and danced over her exposed skin. Even her eyes took on an unearthly blue glow that made her shudder. That was enough. Whatever this was, it was more than enough for her tastes. Except when she tried to take a step back towards freedom, a gut-wrenching realization hit her.
The door was shut. He had trapped her in here. The fairydamn prince locked her in a room of mirrors, and where they connected was seamlessly done, making it impossible to know which meant freedom. Maybe she should have panicked, but if there was one thing she knew, it was that she was too damn stubborn to panic. No, Brielle needed her, and she would get out of this place one way or another.
Tracing back her steps, she ran her hand over the mirrors, searching for any imperfection. Nothing. The blue sparks lingered where she touched, curious. Whatever they were, it would have been nice if they were just a bit more helpful.
“Let me out!”
The sparks quivered against the mirrors as she banged on each of them, hoping the cursed prince could hear her and the threat in her voice. She had been foolish to let herself get carried away in the glamor and spark of it all. Stupid to have forgotten that everything here was its own curse and not by anything magical. Humanity was its curse, and it was more than enough. When she got out of here, she was never stepping a single toe into the palace, no matter what Brielle asked of her. Some asks were just too big.
Darkness fell over the room like wax dripping from a seal. The inky dark consumed and settled over everything till there was nothing left to see. Even the blue sparks were gone as ifrecognizing the oppressive nature of the dark. Silence. All except the sound of Luci’s ragged breaths, each one verging on hysteria. Methodically, Luci tapped her fingers to her thumbs one at a time, counting, one, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.
A spark of blue at where the center of the room shouldn't have existed grabbed her eye. Whether it was a friend or not, she couldn’t have said, but right now it was all she had. Reaching out to it, she ran her finger through a now-formed orb of glittering blue. Like midnight itself. It hummed as she ran her fingers through it and dripped down her fingers like tiny fragments of shining silver.
It pulsated once, twice, and then a rush of power exploded into a thousand pieces, illuminating the room once more. Each tendril rushed to one of the mirrors and collided until an image formed, murky at first, and then her heart skipped. It was a face she knew better than her own. Every line and imperfection was the reason her heart beat each day. Brielle.
Except, this Brielle was radiating health as Luci had only ever dreamed of for her. Her mouth opened, and laughter, melodic and strong, echoed all around her. Brielle’s laugh. What was this? It was a question she was too afraid to answer, even if she knew the truth. Some questions were better left unanswered.
Luci watched in rapt attention, her heart thundering as Brielle ran through the fields wearing a light pink dress that hugged her full, outstretched body. Those fields were familiar too. The strawberry fields of Blythe. Except, where there should have been thousands of ripe strawberries, there were white feathery plants that sprouted from the earth in their place. Brielle bent and cradled her hand to one, leaning in and breathing deeply. White glittering pearls danced in the air around her as she breathed them in.
When she lifted her head to the sky, her cheeks filled with a rosy red that had never once colored her skin. Brielle. Well and healthy.
“How?” Luci whispered, hands clutching her chest, which ached with the images playing out before her.
Not that she had expected an answer, but the image of Brielle tilted her head as if listening. With a gentleness that was so like Brielle, she turned to face her, a small knowing smile on her face.
“I’ll show you,” she said.
It was Brielle’s voice, but it was also impossible. The images flashed before reforming into an image from Luci’s own memory. Tonight. That was the castle and the ball except through someone else’s eyes because there was Luci reaching out to take Price Ira’s hand.
“That’s a mistake,” she grunted, crossing her arms.