I'd watched the entourage leave from Ayla's large window. I didn't like how close Edric was sitting to Ayla, didn't like that Ward was going, and most of all, I didn't like that I was the odd man out. It wasn't even being left behind while they explored the village. It was this confounded hold on my magic. Cautious, I could understand. But Ayla's word should've counted for enough to release me.
Once the carriage had disappeared past the front gates, I sighed and turned away, walking toward the door and opening it with a little trepidation. I touched my toe to the outside, waiting for the floor to push me back, but it didn't. One small victory, then.
I crossed the landing to the door on the other side and stood there, waiting. Then, I raised my knuckle and rapped.
"Riona? Are you in there?"
No answer.
With care, I turned the knob and cracked open the door, just in case she was indecent. But she was standing next to the window, staring out into the distance. She turned her head toward me an inch to acknowledge me then went right back to the window.
"Are you all right? Ayla said—"
"What? That I'm an embarrassment? That she'd rather I hadn't come?" Riona shook her head. "That makes two of us."
"She was harsh last night, but that's not who she is," I said, closing the door behind me. "She told me you were acting strange this morning at breakfast. What happened?"
She exhaled loudly. "Edric said… He asked if Eoghan was pulling your puppet strings."
I frowned. "Why would he say that?"
"But the way he said it," Riona said, ignoring my question. "It's like… It's like he knew."
"Knew what?"
She pursed her lips, roughly sloughing off my hands. "The thing I told you, remember? About voices."
"O-oh." I shook my head. "Riona, I'm sure that's not what he was insinuating. If anything, I'm the one who should be insulted. He was talking about me, after all."
"I shouldn't have come." She wrapped her arms tightly around her midsection. "I'm a liability. I don't know what the Erlking was thinking, sending me."
"You were invited."
"But still. Why not push back?" She released herself. "Why just send me along?"
"Because he trusts you," I replied.
"And I didn't tell him about this power," she replied. "Not that it was this…"
"This what?"
"Loud." She turned to me again, fear in her eyes. "All last night, there were whispers in my mind. Like a drum." She chewed her lip again. "I've been thinking. What if…what if Eoghan's plan is to wait until Ayla and Edric combine their stones into one then compel me to take the stone for him?"
"That's ludicrous," I said. "For many reasons, the top of which is that Ayla and Edric aren't thinking of combining their stones. At least…" I frowned. "Not to my knowledge. Did they discuss it at breakfast?"
"They're only thinking of combining one thing," Riona muttered. "I left in a hurry. I don't know. I have nothing to offer, and it doesn't seem Edric even wants to talk with me about an alliance with the fae."
"Maybe because you keep leaving before the conversation can happen," I replied. "I think you just need to relax. No one here is out to get you, and I'm sure whatever magic you're feeling is just a reaction to the troll magic. First time in a new magical place, you know? I'm sure if I had access to my magic, I'd be feeling the same way." I gripped my staff, wishing it would light up in that familiar way it did.
"Still nothing?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Ayla promised she'd put in a good word for me, but considering I was left behind this morning while they wandered the town together…"
"I'm sorry."
"I don't mind that as much as…" I dug deep for magic and found nothing. "I miss it, you know? I'd gotten used to being in total control of this extension of me. Now it's…well, it's like someone hacked off my right arm."
"I've never been comfortable using magic," she whispered. "It wasn't exactly encouraged by my nanny growing up, and I wasn't given the same tutelage as the other fae. What I managed was learned to keep myself safe in the Erlking's castle."
"Maybe this power inside you is something even greater than you think? Maybe that's what the Erlking saw in you when he put you and Aldrick together." I watched her face carefully. "You're Birch's kin. He's not going to send you to slaughter. He doesn't strike me as that malevolent."
She chewed her lip and remained silent.
"The bigger question is how long do you think we have until Edric suspects you're not being wholly truthful?"
"I don't know. Part of me thinks he does already."
"Why don't you just come clean?"
"Are you kidding? Ayla would murder me," she said. "She wouldn't understand."
"She would, I bet you," I responded. "You need to give her more credit."
"She already hates me."
"She doesn't hate you." Riona quirked a brow, and I cleared my throat. "She's just under a lot of pressure, that's all."
"And I shouldn't add to it by letting her know I could've magicked us all up the mountain." She rubbed her hands together and stared off into nothing. "Not that I could have, without you know…potentially releasing an evil wizard on us all."
I could've tried harder to convince her she was talking nonsense, but somehow I guessed that wouldn't work. So I pushed myself off the bed and grabbed my staff. "Let's take a walk. Get out of this room and clear your head. Then maybe we can figure out how to broach this subject with Ayla."
⤖⤖⤖⤖
I wanted to help Riona, but I also had an ulterior motive in mind. With her on my arm, I might be less likely to run afoul of Edric. He seemed keen on upholding appearances in front of Ayla, and my assumption was that the same was true for Riona.
My experiment seemed to work as we walked leisurely down the long, empty hallways. I told her about the servants I'd seen the night before, then being locked in my room for asking them innocent questions.
"Nobody around now to ask, I suppose," she said with a small shiver. "It feels desolate here."
"Not at all like the Erlking's castle, eh?" I nodded to the paintings on the wall of the landscapes. "These paintings don't move."
"How boring." She cracked the first smile I'd seen from her in days. "Makes me a little homesick, I guess."
"At least there's not a free-for-all with dinner," I said then, glancing around to make sure there was no one around, I added, "but I do miss the food."
Her eyes widened, and she leaned in. "Right? Everything last night was—"
"Hang on a second." I straightened, catching a whiff of something earthy. There was no one in the hallway on either side of us, but instinctively, I looked down at the stone floor. Like water rushing through a valley, small multicolored threads of liquid traveled through the veins of the stone. I gripped my staff, the deafening sound already growing in my mind as I reached for magic.
I took a step back as the liquid pooled in place on the floor, spurting up like a fountain until it formed an old troll with pale, translucent skin, pointed ears, and long straight silky white hair.
"What the…" Riona gasped beside me.
"Greetings." His voice was wizened, as if it hadn't been used in years. "I assume by your look and staff that you are Princess Riona of the fae realm and the wizard Cade?"
I worked my jaw as Riona stayed quiet beside me. "Y-yes. That's us. Who are you?"
He pressed his hand to his chest and bowed slightly. "I'm Avram, His Majesty's scholar. I give aid and guidance to our king in different areas of science and history." He tilted his head, golden eyes shifting to Riona. "And I have been waiting for you, Princess Riona."
"I'm not…" Riona started, holding up her hands. "I mean…"
"You are Riona, daughter of Leandra and King Bresel, are you not?" Avram said, inching closer. "Princess of Pennlan?"
She nodded. "But I'm not… I mean, I'm not really a princess."
I felt the need to step in. "What she means is that she didn't grow up in Pennlan," I said. "So she's not a princess of Pennlan in those terms."
"Ah." Another step closer. "You are a fascinating anomaly, Princess Riona."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but Riona took hold of my arm. "In what way?"
"A child of a human and a fae," he said. "It's rare for species to mix like that."
Riona's grip on my arm tightened, and I cleared my throat. "It happens, on occasion. But Riona considers herself more fae than human."
"Fascinating."
"I would love it if you'd visit my study," he said. "There's much we can talk about."
"A study?" I lit up. He was creepy, but I was eager to get my hands on troll literature. "Like a library? Do you have books? Any I can read?"
He turned to me, looking me up and down.
I felt the same disdain that Edric cast in my direction, and my heart sank a little. "I promise, I'm not here to harm anyone," I said, hoping it sounded sincere. "Your king's binding spell on me is working, so there's no need to worry." I lifted my staff and pointed it at the wall, furrowing my brow. I was able to muster a single spark, but that was it. "See?"
"I'm afraid I am too busy to entertain," Avram said. "However, if Her Highness would like to visit—"
"I'll visit. With Cade," Riona said, giving me a knowing look. "But not today. Tomorrow, perhaps."
Avram bowed. "I'll be seeing you, Princess."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Riona asked, glaring at him.
"At dinner tonight," he replied. "King Edric has invited me to dine with you." Another bow. "I look forward to continuing our conversation."
And with that, he melted into the floor and disappeared.
"Ugh, another dinner?" Riona looked at the ceiling. "Can I skip? Say I'm sick?"
"Somehow, I don't feel like that'll fly," I said, watching the space the scholar had left with curiosity. "That guy was—"
"Creepy." Riona wrapped her arm around mine as if she'd fall into the floor if she let go. "C'mon, let's head back to my room. I've had enough exploring for one day."