| |
––––––––
I COULDN’T EVEN THINK about resting as night approached. My ears stayed open to the sounds of footsteps approaching down the long lead-up to the chamber doors. No one could question Theo’s presence anywhere in the palace, but I was nervous about Colvin being his first contact. I hovered in the entryway, fidgeting with my hands, my clothes, my hair.
Destiny had never felt so close, and yet that period of waiting could have been an eternity. Listening anxiously, I tried not to imagine every possible worst-case scenario. Colvin was always a consummate professional on the job, but he had also made his feelings known about the situation between me and Theo. What if those emotions overruled his sense of duty this time?
Now a part of me regretted choosing not to warn Colvin of Theo’s arrival. I had thought I was being tactful and compassionate, and also that it was wiser not to pit them against each other in any way, shape, or form. But by withholding our plans to visit Sarena, I had practically guaranteed that Colvin would have questions.
And even if he didn’t voice them, he’d certainly have opinions. I put my face in my hands and groaned very quietly. No matter how careful I attempted to be, there was just no winning this game.
It was too late to do more than regret. Suddenly, I heard steps approaching down the hall. They drew close, and then they stopped.
“Your Royal Highness,” Colvin stated. He spoke in the same perfectly measured tone as always, his feelings locked far away from public view. “Good evening.”
“Good evening, Guardian,” Theo returned politely. “I’ve come to collect Princess Ambrose.”
Colvin paused. Not for very long, but it was such a rare occurrence that I couldn’t help noticing. I knew then that he was really caught by surprise. “Is this meeting sanctioned?” he asked. I held my breath. Theo was pretty much the only person he wasn’t supposed to question this way. He understood that just as well as anyone else.
“It is.” From his voice, Theo was smiling, sounding nonchalant. “Don’t worry. I’ve learned my lesson as far as her safety is concerned.”
Again, Colvin allowed a tiny pause before he replied. “Just don’t let her be the one who makes the plans,” he said. They both chuckled.
I frowned. What the heck is that supposed to mean? As the knock came at the door, I stepped back and made a mental note to ask Colvin about it later, next time we were alone.
The door opened. Colvin stood at Theo’s side, each of them perfectly poised and dressed. Once more, I was struck by the notion that in a parallel universe, I might have struggled to choose between these two men. But my heart and mind had been made up for a long time.
“Princess.” Colvin nodded to me. “Your escort is here.” He did not make any allusions to the fact that Theo was, in fact, my fiancé. Theo didn’t mention it, and neither did I.
“Thank you.” I smiled at him on my way out. He closed the door behind me, returning to his position. “We won’t be back too late.”
“Take your time,” Colvin answered evenly. “I’m not going anywhere.” He and Theo acknowledged each other, and then Theo and I walked away. Maybe it was just my own anxiety, but I swore the air crackled with silent tension.
Theo said nothing until we had rounded two corners. “So, that’s him.” A little smile tilted the corner of his lip.
I sighed. “Yes, that’s him.” A beat passed. “Wait. How did you know?” I was reasonably sure I hadn’t given too many details, or at least not as many as I knew about Sarena.
“Don’t be offended,” Theo said. “But it’s obvious.”
“No, it’s not,” I protested, knowing full well that it probably was.
He laughed. “Yes, it is. Although I believe you’re doing your best. It’s the way you look at him, and frankly, you couldn’t hide that unless you never saw him again.”
“Ugh.” I hung my head. “You can go ahead and say it’s tragic. Most of the time I feel the same way.”
He shrugged. “Sarena might have something different to say.”
“Do you think so?” I blurted, spurred by a burst of hope. The words had left my mouth before I had a chance to think about them, and I kicked myself for sounding so blatantly eager. Note to self; desperation is not a good look.
“Well, I hope so,” Theo said. “I can’t say one way or the other. My personal experience with mysticism is negligible at best.”
“That’s fair. “I smirked. “Did you know that on Earth, it’s mostly a scam?”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “That can’t be true.”
“It is. We don’t really have legitimate conduits of that kind of energy. I’m not sure why. I don’t think anyone really knows.”
“You missed your calling there.” Theo grinned. “You could have been rich and famous.”
“As a mystic?” I shook my head. “Not me. I’m not an exception to that rule.”
“But you’re not from Earth, so ‘that rule’ doesn’t truly apply. How could you know if you never tried?”
I gave him a look. “Come on. Even I know you can’t just try to be psychic. That’s not how it works.”
Theo wasn’t convinced. “Another question for Sarena.” He led me out through a tall stone arch onto an open terrace overlooking one side of the palace gardens. “Speaking of which, we’re almost there.”
I glanced around. “Where are we supposed to meet up?”
“Over there.” Theo pointed to a walkway branching off the terrace that ended in what appeared to be a floating gazebo. I squinted. It was empty.
“She’s not here yet.”
“No, no. She’s waiting for us,” he said.
For some reason, that statement made me nervous. “What does that mean?” I asked.
Theo smiled. “You’ll see.”
A few minutes later, I stepped into the structure behind him and glanced around. The pointed roof stood atop pillars framing cutouts all around the gazebo’s perimeter. Inside, the ceiling was painted a dark, velvety blue and speckled with what appeared to be some kind of star map. Something about the air felt different too, an element of atmosphere I couldn’t describe.
“Come stand with me.” Theo beckoned from the center of the floor, where he was positioned in front of a round table, like a sundial without the hand. “I think I’ll need your help this time.”
I smiled a little. “What, you mean this isn’t normally how you guys get together?”
He chuckled. “Not quite. Put your hands here.” He indicated two spots where the natural grain of the tabletop had been worn smooth. The moment I set my palms in place, I sensed a flow of tremendous energy. I looked at Theo, surprised.
“Can I just take a second to ask what’s about to happen?” I didn’t want to let on that I was nervous—but I was pretty nervous. Something about this energy told me it was nothing to mess with.
“Don’t worry,” Theo assured me. “She’s expecting us. All we’re doing is helping her open a door.”
None of my questions had been answered, but I knew I was already in far too deep to even think about backing out now. If the long-awaited truth about my family, my past, and my future lay behind it, I’d open any door in my path.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “What’s next?”
“Close your eyes.” Theo’s voice seemed to expand in the darkness behind my eyelids. “Now, focus.”
At first, nothing happened. I stood there in that floating gazebo with my eyes shut, waiting for some unknown sign. Admittedly, I even began to wonder if Theo had maybe done something wrong; he had admitted that he wasn’t well-versed in magic, after all.
But then I felt it, like a lightning bolt in a clear blue sky. I felt the door.
And I felt it start to move.
