When I straighten, Alina is watching me with an expression I can’t quite read.
“What is it?” I ask, reaching up to smooth a hand over my hair, which I’m sure is a mess now.
“Poppy is very lucky,” she says softly. “To have someone willing to face their fears for her, I mean.”
Something warm spreads through my chest at her words. At the reminder of facing my fear, I tip my head back. The glass dome is etched with glowing golden runes, which mimic the constellations in the night sky.
It’s... beautiful. Maybe that’s why people like it up here.
“Same time next week?” Raelan asks. “You’ll need a few more sessions before the ball.”
I nod, already dreading the climb back up here. But when I think of Poppy in my arms, spinning across the ballroom floor, that smile on her face...
Yeah. It’s worth it.
“Same time,” I agree.
Alina walks me to the door, Raelan trailing a few steps behind.
“Thank you for doing this,” I say. “Both of you. I know it’s... a lot to ask.”
“It’s not,” Alina says warmly. “Honestly, I think it’s wonderful. Poppy will be so happy.”
I manage a genuine smile, even as my stomach clenches at the sight of the spiraling stairs descending into shadowy darkness below. “Thanks, Your Highness.”
“Please, just Alina.”
Raelan gives me a subtle nod—his version of encouragement, I’m learning—and then I start down the spiraling staircase, one hand trailing the cold stone wall, my legs shaky from both exertion and the lingering fear of being so high inthe sky. I focus on the image of Poppy again: The way her eyes lit up when I asked her to the ball in the cookie shop garden. The softness of her lips against mine when we kissed.
I can do this, I tell myself.
For her, I can face my fears.
Chapter 20
Poppy
“WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT adding some more candles to the entrance?” I ask, studying the sketch of the Ravenscroft Castle ballroom that Professor Silvermoon and I have been working on for the past forty-five minutes. Mrs. Fairhaven, Alina’s lady-in-waiting, sent it to me this week so that we could work on detail planning now that the Blue Moon Ball is being held at the castle. “Maybe floating ones, enchanted to stay lit all evening? Like the ones on Samhain.” Every year, Coven Crest hosts a big Samhain celebration, and enchanted floating candles are a bit of a tradition, I’ve come to discover.
Professor Silvermoon leans over the parchment, her silver hair falling forward as she tips her head and considers my suggestion. “I like that. Yes, let’s add that to the list.” She makes a quick note in her notebook in her elegant script, then sits back with a satisfied smile. “You have a good eye for this, Poppy. And I can’t believe we’re hosting it at the castle.”She lets out a little sigh. “It’s a bit of a dream come true. The ball is going to be so magical. All because of you.”
Warmth tingles in my cheeks at the compliment. “I’m just glad I can help,” I say, adjusting my glasses as they slip down my nose. What I don’t tell her is that hosting the ball at the castle was Aric’s idea. I probably would never have asked Alina if he hadn’t suggested it. He’s the one who deserves to be thanked.
We work together for a few more minutes, finalizing additional décor ideas and discussing options for transportation—all the students will need to get to the castle somehow. When the deep chime of the clock signaling the end of the class hour starts to reverberate through the room, Professor Silvermoon sets her quill down and turns to face me more fully.
“Before you go, there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you,” she says, her tone shifting to something more serious. “A favor to ask”—she reaches forward to put a cold hand on my forearm—“though I want you to know you’re absolutely free to say no if it doesn’t suit you.”
I set down my own quill, curiosity piqued. “Of course. What is it?”
“I need to retrieve something from my younger sister, Aurora, who lives in Faunwood.” She pauses, studying me carefully. “Have you been to Faunwood before?”
I know Faunwood is a little village about a day’s wagon ride from Wysteria, but I’ve not done much traveling. Mama and I like to stay put, like delicate flowers with root systems that don’t like to be upset. I travel in books more often than I do in real life.
I shake my head. “No. I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never visited.”
“It’s so charming,” Professor Silvermoon says, a fond smile touching her pink lips. “Aurora and her partners have built a lovely life there.”
The way she sayspartners—plural—makes me blink in surprise, and she must notice because she laughs softly.
