“Sounds inconvenient.” She crossed her arms, the fabric of her bodice bunching. “No one I came with knows anyone. Not Rowena and certainly not Ma.” The girl straightened. “I know Prince Ash. Maybe he can introduce me.” She shook her head abruptly. “Ah. He’s in Vandil on royal business. I forgot.”
“I see,” I said. How did a chatty, oblivious witch girl know the second prince?
“I have an idea! Canyouintroduce me? We’re acquaintances, aren’t we?”
I looked heavenward, hoping her mother would find her and lead her away. The last thing I wanted was to spend the next two hours entertaining a prattling teenager.
“You don’t know me. And you wouldn’t want me as an acquaintance,” I said, standing up from my crouch. My right foot had fallen asleep, sending stinging needles up my leg.
“You’re Lady Narcissa. Amarante told me all about you, and we met once. Well, actually, I was invisible then. I’m Elowyn, by the way.”
My eye twitched.
“You helped Amarante and Prince Ash escape the duchess. Amarante said you were really brave during the masquerade ball.”
Of course she did. How spineless of her to not say vicious things behind my back after all I had done to her.
“I wish I was there to see you summon those animals, but I wasn’t allowed to attend,” Elowyn said, kicking the floor with embroidered satin slippers. She shrugged. “Well, I’m making up for lost time now. This is my second ball, you know? I wish I could’ve attended all those fancy dinners with all the others, but Ma said I wasn’t allowed to. Royal business or whatnot.”
I tilted my head. “Royal business?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear? The princes organized a witch, er, group. I forget the word.”
“Committee?” I supplied.
“Right. Committee. We don’t have many groups in the village. Anyway, you see, the committee is in charge of reporting the comings and goings of witches in Witch Village to the royals. And they help witches who want to move above ground get settled. Rowena told me their first meeting was about licenses needed to open magic shops in Delibera. But you probably already know this since you seem important and—”
“Only in Delibera?” I wanted to shut down the conversation earlier, but it turned out that isolation gave me a thirst for kingdom-wide news, which I was so used to getting before.
“For now. It is the biggest city, after all. But I heard they plan to organize more committees for Olderea’s other regions. Coriva and Vandil and such.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “I don’t think the older witches are too happy about the politics and groups. They’re too used to living without authority in Witch Village. They don’t like it.”
“And you do?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Of course! It’s much freer up here, especially in the palace,” Elowyn said, as if she hadn’t just complained about the rules of high society minutes before. “I hope to join the committee when I’m old enough. Traveling and exploring the kingdom—doesn’t that sound great?”
“I don’t like traveling,” I said, once I realized she was going to prattle on about something else. I turned on my heel, hoping she would take the hint and go away.
No such luck.
“Why not?” Elowyn said, trotting to keep up with my strides. “I haven’t traveled much, but it all sounds like great fun. Plus, afterward, you can just appear to all the places you’ve been—but oh, silly me, not everyone can do that, so I suppose I’m just lucky in that regar—“
Thankfully, a blast of regal fanfare interrupted her. The steward’s high voice rang through the ballroom. “His Majesty King Maximus Median and His Highness Crown Prince Bennett Median of Olderea!”
I stopped several feet away from the grand staircase and nearly tripped over Elowyn’s skirt in the process. My cheeks warmed as I righted myself. Elowyn giggled loudly, drawing glances from the group near us.
“What isshedoing here?” a noblewoman in lime green whispered to another. Dame Alderidge, I recalled. One of the biggest gossips in Mother’s circle who stuck her bulbous nose in places it had no business in. Her daughter was equally annoying.
I shot Dame Alderidge a glare. She immediately turned her attention back to the figures on the staircase. When the king and crown prince came to the last few steps, I lowered my head. I had yet to know what they thought of me. A part of me prayed I’d be ignorant to that forever.
Raise your head, Narcissa, the phantom voice of Mother echoed from many balls past.Look them in the eye. Make it known you are their equal. Someday, you will surpass them.
I winced, squeezing my eyes shut as my heart pounded wildly against my ribs.
She’s not here,I reminded myself.Nothing is going to happen.
Then, all hell broke loose.
