“Excuse me?” I swung my head to face the sneering girl.
“You’re from Corlixir, aren’t you? We’ve all heard the stories about Corlixin healers giving special ‘herbs’ to their friends. You know, the ones that make you feel a certain…type of way?” Hushed laughter rippled through the group. “If you give us some, we won’t run and tell the prince about Lady Raena’s current condition.”
My lips flattened. Was this some kind of tragic attempt at blackmail?
“I haven’t given her anything,” I stated firmly, shooting a glare at Giselle and her friends. “Lady Raena just isn’t feeling well.”
“Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” she chimed, continuing to pluck petals from the flower. “I’ve never felt lighter.”
Giselle tossed me a look before she and her friends burst into laughter.
“Come on, Raena,” I hissed, taking her limp hand in mine. “As Princess, I am ordering you to come with me.”
The dazed girl sighed, but still eventually swung her legs off the bench. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
I went to help steady her as she rose to her feet, when my hand brushed against something hard on her wrist. The moment it touched my skin, a bolt of intense warmth buzzed through me. Gasping, I staggered backwards, almost falling to the grass.
“What… was that?” I stammered.
Raena just smiled at me, seemingly unaffected. “What was what?” she asked innocently.
Stepping forward, I reached for her hand again and pulled it closer. Wrapped tightly around her wrist was some kind of wooden bracelet, and carved into the wood were strange markings. Oddly, there was no obvious clasp or way to remove the bracelet. It was as though it had always been there, bound forever to her wrist.
“I’ve never seen you wear this before,” I thought out loud while studying the bracelet.
“Oh, Valen gave it to me. Isn’t it lovely?” she replied with a proud grin.
Hesitantly, I brushed my finger against the bracelet again – this time bracing myself for the warm feeling. Once again, it pulsed through me, and I immediately yanked my hand away. Clearly, it seemed that the love charm wasn’t the only gift from that guard.
“We need to get this off of you,” I decided, leading Raena away from the whispering onlookers. She protested at first, completely oblivious to the odd looks from the people who passed us by. But it didn’t take long for her complaints to turn into pure excited babbling about the green-skinned guard.
“Oh, you should meet him properly,” Raena insisted as we arrived back inside the palace. “He’s so wonderful and really strong too!”
“I’m sure he is…” I brushed off her comments, trying to focus on what to do. Surely a healer wouldn’t be enough – they didn’t know magic. So, perhaps a bookkeeper from the library? Then again, I’d have to reveal that we visited the faery kingdom, and I was sure that wouldn’t go down well.
Come on, think.But it was so hard to focus with that sickly-sweet smell filling my nose. At least now I was certain it was coming from the bracelet and not the flowers outside.
I knew I couldn’t go back to the faeries. After my conversation with Lukas and now this bracelet, I honestly wasn’t sure if Icould trust them anymore. And I couldn’t exactly wander off through the forest in the middle of the day. We’d be spotted by the guards or a hunting party. It would be far too risky.
“You’re not taking me back to the library are you?” Raena whined behind me. “Seraphina creeps me out.”
Seraphina… She might not be able to remove the bracelet, but still, she seemed to know an awful lot about the fae. Maybe she would know what to do.
“That’s a great idea!” I beamed, tugging Raena along as she groaned in protest.
Truthfully, I had no idea how to find Seraphina. She wasn’t in the forbidden library when I’d searched there for Raena earlier, and I couldn’t exactly wander into the King’s chambers unless he’d summoned me. I was sure that somewhere within the Steel Palace there would be a medical bay, and perhaps she would be spending some time there, but I didn’t want to draw too much suspicion to Raena. In her current state, they would surely at least want to keep her overnight.
My silent prayers were answered, though, when I decided to peek one more time into the forbidden library – as there, curled up in a small armchair, reading a pocket-sized golden book, was the blonde-haired healer.
She peered up from her reading as we entered, giving us a soft smile – the typical pale blue hood concealing part of her face. “Good evening, Naria,” she greeted, nodding her head. Then she glanced at Raena, who was still a giddy mess beside me. Her brow instantly furrowed. “What’s this?”
“I’m so glad to see you,” I said, relieved, steering Raena towards the centre of the room. “She’s under some kind of spell.It’s this bracelet.” Lifting up Raena’s arm, I gestured towards the wooden cuff that was still tightly bound around her wrist. “I think it’s magic. I can’t see a way to take it off.”
“Who says I want it off? I think it’s charming.” Raena pouted. “It makes me feel… fuzzy.” Her cheeks were like two red rosebuds, practically glowing.
Seraphina sighed, heaving herself out of the armchair. As she stood, the purple-edged cloak that hung from her shoulders swayed down her back, finishing just off the floor.
“I see you paid a visit to the fae,” she noted, taking Raena’s hand to study the bracelet. Bringing it close to her face, she sniffed a few times, then stared at the markings. “This is just a simple enchanted cuff, easy to remove and nothing to worry about.”
