Midnight Soul (34 page)

Noc guided us out into the glorious cold only
for me to find myself at the bottom of the palace steps having
additional new pleasantly unpleasant experiences.

These being bidding
adieu
to Queen
Aurora, Dax Lahn, Circe, Finnie, Frey, Tor and Cora, all people I
would not again see, not soon, and perhaps (especially in the case
of Circe and Lahn), not ever.

This meant for some unfathomable reason, in
getting (and giving) many public hugs, the one I had with Circe was
the longest.

And it felt good as well as bad, both coming
from the fact it wasn’t only me who seemed not to wish to let
go.

“Say hey to the other Circe for me,” she said
in my ear.

“This I’ll do,” I promised.

“And don’t be hard on yourself like you’re so
good at being,” she instructed. “The crap time is over. Now’s your
time to let go and have fun.”

“Of course,” I replied, wishing to do as she
instructed, but knowing from experience it would not be easy as the
women had now been telling me this for some time. “As for you, I
wish you a pleasant pregnancy, ease of birth and much joy when that
bundle arrives.”

She pulled away but didn’t let me go to
inform me, “The birth couldn’t be worse than the last. Then again,
I shouldn’t say stuff like that or I might jinx myself.”

Jinx?

I didn’t ask.

I just gave her a small smile.

She gave me a big, bright one and finally let
me go.

I could now say that holding affection for
others, and having that returned, was quite a lovely feeling, going
so far as admitting I treasured it, them,
all
of them (even
Lahn, who was daunting but he could be quite amusing and gentle,
both definitely endearing).

I could also now say that it had severe
drawbacks for I had never, not once, lingered in leaving a place at
all, but certainly not because I was saddened to leave the people
there behind.

Noc had given me my first hug and he also
came in to give me the last before he held my hand and
(unnecessarily, but I did not pull away…oh no, I did not) steadied
me as I made my way into my sleigh beside Josette who was already
seated, ensconced under the furs.

“See you soon,” he told me softly once I,
too, was under the furs.

I looked into his blue eyes.

It would not be soon.

It would be too bloody long.

“Yes, soon,” I agreed.

He leaned in. I held my breath. He kissed my
nose. I let my breath go.

He moved away and did it decisively, shutting
the door to the sleigh behind us.

“Ready?” Kristian called.

I tore my gaze from Noc moving away to nod to
my brother.

He nodded back, turned ahead, snapped his
reins and shouted, “
Heeyah!
”

I leaned forward and grabbed our reins from
the hook in front of us and followed suit.

I didn’t wish to do anything inane such as
wave or gaze lingeringly behind me for I knew all too well what
either would communicate.

So I didn’t wave and I didn’t look behind me,
my gaze lingering on Noc.

Instead, I looked behind me and waved once
with a flick of my raised hand to indicate my final farewell to
them all.

But I did this with my eyes locked to
Noc.

He lifted his hand back.

I felt my throat get thick.

It was then I turned away and stared
resolutely at the back of my brother’s sleigh, thinking I should
have asked to have Timofei in our sleigh with us, not only because
I enjoyed my nephew’s company, but also because he would be a
pleasant distraction.

“You’re taken with him,” Josette said as we
left the Winter Palace behind.

“Mm…” I murmured.

“As in, everyone knows you’re taken with him,
but the truth is, you’re
very
taken with him,” she went
on.

“Mm…” I repeated.

“As in, no one knew if we’d ever be away, you
having to say goodbye to him and he to you,” she stated. “Everyone
suspected such an event would take hours, even days, or
longer.”

I looked to her. “There was talk of
this?”

“I think it was Princess Cora who said
something like there was a good chance Master Noc would drag you by
your hair up to his bedroom and if that occurred they wouldn’t see
either of you for weeks.”

Alas, that did not happen.

And truth be told, I doubted it ever
would.

I struggled with, but could not deny, I was
attracted to him.

His feelings in return were genuine and
warm.

But not once had he ever given indication
they were anything more.

I turned my attention back to where we were
heading. This, I determined in that moment, would be my focus. Look
only where I was heading. One minute to the next. One hour to the
next. One day to the next.

And hopefully before we knew it, our true
adventure would begin.

That adventure including being back with
Noc.

For even if I had him only as my first real
friend (outside, strictly, Josette, that was), my feelings for him
were such I’d take that.

I’d take anything to have Noc.

Josette reached out and touched my wrist
briefly. “We’ll be with him again soon.”

“Yes, we will,” I agreed and snapped the
reins, for Kristian had done the same and was going faster.

Although I’d agreed, I knew it would not be
soon enough.

* * * * *

Ten days later

“It’s your crystal ball.”

I stared with some distaste at the large,
shining crystal sphere sitting on its bed of sapphire velvet that
Valentine had just presented to me.

A crystal ball.

How cliché.

Was this
really
what magic was
about?

Disappointing.

“There will be many implements you’ll acquire
to assist you in brandishing the magic you have inside you. You’ll
find your way with all of them. You’ll find your favorite. This,”
Valentine indicated the crystal, “is mine.”

I looked from her back to the globe.

Well, this was my journey. This was who I
was. And one could not say I wasn’t utterly delighted to experience
the minimal magical experiences I’d had and the time I’d spent with
my sister-witches.

In other words, I needed to keep an open
mind.

Therefore, I lifted my hand and did so only
to touch the cool glass.

When I did, a frisson of pleasure started at
the small of my back and chased itself up my spine, over my
shoulder, down my arm and through my fingertips, and inside the
crystal ball I saw a wisp of the most beautifully-hued azure rise
of smoke inside it.

Everything about me grew warm, inside and
out.

Never, outside the color of Noctorno
Hawthorne-of-the-other-world’s eyes, had I seen anything so
exquisite.

“Indeed,” Valentine murmured. “You’re a
natural.”

I stared at the smoke curling and suddenly
had the uncanny desire to wrap my arms around that shining orb and
hold it to me close, warm it with my body, memorize the feel of it
against my breast.

I couldn’t deny it.

Even as cliché as it was.

I’d fallen in love.

* * * * *

Two weeks later

“Oh. My. That’s quite interesting.”

I spoke these words and continued to look in
my crystal ball as I did, delighted I’d learned this very useful
skill from Valentine.

I was right then watching the Dax Lahn of the
other world. He was wearing clothing that was unusual, but not
unattractive. His hair was short, cut to a length it curled around
his collar. And he didn’t have a beard. But there was no mistaking
he was as his twin by the forbidding look on his face.

“Is he angry?” I asked.

It took a few moments to realize I did not
receive a reply.

I looked to Valentine who was sitting with me
but her eyes were distant and aimed at the carved leg holding up
the table.

“Valentine,” I called, and her attention came
to me, then to my crystal.

She looked back to me. “It seems you’ve
mastered that.”

I had. It wasn’t difficult.

It was, strangely, second nature.

As Valentine instructed, all I had to do was
what I’d always done in the little experimentation I’d
attempted.

Tap into the current that was continuously
vibrating through me, allow the quickening, and for crystal ball
gazing, simply send out to the ether what I wished to see. Then,
with a swirl of sapphire smoke, it appeared.

“I have,” I replied, wishing to whisk away
the other world Lahn from my orb and conjure up visions of Noc, who
would undoubtedly have set sail on Frey’s galleon by now and be
nearly to Hawkvale, if not already there.

But this I would not do. It would be
intrusive. I would not wish someone watching me without my
knowledge. Thus I would not do that to Noc, as much as I wanted to
see his face, share in his adventure, even if I had to do it gazing
in a crystal ball.

Valentine made no reply and again seemed
distracted, something that was out of character for her.

From the moment we’d arrived in Älvkyla two
weeks ago, she’d attended me six times.

In those times, I’d learned what an astral
plane was. I’d learned how to put myself in a trance to travel
along it in order to communicate with her as well as Lavinia. I’d
been given my crystal ball and taught how to use it. I’d learned
how to focus my thoughts (through chanting in my head, this
Valentine shared was casting spells) and my power in order to move
small objects, at first lifting them from where they lay, and
advancing to moving them across the room to me.

It was not slow going. I felt the instinct
born, if not bred, in me, and Valentine sensed it as well.

She was just teaching me how to manipulate
it. She was teaching me how not to let it control me. She was also
teaching me not to fear it.

This last was important, for with each
passing lesson, I felt the power rising in me and it would be easy
for it to grow out of control.

However, I was safe with Valentine. And I was
safe with my power. I simply needed to become accustomed to it,
nurture it…

And wield it.

In our other sessions, she’d always been
fully engaged.

Now she was not.

“Is there something on your mind?” I
asked.

Her eyes tipped to me. “Perhaps our session
will be short today,” she replied, not, I noted, answering my
question.

This I found annoying.

And oddly insulting.

“Are you my sister?” I requested to know
rather abruptly.

“Of course,” she replied immediately.

I nodded. “I do sense we have somewhat of a
kindred spirit. I’m independent and had to be due to life
circumstances. You’re quite the same for reasons you haven’t shared
and do not need to if you don’t wish. What
I
wish is to make
certain you know, should you need to discuss anything, I’m not only
here to be trained. I’m here to offer anything you need of me, and
you’ll have it if I can give it.”

Her distraction cleared, she studied me
closely and came to a decision.

“You know I wish to maneuver the Circe in my
world to be with the Dax of that world,” she stated.

“I do,” I confirmed.

“And you know both Circes are witches, quite
powerful ones,” she went on.

“I know that as well.”

“Thus, Circe sensed my preliminary operations
and blocked them.”

“Ah,” I murmured, seeing her issue and hoping
I, too, would sense it if someone was meddling in my life.

“I have made some further efforts, she’s
still blocking me,” Valentine shared.

I didn’t quite understand.

“You can’t find this surprising,” I
noted.

“It isn’t. But it’s frustrating, for this
will undoubtedly mean two things. One, any interference I, and it
is my hope that will be a
we
, wish to conduct will have to
occur not through your training, as I’d hoped, but when we return
to my world, which will mean a delay I don’t much like.”

“And?” I prompted when she said no more.

“And such interference will need to happen
traditionally.”

I arched my brow. “Traditionally?”

“By means of…” her lip curled, “non-magical
matchmaking
.”

I didn’t try to swallow the amused chuckle
that came through my lips.

Valentine didn’t find it humorous.

She stated, “It’s common.”

“My dear sister,” I whispered, feeling my
lips remain curved as I held her eyes. “It is
not
common.
Not the way
I
do it. I’ve made many a match, in the past
doing it in order to amuse myself by severing the results of such
efforts at a later date. But this…” I kept smiling. “An intrigue.
One I can look forward to. And I do. I very much do. And I can
promise you, you will too.”

One could not say this made me happy.

One could say this made me utterly
ecstatic
.

I could continue with my plotting and
schemes.

But in doing so, I could do it for entirely
different reasons, which I knew by witnessing the other world Lahn
in my crystal, would be far more fulfilling.

I did not think of Noc’s tryst with Circe. I
hadn’t mentioned it. He hadn’t mentioned it. No one had mentioned
it and I found I could handle it that way.

What I could not do was think about what
might happen when we were all together again in the same city in
another world.

So I didn’t think about it.

“It would seem when we reach our world, the
teacher will become the student,” Valentine remarked.

“You will enjoy my lessons,” I declared
proudly. “Not as much as I’m enjoying the fruits of yours, but you
will enjoy them. That I promise.”

Finally, Valentine’s preoccupation gone, she
smiled.