Secret Worlds (297 page)

Aware of my fascination and the apparent enchantment this place had on me, I turned toward the man whose face still hid under the hood of his robes. “Magic no longer exists. How is this possible?”

“Believe it or not, this is your room now. The Master requests you spend most of your time in here. As you can see, you have everything you might desire. But should there be more you need, it will be given. All you have to do is ask. My name is Enid.”

My smile faded. I didn’t realize I had been smiling in the first place. This was supposed to be safer, according to him, and yet it seemed as though I’d exchanged one prison for another. Given the circumstances, this place fared much better than the Cyrs, but why did I have to live in a room? Finally, I nodded, wanting to collapse on the floor and cry but praying my wobbling legs would hold out for just a while longer.

He gestured toward the bed. “There is a change of clothes for you on the bench at the foot of your bed. Someone will be coming up momentarily to bring you food and take your old clothes.”

I nodded again, forcing the tears to stay at bay.

Enid bowed his head slightly. “Enjoy your stay with us, A’lainn.”

He turned on his heels then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Yes, enjoy your stay in prison, A’lainn. What is A’lainn supposed to mean anyway?” I muttered under my breath and crossed my arms over my chest. I shifted my gaze to the clean clothes folded neatly on the bench. Urged by curiosity, I decided to inspect them. I held up the first piece, a halter bodice. Not badly made and stained dark brown. The next was a pair of pants, seemingly made from expensive black cloth. They tied with a matching lace at the waist. Last, was a pair of soft leather boots, also dark brown and showed signs of age. Underneath everything lay a set of black robes, like those Enid wore, folded neatly.

“Well, at least whoever he is knows what I like to wear.”

That forced a thought into my mind…they had been watching me, keeping an eye out for the perfect moment to grab me. Rescue me. I should’ve been more afraid, or try to fight my way out, but for some reason, I believed I was safe.

I slipped out of the old, dingy, rot-soaked clothing I wore for the new clothes. The bodice and pants laced up nicely, and the boots easily slipped on. I left my old clothes where they fell on the floor, forgetting them as my eyes were drawn to the robes again. I wanted to touch their softness. To see if they compared to the softness of the hands that had held mine. Just as I reached out my hand, a knock filled the room.

I turned my attention to the door, waiting for whoever it was to come in. When they didn’t, I called out, “Yes?”

The doors opened to a woman bringing in a rolling cart with a covered plate and mug. She had dark skin, like the color one would be after spending their life in the sun. Her black hair was cut short with the ends barely grazing her shoulders. She wore a plain, long dress that suited her curvy figure. The sleeves hugged her arms down to her wrists.

She stopped the small cart next to the brown fluffy carpet that held a table large enough to fit half a dozen people at least and picked up the plate and mug, setting them on the table. A bright flash of light filled the room from the balcony doors on the other side of the bed.

Then the servant woman glided along the floor to my discarded clothing, picked them up, and wadded them into a small ball. Tucking them under her arm, she smiled at me then walked back to the cart. Her eyes reminded me of Marren, of all people. He was the only other person I knew of, or had ever seen, with such dark eyes. She tossed the clothes to the surface of the cart then pushed it back out the door. Leaving me, once again, in solitude.

***

The room had lightened up a little with a break in the clouds. The storm left nothing but a few wet puddles spotting the floor of the balcony. I walked out, stepping carefully on the slick, wet stone then peered over the edge at a garden. I inhaled deep, wishing for the aroma of the newly budding blossoms having yet to release their aromas. A small stone path led from the garden into the trees that stretched toward the mountains. Overcome with the desire to roam and wander, I wanted to discover the secrets this place had to offer. I didn’t even mind I was held under its enchantment.

It felt good to be a part of something I thought no longer existed. Magic was banned long before my birth, and none of the creatures associated with it have been heard of for so long, they’ve evolved into stories, myths told to children at night before bed or to teach morals when they misbehaved.

“I hope you forgive the need for anonymity,” a familiar voice startled me.

I turned around to find a man standing in the doorway, fully cloaked by the same black robes Enid wore.

“Forgive my intrusion. I did knock, but you never replied, so I let myself in.”

I worked to control my breaths so my heart would ease back into its rightful position.

“No, it’s fine…” I paused, recognizing his voice with disdain, “Marren?”

His hood slowly dipped forward and rose back up. “I hoped you wouldn’t recognize my voice just yet. I know how much you despise me.”

I ignored the sadness in his voice.

“What is going on here?” I asked as agitation replaced my previous enchanted state of being.

“I thought you would see this as me saving your life.”

“I don’t need your help. I told you I’m not buying into your charm. What do you really want with me?” My words came out sharp and cold.

“I just told you,” he replied in a flat tone.

“Why?” It came out shrill, almost like a child throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the market after getting told she couldn’t have the sweet cake she set her eyes upon.

“I believed you about being set up.” He removed his hood while stepping out on the balcony and leaned against the wall. His eyes reflected my image back at me. It seemed almost intrusive, how intently he stared at me. I forced myself to look away. I couldn’t think, and I couldn’t breathe. None of this made sense.

I walked passed him, back into the room, passed the bed, and to the center of the floor. When I reached the carpet, I turned, heading for the bed only to turn and walk toward the carpet again. I glanced at him as he moved from the corner of my eyes. He carefully took in my state of confusion, making it worse.

“What’s in it for you?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” He pursed his eyebrows together and, for a fraction of a moment, I found it cute.

Shaking that thought from my head, I continued, “I don’t believe you rescued me for the sake of saving my life and bring me here, dress me, set me up in this lavish room—all for nothing?”

I stopped pacing to watch his reaction and wait for an answer. I needed a sign, a flinch of a muscle, a clench of a jaw, even a flicker of light in his eyes that would suggest he was no better than the Cyrs.

He nodded.

“Perhaps, in some ways, we are both wrong about our initial ideas of each other. One might assume this is my way of breaking the ice, so to speak,” he said, calmly. The way he stared at me held me captivated.

That damned enchantment.

Though I believed he told me the truth, he didn’t tell me everything. That much I was certain.

“Why do you believe me?” I had to know his reasoning when the rest of the wanted nothing to do with me.

“I have my reasons.”

“But, why me? Why not some other girl? I’m sure anyone else would be more able and willing to do anything you wished.”

A flicker of sadness crossed his face, pulling the corners of his lips down and then disappeared as if it had been a figment of my imagination. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall next to the door. “I wish nothing from you. I would never do anything, or force you into anything, you didn’t want to do.”

“Why didn’t you rescue me yourself instead of sending Enid to do your dirty work?”

He chuckled, lowering his gaze to the floor and rubbed his toe on a spot in front of him in the shape of an arch. The melodic sound caused me to react, very much the same way it did in the market. Only this time, it wasn’t my imagination. “I did rescue you. Enid helped make sure you stayed in the carriage.”

“But you almost gave me to the guards! Why the change of mind?” I threw my hands in the air with a grunt and stomped toward the balcony, in need of fresh air, but stopped right before I stepped through the doors. Something, his eyes maybe, gently encompassed me, urging me to stay and continue talking. Fear, once again, filled me. Only it wasn’t for my safety, but for something else entirely.

“Please understand if I didn’t do what was expected of me, we would have a mob after us…Still may.”

I turned and walked toward the foot of the bed, keeping my eyes on him. Something about the way he said “still may” set off warnings inside of me. “What is going on Marren? Why in the world would there be a mob after us?”

He approached me, coming closer than I expected, which forced me to take a step backward. My heart drummed harder.

“You will understand soon enough. Please try to get to know me. Don’t be so quick to judge.” His voice pleaded as much as his eyes did. He took another step closer.

“What makes you think I’m judging you?” I took another step back.

“Are you saying that immediately assuming I’m conceited and trying to charm you isn’t judging?” He stepped closer as his words started to hypnotize me.

“Are you saying you aren’t?” I stepped back again.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” He stepped closer again.

The room started to spin. My head filled with a strange buzzing sound. Before I could faint, I said, “I need some air,” and turned quickly, walking to the balcony. The coolness of the stone helped to reground and refocus me. I took in a slow, deep breath.

Marren sighed, surrendering. “If you would like, I can place a guard at your door to protect you?”

“Why would I need protection?” I spoke my words into the wind.

“You’re blind,” he said before letting out an uneasy chuckle. It still made my heart flip. He stood close behind me now, but not so close I couldn’t walk away from him again. I gripped the stone railing as tightly as I could to push away the spell I was falling under. The last bit of sunlight disappeared behind more clouds. I closed my eyes.

“How exactly am I blind?” I tried to form the words evenly, though the last word shook slightly on the way out.

Silence returned to me. I turned around as the doors to the room sealed. I let out a huge breath that made me want to slide to the floor of the balcony and cry. My heartbeat drummed through my ears. Exhausted and worn, I shifted my gaze over the trees one final time. A dark figure moving below caught my attention. I glanced down right as he looked up. A jolt shot through me and, for unknown reasons, I thought again of Marren. I forced myself to turn around and walk back into the room, grabbing a few pillows from the bed and throwing them to the floor in front of the fireplace. I laid on top of them and stared at the fire, letting the tears fall, hoping they would wash away my cares by morning.

I didn’t intend to fall asleep on the floor. My stiff body was unwilling to move, and Enid stood over me, trying to wake me gently. “A’lainn, you must wake now. Marren wishes to see you.”

“Then he can come to me. Not the other way around,” I muttered half asleep.

“Very well. I will tell him that, but
I
have something I would like to show you as well.”

I nodded, sat up, and followed Enid with my gaze as he approach the bench to grab the robes. He walked back over and handed them to me. “Oh, the bump is gone. Put these on. I will meet you outside.”

“I’m a fast healer,” I said and took the clothes. I waited until he left the room before changing. A pair of black boots fell out of the folds along with a straight bodice. The function was obvious, but the item did appear rather odd.

I dressed the best I could, trying to use my memory of the way they were on Marren and Enid as a guide. The process turned out not too complicated. On the contrary, it ended up being much easier than I thought originally. I pulled the boots on and wrapped the laces around the leg of them a few times before tying them. I left the hood off my head and placed the clothes I had taken off back on the bench then walked out the door.

Enid nodded with approval and said, “Follow me.”

I walked behind him down the hall and along the balcony above the corridor. He descended the stairs with me in tow. We walked to the doors that had been closed when I saw them the day before. This time, they hung open into the room, allowing bright sunshine to filter out into the corridor. I stood by myself after stepping through the door and into a ballroom large enough to hold hundreds of people. Stone statues of creatures missing since well before my birth sat in front of each window lining the far wall of the room.

The first depicted a centaur warrior, in what I would assume would be life-sized proportions if they still existed, poised with his bow in hand and an arrow ready to be loosed on his target. His face held a serious expression, as his eyes fixed on a spot ahead of him with a large quiver of arrows strapped to his back. His hair, in many tiny braids, sat tied in a collection on his back. To the right of him stood a dwarf, also life-like in size, clad in battle armor. His long beard rested on his chest, divided into two braids and reached the belt around his thick waist. In front of him, with his arms resting on the top of the blades, stood a dual axe. The next statue was the most beautiful and captivating of all. An elf, tall, sleek, and elegant, stood wearing a smooth gown and a belt wrapped around her delicate waist. She held her right hand over her heart with her head bowed, as if in a silent prayer. Her other hand remained at her side, holding a flower resembling a large poppy.

The end of the room held a massive fireplace that almost took up the entire wall. Surrounding the mantle were floor to ceiling shelves filled with more books than I had ever knew existed. I couldn’t believe so many had been written. The dark wood had a red, glossy finish. They were smooth and plain, without the intricate carvings all over them as found with most of the other wooden furnishings in the small palace. I found the contrast intriguing, and I liked the change, especially for a room that held such serenity.