Chapter Nineteen

Clarice, being the capricious urchin that she was, requested evening lessons today, so I was left free the entire afternoon. But I didn't want to be free. I wanted to be as busy as was humanly possible. Anything to keep me from thinking about what Mayra told me yesterday.

So I rolled up my sleeves and decided to perform summer cleaning on my house before the ball. By the time I was done, I thought even a glorious king would dirty the expertly cleaned hardwood flooring of my house.

I smiled and wiped my hand across my forehead. Unwittingly, I touched the pendant pinned in my hair. I whipped my hand back down. There was a reason it was in my hair and not on my blouse. I couldn't be thinking of what Mayra told me.

You have an obligation to save this world, Lannie.

I slapped my forehead to clear my thoughts. It was almost time for Clarice's lesson, and I had no intention of being late.

After cleaning myself up, I gathered my things together and headed out into the cool evening air of Aria. Things had settled down after Fallon's assassination, but the tension and anxiety was still present. As I walked up the main road to the castle, I couldn't help but feel exposed. Not only did my job at the tribune set me apart from everyone else, the fact that I was the tutor for Clarice Faretra made me unique in every way. I did not like being unique.

You, and the other three beings like you, are the only ones who can communicate with both humans and magical creatures.

"Ah! Get out of my head!" My eyes widened when I realized I said that out loud. I slapped a hand over my mouth and walked at a quicker pace. Shopkeepers gave me strange looks as they packed up for the evening. Great. Now they probably thought I was insane.

The palace was in a state of its usual pandemonium before the ball. Servants rushed to and fro, preparing decorations, making plans, and other such things. I saw Philippa immediately upon entering the castle. She was speaking to Maddox, her head lowered urgently with the bulky man.

When she spotted me, a motherly smile lit up her features. "Hello, Lannie. You're rather late for Clarice's lesson, aren't you?"

"She requested evening lessons for some stup—" I caught Maddox's raised eyebrow before I spouted the profanity. "—for some reason."

Philippa nodded, an amused glint to her eyes. "Very well. I will see you later tonight, yes?"

What did she mean by that? I didn't have anything scheduled. "Er. Yes. Yes, you will. Maybe. I have to go now." Bowing to the queen and Maddox, I made my way up the staircase and to the lesson room.

On my way there, I passed the hall to Odelia's meeting room. I would have kept going, but I stopped short when I saw Odelia and Cicero talking together in hushed whispers.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the fervency in their whispers bothered me. What was that snipey old man saying to her?

I ducked back into a hall when Odelia glanced in my direction. I didn't need to hear what they were saying. I had other things to attend to. I continued walking, ignoring the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. Cicero was Odelia's emissary. Of course they would be talking with one another.

When I arrived at the lesson room, I turned the knob and opened the door.

But what I found on the other side made me want to bolt in the other direction.

"Oh, no you don't!" Clarice grabbed my arm before I could escape.

"Yes I do!" I struggled against her, but the sixteen-year-old in front of me had been expertly trained with a sword against her mother's wishes. Compared to my weak arms, she was ten times stronger than I was. Clarice yanked me into the renovated lesson room and slammed the door behind us. I backed against the wall, my eyes widening in horror at what was before me. The dressing screen and the pile of ball gowns were enough to create anarchy within my nervous system. "No," I pleaded. "Don't— I can't— Not again—"

A chaotic light illuminated Clarice's eyes as she stepped towards me.

There was no hope for survival.

                                                ————————

"Come on, Lannie," Clarice chided. "It isn't that bad."

"Isn't that bad? Isn't that bad?" I flung my hands to indicate the monstrous...thing on me. I wasn't even sure what to call it. I felt inhuman amongst all the silk and ruffles.

"We'll try another dress," she said, acting nonchalant with the entire situation. She began rifling through the pile of remaining dresses on the lounge, holding several up for inspection, then discarding them with a dissatisfied Hmph!

Didn't she realize this was torture for me? "We've been through at least twenty dresses, Clarice! I am not going to your stupid ball."

The duchess' daughter looked at me with a firm glare. "Yes, you are." Her lip curled in that way when she was threatening me. "I can always tell my mother about all the heinous things you've done to me."

"Heinous things?" I had been tutoring her for how long now? What an ungrateful brat! "What did I ever do to you?"

"For starters, you yell at me whenever I say things to you and—"

"I do not yell at you!"

"—give me extra homework that you don't even grade."

"It's called bonus work, numskull!" I clenched my fists.

She was ticking the items off her fingers as she went on. "You call me names."

"If you weren't such an idi—" I cut myself off, realizing that I was falling into her trap. "Just stop it!"

Clarice was on her fourth finger. "And you are very close with Titus. I could easily spread a rumor about you two, and my mother wouldn't even take a second glance before firing you."

My cheeks warmed. "What are you? A two-year-old? Who starts rumors and—" I remembered that she was sixteen, and what sixteen-year-old girls did best, I'd heard, was spread rumors with their friends. Instead, I snapped, "You have no grounds to say that, Clarice. Knock it off!"

"Oh, and you order me around—"

"Stop." I disappeared behind the dressing screen and all but ripped the dress off my body. "I order you around because I'm your tutor."

"Yeah, whatever." Her voice took on a tone of concentration, and I knew she was looking at dresses once more.

I was about to put on my blouse and trousers when a squeal came from the other side of the dressing screen. Soon after, something flew over the screen, silk and all. I pulled the garment from the edge and marveled at its beauty. It was a sleeveless dress in a deep shade of red with a gathered satin skirt. I couldn't deny that it was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was simple, but so...pretty. Then again, I hadn't seen many pretty dresses.

"Put it on! Put it on!"

I gulped. I had to be strong on this one. I had to remind myself that I hated dresses, no matter how beautiful they were. "No. I am not going—"

"I swear, if you don't do it now, I'll come in there myself and make you do it."

I sighed and pulled it on. I waddled out from behind the dressing screen, feeling like a newborn foal. I never felt comfortable in dresses.

Clarice squealed again, running towards me with outstretched arms. I tried to dodge her, but somehow she was still capable of flinging her arms around me. "It's fabulous! You must wear this to the ball!"

"Do I even have a choice?"

"OH! Of course you have choices!" She ran back to the pile of untried dresses. "There's also a banquet tonight that I'd like you to attend," she said, picking up a silver dress. "Oooh! I wonder what this one will look like on you..."

With the expertise of a trained walrus, I flung the dress off my body and tossed my regular garments on.

Clarice was still choosing dresses when I grabbed my bag and bolted out the door.

                                                ————————

"Lannie, let's stop playing hide-and-seek. It bores me, you know?" Clarice's voice hovered just behind the pillar I was hiding behind. The guards of the castle were standing nearby, but they weren't paying attention to our antics.

The fading light from the window at the end of the hall signaled that the sun was setting. At least now I knew why Clarice requested evening lessons. She wanted me to try on her silly dresses. That little urchin... I would give her extra homework for this, and I would grade it, too! I thought about her allegations against me. Did I really yell at her all the time?

Suddenly, something grabbed my shoulder. I whirled. "Ah—!" I stopped when I saw Titus' boyish grin.

"Running again?"

"It's a hard habit to break, apparently," I muttered as I glanced behind me. I saw a glimpse of Clarice's emerald gown. I turned back to him. "What are you—"

Titus tugged at my hand before I could respond and we bolted off down the hall. I heard Clarice's surprised yelp, but we were already too far down the corridor for her to catch up. Besides, she was in a dress and I was in trousers. There were serious advantages that came with wearing trousers. Dresses, on the other hand...

"Where are we going again?" Titus asked breathlessly as we turned a corner.

"Titus," I gasped, "I barely know how to get to the lesson room. Your guess is better than mine. Just somewhere Clarice will never find us." I could hear her stomping down the halls. Was she a monster? Who could run that quickly in a dress?

The prince grinned and led me down multiple corridors, surprising guards every single time. "Okay," he said. "Garden?"

"Garden?"

"Garden!"

It was the one with the naiads! "No!"

"Too late!" Titus said, stopping directly in front of the wooden door to the garden. I realized awkwardly that we were still holding hands, so I let go. He turned to me, seemingly nonplussed at the awkward situation that was just diverted by yours truly. "You haven't seen it at night, right?"

I hesitated before answering and studied him. His dark brown hair was more tousled than usual. I imagined him running his hand through his hair anxiously—and multiple times, from the state of it. He was stressed and wanted to get out of the castle. Which was why he was asking me to go into the garden. I knew I'd feel terrible if I rejected his offer, so I consented. "No, I haven't seen it at night."

"You'll love it." He smiled at me as he opened the door, but there was something off about his smile. Something wasn't right.

And that was probably the one reason I followed him into a garden with man-eating naiads.

The entire garden was illuminated by the bioluminescent plants. Blues and purples and greens shed light on the stone pathway that created a maze around the flowerbeds. The flowers closest to me had opened, revealing large, maroon petals. The moonlight bounced off each one; for these plants, the moon was their sun.

"It's beautiful," I said, stroking the petal of a small flower. It shirked away from the heat of my touch. Bioluminescent flowers worked better during the cool of night. That was why they were prevalent in Aria, the kingdom known for its hot summers and cool nights.

I followed Titus through the hedge maze, admiring the bioluminescent vines in the green hedges. Such beautiful plants. The pathway seemed to sparkle with white and maroon hues of light. I didn't realize where we were going until I bumped into Titus.

The pond stretched out before us, as placid as it had been when Philippa took me to visit. But this time, the water was engulfed in starlight. Stars twinkled in the reflection of the water and the moon shone brilliantly on the fountain in the center. The blue flowers surrounding the pond glowed with a vibrant indigo hue, illuminating the pond and cherry blossom trees in a warped light.

It would be paradise if there weren't murderous naiads lurking within the water's depths.

"Nope." I turned and started heading back through the hedges. "Where naiads are, I'm not."

"Lannie, wait." Titus grabbed my arm and tugged me towards the bench. "They won't be out tonight."

"Why is that?" I studied him with a skeptical look.

"Because it's too...cold." The prince scratched his head. He was lying.

"It's because they hate you, isn't it?"

He sighed and smoothed a hand through his hair—for him to be doing that, something was wrong. "You remembered. Figures if it's you."

I followed him to the bench facing the pond. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing in particular." Titus sat on the bench and folded his hands in his lap.

I hesitantly seated myself next to him. "What's wrong?"

His gaze fixed on me. "Well, first off... I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the other day."

I pursed my lips and crossed my legs. I hadn't expected him to apologize for his outburst. That was rather...princely of him. "Go on."

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

He was so much like a puppy that it made me want to throttle him for his sheer innocence. "It's okay... Just don't go punching walls around me again."

Titus smiled at me; it was a smile full of relief. It disappeared in seconds. "The other problem is my father."

"What of it?"

"He's been so unrelenting since he returned from Nor. First, he arranges the marriage after I already told him that I didn't want to marry. He understood that. I told him right before he went to Nor. For him to disregard my wishes like that is just..." Titus clenched his hands together and leaned his forehead against them.

"Maybe he had a good reason for it?" I ventured. Since I didn't know what the king was truly like, I couldn't understand where Titus was coming from. All I knew were a few rumors saying that he was firm and just. Besides, when I had met him, the king seemed sporadic, yet gentle. A kind man.

Titus sighed. The shadows beneath his eyes were made prominent by the moonlight. "It's possible, but it's unlike him to switch opinions like that. It infuriates me."

I shuffled my feet on the stone beneath the bench. I had no idea what to say to comfort him. "Well, your father is a lot like you, so maybe you can speak some sense into him? I know Clarice definitely isn't for the marriage."

"My father is nothing like me, Lannie," Titus said, his voice grave as he stared at me, "I assure you."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "From what I saw, you two are very alike. I mean, you guys smile and tip your head the exact same way."

"I have never seen my father tip his head." Titus looked at me like I was a foreigner. "Are we talking about the same person?"

I exhaled tightly. "I guess we're not, and the king I ran into was a phony!" I glared at Titus. "Of course we are."

Titus shrugged, apparently put off by my glare. "Okay."

Sometimes his easygoingness aggravated me.

A splash from the water made me jump. Ice rushed through my veins. I squinted in the moonlight at the pond, but there were no forms of naiads. Seconds later, however, the dark-skinned naiad peeked her head out of the water, causing the reflected stars to shimmer. When she saw me, she frowned, but when her gaze shifted to Titus, she bared her fangs.

"I thought you said they wouldn't appear tonight!" I hissed, my eyes darting between the prince and the naiad.

The edges of his lips crinkled into a frown. "They shouldn't have..."

"Well, they did." I looked at the naiad, who was glaring daggers at the prince. "What the heck did you do to make her hate you so much?"

He threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know! They do this every time, and I can't ever... Well, there might be one reason, but that shouldn't count."

"What reason is that?"

"Er..." Titus scratched his head. "It's nothing." He nodded to the naiad. "Good evening."

Even though she couldn't understand him, she smiled devilishly. I narrowed my eyes at her. Why was she even here? The naiad turned to me and spoke, "What are you doing with him, Harbinger?"

Her words sent an arrow through my soul. All day I had been trying to forget what Mayra had told me, but now they came back in a rush. ...have an obligation to save this world. ...you can bridge that gap—that rift—between us and free the magical creatures from slavery.

I gripped my forehead and faced the stone at my feet. Titus put a hand on my shoulder. "Lannie, are you alright?"

"I am talking to you, human," the naiad's irritated voice reached my ears through the flashbacks.

I shook my head, clearing the memories from my mind. "I'm okay." I gave a half-smile to Titus and glared at the nymph, trying to signal through my mind for her to shut her blabbering mouth. I didn't want Titus to know that I could speak to naiads.

"I won't be silenced just because of some boy." The naiad growled at me then, her pearl teeth bright against her dark skin. "Answer me. What are you doing with him?"

The boy next to me cast his gaze over at the naiad. A confused look crossed his face. "You can understand her, can't you?"

I stiffened. What was I supposed to do? Lie to him? I turned to the prince. "Er..."

"You can." The statement was one of surprise, not of horror. I gulped as he continued, "How is that possible? I thought I was..." Titus trailed off, his eyes uncertain.

"You were what?" My eyes widened. He couldn't possibly mean...

"I know part of the naiadic language," he replied. "I'm still learning, but I can understand a few words. What about you?"

I rubbed my hands together. I had no idea what "language" he was talking about; the only language I heard from the naiad's lips was Arian. But the last thing I wanted to do was lie to the prince. "I can't speak it. Mother taught me a few words, though, so I can understand some of what the naiad is saying," I said, trying desperately to figure my way around the truth. Then I realized what I was saying. The truth. I had accepted what that witch told me as truth! How had I let that happen? It wasn't possible for me to be a Harbinger.

I gripped my head and looked at the naiad. She was glaring at me impatiently, and I realized that I hadn't answered her question. I shrugged a shoulder at her, hoping that would suffice for an answer.

It didn't.

"Just because you hold a title does not make you above courtesy." The nymph floated to the white stone edging around the pond, spreading her webbed hands on top.

I decided to ignore her and turned to Titus, who was staring intently at the naiad. "How did you learn the language?"

The prince stuttered. "I... Well, I learned it by—"

A sudden melodic laugh interrupted him. "He will not tell you that!" the naiad barked, creating a splash with her webbed feet as she disappeared beneath the pond. Before I could even attempt to dicipher the meaning her words, footsteps sounded behind us.

"There you are."

I turned to see Clarice, furious and red, as she stood at the entrance of the hedge maze.

Titus and I tensed up; we both knew the consequences when Clarice became angry, and passiveness was the only way to calm her down.

"Er, hello," I tried. "What—"

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" She flung her arm around her pointedly. Marching towards the bench, she glared at Titus, who visibly cringed. "Why do you always drag her away when I need her most?" The girl turned to me. "You were supposed to try on more