Blinding Beauty (24 page)

Isa waited to leave her hiding
spot until the arena was finally clear of all but a few servants
left behind to tidy up. If she could only know that her
invisibility would remain effective, it wouldn’t have mattered when
she ventured out, for no one would be able to see her anyway. Since
her powers had been so unpredictable as of late, however, she
preferred not to take the risk.

As Isa made her way to the glass
hill, it began to look much steeper and slicker than she’d
originally thought. Launce was a good horseman to be sure, but
nothing aside from a special power could have moved a man and beast
up such an incline for such a distance on a surface of
glass.

When she touched it, the hill felt
exactly as she’d imagined, like placing one’s fingertips on the
surface of a clear, frozen pond. The longer she left her hand
against the glass, however, the more she felt a secondary
sensation. Though the glass sat perfectly still, it hummed with
life, and not just a little. Harder and harder it pulsed, until it
stung like water that was too hot.

Isa yanked her hand off and rubbed
it as she walked slowly around the hill’s great base. It was at
least as wide as the ballroom. A strange fear crept into her heart.
She was used to being surrounded by power. Even when the Fortress’s
power wasn’t residing in her the way it did in Ever, she could feel
a wave every time her husband drew near. Even Garin had his own odd
sensation that entered and left a room when he did. But this power
felt... old. There was no other word for it. And in its age, it
carried a weight too heavy for her to touch for very
long.

A movement caught Isa’s eye
through the glass. About a quarter of the way around, a servant
stood, staring up at the hill as she did. The glass warped the
man’s face a bit, but after a moment of study, Isa realized she was
looking at Brokk. He didn’t see her, of course, as she was still
invisible, but Isa suddenly wished she could share one of his warm
smiles. She could use one today.

She stopped walking and watched
him as he studied the glass. He had been raking the dirt to level
the arena, as some of the other servants were doing, but now his
rake leaned against the hill. Placing his hand against the glass,
just as Isa had done, he gave a small smile. She realized he was
touching one of the cracks that had moved down the hill during
Launce’s final ride.

After looking to his left and then
his right, a violet flare leaped from his palm into the glass. A
sharp icicle of dread formed in Isa’s belly as she watched the
strange flame jump from crack to crack, sealing them up as though
they’d never been there.

Then, as if he’d heard a sound,
though she’d been completely silent, Brokk looked away from the
crack and directly into her eyes. The look of surprise on his face
told her that he could see her just as plainly as she could see
him.

Dropping her invisibility, for it
didn’t matter anymore, Isa turned and began to sprint as fast her
legs would carry her. She didn’t stop to see whether he was
following her. He didn’t have to. The power she’d felt in the glass
was far beyond the need to chase someone. Someone with that power
could have stood perfectly still and caught her without a second
thought.

Still, she pressed her feet onward
until she had climbed to the top of the arena and down its exit,
heading straight for the palace. As she ran, she was struck with
the realization that she should have brought her sword. Her power
wasn’t great enough to use it the way Ever had been trying to teach
her, but simply having the weapon would have made her feel a little
safer.

In the sharp cool of the late
autumn morning, her breath quickly grew ragged, and her chest
ached, but Isa pressed herself on. Only when she was within the
palace walls did she grab the first servant she could
find.

“
Find King Everard!” she gasped.
“Tell him his wife needs him. It is of the utmost importance! Tell
him to meet me in our chambers.”

The young woman looked slightly
frightened when Isa finally let her go, but Isa was too upset to
care. The walk back to their rooms was frightening on its own
accord. Each time she turned a corner, each time she spotted a
servant or courtier, Isa nearly fainted with fright. Where was
Brokk? Was he looking for her?

Isa berated herself for being so
naive. Ever had been right to be angry when she had allowed Brokk
into their room. It was careless, and, she thought guiltily, she
had told him far more than she ever should have shared with anyone
outside their trusted circle. It would serve her right if he did
find her then and there. Not that he had to look. He already knew
of all the places she could be.

“
Norbert!” Isa nearly ran to him
in her relief when she turned the last corner. The old guard looked
immediately disconcerted, then fierce.

“
You should not have left, Your
Majesty!” he scolded her, his silver and black peppered eyebrows
raised. “It is not safe—”

“
I know!” Isa grasped his rough
hand and took a shaky breath to steady herself. “The enchanter Ever
has been whispering to you about is here,” she said, not at all
sorry she’d been eavesdropping. “He is the servant that brought me
the midday yesterday. I saw him fixing the cracks in the glass
hill! He will be looking for me, I’m sure of it.”

Norbert’s thin, weathered face
turned to stone as she spoke. “We must summon your
husband!”

“
I’ve already sent a messenger to
find him. But while we wait, I’ll need you...” her voice trailed
off as it dawned on her that she had just put one of her favorite
guards in great danger as well. The older man wouldn’t think twice
about sacrificing himself to keep the enchanter from reaching
her.

Norbert must have sensed her fear,
however, because his harsh look softened just a bit. “No one will
cross this threshold,” he said gently, squeezing her hand. “I swear
it.”

Isa gave him the most grateful
smile she could muster as he unlocked the door and ushered her
in.

Once she was inside, she paced.
Cerise had laid a scone and some fruit out on her little table, but
Isa wasn’t even slightly hungry. How had this happened? How could
she have been so blind? It seemed impossible to have been so close
to Brokk twice, and yet to have missed his incredible power
completely.

Ever had disliked him from the
moment they’d met. This annoyed Isa more than she could say. He had
been right. Again. Her power, even her ability to sense power, must
be failing faster than ever. It was the only conclusion she could
reach for such an oversight. Isa ran to the mirror to study her
eyes. How thin the blue rings of fire seemed! They had been so
bright, so illustrious when she was first crowned.

“
Are you truly leaving me? Am I
that unworthy already?” she whispered. But the Fortress didn’t
answer. The silence that filled the room though was just as loud as
a shout would have been. In spite of all the more important events
taking place at that moment, Isa felt her heart break. Ever had
grown tired and angry with her foolishness. The people of Destin
were confused and rightfully asking what was wrong with their new
queen. And now, it seemed, even the Fortress had grown tired of her
ineptness.

Where was Ever?

Isa paced even faster as she
wondered how it could be taking so long for the servant to locate
her husband. At the Fortress, the servants were the ones who knew
all of the comings and goings of the great citadel. It couldn’t be
that different here.

As Isa passed the rose-colored
mirror in her pacing, something made her stop. Looking back at its
glass, Isa realized it no longer reflected the room. Instead, it
was just slightly beginning to glow.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

Missing

“
This is
your fault,” Launce glared at Ever as he paced.

Ever simply crossed his arms and
stepped back so the young man had more space to walk off his
frustration. The dock was long, jutting out into the sea far enough
to fit a dozen boats on each side, or even two of the larger war
vessels if they were fitted tightly enough, stern to bow. It was
strangely empty today, however. Not even a fisherman was nearby.
Ever wondered if Rafael had ordered everyone to a different port so
he could keep his holy man’s identity a secret.

“
True, it was my idea, but I
wasn’t the one who won the contest. You could have thrown the
results and no one would have been the wiser,” Ever answer coolly.
“Admit it, you liked winning. That’s why you kept your second name.
You wanted to take everyone by surprise.”

“
I didn’t think Rafael would
actually grant me the victory when he saw who I was! Who chooses a
successor based on a game?”

“
It was never about the game. This
self-proclaimed holy man, whoever he is, has decided that you were
the one he wanted to be king. There is something he wants from you
that he thinks none of the others can give.”

Launce stopped walking, and for
the first time Ever saw understanding sink in, and the disgust on
Launce’s face turned to true distress. Before they could say
anything else, steps sounded on the dock.

Finally, he thought as he turned
to greet Rafael. But it was not Rafael who approached him, only a
servant girl.

“
Your Highness,” she curtsied
hastily, “I have a message from Queen Isabelle for you.”

Ever couldn’t keep the surprise
from his face. He’d been certain he would have to be the first one
to make amends. Which, he had to admit, was only fair.

“
The queen says that she needs
you, and that it is of the utmost importance.”

“
Was she hurt?” Ever demanded, but
the girl shook her head.

“
No, Sire. But she did say to meet
her in your chambers. That was all.” Ever expected the girl to go,
but instead of leaving, however, she just stood there, twisting her
fingers and biting her upper lip.

“
What is it?” Ever had to remind
himself to keep his voice calm and kind. “Is there something
else?”

“
Nothing she wanted me to say,
Your Majesty. It’s only...” she drew a deep breath. “She appeared
to be quite frightened.” Her voice trailed off, and she just stood
there for a moment, staring at the ground, before she seemed to
remember that she needed to be somewhere. Bobbing another curtsy,
she skittered back down the dock towards the palace.

“
Aren’t you going to go see what
she needs?” Launce asked.

Ever just looked at him, unsure of
how to answer. His body was completely still, but inside, he was at
war.

If she were truly in danger, he
would be there in an instant, but given the timing, she most likely
had simply heard of Launce’s victory, and was worried about it. Or
perhaps she wanted to discuss the night before. If he left now,
something told him he wouldn’t get another chance at meeting
Rafael’s holy man alone again.

“
Well?” Launce pressed.

Slowly, Ever shook his head. “If
this man is who I think he is, Isa will be in greater danger than
ever if I allow him to escape, given his sudden interest in our
family. I need to know for sure who he is and what he is at.
Norbert will keep her safe until we return.” And if Ever was right,
and the holy man was the enchanter he suspected, Ever would strike
him down on the spot. Judging by Launce’s expression, he wasn’t at
all happy with Ever’s response, but before they could argue, two
more sets of steps sounded on the dock.

“
Rafael,” Ever growled, “you’re
late.” And, to make things worse, it was only a servant with a tray
of goblets that accompanied the king. Fury burned in Ever’s gut.
The king had gone back on his word.

“
You know how these things go,”
Rafael snapped. “I was busy.”

“
Your Highness.” The servant bowed
and held the tray of silver goblets out to Ever then Launce. After
Ever and Launce were served, Ever gave the servant a curt,
not-so-subtle nod that his presence was no longer needed. What he
was about to say to Rafael wasn’t appropriate for the palace
gossips.

“
So,” he took a swig before giving
the king his most displeased look, “I thought we had an
agreement.”

“
I still do not see why you insist
on getting to know him.” Rafael stuck out his lip in a ludicrous
pout. “It is not your kingdom that he’s assisting with.”

“
But the man he has chosen is my
subject,” Ever said, ignoring the disgusted look Launce gave him at
the term subject. “I want to know who I’m sending him off to before
I let him go. Besides, my wife would have my head if something
happened to her brother.” When he finished speaking, the servant
was still standing there. Annoyed, Ever finished off his drink as
quickly as he could and then placed the goblet back on the tray.
Perhaps he was simply waiting to take the empty vessels back to the
kitchen. “Well, do I get to meet him?”

“
Be my guest!” Rafael waved a
meaty hand before stomping back down the dock towards the palace.
Ever watched him go in confusion.

“
Brokk.” Launce nodded at the
servant.

The servant smiled back, the
crinkles in his eyes deepening with pleasure as though he’d just
seen his own grandson. “Young Master Launce, I hope you are well?”
The older man’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he affectionately
shoved Launce’s arm. “How does it feel to win?”