Whirl (Ondine Quartet Book 1) (20 page)

I shuddered.

Was this something that might happen in the
future? But I hadn't recognized the ondine and demillir. I
reassured myself that it was just a freak nightmare, probably
stress-related.

But the hard knot in my stomach told me how
little I believed my own rationalizations.

After a few hours of fitful turning, I
finally gave up on sleep and got out of bed. It was the day of the
ball, and I spent most of it lolling about the dorm, trying to
shake off the after-effects of the dream.

Chloe came over in the late afternoon. She'd
insisted on helping me get ready and I was grateful. Elegance and
refinement were definitely not my thing.

She fussed over me, more excited than I was.
Sophisticated and luxurious, the dress fit me to perfection. My
dagger was in its sheath, strapped tonight to my right ankle. A
dressy, black-beaded wristlet was my only other accessory.

"Is this really necessary?" I winced as Chloe
tugged on my hair. Pinching my scalp with tight hair pins, she
coaxed my thick locks into an updo.

"Yes," she replied briskly. "It compliments
your dress and shows your tattoo off to the Redavi."

I gave her a wry look in the mirror. "I
highly doubt they care about my tat."

She shook her head. "These formal affairs are
all about presentation. You need to make a statement." Her eyes met
mine firmly. "Regardless of what you think, you need to show them
you're the
sondaleur
."

At seven, two Royal Gardinels showed up at my
door to escort me to the Governing House. Blank-faced and
efficient, they showed no desire to talk. As I climbed into the
black government sedan, I sighed inwardly. This was going to be a
long night.

The streets near the government buildings
were packed full of cars. Couples dressed in formal wear filled the
sidewalk leading up to the Governing House. My escorts drove me
straight to the courtyard and dropped me directly in front of the
marble steps. The Royal Gardinels at the main entrance wore black
tuxedos tonight and they nodded at me as I passed through.

The Governing House had transformed.
Glittering lights decorated every room and it was filled with
Redavi, gardinels, and chevaliers dressed in their finest attire.
Guests socialized while the graceful strains of a string quartet
played in the background.

My stomach rumbled. I asked a passing
chevalier where the food was and he directed me toward the main
ballroom, located at the very end of the west wing.

Just as the library took up the entire corner
of the east wing, the grand ballroom completely spanned the end of
the west wing. The elaborate room was done in shades of white and
gold. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows looked out onto the
perfectly sculpted gardens behind the House.

Two enormous crystal chandeliers hung from
the ceiling, ornate in their designs and glowing with a soft,
welcoming light. At the front of the ballroom, a string quartet
played on a slightly elevated platform. Exquisitely dressed
elementals waltzed on the polished marble dance floor.

My eyes zeroed in on the long buffet table
against the back wall. No sense starving myself, especially since I
had a job to carry out tonight. After loading my plate with an
assortment of fancy-looking appetizers, I headed to a corner near
the back. While I ate, I scanned the room, looking for the person I
needed to find.

Gardinels and chevaliers stiffly lined the
walls, speaking only to one another. Meanwhile, the Redavi chatted
and danced in the center of the ballroom, at ease with the
extravagance of the event.

As I continued to search for my unwitting
helper, I also kept a sharp eye out for Rhian. I'd decided on
avoidance as the best tactic for dealing with her tonight.

"Are you following me?" a voice asked.

I swallowed a delicious cheese and smoked
salmon appetizer. Julian LeVeq leaned casually against the wall, a
small smile playing on his lips.

I glanced at the ballroom entrance over his
shoulder, thinking I saw a flash of silver. "Not now, LeVeq."

"What better time for us to get to know one
another than at a boring function like this?" He moved to stand in
front of me, cutting off my view of the left side of the room.

Ignoring him, I craned my neck, trying to
keep my eyes on the guests.

"Champagne?"

Before I could respond, he gently grasped my
right wrist and placed a fragile glass into my hand. He was not
going away. I finally gave him my full attention. He was flawlessly
dressed for the occasion in a tux that looked both expensive and
custom-made.

"You haven't answered my question."

I sighed. Julian annoyed me, but there was
still a compelling magnetism about him. And yeah, he looked really
good. How irritating.

"No, I'm not following you. It wasn't my idea
to come here tonight."

"Ah. Family obligations. That I can
understand."

His indigo eyes boldly swept me from head to
toe and a tantalizing smile flashed across his face.

"Sweet iris, you look absolutely stunning,"
he said softly.

I refused to blush.

"I have things to do tonight, LeVeq. Go find
another ondine to play with."

"I thought you said you didn't want to be
here."

"I didn't." I shrugged. "But then it turned
into an opportunity."

"Funny." He suddenly looked very pleased with
himself. "I was thinking the same thing."

He took a step closer. With my back to the
corner, there was no room for me to step away. His move wasn't
threatening, but the space between us became much more
intimate.

"Look." I made up for the lack of physical
space with the bite in my voice. "The only reason why you're
stalking me is because I said no."

"Really?" he teased. "I thought you were the
one stalking me."

"Please," I scoffed. "I don't even like
you."

"Are you sure?" He leaned forward and for a
moment, I thought he might kiss me. The subtle, spicy smell of his
cologne washed over me. "You may not like me, sweet iris. But I
don't think you hate me, either. In fact, I think we're more
similar than you'd like to admit. I think you find me interesting
and it scares you."

Unbelievable.

"Wow." I shook my head. "Just when I think I
know the limits of your arrogance, you go out of your way to show
me how much of an ass you really are."

He chuckled. "I'm willing to wait until you
change your mind about me."

"That would be never."

He opened his mouth to respond when I caught
a glimpse of a distinguished, silver-haired demillir on the far
side of the room.

"I gotta go." I shoved my champagne glass
into Julian's right hand with enough force that some of the golden
liquid spilled over, probably onto his tux.

Hurrying, I wove my way through the guests,
keeping the head of silver in my eyesight. I finally caught up to
him near one of the tall windows overlooking the garden.

"Hey, Jeeves!"

Augustin Genevieve turned around, his
periwinkle eyes expressing surprise and delight.

"Good evening,
sondaleur
." His smile
was warm. "You look lovely."

"Thanks," I grinned. "You look pretty good
yourself."

And he did. His immaculate attire once again
gave him an aura of a wealthy, powerful businessman. But the
twinkle in his eyes softened the impression, making him more
dashing rogue than cold CEO. He inclined his head in humble
acknowledgment.

"The last time we met, you said I could ask
you if I ever needed help."

"Of course," he nodded. "Is there something I
can assist you with?"

No one was near enough to overhear our
conversation. "I need to access a prophecy in the library. And I'd
like your help to get in there so I can have a look."

Yes. My brilliant, ass-kicking plan in
action. Ask Chief Consul Jeeves and hope to hell he agrees to help.
That is, if he didn't just go straight to Rhian and report that I
was illegally trying to access prophecies and was asking him to be
an accomplice.

It was a calculated risk. I wasn't sure if
the prophecies were stored in the library, but I didn't want to act
clueless. If I was wrong, I'd at least be able to tell by his
reaction that the prophecies were held elsewhere and I could come
up with another plan.

But if they were in the library, acting like
I had more information than I really had might be enough to
convince him to help.

Jeeves stared at me for a long moment.

"Does this relate to the other help you once
asked me for?"

I hesitated. "Maybe."

He gave me a canny look, and I was suddenly
reminded of the fact that he couldn't have become the Governor's
chief counsel unless he had the shrewdness to navigate through the
tricky waters of Redavi politics.

"
Sondaleur
, I'm happy to be of
service." He held my gaze for a few moments. "It's a beautiful
evening, don't you think?"

Turning to look out the window, he spoke a
little louder for the benefit of those around us.

"Perhaps I could show you some of the
wonderful flowers growing in the royal gardens. We could start with
the white rose bushes. Say in about ten minutes or so?"

FIFTEEN

A few minutes before my appointed
time with Jeeves, I left the ballroom and strolled back to the main
foyer. There was a tense moment when I spotted Rhian speaking to
several Redavis near the entrance, but I managed to avoid detection
by using the crowd for cover.

I slipped down the corridor leading to the
private living quarters in the back. A few Royal Gardinels passed
by, but didn't question my presence. Being the Governor's
granddaughter had some perks. I entered the room where we had
dinner several weeks ago, and exited through one of the glass doors
that led to the royal gardens.

Several couples were outside, enjoying the
fragrant night air. I stayed in the shadows to avoid drawing any
attention. Just as he'd promised, Jeeves waited for me by the white
rosebushes.

"In five minutes, a distraction will pull
people away from the east wing." His voice was low and focused. "It
will also draw away the gardinels on library duty."

He reached into his pocket and handed me a
small silver key. "Third floor, history section. Behind the
bookcase is the door to the Prophecy Room."

I suddenly wondered if Jeeves performed any
other jobs for my grandmother besides advising her on law. He
seemed really good with this stuff.

"
Sondaleur
," he hesitated. "I can only
guarantee you fifteen minutes."

I nodded. "Thanks, Jeeves."

He gave that slight, old-fashioned bow again.
"Of course."

I returned to the House unnoticed and waited
in a small sitting room just off the foyer. In a few minutes, I
heard a commotion and peered through the slightly opened door.
Several Royal Gardinels were hustling guests toward the west
wing.

"But what's going on?" a pompous Redavi
demillir asked, indignant.

"It's for security reasons, sir," a gardinel
responded politely. "We'd like to have all guests in one wing of
the house."

The herded guests made some mild protests,
but seemed to accept that it was for their own benefit.

Once everyone cleared out, I padded down the
east wing hallway and stopped at the thick library doors. Straining
my ears, I listened carefully, my senses wary and alert.

The library's lights were on and the faint
hum of magic vibrated in the air around me. I dashed up the winding
stairs to the third floor. Jeeves hadn't told me where the history
section was and there were dozens of shelves.

Moving as quickly as possible, I checked the
engraved brass section titles at the top of each shelf. After a few
panicked minutes, I finally found the one marked, "History."

How the hell was I supposed to move it? I
examined the enormous book case, pressing the side of my head
against the wall to see behind it. It was too heavy for me to
shift. Even if I did manage to nudge it, it might tip the wrong way
and the entire thing could come crashing down.

There had to be another way. I took a closer
look at the books lined on the shelves, searching for a clue.

It was in the third row from the top. The
blue book's spine read
The History of Ondine Prophecies, Book
1
in gold foil. I pulled it and there was an audible click. The
entire bookcase shifted soundlessly to the right, revealing a
large, iron door in the wall behind it.

There was just enough space for one person to
pass. Using the key Jeeves gave me on the rusty old lock, I pushed
hard and the door swung open. The smell of musty books assaulted my
nose.

The Prophecy Room was a windowless, circular
room. The only source of light came over my shoulder from the main
library behind me. It filtered through the narrow opening, casting
a triangular glow on a small reading table with a desk lamp.

I turned on the lamp and took a hasty look
around. The floor and ceiling were constructed of huge, grey stone
slabs. The walls were lined with wooden shelves stuffed full with
books, some of them so old and dusty I couldn't believe they still
held together.

Time was running out, and I was approaching
the ten minute mark. I might be able to bluff through a reason for
being in the library. But I'd have a hell of a time explaining my
presence in the secret Prophecy Room.

The prophecies were organized into volumes by
year. I moved to the shelf containing the newer-looking books and
found the one that listed visions from sixteen to twenty-five years
ago.

I hefted the thick tome on to the reading
table and flipped through the pages. The prophecies were all
handwritten onto parchment with the date inscribed on the upper,
right corner.