Captain Keller refused to talk more about my magic until he could do more research. He had no idea what having three kinds of magic meant for me. With our impending departure, we stopped our lessons, but were given assignments to keep us busy.
The week before we were set to leave was just as hectic as it had been at the Celestial Palace. We had to pack and be briefed yet again on safety concerns while traveling. I was extra on edge since I knew that not all of us would be returning to the palace.
Two days before our departure, we were summoned to the ballroom. The duchess stood alone in the middle of the room holding an envelope and waiting patiently for us to gather around her.
"Ladies. Your trunks are packed. Your lessons here are finished. You're smarter and more skilled than you were when you first arrived. Your progress is astounding and I am amazed at all that you can do. I know that many of you will go on to do amazing things with your lives. I can't wait to see where you all end up." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, some of you will not be going to the palace with your peers."
A few worried murmurs rose up around me. I kept my eyes on the duchess. She caught my unwavering gaze and smiled. "Only seven of you will be returning to the Celestial Palace in two days. The other five will be sent home to their families for a short stay. Afterwards, you will be welcomed into society at one of our estates if you wish. You are noblewomen, after all. You'll be briefed further after I am done here."
The ladies around me remained as calm as they could be. I still heard a few whispers, but for the most part, the room was silent.
She held up the envelope in her hand. "This letter here has the names of the ladies who will be returning to the palace. I have not looked at it yet. It was a decision made between Madame Trudeau, your instructors, Her Majesty the Queen, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Once I read your names, I would like you to take a step behind me. If you do not hear your name, you will be going home tomorrow before the rest of your peers." She opened the letter and began to read aloud, "'The following ladies have shown exemplary skills in their time as Ladies of Opportunity.'"
I held my breath as she said the first name.
"Lady Masterson."
Rita stepped away from the crowd and took her place behind the duchess, beaming.
"Lady Greene."
Juliet stepped forward.
"Lady Madden."
As Pearl stepped behind the duchess, she smirked at the rest of us.
"Lady Culver."
Lola grinned and looked as though she wanted to skip over to the other ladies. Instead, she remained perfect posture and peacefully waited.
"Lady Bell."
I heard Paige make an annoyed sound as Heather made her way over.
"Lady Taylor."
I almost didn't hear her. I was in shock. It took me a moment before I could move my feet. I swallowed nervously and moved to stand next to Rita.
There was only one name left. I looked across at Cynthia, who was containing her worry flawlessly. She smiled sweetly at me, as if she was waiting to hear what we were having for dessert that night.
"Lady Warner."
I failed to mask my relief. I beamed at my friend as she made her way over. Once she had taken her place beside me, the duchess cleared her throat. "I extend my consolations to the five of you who remain. You're all very talented young women and I hope for the best in all your future endeavors. Please remain here for your briefing." She turned around to face the rest of us. "Congratulations, ladies, you may return to your rooms or the library. You have the remainder of the afternoon off until dinner is served."
We bade her farewell politely and left the room. Cynthia looked radiant and poised, more than I had ever seen her before. When we were in our room with the door shut, I questioned her.
"You knew, didn't you?"
She looked startled. "Knew?"
"You knew about the eliminations." I wasn't accusatory in my tone.
She hesitated, then let her face fall."I'm sorry I didn't tell you!"
I shook my head. "No! Don't be sorry. I knew also. But you were so calm the whole time. Did you know that you weren't being sent home?"
She blushed. "Yes. Didn't he tell you?"
I shook my head. "No, not definitively."
"I see." She brightened once again. "But now you know! We won't be separated!" She wrapped me in a tight embrace.
I squeezed her back and we separated. "You're really growing close to him, aren't you?" I asked.
"Oh, Eloise. You have no idea. I keep telling myself it's too soon to know if I-" She stopped herself, suddenly blushing.
"Too soon to know what? If you… love him?" I asked.
"Oh, let's not talk about this right now! I don't want to compete with you!"
I laughed. "Didn't I already tell you that we aren't competing?"
Her face was flushed bright red. "You say that, but-"
"No. I don't love him, Cynthia."
She began to pace the room. "You don't have to love a person to marry them! My parents don't love each other, but they're married! What if you're more talented, more qualified to be his wife? Wouldn't he choose what was best for the kingdom?"
"Yes, I'm sure he would choose what's best for the kingdom, but I wouldn't marry him if I didn't love him."
She frowned. "You wouldn't do it for your country?"
"Our country needs a queen who is happy in her role- and loves her king in return. I wouldn't be happy as queen if it meant spending my life with a man I did not love."
I could tell by her face that she was quickly spiraling into her anxieties over the situation. I grabbed her hand and made her look at my face.
"Cynthia. I could never become queen knowing you love the prince."
"But what if you do fall in love with him?"
I shrugged. "My statement still stands. Even so, if I ever do fall in love with him, I don't think I could ever love him as much as you do."
Her cheeks went from red to pink, and she seemed to calm down. She took a deep breath and squeezed my hand.
"Thank you. You're a good friend."
We laid out on our beds and sighed.
"So what does he write to you about?" Cynthia asked casually.
I laughed. "Just basic conversational stuff. He apologizes for Captain Keller a lot."
She nodded. I considered asking her what he writes to her about, but I could tell she wasn't ready to share.
The door swung open. Rita and Juliet strolled in and sat down.
I raised an eyebrow at them in amusement. "Did you hear that, Cynthia? I think someone is at the door. Why, yes, Rita and Juliet, please come in!"
Rita scoffed at me playfully in return. "Like you ever had a choice. Paige and Charlotte just got back from the ballroom. We decided to make ourselves scarce and avoid their wrath while we can."
Juliet let out a frustrated groan. "I was in Rita's room when they came back. Charlotte came in, saw me, and said to her, 'Rubbing it in my face, Masterson? How regal of you.'"
"I swear she tried to spit at me as we left."
"We won't have much longer with them," Cynthia said soothingly. "Then we'll only have to worry about Heather."
I propped myself up and looked at them. "Do you know much about Pearl? Any idea what she's like?"
They all shook their heads.
"She's always kept to herself," offered Juliet.
"It makes me nervous not knowing our peers very well," I confessed. "I don't know anything about Pearl."
Rita nodded. "I wish we could ask Anna, but I doubt she's in much of a mood to talk."
"I'm glad we have each other, at least," Cynthia offered. "It should make the next year more bearable, knowing we have each other, right?"
Juliet groaned. "I don't even want to think about how stressful it's going to be."
"We'll get through it. We've made it this far."
"Listen to Cynthia," I said. "She's the perfect person to talk to when you're stressed or worried."
Lola joined us shortly after, with news of how Heather was strutting about their room like she was already queen. I looked around the room with a smile. It felt good knowing my friends would still support each other as the rest of the year went on.
Two days later, we made our journey back to the palace. Once again, we took three separate carriages on our way north. I was assigned a coach with Rita and Pearl. Cynthia and Lola were in another, with Heather and Juliet in the last. I was eager to get to know Pearl a little better. She was chatty enough, but never really seemed to truly speak her mind. She was impossibly neutral on everything we discussed. It didn't matter if it was sunny or storming, the weather made no difference to her. When I asked her about her hometown, she had very little to say. It started to bother me that I couldn't get a good idea of what kind of person she was. I made a mental note to ask Captain Keller if she had magical barriers also.
When we arrived back at the Celestial Palace, we were given our own individual suites instead of shared ones like before. They were spread out across the wing and none of our rooms were next door to another girl. At first, I expected it to feel incredibly lonely, but instead I was surprised by how much I liked my personal suite.
I was taken to my room by a maid. Once I assured her I didn't need anything else, I was able to study my surroundings. My sitting room was filled with bookshelves stacked with poetry books- some of it even in Havarian, to my surprise- while the remaining wall space was filled with landscapes of farms and hillsides that reminded me of the scenery surrounding Ravendale. The windows that overlooked one of the gardens let in bright, energizing light. Once I had taken in everything in the sitting room, I moved to the bedroom. Its walls were also covered in landscape paintings and bookshelves. My bed was topped with a beautiful quilt, much to my surprise. While it was much more intricate and exquisite than the quilt packed in my trunk, it was still a quilt. Up until now, the beds I had slept in were adorned with much more expensive, silky coverings.
I moved between the two rooms in awe. I felt more at home than I had in the past year. I grinned to myself and leaped onto the bed. I sighed happily. "I'm so glad I stayed," I confessed to the ceiling.
I closed my eyes, hoping to take a brief rest, but instead I heard someone knocking on my door. I quickly got up, straightened my skirts, and smoothed my hair. I opened the door, expecting a maid or Cynthia, but instead was very startled to see Captain Keller looking very disheveled.
"Captain? Is something wrong?"
He didn't answer, only said in his thick accent, "Come with me."
I followed him briskly down the hall, struggling to keep up. We went up a floor and into the secret passages Anna had shown me. We went all the way across the palace to the other wing.
"Captain, where are we going? I'm not supposed to be over here. Especially not alone like this."
He didn't answer, only pressed on further. He stopped in front of a door and pulled a key from his pocket. The door opened with a soft click and he pushed it open.
We stepped into a large room similar to his study at the royal family's winter castle. Dark, richly stained bookshelves covered nearly every square inch of wallspace. I gazed around the room in wonder. A telescope sat in front of one window, a set of boxes with strange markings were stacked in a corner. Several writing desks sat in the middle of the room, each with an inkwell and candle, fully equipped for dedicated pupils.
"This is the Celestial library," the captain said. He held out the key to me, interrupting my admiration of the room. "Take this key. I want you to come here and learn what you can on your own until I return to start training you all."
I took the key and looked at him in confusion. "When you return? From where?"
His gray eyes sparked with an intensity I hadn't seen before. "You cannot speak a word of this to anyone. Not even Lady Warner, do you understand?"
I nodded solemnly. "I promise."
"There's been an attack on the southeastern border. You're safe here, but the king has asked me to help the troops fight back. It seems they're in need of magical assistance."
I felt my breath catch. "An attack? Who attacked us?"
"Lowendry, it seems."
"Why are they attacking?"
He shook his head. "We aren't sure yet. That's something the king has asked me to assist with also."
I looked around the room again. "Where should I start?" I gestured to the shelves around us.
"Anywhere. Considering the fact that you seem to possess all three kinds of magic, it won't really matter where you begin. But keep all of these materials here. Do not take them out of this room, under any circumstance. They must remain within these four walls." He frowned. "Please keep all of this- the attack, the room, magic- a secret. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone."
"I promised I wouldn't."
He tapped his foot absent-mindedly and looked around the room. "I know. I'm sorry."
I was surprised by his apology. "You're anxious. How serious is this?"
His gaze snapped back at me. "Incredibly."
"How many deaths?"
He looked surprised. "I can't give any details."
"I understand."
We stood in silence for a moment before he finally said, "I wish I could help you get acquainted with the library, but unfortunately I have to leave very soon. Let me walk you back so you know how to return here."
On our way back, he walked much slower this time, pointing out ways to remember how to get back to the library. Since it was during the day, we passed by dozens of palace staff, but none seemed to notice or care that we were in their space.
When we finally made it back to my floor, I expected the Captain to part ways with me at the stairs. Instead, he walked me back to my door.
"You may write to me at the Red Oaks estate in Glenshire if you have any questions. Don't include too much sensitive information- we can't be too careful. Letters get intercepted far too easily, especially at a time like this."
I nodded and held up the key. "Thank you for this, Captain."
He didn't reply right away, then said in Havarian, "The shepherd cannot trust a sheep, but he can trust a fellow shepherd." He bowed his head and said, "Have a lovely afternoon, Lady Taylor."
"Goodbye, Captain."
I have a surprise for y'all... DOUBLE UPDATE! Enjoy this chapter and the next!
