14. In Which Tempers Flare

I enjoyed the next three days immensely. I had an abundance of space in which to roam, I was fed well and often, and I had dozens of windows at my disposal, each with a comfortable place to laze around and observe the great outdoors. What greater joy is there than to sit in the sunlight at an open casement, the gentle breeze ruffling your fur?

The day after our arrival saw me sitting at a north-facing window. I was watching two figures at work in the small patch of field just outside the fence on that side. That was where the food came from; Harol Manor included a miniature farm. The long-term inhabitants—of which there were eleven, I discovered—took turns tending the "fields" and the pigs and chickens. It was actually fairly impressive for the bottom of a crevasse.

To my right two other figures were scrubbing laundry in the clear stream. Sheets billowed out over the sparkling water and bubbles floated recklessly downstream, popping as they hit rocks. I could almost smell the soap.

Almost. That was the one thing dampening my spirits. I was forced to admit to myself that my senses of hearing and smell were impaired. I hadn't heard Tyra, the knight at the Forest stream, or the Manor guard until I was right next to them, and now I couldn't smell soap from 50 yards! What was wrong with me? I tried to tell myself it was just a sinus infection, but I knew better. Telemain's blue poison must affect the senses, too, so not only would I talk like a human, I'd smell and hear like one, as well. I could only hope my eyesight didn't go next. He was going to be in so much trouble when we got back...

While I was thinking these gloomy thoughts the sun had traveled westward until its warm rays no longer reached my stone sill; I was now sitting in shadow. That would not do; it was time to pick another window. I leapt gracefully to the floor and wandered out into the hallway.

As if to remind me of my weakness, I did not hear the soft footsteps of the person approaching until I ran into her turning a corner.

We both stopped abruptly, and I looked up at the girl. She was about Daystar's age and gorgeous in the usual way, with golden hair and big blue eyes. In fact, she looked suspiciously like a princess.

"Oh! A kitty! How adorable! I wonder where you came from?"

I replied in my haughtiest voice, "I do not appreciate being called an adorable kitty."

"You can talk?"

"Apparently." My voice positively dripped with disdain.

"Are you enchanted, then? Is that why you're here? Oh, it must be awful for you, trapped in a cat's form!"

I gave her a good long glare before answering. "I am a cat."

She blinked, seemingly surprised. "Oh."

Just then Daystar, Shiara, and Brandel came around the corner. Daystar was no longer accompanied by the Butterfly; it seemed she had given up when it became apparent that he was paying more attention to Shiara. In fact, I had seen her just that morning flirting with the young guard.

"Hello, Ophelia."

"Oh!" The girl caught sight of Daystar. I let out an exasperated sigh. I knew he was quite good-looking by human standards, but this was getting to be too much.

"You must be the new guests Father mentioned."

"Father?" I asked.

"Well, adopted father, really. Sir Harol took me in when I was only an infant. I'm Lotis, by the way." We introduced ourselves in turn, and when Lotis heard that Daystar was the prince of the Enchanted Forest, her eyes widened in surprise and delight.

"You're a prince? What a remarkable coincidence! You see, I'm a princess." Fifty points to me. "I don't know what kingdom I belong to, but the note that was pinned to me when I was left here said that I am a princess, exiled to the Manor until it is safe for me to return to my rightful place. I have been here ever since. It gets lonely at times, especially since few people my age visit the Manor. And I've never met a prince before." Lotis looked at Daystar through her long lashes.

"Well, there are two here now; have you met Olemer? I'm sure you'd get along marvelously." Shiara grabbed Daystar's arm, obviously eager to end the conversation.

"I suppose I'll meet him at dinner." Lotis waved her hand dismissively. "How long are you staying?"

"Until Varonyr comes back and we can ask him a few questions."

"Oh, Varonyr's always late, so that could be a couple weeks! How convenient." No one asked what she meant by convenient, but I had a bad feeling about it. So did Shiara, apparently; her expression as she looked at the golden-haired princess was icier than I had thought possible, coming from a fire-witch.

...

Dinner that day was a larger affair than the night before; we ate with all the guests, or refugees, if you prefer. A couple were exiled nobility like Lotis and Harol while others had run from war or disease. One man was under an enchantment and he lived at the Manor to avoid odd looks directed at his bark-like skin and leafy hair.

Lotis was a gracious hostess, making sure to talk to each of the guests, but it was obvious that she paid the most attention to Daystar. It was only after dinner that he managed to escape her chatter—dragged along by Shiara, of course. Needless to say, I quietly followed. At first they only discussed the events of the day and the refugees' various stories. I was about to leave when Shiara burst out with a question.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"Who?"

"That...princess."

"Yes." Daystar replied carelessly, then hurriedly amended this statement when he saw Shiara's hair smoldering. "But just in the way all princesses are. Nothing special, really." He waited uneasily for a reply.

"Well, yes, I suppose that's true." Shiara sounded satisfied with his explanation and Daystar let out his breath in relief. He really needed to think before speaking, especially around girls likely to spontaneously combust.

...

The next day passed uneventfully. All of us, excluding the roc and the Butterfly and including Lotis, spent it in the library looking for more clues to the Royal Stick's whereabouts. It was more an excuse to be doing something than a real help, since we were waiting for Varonyr anyway. But humans have such difficulty doing nothing, an affliction I, happily, do not suffer from.

It wasn't until our third full day since arriving that events picked up. I had just found a gorgeous window, complete with a squashy seat, that overlooked the Manor's flower garden, and I was settling down for a short nap when I heard voices below. I poked my head over the windowsill to see Daystar and Lotis stroll into the garden. Lotis was laughing, but Daystar looked slightly uncomfortable and kept glancing over his shoulder.

"You must tell me more about the Enchanted Forest; it's so fascinating! Come sit with me." Lotis gestured to a bench in the cool shade of a flowering arbor.

"I'd love to, but I really must go—I promised... I mean I have to meet—"

"Nonsense! You spend all your time with Shiara. Can't you stay with me for ten minutes?" Daystar attempted to pull away from Lotis, but she had a firm grip on his arm.

"It's not fair! You and Shiara get to travel and see so many wonderful places... and I'm stuck here, dreadfully lonely and with no one to talk to. The others are nice people, but not really the kind you want to spend time with, and not one of them is handsome..." Daystar swallowed, obviously not liking the direction this was taking. He pried her long fingers off his arm and almost got away, but Lotis was quick. She flung her arms around his neck and pulled his face close to hers and... kissed him.

She actually kissed him.

And at that precise moment, with impeccable timing, Shiara walked out into the garden. The kiss wasn't long; Daystar jerked away almost immediately, but the damage was done. I braced myself for an explosion of the worst—and most literal—kind. There was none. Instead, the only evidence of Shiara's fury was in her clenched fists and the red glow of her eyes. I wondered just how angry a fire-witch must be not to burst into flame. It was a frightening thought.

Shiara spoke rapidly and fiercely. "I can't believe you! After all we've been through, after everything you've said, this is how you treat me? You told me you didn't love her! You lied! Just because I'm not some flirt of a princess doesn't mean you have to lie to me! That's it, isn't it? I'm no princess, only a common fire-witch, not GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS!" She slapped him in the face, leaving a burning hand print across his cheek, and she ran back into the Manor.

"Shiara, wait! I didn't mean for it to happen!" He started after her, but Lotis once again gripped his arm.

"But Daystar, don't you—"

"Get away from me!" He twisted out of her grasp and rushed inside, calling for Shiara.

But she could not be found. Sometime late that night I heard her bedroom door shut (her room was next to mine and Morwen's). And unless I'm greatly mistaken, I also caught the sound of her crying herself to sleep.

It wasn't until an hour or two later that I heard something else.