Enchanter's Echo (7 page)

Oh, she was in trouble all right. “You’ve only caused me more with this ball. We both know that wasn’t an invitation you issued.” No, it had been an order.

Edmund laughed. “And you, my little rebel, dared to wear black.”

“I’m not a rebel.” She forced the words through gritted teeth. Despite two men in two days accusing her of such, she knew her heart. The only desire that lived there was for life for all.

“An enchantress who lives with dark mages and who wears black to a white ball.” He laughed again. “Princess, your rebel heart practically vibrates with its own fight song. But this,” he gestured at the crowd, “is for your own good. You’re inclined to trouble when left on your own.” He reached out and stroked a finger along her temple and down the side of her face. “You’re not alone anymore.” His gaze focused over her shoulder, and he gathered her to his side with a firm hand, a sheltering move. She went with his touch, almost instinctive, belonging there with such ease she had to close her eyes against it. Just for a moment. She opened them to meet Lady Helen Rallis’s bold stare.

“Mother.” Edmund’s greeting was awarded with a pat on the cheek from the lady of the land.

“I pondered wearing black. It’s not often I meet someone so daring.” Lady Rallis examined Aurora head to foot. She smiled, her shiny red lips gleaming.

Cowering wasn’t an option. This woman was one of the suns that seared, who’d never comprehend that a gentle touch allowed all to bask instead of quail. Even her son had been forced to tuck his darkness away from her ray. Aurora held her gaze.

Lady Rallis smile grew. “You’re lovely, my dear.” She turned her gaze to her son. “It’s almost time for the announcements. You go on. I’ll keep your little rebel out of trouble while you’re gone.”

From the sudden wrinkle in his forehead, Aurora was sure he, too, was mentally replaying their conversation. What had his mother heard? A whisper of nerves brushed against Aurora’s vibes.

“I thought to take her with me.” He delivered his quick answer with his game face restored.

“On stage?” Lady Rallis tipped her head. “What? Are we announcing the acquisition of the enchantress? Excellent.”

Aurora sucked in a breath. “I don’t have to vow loyalty.” But they both ignored her.

Edmund shook his head. “Ah, Mother. Such beauty can never be acquired, only provided a secure place to alight.” His version of a safe perch was likely a tower at Rallis Hall, one with a lock. He flicked his mother’s shoulder where a spray of white feathers topped her sleek dress. “You look like you just ate the little bird that perched next to you. I’ll leave her with Vin.”

“Edmund.” Lady Rallis’s voice wavered, sounding hurt as she pressed a hand over her heart. “You can trust me to keep all her feathers intact.”

He gave his mother a hard stare and then looked down at Aurora. “If she tries anything, coat her in glitter. I’ll come rescue you, and we’ll escape to the Wild West never to be heard from again.”

Lady Rallis gave a gasping laugh. A senator’s heir would never abandon the Republic of Mage Territories, which stretched from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. To the west was unclaimed land, populated with renegade mages, Nons, natives, fairies, and criminals…not privileged, powerful founders.

He bowed and pivoted on his heel leaving her with his mother. Her nerves stretched farther. Goddess, the last thing she needed was to puff glitter now.

Lady Rallis blinked at her. “Well, he was telling the truth. He’d leave this all behind. For you.” Her mouth dropped, then her eyes softened. Maternal sentiment set in but only for a second. With a quick shake of her head, the expected cunning sharpness returned. “We’re so pleased you were free to attend tonight. Edmund has told us all about you.”

Free? What did she mean by
free?
Versus jailed on death row?

“May I call you Aurora? You must call me Helen. What do you think of the ball?”

Aurora searched her mind for some other truth that she could offer other than the fact that this party was the most dangerous place she’d ever stepped foot in. This room was filled with people who would destroy her and her makeshift family if they found out her secret. “It’s very white.”

Helen tipped her head in salute. “A nice summation. And it’s all the more white thanks to you. Your branches are lovely.” She nodded at a woman across the room. “That’s the decorating committee chair. She’s probably up in wands that you bested her decorations. Oh, look. The show’s about to begin. I’m afraid it’s not very interesting tonight. Just political appointments.” She turned toward the stage.

The crowd quieted as the senator headed a procession of four up to the platform, Edmund among them. At the top, the senator faced the crowd. Around his neck, the Rallis medallion gleamed, catching the light and demanding recognition.

Helen leaned in, throwing her next words to Aurora’s ear. “Your entrance outshines this. Whatever inspired you?”

The expectant smile on Lady Rallis’s face had an anticipatory gleam. Did she know Edmund had cast his destructive spell?

“My entrance was a necessity.”

On the stage, P.U.R.E’s director babbled a welcome, but Aurora ignored him, throwing her whispered words directly to Helen’s ear. “I couldn’t possibly have attended a ball so poorly decorated. I do have standards.”

Lady Rallis’s laugh waved over the silent crowd. Every gaze turned to them. On the stage, Edmund’s father grinned and leaned in to his son to say something. Edmund winked at her. P.U.R.E.’s top guy continued his spiel with an uncertain voice, eyeing Lady Rallis as if he wasn’t sure she was going to let everyone in on the big funny or if she was laughing at him.

“Poorly decorated indeed.” Helen cast whispered words back. “I’m sure all the other enchantresses would feel the same. All the other three in existence, that is. None of them can get enough attention or accolades. They live quite publicly, frequently communing with the goddess. Naked. For all to see.”

“Not my style. Neither the attention, nor the public communing rituals. Besides, it’s been cloudy for over forty days. There’s no light to commune with.” The edges of her soul were wilting from it.

Lady Rallis studied her. It was a moment before she nodded. “I’m relieved. The families, as well as other mages the citizens revere, must uphold society’s rules while beneath the public’s eye. Edmund is so pleased you’ve reunited.”

Aurora didn’t blink at the change of subject, recognizing the disguised attempt to uncover information, but she was so far out of her depth that it was inevitable she’d miss a trick eventually.

Whatever the man on stage said, the crowd applauded.

“An enchantress deemed champion of the Drainpipe,” Lady Rallis continued, “a tough crowd to support. We try to do good for them, you know.”

She found that hard to believe. “How so?”

“The vibe sewers. It’s a revolutionary system. It pulls the trash vibes underground through tunnels to the junkyard’s towers where they’re collected and stored.” Lady Rallis sounded like a sales mage. “The tunnel system removes pollutant energy from the air more quickly, allowing the overall atmosphere of the city, especially the Drainpipe, to be cleaner, easier to breathe in. All without the need for a metallist mage. We’re the only territory in the Republic with this system.”

As if Aurora didn’t know. It was her late father’s idea and his design. Though maybe she shouldn’t judge Lady Rallis’s assumption of her ignorance so harshly. Few light mages understood anything about the pollutant vibes created from every spell they cast. “How nice. The Pipers can breathe easier while they wither under the scorn of the light.”

Lady Rallis’s polite mask hardened. She stared at her son on stage. “Some dark powers are detrimental to the wellbeing of society.”

Aurora gaped in disbelief that Lady Rallis would use the common argument against the dark in reference to her own son. She rallied to his defense. “All powers can harm, just as all powers can do good. Light or dark. Evil doesn’t dwell solely on one end of the power spectrum. Nor does good. Besides, flowers blossom in response to dark mages. They can’t possibly be bad.”

Lady Rallis shook her head. “You won’t change society if vibe violets are your only evidence.” Disappointment rang through the words. “Edmund is right. You do need to be kept out of trouble.”

Aurora lifted her chin. She didn’t need their help. But she’d certainly not kept herself out of trouble. How could she when the Republic’s laws were so wrong?

The governor of the seven counties appeared on stage and took over, announcing new government officials one after the other. Each new appointee climbed the stage stairs to the applause of the crowd and then posed for image spells with the senator, his son, and Edmund.

Lady Rallis gave her an inspecting gaze. “From which territory do you hail?”

Aurora looked her in the eye. Since she’d been forced out of hiding, she might as well enjoy this brief moment. “Born and raised in the Drainpipe, ma’am.”

Lady Rallis stiffened, the muscles of her bare arms twitching. Yes, Rallis Territory had borne an enchantress and the founding family hadn’t noticed. “In which case, I think you’ll approve of the next appointment to be handed out.” She nodded toward the stage.

The governor’s politically correct smile faltered. “In addition to our three new judges and the two neighborhood trustees, we now turn to the Drainpipe.”

The mage in front of Aurora shivered. He probably wasn’t the only one in the crowd who got the chills at the thought of living or working in the Pipe. As far as most Rallis Territory mages were concerned, the neighborhood was trashy, dark, and best forgotten.

“Our fine territory strives to offer the best possible lives to all citizens. In that spirit, we have assigned an overseer to the neighborhood that houses our trash towers, which are vital to the health of the land. I now present the first overseer of the Drainpipe.” The governor lifted his hand to indicate the mage walking up the stage’s stairs. “Mr. Justin Wasten, fourth family, tenth generation Rallis bound mage.”

Aurora froze as the crowd politely applauded. Her breath fled, leaving her lungs to chase after it, dark disaster nipping at its heels. Justin Wasten had just been officially charged with enforcing the law in the Drainpipe. He was quite familiar with her habit of violating the Law of Natural Physique to save a life. The slender man shook the governor’s hand, then the senator’s, and on down the line. Goddess, Gwyn was right. What had she been thinking to offer to help his wife?

Wasten didn’t smile as he bowed his solemn form toward the crowd, acknowledging their meager appreciation. Aurora’s hands trembled too much to risk joining in.

From the stage, he caught her gaze and gave her a single, slow nod. His mouth was a flat line, his eyes hard. Her heart thudded as Edmund caught the gesture, glancing between the two of them.

“Ladies and gentlemages, that concludes our appointments for the evening.” P.U.R.E.’s director finished his good-byes, thank you’s, and well wishes for a happy ball. Aurora tuned it out even as she echoed the sentiment to Lady Rallis and spun away. She shoved her way through the crowd, but the space by the doors was too packed to navigate. Spinning back around, she caught Lady Rallis’s concentrated brow. It wasn’t hard to figure out that the thick crowd blocking the doors had been coerced by a gentle spell. Aurora fled to her left, searching for another exit. She almost stepped out of her shoes, but she couldn’t slow down.

Spotting a door at the side, she pushed through to find a long, golden hallway. Another door gleamed at the end. She hustled toward it and discovered a small bathroom on the other side. Two women chatted next to a sink embedded in a pink marble counter. Their voices halted at her sudden entrance. A soft music spell hovering in the far corner filled their silence.

She should have fled, pivoted, dashed for cover. But surprise and guilt wrapped her tight. Staring her in the face was yet another reason why she couldn’t be with Edmund.

Bronte Casteel stepped forward with a soft, proper smile. “Hello.”

Aurora couldn’t bring herself to reply.

Miss Casteel’s companion jumped forward and grabbed Aurora’s hands. “Ooo, it’s the enchantress.” The woman’s big, sleepy eyes might have given her a sexy look if not for the gaunt pull to her cheeks. “Do you go naked and commune with the sun? I always wanted to be an enchantress! I thought you would look more princessy, though.” She held out their connected hands between them. Her high pitch sang with excitement. “Where’s your crown, your glass slippers? For that matter, where’s your prince?” She released her grip and clasped her hands under her chin.

Aurora shook her head tightly, backing away. “He’s not my prince and there aren’t any crowns in the Drainpipe, nor glass slippers.” She fumbled for the door behind her, but her hands only met the wall.

The flighty woman stepped closer. “Well, you can have tiaras and glass slippers to match every outfit now. Once you’re officially vowed to Rallis, you’ll have whatever you want. I’m Allison Rallis, Edmund’s cousin. I saw you on the dance floor. You two were a picture of romance.”

Miss Casteel looked on with gentle affection for the woman. She was the perfect image of a fairy tale princess—pale skin, dark hair, and red lips. Her blue eyes sparkled with a gentle, otherworldly shine, as if she held the goddess’s power deep within her. Aurora would have smiled in recognition if it hadn’t been for the guilt.

The syphon stepped forward and held out her hand, palm down. “I’m Bronte Casteel.”

Oh, she knew. “Aurora Firenze.” She shook hands with the syphon, but her grip was shaky, torn between fleeing and a desperate need to apologize.

“Firenze, as in the metallist?” Allison cried out.

Aurora nodded, her voice lost for a moment. Her heart squeezed in her chest, trepidation, but also surprise. “How did you know his name?” To everyone else, he had just been
metallist
.

“I know everything about the Pipe, though I didn’t know the metallist had any relatives.” Her high, girly voice had an odd, dreamy tone. “So, he was your....”

“My father.” Aurora whispered and waited for the blow.