by Jay Boyce
“Nice to meet you! I’m Hayden.”
“And I’m Hunter, his better half.” He winked precociously, and she laughed in response.
“It’s lovely to meet you both.”
She grinned at them indulgently until Hunter asked curiously, “So, are you the zombie healer?” She was unable to keep her expression from falling in dismay.
Chapter Nineteen – View
She had instantly recoiled, surprising them by yanking her fingers back and out of their grasp, since they’d still held her hands captive. She recovered a moment later, but not before everyone had seen her expression and actions. Trying to put a smile back on, she asked quietly, “Do I look like a zombie to you?” Her voice had an undercurrent of menace, and her expression had turned colder. She was so happy to look normal, and if these boys dared suggest she still resembled a zombie, she was going to lose it.
“Of course you don’t, ignore the pipsqueaks.” Will had chosen this moment to butt in, whacking his little brothers on the back of the head as he said simply, “Apologize, now.” They both mumbled a quiet ‘sorry,’ and Will cuffed them again before saying, “Well, now that introductions are out of the way, shall we sit down?” He was giving his brothers a look when he thought she couldn’t see him, but there were a bunch of mirrored surfaces around the room, now that she was surveying it more thoroughly. Probably so people couldn’t do sneaky things.
“Yes, of course! Sit down, sit down! Have you eaten? Would you like something? We’ve got plenty to choose from.” Queen Ashanna was quick to take control, leading Jade away from the twins with Will and pointing at the spread of food at the side of the room.
“We’ve already…” Will started to say something, but Jade quickly spoke over him.
“We’d love something to eat, thank you.” Uhm, hello? She gave Will a look, as if trying to remind him that you did not get between her and food.
“Right, of course. We’d love some.” He went along with it almost reluctantly. He was full!
“Perfect, help yourself and then come sit with us.” Only then did Jade notice what she should have seen first! They had delicious plates of food on the little end tables next to them, as if they were eating while chatting. She wholeheartedly approved of this!
Will led her over to the side table and she started to choose the tastiest looking things to put on her plate. Will didn’t seem to want any, so she indicated a few things he should take; she’d steal his plate later. With exasperation, he sighed and whispered, “Where do you even put it all? I don’t understand how you can still be hungry...”
She merely smiled at him serenely as they walked back to the others. He purposefully took a seat where he could put his plate between them so she could sneak the food as she liked. He seemed like a good chap, Will. He was giving her food! Smiling, she began to munch while listening to the conversation going on around her. There was distinctly no mention of zombies to be had.
“But papa, I need a new dress for the welcoming ball!” Tisha’s voice was plaintive as she begged Derrick for new attire.
“You’ve got several closets of dresses, Tisha. I’m sure you can find something appropriate.” Ashanna interjected, tsking at her youngest daughter.
“But…everyone has already seen them! Please? I know! I can take Jade with me! She needs a new dress too!” Jade was startled, caught mid-motion putting something in her mouth when everyone turned to scrutinize her clothes. Self-consciously, she quickly chewed and swallowed.
“I’m sorry, what?” She had been spacing out on sugary goodness and only half paying attention to Tisha’s whines.
“It’s actually a good point. Where have you been getting clothes? Do you have the necessities?” Ashanna was scrutinizing her with concern now. She could almost see the whole, ‘she’s a multi-mage, we need to keep her happy here’ thought bubble over their heads.
Jade shrugged a little self-consciously again, then intoned quietly, “There were some things for me in the closet of the room I arrived in. I’ve just been using those. I uhm… I have a pocket watch and a library card that Eric gave me?” She realized her personal belongs were a little on the pitiful side, now that she was listing them out. Not like she’d had much more than a laptop, headphones, and some clothes at the hospital either, though. She was used to living without many accoutrements.
“That’s...it?” Even Camille looked aghast at her words. She nodded mutely, putting something else in her mouth so they wouldn’t expect her to say anything. And because food. Camille turned to Ashanna. “Mother, can we…?”
Ashanna nodded as she trailed off. “Of course. Make sure she gets what she needs.”
Tisha squealed happily. “Shopping trip!” Jade stared blankly, slowly chewing as she watched what felt like a live action drama unfolding in front of her. It seemed Tisha was getting her new dress. And now–Ahhhh, here she comes! Protect the food!–Jade quickly pushed her plate to the side so it wouldn’t be smashed when Tisha landed on the couch RIGHT next to her, bouncing happily. “When do you have time? Can we go now?”
“Tisha.” Derrick’s voice rang out, warning her. She drooped a little as she peeked at him.
“Yes, papa?” Her voice was reluctant, and if puppy eyes had a tone, she used it.
He sighed. “First, give her some space. You can go after we finish here.” Tisha squeed happily and bounced back to her original spot, while Jade happily reclaimed her food. When she believed everyone else was watching Tisha bounce away, she sneakily exchanged her plate with the one Will had put between them. Derrick turned back to Jade after Tisha was settled and prodded, “What classes will you be taking at Dracona?”
Jade startled for a moment, digging out her pocket watch and noting the time, sighing with relief when she realized it was only 11:30. Smiling, she shrugged. “I’m not sure. I believe that’s why I’m supposed to meet with Eric at two.”
Ashanna was frowning again. “Hmmm, that doesn’t leave you much time.” She got up and walked to the door, opening it. A butler appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and she ordered naturally, “Send a messenger to Eric at the library. Tell him to move Jade’s appointment up to noon.” Jade, who had heard this whole thing, was now the one looking alarmed. That was in half an hour! It had taken them almost twenty minutes just to walk up that giant hill to get here! She started trying to eat a little more quickly, realizing the food was going to be taken away from her soon.
Ashanna had returned, saying simply, “There. That way you’ll have plenty of time to get your shopping done. The dressmakers are probably swamped with orders for the ball, so the sooner you get in, the better.”
Jade stopped eating long enough to ask, “Uhm, when is this ball?”
Tisha tittered happily, “It’s next Sunday, of course! After the first week of classes has ended. Papa always says it’s to reward the students for making it through the first week!”
And for figuring out who the best seeds are, no doubt. That’s enough time for instructors to do in class assessments of the new students. Her introspections were probably a tad more realistic than Tisha’s. Either way, apparently she was going to have to attend a ball, which meant… “Dancing?” She couldn’t keep the tinge of worry from her voice.
Tisha replied first, dreamily. “Yes! Dancing all night long! It’s the most wonderful thing in the world!”
Camille questioned smartly, “Did you not dance in your world?”
Jade winced, mutely shaking her head. When they were still gazing at her with confusion, she said simply, “There was dancing in my world, but my legs didn’t work there. I didn’t even walk for the first time until I came to this world two days ago.”
“What!? Why didn’t they just use magic to heal you?” Tisha’s surprised cry encapsulated their reactions. Shock and pity played across all their faces. Jade stared at the ground, not wanting to see it. It was the same look that she got every time anyone new had walked into her ward.
Jade mumbled softly, “We didn’t h
ave magic.” Silence greeted her little statement as they stared in awe. A few of them seemed to be thinking about the fact that she hadn’t walked or known magic until two days ago, but now she was doing both... She thought the silence might go on forever until Will suddenly spoke from beside her.
“I’ll teach you to dance. It’ll be fine.” She glanced at Will, a grateful smile on her face. He smiled comfortingly back at her, then turned to his father. “Dad, do you need anything else? If we’re going to make her new appointment with Eric, we’d better leave soon.” She smiled a little more broadly now, happy that he wasn’t going to abandon her to find her own way back.
Derrick shook his head, standing up to walk them to the door. She cast a regretful eye at the plate she hadn’t managed to clean off entirely before allowing herself to be led away by Will. “It was lovely to meet you, Jade. My daughters will meet you at the library at around one to take you shopping. I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish here.” Jade smiled up at him. It seemed like the most kingly thing she’d heard yet, with the undertones of, ‘hey, I’m going to give you stuff, so serve the kingdom.’ Whatever. As long as they treated her well, she didn’t mind staying. This royal family wasn’t anything like what she’d imagined, after all. Unless all the shiny was hiding a deep, dark underbelly.
“Thank you, King Derrick. I appreciate your kindness.” She didn’t know what else to say after that, but Will jumped in and hugged his dad.
“Bye Dad. I’ll probably come back for dinner tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you then. Off with you!” Derrick smiled benignly, and the guards closed the door behind them as they walked out. Instead of going back the way they’d come, however, Will started leading her towards some stairs.
“Uhm, Will? I may not be an expert at castle geography, but I’m pretty sure the way out is behind us.”
He laughed. “You’re right, but I want to show you something before we go.”
Her curiosity piqued, she asked. “Oh? What is it?” He just grinned and shook his head.
“You’ll see when we get there. It’s a surprise!” She grumbled, but diligently followed him, trying to ignore the bowing servants along the way as he did. It was still eerie to her. Up the stairs they went, one flight, two flights, three flights…
“I think...this is...high enough...already...” She panted, not used to the exertion of climbing stairs. The one floor at The Green Dragon was okay, but this was too much! Her muscles were burning! Why did people put so many stairs in!?
Will snorted, waiting for her to catch her breath before he jested, “It’s good that we’re here then.” She nodded, grumbling at him. He led her over to the window which she’d just noticed, and she gasped as she glanced outside.
Pressing her nose against the window, she stared in awe. At the side of her vision, she could see the other parts of the castle, other towers and such. There was a sublime garden area to the left which she hadn’t noticed on the way in, and then there was the wall. But what honestly took her breath away was beyond that. The town lay sprawling before them, large and bustling. To her right at the edge of town was another hill, upon which sat more imposing walls and another towering building. She grinned and almost started humming ‘I will show you the world.’
“That’s Dracona.” Will helpfully interjected when he saw where her gaze had landed. She smiled, but didn’t take her face away from the glass. The sky was blue with a few clouds drifting along lazily, but she could now see the high walls surrounding the city. She noticed a few closed gates, but beyond them… To the left were giant plains, while straight ahead she could spot a river, once it was no longer obscured by buildings, that wound into the most bewitching forest she’d ever seen in person.
Granted, it was the only forest she’d ever seen in person. Still, the sheer size of it astounded her. The tallest trees seemed like they would be as tall as the redwoods of her world. Her attention, however, was drawn more to the plains. There, she could see something that didn’t look quite right. She didn’t think they were humans because there was something wrong with how they ran, and also…their skin was green. They were waving weapons around, and she saw the people on the wall pull out bows and shoot them down.
Horrified, she watched them go down, one by one, until there were no more running towards the wall. She slid to the ground, trying not to throw up.
They were dead. From the frown Will was sending her way, this wasn’t exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. Then again, maybe he hadn’t expected for a raid to happen at just the right moment either… It most likely wasn’t his fault…
But reality was settling over the luminous dream she’d been painting. Sure, she might have a chance to go on a shopping trip with the girls, fun! But she could never forget that underneath the shiny of this world lay raw brutality where it was either kill or be killed.
It was a lesson she’d never forget.
Chapter Twenty – Schedule
She conjured a little ball of light in her hand, staring at its brightness. By this time Will had figured out what she’d seen and was studying her, disconcerted. “Jade, what’s wrong? I thought you’d like the view.”
She smiled wanly at him as she lilted, “I’ve...never seen anything or anyone killed before. It’s not a normal occurrence in my world. It was...peaceful. So when I got here, I saw magic as some amazing, bright thing. So far, I’ve used my magic to make things easier or prettier. I’ve considered all the things I can use it to invent or bring to this world. It makes me wonder. How much will this world change me? Will I one day be able to shoot down whatever those were without blinking?”
She glanced up at him, then laughed a little hollowly and put out her ball of light. “Sorry, this is more a conversation for a psychiatrist than a prince.” Getting up, she gazed out the window once more, avoiding looking at the field. She could still see them there though, from the corner of her eye. With a sad smile, she turned away from the window and breathed softly. “Thank you for showing me the view, but I think we probably ought to go before I’m late again.”
“Again?” He asked curiously as he led her down the stairs, happy for the change in topic.
“Yes, the first time I met Eric…which I guess was still only yesterday. It seems like so long ago! Anyway, I didn’t know Raphael had made an appointment for me, and I didn’t have a way to tell time yet, so I was nearly an hour later than they were expecting…”
She regaled him with her first confrontations with Raphael and Lucas as well, trying to remember the good things that had happened. She had people supporting her. She was going to go shopping for the first time ever! She was going to go to school! She could freaking do magic and walk! The good of this world far outweighed its shadows, shadows Lucas had already told her existed. She just hadn’t expected to see it laid out quite so brutally in front of her. It hadn’t even been a fight; it had been a massacre from a distance.
They talked enthusiastically until they reached the library, chattering even as they entered. There was a studious-looking youth sitting there that she didn’t recognize. He, like Lucas, was reading a book at the desk. It appeared to be a common practice, and it made sense since they couldn’t take books out of the place. His eyes widened when he saw them and he stood up hurriedly. “Greetings Prince Will! And…”
“Jade.” She helpfully interjected. She pulled out her library card and noticed Will doing the same. She didn’t mind that he had no idea who she was, and it was pretty easy to tell the royals apart. No one else seemed quite as blonde and blue-eyed. They seemed to have perfected the genes into its most purified form for the royal family. “Hey, gimme that!” Will was about to give his library card to the boy when Jade snatched it out of his hand, studying it.
The crest was slightly different, and she figured it was the seal of the royal family. Smiling innocently at Will, who was now shifting with distinct discomfort, she said sweetly, “Oh Will, I think one of the things I need to acquire is a platinum libr
ary card, wouldn’t you agree? I definitely think that’s on my list of things to get this afternoon.”
Will sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk. “You can’t. That’s one of the things that…”
“Okay fine, I’ll just keep yours. Which way is Eric’s office?” The kid looked super intimidated by her casual theft from the prince and mutely pointed in the right direction. “Thanks. Seeya around!” She waved cheerfully at him and then set off in the direction he’d indicated, Will starting to chase behind her as she checked her clock. She had approximately two minutes to find his office.
“Jade, I need you to give that back…” He trailed off as she very purposefully stuck it into the wallet in her bra, though he obviously wouldn’t know she had a wallet stuffing her front. He shook his head, giving up. The card has his name on it anyways, so she wouldn’t even be able to use it unless she steamrolled a kid like she had just now. The poor guy never even got to glance at their cards before she ran off. Then again, he probably realized that the prince had full access, and whoever he brought that was searching for Eric was probably fine. Probably. Thieving tendencies aside.
She finally stopped, watching Will until he caught up with her. She walked behind him and began to push, saying simply, “Lead the way, I don’t know where I’m going.”
He laughed, escaping from her push to dance a few steps ahead. “I’m surprised you didn’t just yell out his name or something.”
She paused, pondering, then nodded and walked forward, yelling loudly, “ERIC, WHERE’S YOUR OFFICE!?” She heard the thumps of several dropped books from various locations in the surroundings. Will reached her too late to cover her mouth, and she grinned evilly at him as she mumbled in a muffled voice through his fingers, “Excellent idea, thanks.” She could hear someone running over, and when Eric rounded the corner and saw her smirking at Will, he stopped, shaking his head and dropping his hand.
