To the Eternal (Away From Whipplethorn Book Five)

by Hartoin, A. W.

  Tiepolo drove the chariot away and Gledit backed off. The doge blubbed forward to me, followed by his servants. He waved them away and took my arm, leading me out of The Room of the Fireplace to a side room.

  “Show me your fire,” he commanded.

  I lit a pretty blue flame on the tip of his snout. He jolted backward and then surprised me by laughing. My flame jumped for the doge, ran up his snout with legs, and then rolled back down to land in his claw.

  “Remarkable,” he said. “It doesn’t burn at all.”

  “Do you want it to?” I asked.

  He cocked his head sideways. “A little.”

  I snapped my fingers and he gasped before dropping my flame. It went out with a tiny puff of smoke on the marble floor.

  “You must meet my daughters,” said the doge.

  He didn’t order anyone to do anything, but his daughters—all five—came into view a few minutes later. Someone was listening to our conversation and it made me uneasy. I couldn’t see anyone. Where were they hidden?

  The daughters rushed up: Trista, Vanda, Ursula, Stefania, and Filomena. They came in all sizes and loved jewelry as much as their father. My fire delighted them, too. I put flames on the tips of their tiaras and had them jump from head to head. They laughed and said it tickled.

  The doge cocked his head and gave a slight nod. “You are a delight to have with us, nothing like those stoic Austrians.”

  The daughters agreed and said they were sorry that I had to marry someone as dour and boring as the emperor. I didn’t correct them. Max certainly looked dour and boring, if you didn’t know him.

  “I’m glad you’ve come to stay,” said Ursula. “We’ll have such fun.”

  Come to stay? That sounds long.

  “I’m sorry. I only have three days,” I said.

  Trista poo-pooed that idea. “Three days isn’t nearly enough.”

  “No, no,” said Vanda. “We have to take you to St. Mark’s and the human palace. It’s lovely.”

  “There isn’t any furniture,” said Filomena. “We’ll go to the L’Academie. Now that’s a sight to be seen.”

  The doge chuckled. “The princess will go everywhere you wish. I suggest Murano to see our glassblowers. Imagine what she could do with glass.”

  The daughters nodded in unison.

  “And there’s the council banquet and the Moncenigo Ball,” said Trista.

  “Don’t forget the Fortuny family. Their ball is next week,” said Ursula.

  Next week?

  “I won’t be here next week,” I said.

  The doge urged us back into The Room of the Fireplace. “We will see, Your Highness.”

  “Your Serenity, I—”

  “Don’t worry, Princess.” The doge patted my cheek, leaving his fishy smell behind. “You will enjoy yourself.”

  I tried to hold him back to talk, but he wasn’t having it. The daughters formed a row to reenter the ball and the doge offered his arm. I had to take it. I didn’t know what else to do. We proceeded back inside and I glanced around, looking for the exits. It didn’t look like anything led to the outside. I didn’t even know where I was in the palace.

  We crossed over the threshold and I smelled something familiar. Evergreen, clean and crisp. It reminded me of Lysander and my heart ached. I looked around and saw a troll, a devil troll like Lrag, standing next to the wall. He might’ve been eavesdropping on me and the doge. The troll saw me looking at him and avoided my gaze, walking away. There were so many fairies at the ball, I couldn’t feel his intentions. Intentions in the ballroom ranged from murderous to seductive. The troll could’ve had any of them.

  The doge patted my hand. “Your Highness, it is time to introduce you to our noble families.”

  “All of them?” There had to be a thousand fairies in that room. More, probably.

  “It would be an insult to leave anyone out.”

  I suppressed a groan. This was probably in Gledit’s stupid manual. He was eyeing me from across the room, wringing his hands. He was the only phylliid there, so he was easy to spot. “Of course, Your Serenity.”

  His Serenity introduced me to every sea serpent, wood fairy, ashray, and troll in the joint. I wouldn’t remember a single one of them. They were all wearing masks. Hello. It was crazy. But I went along with it. The bissabovas were more than polite. They asked questions about trade and finances. It seemed like I was supposed to have opinions. I didn’t. The things that weren’t said to me were lots more interesting. Everyone was talking about the doge’s retirement. There was fighting about who would take control and the ballroom was divided on who should get the title.

  It was a relief when the dancing started. Although I don’t know if it could be considered dancing. My partners, whoever they were, had to wheel me around the room, sometimes lifting me off my feet because walking was a challenge in that dress. My wings ached from the load. I was so tired, I could’ve gone to sleep leaning on a wall, but the ball was still going strong hours later. No one seemed tired except for me and Gledit. I’m pretty sure I saw him sleeping up against a hairy, blue troll that was so large he didn’t notice a leaf fairy snoozing against him.

  When my knees started to buckle, I told the doge I had to go to bed. The travel had worn me out. He thought about it and I thought he’d say no, but he agreed and I was driven back to my apartment with Gledit. I tried to keep track of the turns, but I was too tired to count.

  “Your apartment,” said Tiepolo, taking my arm to escort me off the chariot.

  “I’d like to see my sister before I go to bed,” I said, refusing to move.

  He shook his head and his pearls flashed in the light. “The children have gone to bed.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “How do you know?”

  “The time, Your Highness.”

  I couldn’t argue with that, but I sure wanted to. I dragged myself off the chariot and went inside after saying goodnight to Tiepolo and Gledit. I was hoping Gledit could come in so we could talk about how to get out of Venice. But, of course, it wasn’t allowed. Always with the protocol. I didn’t know how I was going to get a moment alone with my master secretary.

  I closed the door and Leanna rushed over when I came in. “How was it?”

  “Long.”

  “That’s it?” she asked. “It was your welcome ball. Were there many fairies?”

  “Too many to count,” I said. “What happened here?”

  Leanna laughed. “Nothing. I’ve been reading History of the Dominant Species. There was a copy in German.”

  I unbutton my dress and let it fall to the floor. I hadn’t felt so light since I’d discovered flying in heated air at the antique mall. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It’s all about how verbal fairies are better than non-verbal.”

  “That sucks.”

  Leanna went around to my back to undo my corset so I didn’t hear her answer. I yanked the corset off and breathed deep. She put a nightgown over my head and said, “They think non-verbal have to be ruled with an iron fist because they’re too stupid to do anything without directions.”

  “But no wings are okay?” I asked.

  “I guess so. It’s so weird. Rufus and Fidelé are just as magical as any other species.”

  At the sound of their names, my so-called pets came out from under the bed. Fidelé did his odd little walk and then leapt into my arms. He was meant to be perched on a shoulder, not walking around. Certainly not hiding under a bed.

  Rufus climbed up my leg and nestled on my chest before he started glowing. The warmth spread into my chest and soothed my aching. They were just as magical as The doge or Leanna or me. The fact that they didn’t talk had nothing to do with it.

  “Do we have any water?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  “I need to soak my wing.” I got the medical bags and found Lrag’s spell in the bottom of Grandma Vi’s case. I squirted some into the basin of water Leanna got for me and heated it to steaming. I was t
oo tired to think of a new poem, so I just said what popped into my mind. Hey, it worked before.

  Rest. Rest.

  Soon you’ll be put through the test.

  Smile and bow.

  As only you know how.

  And find a way to win the day.

  It wasn’t any good as a poem, but it worked. I appeared in the steam, exhausted with eyes barely open and then my image went to sleep.

  “Good one,” said Leanna. “What about Rickard?”

  “I’ve been thinking about him. Can you get to him?” I asked.

  Leanna shrugged. “Servants can see other servants. It’s just you that has to stick to the nobility.”

  I nodded and whipped up a tea with chamomile, white willow, turmeric, and calendula. I normally wouldn’t have put so many medicines in one tea, but I didn’t know when I’d get to dose Rickard again.

  I stuck my finger in to heat it, but Leanna said, “What about a poem?’

  “I can’t think of anything.”

  “I have one.”

  A yawn came over me and I rubbed. “What is it?”

  You may write me down in history

  With your bitter, twisted lies,

  You may tread me in the very dirt

  But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

  That woke me up. “You think that’s Rickard?”

  She blushed. “He’s still alive. Not everyone comes out of the Kaisergruft standing.”

  “I can’t believe you like Rickard. You’re so nice and he’s so…Rickard.” I was going to say evil, but she didn’t look like she’d agree.

  “He can’t help that he’s Rickard,” said Leanna.

  “Yeah, he can.”

  “Can you help that you’re Matilda?”

  “Well…oh, I don’t know. I’m tired,” I said. “Give me the whole thing and I’ll use it.”

  Leanna quickly wrote down the poem. It was a long one, but I used it. Rickard emerged in the steam. He wasn’t the Rickard I knew. I hardly recognized him as a kid. He wasn’t haughty or mean. He was fearful and defiant.

  The tea thickened and Rickard vanished. I poured the tea into my traveling flask and popped in the cork. Leanna tucked the flask into her pocket. “What about the eucalyptus compress?”

  I shook my head. “Better not. You can sneak the flask in, but they’ll smell the eucalyptus.”

  “How long do we have to stay?” she asked. “Victory’s out there somewhere and Rickard needs you.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  Leanna left and I put my basin on the table next to the bed. I dipped my wing in and pushed it under the smelly meat water. The aching faded and I got under the covers. How long would we have to stay? I didn’t like ‘have to’. We didn’t have to do anything. We’d just leave. I’d escaped from worse. Getting out of the palace with everyone might be a problem, but I’d figure it out. Leanna and I could lock our door and go out the window. Easy enough. Then I looked around and realized for the first time that I had no windows. Just one door covered in marble tiles. Not a good sign.

  Chapter Nine

  THE DAUGHTERS TOOK me out to Murano the next morning. I didn’t know that Venice was on an island and Murano was a different island. I wanted to take my carriage so I could see the damumoto, but my suggestion was ignored. We took a large, lavish carriage made for the doge so it had plenty of room. The daughters fought on the way there and the way back. It was mostly about who might be elected doge when their father retired. Trista was the fattest, but Ursula’s business was the most profitable. The other three had more foreign trade.

  Tiepolo thought, as First Councilor, he should be chosen and elected. From the talk at the ball, lots of Venetians agreed. The daughters were young, but they were worried about what would happen when their father made his recommendation. They wanted my opinion, but I didn’t read that stupid manual, so I knew nothing about how the bissabova chose the doge. I gathered that it was about business, but fat was a factor. I couldn’t figure out how that mattered.

  Ursula poked my thigh. “You do not eat enough.”

  “I eat plenty,” I said.

  Stephania shook her head. “The people won’t have confidence in your abilities.”

  “The emperor has confidence in me.”

  The daughters clicked their claws together and squeezed in closer. They wanted to know how I met the emperor, when my fire started, everything. When we got to Murano, I demonstrated my different flames to the delight of the glassblowers. I helped them achieve hotter coals for their work and watched as they made amazing swirls of glass for chandeliers. Max needed one for the Hofburg.

  We had lunch on Murano and it was seafood. There was no way I was eating octopus. The daughters were astonished.

  “I don’t eat meat,” I said.

  Ursula smacked her lips. “Octopus isn’t meat.”

  “What is it?”

  “Octopus.”

  They told me about the nutrients, the flavor, and texture. The daughters were as excited about octopus as Horc got about pork or money. I almost wanted to try the octopus until they said we were being served the best part, the sucker. Nope. Can’t do it.

  “You know, my best friend at home is called Ursula,” I said to distract them from me moving my sucker shreds around the plate.

  The daughters leaned in and their claws waved around. “You have a best friend?” asked Ursula. “I thought your sister was called Iris.”

  “She is.”

  “Your best friend isn’t your sister?” asked Stefania.

  “My sister is my sister. Ursula’s my friend.”

  They pondered the difference while I ate my seaweed. The octopus had to be better than that. The daughters slurped down the octopus before announcing that we were done on Murano and ordered the carriage to be brought around. We rode back to the main island and went through St. Mark’s Square. Ursula pointed out the human Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Cathedral. The palace wasn’t exciting, just a long rectangle with a row of arches and another row of stone lollipops on top of that. I leaned out the window when I saw St. Mark’s. It was fancy enough to make Horc drool with three enormous domes, golden spheres, and tile mosaics in the five arched alcoves. When I thought of Horc, I had to think of Victory and the dragons, of Iris and Gerald. I hadn’t been away from them for this long in forever.

  I sat back down and watched the sisters argue about who would look best in the doge’s jewels. They all agreed that Trista would display them best, but Filomena had more lacy fins. They argued about who was the boldest in business and took the most chances. All these things were important to sea serpents. They were more interesting than I imagined. The daughters loved each other and their father. Sea serpents and love were two words I didn’t think would go together.

  Ursula touched my knees and I watched her mouth carefully. She was the fastest speaker and I lost a lot of words when she talked to me. This time, she was slower though. “Do you miss your sister?”

  The daughters got quiet and watched me.

  “Yes. I’m never away from her,” I said.

  “And you miss your brothers?” asked Vanda.

  I smiled. “They’re a pain, but I do miss them.”

  “We don’t have brothers,” said Stefania. “Mother died after she hatched Trista. She was delicate.”

  “But you have lots of sisters.” I tucked my hair behind my ears. “I only have one.”

  They nodded in unison. “One isn’t enough,” said Ursula as we flew over the Grand Canal. She pointed to other palazzos, some as grand as Palazzo Grimani, but none were special to the bissabova. Their builders weren’t seers.

  “Have you been seen?” I asked, not knowing if this was important to sea serpents or not.

  They all nodded. No bissabova could become doge if they hadn’t been seen.

  They told me all about their special humans: two jewelry-makers, a chemist, a hotelier, and a gondolier. I told them about Tess, the first human to see me and they clasped cl
aws when I said she was being held with her family in Paris.

  “Is that why you’re going to Rome? To get help from the pope?” asked Ursula.

  “That and Iris is to be a cardinal.”

  The daughters agreed that this was a triumph for a young girl and that Iris must be a very special sister. We arrived at the palazzo and rode through the main arch into the lovely courtyard in the center of the building. I took careful note of which way we went, trying not to be too obvious about it. I think Ursula noticed. Her sharp eyes watched me thoughtfully.

  The carriage stopped at my apartment and there was a general twitching of tails.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked as the carriage door was opened by a guard.

  “Nothing,” said Trista. “We must hurry to make tonight’s banquet. I need my scales buffed. I have so many, you know.”

  Her sisters grumped about her size. I squeezed out between them and saw immediately what the tail twitching was about. I had a set of six guards in front of my door and none of them was my anubis.

  I looked back into the carriage. The sisters avoided my eyes, all except Ursula, who said, “It’s for your protection.”

  “Who are they protecting me from?”

  She had no answer. The driver snapped the reins and the carriage sailed away. One of the guards opened the apartment door and I rushed inside. “Leanna!”

  She jumped up from her cot. “Your Highness?”

  I put my hand on my chest. “I was afraid something happened.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of all those guards.”

  Her pretty face frowned. “They came a few hours ago, but I don’t know why. I went to the servants’ hall and no one will say anything about anything.”

  “Did you feel any intentions from them?” I asked.

  She colored a little. “Nannies aren’t good at sensing intentions, only feelings of upset or potential. What did you get from the daughters?”

  “I liked them.”

  She made a face. “Really? Sea serpents. They have a nasty reputation.”