Kissing Magic

by Day Leitao

  He laughed. “Both, Karina. That’s what most of them think. Secrets come later when there are no ears to hear or eyes to see.”

  “It’s been almost two days I’ve been in Whyland, and I’m still in the dark.”

  “But you’re safe, aren’t you? That was priority number one.”

  His voice was soft, and her heart started beating faster.

  She got up. “We should eat, right?”

  The dining room was on the first floor. The table was long and had seats for ten people. Karina’s seat was at one end of the table, Sian’s was at the other. It was not the first time that she noticed that she got some kind of special treatment, but she was confused as to the reason for that. Or maybe he wanted to sit far from her.

  Raja was at his side, though. She was playful, light, sometimes tapped his arm. Neat for her. Karina felt close to petrified when near Sian, and she did realize it wasn’t attractive at all. But then, did she want to be attractive? She would leave soon, maybe forever. Then, maybe not, if Cayla kept her promise. Even then, Cayla lived in a different world from Sian, even if it was the same kingdom and the same dimension.

  Karina stared at her food getting cold. She’d better eat it. Across from her, Sian was all smiles, at ease and relaxed. He was indeed attractive, if only because of his confidence, easy smiles, and something else she couldn’t quite put a finger to. Was it charisma? Karina decided to make peace with the fact, and make peace with her crush. Crushes happened, no shame in that. It would eventually pass.

  They sat on the living room in the afternoon. Raja played one of the harp-looking things in a calm, soothing melody. Aline and Joel played a game, and Georgia and Matheo were probably working somewhere. That idleness made Karina anxious. She wanted answers, action, not to sit around doing nothing.

  Karina sat by Sian. He’d been leaning back, relaxed on the couch, and straightened up. Karina didn’t care. She whispered in his ear, “When are you going to tell me about that room, about this castle?”

  “I’m waiting for the right moment.”

  “So that’s what we’re going to do here? Wait? I thought you were going to get rid of those Kyons who’d been chasing me.”

  Sian shrugged. “No. We need to take control of the castle.”

  “When?”

  Sian looked away, then looked back at her. “One of the most important things in warfare is patience. Wait for the right opportunity to make a move, and then strike. Everything in its time. A jaguar can spend an entire day laying down, waiting. When the moment comes, it springs into action.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t tell me what you already know.”

  “I will.”

  The harp music stopped.

  Raja was standing beside them and said, “Sian, I need to go to my room. Could you walk down with me?”

  He stared at her, as if puzzled, thought for a while, then got up. “Sure.”

  They left the room. Aline and Joel were busy playing and teasing each other and weren’t paying attention to anything else. Karina waited thirty seconds, got up, and went upstairs to where the rooms were. Before she reached hers and Raja’s door, she heard Sian’s voice coming from his room.

  “And what’s your suggestion then?” He sounded bitter and sarcastic.

  Raja replied, “First thing, realize you’re terrible! Just horrible. Your attempts at romance are pathetic.”

  “You think I should be more romantic?” He said this last word as if it were disgusting.

  “No! That’s boring. Just be you.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize I was being someone else. Would you care to inform me who that is?”

  “Not who, what. A spineless slug.” Raja paused, then her voice was soft and sweet, almost pleading. “Sian, I just want to see you again. The real you.”

  Sian snorted. They were silent for a moment. Karina wondered if they were going to hear her heart.

  “Fine. You’re right. I’m lost, Raja. Help me.” His voice broke. “I need you.” Sian with feelings. That was new.

  Karina felt like her chest was turning to ice. Why hearing them hurt so much if she had proof Sian didn’t like her? Karina closed her eyes and suppressed a snort. Hope, that treacherous light. That’s what she’d been attaching herself to. Sian and Raja were still silent. Silent. Not talking, but doing something else.

  Karina was startled when she heard steps coming out of another bedroom., She ran down before Matheo and Georgia caught her snooping. Karina entered the common room shaking.

  Aline immediately turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

  “No-Nothing.”

  Joel also turned to her, eyes wide as if afraid. “Were you on your own?”

  “No,” Karina replied quickly. “I was here. Just stepped outside. Some air. I’m uh, tired.”

  Aline got up and caught Karina’s arm. “Here,” she said. “Let’s go downstairs and get some water.” She turned to Joel. “Are you coming?”

  “I’ll stay,” he replied.

  “Joel,” Aline said, as in a warning.

  He shrugged. “The rule is not to go anywhere alone. It doesn’t say anything about staying.”

  Aline rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

  Karina felt a little silly walking arm in arm with Aline, but the girl was so nice, she didn’t want to push her away. As they were getting to the stairs, they met Sian and Raja.

  Sian’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong?” He then glanced at Raja quickly, and his worried expression was gone, replaced with a smug smile. “You don’t want to stay and enjoy our company?”

  “We love your company,” Aline said, then laughed. “Just not all the time. And this trip is getting boring.”

  Raja laughed, “I know, right?” She then took Sian’s arm and stared at Karina as if waiting for a reaction.

  Karina pretended she didn’t notice.

  Sian said, “We do have exciting plans for tonight.”

  “What about my answers?” Karina asked.

  Sian leaned over Karina and whispered in her ear. “In its own time, love.” He then kissed the corner of her cheekbone, near her hairline. What the…?

  That was the second time he touched her. That kiss would have been exciting and exhilarating had she received it before hearing his conversation with Raja, now it was just bizarre and unsettling.

  Karina grimaced. “Are you drunk or something?”

  Sian smirked. “Not drunk. Something.”

  Raja again took his arm, and they walked to the common room.

  “Let’s go?” Aline asked.

  Aline didn’t seem to have noticed anything unusual. At least Karina was so puzzled that she stopped shaking. She let go of the girl’s arm.

  “Yes. But I’m feeling better.”

  They sat in the kitchen. Aline decided to make tea. Karina tried to gather her thoughts. Was Sian in a relationship with Raja? Well, that was what it looked like. Then why was he flirting with Karina? Was he flirting, though, or was it just the way he was? And why had Karina been called to Whyland to kiss him? She should have kept in mind the fact that her kiss didn’t wake him up, and known that there were no feelings from his side. She should have known. Well, at least now she had her confirmation. But why was he avoiding talking about the kyons or telling her more about the castle? Such a mess.

  Aline sat with two cups. “Careful, it’s hot.”

  Karina made her mind and decided to ask the question that was bugging her. She made an effort to speak in her most neutral, uninterested voice. “Are Sian and Raja a couple?”

  Aline spit some of her tea. “Hot.” She made a disgusted face, then laughed. “I should pay attention to my own advice. Now, Sian and Raja, definitely not a couple, I assure you.”

  Karina insisted, “But they’re so close.”

  “They are, but not like that. And she’s married.”

  “Oh. But she’s so young.”

  “I know.”

  Married. But that didn’t prevent them from being to
gether, although it would force them to have a secret relationship. What Karina had heard absolutely sounded like a secret relationship. Plus, if nobody knew about him and Raja, it would explain why they didn’t know any girl who could kiss him and break his spell. In fact, maybe he and Raja had come here to spend time together, and perhaps Karina was a distraction. That was why she got special treatment and all that. That made sense. It also explained why he disappeared from time to time. The fact that he didn’t like Karina didn’t hurt as much as being toyed with.

  Aline was staring at her. “You aren’t jealous, are you?”

  Not jealous. More like furious. But Karina just blinked and pretended puzzlement. “Why would I be jealous?”

  “Well, you asked that question!”

  Karina shrugged. “Curiosity, that’s all.”

  Aline waved her hands in the air. “You can’t be curious about that.”

  “It was just a question.”

  “Then I’ll answer. Raja and Sian are like siblings. Siblings. And I’ve known Sian for years. Years. For all the faults everyone says he has, he’s honorable. He wouldn’t be having a relationship behind anyone’s back.”

  “Fine. I got it.” Karina wished she could share what she’d heard and prove Aline wrong, but she didn’t want to confess she’d been eavesdropping, plus the girl would claim there had been a misunderstanding or something.

  Aline sighed. “Sorry. You can ask any questions you want. I’ll answer as much as I can.”

  “Why are there things you can’t tell me?”

  “Ask Sian. He’ll tell you.”

  Karina rolled her eyes. “No, he won’t. He’ll say he’ll tell me later.”

  “Then he’ll tell you later. He values his word.”

  “Seriously, Aline, you talk as if he were this honorable hero. He isn’t. When I met him, he was taking his brother’s girlfriend as a hostage, and he wanted to become king by force. Or worse, make his crazy father king. That’s who Sian is.”

  Aline had a puzzled expression. “Why are you here then?”

  “Sian promised he’d protect me.”

  “You seem fine. I’d say he’s been keeping his word. Now, to what you said before, I doubt he’d hurt the princess. And why would it bother you, of all people, if he became king? He’d be amazing at it!”

  Karina snorted. “You admire him so much.”

  Aline nodded. “Lots of people do.”

  Karina was tired of secrets, especially if Sian wasn’t going to tell her anything. “You want to know why I’m here? In this castle? Because there were these weird creatures following me, following me to my own dimension. Yeah, I’m from another dimension. Anyway, he says he’s here to make sure these creatures, kyons, don’t hunt me again, but he didn’t bother telling you that, did he?”

  Aline showed no surprise, offense, or anything. She considered for a moment, then said, “We knew there were things about you which were secret, Karina. We knew we were coming here because of you, that we had to protect you, and we know that this castle has dangers and secrets, no wonder we’re being careful. I think that’s enough.”

  “You don’t mind not being told the truth?”

  “I was never lied to, and Joel and I came because we wanted to. Sometimes you have to trust people.”

  “Trust Sian?”

  “Yes. You should trust him too.”

  There was no convincing Aline. Karina sighed and looked down.

  Aline said, “I can see something’s bothering you.”

  “Of course! I came here for answers, and all we do is sit around.”

  “We just got here today. Patience.”

  Karina closed her eyes. Two days of following Sian. Other than the bizarre purple room, she got nothing but promises, some weird flirting that she wasn’t even sure was flirting, and she managed to fall in love. So embarrassing. Karina had to think. Think.

  “Are you all right?” Aline asked.

  “Yeah. Great tea.” Karina took a sip.

  Aline had a half smile. “Thanks.”

  Karina smiled back but kept thinking. So the “nobody alone” rule wasn’t really taken seriously. It hit her. Of course not! It was for Karina. She was being watched. She hadn’t been left alone for a single moment since she'd returned to Whyland. Aline just confirmed they’d come to the castle for her. But why? Protection? Maybe. But then, there could be something else. There was only one time when she would be able to be alone, and that was at night when everyone slept. If anything happened, she could run. But then, Sian was so at ease, with all his guarantees that no Kyons would attack again… He probably knew something. Karina’s hunch was that there would be no risk. All she needed was the key to that room.

  15

  Darian and Cayla

  Darian descended narrow circular stairs. For over a year now, he sometimes descended them with Cayla to the former hidden library. They’d renamed it Lost Knowledge library, which was appropriate because so many of the books had unknown authors and unknown content. But since they’d come back from saving his brother, he hadn’t been here, as he’d been assigned a new post in the army and had to spend the day working in Siphoria. He was now assistant to the communication tower. He had never had such a low ranking before. But then, his former privilege was due to his father—and his father was gone. A low position wouldn’t really bother him if it weren’t for the fact that Cayla was a princess and heir to the throne. The people of Whyland had decided as such, based on tradition and old beliefs about the need for a powerful king or queen in the castle. Well, Cayla’s mother had special powers indeed and could manipulate matter and even people.

  Cayla was special as well, not because of uncommon powers. She was special in a unique, sweet way that he sometimes thought he was the only one who saw. Her beauty, on the other hand, was already becoming legendary. She wasn’t exactly a girl that would catch attention at first sight, but the more he looked at her, the more she became entrancing. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Her mother was still renowned for her looks. Cayla was at least a thousand times prettier than her mother, and people had started to notice.

  It hadn’t bothered Darian when it was the two of them traveling together, but now that she was back at the castle and he wasn’t, he was reminded that she wasn’t just Cayla, but princess Cayla.

  There was something else bothering him, as her mother had been thinking of sending her as a peace envoy to Arlenia. He dreaded that idea. He believed that Arlenia wanted a war, as there was suspicious activity on the border. But the worst was that Arlenia’s young king, when still a prince, had spent as much time as he could visiting Whyland, going to balls and dancing with Cayla all night. It hadn’t bothered Darian at the time because he knew Cayla wasn’t interested in the prince. She still wasn’t interested in the young king, but Darian wished he could scream to the world that she was his. But he couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right for Whyland’s princess to get engaged to a simple officer, and they were too young for that anyway. And Darian’s idea of marking Cayla as his was obnoxious as if he were a possessive idiot. To be fair, sometimes Darian did think like a possessive idiot, but at least he caught himself.

  Cayla was standing near a shelf in a corner, in the dark magic section, shuffling a thick book, black hair shining even in the library’s dim light.

  She turned to greet him with her stunning smile, happy to see him, then became serious. “I still haven’t—”

  Darian kissed her. He hadn’t seen her for over a day and realized how badly he’d missed her. Unlike their usual hello kisses, he kept kissing her. Cayla threw the book on the shelf, over other books, and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. He pushed her to the wall, pressing his body against hers, feeling her heart beating against his.

  Cayla then opened her eyes and broke the kiss. Her lips were parted, in surprise, her eyes were pure fire. She spoke with difficulty, “Darian… Do you think…” She was out of breath. Darian started to kiss her neck. “This
is the right place…”

  Cayla closed her eyes, her body trembling. It wasn’t what he’d been planning when he entered the library, and that was definitely not the right place for that, but again they were entering the “almost” zone, treading very close to that threshold they’d been so close to crossing. So many times in their trip together they’d been in that zone, but it had never been so fast, and never in such an inappropriate place. For some odd reason, the spontaneity of the moment made it harder for Darian to find the resolve to hold back.

  The sound of someone clearing her throat startled him. He turned and saw Cayla’s mother. His heart sped up as he fixed his stare on the floor. In fact, he wished he could blend in with the floor, the walls, or the shelves.

  “I’ll wait for you in the central table,” she said matter-of-factly as if she hadn’t seen anything special, and she left them.

  Perhaps the fact that she’d left them instead of talking to them right away said something about the inappropriateness of the situation.

  Cayla’s cheeks and lips were red, but she didn’t have any of her murderous looks. She was just startled. “Darian, we need to be careful,” she whispered.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I saw you and—”

  “I liked it,” she said it with bright eyes and a smile. She then whispered, “But imagine if my mother walked in ten minutes later and caught us,” she looked down, “you know,” she looked at him in the eyes, “doing it.” She walked past him. “I’ll go first.”

  What? Wait, what? Doing it? Despite what had just crossed his mind, Darian wasn’t sure if he’d want to have his first time on the floor or wall of an old library. It wasn’t the right place. Still, he had been waiting for so long for her to be ready, to tell him she was ready, as in this big revealing moment, and yet, here she was, willing to be his in a stolen moment in a dirty and inappropriate place. Darian let the words sink in. Cayla believed that if they hadn’t been interrupted, in ten minutes, they’d be….