by Erin Johnson
Maple sighed. “It went all right. He said the judges had big piles of whale dung for brains if they thought my food tasted bland. But he’s my dad, so he’s biased.”
“I tried yours, too. Everything was amazing, but especially that French toast.” My mouth watered just thinking about it.
“You’re biased too.” I could hear the smile in her voice.
“So what are you going to do now?” My head bobbed as she pulled my hair into a French braid that twisted around my head.
“Go back to working for my dad.” Maple sighed. “But I’ve decided to test into the baking guild in two months. And then I can work toward running my own bakery.”
I smiled. “I’ll be your first customer.”
“Psht! Are you crazy? You’ll be my partner… I mean, if you want to?”
A little tingle of excitement rose in my belly. “You mean it?”
“Of course! You’re an amazing baker and… and we’re friends, aren’t we?”
I laughed. “Of course we’re friends! Oh Maple, that sounds amazing. I wish I could just speed up time and be working with you in our own little bakery already.” I picked at the white blanket over my lap.
“What are you going to do?” She ran her fingers across my scalp, gathering up a bit of hair.
“I’ll stay for the Summer Solstice tomorrow. But after that, I’ll have to take all the money I have left and get a plane ticket home.” I sighed. “Which means home, home, to my family in St. Louis. I’d prefer Seattle, but my apartment is burned to bits, and I don’t have a job.” I shook my head. “But I’ll get a new job, and I’ll keep baking and I’ll get back here again as soon as I can get a visa for it.”
“It’s a lot easier to get one if you have a job here, right?”
I nodded, forgetting Maple held my hair. “Ow. Yeah, that’s what Amelia said.”
“Well, then, I’ll just have to work really hard and open that bakery as soon as possible so you can come back.”
“Maple, I have a big favor to ask you.” My stomach knotted. This was important to me. “Will you look after Iggy? I can’t take him with me, but I know he doesn’t want to work for Pritney in the royal kitchens.”
She finished the braid and hugged me from behind. “Of course, I will.”
I scooted around and looked her in the face. “And you’ll keep him baking? He said he wants to keep Nan’s legacy alive.”
She grinned. “He’ll be baking as much as he wants to. We could use another flame, especially one as talented as Iggy.” She frowned a little. “Though I do hope he’ll be nicer to me than he was to you.”
We talked and laughed, and by the time Maple snored lightly next to me, I felt certain that her spirits were back up and that she’d be fine. But try as I may, I couldn’t sleep myself. I felt haunted by the knowledge that I’d be leaving the magical world the day after next, with no idea when, or if, I’d be able to return.
25
The Summer Solstice
Maple smoothed her skirt and fussed with her hair.
I grinned at her. “You look beautiful. Who you trying to impress anyway?” I bumped my shoulder into hers. “A certain tall, dark, and handsome baker perhaps.”
Her cheeks glowed with a blush.
“Magic doesn’t cut down on the bureaucracy, huh?” I rose on the toes of my gold wedges to see better. “Almost there. Just a billion more people first.” We shuffled as the long line of guests trying to enter the royal grounds inched forward.
“It’s not usually like this.” Maple shrugged, her shoulders covered by pretty peach cap sleeves that flowed into a pleated bodice and skirt. The perfect dress for lots of twirling. “Guess they’ve tightened security.”
“I can’t imagine why.” I blinked, and widened my eyes. “What with a maniac killer slithering around and threats from the Badlands Army.”
Maple shook her head, pressing her lips together. “Can’t imagine.” She grinned. “You look amazing. Your hair’s the best part, if I do say so myself.”
I fluffed my curls and raised my brows. “Grew it myself.”
Maple and I had gotten ready for the festival together. I’d found the perfect dress amongst my magical wardrobe. The bodice was made of skin-colored netting and covered in gold sequins that glittered and glowed. The dark navy blue of the high-waisted skirt made my hair seem redder, and breezed around my ankles. The dress felt beachy and fancy at the same time.
Maple used magic to curl my hair in loose waves, and swirl half of it up into a chignon. I’d helped Maple with her makeup, keeping it sweet and simple, and with her flowy pink dress, peaches-and-cream complexion, and halo of gold curls, she looked like a doll. It took us another twenty minutes to reach the front gate. I handed over my visa and they looked me up and down.
“Miss Banks, this gate is spelled to reveal any hidden magical items and to detain you if you are a shifter. Do you have anything you’d like to admit to now, before passing through the gate?” The guard sounded stern, but his words came out mechanically. I supposed this was probably the billionth time that day he’d asked.
“Nope.”
He handed back my passport and waved me inside, about the same time Maple’s guard waved her on. We stepped through together, the magical field tingling cold on my skin. I gasped. The royal grounds looked so different from the other night. People filled the entire broad lawn leading up to the palace, which glowed blue, green, and gold.
White lights bobbed among the tree branches, and trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne flutes floated on their own through the crowd. Had Pritney and her team made all those hors d’oeuvres?
I shook my head. I’d promised myself that tonight would just be for enjoyment. Yes, I had to take a bus to Paris tomorrow and board a flight to New York, then on to St. Louis. But tonight, I got to attend a beautiful, magical festival, and I planned to enjoy every minute of it. Which meant no thinking about Pritney.
“This is incredible,” I breathed, taking it all in.
Maple smiled. “You haven’t even seen half of it.”
We walked on together, weaving between the many clusters of guests, all dressed in glittering gems and luxurious-looking fabrics. I smiled as I spotted Ben’s grandpa and his date from the wedding. How strange to see someone I’d met in Seattle, here.
The woman who’d given me the contest flyer spotted me and smiled, scrunching up her nose and twiddling her fingers at me in a wave. I waved back and considered going over, but she and the retired ambassador stood surrounded by a circle of important-looking men and women. I’d catch up with her later. I plucked a couple of champagne flutes off a passing tray and handed one to Maple.
“To magic and new friends.”
“Cheers!”
We clinked glasses and I sipped the sweet, bubbly liquid that wasn’t champagne, but was delicious. A loud boom sounded overhead, and I crouched down. Maple laughed and pulled me up.
“Just fireworks, see?”
I followed her finger and gazed up into the dark night sky. Among the stars, fireworks exploded in the shapes of swimming schools of fish, then a starfish, and then a mermaid kicked across the sky.
“Okay, magical fireworks are way better than regular ones. And they’re already pretty great.” I tipped my head back to watch, grinning. Boom, crackle, boom! They drowned out the music from the mermaid band we passed.
Three beautiful women with their long hair draped over their chests sat atop an enormous clam shell, singing an alluring song. Human, or rather witch, women played the guitar, harp, bassoon, and xylophone behind them, clad in navy-blue velvet suits with deep V-necks.
Behind the band, more mermaids swam, dove, and twirled inside a giant glass fishbowl. I was too busy gawking at everything to pay attention to where I walked, and a moment later I bumped into someone. I turned from watching the mermaid band and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I was just—”
Strong hands gripped my shoulders, and I looked up eagerly. I didn’
t realize I’d been hoping it was Hank, until it turned out to be Nate and my smile fell a fraction. That was silly, I was kind of into Nate, wasn’t I? I supposed my feelings had changed a bit after the pantry incident.
“Nate? So good to see you.”
“Imogen?” He said my name like a question. He pulled back and dropped his hands, his lips twitching toward a smile, but not quite making it. “Good to see you, too.” He scanned out across the crowd, his hands balled into fists at his side.
I nodded. “You’re working, I see—on the lookout for someone? More scorched fingers in need of bandaging?” I held up mine and turned it. “Mine’s good as new, thanks to you.”
“Uh, yeah, I mean not really. Just on the lookout in general.” He nodded, glanced at me, and then looked past me. “Well, gotta get going. Have a good time.”
“You too,” I said to his back, as he’d already pushed past me into the crowd.
I turned to find Maple waiting with a big grin on her face, but when she saw my puzzled expression her smile dropped. “Everything okay?”
I nodded and caught up with her. “Yeah, fine. Just… Nate seemed a little off. Distracted, I guess.”
“Ah well, maybe when he gets off duty you two can have a dance or something.” She waggled her brows, and I chuckled.
“I’m not too worried about it.”
Maple looked hard at my face. “Yeah. You’re not, are you? I thought you and him kinda had a thing. You over it?”
I shrugged. “I still think he’s cute, and I wouldn’t be opposed to a dance.” I quirked my lips to the side, then shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it’s just that I know I’m leaving, can’t think too seriously about anyone.”
“Hm.” Maple mulled this over as we walked on, toward the palace. We passed a fountain that poured both water and fire, in honor, I supposed, of the Water and Fire Kingdoms coming together for the solstice. A deep temple bell sounded and Maple pulled me left, toward a big crowd.
“Come on, it’s almost time.”
We slid past people up to a waist-high stone railing and looked out over a sharp drop to the water below. The tide had risen and the moon and stars reflected brightly off the water. But as I looked, I realized it was more than that.
Hundreds of fishing boats dotted the sea, and the people inside them held lanterns in gold and red. The temple bells continued to toll and when they’d finished, the people in the boats threw their lanterns into the air. Thousands of them floated up, gold and red and beautiful. My throat grew tight, just from the beauty of it.
“Now the mermaids go,” Maple whispered.
I followed her gaze, squinting to make out little heads and fins popping up amongst the boats below. The water glowed, brighter and brighter, until I could make out the silhouettes of thousands of merpeople below the boats. A torrent of water geysered up and suddenly, little droplets of water hovered amongst the lanterns, floating and drifting with them. The water droplets caught the gold light. I felt silly tearing up, but I couldn’t help it.
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Maple bit her lip. “It’s always amazing, but they do seem to be going all out this year.” We watched the lanterns and water droplets float up and up into the night sky. Behind us, a man called out over the crowd.
“Cherished guests, please enter the palace and take your seats. Dinner will be served shortly.” He retreated into the palace, and Maple and I turned to follow.
Rows and rows of long tables covered in blue and gold and red tablecloths lined the great hall. The noise of so many people, there had to be thousands of them, bounced off the stucco walls and mosaic tiled floors. Laughter, singing, and chatter surrounded me. We found a couple of seats at a table in the center of the hall and sat.
Ornate floral centerpieces burst with lace-like coral, starfish, driftwood, anemones, and flowers. Further down the table, an ice sculpture of a mermaid swam around a twisting flame. I leaned forward and looked down the line to the raised table at the head of the room. The glass wall behind it rose stories high and presented a perfect view of the sea beyond and the sky lit up with the floating lanterns and water droplets. Not a bad view.
After some announcements, the royal family entered the hall and I stood along with everyone else and curtsied, eyes on the ground. Once the royal family were seated, we sat as well. Food magically appeared on our plates and on the table.
“Dig in!” The king cried from the high table. Laughter echoed around the room, and dig in we did. I ate three plates worth and leaned back, in slight agony over my overstuffed stomach.
“You’re not done yet,” Maple said, rubbing her belly. “There’s still dessert.”
I groaned.
Our plates magically disappeared, along with the crumbs and remains of the main platters. Champagne flutes of the bubbly pink liquid I’d had earlier appeared before each setting.
The king stood, dark haired with a white streak. He raised a golden goblet and waited for the hall to quiet.
“Honored and esteemed guests, citizens of my kingdom and of all the kingdoms, I welcome you here tonight. Thank you for joining in this Summer Solstice Festival. They are always special nights, honoring the peace and cooperation between the Water and Fire Kingdoms. But tonight is even more special.”
The hush over the room deepened and I leaned forward to get a better view of the table. The queen sat beside the king, looking up at her spouse, and to the left of her sat the four couples I’d seen at the baking competition.
To the right of the king sat a young man I hadn’t seen among the royalty before. And beside him sat the royalty from the Fire Kingdom. Something tugged at the back of my mind. Something about that young man beside the king seemed familiar. Where had I seen him before?
“Tonight,” the king continued, “we honor a very special joining of our kingdoms. A joining in marriage.”
A gasp resounded throughout the dining hall.
“Oh, it’s got to be Prince Harry,” Maple whispered, edging closer. “He’s the only single one.”
“Prince Harry.” I frowned. “The one who never came to watch the competition?”
“Yep.” Maple nodded and arched a brow. “He’s the one to the right of the king.” She sighed. “So handsome.”
“That’s Prince Harry?” I narrowed my eyes as he stood. Where did I recognize him from? It’s not like I knew many people here, and if he hadn’t attended the competition, where would I have seen him?
The king put an arm around his son. “Tonight we celebrate not just the solstice, but the engagement of my youngest son, Prince Harry, to the beautiful, fierce Princess Shaday of the Fire Kingdom. To a happy and peaceful union between these two young people, and between our kingdoms.”
The Fire King stood and raised his glass to the Water King, and they drank from their goblets, then everyone else followed suit. I didn’t even sip from mine though. I simply couldn’t peel my eyes away from Prince Harry. And not just because he was handsome. Though he did have a square jaw, bright blue eyes, and a straight nose, that while large, suited him.
Oh my God!
I pushed back from the table and leapt to my feet.
Maple tugged my hand. “Are you all right? Imogen? What are you doing?”
My chest heaved as I stared at Prince Harry, the king’s arm around his shoulders, the impossibly gorgeous Princess Shaday standing at his side.
“And to commemorate this special evening, our new royal baker, Pritney Pricehouse, winner of the recent competition, has prepared a fitting dessert.”
I walked toward the high table like a woman possessed. I knew where I’d seen Prince Harry before. It was Hank, or at least what Hank looked like when his face changed.
I couldn’t make sense of all the pieces, but something was wrong. Hank and Amelia seemed tight. Maybe they’d kidnapped the real Prince Harry a week ago and Hank had been putting on a magical disguise, posing as the prince at night when he snuck into the palace. It wo
uld explain why Prince Harry didn’t attend the competition—Hank couldn’t be in two places at once, could he?
I neared the table, no plan in my mind, I just knew I had to stop this. A three-tiered white cake, dripping with gold and red frosting sat on the high table. The king continued to speak and Harry, or really Hank, cut a slice of the cake with a silver spatula and lay it on a glass plate. His large hands trembled slightly.
As I advanced, he cut another couple of slices and handed them to the kings and queens of the Fire and Water Kingdoms. Then, using a little golden dessert fork, he cut a bite off and handed the fork to Princess Shaday. I heard the murmurs behind me.
“Who is that?”
“What’s she doing?”
“Stop her!”
“Guard!”
Prince Harry looked up then as Princess Shaday froze, fork midway to her mouth.
“Hank.” I said it quietly, watching his face for a reaction.
His brows shot up and he swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I-Imogen,” he stammered.
26
Hank
“Imogen. What are you doing?” Hank pretending to be Prince Harry looked down at me from the raised platform. Gasps and murmurs echoed around the great dining hall behind me. Though my cheeks burned hot with embarrassment, I kept my feet planted firmly in front of the royal table.
“You know what I’m doing. I have to stop you.”
Next to Hank, Princess Shaday had a pretty good poker face. Just one impeccable brow lifted.
Hank’s expression darkened. He leaned forward and growled, “I can explain everything. Later.”
“Later?” I lifted my chin and my voice. “After you’ve poisoned the royal family?” My voice carried, and more gasps sounded behind me.
“Apprehend this young woman!” The king scowled at me and guards rushed forward, their boots scuffing across the tile. I tensed, my shoulders bracing.
