This part of the house felt abandoned. The other Salarians were at the ball, and the servants were avoiding this particular hallway.
I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
Moonlight streamed through an open window, showing a room full of trunks and books and salt charms. The bed was empty, and there was no sign of Ethan.
I slipped inside and closed the door as quietly as I could. It could cause an international incident if I were caught sneaking around an ambassador’s room.
So I needed to make sure I wasn’t caught.
I walked around the room, looking for some kind of clue. Where had they gone? Where could Rosa and Ethan possibly want to go in the middle of the night?
Not the ball. At least, not officially. Why sneak into the castle when you had an invitation?
I studied the salt charms spread across the desk, wishing I knew what they did. Had Ethan used them to tighten my corset? To explode Tullio’s soap cart?
Was he planning something even worse?
I sat on his bed and studied the room, willing it to give me some answers. Where did Rosa fit into all this? She was Castanian. Surely she wouldn’t help a traitor.
Then again, her mother knew illegal magic. What other laws were they willing to break?
I needed to tell Lorenzo about this. What if the Salarians truly had come here to sabotage us? Had Ethan recruited Rosa to his cause? Or had they been working together all along?
Donna Senona knew magic. She could have helped with the attacks.
My heart beat faster and faster. Lorenzo could be in danger. And Father.
If I waited to tell Lorenzo everything with the Rosas Rojas, it might be too late. Donna Senona had done everything in her power to keep me from going to the ball.
So I needed to go. I needed to warn Lorenzo immediately.
I studied Ethan’s desk for something, anything, to show what they were planning. But I only recognized one of the objects.
The disguise charm glowed golden in the moonlight. The fairy salt twinkled like diamonds.
I blinked at it.
Rosa and Ethan weren’t going to the ball. That much was clear.
But maybe I could.
I tucked the charm into my sleeve and hurried away from the Salarians’ rooms. A maid passed me in the hallway, and I grabbed her arm to stop her.
“I don’t feel well,” I said. “I’m going to bed, and I don’t want to be disturbed. Not even for breakfast. I need my rest.”
She backed down the corridor.
“You don’t look at all yourself, Miss Alma. Perhaps some sleep would do you good.”
The maid hurried away, and I ran to my room and looked around. I would need some way to prove my identity to Lorenzo. My story would sound unbelievable, and I might not have time to explain everything.
I settled on his Rosas Rojas and pulled it from under my pillow. Then I sneaked back to Rosa’s room, pulled a piece of hair from her hairbrush, and wound it around the salt charm.
Nothing happened.
How did you activate a salt-based charm? I pictured myself transforming into Rosa and snapped my fingers.
Nothing. I thought back to the night Ethan had demonstrated the magic at dinner.
He had worn it like a bracelet.
I slipped the charm around my wrist and fastened a clasp.
The salt glowed gold, and my skin tingled. My whole body tightened and stretched. Something pulled towards my core until my stomach felt so tight I couldn’t breathe. Then everything relaxed. A breeze brushed against my legs. I looked down and gasped.
My chemise was much too short now. And my legs were as thin as vines. I walked to the mirror and stared at myself.
I was Rosa!
Angry patches of red now covered my right arm. The healing scars didn’t hurt, but they looked painful. I traced the marks with my finger then swung my arms in circles. Each motion felt exaggerated with Rosa’s long limbs.
But I didn’t have time to waste comparing Rosa’s body to mine. I wrapped one of her robes around myself to hide my short chemise and searched her wardrobe for something appropriate for a ball. I passed over the yellow gown with ruffles and pockets. She had worn that already.
Her clothes were made of cotton and suitable only for country life. Terrible. Finally, I felt something made of silk and pulled it forward.
It was the dress she wore to the wedding.
Was this really the only other nice dress she owned?
I checked the rest of the wardrobe but didn’t find anything better. I draped the green dress on her bed. Then I found a few hairpins and pulled my hair into a simple chignon. It looked decent, but I wasn’t satisfied with that.
Rosa was of age. That meant I could wear jewels.
I opened her jewelry box. It was empty except for the silver chain she had worn to the first ball.
Honestly, what did Rosa and Donna Senona have against jewelry? Why did they leave their family heirlooms in the Garden District?
I closed the box. I would rather wear nothing than that ugly chain.
Now if only I knew the dressing charm! I formed my soul loop and copied Tía Teresa’s movements. The gown rustled on the bed but didn’t appear on my body. The salt charm tingled against my wrist.
I examined it, wondering if I could use salt magic to control fabric.
Probably, but I didn’t have time to figure out how.
I ran to the hallway and found a servant dusting a vase.
“Fetch the seamstress and hire a carriage. I’m going to the ball.”
Chapter 21
I swung my arms as I walked to the carriage. It wasn’t proper, but Rosa’s gangly arms seemed made for swinging. It was so easy to get in the carriage with her long legs that I understood why she never waited for the footmen. I took the hand Rodrigo offered me just to be proper, and my sleeve slipped up, revealing the salt charm and Rosa’s healing scars. I pulled it back down, but the footman didn’t seem suspicious.
I searched the woods as we traveled but saw no sign of Rosa and Ethan. Where they going to the castle? Hiding deep in the forest?
The ball seemed the best place for an attack, but both had been invited and chosen not to attend. Where else would they go?
I couldn’t make sense of it, but Lorenzo had an army at his disposal. He could send them to search for trouble as soon as I warned him.
We reached the castle. I leaped out of the carriage and climbed the stairs two at a time, ignoring the footman waiting to receive me. It was easy to move fast when you were this tall, and I needed to hurry.
No one would think it strange if Rosa defied tradition.
A servant jogged after me as I ran through the castle hallways, but I didn’t need his help to find my way. I paused in front of Lorenzo’s portrait to catch my breath, then hurried into the ballroom.
I didn’t have an invitation to hand to the footman at the top of the stairs. He crossed his arms and studied my simple gown with a sneer.
“I’m Donna Rosa,” I said. “My mother, Donna Senona, arrived earlier this evening. I am included in her invitation.”
Rosa’s voice rang through my head, sounding nothing like I expected. It caught me off guard every time I opened my mouth. I half expected the footman to notice the strangeness and turn me away.
Instead, he picked up a box of invitations and sorted through them.
I tapped my foot and surveyed the crowd below. Lorenzo chatted with a group of diplomats across the ballroom. I was so close! I was probably fast enough in Rosa’s body to outrun the footman, but was it worth causing a scene?
“Here we are,” the footman said.
He cleared his throat and stood tall.
“Announcing Donna Rosa.”
I smiled. The name wasn’t my own, but I was a donna for the time being. Nobles stared at the girl who dared to arrive late, but quickly lost interest. I couldn’t blame them. I looked very plain.
The dancing had already begun. I dodg
ed twirling couples as I hurried towards Lorenzo and wondered who he had chosen as a partner for the first dance.
Donna Senona caught me before I reached him.
“I thought you were staying home tonight, dear. Are you feeling well?”
Her face was tight with worry. Surely she had known Rosa was faking her illness?
Or was she more concerned that her daughter wasn’t fulfilling her mission?
I shrugged, doing my best Rosa impersonation.
“I feel better now.”
Rosa’s voice still sounded all wrong to me, but it must have seemed alright to Donna Senona because she didn’t question my statement. Instead, she put a hand on my shoulder.
“Did you talk to Alma before you left? I may have upset her this afternoon.”
That was one way to put it. I forced myself to smile.
“Alma went to bed early.”
Donna Senona almost looked sorry.
“Has she said anything to you, Rosa? I know the past few days have been difficult for her.”
I shrugged again, not eager to continue the conversation. What would I do if Donna Senona asked the real Rosa about the ball tomorrow? Would they suspect I had been the one impersonating her?
It might not matter if she was planning an attack with Ethan, but it would be best to say as little as possible.
I needed to get to Lorenzo. The longer I stayed here, the more chance there was that Donna Senona would ask Rosa something I couldn’t answer.
Mirella and Don Diego danced past me. She whispered something to him and gestured to me. He laughed, and his mustache twitched. I felt hurt, then remembered I was Rosa. They were laughing at Rosa, not me.
Carlo and his dance partner were also watching me, but they seemed less amused. I glared back at them. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but I had no way of knowing what she had against Rosa. I held her gaze until Carlo twirled her away towards his parents.
Martina and Rafael glared at me from the corner of the room. No, not quite at me. I followed their gaze and saw Lorenzo talking to my father and the admiral. He was so close!
“Excuse me, Mother.”
I curtsied to Donna Senona and crossed the ballroom with long strides before she could protest. Finally, I had reached Lorenzo.
The prince bowed I approached, but he made no move to leave the group.
He had no reason to speak to Rosa.
Father beckoned to me, and I moved to his side.
“Is Alma alright?” he asked. “She must be very ill to miss the ball.”
He looked so concerned! Tears welled up in my eyes, and I blinked them away. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him. But I couldn’t say anything that would ruin my disguise. I couldn’t tell him about Donna Senona yet.
“Alma is fine,” I said. “She misses you, but she’s glad that you can help the prince.”
I stepped forward, forcing my way into the group. Lorenzo nodded in greeting, and I winked.
He frowned at me.
Right, I was Rosa. He had never spoken to Rosa.
“Alma isn’t well?” he asked Father. “Please excuse me. I should send someone to check on her.”
“She gave me a message,” I said before he left.
Father waited for me to continue.
“Um, a private message.”
He stepped forward.
“For Lorenzo.”
“Prince Lorenzo, Rosa,” Father whispered.
“Alma gave me a message for Prince Lorenzo. Will you dance with me, Your Highness?”
I held out my hand. Lorenzo raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure you’re well, Rosa?” Father said. “You’re acting very strange.”
I kept my hand out, staring into Lorenzo’s eyes. Willing him to accept. Finally, he nodded. His hand rested on my waist as he swept me onto the dance floor.
In Rosa’s body, I was taller than him. I had to tilt my chin down as we danced.
“What did Alma say?” he asked. “I was not aware that you two were close.”
“We’re not. I- I’m not really Rosa.”
His eyebrows rose even further.
“I’m not in the mood for games, Donna Rosa. Perhaps I should see to my other guests.”
I hadn’t anticipated that he wouldn’t believe me. He loosened his grip on my waist. I clutched his hand and pulled him close.
“The green dress,” I said. “I was going to wear the green dress with ribbons that I wore in our dream. I wanted to surprise you, but Donna Senona destroyed it.”
He looked shocked.
“Alma told you about our dream?”
“I’m Alma.”
Prince Lorenzo stopped dancing. I crashed into him, and he caught me before I fell. I was close enough to feel his heart beating.
“I brought the Rosas Rojas to prove it,” I said. “The one you gave me at the last ball.”
I held up my arm so he could see the rose hidden in my sleeve. He raised an eyebrow, but I could tell he still didn’t believe me. People danced by and stared at us. I stepped back and pulled him into the dance steps again.
“I tried to hold your hand in our last dream,” I whispered. “It triggered the magical chaperon.”
“I can’t believe Alma told you that. She had better not have told you anything else.”
He narrowed his eyes, and I swallowed. He thought I had broken my oath and told Rosa about the Salarians. How could I make him believe me?
“Listen carefully,” I said. “I’m Alma. I’m using a salt charm to disguise myself as Rosa because Donna Senona destroyed my dress to keep me from coming. You might be in danger. The real Rosa and Ethan pretended to be sick to avoid the ball, but they sneaked away from the house as soon as it got dark. I don’t know where they’re going, but they might be planning another attack.”
“You’re talking nonsense, Rosa.”
“I’m not Rosa. I disguised myself with magic.”
I pulled my sleeve up and showed him the charm fastened around my wrist.
“Is that a salt charm?”
I grinned at him. It felt uncomfortable, as if Rosa’s face didn’t smile often.
“This is the charm Ethan showed me at dinner. The one that he used to transform himself into a footman. I borrowed it from his room.”
“Rosa, you shouldn’t be using salt magic you’re not trained to use. Take it off.”
He reached for the charm. I pulled my arm away.
“I can’t take it off here. Everyone will see me transform.”
“By the roses! Come with me.”
Lorenzo guided me to the edge of the room as we danced. I took a deep breath, intending to sigh dramatically.
I couldn’t get enough air.
Chapter 22
My corset laces creaked as they pulled tighter. I fought back panic and gasped for breath.
“Rosa? Are you well?”
My wrist tingled, and I looked down. The salt in the charm was losing its shine. Lorenzo stared at my face, which had started itching.
“Your eyes just changed shape,” he said. “How is that possible?”
The corset tightened again, and I gritted my teeth. I had magic now. Not much, but I could fight back.
I used the memory of Mirella to form my soul loop and pushed my magic into the corset laces to loosen them. It worked for a moment, but whoever was attacking me tightened them again. I gasped and leaned on Lorenzo for support.
He was still staring at my eyes.
“Alma?” he whispered.
“Your guards,” I said. “Help.”
At least, I tried to say it. I didn’t have enough air to make the sounds
Blast Lorenzo and his guards! He had assured me that they would be on the lookout and prevent another attack.
But the guards were watching for Alma, not Rosa.
If I had more power, maybe I could stop them. I narrowed my soul loop and pushed it through the salt charm. Fairy salt was easy to use. Would combining it with my soul
loop give me enough magic?
The corset loosened. I took a deep breath and copied the motion I had seen when I linked souls with Renata. The charm to stretch fabric. The corset loosened even more. I sighed with relief and glanced around the ballroom. Was my attacker nearby?
The guests were either dancing or holding wine glasses, not waving their hands to work a spell.
Only the Light Guild masters were obviously working magic. Could one of them be-
“Alma, your face.”
I looked in a mirror on the wall. My eyes had changed back into my own, and the rest of my face was trying to follow. I looked down at my wrist and groaned. Most of the silvery salt in the charm had gone dull. It was losing power.
I pushed more of my soul loop through the charm, and my face transformed back into Rosa’s. Lorenzo leaned close to whisper to me.
“Alma, how is this possible?”
“Be careful, Your Highness. Everyone will think you’re flirting with Rosa.”
“By the roses, Alma! This is serious!”
“I know. Rosa and Ethan are up to something, and someone just tightened my corset again. You might be in danger.”
“Alma, take that charm off now.”
“It’s fine.”
“You don’t know how to use it.”
“You don’t need training to work salt magic.”
Lorenzo pulled me towards the balcony, but I pulled back.
“You need to send guards to find Ethan and Rosa.”
“I’m more worried about you right now.”
“Don’t worry about me. This charm is easy to use.”
But it was becoming more difficult to maintain the transformation. The charm pushed against my soul loop and resisted it. I searched for a memory with stronger emotions and thought of my mother. My soul loop spun faster as emotions churned inside of me.
“I’ll take care of them when I know you’re safe. Give me the charm.”
“What about the attack in the market? If Ethan caused that, he’s dangerous. He could be a serious threat!”
Lorenzo waved at a servant.
“Fetch a doctor from the Medical Guild at once. Donna Rosa isn’t feeling well.”
“Lorenzo, I-”
My control over my soul loop slipped, and my corset tightened.
Lady Alma Page 15
