Lady Alma

by A. G. Marshall

  “Do you have any idea who it was?”

  I told him about the smell and what I had learned from Donna Senona. He squeezed my hand.

  “We’ll fix this, Alma. Things will calm down now that the treaty has been signed. Once my father returns.”

  “Will he be back soon?”

  “I’m acting king until the Salarians leave our shores, but my father hopes to speak to the admiral before they go.”

  I swallowed. King Benicio had not paid much attention to me when we had been introduced at the first ball, but a lot had happened since then. What would he think of Castana’s latest donna?

  “There’s no need to be nervous,” Lorenzo said.

  “I’m not afraid of him.”

  I stood taller and stuck out my chin. Lorenzo laughed.

  “You’re marvelous, Alma. And you look gorgeous tonight. My compliments to Tía Teresa. I’ve never seen anything like that gown before.”

  “Actually, I designed it.”

  He studied it more closely, then turned to me.

  “You didn’t take the necklace off, did you?”

  “Of course not. I drew what I wanted and Tía Teresa made it for me.”

  He relaxed.

  “Designing gowns is an unusual hobby for a noblewoman, but I suppose it is fine as long as you don’t work magic. That’s-”

  “Illegal. I am aware.”

  No need to tell him that I had considered breaking that law. That I would have if Tía Teresa hadn’t talked me out of it.

  Trumpets sounded a fanfare in the ballroom. Lorenzo led me inside and left me in a crowd of giggling donnas.

  “Let’s make our first dance look spontaneous,” he whispered. “Keep them guessing.”

  He wrinkled his nose at me, and I winked.

  Lorenzo stepped onto the dais and bowed to the assembled nobles.

  “Thank you all for attending tonight on such short notice. I am truly honored to welcome Salaria as Castana’s newest ally.”

  The crowd clapped politely as Admiral Benjamin joined the prince. The older man smiled at the room with a quiet dignity.

  “On behalf of Salaria, thank you for your hospitality. I came to this country as your enemy, but I am proud to leave as your friend. And may I say, you are truly lucky to have this young man as your future king.”

  He bowed to Lorenzo, who flushed at the compliment.

  “Thank you, Admiral. We are honored. Perhaps we should start the dancing. After all, this is a celebration!”

  The nobles moved to the edges of the ballroom to make room for the first dance. I held my ground as the crowd swept back. I refused to drown in the sea of bright gowns again. Donnas glared as they bumped into me and had to step aside, but I stood at the front of the crowd when Prince Lorenzo stepped off the dais.

  Chapter 36

  Lorenzo bowed and escorted me to the dance floor. People whispered as we passed, and their voices hummed under the music.

  “They seem as interested in your dress as anything else,” Lorenzo said. “You know how to stand out, Donna Alma.”

  We danced around the ballroom, perfectly in step. Every time Lorenzo twirled me, the top petals of my skirt floated up and shimmered in the light. We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to. We simply enjoyed the dance, moving to the music together.

  I noticed Mirella at the edge of the room and smiled at her. She glared and turned away. Her parents stood behind her, looking equally displeased. I searched the crowd for Carlo. He wasn’t there, but the nobles around Mirella looked angry as well.

  I tried to focus on Lorenzo. There would be time to make up to Mirella later, although I still didn’t understand why she was so angry. She was my best friend. Why wasn’t she happy for me?

  “What’s wrong, Alma?”

  “Nothing. This is just a bit overwhelming.”

  “It isn’t always like this. We don’t usually have balls every night.”

  “That’s a shame. I like dancing with you.”

  “We can dance any time you like.”

  I smiled at him and leaned in a little closer. Whispers echoed through the room, and I remembered that people were watching us. I glanced at the crowd of scowling nobles.

  “I don’t think they like me much.”

  “Soon they’ll all be trying to gain your favor. You’ll wish they were honest enough to openly dislike you.”

  I raised an eyebrow, and he winked at me. The music ended, but Lorenzo held me a few more moments. Then he stepped back, and other couples hurried onto the dance floor.

  “Forgive me, Alma, but I have official duties I must see to. I wish I could claim you for every dance.”

  “You are still acting king. I understand.”

  He grinned at me.

  “Things will be easier when my father returns. I can’t wait to show you the rest of the castle.”

  He bowed again and disappeared into the crowd. No one else asked me to dance. Either the nobles suspected Lorenzo’s claim, or they didn’t want to risk dancing with a girl whose corset exploded.

  Either motive was understandable, and I was glad I didn’t have to spend the evening pretending to be interested in boring conversations. I dodged dancing couples and made my way to the edge of the ballroom.

  Admiral Benjamin stood near the dais. I took a deep breath and approached him. There was no point delaying this.

  “Ambassador,” I said, curtsying.

  “Donna Alma! Do you see any servants nearby?”

  I blinked in surprise. That was not the question I had expected.

  The admiral raised an empty wine glass. Normally that motion would have summoned a servant to take it, but no one came. I surveyed the room but didn’t see any staff. I couldn’t see much through the crowd of nobles. Maybe the servants had the same problem.

  “Allow me,” I said. “I’ll find someone to take care of it for you.”

  He smiled and handed me the glass.

  “Thank you, Donna. Now if you’ve come to ask me to dance, I’m afraid I must decline. Castanian dances are too lively for this old man.”

  I relaxed a little when I realized he was joking.

  “No dancing, then. I actually sought you out to apologize for something.”

  “The transformation charm.”

  I nodded.

  “I did not realize its value, and I did not intend to break it. But my actions are still inexcusable. Please forgive me.”

  The admiral gave me a shrewd glance.

  “It’s hard to be angry about it when my grandson is so thrilled. He told me last night was the best thing that ever happened to him, and I would have destroyed the charm myself if I knew the details.”

  He wasn’t angry. I breathed a sigh of relief as Admiral Benjamin leaned towards me.

  “Ethan said he had been sworn to secrecy. I’ll admit that makes me curious, but I trust him. I also have a feeling that whatever happened had something to do with your stepsister?”

  “My stepsister? Oh, um, yes. Rosa was involved.”

  The admiral grinned.

  “In that case, all is forgiven. I’ve never seen Ethan so smitten, and Rosa is a lovely girl. It is a shame we have to leave, but news of our success will allow everyone at home to relax and focus on the royal wedding.”

  “Is it soon?”

  “It will be if they can finish preparations in time. Princess Ingrid’s fiancé should arrive in Salaria shortly after we do.”

  “Will she be excited that you were successful? Will she throw a ball to celebrate?”

  The admiral hesitated for a moment, deciding how to answer.

  “Princess Ingrid is not overly concerned with matters of state.”

  I smirked at his attempt at tact.

  “I heard she cares a lot about her wedding dress.”

  “I expect she does, but who told you that?”

  I swallowed, not eager to explain how I knew about Ingrid’s wedding gown troubles. Admiral Benjamin studied me as if I had given someth
ing away. I hadn’t, had I? He couldn’t guess what had happened with the fairies from what I said?

  “Please excuse me, Admiral. I should find someone to take your glass. Thank you for being gracious about the salt charm.”

  He bowed, and I hurried away. I walked around the room with the glass raised, but no one came to take it. I checked all the usual places where servants would be, but no one was there. Even the Light Guild members had disappeared into shadows. Rose shaped rays of light still danced around the ceiling, but I couldn’t see the people creating them.

  I changed tactics and searched for Lorenzo’s guards instead. They could make themselves useful and carry the glass for me. But they had vanished into the crowd.

  This was ridiculous! I refused to spend my first ball as a donna looking for servants. I found a potted plant behind a pillar and tucked the glass into the dirt. Someone would find it eventually.

  “Very resourceful, Donna Alma.”

  I turned and gasped as Alessandro bowed to me. He had washed the streaks of paint out of his beard so it gleamed white. His gold medallion rested on top of the hair. He wore simple black robes, a surprising choice for a man who worked with color. It gave him an air of dignity in a room full of frippery.

  “Master Alessandro, I thought you didn’t have time for social calls. Do you often attend balls?”

  “Only when there’s something worth seeing.”

  “Peace with Salaria is a momentous occasion.”

  “Indeed.”

  He nodded at someone behind me. I turned and saw Ethan approaching us. Alessandro studied him with a critical eye, as if he were planning a painting.

  Ethan bowed.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Alma. I was going to ask you to dance, but it can wait if you’re busy.”

  Alessandro smiled.

  “By all means, you should dance. I hope you enjoy the evening, Donna Alma.”

  Ethan took my hand and led me to the dance floor. When I looked back, Alessandro was still watching us. I lost sight of him as we danced across the room.

  “Who was that?” Ethan asked.

  “Alessandro, the court painter. He’s responsible for many of the portraits in the hallway.”

  “Ah.”

  Ethan didn’t seem interested in art. He kept glancing towards the dais where Admiral Benjamin sat with Prince Lorenzo.

  “I apologized to him,” I said. “He was surprisingly nice about it. He seemed to have the idea that losing the charm was related to Rosa.”

  Ethan’s face reddened.

  “I may have hinted that I like her. You know, to distract him. It was better than telling him the truth.”

  “That you don’t like her?”

  “What? No! I do like her! I mean- Does it seem dark in here to you?”

  “Don’t change the subject, Ethan. As Rosa’s stepsister, I have a right to know your intentions towards her.”

  But Ethan was right. It was getting darker. One by one, the swirling roses of light wilted and died. We stopped dancing to watch. Other couples around the room did the same.

  Then everything went black. Donnas, and possibly a few dons, screamed.

  “Is this a Castanian tradition?” Ethan whispered.

  “No.”

  After a few moments, a single star appeared in the middle of the ceiling. It was not bright enough to light the massive ballroom, but it dispelled some of the darkness. Another star appeared beside it. Long, eerie shadows danced across the walls.

  “Everyone, please stay where you are,” Lorenzo called. “We will restore the lights in a moment.”

  I grabbed Ethan’s hand.

  “Come on. Maybe we can help.”

  He followed me as I pushed through the crowd. Nobles glared as we passed, but they didn’t stop us. Most huddled together in groups, whispering and searching the shadowy corners with cautious eyes.

  The stars flickered, and the light dimmed. An alarmed whisper rippled through the room.

  “There’s Rosa,” Ethan said.

  He gestured to a dark corner of the room. Rosa and Donna Senona stood in the shadows, gently waving their hands. I looked back to the stars. Surely they weren’t-

  Rosa flicked her wrist, and the star grew brighter. I bit back a gasp.

  They were lighting the room. Performing illegal magic in a room full of nobles.

  Ethan saw it as well.

  “They’re not supposed to be doing that, right?”

  “Go help them,” I said. “Make them hide behind a pillar or something.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll find Lorenzo.”

  Ethan hurried towards Rosa. I made my way to the dais. Lorenzo was as likely to be there as anywhere.

  The crowd grew thicker as I reached the edge of the room, and they were less willing to move. I pushed through, the dais almost within reach.

  Finally, I broke through the sea of nobles. Sweat beaded on my forehead from the effort of pushing through them. I paused to catch my breath.

  Lorenzo wasn’t on the dais, but Admiral Benjamin was. He sat next to the throne and studied the room with narrowed eyes.

  “Ouch! Watch where you’re going!”

  I turned, but they weren’t talking to me. Across the room, a figure in a dark cloak emerged from the crowd and sprinted towards the dais.

  The admiral stiffened and leaned back in his chair. A piece of fabric ripped from his tunic and stuffed itself into his mouth.

  I ran towards him, but the cloaked man had a head start. He pulled something from his belt. It gleamed silver in the dim light.

  A knife.

  I tried to run faster, but my legs buckled and my vision blurred as Divinia’s charm absorbed my energy. I stopped and gasped for air. My vision cleared, and I stared in horror at the scene unfolding on the dais.

  Admiral Benjamin struggled, but his clothes held him to the chair. The gag kept him from screaming for help. The cloaked man jumped onto the dais and raised his knife to the admiral’s throat.

  There was only one way to save him.

  I took a deep breath and pulled off my necklace.

  Chapter 37

  My skin flashed like lightning and illuminated the ballroom. As soon as my soul loop returned, I snapped my fingers and removed my corset so it wouldn’t choke me. It fell to the floor, and my gown ripped at the seams as my body bloomed. What remained of the skirt slid down and settled against my now-generous hips.

  I once again stood in the ballroom in my chemise.

  The flash of light left bright spots in my vision, but I didn’t need to see. I could sense magic now. I stretched my arm towards the figure on the dais and snapped my fingers. His cloak wrapped around him and pinned his arms to his sides. His knife clattered to the floor. He couldn’t stab anyone now.

  I flicked my wrist, and the fabric pulled his feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a satisfying thud.

  The spots in my eyes cleared, but most of the room remained dark. I walked towards the dais, using magic to guide me. The man in the cloak struggled, and I waved my arm to keep him bound.

  Something slammed into my head, and I stumbled. Before I recovered, someone’s soul loop surged nearby. Rope wrapped around my neck.

  It pulled tight, choking me and breaking my concentration. The man in the cloak leaped up, but I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t breathe. I clawed at the cord, trying to pull it off, but it just kept getting tighter. I fell to my knees.

  “Are you able to protect yourself? Could you prevent another attack?”

  Donna Senona’s voice echoed through my head. The memory annoyed me enough to break through my panic.

  I could protect myself now.

  I snapped my fingers and put the full force of my soul loop into the thin rope, willing it to let me go. It shuddered and loosened. I inhaled deeply and pulled it off my neck. Something heavy was attached to the string.

  My corset. The cord around my neck had been my corset laces. Someone had tried to kil
l me with my undergarments.

  Again.

  I sat on the floor gasping for breath. It hurt to swallow, and I was sure my neck would be bruised.

  “Are you alright, Alma?”

  For a moment, I thought I was daydreaming again. But Donna Senona’s voice was real this time. The light in the room had dimmed to a single star, so all I could see was a dim figure standing near me.

  Hopefully that meant she couldn’t see me enough to realize that I was fully bloomed. I jumped to my feet. Even though I was heavier now, it was easier to move without the necklace draining my magic.

  “The admiral! There was a man with a knife!”

  I sensed the soul loop of the attacker and snapped my fingers. He groaned as the fabric tightened around him.

  “Don’t make it too tight,” Donna Senona said. “I’m holding him as well. Did you find the others? He’s not working alone.”

  A soul loop surged behind me, and I waved my hands to combat the attack. Donna Senona did the same. The woman’s dress wrapped around her, and she collapsed to the ground. Donna Senona snapped her fingers and pulled our new prisoner through the crowd to the dais.

  It had been infuriating when she did that to me, but it was strangely satisfying to watch it happen to someone else.

  I flicked my wrist and pulled their hoods back from their faces. Donna Senona created a tiny star over them so we could see.

  Carlo glared at me from the floor. I gasped.

  “Watch where you’re going, girl!”

  The donna’s outraged voice came from the back of the ballroom. I squinted into the darkness. I could just see a woman running up the stairs. She slipped and fell, but got up and kept running.

  “Another accomplice?” I said.

  “I’ll hold these two while you go see.”

  I nodded, proud that Donna Senona trusted me to be strong enough to handle it on my own. I released my hold on Carlo’s clothes and shoved through the crowd of nobles. I was too wide to slip between them now, and I didn’t have time to explain the need for haste.

  I gathered my soul loop and pulled them aside by their clothes. Cries of outrage rang through the ballroom. I ignored them and hurried through the path I had created.

  The woman had vanished by the time I reached the top of the stairs. I walked the hallway looking for clues and slipped on something. I bent and ran my fingers through the liquid. The light was still dim, but the smell gave it away.