by Sarah Noffke
“Come on, I’ve got to get back,” she urged, waving him forward.
“Will you give me a moment?” He sighed in delight. “I need a second to enjoy ingesting the very best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.”
***
Azure and Monet took a different route back to the House of Enchanted. Monet said there’d be less traffic on that path, but Azure caught him looking between the small cottages that belonged to longtime residents of Virgo. He’s looking for Charmsgood.
Monet would never admit it, but Azure could tell he was starting to worry. And why shouldn’t he? Charmsgood had never been gone this long before.
Many of the Virgoans were more nomadic than settled. It was in their blood to travel. Some roamed to the mountains or the ocean, but they always found their way back here, setting up tents in the green hills around Virgo on their return. Some took lodging with one of the witches or wizards who permanently lived in the nearby cottages. Those belonged to the residents who didn’t travel as much, like Trixie Flourboy who ran the pub. The small business owners, farmers, ranchers and members of the Queen’s Cabinet were permanent fixtures in Virgo. The cottages of these full-time residents were small but smartly constructed and used natural resources. And each cottage was unique, reflecting the personality of the wizarding family who lived within it.
They were just passing Evandar Harlan’s house when they noticed something shimmering from a cluster of trees. Evandar wasn’t in his patchwork house today, since he was employed as the Headmaster for the Virgo schools. Monet had graduated from there many years ago and was still remembered for his antics.
Azure, however, had been provided private tutors, since her lessons were shaped around the responsibilities she’d one day inherit.
She paused, noting the smile that had sprung to Monet’s lips.
“Well, well, well. Look who has decided to grace us with her presence!” Monet bowed deeply to a unicorn that stepped out of the shadows. Her body was white and she had blue eyes, but her mane was typical of unicorns’—it was a rainbow of colors. The land of Virgo relied on horses for labor and transportation, but unicorns were a different story. They were more like cats and refused to be owned, but they couldn’t be given jobs like an Oriceran cat. Seeing one was rare, since they could cloak themselves to blend into their surroundings.
The unicorn whinnied and Azure copied Monet, dipping into a bow. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she said.
The creature shook her head, whickering. When Azure rose, she was astonished to find the unicorn kneeling to her, one of its front legs extended and the other bent.
“Well, I’ll be. I do believe this unicorn is showing me a sign of great respect,” Monet exclaimed, beaming at the animal.
Azure didn’t have to correct him because the unicorn lifted her head and shook it at him. Unicorns couldn’t speak, but their messages were still clear.
“I think she’s paying respect to the monarchy,” Azure said, inclining her chin to the unicorn, whose iridescent coat sparkled. “Thank you, Majestic One.”
Monet stepped forward with a glint in his eyes. “So, although Azure is cool and all, I’ve got quite the noble mission. I’m in the market for some unicorn hair. Do you think you could loan me a strand or two?” he asked, earning himself a contemptuous glare from the unicorn.
She lowered her head, her horn pointing at Monet. The message was clear.
“Don’t pay attention to him. He just wants to create a potion that will make him more attractive. Monet hasn’t gone out with a witch in many double full moons,” Azure told the unicorn.
“I have been incredibly busy, that’s all,” he said, scoffing.
The unicorn lifted her head and shook her mane slightly, her eyes lighting as she did.
“I can tell when he’s lying too.” Azure laughed. With that, the unicorn retreated into the patch of trees, becoming invisible as she walked.
“Well, if that isn’t a good omen about the upcoming coronation then I don’t know what is,” Monet said as they passed the last house on the cobbled street. They had only to head over a large green hill and past the stables until the House of Enchanted would be in view. They’d played with the idea of taking a horse to the market, but had decided against it. And if they had, the unicorn would never have made their acquaintance.
“Yes, and I can only hope that the unicorns don’t have an agenda like everyone else,” Azure said. All types of beings made requests of her mother, the queen. Everyone needed something.
CHAPTER SIX
The sapphire satin dress complimented Azure’s hair, which hung in ringlets down her back. The dress had been embellished with lavender beads around the bodice, and the sleeves draped just below her shoulders.
“It’s exquisite,” her mother exclaimed from behind her.
“It’s enchanting,” her gran declared.
“It’s fucking heavy,” Azure complained, twisting to look behind herself in the mirror. The dress was backless and had a train that would take twenty trolls to carry.
“Part of being queen is looking the role. However, it is only a part of it. Most of it comes from here and here,” her mother said, pointing to her head and her heart.
“Emeri is correct, though,” her gran added. “Virgoans need a queen who looks powerful as well as acts that way.” The queen mother knew what she was talking about.
Azure took a step forward and felt the dress tug her backward. “I will need the strength of a Kilomea to drag this thing.” She pulled her wand from her cleavage, the only place her mother would allow her to keep it when formally dressed. Her hair wasn’t an option this time. Usually Azure stashed the wand in the mound of curls piled on her head, but for the coronation her hair would remain down so that the crown could sit squarely. She waved the wand at the train of the dress and it lifted a few inches off the ground, hovering there. As she turned back, she barely caught the look of longing in her mother’s eyes.
Shaking it off, the reigning queen started for the door. “The ceremony starts soon. Please get into position.”
***
The torches in the hallway outside the ballroom crackled at Azure’s back, making her think she’d jump out of her own skin. What a sight that would be! Her nose was almost pressed to the doors in front of her, and the room behind her was silent. A moment later a melodious tune found its way to her ears, albeit muffled since it originated on the other side of the doors. A highly respected band of traveling musicians had been retained for that night’s ceremony. Azure suddenly felt drunk from the music, or maybe it was the flames. Or the fucking dress, which was seeking to cut off her air supply. Shouldn’t queens wear garments that preserved their life, not stole it?
Azure tugged at the bodice of the dress, trying to negotiate a place for her boobs, which were currently being squeezed out of the garment, but she had to drop her hands quickly as the gigantic double doors both swung open at once. She hiccupped on a breath and raised her chin to find a thousand faces staring at her. On either side of the long red aisle sat witches and wizards, young and old, from all over Virgo. Their faces were beaming, eyes excited and grins easy as they stared at the witch who would be their queen. She caught her mother’s eyes at the far end of the hall and remembered herself, clasping her hands in front of her, which was apparently the proper position in which to trudge down the aisle to accept the rule of her people.
Azure tried taking a step forward, and when she didn’t get yanked backward by her dress or topple over she continued. She smiled, aware that every single Virgoan was checking her out as she approached the front. The two chandeliers that lit the chamber had been enchanted to resemble the two moons that hung in the Oriceran sky, and the walls of the ballroom were spelled to look like the forest that bordered Virgo. A fresh breeze smelling of lilac and moonflowers completed the experience, making Azure truly feel like she was outside tonight.
She was aware of Monet only because he was buzzing in his seat like an o
verexcited pixie, waving his fucking hands at her. Beside him sat her gran, who wore a silver dress that buttoned all the way up to her neck. Azure turned her attention to her mother the queen, who stood alone at the front of the room, a long emerald-green diamond-encrusted cape draped over her shoulders and down her back, her maroon lipstick contrasting with her green hair. At her side was a small pedestal with a pillow and a silver crown atop it. Rarely had Azure seen the crown of the Virgoans, since it was only worn on special occasions and was apparently so heavy with the soul stones of past monarchs that no spell could make its weight bearable. The silver base of the crown, Azure noticed now, was overwhelmed by lavender amethysts. Each was small, about the size of the tip of one’s finger. They almost completely covered the crown, symbolizing their race united by their commitment to each other and their tie to magic.
Azure halted at the front, a step down from her mother. The queen smiled at her daughter.
“For tens of thousands of years…” Queen Emeri began, her voice loud and clear as it rang through the hall. Azure tuned it out, thinking that her throat was suddenly dry, as if it would crack at any moment. A strange tickling sensation hit her at the back of her mouth and she shivered, her eyes bulging. This caught the queen’s eyes, but she paused only briefly before continuing with her speech.
“The Virgoans have lived in peace protected by…”
Azure couldn’t focus on the coronation speech. Something was wrong—really fucking wrong. She pulled her hands up toward her throat, but stopped herself halfway. It felt like she was choking on something; she couldn’t breathe. She finally did place her hands on her throat, a hoarse gasp escaping her mouth. It was official; something was obstructing her airway. Her face filled with heat and she was only half-aware that her mother had stopped talking and was staring at her in dread and shock. Was she shaking her head?
Azure tried to force what she wanted to be a cough, but wouldn’t come out. Her body was shaking. Her throat on fire. Her chest felt like it was about to explode. She clapped a hand against her chest, feeling her wand between her boobs. That wouldn’t help her now. What would?
“Her soul stone!” someone yelled.
“She’s about to dislodge it!” another sang.
“No,” her mother said in front of her, face frantic.
Azure was finally able to cough, feeling air move past the thing in her throat so that she got some relief. She doubled over, wishing someone would help her—slap a hand against her back or something. She’d never birthed a baby, but this had to be similar to that experience. The stone in her throat felt like it was tearing at her insides, cutting her esophagus as it dislodged. She pressed her hands into her stomach hard, trying to force the air out of her midsection and push the fucking object out.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Azure’s mother whispered in her ear, her arm around her shoulders and leading, no, pushing, her forward.
Azure’s feet moved, but she was still bent over, her chest burning. Her body vibrating as each cough rocked her. People were closer as she neared the aisle and Azure was aware that her mother was nearly dragging her now. Then someone else was there—Monet, maybe?
She coughed again, feeling saliva rocket from her mouth. Again she coughed, and her chest felt like it would explode. Then she coughed so hard and loud that something did detach inside her, creating overwhelming pain followed by incredible relief. Out of her mouth popped her soul stone. It fell into her hand, and the slippery object nearly glided through her fingers. Azure’s eyes were watering and her nose was leaking. Her heart beat frantically. She inhaled a steadying breath, aware she was at the front of the crowd of smiling witches and wizards.
“To see a soul stone dislodged is an amazing experience,” someone exclaimed.
“It’s a great sign, that our queen has dislodged hers on her coronation day,” someone else declared.
Azure tried to raise her head and smile at the sea of expectant faces, but was too curious about the object in her hand. She opened her palm to find something she wasn’t expecting. Based on the gasps around her, no one else was expecting to see it either.
Sitting in the palm of Azure’s hand was a small round blue amethyst.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“It’s an amethyst of the wrong color!” one of the nearby wizards said.
It was in fact a strange shade. Everyone in Virgo had a lavender or dark purple amethyst, never blue.
Azure held the small gem in her palm and picked it up and examined it. Why did it feel like this was a personal moment where she should be alone with the stone? It had been a part of her all her life, and now it was outside of her body. This gem was the accumulation of the power inside of her that had gone unused until she started practicing magic on her own. When magical energy was not expended, it created a beautiful and powerful gem.
She became aware that the crowd around her was talking rapidly. The queen was trying and failing to quiet what seemed more and more like angry voices. But why? Why did they care what color her soul stone was? So it was blue! Didn’t that make sense? Everything in Virgo was full of color, so why shouldn’t her soul stone be unique?
“Mother, take her away,” she heard the queen say, giving the order to her gran.
The old woman still moved fast despite her age and was at Azure’s side quickly, a worried expression on her wrinkled face.
“I feared this would happen, but your mother—” the old woman said in Azure’s ear.
“Feared what would happen?” Azure interrupted, once again clutching the stone in her palm to prevent it from slipping out and away.
“It’s nothing. This will get sorted out, one way or another,” her gran muttered, shifting her eyes to the crowd. How would they get out? Red-faced witches and wizards blocked the exit.
“This is an outrage!” A short round witch yelled, stomping her feet.
“Why is this an outrage? Because it’s blue?” Azure whispered to her gran, who was backing her away from the crowd. She now felt Monet on her other side, his hand on her back as if he were trying to steady her lest she faint. That was a real possibility.
“She can’t be queen,” a wizard said, trotting forward as fast as his cane would carry him.
“I realize this has come as a great shock, but if you’ll allow me to explain…” The queen spoke from the front of the crowd, which made the first few rows quiet down, but most in the back were still ranting.
“I always intended to tell you the truth,” the queen continued.
“What truth?” Azure asked her gran in a hushed whisper.
More grumbling in the crowd. More stomping, which the queen soon quieted.
“I know it has come as a shock that my daughter, your soon-to-be-queen, is only half witch,” the queen said, her voice clear.
Azure’s hands clapped to her mouth. Half witch? What? How was that possible?
“That’s not the problem. It’s the other half!” a wizard screamed.
“Yeah, it’s what the blue represents,” another yelled.
“What does the blue represent?” Azure asked her gran, who was now trembling just as she was.
She didn’t have to wait for her to reply because someone else in the crowd shouted, “We won’t have a human as our queen. Not ever!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Azure’s gran, who rarely used magic on others, pulled out her wand and aimed it at the crowd, whispering a phrase the young princess had never heard before. Instantly everyone fell silent. Some scratched their heads as if they were trying to remember what they were doing, and one by one they headed for the door, finally giving Azure some peace.
Her gran turned directly to Azure, a firm look on her face. “That won’t hold them off for long, so you’ll need to slip through the crowd and head upstairs to your room, where you’ll be safe.” She waved Monet forward. “Go on and escort her up there in case one of those dimwits breaks free of the spell and realizes they haven’t left the kettle on back at their huts.”<
br />
The muttering witches and wizards trotted forward almost like zombies, intent on fulfilling their vague goals. Azure and Monet made it through the crowd, which had mostly spilled out of the house and onto the grounds. Once at her room she unlocked the door, now realizing why her mother had started insisting that she keep it locked. Her mother knew she was half human. Maybe she had thought she could keep it a secret, but that hadn’t worked, and now everyone knew Azure was different.
But she didn’t feel different. She felt as she always had, like a witch. She held the tiny stone up and really looked at it. The gem was the perfect size and the perfect color. How could it mean something was wrong with her?
“So you’re half human?” Monet remarked, a smirk on his face.
She’d almost forgotten he was there. He liked to lurk.
“Yeah, what the fuck is that about?” she said, lowering the hand with her soul stone clasped in it. Just then she felt a pulsing in her palm, like the stone wanted out. She squeezed tighter.
“Makes sense, because you’ve always thought you were better than me,” he stated.
“I am better than you,” she countered simply.
“All right, you shut yourself in here. I’m going to go spread rumors around Virgo about how I always knew you were half human because you’re bad with your magic,” he said with a laugh.
“Thanks,” she said sarcastically. She opened her door, now wondering how she was different being half human. Did she have fewer powers than other witches? Did it mean she’d become an egotistical jerk? She guessed that not all humans were bad, just the ones from Terran, mostly. Azure threw herself down on her canopy bed. She didn’t know what the future held, but she realized she was going to have to get answers, and fast.
