She stopped the small cart next to the brown fluffy carpet that held a table large enough to fit half a dozen people at least and picked up the plate and mug, setting them on the table. A bright flash of light filled the room from the balcony doors on the other side of the bed.
Then the servant woman glided along the floor to my discarded clothing, picked them up, and wadded them into a small ball. Tucking them under her arm, she smiled at me then walked back to the cart. Her eyes reminded me of Marren, of all people. He was the only other person I knew of, or had ever seen, with such dark eyes. She tossed the clothes to the surface of the cart then pushed it back out the door. Leaving me, once again, in solitude.
***
The room had lightened up a little with a break in the clouds. The storm left nothing but a few wet puddles spotting the floor of the balcony. I walked out, stepping carefully on the slick, wet stone then peered over the edge at a garden. I inhaled deep, wishing for the aroma of the newly budding blossoms having yet to release their aromas. A small stone path led from the garden into the trees that stretched toward the mountains. Overcome with the desire to roam and wander, I wanted to discover the secrets this place had to offer. I didn’t even mind I was held under its enchantment.
It felt good to be a part of something I thought no longer existed. Magic was banned long before my birth, and none of the creatures associated with it have been heard of for so long, they’ve evolved into stories, myths told to children at night before bed or to teach morals when they misbehaved.
“I hope you forgive the need for anonymity,” a familiar voice startled me.
I turned around to find a man standing in the doorway, fully cloaked by the same black robes Enid wore.
“Forgive my intrusion. I did knock, but you never replied, so I let myself in.”
I worked to control my breaths so my heart would ease back into its rightful position.
“No, it’s fine…” I paused, recognizing his voice with disdain, “Marren?”
His hood slowly dipped forward and rose back up. “I hoped you wouldn’t recognize my voice just yet. I know how much you despise me.”
I ignored the sadness in his voice.
“What is going on here?” I asked as agitation replaced my previous enchanted state of being.
“I thought you would see this as me saving your life.”
“I don’t need your help. I told you I’m not buying into your charm. What do you really want with me?” My words came out sharp and cold.
“I just told you,” he replied in a flat tone.
“Why?” It came out shrill, almost like a child throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the market after getting told she couldn’t have the sweet cake she set her eyes upon.
“I believed you about being set up.” He removed his hood while stepping out on the balcony and leaned against the wall. His eyes reflected my image back at me. It seemed almost intrusive, how intently he stared at me. I forced myself to look away. I couldn’t think, and I couldn’t breathe. None of this made sense.
I walked passed him, back into the room, passed the bed, and to the center of the floor. When I reached the carpet, I turned, heading for the bed only to turn and walk toward the carpet again. I glanced at him as he moved from the corner of my eyes. He carefully took in my state of confusion, making it worse.
“What’s in it for you?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” He pursed his eyebrows together and, for a fraction of a moment, I found it cute.
Shaking that thought from my head, I continued, “I don’t believe you rescued me for the sake of saving my life and bring me here, dress me, set me up in this lavish room—all for nothing?”
I stopped pacing to watch his reaction and wait for an answer. I needed a sign, a flinch of a muscle, a clench of a jaw, even a flicker of light in his eyes that would suggest he was no better than the Cyrs.
He nodded.
“Perhaps, in some ways, we are both wrong about our initial ideas of each other. One might assume this is my way of breaking the ice, so to speak,” he said, calmly. The way he stared at me held me captivated.
That damned enchantment.
Though I believed he told me the truth, he didn’t tell me everything. That much I was certain.
“Why do you believe me?” I had to know his reasoning when the rest of the wanted nothing to do with me.
“I have my reasons.”
“But, why me? Why not some other girl? I’m sure anyone else would be more able and willing to do anything you wished.”
A flicker of sadness crossed his face, pulling the corners of his lips down and then disappeared as if it had been a figment of my imagination. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall next to the door. “I wish nothing from you. I would never do anything, or force you into anything, you didn’t want to do.”
“Why didn’t you rescue me yourself instead of sending Enid to do your dirty work?”