Chapter 46

“You both could walk into a trap,” Xander repeated as I dressed in one of my fancier dresses. If I were to leave the house, I thought it best to look respectable.

My hands were on the poster from the bed, and Diana was cinching up my corset. Each time she tightened a lacing, it constricted my chest and made me take a laboured breath. Why did they have to make those things so tight?

Diana had also dressed nicely. We had chosen these attires to fit better in the crowd. One look at us, and they wouldn’t spare glance since we were just another wealthy family staying in the city.

She pulled on another set of strings, and I almost fainted from the tightness.

“Oh, might have overdone it. Let me loosen this a bit.” She mumbled as she saw my face become pale.

Xander growled and sat on the end of the bed, forcing me to look at him.

“Stop pretending you can’t hear me! You shouldn’t be going anywhere, Ida. You still smell funny.” He said exasperatingly. “Diana, have you looked at her? Surely I do not imagine this?”

“I’m afraid you are, milord. Ida is in perfect health. I’ve checked her vitals multiple times, and she’s fine. A little high pressure, but that’s normal given the circumstances we are in.” She huffed in annoyance.

He had been buzzing around us all morning, trying to make his point across. He wanted neither of us to go.

“At least let Gideon and I accompany you. I very much disagree with your plan. We’ll keep our distance, but at least we’ll be able to jump in and intervene if there’s anything.”

I turned my head to look at Diana and arched my brows questioningly.

“Fine.” She succumbed.

She helped me in my skirt, and I buttoned up the top of my dress while she was securing everything in place. She had styled my hair in a high ponytail and had curled it, so it cascaded down my neck and to my back in big brown ringlets. I looked at myself in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize who was gazing back at me. I had never felt this beautiful. The dark cream-coloured dress with white lace trim complimented my pale winter skin perfectly and made my hazel eyes stand out, letting the blues, greens, and yellows swirl around my brown center. I had never thought I was a beauty due to the years of hard labour, but I could see why they had often placed me as a parlour maid.

“You’re all ready to go, Ida. You look beautiful.” Diana whispered close to my ear as she placed both her hands on my shoulders and squeezed them tenderly.

Xander looked at me with sparkling eyes, forgetting our earlier argument about me going to the mysterious meeting.

“You’re always beautiful to me, but wow. You look stunning. I’ll have to fight off males if you’re not going with a man by your side.”

I smiled coyly and felt my cheeks redden. I didn’t think I would ever get used to seeing Xander look at me that way. He moved closer and placed a delicate kiss on my lips, then groaned as he parted with them. I could feel my lower belly squeeze with need. His eyes became wide, and he smiled roguishly, gathering me in his arms.
“I love it when your body responds like that to me.”

I hit his chest with my fist and reddened even more.

“Xander,” I said through bared teeth, “Diana’s right here.” Then I buried my face in his shirt, trying to hide my embarrassment.

His laugh rumbled through his big chest, and the purring he made calmed me down. I loved feeling him like this. We were pulled out of our little bubble when Diana called us from the first floor. It was time for us to leave. When we came down, I noticed Gideon had put on a hat that covered most of his face when he slightly tilted it forward. He nodded at me, and I took a deep breath.

“Don’t worry, Ida. We’ll stay within reach of you and Diana. Nothing will happen.”

Diana took my arm, and we made our way toward the center of the city. Not too far from the Arcane Library, there was a small park where fountains and topiaries could be found. It was a nice place to relax and take a walk when I was younger. Diana had said that she used to play there with her brother when they were little. She assumed that was where the rendezvous point was.

Near the central fountain, there used to be a topiary that resembled my father. I didn't know if it still looked the same, but I was excited to see it again. I always laughed at it, saying that they had gotten his mustache way too big for his face, and each time, my father would cross his eyes, looking at his nose and wiggle his mustache and say that he thought they had gotten it just right, sending me in a fit of giggles.

We passed many vendors on the way who promoted their wares and tried to force us into buying items. Since we were dressed expensively, they shoved many jewels and pricy ornaments our way. We ignored them and continued walking. I sometimes glanced around, trying to see either Gideon or Xander, but they were nowhere to be seen. I knew Xander was close since I could feel him near, but they were great at being inconspicuous.

When we finally reached the park, both our mouths fell open in shock. The park we had once known was no longer there. The once beautiful topiaries were now dried-up shrubs of cedar. The fountains had been replaced with gruesome depictions of the uprising. The central one had a statue of King Osprey brandishing his sword with a victorious smirk on his face. His foot was over the body of a dead wolf, presumably a shifter.

Diana guided me to a bench near an enormous maple tree, and we sat, looking at what had become this beloved park.

“I used to love coming here and seeing the different animals they made with the topiaries. My brother and I would sit here on this bench and give them names and try to guess what personalities they would have if they were real animals.”

I smiled at her memory. I could imagine a young Diana sitting here and doing just as she had said and then running around and playing in the water fountains when it was hot during the summers. I had become quite fond of Diana. She had been a dear friend ever since she embarked on this journey with us, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I considered her family now.

I gazed up at the trees, and the familiar feeling I was hoping to have once we got here never appeared. I didn’t come here very often when I was little, but when I did, I remembered the smell of the sun hitting the salted water fountains and the mixed earth where wildflowers were planted and were in full bloom, their sweet scent floating around me. My favourites were the wild red roses that used to fence the entire park. This city, in fact, was renowned for its red roses. But looking around, none of them were there anymore.

It was nearing noon, and that was the arranged time of the meeting. While we were discussing, a tall, slender man in a long brown robe approached us and sat on the other bench beside ours. We looked at him questioningly, silently asking him if he was the person we were to meet. He had pale brown hair with angular, almost cat-like eyes and a long-tipped nose. He gave me the creeps.

His face was calm as if it was completely normal to be there. We almost thought he was a regular park patron until he spoke.

“You are miss Chickadee, I presume?”

Diana stayed seated, still looking in the distance.

“I am.”

“And is she…”

“She is.” I smiled as I replied to him, referring to me in the third person. I didn’t want him to say the word princess.

He nodded and got up, stepping closer to us.

“My master has requested I bring you to a more discreet location to view the memory orb. Please follow me.”

Diana and I followed reluctantly as he took us through a small alley wedged between two houses, then took two more sharp turns that led under a bridge. He pushed the door that led to the sewers and gestured us in. I ducked under the low door frame, and when the man closed the door, it engulfed us in blackness. I didn’t like this since Xander and Gideon would not see us anymore, but Diana looked determined, and I always had my magic to protect us if we required it.

I heard him scratch something, then the soft glow of a lamp illuminated the space. He passed in front of us, leading us further underground. He walked through a thick metal gate and waited for us to come into the room with him. Once inside, he closed the heavy door, and I heard metal on metal, like a wheel, turning, then the clank of a lock being slid into place. I gulped and stared at Diana anxiously.

“This room’s walls are imbued with strong steel and tungsten. It cuts off any magical emanations which a hunter could trace. If you want to see what is in the memory orb, you need to use powerful magic that is not easily hidden. This vaulted chamber should serve us perfectly for what we want to accomplish.” The thin man said.

He extended his arm and gave me a glass orb. It was cold in my hands and was roughly the size of Xander’s big fist. It was smooth to the touch, and I could feel something radiating out of it.

“This orb should show you what you wanted to see, mistress Chickadee. King Cardinal had kept an extensive record of each of his memory orbs when he gave them to the library for safekeeping. Of course, we have no knowledge of what they contain, but the description of this orb said 'Fidem,' which translates to ‘Faith.’”

I looked at Diana curiously. Why did she want to see this particular memory?

“Ida, do you think you’ll be able to open it?” Diana asked as she turned toward me.

She gave me her most confidant look. I had never seen her look at me like this before; she seemed proud of me. I gave her a gentle smile.

“I can try.”