A Crown of Clouds

Chapter 16

Another Sunday morning slid by, this new one so familiar to the last in scent and feel, yet a different song on her lips. I'd not seen Cole or Tessanda the entire week. Cretan said Cole had been commanded by Tessanda to train with the troops in the Walden Woods. Tessanda had placed me under Cretan's guard, a far less annoying one and a welcome guard at that.

The week was a quiet one, I begged Cretan to let me leave the castle and explore the town and countryside. He refused every time saying, "for one, this isn't a castle, secondly, Tessanda would have me hung for letting you see beyond these walls. thirdly..."

"thirdly you are boring and scared."

Cretan would speak on, as if I'd never even interrupted... "thirdly, you aren't ready." I never understood the third one and every time I questioned his retort I was met with blinding white silence, sometimes a flick of his wrist and my book page would flip, his way of saying keep reading. That was one thing I'd surprisingly found myself soaking in like a sponge, or like the amount of maple syrup on Taratian buttermilk crepes, rolled up with some sort of caramel crunch in the middle. I found myself in a constant state of contentment with what I was reading; usually an engineering book, history or the odd romance novel for every three logical books.

I was still learning the language of magic, it truly was like learning an entirely new language "magic is like the books I suppose, it's in your own language, only you learn each synonym, antonym, nuance and meaning for that one word from every angle and point of view as though it were a word floating in 3D, changing in every light, changing even when combined with other words or how you say it or whom you say it to." Cretan explained masterfully the art of magic as though he had invented it. When I did finally try any of these spells to see if I had even an ounce of magic, it would be in front of absolutely no one, I knew that much. I wouldn't risk the revealing of any blood I may carry due to my Mother being whatever she was... and besides, Cretan and Cole had laughed at my expense far too much already.

My eyes must have been red raw from so much reading, I think I'd read more in a week than in the entire last seven months since that frightful night. Thoughts of my mother were far and few, especially around Cretan, I couldn't let my thoughts give me away. Yet the thought of knowing it was her birthday tomorrow kept lingering on my mind for a moment too long. I missed her, missed her wisdom, her humour, her laugh, I missed my best friend more than anything on Earth. The tradition of her birthday was my favourite tradition, more than Christmas, more than Easter or any other holiday, and this was the first time in my entire life I wouldn't be able to do it. The only comfort I took was that I wasn't on Earth for it... so the chances of living it out were ever so slim. Cretan stood to leave...he said he had to assist the Queen again tonight and Cole would be returning so he would be my guard for the night, so if anything went wrong or I left my room, he'd know.

I looked at the pile of books in my hands, I'd be more than happy to stay sealed shut in my room. I watched Cretan's silver head walk around the corner, leaving me alone for barely a breath before Cole appeared, sitting high up on one of the shelves, "miss me?"

Not one bit, especially not that cocky smirk.... "could barely breathe without you," I mocked. "Oh well that makes two of us," he said as he jumped down from the high shelf. "I have a hankering for a certain steak in town, so I'm mighty annoyed I got the task of babysitting you tonight. So..." Cole said as he came towards me with two fingers held up in the air. "You have two options: option number one... you stay here and I place a seal on your room so you will be safe and sound all night with your books, if anyone asks I was here all night. Option number two: you come with me, although, I will have to disguise you as Ally so no one suspects anything." He looked away from me as he said flippantly, "I'd much prefer you to choose option number one for the record."