A Crown of Clouds

Chapter 31

The palace was abuzz. The wedding was but an hour away. I was nervous as all hell and had been sitting on the library balcony trying to calm myself down and catch even just a small glimpse of a cool breeze.  I hadn't seen Jazminda, Cole, Cretan or anyone for that matter all morning. Although to be fair, I'd seen Cole but three hours earlier when I'd left his room wearing nothing but his bed sheets. I paced back and forth, watching people scurry to and fro below. There were people carrying gigantic bunches of white lilies, people appearing in and out of clouds with chairs and tables, white chiffon fabric and ribbons. I took a mental note of the chaos and swore to myself if I ever got married I'd elope somewhere private.

I walked back inside and through the long lines of tall, looming bookshelves. Towards the end of one of the rows was a spiral staircase that led to the upper room of the library. I'd come up here only a few times, preferring the openness of the balcony to the dark secluded room. Today, however, this was just what I needed. I let the darkness swallow me whole, replaying the plan over and over again. It was simple. The ceremony rituals would start, I was allowed to attend, only at the request of Jazminda. I was to stand beside Cretan the entire time. Jaz would walk down the aisle and end up under the white pergola. The song Jazminda had requested would be played by fiddles and flutes, once the song had come to its crescendo and everybody was in their most enchanted and distracted form, Cretan would pull out the small part of the fan I'd designed to be hidden up his sleeve. Jazminda would be close enough to her mother to grab the ring from her unsuspecting hand, and all three of us would link hands as Cretan pressed the button, using the power in the pergola to take us to Brynth. All three of us would transport together with our powers, it had to work, and Cretan was sure it would. Then phase two of the plan would take place eventually once we were there. Jazminda had made sure the wedding was under the pergola, no one but the royals knew that it was a focal point of sorts. Each realm had one, a sensitive spot where power radiates and swells from the land tenfold more than anywhere else, the more power of the people on the said spot, the more it increased and intensified the power wielded. Cretan was certain that with the power of all three royals, himself and I under the pergola, we would be able to transport with somewhat ease.

I placed my hands on my knees, breathing in and out like a wave. Ironic, I thought, every time I meditated for peace and tranquillity with breathing, the very scratchy voice I'd hear of Josie's seemed to irritate me more than anything. I focused instead on my mother's face. She had remained calm and collected so many years for me, hiding a storm beneath the surface for so long, sometimes I'd hear her whimpering muffled by her pillow at night. Today, I'd do it for her. Just like that, a sheet of calmness fell upon me, blanketing the nerves underneath. The moment it did, a book came flying out at me, hitting me square in the face. I knew these shelves were laced with magic, but this felt like something else. I looked at the book face down on the floor, next to my open meditative palms. The book, it smelt familiar, of... Cretan, that's what it was. The second I touched the book the feeling of fear swept over me like the darkness of the black cover of the book. Cretan had attached the message and feeling to the book.  I threw it immediately away and jumped to my feet. Horror, sheer horror riddled my body from head to toe. The Fiddles started to play. I hiked up the skirts of my plain silk, lilac dress and raced down the stairs, sprinting towards the pergola.

The ceremony had started, I must have gotten carried away meditating, or, surely not, it had started early, how was this happening? I pushed my way through people, searching for a head of silver hair in the crowd. That's when Cretan grabbed my hand, "stay close," he whispered, his eyes not moving from the pergola. Cretan moved us with ease past the flurry of excited faces trying to get a glimpse of the royal happenings. The song was playing so loud and merrily, filling the air with jubilee. We shimmied our way to the corner of the pergola, where Niall stood waiting like a soldier at attention. He cast a nervous smile our way.