The Magician's Witch

La Vie En Rose

The following few days were a flurry of activity. Per the Khanum's instructions, Eilis was moved to her own room next to Erik's. The suite was the same dimensions as his, with its own marble bathroom, the furniture and wall coverings as opulent as the ones in his room. Eilis guessed that these rooms were reserved for guests of the highest honors; how the Khanum had persuaded her son, the Shah to allow for such an unusual demand, Eilis could only guess. Eilis surmised that, like Erik, she was considered not altogether human; given the circumstances, Eilis conceded that may work in her favor and deter certain attentions.

The Khanum's own dressmaker came to take Eilis' measurements for her wardrobe. Eilis requested through Erik--who acted as translator--that she wanted pants as well as dresses. At first, this was answered with a haughty, derisive 'no'. When Eilis threatened to steal Erik's trousers and shorten them to her own height, Erik persuaded the tailor to grant the request, tossing him a small pouch of coins—a bribe.

Two of the girls from the harem came to dress Eilis every morning. At first, Eilis protested, stating that she had been dressing herself since she was three and didn't need help—until she saw all the layers that came with the outfits. Eilis gave her grudging permission to the girls to perform their duties, although the language barrier still posed a certain level of awkwardness.

One of the other harem girls delivered her meals on a silver tray each morning and evening; it was similar to the fare she had partaken of her first conscious night here. The ladies would tidy up the room, make the bed, take Eilis' laundry, and then leave, all without uttering a single word more than necessary to the room's sole occupant. Eilis knew they were afraid of her; her performance must have spread through the harem and the rest of the palace like wildfire.

As she began to heal, Eilis' power returned gradually to its full strength. After her breakfast was taken away, she would sit on her bed or the divan, her legs crossed beneath her. She quieted her mind and reached out with her thoughts, seeking the door by which she could contact her family. By the third day of this practice, she could almost detect a glimmer of a connection, but it would be gone in an instant like a wisp of smoke.

Eilis looked through her journal—which doubled as her own Book of Shadows, detailing spells, charms, and anecdotes about magical experiments she had attempted—hoping there was something she could use to give her power a boost. While her energy was certainly potent, concentrating her focus on the right application proved a challenge.

All she could think about was getting back home. It was more than the sensation of feeling like a fish out of water; every minute of everyday felt as though a great ax hung suspended above her head. One misstep, and the ax would have her head.

One morning, about a week into her unexpected tarriance at the Golestan Palace, the two servants came to dress Eilis as per usual—this time, selecting a dress of rose-pink silk for her. Garments slid and snaked about her, the fine fabric whispering against her skin and secured in place by practiced hands. One of the girls arranged her hair while the other saw to her face; makeup was part of the ensemble for women here. Eilis closed her eyes as the girl traced them with a charcoal pencil, then darkened her lashes with inky mascara. The result made Eilis' steely blue eyes stand out.

That first day when the girls were finished dressing her, one of them moved in to place a scarf on her head and a veil across the bridge of her nose, to which Eilis turned and held up a hand to her.

"No."

The girl holding the shimmering muzzle was taken aback. She gestured to Eilis that she needed to put it on her.

"I said no," Eilis repeated, shaking her head, conveying through body language rather than words that she would not be abiding by this particular custom.