Legend has it, if you stand in front of a mirror, shuffling an enchanted deck of cards, you can open a doorway between dimensions.
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Prince Teodric of Springport remembers the promise he made his father: to *not* try to reenact the legend of dimen...
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••Five years later, in another world••
"This has to stop." I brushed my long fingers through my silky black strands. To feel the soft texture against my calloused hands would usually soothe me somewhat; but not today. Not with this news.
Not when knowing our people were still at unrest and protesting our leadership.
Or more the fact that...we didn't have any leadership. Not anything real, at least. Four exhausted Acewood mages sitting on thrones didn't make rulers, no matter how decadent and decorated those thrones were.
We were pretenders portraying powerful people who knew what they were doing.
We didn't know a thing.
"Sym," said Lady Ossenna, at my side in instants. Though we sat at opposite ends of the elaborate meeting table, she was always so nimble, so quick to reach me if she sensed me about to break. And when I broke, I either fainted, or exploded into a fit of screams and fire. Neither was acceptable right now.
"It's been two years," I said, clenching my trembling hands on the table. I'd barely touched my wine and hadn't even considered taking a bite of any of the meats or cheeses spread out on a wooden board in the middle of the table. Ossenna had nibbled some. Otho had had two plates full, already working on his third. And Arden...well, they never ate or drank in front of us, lest they become forced to remove their veil.
I studied Arden, envisioning them frowning beneath their thick black cloaking. They weren't allowed to show their face, as part of their role in our Mage-advisor team. But some days, I wished they would reveal their expression to me. They were so solemn, so calm all the time. But of late, there was something different about them that I hadn't been able to pinpoint. Something slightly off, but so subtly that it wasn't enough to question in front of the other mages.
Arden was a gender-neutral being with abilities beyond my knowledge. Their array of skills was so vast and far that it was impossible to know exactly what they could do. They perceived emotions quite well, but if they'd perceived mine, they didn't mention it. They kept their gloved hands joined atop the table in silence as they listened to my complaints.
"It's been two years," I repeated, raising my voice above its normal neutral tone. "And while I understand Hendry did this for their safety...the princesses need to return home."
"The queens," said Otho, wiping a light red mustache of wine from his upper lip. With no scruff, not a hair out of place, his skin was impeccable within seconds. He could eat a whole pork and not show a single bit of strain while doing so. "I don't think they'd appreciate you downgrading their titles, Sym."
I held back a snort. "Their titles are as princesses, Otho. Only one of them is the true queen, and if they remain at a distance, we can't really determine which one it is, can we?"
