The Infernal King | 1 ✓

CHAPTER VII | SHORT-LIVED TRANQUILITY

       MAARIT TRANSPORTED HERSELF to her house immediately afterwards. Whispered enchantments permitted her to disappear momentarily into thin air, reappearing three seconds later in the safe confines of her home. She thought it would make for a wonderful dramatic exit; but, truth be told, she had done it out of fear rather than for theatrics.

The shouts could still be heard from within the house. Unfortunately, Maarit did not live far enough from the village's centre.

She choked on each breath she took, as though she was being strangled. Soon, she was aquiver—she trembled from head to toe. She trembled more than she had upon discovering that she was a soothsayer. She trembled more than she had when her parents had abandoned her. She trembled more than she had ever trembled before, and she did not like it. It made her feel weak, though she was far from it.

Her eyes were bone dry and not a single salty tear leaked—what she felt was not sadness, but rather a horrid apprehension. Prior to the public revelation, she had not been nearly this nervous.

In an attempt to ease her nerves, Maarit decided to make herself a cup of tea. She walked over to the cupboard, but found that all of her teacups were used. Crossing over to the windowsill, where she had prudently stacked seven ornate teacups, she cleared her mind. To be able to successfully cast the spells, she had to have a calm and collected mind.

The teacup that she picked up, at the very top of the stack, was azure and gold. The strokes of blue and gold spiralled together harmoniously; tendrils of colour snaked around the handle of the cup like vines.

With a simple flick of her wrist, Maarit levitated all seven of the cups—including the azure and gold one that she had been holding—into the air. Sighing, she sat on the windowsill, watching as the cups were washed. The teacups lined themselves up midair. Soap appeared out of thin air, dousing all of the cups in soap suds without making a mess of anything. Within another thirty seconds, they had been magically washed and dried.

A final flick of the wrist caused six of the teacups to be arranged neatly in the cupboard, while the azure-coloured one floated straight into Maarit's hands.

Maarit no longer struggled to breathe and had calmed down slightly—such was the effect that magic had on her. It always tended to aid Maarit in finding tranquility.

She placed the cup onto the windowsill that she was seated on. The window was large and rectangular, and the windowsill itself was more like a seat. Maarit enjoyed sitting there and staring out peacefully. It gave a scenic view of De Montfort Mountain. There was a pathway leading up to the castle that stood erect at the top of the mountain.

As her eyes passed over the pathway, she was able to see King Theodoracius's horse still making its way up the mountain. Immediately, she turned away so as not to make herself more nervous.

Maarit placed both of her hands just above the teacup and closed her eyes. She whispered an enchantment and only opened her eyes when she felt steam rising from the cup to her hands. It had been filled with steaming oolong tea—it was Maarit's favourite, because she enjoyed the fruity flavour and nutty finish.

Despite the uproar that the rest of the village was in, the young woman was able to relax. When she sipped on the hot orange-brown liquid, the bitter taste that she so enjoyed met her taste buds. This serenity only lasted for about five minutes before her thoughts intruded. She began wondering where Keion and Helios were, and how long it would take for them to arrive.