Everealm: Book One of the Everealm Series Read online

  The magic that she had absorbed from their kiss had stayed with her. And any time that Dagan’s hand accidentally brushed her skin, she felt the magic growing. She had chosen not to tell Dagan about this yet, however. And he had avoided answering her questions about her mother, Anassa. Dagan sounded like he knew her mother or knew of her at least, but he refused to go into any details. Sidonie decided that until they knew each other better, perhaps it was best if they didn’t learn all of each other’s secrets.

  For the first time, Sidonie was happy that she was far away from the rest of the Sabras. Explaining to them that she was beginning to feel magic in herself, knowing how they felt about magic, would be impossible. She did wish that she could speak with Adelphie, though, and ask her about their mother. Dagan’s question about her parents had led Sidonie to wonder herself if there were things about her parents that she didn’t know, or that Adelphie may have hidden from her. How you could hide the fact that someone was magical, though, was beyond her.

  Sidonie heard her name and realized her mind had been wandering.

  “Sid!” Bree laughed as Sidonie’s eyes finally snapped back to the present. “It’s your turn.”

  Sidonie stepped up onto the wooden crate that the seamstress had set out. The seamstress, who was a tiny old lady with large bright eyes, held out different fabrics with a large array of colors and textures. Sidonie didn’t have a particular color that she liked best, having worn mostly browns, tans, and greens out in the wilderness with the Sabras. She studied each color and couldn’t decide so the seamstress began to ask questions to help narrow down her choices.

  “Do you get a rash with any certain fabrics, miss?”

  “Umm, no. I don’t believe I do.”

  “Good. What about your escort then, miss?” the lady asked. “What color will he be wearing?”

  Sidonie froze, unsure of how to answer. Cicilly and Celeste were watching her, curiously. Sidonie was sure that they had their suspicions about her and Dagan, especially since the women knew about Sidonie and Dagan’s alone time in the forest. However, neither of them had asked her about it and Sidonie had only confided in Bree at this point.

  “Uh.” Sidonie panicked for a moment. “Well, I am not sure if I have one, an escort to the ball, I mean. I haven’t been asked… officially.”

  Bree could have interjected and saved Sidonie from having to answer, but she, too, was curious if Sidonie was ready to announce publicly that she and Dagan had begun courting. At least, Bree assumed they had. Judging from Sidonie’s reply, however, perhaps they hadn’t.

  “I personally think you should go with the blue, Sidonie,” Cicilly began, smiling. “I know that Dagan wears blue wizard robes and I assume those would be the robes he would wear. And I think you would look wonderful in blue.”

  Sidonie’s shoulders relaxed a bit. Being able to talk freely with the women about Dagan was reassuring to her. Knowing that she didn’t have to hide her feelings for him, at least in their presence, meant a great deal. Sidonie took a deep breath and looked down at the fabrics. She pointed to a soft flowing fabric that was a dark blue color.

  “This dark blue fabric, then, to match his eyes. Oh, and silver for the trim, to match his hair.” Sidonie smiled, happy with her color choices.

  “Perfect!” Bree exclaimed. “Sarita, it’s your turn.”

  Sarita jumped up at the sound of her name. She had been waiting patiently, playing with one of her dolls while the women had their turn. It took no time at all for her to pick a lavender colored fabric and return to her doll. The seamstress turned to Bree now, motioning her toward the crate.

  “And for you, Your Majesty. What color will your escort be wearing? Will you have more than one?” the little old lady asked her, innocently. It wasn’t uncommon for an unwed royal to have multiple suitors.

  Bree frowned down at the fabrics. She sighed, then a tear rolled down her cheek. Cicilly came over to her daughter and pulled her close, rubbing her head as she cried into her mother’s shoulder.

  “I know it hurts now, dear, but it won’t always. Sometimes things go awry. It isn’t your fault, or his for that matter. Perhaps it is for the best that it end now before it got too serious.” Cicilly tried to comfort Bree the best she could. It pained her to see her daughter suffering.

  Bree lifted her head and looked into her mother’s eyes. “I love him. I don’t want it to end. Father gave us his blessing. Will you?”

  “I will never again come between you and the man you love, Bree. Royal or not. I married for love and enjoyed a wonderful marriage with your father. I could only hope for you to find the same happiness, with whoever you choose to marry. I just worry that he may not be the boy you knew so long ago. You have changed so much, grown so much, and I’m sure he also has. Nevertheless, I will not interfere.” Cicilly thought for a moment, then said something she wasn’t sure she would ever say. “I hope you can forgive me for the decision we made back then. I know your father has apologized, but I haven’t. We thought we were doing what was best for you, for both of you, because you were both so young. I hope you can forgive me.”

  Bree smiled, wiping her tears away. “Of course.”

  Celeste stood now and walked over to wrap her arms around Bree and Cicilly.

  “Good thing your father married my sister instead of me, Bree,” she said. “I make a much better aunt than a mother!”

  The three of them laughed and hugged once more. When they finally broke apart, an idea came to Cicilly. She held up a finger, telling them to wait a moment, then shot past them and into the back of the wardrobe. She dug around to find a portrait that used to hang in the room many years ago. She carried the portrait out to the others and held it up.

  “Do you remember this?” she asked. Bree studied the portrait. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen it, but she was astounded at the dress her grandmother was wearing in the painting.

  “Oh, my!” Bree said. Sidonie stood to get a closer look.

  “I remember this, Cici! It used to hang there, on the wall,” Celeste pointed to the wall next to her.

  “Yes it did,” Cicilly began. “This is the dress your grandmother wore to the first winter ball of Junacave. While I know the dress no longer exists, I’m sure our skilled seamstress here should be able to recreate it, perhaps?”

  “Oh, yes, Queen Mother, most certainly!” the woman replied.

  “If there was ever a dress to convince a man that he loves you,” Cicilly continued, “this would be it.”

  Bree was amazed at the portrait of the dress. Her hope that Rowan would magically wake one day and decide he wanted to love her was gone. Instead, she decided, she would force him to realize it. One look at her in this dress and he would melt in her hands. Come next month, Rowan was doomed.

  ~*~

  Cicilly was standing in her garden, one of her favorite places in the castle to be on a warm day. When she closed her eyes, she could smell the flowers, hear honeybees buzzing around them, and she could feel the sunlight beaming down on her, and the gentle breeze that came along.

  “Hello, Cicilly,” a voice said, behind her. Cicilly turned to find Silas, standing close. He looked rather handsome in his deep red and dark blue clothing, tight and showing off his toned body. His long dark hair was loose, blowing softly in the breeze.

  “Silas,” Cicilly greeted him with a small nod of her head. There were parts of his face that reminded her of Frederick, but Silas also had a smile that was dangerous and sexy. Cicilly felt her breath begin to quicken as Silas moved toward her, taking her hand and kissing it.

  Then Cicilly gasped as Silas grabbed her around the waist, dipping her low and smothering her neck and shoulders with kisses.

  “I have waited so long to touch you, my love,” Silas whispered to her, as he laid her down on the soft grass below. “Too long, we have been apart.”

  Silas ran his hand down Cicilly’s chest, over her breast and down to her stomach. Cicilly real
ized now that she was naked. But she felt fabulous, as Silas drew circles on her stomach with the tip of his finger.

  He whispered again, “I want to hear you say my name, love.”

  Silas moved his hand down between Cicilly’s legs as he bent down to kiss her. She moaned under his lips as he caressed her below, arching her back against the grass, inviting him further inside. He watched her face as he toyed with her, going faster, then slower, sticking his fingers deeper in, then bringing them back out again and hovering over her clitoris, careful not to touch it too much. He wanted to savor this time with her. Make it last as long as possible.

  Cicilly opened her eyes, trying to focus on him, noticing he was naked now, too. The sunlight was beaming down on his body, light reflecting off of the tiny beads of sweat forming on his forehead. When he bent down and kissed her again, she nipped at his bottom lip and he groaned.

  Silas decided it was time to finish her off before he ran out of time. Her light squeals of pleasure made the hair stand up on his arms and neck.

  He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then whispered in her ear.

  “Until we meet again, love.”

  Cicilly woke in the middle of the night, sitting straight up in her bed. It was only a dream.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Finnley read the message on the piece of parchment in his hands, which he just received from a rider his father had encountered outside of the gate. Sidonie’s sister was coming to the winter ball. She was going to be here next week, arriving a few days early to have time to find something suitable to wear to the ball. This could be a problem.

  He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell her. Sidonie was growing very happy now, in her life here, in Junacave. She and Dagan had been spending a great deal of time together as she started developing her magic. Sidonie hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about her magic, including Dagan, but after she accidentally grabbed his arm one day, he had felt it. It had grown strong enough for him to sense it. Would Adelphie be able to tell that Sidonie was using magic? Would she understand?

  Worse is that even if they were able to hide the evidence that Sidonie’s magic was growing, the fact that she and Dagan were courting was a completely different problem. The Sabras despise all magical creatures, including wizards. How could anyone hide the way Sidonie and Dagan looked at each other? This really was a terrible situation to be in. Maybe given more time, Sidonie could find a way to mask her magic. But there was only one week until Adelphie arrived.

  Upon entering the hall, Finnley discovered it empty, but for a few servants and kitchen maids. So he decided to try the library, which was where Bree and Sidonie had been spending most of their time when they were not out in the gardens or in the hall. He tapped on the door and Rowan opened it.

  “Hello, Rowan! I assume by your presence that the queen is here? Is Sidonie also here?

  “Yes,” Rowan replied. “Please tell me that you’re here to stay for a while. I don’t know how much more of their giggling I can take. I am in desperate need of manly conversation.” Rowan was practically pleading.

  Finnley laughed, feeling sorry for his friend who had to stay near the queen at all times, meaning he also had to endure the womanly conversations that went on.

  “Where’s Dagan?”

  Rowan sighed, “He’s gone to the village with his grandfather to restock at the apothecary, while I,” he opened the door further so Finnley could see inside, “have been listening to the two of these fine ladies discuss how dreamy Dagan’s eyes are.” Then Rowan dropped to a whisper, “Apparently, he’s a good kisser, as well.” Rowan rolled his eyes as he let Finnley into the room.

  “Ah… I sense your pain, Rowan,” Finnley began. “Just think of what they must say about you, when you aren’t around, eh?” He left Rowan gaping after him as he crossed the large room to where Bree and Sidonie sat at a large wooden desk. Finnley had witnessed Bree’s father, King Frederick, writing many letters on this very desk. Having lived in the castle his entire life, Finnley felt very much at home here. His mother had died during childbirth, leaving his father, Raymun, with a newborn and no one to care for it. King Frederick and Queen Cicilly had been gracious enough to allow Finnley to stay with his father in the knights’ wing, providing wet-nurses and chambermaids to assist with Finnley while his father worked in the castle.

  “Finnley!” Sidonie exclaimed when she caught sight of him. However, her smile faded when he handed her the message he had been holding.

  “No,” was all that Sidonie could say, then she handed the message to Bree. Rowan, who had been keeping his distance on the other side of the room, as he usually did now since the incident with the bard, came closer when he noticed something was wrong. Bree handed him the note after she read it.

  “Whatever will we do?” Bree said, frowning. “If your sister realizes that you and Dagan are a coupling, this could be disastrous.” She looked up at Rowan, still standing beside her. “You saw the way they treated Dagan when we were captured. She will not be pleased.”

  “Worse,” Sidonie added. “When my sister finds out about me… She will likely never speak to me again. Consorting with magic is a violation of our code. I could be banished. Forever.” Sidonie put her head in her hands. “What have I done?”

  “You did nothing wrong, Sidonie. You cannot help who your heart desires,” Finnley replied, then noticed that Rowan quickly stepped away from Bree. I guess the two of them are still at odds, then… Such a pity.

  “Maybe she won’t notice,” Rowan offered. “She’s never been to the kingdom, which is quite a large sight to take in. Perhaps she will be too distracted to notice.”

  Sidonie just groaned at Rowan’s suggestion.

  “I think you have a good point, Rowan,” Finnley added. “Maybe we could distract her. Keep her busy so she won’t have time to examine every little clue.”

  “Yes!” Bree exclaimed. “That could actually work. We could use someone to distract her, keep her occupied by showing her around the castle and the kingdom.” Bree paused, then looked at Finnley. “Someone who knows Junacave like his own hand. Someone who is quite the charmer of women. Someone who owes me many favors…” She trailed off but never took her eyes off of Finnley.

  “Who me?” Finnley asked, shocked by the suggestion.

  Rowan chuckled, “He is hardly a charmer of women.” Rowan expected his remark to earn a friendly punch from Finnley, but Finn just agreed.

  “See? I am not qualified to be a distraction. Send Rowan. Women find him dangerously handsome. If he doesn’t charm her, he may scare the wits out of her instead.” It was Finnley that received a jab in the ribs by Rowan.

  “How unfortunate that Dagan, the one person who actually is a known charmer of women, is the one person we cannot use to distract her,” Bree said, thoughtfully.

  Finnley rubbed a hand through his shaggy orange-red hair. He couldn’t believe he was about to agree to this. Sidonie’s entire future here depended on whether he could distract her sister from seeing the obvious.

  “Fine,” Finnley conceded. “I’ll do it.”

  Sidonie stood and pulled Finnley into a tight embrace. It was then that Dagan entered the library, catching sight of Sidonie hugging Finnley.

  “Whoa! I leave for half a day and already you’ve moved on to another?”

  Sidonie laughed and walked over to greet Dagan with a kiss. Bree looked away and Rowan tried to pretend that the sight of two people happily together, against terrible odds, didn’t irritate him.

  ~*~

  Greta and Gavin entered the courtyard and were greeted by one of the guards. They were then led to a room upstairs and asked to wait. This wasn’t their first time in the castle. Gavin had been here many times to patch up knights or guards who were injured during training or combat. However, Greta had only been inside the castle one other time, to assist in the birth of Queen Breestlin, some twenty-three years ago.

  Greta was a healer and a midwife. Sh
e spent most of her days with birthing mothers or healing rashes, scrapes, and minor ailments. Her brother, Gavin, was a skilled medicine man and the village physician in Junacave. Together, they owned an apothecary in the village, where they also treated their patients.

  The two of them had been summoned to the castle today, to examine the Queen Mother. Neither of them had been told what her illness was, so they were surprised when the Queen Mother entered the room some moments later, looking perfectly healthy.

  “Thank you so much for coming at my request,” Cicilly said, taking a seat across from them, next to the fire. “I was hoping to keep this meeting discreet, therefore, visiting the village was out of the question.”

  “We understand, Queen Mother,” Gavin assured her. “How can we help you?”

  Cicilly took a deep breath then began, explaining her reoccurring dreams involving an undesirable person from her past. She was careful not to mention his name. She explained that while she understood that these were only dreams, the thought of sleeping at night was becoming dreadful for her, as the dreams were becoming more intense, more realistic. She asked if there were any herbs or medicines that one could take to conjure a dreamless sleep.

  Gavin assured her that there were certainly medicines he could provide that would aid in sleep. However, he was unsure if they would prevent dreams, entirely. Then, Gavin and Greta examined Cicilly to make sure that her condition wasn’t a symptom of a more serious illness.

  When they were finished with the examination, they left the castle with the promise to send a tonic back for the Queen Mother. With any luck, she would sleep peacefully tonight.

  ~*~

  Upon leaving the library, Dagan wanted to check on his grandfather to see if he needed assistance organizing all of the items they had purchased in the village earlier that day. Sidonie decided to join him, hoping to learn more about the ingredients Elric possessed, and what they were used for.