“Thanks.” I grinned. “The garden looks lovely.”
His smile turned genuine again, sweat reflecting off his creamy skin. “Well, I appreciate that very much.”
“It’s good to meet you, Graff.”
“The feeling is mutual, Ripley. Enjoy your walk.”
I strode past him and down the path. A quick peek over my shoulder had me looking at his curved back as he knelt to continue his work. He seemed nice. I certainly trusted him much more than anyone else I had met so far.
As I strolled through the neatly crafted aisles filled with both flowers I recognized and ones I didn’t, I felt more at peace than I had in weeks. There was no danger to ward against. I could just… be.
Basking in the sun filled me with a sense of life that regenerated me as I took in the natural beauty Graff had a hand in sculpting. When I reached the ocaberry patch, I kept popping them into my mouth until I noticed my brunette hair change to a luscious blonde and grew long enough for reassurance that I was nearing full magic capacity. I bunched up the locks close to my feet and took the time to wrap my hair neatly into a top knot like Fletcher had once taught me.
I embraced this new tranquility as I weaved my way back to the king an hour later, giving Graff a quick wave on the way out.
The king and I walked up the path and closer to the castle. “I see you’ve met Graff. Nice boy, he is. Lovely family.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. One of the few people I’ve liked so far.”
“Maybe you two will become friends.”
“Unlikely. I’m not staying here.”
“Oh, right.” He chuckled, eyes lingering on my face as if he were interested in what I would say next.
At the base of the mountain, instead of turning to the right toward the castle, we kept true.
Once we had walked up a hill, a high-arched entrance that led into the depths of the mountain appeared. Lanterns hovered over the ground, lighting the way from just outside the mountain into the tunnel the king was leading me to.
“I want to show you something before we go to the castle.”
Gazing into the entrance, I spotted luminous purples and blues and neon yellows blending together. And when we turned with the bend in the tunnel, I feasted my eyes on a large room with a vast and deeppool filled with scintillating crystals piled in heaps. Each individual crystal was a unique size and glistened with even the smallest of my movements. Heat radiated off them like their energy was synergizing before my eyes. The bottom of the pool bubbled like the crystals were melting.
“This is what powers all of the Ölden Lands, Ripley. Our engineers have worked very hard to make sure energy runs to anyone and everyone in our land.”
Anyone and everyone. “But the Cidris are here.” I looked back at the pool. “This is what powers their facility! You have to turn it off.”
He tilted his head and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat. “I know. But, if we do, then our barrier comes down. We would be vulnerable to all of the Cidris and who knows what else. Power to our cities, and our forests would sense that we were in trouble and possibly harm all wildlife and humans in an attempt to save us. So, this must stay on and lit for many millennia to come.”
A female strode in with two crystals in each hand. She smiled at us, put her feet together at the edge of the pool and closed her eyes.
“What is she doing?” I asked in a low whisper.
“Making a wish.”
She opened her eyes and tossed her crystals into the pool. Then, she turned around to us as she fumbled for more crystals in her satchel.
Her eyes latched onto the king’s as she straightened and rested her flattened hand over her heart as a greeting. A greeting I recognized. It was what the Elizian women had done in the cages when one was leaving.
The king matched her salute before his elbow nudged me in the side to follow suit. “She is showing her respect. We must show it back.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, placing my hand over my heart as fast as I could and bowing my head slightly.
Her eyes latched onto mine and gasped. “Is this—no—is it? Are you Princess Ripely?”
I gulped and nodded.
“Oh!” she squealed. “Would it be crazy if I gave you a hug?”
