Chapter 148

[ 1,054 words ]

Arabella Toussaint:

The sunlight was pleasantly warm that morning, and Maya finally agreed to spend some time outside.

I pushed her wheelchair along the stone path that curved through the garden, with rows of roses and neatly trimmed flower beds on both sides.

She had been discharged from the hospital two days ago, and although she claimed she was perfectly fine, I had already caught her rubbing her sore thigh twice.

Her hips and thigh area were badly effected. According to her… “My hips might be half-dead, but the important equipment survived.”

Thankfully, she was recovering well, but the healers had advised her to avoid putting too much pressure on her legs for a few more days.

“You know I can walk, right, Chipmunk?” she complained, reaching out to brush her fingers over a bright yellow flower as we passed.

“Yes. And I also know you almost fell yesterday.” She immediately dropped her hand into her lap and pretended not to hear me at all.

I smiled to myself and continued pushing her. A light breeze moved through the trees, carrying the scent of flowers. Maya tilted her face toward the sun for a moment before suddenly sinking lower in her wheelchair.

“Oh, wonderful,” she muttered. “The soon-to-be royal witch is coming.”

I followed her gaze and found Jasmine walking toward us from the other end of the path, holding several envelopes.

“Behave,” I murmured, slowing the wheelchair.

“I’m injured. You can’t control what comes out of my mouth.” I would have snubbed her if Jasmine hadn’t looked directly at me at that moment.

She stopped in front of us and pulled a card from the small stack in her hand. It was made of thick ivory paper, its edges were lined with gold. The Volkov crest was embossed above elegant golden lettering, and even the envelope had been sealed with dark red wax.

“You two have to come.” She offered one to me and the other to Maya. “The Queen has fully recovered and is hosting a two-night celebration. There’ll be feasting, music, and entertainment throughout the palace grounds.” I took the invitation, running my thumb over the raised crest.

A two-night celebration. Of course, the Queen needed two whole nights to announce that her ribs were working again.

Jasmine reached for another envelope. “Where’s your other friend? I can give his invitation—”

“I’ll give it to him.” Maya held out her palm. “He’s outside the palace for some work.”

Jasmine gave a small nod and placed the envelope in her hand. “Sure. Her Highness specifically asked me to invite all three of you.” Her gaze moved from Maya to me. “You’re special guests, after all.”

My fingers stopped over the golden lettering while, Maya shifted slightly in her wheelchair. Neither of us said anything until Jasmine walked away.

Maya looked down at her invitation flipping it in her hands. “Special guests, my ass.”

***

Toby had been turning the invitation over in his hands for the past few minutes, reading the front and back again and again. Finally, he shook his head.

“Did either of you actually read this thing properly?”

I looked up from the laundry I was folding. “Enough to know when and where we’re supposed to show up.”

“No. There’s something weird about it.”

Maya, who was resting on my bed, reached for her invitation from the bedside table. “What did we miss?”

She opened it and began reading while I went back to folding one of my shirts. A moment later, she made a small sound of surprise. “Wow. Good catch, Toby.”

That got my attention. “What?” I dropped the half-folded shirt on the floor and walked over to the bed. Maya pointed to the bottom of the invitation.

“The Queen is going to perform some kind of magic during the celebration.”

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “So, our Queen is a magician now?” The joke fell flat, because neither of them looked amused.

“I’m serious, Ara.” Toby dropped the invitation onto the table. “I don’t think we should go.”

“Because of a few magic tricks?” I returned to my laundry. “Relax. What’s she going to do? Turn me into a pigeon?”

Toby looked a little frustrated. “I don’t know what she’s going to do. The whole thing feels off.”

I shook my head and picked up another shirt. Maybe he was being paranoid. My gaze dropped to the shirt in my lap, but I wasn’t seeing it anymore. I was thinking about the dragons.

They appeared because I had spoken a few stupid words. At least, that was what we believed. I slowly put the shirt aside. “What if…”

Toby looked at me when I trailed off. “What is it?” I barely heard him. An idea had struck me so suddenly that I shot to my feet.

Oh, Goddess.

Maya pushed herself higher against the pillows. “Ara? What happened?” I looked from her to Toby, as my pulse began racing. “Why didn’t I think of this before?”

“Holy cow!” I snapped my fingers. “The dragons. If I really summoned them, then maybe I can summon something else too.”

“What?” Maya stared at me as if I had lost my mind. One look at Toby told me he had figured it out.

“Zorro,” I whispered and my eyes filled with tears.

“Ara…” Toby got up and came toward me, but I held up my hand.

“No. If I could summon two fucking dragons I had never even seen before, why can’t I bring Zorro back?” Neither of them answered. I wiped my cheeks and looked around the room.

“Zorro, come here.” I raised my voice. Nothing happened. I tried again, louder this time. “Zorro!”

Still nothing. I frowned. Why wasn’t it working? The dragons had appeared. Why couldn’t Zorro?

I wiped my tears impatiently. Maybe I needed to say it louder.

“Zorro!” I shouted, but my voice broke halfway through his name. “I order you to come here right now!” My lips began to tremble. “Please, Zorro. Just come back.”

A sob escaped me before I could stop it. Toby crossed the room and pulled me into his arms. This time, I didn’t push him away. I buried my face against his chest and cried.

“Why isn’t he coming, Toby?” I whispered. “Why can’t I bring him back?”

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