Breathing deeply, I pushed the thoughts of death aside and focused instead on the stone. As with the last two spells, I used an incantation I’d learned from the pixies and guided the magic into the stone. Energy drained from my body, making me glad I was sitting. Rose-colored magic sparkled above me and disappeared, leaving me with two symbols: Wult and black magic.
I rested on the bed, feeling as if the magic had taken every last ounce of my energy. There was nothing left. Sleeping would restore my magic, but did I have time? Glancing outside, I saw the sun had sunk low and turned a glowing orange that announced the end of the day. My eyes closed, and without another thought, I fell asleep.
I awoke to a dark room. My stomach churned and head pounded. Sitting up, I found the gown lying on the bed with me. I cursed as I snatched up the dress. What time was it? Had I missed the ball? Silvestra would strike me dead if I missed her stupid party.
I dressed quickly, brushed my hair, and then glanced in the mirror. Running my hands over the gown’s light blue, velvety fabric and sweeping skirt, I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror. She was some ethereal creature with elven ears, bright green eyes, dark reddish hair, and a gown that was suited for a fairytale castle.
Turning away from the mirror, I grabbed the stone box before stumbling out of the room. When I approached the ballroom, music drifted into the hallway. My shoes echoed off the marble tiles until I stopped at the large double doors, pulled them open, and entered the ballroom.
Wraiths crowded the room in their customary attire of masks and elaborate clothing. The tide of bodies pressed in around me as I wandered across the enchanted floor. The lilting, calming surge of music broke up my worries. I found myself drifting over the floor, floating.
Instead of the stars and planets represented on the tiles, I floated on a silver sky. My feet touched the tops of clouds, and I felt their mist and magic fill my lungs.
A strong hand grabbed mine, and I spun around. Kull stood behind me, although I almost didn’t recognize him. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his skin was ashen. He looked more like a wraith than I cared to admit.
“Kull,” I gasped.
He smiled. I found pain in his eyes, but he pulled me close and the pain seemed to disappear.
“I was worried you weren’t coming,” he said.
“I fell asleep. But I’m shocked to see you here. You weren’t even conscious this morning. Are you okay?”
“Well enough. Whatever magic that witch uses is some wicked stuff.” He touched the collar around his neck. “I don’t feel like myself.”
“You don’t look like yourself, either.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve made some progress with the box today. You’ll be free before tomorrow evening. I promise.”
I didn’t admit that I had no clue how to remove the two remaining spells, but I didn’t want to worry him. He looked like he didn’t need any of that right now.
He leaned close to my ear. “Dance with me,” he said.
His nearness made my skin tingle. I felt as if I were floating as he guided me to the center of the floor.
Dark clouds gathered beneath us as we danced. The floor seemed to melt away, leaving us to dance on thunderheads as lightning sparked through the towering clouds. He held my hand close to his heart as we danced.
He wore a black tunic with dark red garnets studding the collar. His blond hair was loose around his shoulders, and his blue eyes had the intensity of the enchanted lightning sparking beneath our feet. As he held me, I wondered if perhaps we were wrong. Did Wults possess magic?
“What are you thinking about?” he asked me.
“Nothing much.”
“Nothing? You looked deep in thought. You must have been thinking of something.”
“Well, I guess I was pondering whether or not Wults have magic.”
He creased his brow. “Why would we have magic?”
I shook my head. So much didn’t make sense. “I don’t know.”
Resting my head on his chest, I felt his warmth on my cheek. The music played a cadence that matched our footsteps, slow and rhythmic. The low tones of the cello and piano combined to conjure feelings of sadness and loneliness—two emotions the witch must have intimately understood, and so did I.
I looked and found Silvestra sitting on her throne. Her eyes tracked our movements.
I’d finally found the one person who completed me, and she was going to take him away. The thought was almost too much to bear. I closed my eyes as Kull and I danced through the clouds together.
When the song ended, he guided me off the floor and under an alcove.
“Is something the matter?” he asked.
“No. I’m okay.” I exhaled. “At least we’re together for now, right?”
He kissed my knuckles. “Yes. We’re together now. And because I swore I would never lose you again, we shall stay that way. You’ll have the box opened soon, and then we’ll be free of this place.”
I smiled but couldn’t answer. How would I ever open the box without black magic?
“Come with me,” he said, “I’d like to show you something.”
He took my hand and led me up the stairs. When we reached the top level, he guided me toward a balcony overlooking the dance floor, except the floor wasn’t visible. Instead, the spell made it appear as if we stood above the tops of the clouds.
“It’s breathtaking,” I said, “even in a place like this.”
“It gets better,” he said, then squeezed my hand and led me off the balcony and onto the cloud tops.
Gasping, I found the clouds soft beneath my shoes, as if I walked on a thick carpet.
“Amazing,” I whispered, breathless.
Hues of pink
