Page 81 of When Wishes Bleed

“What would you know about it?” Estelle snapped. Her blonde hair was streaked with neon pink and slashes of green. Her pant suit wasn’t pastel, but rather a surprisingly bold shade of egg yolk yellow.

“I know you were invited here among thousands of other women, personally by the Prince. The same as Rose was. He was obviously drawn to you, and he knows you’re a painter. He admires your work. He told me so himself.”

Her brow quirked, but she relaxed.

“He likes your sculptures, too,” I told Tessa. Tessa was as petite as Mira, with hair the color of ash. I wondered if the hue was passed down from generations, absorbed into their familial lines from the ashen stones they worked. Her nose and cheeks were smattered with freckles and her smile was genuine and beautiful.

“Thank you,” she said. Tessa hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “Would you like to ride with us?”

“I’d love to.”

Suddenly, their eyes widened behind me and each of them stood a little straighter. The Prince was standing behind me. I could feel it. I turned slowly to face him. He was so close, his head blocked out the bright morning sun to the east.

“Sable,” he greeted coolly.

“Prince Tauren.”

He looked over at Estelle and Tessa. “Good morning, ladies.”

“Good morning,” they said in unison, Tessa’s soprano voice colliding with Estelle’s huskier tone.

Tauren pardoned himself to check with the camera crew, and when they assured him they were ready and would require two of the four carriages for crew and equipment, he strode to the lead carriage and climbed the steps, settling next to Rose.

“Other than you, Sable, she’s his favorite,” Tessa said disappointedly.

“I’m not his favorite.” As a matter of fact, right now I’m his least favorite.

Besides, Tauren had spent the entire play with Rose by his side. She was from the most affluent sector, and was as popular as she was because her father was one of the Kingdom’s most decorated generals. The Kingdom already loved her. Maybe Tauren could as well. Rose may have started using the love potion yesterday, but she probably didn’t even need the edge it gave her.

Estelle climbed into the second carriage, followed by Tessa. They sat together on a bench, smoothing their dresses. Silver bracelets with their sectors engraved on the smooth surface adorned their wrists. I slid across the carriage and sat next to the far window so I could see out. A few moments later, our carriage lurched forward and rumbled along the long road, spiraling away from the palace at the center of Nautilus.

I was quiet as we bumped along the road. “Have you ever been to Sector Three, Sable?” Tessa asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled in.

“Only on my way from Thirteen to the palace. I’ve never actually visited any other sectors. In passing, your sectors were the loveliest. I’d like to visit them one day.”

Both women smiled proudly.

“Can I be honest?” Estelle asked, glancing between us. “I’m shocked to be here. I’d never met the Prince, so I don’t know how he even knew I existed. My mother is a well-known portrait painter, and the King recently commissioned her to paint Queen Annalina’s likeness.”

“Is that her painting in the main hallway?”

“It is,” she beamed.

I raised a brow. “I thought it was a picture at first glance, before I saw the brush strokes. She’s very talented. Do you paint portraits?”

“No,” she answered. “I prefer landscapes, or more correctly, seascapes.”

“I want to visit the sea,” I told her wistfully.

“The Kingdom only has a sliver that citizens can access, located at the outer borders of Ten and Eleven. The rich soil ends and becomes sandy, like the earth is ending, and then it does. Tall cliffs drop straight to the deep, blue sea, but there’s a tiny beach at the bottom you can climb down to at low tide.” Estelle’s eyes took on a faraway look, as if she were painting the scene in her mind. “It’s worth it. The tide pools hold a vast array of sea life, and the water in summer is glorious. But you can’t linger. The tides are always sweeping in and out, and you don’t want to get caught unaware and have to scramble up the side of the cliff. Rough steps have been hewn along the cliff face, but they’re slick as an eel’s back from the constant sea spray. The best beaches are reserved for the naval fleet, of course.”

“Have you been?” I asked Tessa.

She wrinkled her nose. “Only once, and only to look at the rocks along the cliff. None of them were good for chiseling. Too porous from the constant battering of wind and sea water.”

The tension broken, we enjoyed the ride in silence as we traveled over hills dotted with small purple flowers. A short time later, we ambled through the palace’s divisive wall and entered Sector One. “What is the purpose of the walls between sectors?”

Estelle answered first. “Each sector is like a small city-state, with elected officials and a city structure unlike the others. Citizens pay taxes within their sectors.”

---