Page 10 of Enchanted Kingdom
Me? I only wondered how long this thing would take.
They went out of view for only a few moments before appearing in the balcony next to their father. The women moved in closer, as apparently speeches were to soon be underway.
I hated to admit both princes were attractive men. I only knew the twin princes apart from their portraits I had seen on the royal reports. Keiran was a few inches taller than Krewan. Both had dark hair and blue eyes and now that they were standing next to their father, I noted their skin was a shade darker than that of their father. But even in the way they stood, you could tell the princes apart. Keiran stood and had walked smoothly, while Krewan seemed to attack every step and motion, much like I assumed his father did.
The king stood, and a hush blanketed the entire room. Women began bowing for their king, and I begrudgingly followed suit.
“Welcome,” the king boomed. “To the Wylan tradition of the Assemblage of Consorts. Our future queen is in this room.”
While some women gasped with excitement, I tried not to snort my disdain.
“The dancing will soon commence.” He gestured to an area near the grand staircase with a small orchestra set up on a stage that I hadn’t even noticed yet because the room was just that massive and overflowing with skirts. “At the end of the evening, your crown princes will choose thirty women each to continue the Assemblages. Those women will stay here, at the castle, until our crown princes find their matches.”
He again had to pause for applause and excited murmurs. I stood rooted in place, watching the king, wishing I could kill him with a glare. He was arguably the most powerful Enchanted in the kingdom, so it was just a daydream, but still.
“So drink, eat, dance, and enjoy your crown princes.” The king then smiled, and I wanted to look away. It was a twisted sort of smile, not a kind one.
Before I knew it was coming, the king ended his greeting by turning his hands out to the crowd and a shock of black energy hit the room. What looked like black lightning crackled and weaved its way out of his hands and across the room so fast I was sure that if I blinked, I would have missed it. And with it, a surge of wind also blew through the room.
While the hair of the other women went blowing back in the breeze, not a strand of mine moved.
Before I could panic, the black lightning traveled into the air above the chandeliers before moving higher yet, seeming to explode and then fan outward in the process. I’m sure it would have been pretty, but I was stuck looking toward the king, not above me like the rest of the room.
The king had sent magic through the room for show, and while it had affected most of the people around me, I hadn’t felt a thing? I looked up at the balcony to see if the king had noticed, but fortunately, he had his beady eyes focused elsewhere.
I almost took a breath of relief but then I saw two steel blue eyes looking directly into mine.
CHAPTER5
He looked at me long enough for me to be sure that it was me he had zeroed in on, blinked once with a blank look on his face, and then looked away. Prince Krewan was whispered to be the colder of the two princes. And he, of course, had to have been the one to notice what had just occurred.
I didn’t even know what it meant. I had only seen magic once before and from afar. I didn’t know everything about how magic worked, nor did I care to. I knew it could be used to hurt and destroy and that was enough for me to stay as far away from it as I possibly could. All I did know was that I had no magic myself. I was not Enchanted. I was a simple baker from Nerede. So why didn’t the king’s magic work on me? Why hadn’t I felt a thing? Had it been some random fluke?
The orchestra began playing soft music and the princes were on their way back down the grand staircase. Needing a moment to calm down, I headed back through the people to fade into the background. Where I belonged.
Not long after, a gorgeous dark-haired woman in a silver dress approached me. “Hello. I’m Renna. From Savaryn.”
“Jorah,” I smiled politely. If she was Savaryn, she was either a servant and not Enchanted, or Enchanted like the majority of Savaryn. She didn’t really have the air of a servant, so I was going with the latter.
Her eyes darted around quickly before she asked quietly, “Are you Enchanted?”
I shook my head and tried to wipe off the look of pure disgust that was surely on my face. “No.”
She cocked her head. “Interesting.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I just wondered if your own magic was the reason the king’s magic didn’t work on you. If you somehow shielded from it.”
I didn’t know what exactly to do with that. I was pretty sure she already knew I was from Nerede. And also, if I had somehow used magic, wouldn’t she have seen it? “I’m a baker. From Nerede. I have no magic, I can assure you.”
She took a drink from her champagne flute. “Then you must have Iron Will, Jorah.”
My mind began spinning, trying to remember a time my father had used those words. I had heard the phrase before, but far too long ago to remember what it meant.
She shook her head. “Forgive me. I do not mean to confuse. There are instances of people being immune to the magic of the Enchanted. It just means you have a strong will; Iron Will, as we call it.”
I opened my mouth. Then shut it. Then opened it. “I have no idea, honestly. Again, I’m from Nerede. I’ve only seen magic once before in my entire life.”
