Jason kept singing, but Queen Orlaith no longer paid attention to him. She grabbed the goblet and sprung to her feet, wand outstretched. “What mischief is this?” Her gaze darted around the table, then scanned the pavilion. “My cup floated off the table.”
Kailen drew his sword with one hand and his wand with the other. He waved his wand and a shaft of light leapt from the wand’s tip, arching over the dance floor in a long white rainbow.
The light sizzled and bits of glitter fell through the air, burning like embers. Several of the princesses took note of them, smiling like they were a new party favor the queen had added to the unusual song.
The glitter must not have hurt. No one flinched as pieces landed on their shoulders. At least they didn’t flinch any more than the song was already making them flinch. Jason turned in the dancers’ direction, aiming the song at them, full force. Instead of gracefully gliding around the room, the couples were off beat, taking unsure steps, and laughing at their own efforts.
The glitter falling near Kailen and Queen Orlaith turned black, became pieces of ash that gathered around their feet. Some of the glitter fluttering behind them turned dark as well. I watched a column drift closer to the table. By the time Kailen turned to check behind him, it was indistinguishable from the black glitter around him.
He turned back to the dance floor and lowered his wand. “No magic has crept in, save the magic here at our table.” He kept scanning the pavilion though, searching.
So that’s what the glitter was—a litmus test for magic. The dark column behind the table had marked Donovan’s cloak. He had moved between Kailen and Queen Orlaith so they wouldn’t notice him.
The queen turned to her son, her lips pulled into a tight, thin line. “True enough, as my wards keep away all magic folk but us. So I’ll ask you why you attempted to take my cup.”
“Me?” Kailen’s head snapped back. “I never touched it.”
Part of me wanted to point to Donovan and turn him over to Queen Orlaith to get rid of my competition. I didn’t, though. She would undoubtedly do something horrible to him, and he didn’t deserve that. Besides, he had kept me from falling down the stairs. Now we were even.
Queen Orlaith’s dark eyes were still trained on her son. “You told me to use the cup to ask of Titania. And lo, minutes later, the goblet levitated off the table.”
A flush of angry color spotted Kailen’s cheeks. “If the cup did, indeed, levitate, it wasn’t my doing.”
Queen Orlaith sat down, stiffly imperial. She placed the goblet in front of her. “If? You doubt what I saw?”
He shoved his sword back into his scabbard. “It is inevitable that at times, even queens are mistaken.” His words had too much emphasis. Apparently he thought she was mistaken about more than the cup.
If Queen Orlaith was in a bad mood before, she was doubly so now. Her eyes practically glittered with anger. “Then you won’t object when I place a spell on the goblet.” Before Kailen could comment, she touched her wand to its rim. “Until I speak otherwise, only a woman’s hand shall move the cup. It will be slippery unto all others.”
She firmly placed the goblet into the middle of the box, tapped the table with her wand, and the box pieces reconfigured themselves into the right shape.
Kailen’s jaw clamped tight. “You insult me, Mother. I leave you to your dancers and your foolishness.”
He turned and strode into the trees behind the thrones with long fast strides. A moment later, a raven took to the air and sped through the night sky.
The queen couldn’t have heard the flutter of wings over Jason’s music. Still, she slumped in her chair. Was she sorry or relieved?
Jason finished off the song with a long-drawn out “Ohhh-ohhh-ohhh” that would have made modern girls swoon. The princes and princesses, however, only clapped halfheartedly.
Jason nodded, a smile plastered on his face, and held up a hand to acknowledge their applause. I could tell he was miffed at the lack of appreciation. “That song has been in the Top 40 for thirty weeks straight,” he announced, as though that might change its reception.
“Let’s have another waltz,” one of the princes called.
The queen wordlessly swished her wand and a slow, lilting melody filled the area. “The two of you should also dance.” The queen gave us one bare glance. “Before long the night will be spent. Enjoy each other’s company ere then.”
We followed her orders, although I can’t say I enjoyed Jason’s company much. He led me out on the floor and grudgingly pulled me into position. As soon as we danced our way out of earshot from the other couples, he said, “Just tell me this: How hard is it to pick up a glass without flinging its contents all over the place?”
“It wasn’t my fault. Donovan grabbed the goblet at the same time I did.”
“Donovan?”
“The invisible guy.”
Jason tilted his chin down. “Okay, let me get this straight. An invisible guy kept you from taking the cup?”
I could prove I was telling the truth. I could show him what happened when I lied. I didn’t do it. Jason thought this night was part of some reality show. If random body parts of mine started to inexplicably grow, I was pretty sure Jason would freak out and scream things like, “Gross! What is wrong with you?”
I didn’t need a freaked-out celebrity to worry about right now, and I didn’t want everyone to know I couldn’t lie without having a Pinocchio experience.
“The night’s not a total loss,” I said. “Thanks to the queen’s new spell, only women can hold the goblet now. That means Donovan can’t steal it. We’ll just have to find a way to distract the queen tomorrow so I can take it.”
While I tried to think of a new distraction, Jason looked upward and made whiny-coughing noises. “I can’t stay in Briardrake for another day. Where’s my manager? Seriously. I need to talk with him.”
I rolled my eyes. “How bad can you have it? You’re a prince living in a castle.”
“The place has no plumbing, no internet, and do you know what the thermostat in my room is? A pile of logs by the fireplace.”
“Pretend it’s camping—except you’ve got better food and servants at your beck and call.”
“I don’t like camping.” Jason’s hand moved on my shoulder. I thought it was one of those dance cues that signaled he wanted to switch directions. He didn’t move that way though, so I stumbled and knocked into him.
He made more coughing noises.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s hard to dance and think.”
“Yeah, I bet it’s hard for you to walk and chew gum too.”
Which was really too much. I stepped on his foot on purpose. “Oops,” I said sweetly. “Clumsy again.”
That’s pretty much how we spent the next two hours. I was so over Jason. Why had I ever thought I wanted him to love me? He wasn’t the soulful, understanding person I’d imagined when I sang songs to his posters. He was vain, egotistical, and had no patience for anyone.
In fact, it may not have actually registered in his mind that other people existed. If he’d paid more attention to Kailen or Queen Orlaith, he would have noticed their magic. Instead, Jason was too busy wondering where the show’s cameras were hidden so he could be sure they got his good side.
I absolutely couldn’t be stuck here forever with him.
Chapter 16
As the night progressed, some of the couples stole off into the darkness, walking hand in hand through the grounds around the pavilion. Jason and I never did. Although he did take several breaks to go to the refreshment tables. At four in the morning, the music finally ended and the queen thanked us for coming.
As we walked en masse down the path toward the lake, I didn’t speak to Jason. I climbed into our boat, folded my arms, and waited for him.
The other princesses seemed as energetic as when they started the ball. I was tired and my feet hurt. My slippers were not only worn through at the edges, the bottoms were dirty from trudging around the forest earlier. Anyone who saw them would know we’d left the castle. No wonder our slippers bothered the king so much.