Where the Wind Goes

Chapter 10 (Part 2) - The Queen of Changelings

The party was in full swing when Iri returned. The streets surrounding the Council's castle were overrun with children playing to the sound flutes and fiddles while dressed in their colorful animal masks. The water fountain glowed like liquid-light, and fairies danced around it, glittering with tiny dewdrops upon their delicate wings. A wire had been stretched from the castle to the clock tower, and an acrobat danced across it, raining down sparks with every step.

In the midst of it all, the glass dome of the castle shone like a beacon. Iri slipped in a side door and hurried up the stairs. She passed through a balcony that gave her a glimpse to the festivities below: a twirl of rich ball gowns and laughter.

"Miss Irina!" A voice called. She turned to find an attendant dressed in his finery, the golden thread of his robes glittering in the light. "Master Doldoorian has been looking for you. He left something for you to wear in your room."

Iri thanked him and then hurried off. She shed her muddy cloak and dirty shift the second she reached her room, and began struggling into the clothes laid out for her. The pair of black breeches were sleek and tight, accented with a silver stripe. The silk shirt was simple enough, but the double-breasted brocade coat refused to cooperate. She cursed as her fingers fumbled with the tiny silver buttons.

Nearly thirty minutes had passed when she was finally finished. She stood before the mirror, tugging at the tightly-laced sleeves and adjusting the stiff collar. Without the iris whistle, the ensemble looked incomplete, but she'd lost it a week earlier in the chaos of the attacks. She wasn't sure how it'd happened, but she'd found the broken remnants of the chain tangled in her hair that night.

"Irina!"

Artemis barreled into the room, grinning from ear to ear. He looked resplendent, in robes of silver with a matching fox mask hanging loose around his neck. His cheeks were flushed a healthy shade of pink, though Iri suspected that was the product of a nip of wine. Still, she was glad at least one of them was in good spirits.

"Oh, my little Irina." His kissed the top of her head. "You look marvelous. Quite the dashing knight."

"You couldn't have thrown in a ceremonial sword?" she teased. This black and silver ensemble was clearly of Artemis' design. If they were going to dress up as characters, she would've rather thrown on a coat of pine needles and gone as Iris. She could still recall the scent, sticky and sweet against her face as she napped on her grandmother's lap.

He sighed and stretched out on the silk chaise. "So tell me Irina, where have you been?" He stretched his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"I went to see a friend," she said. "I lost track of time."

"Mmm," he hummed drowsily.

She paced over to her bookshelves. Scrolls and leather-bound tomes sat in neat little rows. Along with them was an array of artifacts: a compass from a sailor she'd once known, a quill, a tortoiseshell hair comb. They were tokens from the people who had come from other realms- people she had considered her friends, even if she'd only known them briefly. The items hummed with an energy only she could sense; every person had a magical signature unique to themselves.

"Artemis?" she prompted.

"Mm?"

"You know how I can sense magic." It was her one skill, to make up for her lack of true magical ability.

"You have the keenest sense of all," he murmured indulgently.

She picked up one of her tokens, a small music box. It made no sound. When she couldn't sense the magic in the objects anymore, she took it to mean the person had ventured somewhere beyond her reach.