Ebby Flint and the Sword of Sorrows (Book 1 in the Artis Trilogy)

Chapter Eleven - Artis Is Good

Chapter Eleven - Artis Is Good

"Hello, my name is Ebby Flint. I am the most powerful being in the world. I am the last witch of Artis. The saviour of this kingdom. The great-granddaughter of the witch who created Artis. And I am talking to a mirror. Great," I say to the reflection of myself. "Okay, okay, let's try this again."

I curtsey to myself because that is something I figured old fashioned people would do, but I'm just going off of disney princess movies here, so there is a chance I could be wrong.

"Hey, there, the name's Ebby. I'm kind of a popular gal around here," I point at myself, thumbs up. "God, no, that was embarrassing. Powerful witches don't talk like that. Or maybe they do? I wouldn't know."

Tonight is my last night in the castle before I begin my quest. It's also the night of the Fortuna ball, which I believe is a tradition they do in the kingdom of Artis when they send warriors out to fight. I have a feeling it's going to be like every prom in every high school movie ever. And I've seen enough high school prom movies to know that they always end up terribly, but I'm honestly more concerned about the whole potentially life threatening quest I'm going on tomorrow.

"Enchanté, I'm Ebby Flint," I begin again, talking to the mirror.

A voice comes in from behind me, "Do not fret, Miss Flint. Tonight's ball will go smoothly. You should feel honoured as the guest of honour," Lenhi tries to comfort me. She has been making me an outfit for the evening.

"Honoured, right."

"Now, darling let's see what this gown looks like on," I leave the mirror and walk over to where Lenhi is holding the gown. The gown is made from vivid lavender fabric. It has a narrow skirt that flows out at the bottom. There is a matching lavender belt around the waist holding the whole outfit together. Lenhi helps me with putting the dress on. As she is doing up the lace in the back, I admire the dress. The sleeves rest slightly off my shoulders, leaving my shoulders and collar bone bare. Small bellflowers are sewed in clumps around the dress; each flower is surrounded by little crystals. Lenhi tells me that along with the bellflower, she sewed in lavender flowers along the hem of the dress, giving it the smell of the inside of a soap store.

"Lenhi...this is beautiful," I say, swaying side to side in the dress.

"Thank you, Miss Flint. I've always loved making dresses for my little girl. Although, she's not so little anymore, and doesn't truly appreciate gowns."

I don't want to Lenhi that in this day and age I was more of a pantsuit girl myself, so instead I ask about her daughter. "How old is your daughter?"

Lenhi looks sad for a split second, but then places a staged smile on her face. "Oh, I suppose she would be turning eighteen this year. Oh Oberon, how could I forget the most important part."

Lenhi picks up the bottom of her dress, and swiftly walks into the closet. When she reenters the room, she has a diamond chocker and bracelet. As Lenhi puts on the finishing touches, she says, "My, Miss Flint, don't you look enchanting. Everyones eyes will be on you the whole night."

Lenhi leaves my new room to go tend to someone else. I'm supposed to head down to the main ballroom now, where I first met the king. However, I can't seem to move my feet. Something about what Lenhi said suddenly hit me.

Everyones eyes will be on you... I replay her words in my head, and it feels like whole ocean is waving around in my stomach. It's not that I don't like the idea of everyone watching me, I mean, I'm as narcissistic as any other person who just found out they're the only person who can save the world. But the idea that all these people are looking up to me to save them, makes my stomach drop. I'm not a hero. In fact, the most heroic thing I've ever done was when I let Marcus cheat off me on the PATs, but even that's not really heroic. Here in Artis, people look up to me. They actually think I'll be able to save them, but I don't even know what I'm saving them from.