Page 14 of Muse

You are supposed to be a muse, Isadore. Someone of impeccable grace, morality, and diligence. Right now, you have none. When you return, there will be many changes to ensure that you get back on the path that you belong on.

I expect you to be on the first stagecoach out in the morning, so I shall see you by the late afternoon, and then we can have a proper talk.

Signed,

Lady Adora Ravenna Dellamousa”

My hands trembled when I reached the end, and I knew I couldn't go back to the other muses. How could I tell them my mother forbade me from finishing the conduction? How could I tell Soren?

At the moment, I was in no mind to talk to anyone. Never before had I felt so happy and light, only to come crashing down so quickly after. I needed time to compose myself and figure out how to handle Adora's demands.

I slipped out of the ballroom without anyone seeing, and I hurried through the palace to the dormitories. Since everyone was at the celebration, they were silent and dark. I went out to the courtyard, sat on the edge of the reflecting pool, and stared at the stars above.

Truthfully, I wanted to cry, scream, throw up, and yell. I couldn't leave (I would disappoint everyone), and I couldn't stay (I would destroy Adora). I had no idea how to reconcile my responsibilities with my wants.

“Why do you always run from a good time?” Soren asked, and for once, I was too distracted to notice the electrical charge I felt in the air anytime he was near.

"I didn't run," I argued, but I didn't trust myself to look back at him.

I was in no hurry to watch any admiration in his eyes quickly dissolve into disappointment and disgust.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, his voice filled with concern as he approached.

Because I didn't want to explain it to him, I held out Adora's message. He took it from me and read it silently as I stared at the starlight shimmering in the pool.

“This is from your mother?” he asked after he finished.

"Yes, Adora is my mother. She's upset because she thinks I lied to her, but I didn't. I only said that my friends travel independently, and she misinterpreted that to mean they'd be traveling with me."

"Izzy, it doesn't matter, even if you did lie to her. You are a young woman and a talented muse. You do not need her permission to travel across the lands doing the very incredible thing you were made to do. That's utterly absurd."

“You don’t know Adora,” I replied resignedly.

“I don’t have to. I know you.” He sat down on the edge of the pool, and when I finally looked over at him, I noticed the bottle of wine in his hands.

“I’m sorry, I must be interrupting something. Were you meeting someone out here?” I asked.

"Yes," he said with a laugh. "You. I saw you slip away from the festivities early, and I was afraid you were punishing yourself with more practice instead of celebrating. So I pilfered the wine and brought it here with the plan to get you to have some fun for a change."

“Unfortunately, I think this will have to be a goodbye drink,” I said sadly.

He gave me a stern look as he appraised me, and his dark eyebrows pinched together. "Isadore. I won't tell you not to gobecause the last thing you need is someone else deciding your choices. I will say that I know the Ashoralida will be better if you are in it, and I would hate to see you leave. Not before you've had a chance to burn bright."

“You really believe that?” I asked.

“Of course,” he replied immediately. “But it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it?”

“It matters to me.”

He leaned forward and put his hand on top of my knee that was tilted toward him. "What do you want, Izzy? Where do you want to be tonight? Tomorrow?"

“Here. I want to be here. In the Ashoralida,” I said, and barely bit my tongue to hold back what I wanted to add,With you.

“Then stay, and this can be your first drink of celebration.” He motioned to the wine in his other hand.

“What do I do about Adora?”

“Send her a message, reassure her your safe, and you’ll see her when you return after the Ashoralida,” he suggested.

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