Page 35 of Muse

I made it through the rest of the day without breaking any limbs, but I did have a few fresh bruises from a tangling incident with the silk. I also had a new blister and body aches in multiple muscles I had never used before. But I also had a new sense of pride, and I was doing a halfway decent job despite my severe fear of heights.

I was also learning a new skill, and I wondered what Adora would make of it when she found out that I knew how to do aerials. Probably just rage and disappointment, I assumed.

After practice, the other muses once again all went to hang out. I declined because I was too tired to do anything more than pass out in bed. Wrenley offered to stay back with me, but I was only sleeping, so I told xer to go have fun.

It took a full week of practicing aerials before I was finally able to stay awake for a couple hours afterward. Still, I just laid in bed, working my way through the small library of books that came with our room.

It was almost another whole week after that before I finally let Wrenley and Rowan convince me to hang out with them. And it wasn't so much letting them convince me as not taking no for an answer.

The parade was in honor of King Asmond's twenty-third birthday, so he, his family, and the Kingdom were the main themes. Floats were adorned with colorful flowers and sparkling crystals, and one was entirely devoted to the royal flora, the sunflower.

"Why does the float with the hot air balloon look so melancholy?" I asked as the somber float rolled by.

"Well, because it's meant to be melancholy," Rowan said, then lowered his voice as he explained, "The King's father and mother, the late King Edvard and Queen Pippa, went on a balloon ride for their anniversary, as was their tradition. But four years ago, they were caught in an unexpected storm, and they crashed, and unfortunately, they both perished."

I grimaced. “I remember hearing something about that now. How tragic.”

“That must have been so hard for the King,” Wrenley said thoughtfully. “Losing both his parents so abruptly and then being thrust onto the throne in the midst of it.”

“He’s done well through it all,” Rowan said. “The kingdom and the people adore him.”

Bannerman carried rainbow-colored flags, but they became overwhelmingly pink as the heads of the towering giraffes came into view. The gorgeous animals walked leisurely, with sanguine smirks, as they surveyed the crowd lining the roads on either side. The long manes that ran down their necks were adorned with colorful ribbons and flowers, and people held up outstretched leaf fronds for the animals to eat as they went by.

The giraffes themselves were part of the procession, with the royal family riding on the backs of the giant animals. Each one had a bespoke saddle and a blanket marked with the rider’s sigil and name. The reigns stretched six feet from the saddle to the bit in the giraffe’s mouth, with flowers wrapped around the strap.

The first animal was the smallest, but it was still a giant. Even from the vantage point where Rowan, Wrenley, and I watched from the balcony, the giraffe's head still towered above us.

The King's younger siblings led the procession, beginning with Prince Edvin, who was not yet sixteen, and the King's ward.

Behind him, sharing a single giraffe, were Asmond's younger brother, Spencer, and his new bride, Beatrice.

"They only wed a few months ago," Wrenley explained to me in a low voice as they rode by. "There were rumors that the wedding was rushed because she was with child, but there's no sign of the baby. The King fears that Spencer wants to get his hands on his duchy, and the only way to do that is through marriage."

“How do you know so much about the Lamida royal family?” I asked xer.

Wrenley shrugged but wouldn’t meet my eyes when xe said, “People like to talk. You’d learn things too if you came out more at night.”

Following them were a pair of giraffes walking side-by-side, each of them dual riders. The one on the right was the King's only sister, Duchess Karla, with her toddler daughter, Lady Zara, in her lap. The other giraffe carried Karla's wife, Marcella, and their infant son, Lord Lukas.

Finally came the largest giraffe, at least two stories tall, higher than I had dared climb on the silks yet, and the King sat high in his saddle. His smile was wide but frozen, and he waved politely at the crowds below.

Wrenley leaned forward on the railing as he drew closer. Asmond's eyes finally went up to the balconies where we watched. They landed on xer, and I swear, the moment he saw xer was the first time his smile appeared genuine.

Chapter 23

Idug my toes into the sand and stared up at the silk ribbons. I had mastered the routine a foot off the ground, and tomorrow, we'd be adding magik. That left me with today to overcome my fear of heights because tomorrow, I'd need my focus for the magik.

“The nest is safer, but that’s not why birds have wings. They are meant to fly,” Rowan was telling me. “You can’t stay on the floor forever.”

“I know,” I said.

“And we’ll both be here to spot you,” Wrenley added. “At least for the next little while, so if you want me to be the co-spotter for the first time you reach twenty feet, then you better hurry.”

Madge, the enchantress, was helping a couple of other muses who still struggled with the choreography. When she finished with them, she returned to fine-tuning Wrenley's more complicated primamusa performance.

“Right, right,” I said and took a deep breath. I did feel better with Wrenley here, even if xe couldn’t do much to help me from the ground.

I took the silk in my hand and reminded myself that this action was simple. My body could do this if I kept moving, hand over hand, and I kept my eyes on the sky.

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