Page 5 of Muse

“How long have you been enchanting?” I asked.

“It’s been about ten years since I completed my training, but I was dabbling in it before that,” he explained. “I’ve hosted dozens of festivals since then, but tonight was my most prestigious one. What about you?”

“I’ve never been an enchanter,” I replied sardonically, and he smirked down at me. “I was born a muse, though, and I’ve been performing since I was maybe seven or eight.”

“That’s young, isn’t it? Don’t you all usually start when you’re teenagers?”

“Many do,” I said. “But not all.”

Now, his expression turned mystified. "All that experience, all that talent, and yet you're still uncertain of yourself."

“This wasmymost impressive conduction, too, so maybe I have cause to be uncertain," I reasoned between sips of my wine. "Otherwise, I would've had better placements."

“You would have better placements if you didn’t hold yourself back,” Soren corrected me. “I can see the light within you. It wants to break free, but you’re too afraid to let it go.”

“I wasn’t today,” I said, although that wasn’t entirely true.

I had still been afraid –terrifiedeven – but I knew I had to give my all, or I would disappoint Soren, my mother, and my friends and even hurt the entire kingdom. So I had let go, even when it scared me.

“That’s right.” A proud smile spread slowly across Soren’s face. “And you weremagnificent.”

"There you are!" My mother's sharp voice cut through the moment Soren and I had created. I blinked, and suddenly, I was aware of the loud noise of the crowded ballroom.

Adora was making a beeline right toward me, and I straightened up, doing my best to look proper even though I wasn't sure I'd been improper. But as soon as she reached me before she said hello to Soren, she took the goblet of wine from my hands.

“You shouldn’t be drinking this, Isadore, you know that,” Adora chastised me, and then she turned her attention to the enchanter. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet, but I am Lady Adora Dellamousa, Isadore’s mother. You were so wonderful tonight, Soren! Truly a breathtaking performance.”

"Thank you, but most of that was the muses doing their work," Soren said, giving me a small smile over my mother's head. "Isadore was especially enchanting."

"Only because you pulled it out of her," Adora said, and I had the strongest urge to shrink away. Like a flower wilting in the dark, I wanted to retreat into the shadows. "Which is why I think it would be wonderful if you worked together again. As talented as you are, you must have something lined up already. What is ahead for you?"

“I have some opportunities coming my way,” Soren allowed carefully.

“You don’t have anything on the books?” Adora persisted.

"Adora, he's very busy," I said, embarrassed by her pushy nature. “He likely can’t recall everything he has coming up.”

"Oh, no, of course," Adora said, but she was undeterred. Her gray eyes were locked on him, oblivious to the uncomfortable shift in his body. "But I had heard you were being considered for the Ashoralida?"

"Yes, I am an enchanter for that, actually," he said, and Adora's face lit up. "It's down in the Kingdom of Sudamon in a few months, so I don't have anything officially planned yet."

“Oh my, that sounds exciting though,” Adora enthused. “The Ashoralida is such an extravagant celebration, and I haven’t been to Sudamon in ages.”

“It is still some time off, Adora,” I interjected, futilely trying to temper her zealous attempts at getting me booked.

Soren’s gaze had been pulled away from us and stayed out on the crowd. He was looking for a means to escape this conversation. And then, as Adora started asking more intrusive questions about his thoughts on muses and performances, Soren found his break.

“Excuse me,” he said, cutting my mother off. “I see my sister Serena over there, and I must speak with her at once.” He offered us one final glance. “It was a pleasure talking with you both.”

When he disappeared into the crowd, Adora's smile instantly fell, and she let out an annoyed sigh. "Enchanters are always so rude and arrogant. They are the worst part about being a muse." She took a long drink of the honeyed wine she'd taken from me, and I just stared after Soren, wishing I could've followed him.

Chapter 4

Adora and I lived on a small estate a half-hour carriage ride away from the royal palace in Calida. When I was younger, we had frequently hopped between rental flats. Sometimes, we could only let a single room that the two of us had to share. By the time I was sixteen, my work as a muse paid well enough so that we were finally able to afford our home.

Still, it was much more modest than Adora had liked despite being far more affluent than what I'd grown up in. It was a solid two-story home built of stone and timber and surrounded by a high wall of shrubbery.

Inside, the floors were polished stone, and the walls were adorned with tapestries and paintings. My mother carefully chose all of the furniture, which was finely crafted with rich hardwoods and lavish fabrics.

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