Page 81 of Enchanted By a Pirate
With an inconspicuous nod of the head, the captain signaled Anna to leave the room. What? She should leave? But they hadn't learned anything. Anna needed her memories. She needed to save the fairies.
As soon as they slipped out through a side door and out of earshot of the guards, Anna pulled him into a niche hidden by a group of statues. "That was your plan?"
"Softly, madam."
"I thought we were going to confront her."
"Confront her in her palace where all she has to do is snap her finger and either her magic or the guards will place us in the dungeon? No, that wouldn't be wise. But look, now we have a pinch of the fairy dust — if that's what it really is. Look closely at the ice flower. What do you think?"
Frowning, she picked up the cold flower, which didn't melt despite her body heat. "How do I know if this is real fairy dust?"
"Because you're a fairy?"
Anna sighed. She still didn't feel a spark of magic. "I think you've seen fairy dust more than I have."
"Touch it. Maybe it will help bring back your memories."
Slowly, she touched the little work of art, but no image flickered and she didn't feel anything. "It's not working. Now what? Is there a plan b?"
"Aye, what do you think?" He dug into an inside pocket of his leather coat and pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment.
Curious, Anna leaned closer. "What is it?"
"An ancient incantation to bring magic together."
"What? Where did you get it?"
"It is one of the few things I took with me from the mysterious island. The spell has come in handy a few times."
When Anna heard voices, she glanced up in alarm, but they were hidden so deep in the alcove that no one discovered them. A few more traders and farmers who had been with the queen walked by, all full of praise for the generous ruler who had begun to use her magic for good.
Chris, meanwhile, unrolled the parchment and whispered something in the ancient language she had heard from his mouth on the sea. The ice crystal began to glow and glittering particles separated and floated out of the niche. They immediately hurried after them down a corridor that led deeper into the palace. The applicants' voices fell silent and the only footsteps to be heard on the polished ice were their own.
The sparkles rushed to a staircase that led upstairs. Anna hesitated, but Chris pulled her along behind the magic. "Come on, we can't lose sight of it!"
They followed the magic up more stairs, through narrow hallways, and past paintings. Here, the palace was no less splendid. The glittering particles of magic were whizzing so quickly in front of them that Anna didn't have time to admire the grandeur. She felt warm. Without stopping, she opened her coat and fanned herself.
"Come on, Ani."
With as many stairs as they'd climbed, they must have reached the highest tower by now. Nevertheless, the glitter didn't stop, as if it wanted to go straight up into the sky.
They didn't encounter anybody. Everyone seemed to be on the bottom two floors, fortunately. How could they haveexplained that they didn't have permission to access the top floors?
As they ascended a steep staircase, Anna's heart pounded, and not just because of how fast they were going. Something was up there. Something powerful. Instinctively, she knew the dust would linger in the top room.
Chris hurried behind her. When she slowed, he didn't push her. "Are you okay, Ani?"
"I feel the magic. What we're searching for is up there."
"The fairy dust?"
"I don't know." With one last step, she entered the highest room in the Ice Palace. It was extremely windy. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the round room. When she peered out to check how high they were, she took a step back in shock. There were no glass panes at all. She peered over the edge. It was a great distance down. Her heart beat faster, anxious and on high alert. Was this where she had fallen back then? Images flashed through her mind, and there was that sensation of falling and a woman's scream… her scream. It was her scream that she had heard among the anemones in the park.
"Ani, what is wrong with you? You're as white as a sheet."
"It's so high." She frantically searched for something to hold on to when she noticed what was in the center of the room. It was a basin made entirely of ice, yet incredible warmth was emanating from it. Within it bubbled a sparkling mass.
It was dust, glittering dust.
