“There’s only one way to find out for sure,” said Jester.
I watched as his fingers pinched at the cover of the diary and pulled. I thought he was going to actually rip off the cover. There was a dull flash of light, and he continued to pull on something only he could see, as if he was peeling off clingwrap. There was a small popping noise, and the diary suddenly snapped open.
“April 5, 368 AI,” a cool, female voice murmured and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The diary was floating in front of Jester, the pages turning along with the voice as if there was actually someone who was reading the entries aloud. Now, I am not someone who spooks easy, but I got shivers imagining that the ghost of the previous owner—instead of a spell, as Jester soon explained—was doing that.
“…told Aurelius not to wander around that area. I told him so many times! And yet what does he do? He went to the caves again, and this
Jester dropped us off at the terminal. Freya got out first, saying something about clearing the way with security as she eyed the gathered reporters outside with disgust. I was used to being swarmed by the media so I wasn’t too concerned, but I did appreciate her giving Jester and me a few minutes of privacy.“I’ll be with you as soon as I can,” he told me, brushing my cheek lightly with his fingers. “Until then, don’t go anywhere without Freya.”“Of course,” I said, smiling reassuringly. “I’m more worried about you. What you’re going to do—”“—is necessary,” Jester finished, and there was that determined look in his eyes again, and I knew that nothing I say will change his mind. “And you’re risking wrinkles by worrying about me. I will be fine, no matter what happens.”I wanted to argue, but what could I say? My boyfriend is a bad-ass g
M’lonia is known as one of the most beautiful cities in all three worlds. It’s to be expected from the capital city of Ellenis, the Elf world, since elven culture is heavy on the aesthetics. Ellenis, as a whole, has this guided elegance, you know? But even so, M’lonia is unique. Like a forest that’s been tamed, where every tree and every shrub and every flower is placed in exactly the right spot to maximize its presence. The city sits at the bottom of a canyon, a sprawling wonder of green and gold and silver, running along the length of one of their planet’s deepest fissures like a jeweled bracelet peeking from in between the floorboards. I said it’s like jewelry hidden underground because it is a place that embodies the saying ‘more than meets the eye’. A significant portion of the canyon walls are actually hollowed out, and what seems like a roof of earth is actually ground glass, enchanted to look like dirt. From above, it would look no different from the earth surroundin
Freya knew that if she hung around with Alisa, it was possible that she would come face to face with Prince Colin sooner or later. Everyone knew that they were close. There were even those who speculated that they were more than friends. Admittedly, Freya had been one of those who initially believed those rumors. Maybe that was partly why she hadn’t been too keen on the idea of Alisa joining the Fourth. To her, Alisa Vega was both a reminder of and a connection to the elf prince and the glitzy dreamworld of the upper-class—a place out of her reach, and somewhere Freya would not belong. But then she saw with her own two eyes how madly in love Alisa and Jester were (even though he doesn’t show it much, Freya was certain the Vice-Commander felt the same way). After witnessing how Alisa broke through Jester’s defenses through sheer effort and persistence, Freya had a newfound respect for the actress. And whether she admitted it or not, she felt more comfortable around he
Dr. Jamy Hansel sat on a bench under a small oak tree in the little cloistered garden below the hospital room where his student-assistant lay unconscious. He sat there, staring at the scuffed toes of his sneakers as if it held all the secrets of the universe and he was trying to tease them out with just his gaze. He looked so focused on whatever it was about his shoes that captivated him, that when the young man came to sit beside him, his head snapped around so fast, the newcomer flinched visibly.“You are not welcome here,” said Dr. Hansel, recognizing who it was. In a plain sweater and jeans, wearing a disguise that turned his streaked blond hair a despondent black color, the young man who interrupted his reverie sat down beside him. He frowned, perhaps unhappy that he had been taken by surprise. Otherwise, the young man looked completely unconcerned at the doctor’s evident hostility.A soft breeze lifted stray locks of silver from Dr. Hansel&rsquo
“You’ve made up,” I said, pleased that I was sensing a more peaceful atmosphere between Freya and Colin. Well, there was still a hint of awkwardness, but it was better than that swirl of guilt, wistfulness and apprehension that entwined the two of them an hour ago. “You make it sound like we were fighting,” Colin said, leaning against the wall. “Just so you know, Freya and I are on good terms.” I glanced at Freya. “Well. We’re not fighting,” she said, glancing at Colin. “We’ve sorted things out, mostly.” “Yes, we have,” agreed Colin. “Though I can’t quite say I’m satisfied…” A hint of temper flashed in Freya’s eyes, followed by the reddening of her cheeks in…embarrassment, I think. My, what an interesting reaction. I wondered what Colin meant by that? “Can we please talk about it later? Alisa and I have someplace to be,” said my aide. If she hoped she could get rid of Colin like that, she needed to study up on the guy. H
District Five is the only inner district in M’lonia that is accessible to everyone, even non-citizens. It is a very large sector that covers most of the mid-south section of the city, and is solely reserved for parties, events and public gatherings. It boasts four stadiums, each located at a strategical distance from each other, where there’s always some concert or show or sports event happening at least five nights a week. Theaters and cinemas and lounge bars are open twenty-four hours, and show-hopping (attending shows or concerts back-to-back-to-back) is a very popular tourist practice. My cousin Leno once told me that when the AG posted him in M’lonia, he went to a show or performance or concert every night with his girlfriend for three months straight (unfortunately, that’s also how long their relationship lasted), and he never had to go to the same place twice.It is not all entertainment in District Five either. Company events and personal celeb
Sir Merrion shook his head slightly. “The King is merely worried, Miss. And the King told me that if you should ask why, I should say that it would be best for you to ask your father. He really said nothing else.”I regarded Sir Merrion for a moment. Okay, that first part was the truth. The last part, though, was an outright lie.With my Gift, I could tell that Sir Merrion was lying when he said that that was all the King had to say. But since I can’t read thoughts, I don’t know what the truth was or why he’s lying about it. I found Sir Merrion quite secretive, but I felt no malice or ill-intent from the elf Knight, so I decided not to press the issue. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to blindly follow along.“Alright. If His Majesty is gracious enough to lend me one of his precious Knights out of concern, then I suppose that’s that,” I said, wrapping an arm around Freya’s waist. I pulled her
We continued the conversation as Mei-Mei and the others packed up. Mei-Mei said she had to show the actual alterations to Mister Zagreb so he could have the final say. He promised that he would personally dress me up himself tomorrow. Bea went with them to coordinate schedules.“Why was she called the Patroness, anyway?” Freya said. I slipped on my dress—the plain, purple cami dress I wore when I came in—and then the jacket. I’ve made it a habit to use simple and easy-to-put-on clothes whenever I have fittings. So much more efficient that way.“Remember I said she was wealthy? Well, she spent most of that money sponsoring up-and-coming artists and designers. When they became successful, they gave back to her ten times through donations and support of Brenda’s different foundations and projects. This created more opportunities for new talent to enter the scene. It became a cycle that continues even now,” I explained. &ldqu