Dassa Moonwhisper's Arc

Chapter 4 of 4

The word came at last. A servant found Dassa at her tavern and told her the court had decided. She wore Asha's gown again and climbed the vine-draped castle. Green blossoms glowed along the stone. Her lute hung whole across her back. She had waited through long, quiet days for this. She hoped for a welcome. She braced for anything. Outside the throne hall, a man in a purple jacket stopped her. She had not met him before, but the way the guards stiffened told her his rank. This was the Queen's chancellor. He read every letter before the Queen saw it. He decided which faces reached her at all. His own face held a scowl. "Bard," he said. "You may not enter." Dassa's chest tightened. "The court sent for me." "The court is divided. I am not." His voice stayed flat. "Your magic is a danger. It draws eyes we do not want. Enemies. Fear. I will admit you only if you swear to bind it. No blooming. No glow. Play a plain court song and nothing more." Her aura flickered at her hands. The flowers were not a trick she could stop. "I can't hide it," she said. "It isn't a coat I take off." "Then you cannot serve here." He said it plainly, without softening. "Go home." Tears stung her eyes. She would not let them fall in front of him. Everything she had climbed toward stood on the far side of a door he would not open. She turned to leave. "Stop." The voice came from the hall. Clear. Young. A woman's. "Bring her to me." The chancellor's jaw went hard. "Your Majesty, the risk—" "You heard me, Ulric." He held still a moment. Then he stepped back and pulled the door wide. He walked Dassa in without another word. The Queen sat on a gold throne carved with lilies and vines. Red curls swept up under a crown. Her gown was white, edged in gold. Her green eyes were kind and did not blink. Dassa dropped into a bow. "You told me she came for our answer," the Queen said to the chancellor. Her words were short and even. "You did not tell me you meant to turn her at the gate. You presume too much." "I meant to protect you," Ulric said. "I decide what protects me." She looked back to Dassa. Her voice warmed. "Rise." Dassa rose, shaking. "Whinix is dying," the Queen said. "The magic left us long ago. You carry it still. I will not lock that away out of fear." She leaned forward. "We need your help, Dassa." Dassa's breath caught. The gate had closed. Now the throne itself had opened it. "Whatever you need," Dassa said, "I'll give it." The Queen nodded. Beside her, Ulric watched Dassa with a look that was not yet trust. She had won her way in. She had also made an enemy of the man who guarded the door.