Yet, suddenly, it didn’t matter. The beautiful tune lulled her, pulled her toward it until she was in a room with a man standing in the shadows cast by long curtains hanging from the floor to ceiling windows, the silhouette of his piccolo evident in the dim lighting.
“Jon?” she asked, knowing it was ridiculous. This wasn’t Jon. He was too portly, his jaw too slack.
He spun fully around, letting the piccolo in his hand fall to his side. He puffed out his chest and smiled at her, drawing her to him without saying a word.
Her feet began to tingle, making her question who this man actually was, but his smile was so serene, his face warm and inviting, that she couldn’t help but move closer.
He bowed regally, his silver-white hair gleaming, his sweet blue eyes twinkling when he raised his head. “Welcome, milady. I am Sir Kenneth in the Key of G. And you are?”
She did a clumsy curtsy, reaching for the back of a chair to steady herself as she wobbled. She really needed to work on her curtsy. “Toni Vitali,” she murmured, hearing the words escape her lips, but they sounded foggy and muted.
“’Tis a pleasure. I hope you’ll enjoy my happy tune,” he said before placing the piccolo to his mouth and playing another melody.
As he played, he wound his way out of the room, his feet light, his white stockings almost a beckoning beacon.
Toni couldn’t look away. The tingle in her own feet roared, yet it only felt like a distant nudge, one she successfully ignored as she followed Sir Kenneth, needing him to continue playing—to continue feeding her this amazing gift as it floated around her.
Her eyes glazed over as his back became blurry, tilting and swerving along another long hallway. Yet, she continued in his wake, compelled to reach him, but he only seemed to get farther away.
No! He couldn’t get away. This music gave her life. She needed it!
The music began to whirl around her, as though it had become a wave and she was driftwood lost at sea, bobbing, weaving. The melody took her to a place she was almost sure she didn’t want to go, but couldn’t seem to stop herself from propelling forward toward.
And then the melodic, mournful tune stopped completely, and so did her feet.
When the haze cleared and her eyes focused, she had one thought as she scanned the room.
The fucking Pied Piper. Goddamn it! She might not have her fairytales entirely straight, but she knew this one. He’d led her like some lost lamb straight to the lion’s den.
A maniacal cackle grew until it bounced off the room’s walls, and then a husky, sultry voice said, “I’ve got you now, my pretty. I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Wanda!” Jon managed to grab her arm as he pushed his way through the throng of incoming guests, keeping his face tucked into the hood of his cloak.
She whirled around, her bell-shaped dress swaying, her wings fluttering. “Jon! Oh, thank God. Where have you been and why are your clothes dirty and torn?”
“’Tis a long story—one I shall share with you all as soon as I can. Where’s Toni?” he asked, his eyes scanning the vast room frantically for his beloved.
Wanda gripped his arm, her eyes filled with a worry he didn’t like. “I’ve lost her! She was going to try to see the king before our appointment to ask after you, but I lost her in the crowd. I don’t know where she is and I’m panicked!”
Marty flanked him as she rushed up and gave him a hurried hug. “Where the hell have you been, Prince Charming? You had us all worried, not to mention Toni’s beside herself. Speaking of, where is our fair maiden? It’s almost time to greet the king.”
Nina knocked him with a weak fist between the shoulder blades. “Dude! Why you gotta create so much drama? Jesus. Is it that hard for all of us to get this shit together? Lemme be clear—we need to stick the fuck together, Flawless!”
Jon gave them a quick bow. “My deepest apologies, maidens. We were thwarted by the king’s guards, and I promise to tell you all about it, but for now, we must find Toni.”
But horns began to blare a familiar blast of announcement, sounding out the king and queen’s arrival.
As the crowd parted, hushing in reverence, King Dick and Queen Jane appeared at the top of the long staircase and, arm and arm, they made their way down.
Wanda gripped his arm, leaving him no choice but to stay right where he was as the royal couple proceeded down the stairs and moved toward the throne.
He let his eyes fall to the floor, waiting until the couple passed before he tried to move silently away from the crowd. But Marty clung to his other arm, her grip literally like steel. If her powers were weakened here in the realm, then he was but a mewling kitten compared to them.
“Stay put, buddy. I’m not getting my head chopped off because you committed some royal faux pas. Plus, hello. A real live king and queen!”