“Is that what the wristband is for? I got one, but I left it in my room,” the prince confessed with an apologetic smile. “I’m new here. Sorry!”
“A stupid wristband wouldn’t have helped us fight off a crazed unicorn,” Gillian scoffed.
“I never wear mine,” Raquel added. “Unless it transforms into a magic sword for fighting off monsters, I don’t see the use.”
“Its use lies in bringing help to wherever the magic creature is.” Ellie stood firm. “A unicorn can be lethal if it feels threatened. Usually they are gentle and reclusive, not aggressive.”
Raquel said with a low chuckle, “The girl who catches cinder sprites thinks she knows all.” Turning again to the blond prince, she asked, “Would you like to join my family for dinner tonight, Your Highness? I’m sure you know many people here, but no one would appreciate your company more than your own nobles.”
“Thank you, my lady, but I already have dinner plans.” The prince was polite yet cool, and Ellie thought she detected a faint hint of irony in his tone. After giving dismissive little bows to Raquel and Gillian, he turned to Ellie.
Amid the jumble of emotions emanating from the group of riders, she sensed nothing from this prince. Ah, so he was magical too! How powerful was he? She casually probed around . . . and felt a jolt, like an electric shock in her mind.
His silvery eyes glinted in amusement. “I apologize for the oversight regarding the wristband, Miss . . .? I don’t believe I’ve heard your name.”
Ellie was too surprised to speak. Had he stopped her from prying into his magic? How?
“She’s just a worker here, and a know-it-all,” Raquel informed him, then turned a jealous eye upon Ellie. “She has no authority over us whatsoever, Your Highness.”
The other two men now stepped over and joined the group. “There’s no need to send any messages. We can handle one unicorn, I should hope,” the one with a thick black beard stated. “We’ll put together a hunting party and handle the beast.”
“No!” Bristling, Ellie looked this man straight in the eyes, for she was his equal in height. “You will not search for the unicorn, and you certainly will not capture or kill it. Magical beasts on Faraway Castle property are off-limits to all guests.” She struggled to hold back her magic, feeling ready to burst with it.
And felt a gentle restraint, like a hand on her shoulder—only it was inside her mind.
The bearded man glared back at her with ice-blue eyes. “Who are you, girl, to order me around? I am Maximilian of Petrovce, Crown Prince and Guardian of the Realm.”
Yet another arrogant prince. Ellie wanted to roll her eyes.
Raquel laughed. “She is Cinder Ellie, trapper of cinder sprites and garden imps.”
Ellie sensed a reassuring presence behind her just before Omar spoke. “As Controller of Magical Creatures on resort property, Ellie Calmer possesses authority to protect her charges from all guests, royal, noble, or otherwise.” His quiet voice carried a note of finality that impressed the others, for, aside from Gillian’s murmured complaints and Raquel’s murmured orders to shut her mouth, no one said another word.
Most of the party left soon afterward, giving up on Omar. The blond prince—whose name she still did not know—gave Ellie a parting promise. “I’ll keep an eye on ol’ Max, and from now on, I promise to use my wristband if there’s a problem with a magical creature.”
“Thank you.”
She sensed friendly approval like a pat on her shoulder . . . though he merely bowed, gave Omar a knowing look, and walked after the others.
“Who is he?” she asked. “I don’t remember seeing him before.”
“Can’t remember his name right off, but he’s from Auvers. A good kid. He’s grown up a lot in the past few years.” But Omar sounded distracted, and she knew he intended to talk with her.
Ellie turned to untie Dustin’s lead rope, focusing on it instead of meeting Omar’s eyes. “Thank you for standing up for me just then. My position doesn’t tend to garner much respect from guests.”
“They get my blood up, the way they talk about you. And to you. It’s just wrong,” he growled.
Seeing Omar angry was a new experience for Ellie. Angry on her behalf, even. She wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you for caring.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t change things, but it matters to me.”
“I care a lot more than that, Ellie.”
He followed her as she led Dustin into a box stall, but she turned on him before he could enter behind her. “Your Highness, you say you care, and you asked how you might help me.”
“I do, and I did.”
She saw the truth of his words in his eyes, which made it harder to continue. “I must tell you that my contact with you twice this week has caught the director’s notice. The rules about fraternization with guests are strict, and the lake-staff supervisor thinks Madame Genevieve may be looking for a reason to fire me. I’m not sure she has that authority, but . . . Please, please . . .”
She didn’t know quite what to ask of him. Did she really want him to leave her alone? “If I were to lose this position, I don’t know what I’d do. I mean, the resort is my home now.”
He looked crushed. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault, really.”
“The ski-boat incident was. Tor wanted to take the boat, and I went along with him and skied without a spotter. I knew the lake monster hated me, and we both knew the sirens would call. We were irresponsible, and you’re taking the blame. It isn’t right.”
Ellie’s brows drew together. “Did you hear the sirens?”
“I heard something, but I was too intent on showing off for you.” His boyish grin and honesty were contagious, but she resisted.
“You heard the siren call,” she repeated, “and it didn’t affect you? How can that be?”
He looked baffled. “Maybe I wasn’t close enough? Maybe they aimed their song at Tor since he was driving.”
Ellie could only shake her head. “Are you sure you don’t have magic?”
“If I do, I’m not aware of it. Tor doesn’t have magic either.”
Ellie removed the horse’s halter then stroked his smooth side while he pulled straw from a rack. “Tor is kind of . . . different, isn’t he?”
Omar stood just inside the open stall door, several feet away. “I see him now and then at school—he works at a private ocean-research lab in Barbacha, near the university. He’s working on a doctorate, and he travels a lot. But I met him first here at the resort years ago—he came twice, I think—and yeah, he always was unique.”
“Crazy about fish?” Ellie smiled at him over her shoulder.
“He used to be crazy about birds, but that changed.” His face brightening, Omar leaned against the doorframe. “He’s my brother Taim’s age, and I tagged along with that group when I was a kid. Tor’s from Hyllestad, way in the north, and his father is a greve.”
“What does that mean? It sounds like a kind of bird.”
He chuckled. “A greve is the equivalent of a count or earl. But Tor cares little about politics or society.” Omar spoke easily, sounding more confident than she’d ever heard him outside of statistics or calculus discussions. “He’s got more brains than should rightfully fit into one man’s head.”
“You should talk, Mr. Mathematician.”
Omar looked sheepish. “I’m sure he’s smarter than me. I’m not sure what brought him back to Faraway Castle after all these years. He’s close-mouthed about his personal life.”
“Interesting,” Ellie said, trying to process this new picture of the panfish champion.
“Hmm. Not too interesting, I hope,” Omar said.
She glanced up and caught a warm, teasing glint in his eyes. Immediately she focused on smoothing a section of Dustin’s mane. The stall seemed small and intimate, and she heard no other voices in the stable. The horse let out a long breath and shifted his weight off one rear foot, eyes half shut.