Water {Elements of Power 2}

Chapter 7: Jasmine

The Brizan banqueting hall was extremely different to its Arcan equivalent. Three of its walls were made from worn looking stone, while the fourth had columns of blue glass spaced along it, providing a view out onto a tranquil garden comprised more of fountains, ponds and sprays of water than plants. The room was dominated by a huge, stone table, which spanned its entire length and was tiered, so that guests could be sorted according to their rank. At the highest point on the table was an elegant throne made from sky-blue glass and covered with teal cushions. To either side of it were two smaller seats, fashioned from the same blue glass.

"That's where the commander will sit, and your friend Brae," Kit supplied helpfully when he saw me looking at them. The sides of the top tier, and the tier below it, were reserved for important Brizan officials. "There are loads of them: a mayor for each of the inhabited islands, as well as the officials from Laerielle. Normally, they would take it in turns to sit beside the Queen, in Brae's seat, so that everyone gets the chance to speak to her. But because he is the guest of honour, the seat is his for the first three courses. After dessert, everyone will start to switch seats.

"For now though, the Protectors occupy the third tier and you'll be sitting with us, since Rowan assumed you would like that best."

Kit led us over to our glass stools, which were a darker blue than those on the top tier, and I sat down, still eagerly taking in the room around me. Fountains trickled out from the stone walls, between paintings of historic Brizan royalty. Despite the water, the room still felt warm and cosy; a stark contrast to the outdoor banquets of the Arcan Realm.

The Protectors were a friendly, welcoming group and I didn't envy Brae his seat at the head of the table. It looked lonely and solemn by comparison. He was sitting there now, trying to make polite conversation with the diplomat to his right, but every now and then I saw him glance enviously at where we were sitting. I gave him a sad smile and returned my attention to Kit, who was telling Rowan about the burst of water he had sent at another official by accident earlier that day, hitting her square in the face. Everyone laughed and Devon caught my eye from across the table.

"You sound just like Jazz, Kit. We've been walking around in wellies and raincoats for the past couple of weeks. The Arcan Realm has never seen so much rain!"

The ensuing laugher was silenced when a set of double doors behind the top tier were opened. Brae and the officials stood up and the rest of us were quick to follow suit: the Queen had arrived.

A collective sigh seemed to fill the room at her entrance, like the sun re-emerging after rain, or the first flowers of spring.

Despite her petite form, she commanded the stage: she was exquisite.

Queen Aurelia was daintily dressed in a flowing, light blue dress which glittered with diamonds. An elegant crown, fashioned with emblems of the sea and embellished with yet more diamonds, glistened on the top of her head. Her hair hung down to her waist, a single strand of cerulean blue running through it; a rare quirk and the extent of her Protector blood, for she had no powers of her own.

Her skin was porcelain, so fragile and untouched that I wondered if she ever left the castle. The other Brizans were characterised by rosy red cheeks and freckles—evidence of a life spent outside—but the Queen was deathly pale. Despite her beauty, there was an intense sadness to her; I remembered Grace telling us how lonely she must be. She had lost her parents, both very powerful Protectors, when she was still young and had devoted herself to her Realm ever since. Despite a wealth of Brizan suitors fawning over her, she had never shown any interest in marriage.

At her right stood her commander, Emmanuel. He looked fiercer, older—his own blue hair was beginning to show the first signs of greying—and far less amiable. As he entered, his gaze scanned across the table before his eyes froze on me; they were icy blue, like the sea on a stormy day. With a piercing stare he took in my face, my eyes and then my hair. He scowled and the coldness seemed to roll straight off of him, right in my direction.