The Strangest (Book #2)

3: The Decision

As she squeezed cool water down her brown skin, ridding the dirt and grime of the night before, she closely analyzed the new marks on her palms. First, she only had purple eyes to worry about, now she would have to wear gloves for the rest of her life. Gris had mentioned seeing the markings and her birthmark which meant they had to have observed her body until they discovered it.

I wonder if he liked what he saw? If he saw anything...

Mageia glanced at the closed door, eyes wide in horror as if the boy could hear her thoughts.

"Shut up, Mageia," she whispered.

She finished washing with the lavender soap and slipped into her emergency clothing she'd left here a while ago. It was common for women to wear dresses in Ardania, but Mageia like many bold women these days, wore breeches made specifically for a woman's curve. She slipped on her backup boots and sighed with relief to be in her own clothing.

He's a Komali. Can he be trusted?

She focused on her calm beating heart like Dawnis instructed. But would it respond? How would it respond? Would she be able to tell? An uneasy headache threatened to form instead.

Fairest, a gentle voice echoed between her ears. The hairs along her arms erected as she scanned the room.

A knock on the door startled her.

"Are you okay in there?" Gris said.

"Oh gods," she muttered realizing she probably had taken too long. "I'm coming."

She cleaned up her mess, grabbed her things, and rushed out of the washroom.

"Um excuse me, my Fairest," Gris said appearing to have overcome his moment of sorrow.

"Please don't call me that," she said heat flushing her face.

He gave a slight chuckle. "Are we still going to the Lost Ones?"

"Um... yeah," she said and dashed away.

She recalled telling him she'd like to introduce him to the family, but now Mageia didn't know if it was a good idea. Only children they had rescued over the years could enter and exit her home. And bringing a stranger, let alone, a prince, could bring terrible repercussions. But then she pondered what they had gone through together.

The prince tried to help her see the truth behind her purple eyes. Instead of listening and trusting him, she attempted a daring escape that led to a painful capture and a grueling sentence of execution. And once she had died as an unwilling sacrifice for the kingdom, she resurrected and was kidnapped by Eron's henchmen, only for the prince to track her down. The boy possessed nothing but selfless courage and deserved more than how those Royal Fairs treated him.

"Good morning, Mageia," Lisa Arynliit shouted from across the bakery as she entered.

The woman wore a blue dress that made her brown curls pop. She wore lipstick, some of the jewelry Mageia and her family had stolen, and even heels. Mageia smiled knowing why the woman in her late forties would pamper herself today.

"You look pretty, Lisa," Mageia said weaving through the scatter of tables and chairs to give the woman a hug.

They had shut down the bakery for today. The curtains were tugged closed for extra security and the door locked. But the smell of fresh baked pastries conquered the air being warmed by a small fire in the fireplace across the room.

"Thank you so much." She beamed and peeked around her to the doors to the stairs. "Will the prince be joining us?"

"Yes, I sort of took too long in the washroom."