Page 19 of Heavenly Bodies
She slipped in, searching past the marbled countertops, the stoves with sauces simmering and bubbling upon them, the racks of herbs, until she found a blonde figure in the corner, and approached.
‘Merissa?’
Merissa turned, flour dusted on her nose. ‘Elara!’
‘Sorry to disturb you, I didn’t realize it would be so busy—’
‘Nonsense, this is just for the king’s afternoon tea. In five minutes, quiet will ensue once more.’
‘I just, I wanted to thank you for last night.’ She pushed the flowers forwards. ‘For you to show me kindness…it meant a lot.’
Even covered in flour and pink-cheeked, Merissa dazzled, her smile radiant. ‘Oh, Elara, they’re lovely. You didn’t have to.’
‘I wanted to,’ she said.
True to Merissa’s word, the kitchen had begun to quiet as it emptied, now that serving time had arrived.
‘I’m going for my break, Merissa!’ someone shouted.
‘No problem, Mauricio!’ Merissa replied. ‘Here,’ she said to Elara, ‘sit down. I have some cakes just about ready, and you can try them for me. See if they’re any good for His Majesty.’
Elara did, allowing the warmth and smells of the kitchen to soothe her. ‘So,’ Merissa said. ‘Did your training go any better today?’
Elara cricked her neck. ‘Well, I disarmed the prince and had my sword to his throat, so I’d say better.’
Merissa tried to master her shock. ‘Stars,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t say that too loudly.’
Elara sighed. ‘I’m having problems with my shadows though, and maybe he can help, but most of the time he’s acting so superior I can barely stand to be around him.’
‘Try to trust him,’ Merissa replied, as she pulled some small sponge cakes from the oven, releasing a gorgeous scent of blueberry and lemon. ‘I know,’ she said, when she saw Elara’s look. ‘But…if there is one thing I’ve come to know about the prince, it’s that he always keeps his word.’
She began to whip up cream and vanilla essence into a bowl. ‘If he has promised his father that he will help you, and if he has promisedyouthat he will find a way to aid your shadow-work, then believe him.’
Elara tried to find the lie on Merissa’s face, any tell-tale that the glamourer was being dishonest as she began to decorate the cakes. But she found nothing.
‘I’ll try,’ she sighed. ‘I suppose it’s in my best interest to.’ She stood, and winced. ‘I’d better go and practise. But skies, I’m sore.’
Merissa finished icing the cakes, and handed one to Elara. ‘Eat that, and follow me.’
The bath house that Merissa led Elara to was a piece of art just like everything in Helios. Palm trees arched over the door that they walked through. Elara stepped on to mosaicked tiles and passed into a sheltered, rock-hewn room. Flamed sconces lined the dim space, and the only sounds were the quiet crackle of the torches and the gentle lap of water.
‘These are the palace baths,’ Merissa explained. ‘We have saunas, cold plunge pools and heated pools, ones infused with oils and minerals. It’s exactly where you need to be after training.’
As Elara ventured further into the baths, she saw the saunas, little open wooden nooks functioning with the fire magick that the Helions were known for. They let off fumes of eucalyptus wood, clearing her tangled thoughts.
Cabinets were filled with potions, dried flowers and oils of every kind, mingling and permeating the air with fragrance. Pillars descended into the depths of the water, and she gasped as she finally reached the main, vast pool. Petals and flowers in a range of colours from bright yellow to lightdown orange floated on the cerulean water like an offering. Other smaller pools led off it, and lanterns drifted through the air.
The ceiling of the bathing house was painted a deep indigo—the first time she had seen the hue in Helios. Constellations were painted in minute detail—Leyon’s lion, Verra’s maiden, even Piscea’s coffin.
Merissa squeezed her hand. ‘I’ll leave you to relax. It’s usually quiet at this time of day.’
‘Thank you for showing me this place.’
Merissa beamed, before leaving her alone.
With an indulgent sigh, Elara shrugged off her sand-ridden clothes, gritty against her grimy skin, and descended the steps into the water. She tugged at her plait, undoing the knotted strands until her hair fell loose. She groaned as her screaming muscles felt the lap of warm water and waded out until her feet could no longer touch the bottom. Then she began to swim, stretching out all the aches in her arms and legs. She flipped on to her back, allowing herself to float as she looked at the painted sky above her.
The stars looked back, and so she closed her eyes, the water soothing her as it always did. The last time she’d floated like this had been in the Still Sea, on the eve before her birthday.