Once they made it back to their suite, Tianna tried to relax but her mind kept racing, full of the information Soral had revealed. It seemed so obvious now but it had never occurred to her that the Black Wolf would be waiting for her at the castle. Even if she finished her journey to the capital under disguise she would not be free once she reached the capital. In that case, what was the point of hiding?

Tianna caught a lock of her golden hair in her fingers and stared at it. According to Jerath this hair color was on her most defining features. Would everything be fixed if she wore a wig? Maybe if she dyed it? In the first place, what did Soral even mean by disguise? How did she know she could trust him?

As her thoughts spiraled into the depths of darkness and confusion there was a knock on the door. Jerath opened it to reveal a Belleas employee.

“Pardon me for intruding,” they said with a confident smile, “Our company would like to offer a tour of our resort’s features and luxuries. We noticed you haven’t been using any of them even though you have a free pass that comes with your room.”

“I would rather not,” Jerath told them and moved to close the door.

Tianna shot up and walked over. “I would love to, actually,” she said. Anything was better than the endless swirls of thought that came with silence.

“It would be our pleasure,” the employee replied, their smile broadening, “Are there any facilities you would like to see first?”

“I don’t know what there is,” Tianna admitted.

“Oh my, then let’s stop by the map room first and you can choose from there,” the employee said and started walking.

Tianna was led down the corridor to the main level. They were almost to the entrance when the employee turned down a side path and guided her to a large circular room with a domed ceiling. In the center of this room, surrounded by a simple rail, was a three dimensional map of the Belleas resort made to scale.

“Choose any building you would like and I can show you what is inside. The buildings you see are constructed from pure magic so they can change and interact with a trained user.”

The employee stepped up to a platform and waited for Tianna to make her choice. It was impossible to know what was inside the buildings from the image of the outside. The incredible detail made it possible to look through some windows, but the windows were so tiny it was difficult to see much. I couldn't believe all of it was constructed from pure magic.

Magic… For a moment Tianna remembered what Soral had said about the dangers of her leaving Belleas without learning more about her own.

“How about that one?” Tianna decided and pointed at a hexagon shaped building at the edge of the lake.

“Ah, those are our hot springs. They aren’t completely natural, but I think you will find that the feel is perfectly recreated. The pool that offers the best view has water infused with healing magic.”

As they spoke the employee used the magic of the room to focus on the building. As the door opened and the details inside the building became clearer, Tianna almost felt like she was being pulled in. It was so realistic that she could feel the steam coming off of the clear pools of water. There were several of them, but one of them set in a raised area was the most grand.

Stolen novel; please report.

“What would you like to see next?” the employee asked.

“I have never even heard of magic like this before,” Tianna muttered as she unconsciously reached out.

The employee smiled. “Of course not. This is something invented by the young miss of the Toll family. She is a prodigy and a genius.” Their words were filled with pride and satisfaction.

“I wonder if there is someone who knows enough about magic to help me,” Tianna sighed.

“There is,” the employee replied with complete confidence,

“What?’ Tianna asked. She had not been expecting an answer. She hadn’t even thought to ask. “Who is it? Are they nearby?”

“You are in luck. She often comes here for business. While she has not magic of her own to speak of, she is able to perfectly understand the magic of others,” They explained, “She even tutored the current Queen, though it was in secret.”

“She is that important?” Tianna questioned. She suddenly felt overwhelmed.

“Perhaps, but doesn’t that make her exactly what you need? Just think it over,” they pressed, “Her name is Merila. She has a house here in Belleas next to the clothing district.” The employee passed Tianna a paper with the directions and address as if this were the expected result all along.

“But I know nothing about her,” Tianna protested.

“You have our word that you can trust her,” the employee promised, “A Belleas merchant cannot lie.”

Tianna wanted to argue more but the confidence of her opponent left her speechless.

“Ask your escort. He will know,” they advised, “but don’t wait too long. Time is the enemy of all.”

They were right. Tianna doubted she was going to get a chance like this again. She looked at the piece of paper with its clear directions. If Jerath knew about Merila then it should be fine. There was no need to waste time talking to him.

“Thank you,” Tianna told the employee and headed for the exit.

The directions were clear and accurate, and Tianna found herself in front of a small house that stood out in its surroundings. It was probably the first normal house that Tianna had seen in Belleas at all. Most homes were attached to places of business or hidden away so that tourists would not see them.

After taking a deep breath to steel her nerves she knocked on the door. There was a long pause before she heard footsteps and the door opened.

A short woman with glasses and hair that had long turned gray scowled at her. “What do you… First come inside.”

Before Tianna could reply the woman pulled her inside with surprising strength. Tianna heard to click of the door being locked before the woman turned to face her.

“The Queen’s heir should not be walking around in the open given the current situation,” she scolded, “Don’t fall for the false sense of security that Belleas has built.”

“I wasn’t trying to reveal myself,” Tianna complained.

“You certainly weren’t trying to hide either. Hair and eyes aside, the Queen’s magic is leaking from you at an incredible rate.”

“It is?” Tianna asked.

The woman frowned. “Why did you come here?”

“Are you Merila?” Tianna asked in turn.

“I am.”

“Then I need your help,” Tianna pressed. This may be her only chance, “As you said I am the Queen’s heir but I have never been able to use magic, much less control it. I was told by a man named Soral that if I don’t do something about it then I will be in grave danger.”

“I’d say,” Merila scoffed, “Let’s start with the obvious. The reason you cannot use magic is because of the seal placed on you. However, your turbulent emotions have been causing the magic to lose control inside you and if this continues the seal will break. When a magic seal of this scale breaks it can only spell disaster.”

“Disaster?” Tianna asked. A chill ran down her spine.

“Yes. The person who placed this seal clearly had good intentions. Your magic is so powerful it could have torn you apart if you used it in your childhood. It is a type of seal that only the one who is sealed can remove.”

“So I either have to figure out have to figure out how to remove it myself or it might break and…”

“Disaster,” Merila finished, “For the sake of Althaedor and preventing a disaster I am willing to help you, but I expect something in return later.”

Tianna nodded.

“Good. Then first things first I am going to need you to do something about that magic. I know you can’t control it right now, but you need to focus on relaxing,” Merila ordered, “You claimed that Soral spoke to you, yes?”

“He did,” Tianna confirmed.

“Get him to make you a disguise. Make sure it is one that conceals magic. Since you came here the Belleas merchants likely already know your identity, so pass a message through them instead of coming directly to me in the future.”

“Okay,” Tianna said. Despite Merila’s harsh tone, Tianna finally felt relieved. She knew what to do now, and no longer felt lost.