Dive In

Chapter 18

Ella had spent the entire evening wandering the temple gardens in silence, just trying to digest all she'd learned earlier. Carter had left a long time ago- something about royal duties. Landon had been dutifully following her everywhere she went, trying his best to shoo gawking Waterfolk away.

Unsurprisingly, the Waterfolk refused to let her go home. Someone had been dispatched to relay the message to Derek, and Ella had blatantly insisted that someone watch over the house and her brother if she couldn't be there. It finally occurred to her that she was in a position of power when at least twenty guards were specially ordered to set up a perimeter around the cabin, within moments of her request.

Oh and of course nothing would be less suitable for the Keeper herself than her own private rooms in the palace. At first Ella had tried to refuse them, much preferring to stay in Landon's house with his rag-tag family.

She had no such luck.

Though she had to admit waking up in a silken hammock draped in the softest blankets and buried in hundreds of throw pillows was hardly anything to complain about. Neither was the view from her own private balcony, where she could see all the way out to the city's wall. From here, the Waterfolk looked like the tiny sea monkeys she'd had as kid.

There had been the small issue of really having to go to the bathroom when she woke up this morning, and she still couldn't get the bewildered look of the maid's face out of her mind when she'd asked her to explain the ins and outs of- well, you get the idea. Ella couldn't wrap her head around how the water that was in the toilet stayed in the toilet, and the young maid sent to clean her room was no help either.

Bathing was another thing too, as they were already submerged in water and as far as Ella knew, water was pretty much the only thing she'd ever used to clean herself. So when she entered the bathroom this morning she was at a bit of a loss as how to use the countless soaps and brushes laid out for her. She'd eventually rubbed a rose scented soap all over her upper body and face, wiping it off with a thick woven towel after she was done.

Now that she'd run out of personal hygiene chores and rooms to explore within her private chambers, Ella was bored out of her mind. She wasn't allowed out with out a royal escort now, and Landon wasn't allowed in her room until the Council got a chance to speak to her. More or less, they had put her in isolation. The messenger they sent had few answers to her countless questions, or if he did, he was in no mood to tell her anything outside of the sparse note the council had written in response to Master Swell's letter.

She had been told by the maid that the Council planned on meeting tonight in the Forestfolk kingdom, and that more than likely they would move her permanent residence there as well. Without the sun or stars to guide her, Ella was at a loss as to what time it was. All she could do was wait for the tiny maid to reappear and help her get ready. She was also supposed to expect a visit from Carter, as someone of status apparently needed to fill her in on council protocol. Ella wasn't relying on his help fully though, as his attitude towards the council earlier had been less than gracious.

A soft knock came at the door, and Ella sprang up from her hammock to go answer it. Floating at the other side was not only the maid from earlier, but a few other girls as well. All but one were wearing uniforms, and the girl that wasn't was dressed in countless beads and silken threads. Ella was no expert, but from her experience, she was convinced the girl was of noble decent.

The maids tumbled into her room all at once, fluttering about without a sound. One darted into the bathroom, arms piled high with the endless assortment of soaps. Another had brushes in both fists, and one was rummaging through her closet. The maid from earlier was struggling to prop a mirror in front of a stool.