“You’ve been crying,” he points out quietly, biting into a crisp apple. When I look down but don’t respond, he adds, “Did the Vampire King hurt you?”
“No,” I say, and though Kaius is not on my list of favorite people right now, the thought of him hurting me seems preposterous. “I just had a funeral for my dance shoes, is all.”
“The ribbon shoes?” he asks. He calls them that because the common tongue isn’t his first language, and the proper word usually escapes him. “My daughter Habiba would find a fine friend in you. She would sing‘Baba! Baba! I want to dance for you!’.” He lets out a wistful sigh at the memory as tears gather in his eyes. “She would cut ribbons out of my shirts and tie them to her own shoes to pretend she was…oh, how you say?”
“A ballerina?” I ask.
He nods. “My wife Anya would scold me for allowing Habiba to ruin my shirts, but I never stopped her. I would be gone for many long months, you see, hunting the demons and sending the money home for them. I never wanted her to feel like fabric meant more to me than her happiness. Oh, I wish you could meet her, Adelasia. She would never stop talking about how she met a realbalina. We don’t have such classes in Cambouri.”
I give him a smile and a small laugh. “Your family is very lucky to have you. I hope one day to meet them.”
Saddiq reaches through the cell door to take my hand in his. “I pray for it.” He squeezes my palm. “Now tell me why you were really crying.”
I give him a playfully annoyed glare, but I confess. “Kaius wishes for me to attend a celebration with him tonight…but I hate feeling like a pretty thing he gets to parade around at his leisure.”
“Adelasia–” Saddiq says, squeezing my hand again, “Kaius holds you prisoner. You may not have chains as I do, but no man who steals a young woman from her life has pure intentions. I sense the heart in your chest is fragile. Do not trust the Blood King to handle it with care.”
When I return to my room after ensuring Saddiq has everything he needs for the night, I begin to remove the pins from my hair, using the vanity mirror to brush out the lingering knots. In the reflection, I see a rectangular box sitting on the edge of my bed. I set down my comb, walk to the bed, and open the lid.
Inside sits a new set of pointe shoes. My mouth falls open in shock. I take the shoes in my hand and observe them. Imprinted on the shank is the same eight-pointed star that sits on my skin. They must be enchanted. I slip them on and rise up on my toes. They’re incredibly stiff at first, but almost instantly, they wear to the perfect comfort for me.
I bite my lip to hold back a smile. I doubt Kaius knows I burned my other pair out of disdain for myself. I was ready to give up dance entirely because I felt I didn’t deserve that joy anymore–but when I stand in these shoes, I can’t help but feel that losing dance would only send me into further despair.
My arms wave at my sides gently, like a morning tide as I flutter from side to side at the foot of the bed. I even close my eyes to let my mind wander to a softer, warmer setting as I hum quietly to myself.
I bring myself back to reality and remove the shoes, vowing to sew ribbons to them once I finish my bath. I use my limited magic to fill the tub with warm water and dried lavender. I relax for a moment before using a washcloth to clean myself and rinse the day out of my hair.
After I drain the tub and fasten a robe around myself, I enter my room. Something cracks inside me when I step into the bedroom. The boxy, soulless walls have been changed entirely. Now there’s elegant crown molding. The walls are still black, but the embellishments are a beautiful shade of gold that reflect the warm oranges and reds of the braziers. The old wooden bedframe is now equally ornate.
But most notably of all, on either side of the bed are two floor-to-ceiling windows. I cover my mouth as I gasp in awe at the first glimpse I’ve had of a sunset in a month.
I’ve never seen anything more magnificent. My eyes gloss over with a thin mist.
I stand at the window until the sun falls behind the horizon and the sky bursts into glittering stars and an admittedly beautiful moon.
“Do you still hate me?”
I jump at the voice behind me and turn. Kaius is standing near the door looking…splendid. His usual plain tunic and trousers have been replaced with black finery trimmed with silver embroidery. The feathered cloak he always wears truly makes him look like a king. His hair is loose around his face, but somehow it fits with the elegance of his attire.
I clear my throat, grab a comb and begin working through the non-existent knots in my hair. “I’d hate you less if you gave me a straight answer for once.”
“Then ask me something, and I’ll give you a straight answer.”
I don’t hesitate to ask, “What do you want from me?”
He crosses the room to take hold of my hand. He takes the comb, sets it on the vanity, and kisses my knuckles. “I want you to accompany me to the feast tonight.”
I roll my eyes and tug my hand out of his grasp. I don’t know why I expected anything different from him. I keep holding out hope only to end up disappointed every time.
“Adelasia…please. I–”
He reaches for my hand again and clasps his palm against mine, bringing our interlocked hands to his lips.
“I swear on my immortal life that there isnothingI want more on this night than to spend it at your side.”
As soon as his words flutter into the air between us, a golden line appears, encircling both of our hands and wrists so that the pattern is only complete when our fingers are intertwined.
“What is this?”
