11
RAELYNA
Tonight wasn’tthe first time I’d stood in this particular room, performing for one of the king’s absurd festivals. And with my luck, it wouldn’t be the last either.
It had been four days since Kira’s Marking Day—four days of performing for the Solis Court until my toes bled and my will to live vanished. And four days since I had unintentionally run into the higher-ranking guard . . . not that he is who I should have been thinking of at that moment. And yet, here I was . . . thinking of him.
Just like I had been for the pastfourdays.
Gah! I shook my head, trying to clear the image of stunning, piercing amber eyes as I looked around the throne room that had been set up for the Festival of Brumalis.
You heard that right. The throne room.
Because, of course, it would be the throne room, not the grand ballroom, which was located just on the other side of Solis Court, and meant to hold the vast number of citizens who attended such lavish parties.
No,KingLucanushad to show off the throne room as he sat upon the dais, overlooking the celebration.
I had been informed only minutes prior to our team starting our routine that we were to provide entertainment for the firsthalfof the festival, and I swear that three hours had never felt so long.
Which said a great deal, considering I had over a century’s worth of years to compare these past three hours to.
My legs were ready to give out near the third hour of the festival. My brown hair fell in loose waves against the bare expanse of my back, the emerald green dress I’d chosen for today dipping low on my naturally sun-kissed skin.
I turned to my right and caught a glimpse of Emberly beside me. As expected at any royal performance held by the king, our wings were entirely on display, their charcoal gray and onyx-hued feathers glimmering in the low lighting.
This rule, of course, made dancing to our typical routines all the harder. Not that it mattered to Lucanus.
A small part of me, the part I wouldn’t let out, agreed that with our wings out, it added an element of excitement to our routines, seeing as we could add in advanced aerials halfway through the performance.
I prayed to all five gods once more that we would soon be done with our portion of the festival, and could enjoy the rest of the night . . . preferably not in the presence of anyone else. The bargain mark burned on my arm as I stayed true to my word, performing for Lucanus—only a small portion of the agreement we’d made in exchange for my sister’s freedom from the temples.
Glancing around in-between numbers, I took in the large banquet tables on the far side of the throne room that seemed to constantly have lines as the citizens of Solis clamored to get some of the delicacies that were only available during the festivals. Flashes went off as angels captured images of the food displays. The amount of food in this room alone could feed my entire section of The Wall.
Small drone cameras whirled around the room, capturing the entire festival as they live-streamed the event across the Quarter. I nearly stiffened as one drone in particular whirled far closer to our crew than I’d like, the minuscule camera zooming in on our performance.
Lights flickered along the ceiling, held up by those with fire affinities. I watched as the different hues of red, yellow, orange, and blue flickered across the ceiling, lighting up the space in various patterns. Those with fire affinities truly were astonishing, and I couldn’t help but wish that I had been graced with fire as well, as opposed to only having the weak, pathetic level of a water affinity that I did have. Still, it’s not like I could do much with what the gods had given me.
The intro to the next song came on, and I sighed, taking my spot as I began to whirl around to yet another number. I pushed aside the pain in my feet, even as my entire body mentally protested any form of movement.
Because when you think about it, why would the king of Solis Quarter be fair in any sort of way?
It’s not as if we just had to dance our number for the performance. We had also been called upon to entertain a brunch earlier this morning for those of royal standing who were celebrating the Festival of Brumalis.
So, yes, I could confidently say that I loathed Luc with every fiber and muscle in my entire being, and I didn’t see that changing anytime soon. Not that I could ever voice that aloud, because that would be treason. So here I was, once again dancing for the stars-damned king of Solis Quarter, in his own throne room.
We exited the platform and were heading through the back door when one of the royal staff members stopped me, announcing that our team would be expected to stay on Solis Court grounds until the end of the festival later this evening.
“You can’t be serious,” I protested as I stared at the femalebefore me, her wings flaring slightly at my tone, while she looked at me without any form of pity or remorse.
“I assure you, I am absolutely serious. And as I am the higher ranking affinity, you would do well to remember not to talk back when spoken to, especially when I’m conveying King Lucanus’s direct orders for your team.” Her tone brooked no argument as her beady eyes narrowed on me with contempt.
“Very well,” I grumbled with a weary sigh as I turned back to look at my friends and share the news with them.
“Don’t even bother repeating the words,” Finn rumbled as he caught my gaze. “We already heard enough to know that we’re stuck here with you until the end of the night.”
“For the love of Astara,” Emberly cursed with a sigh as we began moving through the back halls of the court.
“I—Just who does he think he is?” I muttered while Finn jabbed me in the rib cage hard enough for me to protest and proclaim, “Fuck you. That hurt.”
