Page 27

“I wish I knew.” She lowers her voice. “Almost all the books have been taken to the Second. Speaking of, I heard Prince Draven, the most reclusive of all, is making a rare appearance tonight.”

I know this is her first royal ball—more like a monster’s ball—but this isn’t exciting for me.

It’s terrifying.

Everyone acts like I’m the guest of honor. But the truth is, I’m a prisoner.

And if this isn’t the calm before the storm… I don’t know what is.

Then there is the thing in the back of my mind that tells me everything about this place is familiar.

The darkness is familiar.

Even the overwhelming sense of feeling lost as we move through the maze of hallways and tunnels feels oddly familiar.

But it can’t be.

Second-guessing my sanity is my favorite pastime. Spend enough time lying on a couch, analyzing your feelings, and you become so in tune with them, it’s hard to turn them off.

The other thing about this place I’ve been trying to ignore, besides Riven… is how it makes me feel alive. The longer I’m here, especially out of my… cell, the more the familiarity buzzes along my skin, and I know deep down that this isn’t just déjà vu from old dreams… it’s memories.

I just wish I could remember.

We’ve stopped walking, and I realize my free hand is holding my locket, rubbing away like my life depends on it. Riven said I was to wear only what the queen provided, but no way am I taking this thing off. It’s all I have left of my old life, and I refuse to be apart from it.

“Here.” Birdy reaches up and tucks the ruby locket into the delicate white lace collar coming up around my neck from the azure velvet bodice covered in delicate gold cording that lifts my breasts. “Hide it in plain sight.” She smiles warmly at me.

“Thank you, Birdy.” I take her hand in my own as the guards urge us to keep it moving.

“You look beautiful tonight, by the way.” Her blush gown with the wide white sash is stunning and complements her creamy skin and mauve lips perfectly. Getting ready together reminded me of Bea and how I miss her so much. I miss all my family. I try not to think about the questions lingering in the back of my mind… like will I ever see them again?

“Thanks.” She squeezes in reply, and we walk hand in hand a little farther. “I wish the queen didn’t make me wear this.” She flicks at the shimmery veil covering one side of her face, attached with a golden tiara to her cascading honey-colored hair.

“She really is evil,” I spit out. Birdy is beautiful, and her unique birthmark is a part of who she is.

Birdy giggles.

I shrug, and we continue forward.

The music grows louder.

The candlelight glows warmer.

And the weight in my chest feels heavier.

“Stop here,” a voice commands, and we pause in front of large gilded doors. They could be the Gates of Hell for all I know. Birdy steps behind me to adjust my blood red velvet cape, the same color as my lips, securing it around my shoulders and in a billowing swoop behind me. It’s the only part of my outfit that is me. It reminds me of the one I had when I was found as a child. It feels like a shield… and I need all the protection I can get, not knowing what I’m walking into tonight.

The doors open suddenly with a dramatic gust. Candlelight flickers, and the music stops.

A blanket of silence falls, and my heart almost stops, afraid the beating will be heard as loud by all as it feels in booming in my head.

My nervous hands fall to my sides. I try not to fidget as I’m urged forward to the edge of the landing. I chance a peek beyond the railing that overlooks the ballroom.

Jagged black stones and icy crystals tangle into intricate chandeliers that hover high above like dark clouds scattering golden light across a granite floor. The reflection reminds me of moonlight rippling across the ocean at night.

It’s filled with the most elegant people I’ve ever seen. Men in fine silks and furs, women dripping in jewels and feathered frocks. All their curious faces peer up expectantly, like everyone in the room knows what’s going on… except for me.

I lock eyes with a familiar pair at the bottom of the steps, dark and stormy as ever.