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I happened to like my wild hair, it had character, but Rebekah took no more than five seconds upon entering my room to rebuke the sight of it, and the miscellaneous braids and flowers I had woven into thick sections. She took her time telling me how rude it was that I went around plucking the petals and stems of arrangements that had arrived in preparation for the ball. The Well didn’t often have celebrations of any kind, so tonight would be special—for everyone.
It seemed like I was the only person in the armory who was not excited.
Soft music began to ripple down through the vents as I stepped carefully out of the tub. The musings of a dozen harps and wind instruments fiddling along in a curt waltz sure to give me a headache. The pace of it was unbelievable, and moreover, impossible to dance to. I tried to count the three-stepped rhythm, first in my head, and then aloud when my inner voice failed to keep up. Absurd. But Kalen had said the Sages were anenergetic bunch by nature, of course.
The gown he had picked out for me lay perfectly flat against the base of my overstuffed lounge, a shimmering heap of crisp pearl-colored satin. It looked rather out of place against the dull fabric of the chair, and I couldn’t help thinking how well that served as a metaphor for the entire evening—if not for the last few weeks.
Rebekah quickly finished the plaited crown of my hair she had been masterfully working on for the last half hour as I stared in contempt at the dress. A showpiece, but not quite, as I would not actually be attending the ball.
“Too many prying eyes,” Kalen had said. “It’s bad enough the other Sages know you have returned. None of this will have been for anything if a creature from another faction catches sight of you. Especially one of those gods-damnedphames.”
Confusion was evident on my face. Not unusual for our conversations.
“Except for the phames, many magical beings–fairies, sprites, nymphs, and the like were born here, many with long lineages that date back several centuries, when it was more common for the Sages to mate with mortals. That is to say, their offspring originate on this Continent.” He gave me a sideways glance. “Where welive.”
Kalen let out a long huff and then an explanation. “The Sages rule throughout all of the lands on this earth, but none of them have paid a visit to their other territories in ages. It’s not hard to imagine how wars often break out within and between people. The phames were granted refuge here half a century ago after being hunted by a band of witches for their inclinations. Notorious gossips. You can’t be seen.”
And that was that. The ball would go on late into the night, and only when the fairies, witches, assorted creatures, and esteemed mortals of the four factions had been plied with enough alcohol,was I to be escorted into the war room to talk business with the most violent of deities. None of this had seemed to phase Kalen, not that it should. The Sages wanted me. The wickedly skilled Guardian turned non-earthling who had come back for revenge. At least, that was the mask that Kalen had asked me to wear tonight. Even though the gods knew who I used to be, Kalen predicted that how strange I had become, even to myself, would be viewed as a threat. Better that the Sages fear what they do not know rather than underestimate it.
As he did what he could to school me on the ins and outs of diplomacy, Kalen’s attention never left the trembling in my hands. I tried to mentally chain them against my sides, but they only shuddered more intensely under the pressure. At no point in the meeting, Kalen assured me, would he leave my side. No matter what.
I could find no mercy when he reached out to steady my hands. Though Kalen had assured me that Donis remembered nothing of me attacking him and was living blissfully with his new Yield, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mirona’s blood covering my skin, the way Kalen looked at them after what I had done.I felt the phantom graze of his calluses against the delicate petal of my palm, wrenching back into reality. A sharp pin pierced the bottom of my spine. Rebekah had shimmied the gown up my thighs and was already finishing the last-minute tailoring. I gasped and winced at the girl I saw looking back from the mirror.
“Sorry, so sorry! These tiny pins are tougher to pull out than you might think!”
But the pins were the least of my worries. The dress was a feat, there was no doubt about that. Thin layers of tan organza pleated on either side of my hips made up the skirt, and a stiff, shapely bodice made from silk and velvet scaped up the length of my torso into a heart-shaped neckline at my breasts. Thesilk fabric that draped between my thighs and over my backside ran like milk down the curves of my body. I was glowing without magic, pearl and iridescent white with sparks of yellow whenever the sun shifted further into the sky from my window. It was a tad immodest compared to the other dresses I’d seen sketched out in the atelier’s notebook when I’d been fitted. But I was quite literally naked when I arrived here so what was modesty to me, really?
Rebekah stepped back from me and sighed at my beauty.
I felt almost as deflated as her lungs.
Iwasexcited. Mostly because today felt new. Now more familiar with life outside of the Binding, I hated slipping into routine. But a party–even one I couldn’t attend–was something I’d never experienced. Or at least I didn’t remember ever having experienced it. So, yes, I was excited. But I was not happy. The night of Mirona’s Yielding still hung over my head with its thunderous skies.
I wondered if she would be there. Would she be happy? Or would she be just another unseen girl in Well, not knowing herself or the man next to her? Thinking about all of the choices she didn’t get to make.I looked once more at myself in the mirror, uneasy as I whispered my thanks to Rebekah and left the room, not bothering to shut the door on my way out.
THE FIRST THINGInoticed was the sound—an enormous roar of laughter that overwhelmed the dreadful music. Voices, there had to be a million of them, in a delightful crescendo of chatter as I ascended the spiral of stairs to the gallery above the main dining hall. The static of it was comforting. I felt too vulnerable trudging through the Well without the cloak of Kalen’s magic.
I halted just before turning the corner. Kalen would be there waiting for me there, as we had discussed. Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths and counted. Nothing in particular, just down from one hundred. Anything to still my pulse long enough to reconsider running back to my room and saying,To mortal hell with Kalen and the Sages. At zero, I stepped out to face him.
Standing straight-backed and magnificent, there he was. A stone of amber soaking in every ounce of golden light in this world and holding it there. The frays of his hair were trussed up into the smallest braids, one on each side curving over his ears. Atop his head sat a crown—a golden laurel of stars. Kalen’s glorious omnipresence almost made me forget about the hollow burn in my chest.
Almost.
As if he could feel me, Kalen glanced behind him, paying me less than a fraction of attention, his sullen face showed no signs of even the slightest interest in my arrival. I’d been only a momentary distraction. But just before he let his head sway naturally back to the ongoing commotion, I glimpsed the Light flickering in the honey of his eyes.
I pushed my shoulders down and eased onto the balcony, trying to drape my arms gracefully on the railing. Through the sheer fabric of my dress, I could feel the warmth of Kalen’s body next to mine.I could roll on the ball of my heels, sink into his side almost unnoticed. Feel the fabric of his jacket sleeve against my elbow. Anything would have been better than this hateful pull between us, now.
I shook my head, trying to remember the way he’d yelled at me the night before. Anger. That was the warmth I needed right now. An uncomfortable, itching warmth. I turned my blazing cheek from his direction and focused my eyes on the revelry below.
The dining hall looked brand new despite my familiarity withit. The giant oak tables were no longer lined neatly along the walls of the room. Glamoured, Kalen had informed me two days prior when I’d asked. The enchantment had taken four of the captains from the Guardian regiments who were gifted and Kalen himself to do it. Each shared equal parts of the effort so as not to weaken their powers. Although even at their strongest they knew none could take down a Sage, there was a comfort in being prepared for the worst.
At least, it comforted me.
My eyes began to wander the floor below us, flitting from one group to another, completely unable to take in the sheer amount of people stuffed into the modestly sized throne room. Never in my life could I have imagined there to be so many people in the world. Hundreds of creatures danced with and through one another, ducking in and out, around and around to the various tables and entertainment.
Women and children wore brightly colored gowns with skirts that barely left any room for their men, and despite the excess, they, too, were impressively dressed. Every single person was bedecked in the most flamboyant shows of their factions. I could tell them apart with sharp distinction. Like the lush turquoise robes covering the finned folk of the Sea faction. Their faces were much more angled than that of the supple-skinned mortals, who had mostly journeyed from the Land, the Sage Dario’s faction. Their human faces matched my own wonder at all of the magic that sparkled around them.
For a moment, I envied their naiveté. If only they knew. Time could not touch immortals, but that did not mean their hearts were not hardened with age.
