18th of Inandyl - 3rd Velron - Night

  I enter the crowded Hall once more where the symphonic music only barely drones out the din of conversation. The curtains as backdrops over the windows have changed again for the third time by my recollection. This time they have turned a deep midnight purple hue with tiny sparkling pinpricks of multicolored light, giving the area around it a soft illumination.

  I weave my way toward them, trying to avoid the dance floor and other masked creatures, which is quite the feat considering how many are in attendance. Cira wasn’t exaggerating when she said this was the “event of the year” and as I glide between the groups, I notice the enchanted ceiling has changed, setting the mood to mysterious. Currently, it shows several constellations in motion as if the gods were putting on a play.

  I watch it for a moment to witness a folktale I recognize about the World Tree unfold before my eyes. It dawns on me then that even in the unknown there are traces of the familiar and my lips curl into a smile, comforted by the thought as the upbeat music drifts on the air. Even if I don’t know what my friends have been transformed into, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the festivities.

  Now that I have been in this guise of “Lady Crow” for a few hours, I have rather come to enjoy my particular transformation. The feathers and light, flowing skirts give me an airy energy and athleticism, making dodging people in this crowd just a touch easier. Not only have I noticed a quickness to my body, but to my tongue as well, making conversation seems like a breeze tonight. At least it did with the Host and Black Rose. Perhaps there is something to the comment that Cira made about being yourself without the normal social boundaries people take for granted. I can’t help but wonder what I have been taking for granted while being held by the propriety of social norms.

  I pause near the dais next to the symphonic ensemble, waiting for the current song to end and posting up by one of the ever changing curtains. As I wait, I watch with some interest at the couples dancing as they pass by. They all seem so graceful and somewhat terrifying. The masks and costumes are quite the range from whimsical to majestic, but also from macabre to downright gruesome.

  One such creature passes by wearing a full mask of an over exaggerated, wide face, its features contorted in pain, frozen in a silent scream. Its pale complexion matches with the tattered gray three-piece suit with long tails. All the joints are muddled with gory tints of red to match the ruffle at their neck in a dark color like long dried blood.

  While the visage is disturbing, their dancing partner is equally as dreadful with a full, porcelain, white mask the face of which has been painted on with geometric diamond patterns around the eyes and mouth in dark reds and blues. Their sleeveless dress begins at the neck with a full, stiff white ruffle which attaches to the rest of the dark red fabric dotted with the same diamond shapes in black, white, and midnight blue. I suppress a shudder as they pass along their eerily graceful, winding way.

  In direct contrast to the gruesome pair, they are followed closely by a beautiful figure in long, flowing white skirts that gives off a diaphanous sheen in the candle light. The bodice is sleek and form fitting while the sleeves billow with the same diaphanous, pearly shimmer which trails behind her in the shape of fluttering wings.

  As intricate as her gown is, her mask is even more exotic. She wears a whimsical, gold, filigree eye mask with frosted glass and pearl accents made to look like flowers at the temples. Pearls line the bottom of the mask and are attached to golden chain links that form a veil on which three golden butterflies are set. Her dark, unbound chestnut hair is adorned in a golden link headdress to match the mask and is accompanied by diaphanous wing accents.

  She dances gracefully with a rather plain looking gentleman in a forest green fitted suit and a mask made to look like some kind of insect. I watch them pass by, in awe of their grace when I hear a voice from beside me.

  “You have to wonder what they think of when the enchantment takes hold…” I look up and my eyes meet those of a tall gentleman in a beautiful black suit adorned with golden filigree and accents, not just on the cuffs and lapels, but also on the tails, front panels, and high collar. He is wearing a half mask made from what looks to be the skull of some kind of forest creature without the lower jaw, leaving his own jaw and chin exposed. The bone white skull is long and slender with a pair of antlers that stops at his forehead to reveal a full mane of fur-like hair behind it.

  I cock my head in question as surely, he must see the irony of his statement. A smile forms on my lips as I respond with a hint of sarcasm, “Truly. How can they look at themselves in the mirror without seeing their lovely bones?”

  His laugh is rich and deep. “Touché, Lady Crow.” He takes a quick look at me once more, his head quirking sideways as if assessing. “Or are you perhaps a Lady Raven?”

  I turn back to face the dancing couples and shake my head. “No, you were correct with the crow. You however,” I trail off, giving him a sideways glance as he closes the distance to stand directly beside me. He leans down toward me, also facing the dance floor, his hands resting behind him at the small of his back and waits for me to continue. “You are a bit of a mystery. I would say ‘Sir Buck’ or ‘Sir Stag’ but they both seem just off the mark. I think it’s the sharp teeth that makes me think those titles are wrong.”

  He hums in muted ascent. “Astute observations, Lady Crow, and you would be correct that those are both off the mark.” He gives a soft chuckle before continuing. “Honestly, I am relieved that you did not know what I might be this evening as it is so obscure a reference, I think only a Professor would even guess.”

  “Ah,” I start in understanding, “because I do not know, you are assuming I am not a member of the Faculty who are hiding among us tonight.” He nods giving affirmation and I giggle turning toward him. “But what if I am only feigning ignorance to put you at ease?”

  His bright eyes in the empty sockets of his creature’s skull go wide at the implication for a moment before narrowing in my direction. “Then you would be doing a fantastic job.”

  I feel a slight thrill at catching him off guard, even for a moment and I suddenly find that my own unease has all but evaporated. I heave an exaggerated sigh. “Alas, I really don’t know what you are and therefore can only call you a mystery.”

  One of his black gloved hands raises to his chest as he shifts slightly in a gesture of polite deference. “Please, my Lady, call me Uriell for this evening’s festivities.” He straightens as the ensemble plays the final notes and the dancers drift to a halt.

  I am struck with an inkling, an instinct, that this Uriell is about to ask me for a dance. While I am certainly less opposed to it than I was with Bony Hands, my lack of skill on the dance floor would just ruin this whole witty banter. So while the symphony has paused, and before he has a chance, I make my move ahead of him.

  I incline my head slightly to him. “A pleasure to pseudo-meet you, Uriell. Thank you for the chat, but I bid you a good evening.” Before he can respond, I take my leave and drift across the expanse of the dance floor, my light feet carrying me toward the large table on the other side of the Hall setup for refreshment.

  Halfway to my destination, the floating lights above suddenly dim, the sky’s enchantment on the ceiling darkens, and I stop dead in the middle of the dance floor among the many couples. All eyes drift to the dais, including mine, illuminated by a rising, golden full moon in which a silhouetted figure stands as if waiting for this moment. The magically enhanced voice of our Host echoes throughout the hall.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, creatures and companions, this is the moment you have all been waiting for! It is just about midnight and Pandia is now rising, so grab a partner for the Midnight Court’s traditional Mage’s Waltz!”

  His announcement completed, the Host exits the dais, leaving only the golden, rising moon behind. Panic fills me at the thought of being on the dance floor for another instant. As I start to take off, I am halted again when a firm hand takes mine.

  The floating lanterns become brighter and my eyes meet those bright brown orbs of Uriell’s. The intensity of his gaze seems so familiar, but I stop that line of thought before it starts. No fainting on the dance floor! Even through my crazed thoughts, I suspect my heart is racing for a reason other than panic as he closes the distance between us, my hand still in his.

  “Dance with me?” His voice is whispered, but his deep tones are heard easily. He waits for my response, but adds when I hesitate. “It is a tradition, after all.”

  I bite my lower lip and want to protest, but it’s so hard to do so when no excuse comes to mind. I hear the ensemble start to ready themselves, the couples around us also preparing for this much anticipated event. “I suppose,” I start, more breathily than intended, “but don’t complain when I step all over your feet.”

  He chuckles heartily, pulling me closer to him with a strong hand placed lightly on the small of my back. “I take it this is your first time dancing a waltz.” He adjusts my left arm to wrap around his shoulder.

  I let him position us and he takes my right hand in his. “You could have just stopped at ‘dancing’.” He only smiles genuinely at me, telling me to follow his lead.

  There is no time for questions or thought as the music starts and swells. Then, all at once, we and all the couples in the Hall spring into motion. I lurch uneasily at first, unsure how to step or when or where. Calmly, Uriell supports me through the blunders and reminds me just to follow his lead.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  I have no idea what he means until he shifts his arm with our joined hands and I instinctively move in that direction. Eyes wide at the revelation, he chuckles softly at my shock and for the next several steps he adjusts my posture this way. Listening intently to his small, correcting remarks, we finally start to move in sync, not only with each other, but with the rest of the couples around us.

  I see a coy smile peeking out from under the snout of his mask in response to my elation and he leads me to the rhythm of the music. I follow him now without thought. Only instinct and his occasional directing queues; a pull on the lead arm here, an ever so slight push on my hip there. It isn’t long before we are gliding smoothly around and around with everyone else.

  The music ebbs and flows as we drift along in time with it. Every so often, Uriell will lift me at the waist, turning us a full circle or twirl me on my own. It is so exhilarating that I cannot help but laugh and smile through the whole thing. His charming smile matches with mine and I find myself captivated by not only the match in our step, but our energy. As if we were weaving a spell together.

  The dance floor melts into obscurity and the only thing I care about in this moment is the beat of my heart to the beat of the music and the playful gaze in his eyes. Has my heart ever experienced this giddiness before? I cannot recall it, though I know I have never felt this drawn to anyone before. In the back of my mind, two thoughts threaten this odd spell; surely, I must be dreaming and I guess tonight really does have a love enchantment on it after all.

  All too soon, the music queues its final stanzas and the couples around us make their final steps with twirls, spins, and flourishes. I am almost late to react to Uriell’s lead as he pushes me away in a dazzling spin, my black and white skirts splaying in a hypnotizing pattern, before pulling me back toward him. Without skipping a beat, he shifts his arms supporting my back and head as he dips me slowly, following the motion himself toward the floor. At the bottom of the dip, his eyes glisten in a golden hue from the candlelight and whispers in his deep tones. “You’re a natural, Lady Crow.”

  We rise slowly together and as he brings us both to standing, my heart is practically leaping out of my chest. I smooth my skirts in an attempt to dampen the flush I feel in my cheeks and my racing pulse. Again, there is a sense that this person, this Uriell, is very familiar to me. At the briefest hint of vertigo, I focus on what we just did together; the dance. “Thank you, I’ve honestly never done anything like that before.”

  “And now you have,” He gestures to me and the dance floor which is now applauding the ensemble for their beautiful piece. “And you were quite breathtaking while doing it, too.”

  I giggle girlishly despite myself, waving away his compliments. “Stop! It’s not true! I was totally distracted in the beginning.”

  “I was distracted, too, though.” He brings a hand up to cup my face gently. “Did you know that there is a small mark with two birds circling on your neck? Right here.” He touches the spot behind my left ear but all I can feel is my heart thudding under the light pressure of his touch. We lock eyes and I am drawn in by their bright hue and intensity.

  “You remind me of someone, Uriell, but I’m having trouble placing it.” Is my murmured response. My mind is swimming in a haze from purposely trying to remember in an attempt to distract myself from the thought of being in his arms again; the thought of his fingers on my neck. I suppress a shiver that has nothing to do with temperature.

  He takes my hand in his and leads me away from the dance floor. That coy, charming smile appears on his face while speaking in low tones as if in warning. “That’s a dangerous line of thought, Lady Crow, as knowing someone tonight could break the spell we have all been casting so carefully.”

  At his reminder, I shake away the feeling of vertigo, willing my mind back to the present. I stop him from moving any farther, my hand still in his, at the edge of the dance floor as the ensemble starts a new piece. “Then, we shouldn’t break it.” My voice is breathy like Chou’s and I swallow down my anxiety at what I am about to say. “Do you know this one, too?” I tilt my head back toward the ensemble, indicating the tune.

  A wide, playful grin spreads across his face. “Why, Lady Crow, are you asking me to dance?” Uriell steps closer toward me, his tone is just as sly as his grin.

  I open my mouth to protest, but shut it when I realize that is exactly what I’m doing. Instead I blurt, “Well, not if you don’t know it…” The excuse dies on my lips as we lock eyes again and I nod sheepishly, glancing away from his cunning gaze.

  “I know it well enough.” His voice is low, like a bed of hot embers and it lights a fire in my heart as he leads me back onto the dance floor.

  I can’t say how long we dance. We laugh and chat and move together in each other’s arms until I see Pandia looking down on us from the ceiling above. I remark about it to Uriell who says we should take a look at the real thing instead of an enchantment. I agree with him and after the song ends, we meander, hand in hand, off the dance floor and out of the Hall.

  I take a deep breath of the cool air as we enter the courtyard and find it so much more refreshing than the first time I found myself here. Uriell watches me in my pause, a contented smile tugging at his lips as he gives my hand a squeeze.

  “Come on,” he says as he begins to lead me through the courtyard, “I know a great spot for stargazing.”

  We wind our way through the clustered groups and cloistered pairs of scribes until the cobblestones give way to grass and graveled pathways. I don’t think I have ever been down this way before, but then a familiar gazebo comes into view, bathed in the golden moonlight of Pandia, the real Pandia, above.

  I slow our pace with a nervous laugh, trying not to look at the Eldwood behind it. “Won’t the gazebo block our view of the stars?”

  Uriell looks back at me, unconcerned and urging me forward. “Yes, that’s why we will be on top of it.”

  I drop his hand, a dumbfounded expression on my face. “What? How do you expect me to get up there in this?” I fluff my light and airy skirts.

  Chuckling softly, he turns to face me. “Easy. You just hold onto me.” He offers his hand to me again and my gaze shifts back and forth from it to his confident expression. His mask and eyes tinted in golden light jolts my memory and I grasp my forehead instead of his hand as the sudden dissonance takes me by surprise.

  For some reason, I think of Calas, of all people and I immediately reject it. There is no way that this witty, charming, patient, not to mention, gorgeous man is Calas. Would Calas teach me how to dance? Does Calas even know how to dance? No, it doesn’t matter. Uriell could not possibly be Calas.

  I am only unstable for a moment before familiar arms wrap around me, securing me on my feet. I glance up and find myself in Uriell’s close embrace, his bright eyes soft. My breath hitches as if my lungs forgot how to function. We are much closer now than when dancing, but all I can think about is how warm it is to be pressed against him.

  “Woah, are you alright, Lady?”

  I nod, staring up at him; not daring to speak.

  “You don’t have to go up there if you aren’t feeling up to it.” His words are genuine, but despite that, or maybe because of that, it only makes me determined.

  “No.” I start, too forcefully at first, “Show me your spot, Uriell.”

  He takes a step back and turns, crouching down slightly while his gaze never lingers far from mine. “Grab on, then.”

  I bite my lower lip, wondering why I agreed to this crazy idea. Still, I only hesitate for a heartbeat as I wrap my arms around his neck and press my front against his back. Uriell does the rest by standing and making sure my knees are on his hips. I’m glad he can’t see my face when he touches my legs to do so.

  “Desert sands, you’re light. Are your bones hollow like a bird’s, too?” He remarks and starts scaling the outside railing of the gazebo. The phrase takes me by surprise, only having ever heard it from Vesa. The feeling is fleeting though as I cling to him when my weight shifts, the fear of falling vastly outweighing any discomfort.

  It takes him blissful short moments to climb a main post and hoist us both up on the roof upon which he sits us both down, me still behind him. The position gives me the height to be at eye level with him when he turns back toward me due to the pitch of the roof.

  “See?” He intones with an insufferable yet strangely endearing smile, “Easy.”

  “For you maybe.” I snark back and am startled by my own reaction. Where did that come from?

  He shrugs, glancing away from my front as he taps one of my feet that lay beside him. “You probably could do it if you took off those ridiculous shoes. I’m surprised you can’t simply fly with that enchantment on.”

  I give a laugh. “I wish!” I start, but the rest dies on my lips as I see the tilt of his antlers and notice him gazing skyward. I follow suit and bear witness to the endless array of stars in the pale golden light of Pandia against a clear blanket of midnight.

  Awe fills me in a wistful kind of longing. All the mysteries of the cosmos on display in front of us and I sigh, slow and deep, while we behold the sheer gravity of all that might be out there. The nine heavens and the shadowy tenth one that have yet to yield their mysteries to me. Feeling very small, I wonder if I will ever find the answers to all my questions. Even if I don’t, though, the sight is truly a marvel to behold.

  “Wow.” I remark absently.

  Uriell hums in agreement. “I say that a lot when I come out here.”

  I quirk a smile and lean forward, placing my chin on his shoulder. “So you come here often then?”

  He tilts his head to meet my gaze and I barely notice how close our faces are when our eyes lock. “You are really trying to figure me out, aren’t you?” His tone is playful this time instead of a warning.

  “Can you blame me?” I ask shyly.

  He chuckles as he leans back into me and I am now keenly aware of how close we are, beak to hollow snout. “No, I can’t say that I do.” His whisper is a low rumble as he caresses my cheek softly under my mask.

  My eyes flutter at the sensation that seems to melt all my defenses and insecurities. “What if I figure it out, though? I am quite clever.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” Uriell turns slightly, tilting his head just so. I can feel his words on my lips. “In that case, I look forward to seeing you again, Lady Crow.”

  I am locked in place, not by fear, but by a sense of yearning. Just when I feel him shift, though, he pulls back, turning his focus from me.

  As if a spell were being broken, I shake myself from what nearly just happened. What exactly did just happen? I clutch my chest to find an oddly steady rhythm to my heart. So then why is my blood raging like a wildfire through my veins?

  My fingers find my lips and recall all too clearly the sensation of the wisp of his breath on them. I purse them closed and feel that heat in my blood radiating from my ears. Uriell was going to kiss me! My heart skips a beat as I realize that I don’t think I would have minded if he had. A previous fleeting thought of Calas and I embracing like Zhenya and Mazron comes to mind in a flash and is gone.

  Embarrassed, I stare at Uriell’s back and the mane of fur that stops at his neck. He is staring upwards again and breathing deeply. Through the silence comes his subdued tones, “Apologies, Lady. I got carried away.”

  I find myself shaking my head as if he had done nothing wrong. He hadn’t, though, right? “No, no.” I start, my words struggling to find a normal pitch. “I think I was carried away, myself…”

  We sit in silence on the roof of the gazebo, staring at the stars. The distance between us seems like such a wide gap now even though he is just here in front of me. It makes my heart pang in a kind of grief. We have spent hours together, dancing, laughing. Is this night really to end with this palpable gloom between us?

  I decide immediately that I hate that outcome and steel myself, forcing myself to move. I lean against his back and find it tense but still warm and placid. I smile as the sensation gives me the courage my voice was needing. “Thank you, Uriell. For this amazing night. You have been a wonderful dance partner.”

  I feel the tension loosen in his shoulder blades as he breathes a bit easier. I’m surprised when he takes my hand from his shoulder, interlacing it with his. After a brief hesitation, he turns his head and presses his lips to the back of my hand. “Truly, the pleasure was all mine, Lady Crow.”

  I smile, also breathing easier, feeling that space between us melt away as Pandia fades over the tree line of the Eldwood like the stars that fade from the first hints of dawn.