Chapter 10
O ur second conduction of Ashoralida went as well as the first, but still, there was no rain. The King and his Court applauded, and I didn't see signs of any displeasure yet. That didn't completely alleviate my anxiety about my performance, especially not with Adora's angry message yesterday.
Almost as soon as we finished the second conduction, I tried to slip out without being noticed.
"Izzy, you can't be running off again," Jessalyn called after me when I tried to leave. I turned back to face her, and she took my hand. "We've performed so well. We should be celebrating together."
"Thank you, but I am not one for large parties," I answered honestly, gesturing to the crowded ballroom around us.
"That's fine because we have something else planned tonight," Jessalyn said with a wicked smile.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it,” Soren interjected, and he appeared at Jessalyn’s side. “We’re going to have a night of fun and enchantment, and that’s all you need to know.”
“ We ?” I echoed, and as my heart fluttered, I realized that I had maybe asked the wrong questions.
“Me, Soren, the other muses,” Jessalyn explained nonchalantly. “Come on. You don’t want to miss out.”
There wasn't room to argue, and if I was being honest, I didn't really want to anymore. Jessalyn held my hand, and Soren walked to my side, carrying another couple of bottles of wine. The other muses followed behind us or flitted about, and we left the ballroom and went down the palace's corridors.
About halfway through our journey, I realized Jessalyn was taking us back to the dormitory. We went on through, right out to the courtyard. The sun had set, and the stars were out, but the muses lit a few torches to give us more light. As they did, some of them began to sing, their voices blending together in perfect harmony.
Jessalyn joined in, and she smiled encouragingly at me. It was a folksong with lyrics that spoke of love, friendship, and beauty, and the melody was sweet and bright. I knew the words, and I hesitantly sang along. Soren uncorked the wine, and it flowed through the night as we all laughed, talked, and sang.
Later on, when I was delirious, I spied Soren sitting alone in the corner. He smiled as he watched us, his dark eyes twinkling, and I went over to join him.
"Are you glad you stayed?" he asked as I sat on the bench beside him.
"I am," I admitted as I watched the other muses laughing and dancing.
“I am, too.”
He was looking over at me. I could feel his eyes as he studied me, but I resisted meeting his gaze. The whole night felt so wonderfully magickal, and I was afraid that if I looked at him, if I let myself fall in the exquisite darkness of his eyes, that I would never be able to look away.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" I asked, trying to slow my heart's racing with distracting conversation.
“Absolutely. We’re going to put on a real showstopper tomorrow,” he promised me, and somehow I believed him.
Our last conduction and final attempt at summoning the rainfall the kingdom gravely needed brought us out to the town square. The previous ones had all been indoors at dusk, but this was out beneath the setting sun, with the hot, dry air only beginning to cool as we took our places between the sandstone walls.
Since it was the finale, it drew the largest crowd to date, with hundreds of people filling the square. The King's throne was placed in the center of our performance area. Tonight, we were dancing around him, with Jessalyn performing directly at his feet.
We began, our movements graceful and fluid, and Soren’s music and chants filled the air, goading us on.
As the conduction continued, the sky began to darken, and the wind picked up, causing sand and dust to swirl around the square. We danced onward, growing more fevered and intense.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the center of the square, right between the throne and where Jessalyn stood. All the muses were enveloped in a bright light. The crowd gasped in awe as we slowly floated into the air, lifted by magik, our bodies surrounded by a shimmering aura.
Soren continued to chant, and the audience joined in, their voices rising in a crescendo. Thunder crashed loudly, and the sky opened up, pouring rain onto the parched land below.
The other muses and I slowly descended back to the earth, but our magik still filled the air, returning vitality to the desert. The town square had become a beautiful, exhilarating chaos, with everyone drenched and dancing together.
In rapid order, I was separated from the other muses, but I was happy to dance alone in the rain.
I don't know how he found me so fast in the commotion of the crowd, but Soren was suddenly there with me. He pulled me into his arms, lifted me off the ground, and then twirled me around until I laughed in exhilaration.
The rain came down so quickly that I was already soaked, and my dress clung to my skin. When he sat me back on the ground, his arms stayed around my waist, and my hands were on his strong shoulders.
“You did it,” I said, smiling up at him.
“ We did it,” he corrected me, then again, in a soft whisper, “We did it.”
We were in the crowded town square, in the midst of laughter, singing, dancing, and rain, and somehow, it felt like there were only the two of us in the whole world. Soren's smile had fallen away, and his eyes were full of longing. His hand went to my face, brushing back a damp lock, and then he cradled my cheek.
His eyes dropped to my lips, and then, all at once, his mouth found mine. He kissed me deeply and passionately and stole the breath from my lungs. His other hand was on the small of my back, pressing me to him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
Too soon, the kiss ended. He rested his forehead against mine, breathing roughly, and caressed my cheek with his thumb.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, and his hand on my waist squeezed me tighter for a moment before letting go.
“Why are you sorry?” I asked as he moved away from me.
My hands had slipped down to his chest, but his arms had dropped to his side. I looked up at his face, but he wouldn't meet my gaze, making my stomach cold.
“I shouldn’t have done that.” He glanced around then. “Not in public. Not ever.”
I took a step back from him and let my hands fall.
"It's not appropriate," he said, still refusing to look at me. "I am your enchanter, and I should never have… I shouldn't even have thoughts about you, let alone act on them." He raked his hand through his thick, wet hair. “You deserve better, Isadore, and I am sorry. I won’t ever do that again.”
"Soren," I said weakly because I wanted to argue, to tell him that he was wrong, that I had wanted to kiss him so badly, that I wanted to kiss him still.
But he was already shaking his head and turning away. “I’m sorry. You truly were magnificent.”
He disappeared into the crowd, and I didn't go after him because I didn't know what to say. Everything happened so quickly. My skin was still tingling from the performance, and my lips tingled from his kiss.