Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
T he clash between the beautiful ballroom and the actual atmosphere inside it is so jarring that I still haven’t fully adjusted to it, despite having spent two hours in here. It’s one of the grandest rooms I have ever seen. Imposing columns of ice stretch up towards the impossibly high vaulted ceiling, which is covered entirely in faelight gems. If I tilt my head back, it’s like gazing up into a pool of liquid starlight. Decorations in silver and ice are on display, and there is an entire band of musicians waiting at the edge of the massive dance floor.
At a grand ball like this, I would expect to see people dancing and laughing and enjoying themselves. But instead, everyone is standing silent and tense on the shining ice floor. Anger and resignation and dread and resentment and a whole storm of emotions hang over the room like a death shroud while everyone drinks nervously from crystal goblets in order to pass the time.
I shift my gaze to the front of the room, where a raised dais is located. Atop it are two thrones made of carved ice. Emperor Bane and Empress Jessina are seated on top of them, their massive silver wings spread wide and their fancy silver garments glittering in the faelights.
Then a clock chimes, marking that another full hour has passed.
A ripple goes through the gathered crowd.
I draw in a sharp breath as I watch a female dragon shifter in purple armor detach herself from a group farther down and start towards the raised dais. It’s the leader of the Purple Dragon Clan. The clan who ambushed and tried to kill Draven out on the mountainside.
Everyone seems to be holding their breath as she comes to a halt on the floor in front of the two ice thrones. Jessina and Bane look down at her with haughty expressions. She lowers herself to one knee and bows her head.
“I, Diana Artemisia, do hereby renew my oaths of loyalty and swear allegiance to the Iceheart Dynasty on behalf of the Purple Dragon Clan,” she says, her voice carrying across the sea of silent spectators.
I shift my gaze to Jessina and Bane, who say nothing. A ripple of worry goes through the crowd. When Gremar Fireclaw, the leader of the Red Dragon Clan, swore his allegiance an hour ago, they accepted it straight away. But not this time.
“Diana,” Empress Jessina says, drawing out the syllables as if she is talking to a small and stupid child. “Did you really think that would be enough? After the… disrespect your clan showed us last week.”
Most people don’t know about the Purple Clan’s attack on Draven, but Diana most certainly does. However, she says nothing. Only remains on one knee with her head bowed.
“If you want to earn our forgiveness,” Emperor Bane picks up, a vicious smile spreading across his lips, “you need to grovel for it.”
Diana drops down on both knees and presses her forehead to the floor. I swallow down the bile rising in my throat as I watch her grovel for forgiveness at their feet. Once the Icehearts are finally satisfied, they let her return to her people.
But no other clan leader steps forward. Everyone just continues standing there on the polished ice floor, nervously drinking sparkling wine and watching each other and their monarchs. The tension in the room is so thick that I could have cut it with a knife.
“Why are they drawing it out like this?” I whisper to Draven.
Draven has been standing right next to me like this for the past two hours. After what he said back in his bedroom, I had expected him to move around the crowd more. But he hasn’t left my side for one single second. And that is now starting to worry me.
The heist began the moment that the ball did. That was two hours ago, which means that the humans must have at least reached the entrance to the tunnel out there on the mountainside. If they moved fast, they might already be inside the palace. Once they’re done emptying the treasury, they’re going to create a distraction so that the rest of us will have a chance to slip away in the chaos. But I won’t be able to do that if Draven remains glued to my side all evening.
“It’s a power play,” Draven replies. “They only let one clan swear allegiance every hour so that it will take eight hours to get through us all. And we can’t enjoy ourselves at the ball in the meantime, because no one is in a festive mood. All we can do is to just stand here in tense silence for eight hours. It’s a psychological trick to wear us down and demonstrate the kind of power they have over us.”
I turn to glance at him in surprise. “That’s… terrifyingly clever.”
He lets out a humorless breath. “I know. I’m the one who suggested it.”
The doors to the patio are shoved open, shattering the crackling silence. A broad-shouldered man in brown dragon scale armor stalks outside in what looks like frustration.
That finally breaks the spell. A murmur spreads through the room as everyone starts talking softly. No one is dancing or having fun, but they’re at least speaking and moving around now. I draw in a deep breath as the tension in the room eases a little.
A few moments later, Galen comes striding towards us from the direction that the leader of the Brown Dragon Clan came from before he stalked out onto the patio. I move a little to the side to give them space while Galen comes to a halt in front of Draven.
Galen flicks a discreet but pointed glance towards the still open doors to the patio, and when he speaks, he keeps his voice low enough that only we can hear. “He says that he won’t do it. Says that the stones will bend before he does.”
“The Brown Clan is being stubborn?” Draven lets out a huff of amusement and rolls his eyes. “What a shocker.”
A smile begins forming on Galen’s mouth. “I know, right?”
Then, as if he suddenly remembers that he’s not supposed to be friends with Draven anymore, he snaps his mouth shut and wipes any trace of amusement off his features. His brows pull down into a scowl instead.
Draven’s behavior immediately changes as well. He straightens his spine, and that blank mask descends over his face as he looks back at Galen with commanding eyes.
“I’ll handle it,” Draven declares. Then he jerks his chin towards the main door instead. “Take all of our people and go back to the barracks.”
The scowl on Galen’s face deepens. “Why?”
“Since when do you question orders?”
“Since you became a spineless coward.”
Draven clenches his jaw. “Just do as I say.”
Galen bows his head in a way that is just the tiniest bit mocking. “Yes, sir.”
While Galen strides away to obey, Draven forces out a long and highly controlled breath.
I glance up at him. “Why are you sending them away?”
Draven draws in another breath and turns to me. To my surprise, there is no frustration left on his face. Not one trace. By Mabona, he really is an excellent actor.
“I might be the Commander of the Dread Legion,” he begins. “But I’m also the leader of the Black Dragon Clan.” He flicks a glance towards the two ice thrones and the smug monarchs seated on them. “Which means that at the end of the night, I need to get down on my knees and swear allegiance too.”
Understanding washes through me.
“And you would rather your people didn’t see that,” I finish for him.
He just slides his gaze back to me, but the look in his eyes is confirmation enough. My heart suddenly aches again. Draven clears his throat.
“I need to go and deal with this,” he says, and nods towards the open doors to the patio. “I have a feeling that it’s going to take almost the entire hour. The stubbornness of the Brown Clan is legendary.” Then a hint of light returns to his eyes as he adds, “If you flirt with anyone while I’m gone…”
Despite it all, a small chuckle escapes my lips. “You’ll cut out their tongue. Or their hands. Or both. Yes, yes, I know.”
“See? You really are learning.”
I have to suppress another smile and an eye roll. Draven just flashes me a knowing smirk and strides away.
So as to not draw attention, I remain standing there with my head slightly bowed like a good little life slave for at least ten minutes. It works like a charm as people continue talking quietly amongst themselves while forgetting that I’m even there.
Once I’m sure that I have become more or less invisible, I quickly sweep my gaze over the room. People are still talking in hushed voices where they’re standing throughout the large room. A messenger hurries across the floor and whispers something to Bane and Jessina, who smile like satisfied cats. While they’re distracted, I begin slowly moving around the room and towards where Isera and Alistair are standing close to the dais.
While getting dressed, I managed to hide my climbing gear underneath my dress. So once the humans start the distraction, we should all be able to use it to get out of here. The only problem is that we need to take turns climbing and then drop the climbing gear back down for the next person. And we also need to somehow get Lavendera out of the kennels.
Anxious worry pulses through me. There are so many things that can go wrong. What if the distraction isn’t enough to draw the Icehearts away from the ballroom? What if we’re spotted while climbing up the wall? Indecision slices through my chest. Maybe we should just try to make a run for it through the side gate instead of using the secret tunnel? That way, we’ll be closer to where Nysara is waiting with her glamour.
But can we really make it out that way without the guard raising the alarm? I might have manipulated his emotions so that he’s terrified of me, but will that be enough when I have three other fae with me? And I won’t even be able to use my magic this time. And neither will Isera, Alistair, or Lavendera, since we’re all wearing iron collars. Goddess above, I wish there had been a way for us to get the collars off before we escape. But this is it. This is our one chance. And we have to take it.
Tension crackles through my every nerve like lightning as I try to move as casually as possible on my way through the ballroom. I flick another glance at Isera and Alistair.
The air is yanked straight out of my lungs as I find both Isera and Alistair staring at me with full-blown panic in their eyes. My heart rate picks up until I can practically feel it thrumming in my chest. Moving as quickly as I can without drawing attention, I adjust my course and instead make my way straight towards my two partners in crime. The crowd around me continues talking softly, as if my mind isn’t suddenly screaming in alarm.
Why are they looking so panicked? Don’t tell me that Lavendera was taken somewhere else before the others left the kennels. Or that Draven has somehow figured out what I’m doing.
While Jessina and Bane are preoccupied with grinning and congratulating each other about something, I come to a halt as close to Isera as I can without drawing the Icehearts’ attention.
“What is it?” I whisper, hoping that she can hear me.
She keeps her gaze focused on the wall across the room, and her mouth is barely moving when she replies, “Bane just said that the trap worked.”
My heart stops beating. There is a sudden rushing sound in my ears, and I feel as if the whole room is tilting to the side.
“What trap?” I breathe, my mouth suddenly dry as sand.
“They have caught the human resistance.”