Chapter 16 Magical Masquerade #2
I offer up a wistful smile, even though he can’t see it. “Well, I haven’t painted in years, if that makes you feel better.”
I can hear his shock in my head. You painted like you do it every day. Like it comes as natural to you as breathing.
Sometimes, I get so caught up in my head that even breathing doesn’t feel natural. But I don’t tell him that.
“Thank you.”
He nods. Ready?
“As I’ll ever be.”
He steps toward the doors, and the guards at the entrance do a double take. They look at each other, seemingly in shock to see the pegasus. “Bartholomew,” they say, bowing their heads.
He bows his great head in return.
The two guards open both doors in tandem.
I inhale sharply.
The masquerade is full of dancing magical beings.
Unicorns with multicolored horns tap their hooves to the drumbeat.
Mermaids slide across the marble floor in puddles that follow their movements, one with blonde hair and a pink tail, another with purple hair and a green fin.
Miniature dragons produce columns of flame in the corners, in keeping with the music’s rhythm.
Atop the tables are bowls—punch? No. A moment later, fish leap out of them in coordination and twirl midair before falling back in again.
I glance upward. The ceiling is domed and full of winged creatures flying up above, mirroring the movements from the dance floor below. There are faeries with wings of every shade, draped in fabrics spun from forestry. Leaves spin with them, as if also entranced by the music.
Even—I squint—a few insects are dancing atop whirling lily pads. Some guests fly alongside the creatures, thanks to their paired creatures’ magic.
All these fairy-tale creatures, the ones I thought only ever existed in books and stories, are real. They live in Everland.
And they’re here, at this party.
Did my mother ever see something like this during her time with Evalyn and the spiders? Did Robin ever come with her?
Suddenly, in ripples, beings start to notice us.
Every head—animal and human—turns in our direction.
I meet the guests’ eyes. I swallow.
“Are they… looking at something behind us?”
No.
“Do… you have something in your teeth?”
No.
“Do I?”
He huffs. I haven’t attended in centuries, and I chose you. They’re wondering what makes you so special. Don’t worry, though. You’re going to be upstaged by my illustrated horn. The others are already dripping with envy.
After several more beats of notice, heads turn back to their conversations. Still, as we make our way toward the center of the ballroom, I hear whispers begin to bloom.
“I’m looking for something,” I tell Bartholomew softly. “A key. Something enchanted to help me get to another world. Can your powers help me find it?”
Bartholomew straightens. We’ve approached a herd of pegasus, and yes, they do look pretty jealous of his horn.
I can sense any object with magic. I can sense your necklaces, and the keys you hold. So I already know exactly what you’re looking for.
“You do?”
He nods. The lord’s crown, of course.
Just then, the crowd parts…
And there he is. Lord Evernight, looking exactly as I would expect. Dressed in regal clothing, pads on his shoulders, golden buttons down his front, and a suit of fabric that glows even brighter than my pink starlight-woven dress. His mask is modeled after the wings of a bat.
A crown sits upon his head, made of twisted branches and thorns. I don’t see a pink glow like with the other keys. But I trust the pegasus.
The only question is… how am I supposed to take a crown from a lord?
Well, dancing with him would be a start, Bartholomew says.
I snort. He looks back at me, unimpressed. I don’t know how to dance, I respond silently.
I do, he says.
What good does that do me?
Plenty, he says, and that golden light is surrounding me once again. Lifting me from his back and setting me onto the star-dusted floor.
The glitter fades away, but Bartholomew’s magic is still encircling me like an invisible current that melts into my skin and threads through my bones. Then he’s moving my limbs like a puppet. Guiding me to the center of the dance floor.
A woman with skirts that look like the layers of a raspberry cream cake and a mask held in place by two chirping birds is about to bump into me. At the last moment, I move aside—my limbs controlled by Bartholomew’s enchantment—falling in sync with the rest.
And I start to dance as if I do it every day of my life.
My arms lift. My hands clap. I spin again, my feet expertly moving in the same rhythm as the woman in front of me, who’s wearing gem-crusted heels with butterflies on the backs.
I let out an exhilarated laugh. My heart races with excitement, syncing to the beat. My mouth pulls into a smile. While dancing isn’t quite like flying, it comes close.
You’re welcome, Bartholomew says as he spins past, also taking part in the dancing. Other animals are, too—peacocks with roses as feathers, horses with rainbow manes, elk with glistening horns, lions dressed in suits and standing on their haunches.
I spin around, marveling and—
It is marvelous.
The entire room is dancing, and smiling, and the music is like its own enchantment, loosening the stress in my bones, heightening the rush of my blood, and I’m actually enjoying myself while keeping sight of the lord as he steps and twirls nearby, changing partners every so often. I wind my way a bit closer to him.
Then the music changes. Quickens. More drums are added. Suddenly, my body is flinging to the side, meeting someone’s hands, before I’m turned over to someone else, losing sight of the lord in the process.
I spin next to a mermaid. Her silky fins spill onto the puddle on the floor, moving her along. Pearls are speckled through her long hair; shells are pressed to her dark skin. She smiles at me as I pass her again.
I keep dancing for what could be seconds, or minutes, or hours, my body feeling weightless, and I look around, drinking up every moment, eyes desperate to see everything. And everywhere I look, there is something else to marvel at.
This is… incredible, I think.
Of course it is. We’re enchanted beings, for goodness’ sake. Now, focus. Lord Evernight is near. The next song is a single-partner dance. If you want that crown… make him want to speak to you.
All at once, I’m reminded of my purpose.
What? How?
He scoffs, the sound echoing through my mind. How am I supposed to know? Make yourself stand out. Use your creativity.
Creativity. I think about the spider gloves and my painted dress. Is it enough to set me apart in a room as enchanted as this one?
I guess we’re about to find out.
Still moving through the steps, I stretch my fingers.
I let the music tease open my heart and soul, ideas spilling through my mind that I might not have paid attention to if I wasn’t so consumed by all this joy and magic and music.
Everyone expressing themselves around me just eggs me on, makes me bold, inspires me to want to push the boundaries of my style and artistry.
The vision comes to me quickly, and as I continue to dance, I start to paint the designs across my dress, the colors streaming and glowing until the fabric itself becomes a moving painting—one showing the town of Heartland, with its pink waters and pastel houses, so different from this one.
There. If that doesn’t catch his notice, I don’t know what else will.
Murmurs begin immediately, followed by gasps and curious gazes. The song changes. Everyone pairs up.
Lord Evernight is waiting in the center, staring at me.
He hasn’t asked me to dance yet. But I’m not going to wait around and see if he does. This is my chance. Chin lifted, I walk right up to him and offer a gloved hand.
A gasp ripples across the crowd. Whispers begin.
How bold!
How presumptuous!
That’s not how things are done!
But Lord Evernight only glances down at my hand… and smiles.
“Would you like to dance?” I say, my tone even and sure. “With me?”
The lord tucks his own gloved hand into mine. “I’d love to,” he says.
The whispers reach a fever pitch.
Help! I signal Bartholomew, and I feel his magic whisk me into the exact movements of the dance.
It’s not only helpful because I don’t know the steps… it also allows me to focus on how I’m going to get this crown.