31. The Honored Guests
31
THE HONORED GUESTS
WREN
EARLIER,
T he twins are here. I stare up at them through my black raven’s mask, my eyes glued to the dais where they’re standing. My fingers curl around the glass of sparkling wine Kadyn handed me a moment before the king and queen entered the ball.
They’re actually here. I can barely believe it. My forehead feels like it’s on fire as I stare at the stage, and I pray that the raven’s feathers covering the swirl block out the glow.
Even if no one else can see it, I know it’s there. I always fucking know it’s there.
Ever since the Hunter told me to run two weeks ago, the Mark has been burning nearly nonstop. Not only that, but this morning, I woke with a strange tingling in my fingertips.
None of that matters, though, because my sisters are here . The knot of unease that has been in my stomach since Kadyn and I arrived in Rosebridge yesterday unfurls a bit.
Thank the suns, this wasn’t for nothing.
“Is that them?” Kadyn whispers from beside me as the king starts speaking. We’re standing at the back of the crowd, far enough away to hopefully avoid attracting attention.
All I can do is nod as emotion thickens my throat. Kadyn seems to understand because he steps to the side, giving me space to breathe.
He has proven himself to be a good friend over the past two weeks, refusing to leave when I tried to give him Gabriel’s money. I saved his life, he told me, and now he would stay and help me with my sisters.
The Given stick together.
I’m not sure I would’ve gotten this far without his help. There were more Watchers and Hunters than ever before, and even with Gabriel’s money, moving through the country undetected had been difficult.
We’d paid an elderly woman who was traveling north to let us ride in the back of her cart for several days, and we walked the rest of the way, trying to conserve our limited funds. Finding ball-appropriate attire this morning had been an expensive endeavor, requiring nearly all our remaining money.
But I no longer care about the hardships we endured, because the twins are here.
I pass my glass of wine to my left hand, the beads on my gown rustling. The dress, like the mask covering my eyes and nose, is black. It’s easily the most beautiful garment I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing.
The fabric is form-fitting up top but still easy to move in, thanks to the flare at my hips. The sleeves are tight to my elbows, and boning runs down the length of my chest, acting as a corset. Between that and the scooped neckline, it’s extremely flattering. At another time, when I wasn’t worried sick about my sisters’ wellbeing, I’d feel like a princess.
The king is speaking from the dais, but I don’t hear a word he says. I haven’t even tasted the wine, although I could probably use a drink to help with my nerves.
I’m just staring at my sisters.
Violet and Marie look as lovely as they did the night I left. Their violet hair hangs in loose curls down their backs. The girls are wearing matching coral gowns, and their hands are clasped together. Unlike the rest of us, they aren’t wearing masks. Their wide eyes sweep across the room, and their nerves are palpable.
It takes every ounce of self-preservation I possess to stop myself from ripping off my mask and shouting to get their attention. I still have no idea why the twins are here, but it can’t be good.
At some point, the king’s speech ends. An orchestra starts playing, and people pair up, heading for the dance floor.
I turn to Kadyn. His mask is black, like mine. Feathers rise around the neckline of his tunic, making an elaborate collar and hiding his Mark from sight.
“I need to get closer to my sisters.” The ballroom dividing us feels like an ocean. “Can you search for a way out of here?”
Once I get the twins, we’ll need to run as quickly as possible. The sooner we get out of Rosebridge and get to the Sapphire Coast, the better. The Watchers lining the walls of the ballroom will make things difficult, but that’s been the story of my life lately.
Kadyn nods, melting into the crowd.
The king and queen are seated, their heads bent together as they talk quietly. Marie and Violet haven’t moved. Between their nerves and the pink dresses, they look so much younger than fifteen.
That sinking feeling has returned, stronger than ever. I just know my sisters are in danger. Keeping them in my sights, I start making my way across the ballroom.
It feels like I’m playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek. I stroll around columns and past clusters of partygoers, all the while avoiding the Watchers. It’s slow-going, but if it helps me avoid capture, I’ll move as slowly as needed.
I’m walking past two men kissing behind the privacy of a column when movement on the dais makes me pause. The king rises from his throne, stalking off into the crowd, his skin glowing crimson.
Is that normal? I honestly don’t know, but the sight has my skin crawling.
Seconds later, Queen Lucille murmurs something to the twins before she, too, rises and leaves the dais.
This is it. This will be my only chance to get to my sisters. Discarding my untouched glass of wine on the nearest table, I grip my skirt in both hands and pick up my pace.
I’m near the edge of the dance floor when a hand touches my arm. I suck in a breath, exhaling when I lock eyes with Kadyn.
We slip behind a column, standing near a red-and-black tapestry.
“Well?” I ask, my eyes darting between my friend and the dais, where my sisters remain.
“The door behind the thrones leads to the servants’ corridors. We should be able to use the passageways to get out of here,” he whispers.
“Thank the suns. Did you see any guards?”
Not for the first time, I wish I hadn’t lost Father’s blade. Kadyn and I stole a set of daggers a few days ago, and one of them is sheathed against my thigh beneath my dress, but it doesn’t hold the connection to home that Father’s knife did.
Kadyn shakes his head. “None, but… are you sure about this, Wren?” He glances at my sisters and chews on the inside of his cheek. “They could be here for innocuous reasons. Maybe the honored guests really are just guests.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about this over the past two weeks. We’ve both speculated about what might happen to the honored guests after the Winter’s Eve Ball, but in the end, they’re just that—speculations.
“I’m sure. They’re my sisters, and I can’t leave them.” I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to them.
Kadyn rakes a hand through his hair, blowing out a long breath. “Okay, I trust you.”
We go over the plan, and once I confirm I remember the signal, we split up.
He slips back into the crowd, and I continue on my path towards the dais. The closer I get, the more it seems like everyone is watching me. I reach up, carefully adjusting the raven’s feathers over my Mark. Even though I’m certain it’s covered, I can’t help but feel like I’m a lamb standing in a lion’s den.
One wrong move, and everything will be over.
The platform is close when a strange sensation blooms to life in my middle. It’s an insistent tug that’s so sudden, it has me pausing mid-step.
An awareness crawls over me, and I turn slowly, scanning the ballroom. Dancers swirl, my sisters are still the only ones on the dais, and there’s a healthy crowd at the overflowing tables, picking at the feast.
Maybe it is nothing. Maybe being on the run for weeks is getting to me. Maybe?—
Oh, suns.
I suck in a sharp breath and freeze. My fingers spasm and release my skirt. A vise clamps around my heart. Mask or no mask, I’d recognize those sweeping locks of blue-black hair anywhere. They’ve been haunting my dreams and nightmares for weeks.
Run, little bird .
What is he doing here, and why is he talking to the king? I can’t hear them, and the royal’s back is to me. Even so, there’s no mistaking the crown on his head, his rigid shoulders, or the aura of violence surrounding him.
Suns, have mercy on my soul.
Cold sweat gathers at the back of my neck, and the mask feels like it’s digging into my skin.
My dress no longer feels like a beautiful garment. Now, it’s constricting. The sleeves are too tight. The corset is gouging my skin.
The Hunter is here.
He’s here, and even though I need to keep going, I can’t move.
Fuck, Gabriel is beautiful. Even now, clean-shaven and dressed in finery, he’s still rugged and large and handsome. The mask of a panther covers the top half of his face, which is entirely fitting. He’s a predator, through and through. Nice clothes can’t disguise the hunter beneath his skin—it’s as much a part of him as the emeralds in his eyes.
I hate him. I hate him so much, for his “gift” of a head-start, for the way he kept chasing me, and for the way he haunts my dreams.
I hate him, yet he saved my life in Saltwater. Not only that, but he listened to the truth about the Given. He gave me money and tried to get me to leave.
I hate him, but I can’t stop thinking about him.
And then, his gaze lifts. His eyes widen as they meet mine. Shock flashes through them.
A second that feels like an eternity passes, and I’m drowning in Gabriel’s green gaze. The ballroom melts away, the music fades, and something deep within me sings. My Mark burns hotter than it ever has before, even with the raven’s feathers covering it. My feet twitch, desperate to close the distance between us.
And then the Hunter’s face shifts. One moment, he’s staring at me. The next, he dons a blank, expressionless mask. Before I can ask myself what just happened, the king spins around.
His eyes sweep through the room, much like mine did moments ago, and then he looks directly at me. Recognition flashes through his eyes, and my heart drops to my feet.
Fuck!
The word bounces through my mind, shattering whatever spell had frozen me in place. The king knows I’m here, and for some reason, that scares me more than the Hunter ever did.
A quiver of fear races through me as I turn and run through the crowd. There’s no time for stealth, no time to consider what the king was talking to Gabriel about, no time to think about that tug in my gut.
My knot of worry has returned. I need to get my sisters out of here before it’s too late.