Chapter 19
The General muttered something to the group surrounding him before starting toward us. His long copper hair was tied back, but a few tendrils had slipped out on the sides. He wore a crisp, black shirt and matching dress trousers. A long coat lined with badges and medals cascaded down his frame.
He kept his hands in his pockets and held a curious expression on his face. Osta looked at me, confused, before following my gaze over to the General, who still had his eyes glued to mine.
She grabbed my wrist and gasped.
“Why is he looking at you like that?” Osta whispered.
I could barely hear her over my own heartbeat.
“Hmm?” I mumbled.
“Fia. He either wants to kill you or bed you. And there’s absolutely no in between,” she squealed as the General closed in on us. I shook my head and attempted to look unbothered. Nerves crept up my shoulders and prickled the back of my neck.
He stepped in front of us–the look on his face drowned out all the sounds around me. His eyes slid down my entire body before coming back to meet mine once again .
Instantly, I felt naked. Something about the narrowed nature of his gaze had me shifting in my dress.
Why was he looking at me like that?
Osta cleared her throat. The General blinked as we broke from our trance. The sounds of the room tumbled back in like a war horn, dragging me back to reality.
The General’s face softened, but his mischievous smile returned. He looked over at Osta.
“You must be the reason Fia looks so presentable tonight,” he quipped. Osta giggled like a damned schoolgirl.
My eyes couldn’t roll fast enough.
“It’s so lovely to meet you, General Ashford. Truly, I’m honored to have been invited tonight. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity,” Osta gushed, fluttering her eyelashes and curtseying. She was usually bubbly, but this was taking it to a whole new level.
The General was eating it up. He wore an expression of insufferable amusement and a smile drenched in satisfaction.
I made a gagging noise.
The General laughed, but Osta shot me a scowl.
“The pleasure is all mine, truly.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. His eyes shot back to me as he kissed it, and I scoffed.
“You’re quite the ray of sunshine. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect after getting to know your friend here.”
Osta giggled. Giggled.
“So what’s the plan?” I interrupted before Osta could start frothing at the mouth.
I guess the dartboard suggestion was off the table.
“Well, I suppose it would be best to make some introductions before everyone gets too carried away with the open bar.” He smiled. “Osta, shall we?” He held out his elbow. Her eyes shifted between the two of us reluctantly.
“Well, I mean… Fia can come with us right?” she questioned.
The General laughed. “I’m afraid her scowl will scare away any potential clients, but it’s up to you. ”
“You two go on. I’m going to… how did you put it? Get carried away with the open bar.” I started moving past them. I didn’t love the thought of my dearest friend sauntering off into the depths of the Keep with a murderer, but my objection might have turned her into a murderer.
I couldn’t imagine the General pulling something in this environment anyway. It would be a shame for Riftborne blood to spill and ruin the mood. Those acts were usually saved for the shadows.
Besides, Osta deserved to make those decisions for herself.
“Mercer! Come keep Fia company please,” the General shouted from behind me.
Oh great.
I looked in the direction of his request, eyeing a guard in the same black attire, who stepped away from a well-dressed man nearly half his size and began making his way over.
He had inky black hair that was cropped short and bronzed skin.
He was as tall as the General, but broader.
As he got closer, he gave us a slight smile and I noticed the flecks of amber in his eyes.
“You must be Fia.” He nodded in my direction.
“Sorry to pull you away from Halloway but I’m sure you’re past the honeymoon phase by now.
I’ll only be a moment. Keep an eye on her.
She has this habit of finding herself in precarious situations,” the General chided as he turned to pull Osta into the crowd.
“Don’t be too difficult on Callum, Fia. Behave. ”
Osta shot me a sympathetic look before disappearing.
“Is he always so charming?” I asked sarcastically.
The guard chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, he certainly has a way about him.”
I shook my head. “I was headed in the direction of the bar when he called you over.” I arched my brow.
“I’ll join you. I’m probably going to need a drink before the night’s over.”
We walked side by side and waited in line before finally procuring our cocktails. I downed mine immediately .
“Laryk’s told me a lot about you.”
The use of his first name so casually… felt intimate. It made him seem more like an acquaintance and less like my personal tormenter.
“I can’t imagine the things you've heard,” I murmured, heat flushing my face. “He seems like quite the embellisher.” Something about Callum’s presence was oddly comforting. Perhaps it was how normal he seemed in contrast to Laryk–the General.
“Are you based here?” I asked.
“I’ve been stationed out West, but I’ll be in Luminaria for the next few months training the new additions to his faction. Including you.” He furrowed his brow. “I guess after tonight, you’ll have to refer to me as Lieutenant Mercer.” He smiled, taking the first sip of his drink.
We made small talk near the bar for over half an hour before the General and Osta returned. I couldn’t believe someone as laid back and nice as Mercer was the General's second-in-command.
Osta was beaming as she skipped over to me. “I think that went really well!” she squealed.
“Let me get you a drink to celebrate and you can tell me all about it.” I turned to the bar, taking a few steps before I felt the heat of a hand on my arm.
“Fia, may I steal you away for a dance?” The General’s breath tickled my ear. I swiveled to meet his gaze.
Horror rushed over me as Osta answered in my stead.
“Yes! Go, Fia!”
I hadn’t even formed a reply before he was pulling me towards the center of the room, towards the swirling colors.
This seems highly inappropriate.
My eyes flickered about the room, noticing the perfectly synced movements of the couples twirling around us, creating a blur of satin gowns and black dress robes.
A lump formed in my throat.
“I don’t know these dances...”
“Just follow my lead. I would never let you make a fool of me.” His eyes were bright.
Suddenly his arms were lacing around my waist, gliding along my bare back. Heat erupted through me. He pulled my body flush against his own.
I was on fire, and I desperately needed to douse it.
Why did I feel like this? It had to be the utter embarrassment from dancing with my superior, or just dancing in general–this was so wildly out of my comfort zone.
Or maybe I just hadn’t been touched like that in so long.
We started moving, blending into the rotation of bodies. He was a decent partner, at least from what I could tell–I certainly wasn’t an expert. Despite being glaringly unaware of how I looked from the outside, a part of me calmed…
His head tilted down until lips grazed the shell of my ear. “The dress suits you, though I’d prefer it in black.” His whisper sent a shiver down my spine. We whipped past the other Aossí, and something about it felt violent, but perhaps that was just the look in his eyes.
“As you stated earlier, it’s all thanks to Osta.” I turned my head in an attempt to hide my blush. “Thank you for introducing her to a few people tonight, she really does deserve the attention.”
I could still feel his eyes burning a hole through me.
“Happy to do it. I’ve grown tired of seeing the same styles and designs recycled over and over at these gatherings.”
“I should have known you had a personal stake in this.” A small laugh escaped my lips. I couldn’t help it.
The alcohol. The ridiculous dance. The absolute absurdity of me, Fia Riftborne, being at a ball for Esprithe sake. It was all too much to process.
He pointedly ignored my remark. “Her attention to detail is quite impressive.”
“Yes, it should be. That is her focus after all.”
“I picked up on that,” he murmured before dropping me into a dramatic dip that sent my heart lurching. When he lifted me back up, our bodies collided, and a mixture of shock and fire raced through me. I was staring straight into his emerald eyes, our faces nearly touching.
“Laryk,” I gasped at the sudden movement, immediately regretting it. My cheeks flushed as his first name tumbled out of my mouth so easily, like we were friends or something. I wanted to crawl into a cave and die.
Damn cocktails.
He raised an eyebrow. “Careful, now.”
I felt his arms go rigid, but he brought his face even closer, brushing past my cheek and lingering near the lobe of my ear.
“Don’t let the Guard hear you call me that,” he whispered.
I nodded instinctively and tried to hide how breathless I felt. My head was spinning. I was going to crumble to the ground. His arms tightened around my waist as the song ended, almost as if he was hesitant to let go.
“We should probably get back to Osta and Mercer now.” I looked down, shuffling out of his grip.
As my body cooled from the absence of his touch, a thought drifted into my mind.
You’re still a mouse in a sea of serpents .
Just because he was playing nice tonight didn’t mean any of it was real…
But for some reason, it was harder to convince myself of the truth I’d clung to for my entire life. It had to be the alcohol. It was making me vulnerable, making me act like a fool. And that could lead to dangerous situations.
I repeated the thought, trying to make it stick.
“Dinner should be starting soon. We can gather the two of them and head to the banquet hall.” He cleared his throat and adjusted his collar before offering me his arm. He pulled me across the room in the direction of the bar.
Osta gave me several highly suspicious and unnervingly mischievous looks upon my return with Laryk, causing me to nudge her a bit too forcefully with my elbow. She let out a low snicker that only I could hear.
The four of us made our way up the staircase after reconnecting, and Osta took the opportunity to tell me about her conversations with the ladies of Nobility.
“All of them seemed receptive, really. Some of them were actively looking for an in-house seamstress. Which would be a great stepping stone to opening my own label one day.” She squeezed my hand tightly as the words tumbled out.
“Lady Soleil and I really connected, I could tell. Bless Niamh, I am just so happy. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop smiling tonight.
” She shook her head and looked down, trying to contain herself.
“I’m so proud of you. You deserve this.” I squeezed her hand back and she squealed as we reached the top of the stairs.
“I just… I don’t know how to thank you for this.” Osta’s eyes found the floor. “You’ve managed to do for me in one night what I’ve been working towards nearly my entire life.”
A pang of guilt surfaced in my chest. Because as much as I wanted to be the one to help her, to save her from Thearna, this wasn’t my doing.
It was his.
Laryk had used his position and power to help a Riftborne. Something I would have never before thought possible.
He had killed one of his own…
“Fia, Osta, you’ll both be dining with the other members of my faction. I’ll show you to your seats.”
Laryk’s words sliced through my thoughts, and then I abandoned them all together. The feelings were too confusing to ponder in a setting like this.
I focused in on the massive space instead, allowing the sheer opulence to become my distraction.
In one corner, a lavish banquet beckoned.
Tables set with crystal and silverware showcased an expansive feast. The smell fresh bread intermingled with balsamic glaze and the sultry aroma of roasted boar.
Courtiers engaged in lively conversations and laughter bellowed through the room, mixing with the music from the orchestra below.
“Ashford, not so fast!” A voice commanded from behind us.
Laryk turned first, smiling brightly and walking past us. I turned around to see the King and Queen approaching. The King lifted an eyebrow and gestured towards me.
“Is this the one you’ve been telling me about?”