12. TWELVE
TWELVE
THE INVITATION
“ Y ou must be starving,” Cillian said quickly, clearly intent on avoiding any more questions. “You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday, and I’m sure your experience in the dining room was more than unsettling.”
He gestured towards the door. While I had to admit I was hungry, it was the unease about the answers that might have been waiting that truly unsettled me.
“You seem distant. What burdens your thoughts?” His tone was gentle, implying concern that caught me off guard. He escorted me through the bedroom as though he were a prince leading me onto the dance floor at a magnificent ball.
“Who are you really, Cillian?” My voice trembled, driven by fear and a desperate need to understand the man standing before me.
“You have a curious mind,” he said with a smile that sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s fitting for an artist of your Calibre. I admire your spirit. Of course, you want to know about us. Believe me, I do intend to tell you all about us, in time”
I could offer no argument as he led me into the hallway past the stunning tapestries draping the walls. This time, I stopped to inspect them more closely. As I touched the silken fabric, I felt a peculiar connection to the scene.
One tapestry in particular caught my attention to the point where I couldn't tear my eyes from it. Cillian watched me carefully, his eyes measuring my reaction to a depiction of a man and woman standing in a dreamy garden bathed in ethereal light. It looked like it could be on Earth, but somehow, I knew it wasn’t.
The images were so lifelike I could have sworn I saw them breathing, their chests rising subtly against the soft breeze of the imagined wind.
The man bore a striking resemblance to Cillian and his brothers and appeared around the same age. He was dressed in a similar way with breeches and a billowing white shirt.
Beside him, a woman wore a stunning pearl-encrusted cream satin and lace domino mask concealing her upper face, but from what I could see, she was stunning.
Almond-shaped eyes of the deepest mahogany peered through the openings. Full cupid-bow lips curled into a secret smile reminiscent of the Mona Lisa, and her perfectly sculpted oval face was framed by a thick mane of shimmering platinum hair.
The couple clasped hands and gazed into each other's eyes with a look that could only be described as adoration. What struck me the most was how much the woman resembled Seraphina. The more I looked, the more fascinated I became by her timeless beauty.
A question burned on my tongue, who was this woman? Yet a part of me hesitated, fearing the secrets that her identity might unveil. I wanted to ask Cillian who she was, but I was afraid of the answer .
He seemed to wait for my question, but I kept silent.
He offered his hand. I was hesitant about taking it.
I didn’t want him to think that I was willingly playing along with whatever was happening here.
I slowly reached for his hand. It was warm and firm, and I felt a spark of his flesh against mine as he led me down the hallway.
Descending the spiral staircase, I watched the rainbow reflections of the chandelier crystals dance around the room.
Appetising aromas drifted from Rosenwwacht-Halle.
“How can you expect me to dine as though I were at a ball when every moment here raises the stakes of a game I barely understand?”
“Because, Tilly,” he said softly, “not all truths rise with the sun. Some are etched in the night sky — that’s when real magic reveals itself.”
As he opened the double doors and passed through, I saw no sign of the brothers or Seraphina. Even the guards had vanished.
The table was magnificently set, with a gorgeous floral centrepiece. My mouth watered at the display of baked delicacies, fruit, salads, cheeses and other offerings I didn’t even recognise.
Cillian motioned me to sit in the same chair where I had sat the day before. I sank into the cushioned embrace while he poured golden fruit juice into a crystal glass. He then filled another glass and lightly tapped it against mine.
“To Tilly, and the wisdom to choose correctly, even when the path is unclear.” I tapped my glass against his, offering the smallest gesture of agreement.
It wasn’t a toast. I had no intention of making any choice. My only option was to play along and take whatever opportunities came my way.
I forced a faint smile, the kind that could pass for politeness.
“Two choices,” I said, my voice neutral. “Even the ones we don’t know we’re making. ”
Thirstier than I realised, I quickly drank the juice. The most delicious fruity flavour filled my mouth. I thought I could detect hints of apricot and raspberry, yet there was another one I couldn’t quite place.
Cillian sat beside me and offered me a silver tray of pastries filled with cream and berries. I bit into one. The mellow creaminess and tartness of the berries resonated on my palate.
“This is amazing,” I said between bites. “Although they’re not anywhere near as good as my mother’s.”
“I won’t tell Seraphina you said that” he said, holding back a smile.
I glanced apprehensively toward the doors.
“Don’t worry, Tilly. We’re alone. You can relax and enjoy your meal. My brothers left earlier today. They`ve got some unfinished business to attend to.”
Though I felt relieved, I didn’t want to dwell on his brothers, so we simply ate in companionable silence. Dusk began to tint the sky with shades of indigo and lavender, and I realised I must have slept far longer than I imagined.
When we finished our meal, Cillian rose and approached a lovely antique curio cabinet flanking the southern wall.
I hadn’t paid attention to it before, but as he opened the glass doors, I glimpsed a stunning array of hand-blown glass pieces, crystal, China, statuettes and curiously shaped objects in gold and silver.
Everything inside didn't look like it belonged to this world.
He turned, holding a aged wooden box carved with planets, stars and unfamiliar symbols. He didn’t need to say it was important. I could feel it. The way he held it, and in the way his gaze caught mine.
"There are things about our world, about our existence, that are better understood at night," he extended his hand toward me, inviting me to join him. "Come, let’s take a walk. There’s more I wish to show you at the East side of Sternwacht”
** *
Outside, the night shifted as evening draped the sky with a veil of glittering stars.
The cool air vibrated with the intoxicating scent of night bloomers, and I heard the fleeting sound of creatures settling in the woods for the night.
Cillian looked at me reassuringly, and for a moment, my tension eased—but not entirely.
Clasped in his hand, we followed the path to a vine-cloaked gazebo, where white-glazed wrought iron furniture offered a quaint seating arrangement. “After you, milady,” Cillian said with a gentle bow, and air of ceremony in his gesture that belied the tension I sensed in him.
I smiled as I ascended the steps and sat down.
He sat beside me, setting the box on the centre of the small table that separated us.
Without a word, he opened it, and to my astonishment, a round blue object rose from within, suspended in the air.
It radiated a sapphire light that pulsed gently at first, then brightened, casting fantastical shadows around us.
“What is that?” I asked, my voice a whisper lost in its mesmerising light.
“It’s an orb,” Cillian replied, his eyes never leaving my face.
His words echoed around me, and the glow from the Orb illuminated the twin scars running across his brow. I couldn't help stare; the scar bulged, with a vein bulging like a worm beneath the skin. I blinked to dispel the thought, and just like that, it disappeared. I didn’t dare say what I saw.
“We are connected, Tilly, in ways you will soon understand,” Cillian continued, his voice deep and resonant. “This orb isn’t just a symbol, it’s a tool, a bridge between my world and yours. ”
So many questions swirled in my head, colliding and reforming faster than I could catch them. One stuck—sharp, a whisper I couldn’t quite claim as mine.
I kept my expression straight and pretended it wasn’t there. I’d been getting good at that lately.
“How many people have you felt so strongly attracted to because you believe the universe has revealed this to you?” I blurted out, hoping to distract his unnerving scrutiny.
“I’ve felt strong attachments many times before, but this time it's much different and stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced. There are many souls out there who are sent to cloud our judgment and distract us from our true purpose.”
I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. My mind was spinning, but one question kept surfacing. The same one I’d asked before, only now it felt heavier.
These thoughts didn’t feel like my own. My mind was in a tangle, but I needed answers. I focused on the situation with him and finally spoke up. “Why me?” I asked, my voice softer than I intended. “You speak as if I’m part of a story that has already been written.”
Cillian leaned across the table toward me and held my gaze. His eyes were illuminated by the light from the orb. He looked at me as though admiring an exquisite work of art.
“It has,” he said. “The answer is right here.” He gestured softly to the orb between us. “It’s you, Tilly. Your spirit, your resilience, it resonates with what we’ve been searching for.”
Despite the flattery, I kept my defences up.
“Cillian, you speak as if you know me, but we’ve barely met. How can you be so certain about these feelings?”
“You’ll know soon enough,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
I didn’t ask again, but the question had already taken root inside me. I blinked hard, trying to clear the noise in my head. My thoughts hadn’t been lining up as they should have lately. I needed to stay present and just act normally. This was my chance to get answers.
He lifted the orb with both hands. Its glow intensified, casting patterns of light that danced across the gazebo and into the sky. Inside, a miniature universe swirled—nebulae, stars, and galaxies spinning in silent majesty.
“Tilly, what do you see here?” he asked, his voice filled with deep reverence for the spectacle before us.
“I see the universe,” I whispered, captivated by the display. “It’s beautiful.”
“Exactly,” Cillian said, his eyes not leaving the orb. “This is no ordinary view. This orb doesn’t just show us the universe; it connects us to it. It’s a tool that guides us, that reveals paths and patterns we otherwise couldn't see.”
Intrigued, I leaned closer. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” I admitted. “It’s like the Hubble Telescope?”
“It'sfar more than that.I’vewaited for darkness so I canexplain toyou and show you what I want you to see more clearly.MondspireCourt is where our vision is sharpest.”
I stared at the swirling galaxies within the orb, a sense of awe mingling with a growing curiosity. “So, you’re saying this orb brought you to me?”
“Not just brought us,” Cillian corrected gently. “It confirmed what we had hoped to find. You are not just a random choice, Tilly; you are a focal point of powerful energies, perhaps without even realizing it.”
The implications of his words were overwhelming. As I absorbed his explanation, everything seemed to grow quieter. The only sound was the faint hum of the orb.
Cillian’s gaze held mine, unwavering.
“And now that you’re here…”He paused, the light flickering across his face.
“…everything begins.”