Chapter 50 #2
It was crowded, filled with exquisitely dressed Pelagan courtiers who gathered in relaxed clusters, chatting animatedly over hand-blown glass goblets or laughing as they spun through lively dances.
Curious eyes turned our way, but they weren't unfriendly. Smiles greeted us throughout the room, heads dipping in acknowledgment, some courtiers even folding politely at the waist as we passed.
Beside me, Rìan's eyes continued to glow.
He wasn't merely deceiving one person. He was holding every mind in the room beneath his influence, each one nudged so delicately that not a single person suspected the thoughts in their head were no longer entirely their own. The enormity of it was almost impossible to comprehend.
More frightening still was the control—I could feel it. His magic stretched through the room in countless invisible threads, weaving between the guests like an enormous web. I felt only the faintest brush of it against my skin as it passed me by, the lone witness to what no one else could perceive.
My magic nudged forward, ever watchful of Rìan, hungry to learn the intricate workings of his gift.
Outwardly, he gave no hint of the immense power he wielded.
His posture was loose and easy, his long, unhurried stride a perfect imitation of Aedric's unmistakable arrogance.
Even the lazy smile playing at his lips wasn't his own.
It was Aedric's through and through, and seeing it on his face left ice coating my stomach.
He greeted people by name, clasped forearms, patted shoulders, and exchanged light pleasantries as though he'd known every person in the room for decades. When he paused beside a lord wearing heavy gold rings through both nostrils, I took the opportunity to look around.
The hall was unlike any I'd ever seen. The sweeping vault stretched overhead in smooth, rippling curves, like the inside of a great shell.
Enormous jellyfish drifted high overhead, their translucent bells pulsing with sapphire, emerald, and violet light, while bioluminescent algae clung to the walls, bathing the hall in ever-shifting ribbons of color.
A quartet of musicians occupied a low dais near the centre of the hall, their flutes and hand drums weaving together melodies that rose and fell like the sea itself, almost as though the ocean had learned to sing.
Despite myself, my foot tapped to the rhythm beneath the folds of my gown.
"Perhaps you'll save me a dance before the night is through," a deep voice murmured beside my ear.
I started and turned to find Thalassis at my side, grinning broadly.
He was devastatingly handsome. A high-collared tunic of deep navy and teal clung to his frame, the fabric at the shoulders folded into the likeness of cresting waves.
The neckline plunged in a sweeping curve, revealing the muscled expanse of his chest, where silver rings pierced both nipples.
On anyone else, such an outfit would have looked absurd.
On Thalassis, it looked regal—powerful—a god of the sea.
His ocean-blue eyes crinkled warmly as they settled on me, entirely at odds with the imposing figure he cut. A golden liqueur swirled in the delicate glass balanced between his fingers, as though he hadn't a care in the world.
“Or perhaps a few,” he winked. “I have excellent endurance. I can keep a partner occupied until sunrise.”
My cheeks flushed at the innuendo and Thalassis’s grin stretched wider.
“Careful, Thalassis, you know I'm a jealous type.” Rìan's normally dark voice held a teasing lilt that was unmistakably Aedric's, though the muscles beneath my hand bunched. “I'd hate to see our friendship go up in flames.”
Thalassis laughed. “Fire can’t catch in the Court of Tides.” With a lazy sweep of his fingers, the liquid climbed from his glass and hung suspended in the air, molding itself into fluid, swirling forms before falling back into the goblet with a soft splash.
“Show off,” Rìan muttered.
Thalassis laughed and took a long drink. A servant swept past with a silver tray, and Rìan plucked two glasses from it, handing one to me before taking a measured sip from the other.
“I assume it must be difficult to impress an Eidra,” Thalassis said. “I may be powerful, but my magic is nothing compared to what courses through your veins.”
I offered him a modest smile. “I lack the control my predecessors possessed. I'm still learning how to touch it, but it seems to have a mind of its own.”
“Oh?”
I sighed softly. “It spends more time slipping through my fingers than anything else. It may take years before I can truly master it, if I ever do.” I looked up at Rìan, arranging my features into something warm and adoring while my insides shrivelled at the effort.
Resting a hand lightly on his arm, I smiled.
“I'm fortunate to have such a patient teacher helping me learn to touch it.”
“And how does one teach an Eidra to touch her magic?” Thalassis asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Aedric tells me the Eidrae had no emotions—that they were cold, unfeeling creatures.” I smiled at Thalassis. “Thankfully, I have human blood. My emotions are... considerably more abundant.”
“That is the way with humans,” he said, nudging me lightly with his elbow.
“That being said, my magic does enjoy feeding on them. I find it much easier to reach when it's had its fill.”
Thalassis tilted his head. “Does it favor any emotion in particular?”
“Oh, yes.” I nodded, my curls brushing my shoulders, the tiny chimes woven through them ringing softly. His gaze wandered to them before returning to my face.
“It has quite the appetite for the intensity of my pain...” I paused just long enough to watch his interest sharpen before finishing with an innocent smile. “... and my pleasure.”
Beside me, Rìan choked on his wine, dissolving into a fit of coughing.
I smiled sweetly. Thalassis's brows lifted in unmistakable intrigue.
“I didn't think it possible,” he said with a low laugh, “but I believe I'm beginning to understand your jealous streak, Aedric.”
Rìan gave an exaggerated sigh and flicked a dismissive hand through the air.
“I always wondered why you risked incurring Frost's wrath by refusing to complete the ritual at Kyndralis.” Rìan's gaze snapped to me. “Ione is a beautiful female, but your Eidra...” Thalassis’s grin turned positively wicked. “I fear I would have made the same choice, and Veins be damned.”
The smile on my face tightened as the echoes of screams drifted back to me. Aedric had chosen me—Solmire had paid the price.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Thalassis was relaxed, buoyed by good company and too much wine, and dragging such memories into the celebration would have poisoned the evening for everyone.
Instead, I reached over and gave Rìan's arm a light tap.
“Shall we eat, Aedric?” His borrowed name sounded wrong on my tongue.
“Please, go!” Thalassis waved us toward a long table along the far wall, laden with fragrant dishes in every imaginable color. “Enjoy yourselves!”
We had barely taken a step before he caught my arm with gentle fingers.
“But I intend to steal you away later,” he murmured with a conspiratorial grin.
“Once the food is gone and the Ambrosia is flowing freely.” He punctuated it with another wink before releasing me and turning away, his laughter already booming as he welcomed a fresh cluster of arriving guests.
“He didn't go through with the ritual?” Rìan's voice was barely a rumble beneath the music and laughter. He stared straight ahead as we wove through the crowd, but I could feel the entirety of his attention fixed on me.
“No,” I said quietly, unable to keep the shame from my voice.
He said nothing, but his face was tenebrous.
The night of Kyndralis, when Aedric had found me beneath the dome and we'd lain together for the first time, had been the happiest moment of my life. But had I known what would follow—that by choosing me the wards would weaken and Solmire would burn…
Beneath the guilt pulsed something uglier still.
I'd given myself to him believing I finally knew him, believing the walls between us had fallen away. Instead, I knew now that so much of what had brought us to that moment had been built upon deception.
He’d seduced me on a bed of lies.
"Breathe, Eidra," Rìan murmured, reading the tension written across my face.
I shook my head, forcing the darkness away before it could take deeper root.
Rìan passed me a plate, and I absently piled it with whatever caught my eye. Beside me, he helped himself to grilled fish and a hunk of fresh bread before leaning against the wall, surveying the room as he ate. His attention settled on Thalassis, laughing at the center of the crowd.
“Thalassis is fascinated by you,” he said at last.
I took a sip of water. “I'm the last Eidra. Fascination from the High Fae seems to be something I can't escape.”
He made a low sound in the back of his throat. “According to the map, the second well lies somewhere near the Tidelands Vein.”
“I know.” I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “Do you know where?”
He gave a curt nod. “I have an idea. I studied the map—I’ve narrowed it down to a series of sea caves where the Vein once met the coast.”
Thalassis's gaze found me from across the room. It lingered, slowly sweeping over me before he finally turned back to the person he was speaking with. Beside me, Rìan's fingers tightened around the stem of his wineglass.
I arched a brow. “What was he thinking about me?”
Only then did Rìan look at me. A shadow crossed the silver in his eyes. “Nothing remotely honorable.”
The word settled heavily between us, a pointed reminder of our argument earlier that day.
“Tomorrow I’ll search the caves.”
“What about me?”
“You'll distract him.” He beckoned to a passing servant, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and set our empty plates onto the offered tray.
“And how exactly am I supposed to distract him?”
“I’m sure you'll think of something.”
I scowled. “How reassuring. Throw me to the wolves while you go sightseeing through the Tidelands.”