7. Chapter Seven
Chapter seven
Slow hours of formal, polite conversation and mingling eventually liven up and turn a little messy. Even the delegates from the other two realms stray from their tightly clustered groups. True to their promise, the twins intercept Kentiz both times he attempts to join our table.
When the music picks up, they try to drag me to the dance floor. I'm not up for it tonight, though. The expectations of my parents and my promise to Willa are the only reasons I'm still here and not submerged in the bone-melting heat of a bath.
I manage to push the food around my plate enough to placate her well-meaning insistence I eat, although I think I got away with it thanks in part to the distraction of yet another bottle of the rare, smooth amber liquor someone managed to swipe from a server's tray.
Sometimes, I can find a sliver of comfort smothering uncomfortable feelings with food.
Tonight, the scent and feel of those men in that storeroom still clings to my skin, making me nauseous.
The twins are back for a drink between dances, happy faces shiny with sweat.
Willa throws her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her side as she rambles tipsily about how hot Hendrix looks in his suit.
I wince when the motion drags my dress against the cut on my chest I'd forgotten for most of the night.
When they go in search of someone with a stash of Miana leaf, I seize my chance to escape. I'm not about to make tonight the first time I try that stuff, even if the relaxant would get rid of this agitated, raw feeling twisting my insides. I just need air and sleep.
Ducking out through the sweltering kitchen, I tug the door shut behind me and slip into the sweet-smelling herb garden overlooking the paddocks. After the raging fires in the Great Hall, the icy air is a relief and exactly what I need, even though I won't last long out here without my cloak.
Except it looks like blissful solitude is going to have to wait, or I need to find another location, because the light of the three rosy moons illuminates the hulking silhouette of a man sitting on my favorite bench, cradling what appears to be a guitar.
For fuck's sake. Indignant anger flares at finding someone in my sanctuary, tonight of all nights, when I just want space.
Before I can choke back the words, I find myself snapping, "Seriously? Can't you go serenade the stars somewhere else?"
The man stands, setting the instrument down so fast, the movement is practically invisible, hands empty when he turns toward me.
"I could serenade you instead, if you prefer?
" He pauses and clears his throat, tone shifting when he sees me.
"Oh, Willa’s friend." That only serves to annoy me even more, maybe because he can see me but I don't know who I'm talking to.
He continues before I can ask. "What are you doing out here?
Sneaking off to the stables for a ride in your ballgown?
" Not a bad guess, considering what I was doing a few hours ago.
The coincidence must be what's causing the back of my neck to tingle, because it's definitely nothing to do with that deep, husky voice, even if it is dripping with sarcasm.
"Wait, what am I saying? You're more of the indoorsy type, aren't you? Every time I see you, you're rushing around stressed or immersed in a stack of books."
He saunters out of the shadows with a smirk on his gorgeous-and-I-know-it face. The infamously lethal combo of piercing blue eyes, lush mouth, and chiseled jaw covered in stubble is unmistakable.
Cayzenn Adiston.
I scoff at his thinly veiled insult. "You may not be around much these days, but you do remember I'm a Remedy, right?
As in, the Wielders who work with dirt and mulch and plants.
" I gesture wildly at the overflowing pots of herbs around us, the well-practiced lie rolling off my tongue with ease as I draw out the last word. "You know...outside?"
He huffs in amusement, holding his palms up in surrender, one wrapped in a white strip of cloth. "Ok, struck a nerve. What are you doing out here then?"
I sigh, walking over to lean against the back of the worn wooden bench where I often come to write.
"It's been a long day, and I needed fresh air. Plus, it's getting a little messy in there. Why are you out here alone instead of inside celebrating?"
He frowns, running a hand through thick waves of dark hair, making the gold-streaked section fall across his forehead.
Normally, I despise the color, but, annoyingly, on him, it works.
"These formal events become tedious after a while.
Not all of us enjoy getting dressed up." He waves a hand toward my dress.
"Plus, once you hit thirty, all that marriage bullshit becomes everyone's favorite topic of conversation at these things, and I've already had three years of it.
" He comes to stand next to me, facing the opposite direction with a frustrated groan.
"You know how many times I got asked about my future plans before I'd even finished my first drink?
Four. Four times. I got back this morning, and I'm ready to leave again. "
I hide my smile, the abject misery on his annoyingly perfect face melting my anger.
"I may have heard one or two mentions of the subject," I joke, remembering Olvia and Lisia's exchange.
"Don't tell me the realm's most powerful Wielder, and the man who just flirted without knowing who I was, can't handle the interest of a few ambitious women? "
Cayzenn gives me a crooked grin. "What can I say? When you've only got one living female relative, it's pretty safe to flirt with mystery women in moonlit gardens, even if they are yelling at you."
A laugh escapes my lips. "I didn't yell. I was just surprised to find you out here, and you threw me off with that line." My protest is feeble, even to my own ears.
"You're really hung up on that, aren't you? Don't worry; it was flirting, not a marriage proposal. I don't know if you know this, but it's not illegal."
I scoff. "I don't know if you know this, but for us, it may as well be."
He shakes his head with a chuckle, turning to face me. "What about you? You're almost of age, right? Reveling in your own match discussions, or are you out here plotting your escape too?"
"Definitely would be the latter, if it was an option," I sigh.
"And if it were, what would you want instead?"
"Other than to have some semblance of a say in my own future? I haven't given it much thought."
The way he raises his dark brow in challenge indicates he doesn't believe me. "You can't name a single thing you want?"
"When you’ve been told enough times your value lies solely in your ability to reproduce and secure the bloodline, you stop considering alternatives."
"Come on. Surely, you can think of something?"
For long minutes, I stare up at the starry night sky stretched above us, eventually letting the words slip out.
"Ok, fine. I want to see what it's like beyond Raviaz, preferably without having to sleep in a tent.
I want to expand the Giving Day program so nobody goes hungry.
I want to make some kind of real difference, despite my lack of power.
What's the point in any of it, though? Why bother wanting things you can never have?
" Embarrassment heats my cheeks at the confession.
Cayzenn considers me thoughtfully, his eyes hold mine, ensnared in the moonlight. "Never is a very long time, especially when you live as long as we do. And who says you won't be able to grow the program? How did you even get it started in the first place?"
My eyes narrow, surprised he even knows what Giving Day is. So few do. "I don't know. A refusal to take no for an answer when people were against the idea, I guess."
This time, his laugh is loud and full as he turns to gaze over the distant forest, leaning forward, hands braced along the back of the bench.
The left is adorned with intricate black ink that disappears under his sleeve while the right one is wrapped in a white bandage, stark against his warm brown skin.
Gilded light spills from the windows, making the bright silver thread at his collar seem to sparkle, a subtle nod to his position as a Shield.
I absolutely shouldn't, but I let my eyes drop.
I can't help admiring the way his braced arms ripple underneath the fitted white dress shirt.
The man's not even wearing a jacket, and it is cold.
As if to reinforce the point, a frigid wind rolls down off the mountain, ruffling my hair and making me shiver.
Reluctantly, I think about going inside, but before I so much as open my mouth to say goodnight, Cayzenn looks down at me and waves a hand lazily.
Silvery tendrils of magic pour from his fingertips, weaving together to form a translucent bubble around the entire garden, blocking the icy blast.
My mouth falls open, and he grins. Naturally, I've seen Shields use their magic, but to so casually protect a space this big with no effort, and without needing to maintain physical contact, is a reminder of how much power this man has.
He cuts it off with a flick of his wrist, and a final silky ribbon skates over the back of my hand, leaving a trail of tingling warmth in its wake before melting into the shimmering dome encasing us.
I pull my hand back at the touch, and he shoots me a quizzical look. "Did you feel that?" I nod in confirmation, equally confused. I've never felt someone's magic before.
We stare at each until music blares from the Great Hall, reminding me of what he was holding when I walked into the garden. "Weren't you playing a guitar when I got here?"
"When you yelled at me, you mean?" He smirks when I roll my eyes. "I was tuning it, yes."