I had been nervous to tell Elora that I invited Nox and Cassius, perhaps misunderstanding if she wanted this evening to be just for the two of us. But she had been excited instead and broke out into a song about how “more was merrier.”
“I’m not sure, actually. They might not show at all, considering I couldn’t tell them which tavern we were going to,” I confess.
Elora chuckles as she guides us down the side of the busy city center. There are many people out grabbing dinner or shopping, some even chatting together in the middle of the stone road around various statued fountains that line the way. My pulseelevates, but I keep my focus on Elora as she describes the tavern to me.
“There is only one establishment in all of Galdr that is worth going to in the evenings, and that is The Gilded Cup. If they’re smart, they’ll know to come here.” She tugs on my arm, our laughs mixing with music coming from the second story balcony of the large tree that houses The Gilded Cup. Elora pushes the swinging arched door open and comes to a stop as my eyes widen. Lining the edges of the tavern are tables and chairs, men and women sitting in them to drink and eat and engage in conversation. The center of the space has been cleared out of furniture for people to dance in.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” I say to Elora. She smiles and squeezes my hand, her look of understanding calming my nerves.
I try to take in all the details as we start moving again. Instead of a chandelier like the palace has, long ropes with glass orbs holding spelled flames dangle every foot or so from the true ceiling of the tavern. It lights up the center space brilliantly, casting the edges where the tables are in a soft glow.
Elora holds my hand and pulls me through the dancing bodies until we emerge on the other side where a long counter separates us from a man and a large collection of colored glass bottles behind him. “Evren!” Elora shouts over the music of the band playing behind us from the floor above.
He looks up from the glass he is cleaning and smiles wide, shaking his head and sending his curly blond hair out of his eyes. “Elora, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight! Do you want the usual?”
Elora nods, bringing us up to the counter. “This is my friend Rhea. She’s never had cider mead before, so let’s get her started with one of those too.”
Evren’s gaze lingers on Elora for a beat before turning to me. He extends his hand out to shake mine, his wide smile lifting his cheeks. “Rhea, I’m Evren. I’m honored to pour you your first cider,” he says with a chuckle, his cheeks warming to a light pink.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I shout back. He turns to start preparing our drinks, and I look back out over the dancing bodies. The band plays a jaunty tune, the sound of drums, string instruments, and singing echoing off the walls within.
“Here you are, ladies. Two ciders,” Evren says as he sets two glasses filled with light golden liquid onto the counter.
Elora drops some gold coins onto the counter before handing me one of the glasses, clinking hers against it. “Cheers to new friendships and books!” she yells before bringing the glass to her mouth. I slowly follow suit, remembering Alexi’s words about how he hated the taste of mead. Yet, when the drink floods my mouth, the sweet taste of apples dances on my tongue, a fizzing sensation bubbling down my throat as I take a large gulp. “It’s good, right?”
“It’s delicious!”
Elora laughs as she sets her glass down. “Evren! Watch our drinks, will you? Rhea, let’s dance!” She doesn’t wait for either Evren or me to answer before her fingers lace with mine and she guides us into the crowd of people.
“I don’t know how to dance,” I tell her, looking around nervously at the way everyone is moving.
“Neither do I! Just let the beat of the music guide your body. Tune everyone else out.” Elora raises her hands in the air and begins to shake her hips side to side.
I gaze back around the crowd of people and observe how they all seem to be doing the same thing. Keeping to themselves and dancing in whatever way they want. So, for the first time in my life, I throw my hands up in the air and I dance.
We take breaks to go drink our mead, Elora insisting that I alternate with water as well so I don’t get drunk. I do feel a pleasant hum in my body, one that isn’t caused by my magic. We return to dancing, Elora spinning me out and back to her as we laugh. The band picks up the beat of the music, the glass bowls holding the spelled flames on the walls shaking from it. My heart races, the people surrounding me blurring, but all I feel is joy and happiness andfreedomas I smile. Warmth lifts up from my stomach, my magic stretching like a waking cat. It heightens my focus for a moment, and I can’t help but look towards the front door of the tavern.
“What is it?” Elora asks, gasping for air as she slows her dancing to follow my gaze.
The tavern door opens, and though I can’t see their faces because of the people surrounding us, I justknowit’s Nox. “He’s here!” I tell her, smiling widely.
“Who’s here? What are you—” She stops mid-sentence as the crowd begins to part and we watch Nox and Cassius head in our direction.
Nox’s gaze roams over the entire space as Cassius greets a few mages with friendly smiles and handshakes. My heart leaps into my throat when Nox’s eyes finally lock with mine. He looks incredible—trading in the all-black training gear that he wears most of the time for a dark blue button-up tunic, the top few buttons undone and showing a swath of his tanned skin. The long sleeves are rolled up to his elbows while the bottom of the tunic is partially tucked in at the front. Black trousers and calf-high black boots draw my eyes down his body, but when I bring them back up again, I can’t look away from his hair. He’s gotten it trimmed, the waves a little shorter on top than before. His face is clean shaven, though I’ve learned that he prefers it that way. He looks regal and devastating and absolutely, utterlymine.
“How in the Five Realms did you know he was here?” Elora asks at my side. I don’t have an answer for her because I’m not sure, other than my magic seeming to awaken at his proximity. I assume it’s because his signature is so strong.
Nox easily cuts through the remaining crowd, his broad, tall frame making him stand out and garnering more than a few eager stares. But his eyes are entirely focused on me as they leave a searing trail down my body. “Beautiful isn’t a descriptive enough word for how stunning you look, Rhea,” he states, his eyes darkening under the low light of the flames. His hand finds its way to my hip, his fingers flexing there as he leans over to kiss my cheek while I grip onto the front of his tunic.
“Okay, okay. Enough of that,” Cass chides playfully as he comes up next to us, a hand planting on each of our shoulders.
Laughing, I reach back and grab Elora’s hand to draw her up closer to our group. “Cass, this is Elora. Elora, this is Cass.” They exchange greetings, Elora also saying hello to Nox before she announces that it’s time to dance again.
I lose count of the number of songs that are played, my dance partners cycling between Nox, Cass, and Elora. When a new tune starts, the crowd cheers before they separate, men going to one side and women going to the other. Realizing it’s some sort of choreographed dance, I opt to watch, encouraging Nox to stay while I head back to where Evren is and take a seat next to the counter. The music picks up its tempo and the two groups surge together in the middle, their steps light and beating in time to the rhythm.
“Would you like another cider, Rhea?” Evren asks, blowing a blond curl away from his forehead.
“I’m good for now. Thank you, Evren.”
