I gazed briefly up at The Eyrie where it loomed over us.
Its shadowy form looked menacing in the moonless sky, barely outlined by stars.
When my eyes returned to the giant bonfire, I was nearly blinded. It took a few seconds for the view to come into focus,then I was looking around at the sprawl of mages and witches who filled over a dozen couches and armchairs. Most held drinks in their hands, and a fair-few looked like they were well into their cups already.
A number of couples were snogging where they shared chairs and loveseats. I heard a laugh as a witch wrapped herself around a black-haired mage I vaguely recognized. From the way another witch writhed on a different mage’s lap, they might’ve been shagging, right there, but I didn’t stare long enough to make up my mind.
Someone had thrown powder into the fire to change its colors, or, more likely, enhanced it with some kind of spell. The air smelled of cinnamon and cloves, chocolate and mint, pine needles and citrus. I caught a whiff of lavender and roses when the flames turned purple and scarlet, then apple when they shifted back to green.
The burning pile of logs, some massive enough to look like old-growth trees, emitted enough heat to wipe out the freezing air and wind. The air inside the circle of firelight remained so still, I realized there must be further spells holding in the heat, and keeping the smoke and wind out. I watched as the flames continued to change colors, twisting into orange, gold, white, then back to violet, indigo, green, purple, and cerulean.
I glimpsed more faces as I looked around, a little startled at the sheer number of them.
Were they all royals, of one kind or another?
I wondered if they all went to Malcroix, too, and decided a number of them must not, but likely came either from Bonescastle or via carriage for the holiday weekend.
I kept a smile on my face, walking behind Bones, my strides long in the short skirt so I could keep up with his.
I wore a light cloak with a hood over my shoulders for the cold, but it remained open in front, showing a low-cut silkentop that clung to my upper body and waist. My hair was blonde and straight now, and only came to my shoulders, and I had light freckles and blonde eyebrows, which changed my face a surprising amount, all on their own.
My nose was slightly turned up, my cheeks plumper, my neck longer, and my eyes, now smaller than my real eyes, were brown with gold flecks instead of green. I’d been a little astonished at how different I looked, just from his little tweaks. He even changed my teeth slightly, making them a little smaller, and made my lips smaller, too, possibly because he’d already used up some of that matter in my cheeks.
I asked my sun primal to change the monocerus for the night, and it gave me a large raven, brown and gold, like my changed eyes. I also wore my mother’s crystal, but Bones transformed that, as well. Instead of a bronze necklace with a green stone, it now looked like a gold bracelet with gold charms.
Surprisingly, he hadn’t changed my body much, other than to remove a few moles and add more freckles to my arms and chest. I was grateful he kept the body changes relatively cosmetic, as I hadn’t been looking forward to trying to walk with legs shaped differently than mine, or manage arms or hands that were markedly different.
He did make my skin tone different, making me slightly paler.
He didn’t bother to warn me beforehand of any of the changes he made, or explain why he made the choices he did.
It was strange, walking in among the royals, without the usual hostile looks.
They smiled at me instead, even as they looked me over.
“We saved you a seat,” Norrick Voltaire said, his eyes on my chest as he smirked. He glanced at Scarpen “Scar” Maskey, who chortled from where he sat on the couch next to him, a witch curled up by the armrest on his other side.
Finally bothering to meet my eyes, Norrick winked at me, as if that would make up for his leering and laughter. His curly blond hair had been cut recently, nearly shorn on the back and sides. He’d slicked back the longer bit on top with some kind of gel, which somehow made his face appear even more doughy.
Scar looked like he’d trimmed his black goatee as well, along with his shoulder-length black hair. His eyes looked sharper in the firelight than Voltaire’s. He’d always struck me as smarter, too, but Voltaire was clearly the leader of the three, apart from Bones himself.
Like Bones, they both wore expensive-looking suits.
“You didn’t mention whether you were bringing anyone, so we only saved one,” he added, winking at me again. “You might have to share with your new friend here.”
I noticed another witch sat sandwiched onto the couches between the two of them, a tall, thin glass clasped in her hand, filled with something pink and frothy-looking.
The one with Voltaire smirked at me knowingly, glancing at my chest before looking at her friend, who also wore a barely-there slip and heels nearly as high as mine. Both of them were even blonder than Bones had made me, and looked vaguely familiar from that crowd. Norrick already had his hand shoved most of the way to the crotch under the short dress of his date, but no one seemed to give it much more than a glance.
“It’s there, if you want it,” Norrick said, smirking at me again as he noticed where my eyes had gone. He jerked his head towards the only open seat, at the same time his hand traveled higher under his date’s skirt. His primal, which looked like some kind of wild boar, seemed to be staring up the skirt of his date, as well.
He’d motioned Bones towards an armchair, not another couch.
Bones didn’t hesitate.
He dumped his topcoat on a pile on a nearby table, then took the last step forward and plunked himself down in the plush red fabric. He met my gaze with a smirk before tugging on my fingers to join him.
“When haven’t I brought a date to this, in your recollection?” he asked Voltaire, giving a faint scoff. “I didn’t realize I’d have to state the obvious.”
