He had no doubt Felix would do it, knew he would pull the trigger.
After all, he had already done it once.
Leaning against the brick wall of a shop front, August watched the festival crowd, the dancers now a chaotic swirl spinning around the grand fountain at the heart of the square. The music had only grown louder as the night went on, and now, in the small hours of morning, with ale thick in their veins, the festivalgoers were at their wildest. Laughing, singing, shouting.
Why had he never come to his own birthday festival? It wasn’t horrible like he’d thought it would be. It was . . .
He tipped his head back against the wall, trying (and failing) to think of the right word.
Well, it certainly wasn’t horrible.
The last time he’d felt this free, he was racing barefoot through the castle halls, playing hide-and-chase with Lottie and the anchored boy he’d once called a friend. Before he crossed that invisible line into the age when play became improper and his personality became an inconvenience to his mother. Before he realized hisgift—Lottie’s word, not his—made him far too similar to the wielders. Before August had dug in his heels,rejecting his ability, because to admit he was like them was to admit he was dangerous, too.
A trilling giggle disrupted August’s thoughts. He looked up to where Felix was dancing with a girl in an elegant dress and pinned blonde hair.
Felix hadn’t stopped moving since the empath session. Already having danced with three girls and a striking boy in a richly embroidered waistcoat, he was now on his fifth dance partner. Though a bit unsteady and slow in his dancing, Felix was clearly enjoying himself, and August wondered what it would be like to be that at ease.
With one hand, Felix spun the girl, then pulled her close, their noses almost touching. He traced his fingertips gently up the lacing of the girl’s dress to the back of her neck before she pulled him flush against her and pressed her mouth to his in a deep kiss.
When Felix lifted her long skirt and hoisted her up, her legs wrapping tightly around his back, August rolled his eyes and pushed away from the wall.
It was probably time to go. The empath’s effects were wearing off, anyway.
He considered disappearing without saying goodbye, but when he started walking, his feet led him to Felix.
August tapped him on the shoulder, and Felix let the girl slide slowly back to her feet before breaking the kiss.
“Henry!” he chimed, and the grin that crossed his face was like a beam of sunlight. “This is…” His voice trailed off as his gaze drifted back to the girl.
“Lady Sarah Farrows,” she said, sparing August a brief glance.
“Lady Farrows,” Felix repeated thoughtfully.
A sharp pang of jealousy pierced August’s calm as the girl bit her lip, eyes lingering hungrily on Felix’s mouth.
He pushed the absurd, unwelcome emotion away, and said, “I’m going home.”
Felix’s smile vanished. “Don’t go. Lady Farrows has just invited me to her residence for a drink. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you joining us.”
The girl assessed August, then smirked. “I wouldn’t mind in the slightest.”
“It’s late.” He retreated a step. “Pleasure to meet you, Lady Farrows. Goodbye, Felix.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Felix offered.
“No, it’s alright,” August said with a smile. It was weird how easy smiling was tonight. Was this how it felt for everyone else? Effortless? “You go. Please.”
Felix’s eyes followed him as he took another step back. “Are you sure?”
“I am.” It was best to leave it like this.
The girl yanked Felix roughly back in, her fingers weaving through his hair, and August took the opportunity to slip away. He pushed through the square, threading through the crowd, then turned down the street toward home.
He ignored the shifting shadows around him, his steps unhurried as the clamor receded. He was in no rush to get home, to have the crushing weight of responsibility placed back on his shoulders.
The vague shape of an anchored hovered in the centre of the street. August tucked his hands in his pockets and sidestepped it without as much as a passing glance, preoccupied with thoughts of the magnetic boy and the way the air seemed to thrum around him.
Felix felt like a first breath after years buried underground. And now August was expected to return to that suffocating existence. The thought made his chest ache. He wasn’t even home yet, and he was already struggling for air.
