Despite struggling to accept it, my stomach flutters in agreement.
‘You need to get dressed,’ I say to Llin instead.
‘Or is Caz coming as my date?’ Benny teases, flashing thescribe a grin.
‘I’ve just hadthe best thought,’ Llin exclaims as we cross the courtyard half an hour later. ‘Wasn’t it Kyor’s best friend who Acacia was with last time? What was his name? Hew? You guys could double-date. That would be so cute.’
‘Stop. It. Now.’
There’s no denying I’m going to have to speak to Kyor tonight, if only to say thank you for allowing Caz to attend, but the thought alone is enough to fill my stomach with butterflies.
As we step into the ballroom, we find that tonight’s theme is the colour white. White flowers, white suits on the waiters, white ice sculptures. Even the floor is white. I glance down at the hem of my dress, only for the air to stiffen in my lungs. The blood-red against the white floor conjures the image of Oke’s blood pooling on the ice. Blood I spilt.
‘Rose, you look lovely as always.’ I’m jerked out of the memory by Jonas’s voice. He is dressed the same way as he was at the other balls. Smart, attractive with his ceremonial sword, and still not the one I want.
‘May I walk you in?’
I hesitate. Giving him false hope isn’t going to help him, but I also don’t want to appear rude.
‘I was going to find Kay,’ I tell him, only for my line of sight to fall directly on her. A warmth spreads through my heart as I remember what Dinah said about us being able to find each other, even if the world cracked apart. She’s standing with a young man I recognise vaguely, though it’s definitely not Hew.
‘Isn’t that your father’s ward?’
‘William. Yes.’ Jonas sweeps his arm around my waist, causing my muscles to stiffen in response. ‘Come on, let’s get you a drink.’
‘I need to see her first,’ I say, slipping out of his grip, only for him to grab me by my hand.
‘We can get a drink. She’s not going anywhere.’
‘No, I want to see Kay first.’ I’m practically spitting the words, and I can feel Llin and the others staring at me, but I don’t care. I have no idea why Jonas thinks he has the right to stop me from speaking to my own sister, but it’s not going to happen. ‘You want a drink, then get one. I don’t need an escort.’ With that, I turn on the ball of my foot and march across the dance floor towards her.
I’m still several feet away when Kay notices me. The way her eyes lightup is almost enough to make up for the distance between us these past several weeks.
‘Rose!’ She squeals my name as she races those last few feet towards me and wraps her arms around me with such force I feel my ribs popping. Not that I can blame her. Never has a single hug felt as good as this. Tears fill my eyes as I hold her against me.
‘I can’t believe it,’ she whispers, her head still pressed against my shoulder. ‘I can’t believe you’ve survived all this without magic.’ She pulls away from me slightly, tears now streaming down her cheeks. ‘Rose, you’re actually going to win this thing! I believe it. You promised to bring us back here, and you did it. And now you’re going to win the Retterheld.’
‘It’s going well,’ I admit, brushing away her relieved tears with my thumb. I can’t believe how much healthier she looks. The colour in her cheeks. The brightness in her eyes. This is what I did this for. But as great as it is to have her faith in me, now I also have the fear of letting her down. ‘But there’s still the fourth trial and the Ofur to get through,’ I remind her.
‘Well, you’re certainly making the bookies look foolish,’ a voice interjects from behind me. I twist around only to realise I barged past William to get to Kay, and without so much as a greeting.
‘Sorry, William.’ I offer him my hand, which he kisses briefly and politely. ‘I hope you’re well. You were saying something about bookies?’
‘Very well. I was just saying that you might find one or two people whose purses are substantially lighter, what with you still being here.’
‘Then more fool them.’ Kay grins at me.
A light pause falls between us, though William fills it with ease and awareness.
‘You two have plenty to catch up on, so I shall leave you and hear how my own brother has been faring.’ He nods towards Jonas, who is staring at us from across the room. ‘Have a wonderful night, ladies.’
‘Thank you, William.’
‘It was lovely to see you again, Rose. Kay, I’ll see you at home later.’ He smiles at my sister.
‘See you later, Will.’
A notable tension ripples through me at the ease with which Kay seems to have accepted the court as her home. I need to tell her about Llin’s offer. The goal was always to return to the High Hold, but now we have an option that is even better. Because if my closest friends are in the Eastern Isles, it would be foolish for us not to go there. But before I get a chance to speak, Kay takes my hands and pulls me towards one of theseats at the edge of the room. It’s not next to the fire, so I guess she’s also growing accustomed to the warmth here.
