Indeed, Rhay had really gone the extra mile. Large pieces of fabric cascaded from the roof and sky dancers wrapped their bodies into the silky veils, letting their heads hang upside down.
Amira had no idea how Rhay had managed to create it, but a river of what looked like iridos flowed through the room, the colours of the rainbow reflecting in the water. A silver barque occupied by a band floated peacefully while other fae bathed in the iridescent liquid.
She had to fight hard to stay focused on her goal, finding Rhay. Amira turned to Varsha, but the painter had already found an occupation and was letting a gorgeous young woman feed her grapes. Amira averted her eyes and went back to her mission. Avoiding a large ice sculpture of Karwyn, she searched the room. Everyone was dancing around her, trying to get her to join their drunken madness.
Pushing away from the crowd, she decided to explore the tiny alcoves hidden around the ballroom. In the third one, she found a clearly intoxicated Rhay laughing with a couple of very attractive fae. A dark-haired girl, lasciviously leaning on Rhay’s shoulder, was whispering what Amira imagined to be crude things in his ear. Another guy was stroking Rhay’s tinted hair with obvious fascination.
Standing there for what felt like a very long minute, Amira finally cleared her throat to make her presence known. Rhay looked up with a displeased grin.
“Princess,” he said like he barely wanted to acknowledge her presence.
“Rhay, can I talk to you in private?” She tried to make her voice sound light.
“Can’t you see I’m incredibly busy?”
She wanted to slap his smug face, but instead of acting out her anger, she forced a charming smile on her lips. “Please, Rhay, it will only take a minute.”
Rhay made a show of contemplating her request, tapping his finger against the velvet couch. “No,” he replied.
The answer felt like a slap to her face. “No?Why?”
“You see, I only have time for my true friends. Like Liovy here,” he said while pointing at the girl next to him. The brunette playfully bit his finger. “See how well she’s treating me? I might even be inclined to share some deep secrets with her.”
The veiled threat threw a hard punch at Amira’s heart. Gasping for air, she still managed to reply, “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn’t,” Rhay answered. “Did you think you could just show up here wearing a tight dress and make me your little bitch? Grow up, Amira.”
The piercing laughs of Rhay and his two companions made her ears bleed. She wanted to scream, to act out. Hell, she even wanted to use her damned powers just to shut his mouth. But that would just prove what she had tried to forget in her desperate quest—that she was a monster, anabomination.That she didn’t deserve to walk among fae. That her brother had been right all along.
Rhay’s eyes dared her to say something, anything. Instead, Amira backed away and ran out of the alcove. She bumped into a fae as she made her way out and didn’t even stop to apologise. Tears flooded her eyes, turning the whole party into a blurry picture.
A waiter carrying a tray of glasses filled with iridos passed by her and Amira grabbed a drink that she immediately downed. The sparkling liquid fogged her mind, but it wasn’t enough. She needed something stronger to appease the growing pain in her chest.
On the other side of the river, she saw the fae who had offered her drugs twice. Now she was craving it. Not caring about anyone staring, she walked across the river, the sweet liquid coating her exposed legs.
Thyl smirked as he saw her approach, droplets of iridos running down her skin. “Is it time?” he asked knowingly.
She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
“With pleasure,” he said. Instead of handing her the pill, he popped it into Amira’s half-open mouth. She swallowed it immediately, repressing the voice of reason that was screaming in her head.
At first, she didn’t feel anything. Disappointed, she said, “I think it’s not working.”
A distorted voice echoed in her ears, “Give it time, princess. You’ll feel it soon.”
And then, she did. She truly felt it. Amira was weightless, floating high above the room. Her sense of touch had disappeared, but her sight and hearing had been amplified. She could hear everything, even the secret thoughts of the fae around her. On the contrary, everything was dark in herself, like she had turned down the lights and left the room. Her terrifying powers were long forgotten, locked away safely. She was completely empty.
In her foggy state, she saw a strangely familiar face staring at her from across the room. Fiery red hair and witty hazel eyes. A tomboyish attitude and quick reflexes. The mysterious girl disappeared into the crowd.
Amira smiled and went right back into the air, floating on her strange high. She felt detached from all her worries. Free from her ever-present pain, she danced, ignoring everything and everyone around her.
* * *
Stumbling out of the party room, Amira shut the door behind her and tried to find her balance by leaning on the wooden panel. She could dimly hear the music from the party, excited voices and so many laughs. Carefree fae celebrating. Rhay was probably having the time of his life. He held all the power now and Amira was left with nothing.
No cards in her favour. No friends.Nothing.
The dealer had given her a couple of pills for free before he had taken off. She took another one to erase the knot of sadness growing in her chest again as she shuffled towards her room. “You’ll need them tomorrow…and the day after,” he had whispered in her ear. She could sense their reassuring presence in her pocket.
