“Shhhh,” Leap said. “Watch.” He jerked his head at the air fae couple who had alighted from the carriage ahead of us, who were walking toward the vortex now. I watched as the fae on the left raised her hand and made a counterclockwise motion with her index finger, the opposite direction in which the vortex was spinning. Immediately, the tunnel of air slowed, and the two of them stepped into it, hands clasped.
“Amazing,” I murmured as the couple slowly twirled to the top, alighting safely in a rustle of pink and silver skirts. They were wearing matching dresses, and I wondered if they were sisters or lovers. It was hard to tell since they were wearing masks.
“See? Perfectly safe…as long as you have an air fae to accompany you.” Leap winked, holding out a hand to Mavlyn. “If you wouldn’t mind, milady.”
“I would be honored.” Grinning, Mavlyn took the boy’s hand and allowed him to lead her to the platform. Einar and I followed very closely behind as Leap made the same twirling motion with his finger, forcing the vortex to slow. He and Mavlyn stepped into the current first, and before I had a chance to think twice about it, Einar pulled me after them with a tug.
I let out a little whoop of delight as the current whisked us upward, faster than I expected. A wave of giddiness raced through me, and I clutched at Einar’s arm for balance even though I wasn’t standing on anything. A grin tugged at my lips—I hadn’t felt this way since I was a child, soaring through the air on the rope swing that hung in Mavlyn’s back yard.
But in no time it was over, and my feet touched down. I stumbled a little, surprised at the sudden feeling of earth beneath my feet, and Einar’s hand came around my waist to steady me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I glanced up into his face, and my breath caught as I realized how close we were. His lips were only a few inches from mine—if I leaned up on my tiptoes, even a little, they would touch, and I could taste him again.
“Oi, hurry up!” Leap called, shattering the moment between us. I almost leaped away from Einar before I remembered we were supposed to be a couple, but thankfully his wits were still about him, and he tucked my arm firmly into his once more before guiding me up the well-lit staircase carved into the terraces that led up to the main temple platform.
“Are these statues supposed to represent the twelve winds?” Einar asked as we passed the marble figures that lined the stairs. Both males and females were represented, clad in swirling robes and dresses, each holding a different figurine to signify their individual aspects. A female with long, flowing hair held an olive branch between her fingers, symbolizing what I assumed to be peace, while others held flaming torches, delicate flowers, and various tools and weapons.
“Yes,” Leap said. “Twelve is a pretty prominent number around here. Twelve spires, twelve statues, twelve pillars—it goes on. The winds are a pretty important part of our culture.”
“I’ll say,” Mavlyn said as we passed through the arched entryway and into a cavernous, grand hall. A guard patted us down for weapons, but I barely noticed his hands, too busy staring. As Leap had mentioned, twelve massive pillars separated the space, each of them carved to look like swirling wind tunnels. A massive fresco decorated the ceiling, depicting each personification of the twelve winds as they danced through a pearly blue sky dotted with wispy clouds. The floor was black marble, and in the center, beneath the swishing skirts and booted feet of guests dancing to the lively music, I could just make out the painted design of a golden compass rose.
“I imagine the Oracle will be up there somewhere,” Einar said, his head tilted up. I followed his gaze to the second level, where I could see more guests and revelers watching from behind the ornate balcony railings that ran around the entire space. Directly in front was a smaller platform with throne-like chairs. A pair of fae I assumed were the head priest and priestess sat in two of them, dressed in ornate, flowing robes of white and gold. Their heads were shaved, and I could just make out what looked like blue swirls tattooed into the skin where their hair should be. A third chair sat empty between them, slightly lower on the platform, which I imagined was for the Oracle.
“How am I supposed to get up there to see her?” I hissed in Leap’s ear. “There’s no way I’ll be able to get a private audience if she’s sitting on that throne, surrounded by guards and courtiers and who knows who else!”
“Oh, Quye won’t be up there until she absolutely has to,” Leap said with a chuckle. “She’s either still hiding out in the upper section of the temple, where she and the monks live, or she’s down here somewhere in disguise, rubbing elbows with unsuspecting guests. She enjoys pretending to be one of the common people.”
Mavlyn snorted. “There’s no one here who looks like a common person,” she said, eyeing the guests in all their finery. “A single one of these gowns could feed the inhabitants of my village for at least a month.”
Leap shrugged. “Just look for a female with curly white hair and a star-shaped birthmark on her right cheekbone,” he said to me. “I don’t see Madame Gale on this floor, so I’m going to have a look upstairs and see if she’s arrived yet. In the meantime, have fun and try to blend in.”
He disappeared into the crowd, leaving me, Einar, and Mavlyn standing off to the side.
“I think I’m gonna go get something to eat,” Mavlyn said after a beat. “You two want anything?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I could keep food down right now,” I admitted. My stomach was churning with nerves now that we were here.
“Gotcha.” Mavlyn gave my shoulder a sympathetic squeeze, then left us, heading for the row of tables laden with food toward the left side of the hall.
The seconds ticked by as Einar and I stood silently together, and the churning in my stomach only became worse. I knew we should mingle, but I was too caught up in my worries to even think about approaching anyone. Sweat pooled at the base of my spine, and my left foot started jiggling. There were so many things that could go wrong tonight. Leap could be caught. The Oracle could refuse to help me, or worse, turn me in to the king.
I needed a distraction. Any distraction.
“Do you want to dance with me?” I blurted at Einar.
“What?” His golden gaze snapped to mine, wide with obvious surprise.
“Dance,” I repeated. Nerves of a different kind skittered across my skin, and I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. The last time I’d asked a boy to dance was when I’d been six years old at the spring festival, and he’d turned me down. Now here I was, doing it again, but this time with an ornery dragon I had complicated feelings for.
What was I thinking?
“Never mind,” I muttered, turning away. I really should be mingling with the crowd anyway, trying to spot the Oracle, if she was even here. Einar could—
A strong, warm hand closed around my wrist, rooting me to the spot. Shocked, I looked over my shoulder to see Einar staring down at me. His golden gaze was unreadable, but there was no mistaking the electric current running between us, lighting me up from the inside and making me feel as though I’d been caught in the center of a wild storm.
“Yes,” he said, and the dark rumble of his voice sent a shiver through me. “I’ll dance with you.”
