I quickly descended the stairs to the main floor, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to my entrance. If it were any other circumstance, I might feel flattered to feel several sets of eyes roving the length of my dress. Now, it only served to make me anxious. I kept my head down until I made it down the steps and could move away from the central staircase.
The ballroom was overflowing with guests. Elle hadn’t been kidding that everyone would use the ball as an opportunity to show off. My gown was far from the most extravagant in theroom. Some guests danced in the center of the room to sweet, melodic music barely audible above the chatter, the rest mostly clustered around tables, conversing. Servants attended the long tables at the corners of the room, piled high with an abundance of food and alcohol. My eyes caught on the many bottles of wine—the perfect fuel for gossip and just what I needed to take the edge off.
Of course, my least favorite person was there filling his cup. He did a double take upon seeing me, but there was an obvious recognition in his eyes. I couldn’t get up close and personal with anyone if I wanted them to ignore me, but hopefully, Elle was right, and anyone who encountered me would forget the experience shortly thereafter.
“Quinn,” I acknowledged him with a nod and a forced smile before reaching for the wine and an empty glass.
He grabbed the bottle before my fingers could wrap around the neck. “Allow me.”
I searched his face for some indication of why he was being… cordial, but he had the same naturally arrogant expression as always. I attentively watched his hands as he poured my glass—can never be too careful—but he didn’t attempt anything heinous. It might have been preferable if he had. At least that would make sense. He extended the glass to me, and I took it, taking a small sip before thanking him.
“You’re looking at me like I have two heads.”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, well, I wasn’t exactly expecting you to greet me, let alone pour me a glass of wine. You’ve been less than amiable towards me the entire time I’ve known you.”
Quinn hummed in agreement. “You’re right. I don’t like you, Faeling freak. But I’ve been watching you scan the room like you’re scouting out the place, and I think our interests may align tonight.”
A huff of a breath passed my lips. “What do you know of my interests?”
“I’m here for information.” He held out a hand. “If that is, in fact, something you’re interested in, then why don’t we dance?”
“Dance? I don’t even trust you.”
“The feeling is mutual.” He sighed. “I’ll find someone else if I must, but I’d rather not play pretend if I don’t have to. So? Why don’t we call a temporary truce and work together?”
I downed the rest of my wine before setting the glass down and very, very reluctantly slipping my hand in his. I’d worry about what information exactly he was interested in later. He had a point—eavesdropping would be easier with a partner. Dancing near the tables was the perfect guise. My desire to figure Alandris out was greater than my disdain for this man.
I’d listened in on two human men droning on and on about the plummeting value of rubies since the discovery of an abundant mine for as long as I might stomach. Quinn and I had stopped for refreshments multiple times to discuss where we would ‘dance’ next. If I sipped down any more wine to occupy my boredom, I’d end up drunk and useless, so I dared suggest we move to the center of the room where larger groups were engaged in boisterous conversation, which he was more than happy to do.
“Isn’t it strange such a young male is heading the Mages Consortium?” An obviously buzzed man spoke loudly to those at his table. “Lyandril was much older when he took the title of Grand Arch Magus.”
“You forget Alandris’ family has served on the King’s court for thousands of years. He may have gone a different route, playing teacher to these wayward Mages, but those sort of ties don’t disappear,” the woman next to him chimed in. “It’s all politics, dear. The Mages Consortium may like to think it holds its own reins, but we all know that is never the case. The ElvenKing no doubt used the young male to maintain power over the Consortium.”
“Keep your voice down, Elisa. What you speak is treasonous.” An Elven male sought to silence her.
“Oh, hush. It is only treasonous if what I say is correct.” She raised a brow. “No such thing as treason on neutral territory.”
The drunken man spoke again. “I think he killed the poor bastard.”
Both the Elven male and human woman turned to him in shock, the male stepping forward to tug his friend away. “I think you’ve had a few too many. Time to go.”
“Unfortunately, this marks the end of our arrangement,” I whispered to my dance partner, forcing another obviously fake smile to my face.
To my surprise, Quinn didn’t argue, but I didn’t have time to sort through all the things we’d overheard tonight to garner what exactly it was that he had been looking for. “Consider our truce over as well. Don’t think I’ll forget your strange behavior tonight.”
Except he would if that crown worked like Elle said it would.
Planning to follow the gossipers to see if I could garner anything else from their conversation, I pulled away from Quinn, grabbed a glass of wine from the nearby table, and waited for the perfect moment to silently fall in line behind them. As I turned to go, someone roughly bumped into me, sending wine spilling down my chest. Before I could see who had bumped me, they vanished, leaving me sticky and having missed my opportunity to follow the gossiping trio. But worse than all of that—the one thing that had me downright horrified—the wine had stained my gown. Burgundy liquid mottled the scarlet fabric with big, ugly splotches.
Elle was going to kill me. I was going to kill me.
“This is going positively wonderful,” I muttered under my breath as I rushed to the washroom to do anything I could to remove the stain.
Water proved worthless. I looked like a madwoman, scrubbing vigorously at my bodice as I frowned at my lack of progress in the mirror. There was probably a spell for such a catastrophe, but I didn’t know it, and anyone who would, belonged to the group of people I was trying to avoid tonight. Except Elle. If I could find Elle and profusely apologize for ruining the amazing gown she’d helped me acquire, then maybe I had a chance of salvaging it.
I stepped out of the washroom and turned down the hall before I felt a tug on my shoulder.
“Nairu,” a voice called from behind me.
