“How can you expect me to dine as though I were at a ball when every moment here raises the stakes of a game I barely understand?”
“Because, Tilly,” he said softly, “not all truths rise with the sun. Some are etched in the night sky — that’s when real magic reveals itself.”
As he opened the double doors and passed through, I saw no sign of the brothers or Seraphina. Even the guards had vanished.
The table was magnificently set, with a gorgeous floral centrepiece. My mouth watered at the display of baked delicacies, fruit, salads, cheeses and other offerings I didn’t even recognise.
Cillian motioned me to sit in the same chair where I had sat the day before. I sank into the cushioned embrace while he poured golden fruit juice into a crystal glass. He then filled another glass and lightly tapped it against mine.
“To Tilly, and the wisdom to choose correctly, even when the path is unclear.” I tapped my glass against his, offering the smallest gesture of agreement.
It wasn’t a toast. I had no intention of making any choice. My only option was to play along and take whatever opportunities came my way.
I forced a faint smile, the kind that could pass for politeness.
“Two choices,” I said, my voice neutral. “Even the ones we don’t know we’re making.”
Thirstier than I realised, I quickly drank the juice. The most delicious fruity flavour filled my mouth. I thought I could detect hints of apricot and raspberry, yet there was another one I couldn’t quite place.
Cillian sat beside me and offered me a silver tray of pastries filled with cream and berries. I bit into one. The mellow creaminess and tartness of the berries resonated on my palate.
“This is amazing,” I said between bites. “Although they’re not anywhere near as good as my mother’s.”
“I won’t tell Seraphina you said that” he said, holding back a smile.
I glanced apprehensively toward the doors.
“Don’t worry, Tilly. We’re alone. You can relax and enjoy your meal. My brothers left earlier today. They`ve got some unfinished business to attend to.”
Though I felt relieved, I didn’t want to dwell on his brothers, so we simply ate in companionable silence. Dusk began to tint the sky with shades of indigo and lavender, and I realised I must have slept far longer than I imagined.
When we finished our meal, Cillian rose and approached a lovely antique curio cabinet flanking the southern wall. I hadn’t paid attention to it before, but as he opened the glass doors, I glimpsed a stunning array of hand-blown glass pieces, crystal, China, statuettes and curiously shaped objects in gold and silver. Everything inside didn't look like it belonged to this world.
He turned, holding a aged wooden box carved with planets, stars and unfamiliar symbols. He didn’t need to say it was important. I could feel it. The way he held it, and in the way his gaze caught mine.
"There are things about our world, about our existence, that are better understood at night," he extended his hand toward me, inviting me to join him. "Come, let’s take a walk. There’s more I wish to show you at the East side of Sternwacht”
***
Outside, the night shifted as evening draped the sky with a veil of glittering stars. The cool air vibrated with the intoxicating scent of night bloomers, and I heard the fleeting sound of creatures settling in the woods for the night. Cillian looked at me reassuringly, and for a moment, my tension eased—but not entirely.
Clasped in his hand, we followed the path to a vine-cloaked gazebo, where white-glazed wrought iron furniture offered a quaint seating arrangement. “After you, milady,” Cillian said with a gentle bow, and air of ceremony in his gesture that belied the tension I sensed in him.
I smiled as I ascended the steps and sat down. He sat beside me, setting the box on the centre of the small table that separated us. Without a word, he opened it, and to my astonishment, a round blue object rose from within, suspended in the air. It radiated a sapphire light that pulsed gently at first, then brightened, casting fantastical shadows around us.
“What is that?” I asked, my voice a whisper lost in its mesmerising light.
“It’s an orb,” Cillian replied, his eyes never leaving my face.
His words echoed around me, and the glow from the Orb illuminated the twin scars running across his brow. I couldn't help stare; the scar bulged, with a vein bulging like a worm beneath the skin. I blinked to dispel the thought, and just like that, it disappeared. I didn’t dare say what I saw.
“We are connected, Tilly, in ways you will soon understand,” Cillian continued, his voice deep and resonant. “This orb isn’t just a symbol, it’s a tool, a bridge between my world and yours.”
So many questions swirled in my head, colliding and reforming faster than I could catch them. One stuck—sharp, a whisper I couldn’t quite claim as mine.
I kept my expression straight and pretended it wasn’t there. I’d been getting good at that lately.
“How many people have you felt so strongly attracted to because you believe the universe has revealed this to you?” I blurted out, hoping to distract his unnerving scrutiny.
