“You’d make a good elf,” he said, that familiar swagger entering his voice.
I elbowed him in the ribs, but a part of me eased at hearing that carefree tone return. His back was straight and his shoulders tense, but he seemed more relaxed tonight.
“Quite the contrast to that white and pink lacey thing you wore at the Sun Dance last summer.” He pulled his sapphire eyes from mine and looked out at the men and women of the Rising, now joining in the dancing.
I blinked. “How do you know that?”
He glanced back, narrowing his light brows. “I was there, obviously.”
I elbowed him again. “I knowthat. I saw you,” I said, raising my eyebrows as I remembered the queensguard draped in his finest armor, white cape and all, shining like a black beacon nextto the queen. “There were hundreds of people at that ball. You knew who I was a year ago?”
He turned to face me, eyebrows shooting up. “You really don’t know?”
“Know what?”
He chuckled and shook his head, turning back to the celebration. “You were a highly sought-after lady-in-waiting. The men at court, those young lords. You were talked about ever since your entry into society four years ago… Wait, five? When was your birthday?”
Pink stained my cheeks. “End of summer.”
“Noted.” He tapped a finger to his temple and gave me a wink. “Anyways, you were an enigma. Beautiful, powerful, and yet all you wanted was to wear those damn black robes. Don’t you remember Lord Pavel’s nephew approaching you that night?”
I blushed as his words sank in. “He asked for some pointers about a couple of his mares. He seemed nervous. I thought maybe he was going to see if I could come work with them myself, but…”
I glanced up at Ronan, whose eyebrows rose to the dimming sky.
He barked out a laugh as he threw his head back, curls bouncing. “Oh, youreallyhad no idea. I couldn’t blame him. At least he was brave enough to approach you. Half of them gawked.”
I chuckled and shook my head. Ronan gave me a roguish grin.
“Can you blame them? You looked…” His eyes took on a glassy quality he searched his mind for memory. “Regal. Even Galena commented.”
The red in my cheeks deepened. I glanced up at Ronan, whose countenance had shifted since his mention of the queen.I bit down on my lip as worry and an overall seriousness seeped back into his face.
“We’ll get back, Ronan,” I said quietly. “Soon. We’ll find a way. Even if Tiberius has to fly us all the way there.”
Ronan snorted. “Not sure that proud horse of yours would allow me on his back again.” He nudged me, eyes softening.
Definitely would not,Ti’s brazen voice sounded in my head.
Get out!I snapped back, severing our connection.
“You need to tell the crew the whole story,” I said, returning my attention to Ronan. He eyed me warily as the internal conflict brewed. “The risk of not getting back in timehasto outweigh the importance of the secret. Think about it.”
The music paused for a moment as a new group of musicians replaced the exhausted, jubilant elves who had been playing. They pulled out wooden instruments and picked up a fast, jaunty tune.
Ronan heaved a sigh, as if shaking off the weight of his secret. “Since my duties prevented me from asking you last year”—he turned toward me, holding out a calloused hand—“dance with me?”
I grinned and gripped his hand, grateful that we had opened that door of communication those months ago in Odessa. Grateful for his friendship.
He pulled me into the throng of winding bodies, and we skipped along to the bouncy beat, twirling and laughing as we danced.
Torches linedthe edge of the lake and lights hung stretched between branches, creating a web of dazzling flames as Aelius finally dipped beyond the horizon. The melody shifted as thenight wore on. It picked up in beat and intensity, as if the music itself danced to the flames that swayed and skipped in the night wind.
The dancing turned sultry, with limbs and hips making smooth movements as bodies moved closer. Something deep stirred inside, and my thoughts drifted to Bayne. I pulled my eyes away from the elves pairing off.
Isla grasped my hand and pulled me into a throng of people. She spun me around, and we danced with each other. I let the music take me as I flung my arms into the air, spinning and closing my eyes as I took in the freedom of this moment, allowing myself to participate in this joy, in this ongoing celebration with the elves of light and life—with the mystical queendom I hadn’t known existed a year ago.
I spun, losing track of time and my friends after several songs. Another blast of nebulis powder, this time silver and sparkling and smelling like cedar and something else, something familiar. It filled the space between the torches, and I reached a hand into the glowing shine that floated through the air, my eyes catching on the stars blinking open in the midnight sky.
I ran my fingers through my hair, marveling at what the silver did to the black strands. I let the wild waves tangle together as I spun, eyes drifting closed once again. I opened them moments later as the air stirred around me, the elves moving aside, giving me space. I slowed my spinning and turned to the billowing cloud of gold nebulis exploding in the distance.
My feet stopped moving along with my heart. I sensed him before I saw his tall, dark form stalk through the shimmering powder that rained from above. A brilliant, green gaze caught mine across the distance as Bayne prowled through the night.
