“It took some time to get used to it,” Ben said, flying by my side.
Thanks to his glamour spellwork, we were able to travel openly through the ballroom, trailing just a few feet behind Cliff and Delilah overhead. I had to focus on them like the North Star, trying desperately not to be distracted by the strange and enchanting furnishings that stretched around me. Glittering chandeliers, food and wine I’d never encountered, auctions—not to mention the dread of being near so many wicked humans at once.
Still, I permitted myself a few indulgent glances. Even knowing this gala would cause immeasurable harm by its end, I had to admit it wasbeautiful.Champagne was served in a seemingly endless supply, and my jaw nearly dropped whenI realized literal fountains were offering melted chocolate for dessert. I made a mental note to demand of the hunters why they’d never once mentioned such a miraculous thing existed.
“After being around sources of foul magic, even Delilah’s harsher spells are pleasant by comparison.” Ben still sounded tight with nerves, but at least he seemed capable of focusing on something other than the plan potentially falling apart.
“Can you catch the scent of her magic when she casts it?” I asked. “It’s like petals.”
“And dying embers. Sort of reminds me of…” When he trailed off, our gazes locked.
“Midsummer,” we said together. The smile we shared was more comforting than it had any right to be, but it came with an equal measure of sorrow.
“If I’d known that this summer solstice revel would be my last in Elysia, I…” Shrugging, I played with a sprinkle of frost at my fingertips. “I would have appreciated it more, I suppose. The food, the dancing. Your home village must have celebrated, too, right? What was your favorite part of the festivities?”
“It’s hard to remember,” he murmured. “My sixteenth summer was my last in my village.”
Horror cracked through my nostalgia like a hammer blow.
When I turned to Ben, he immediately avoided my rattled stare. He was older than me–maybe late twenties or early thirties–and I couldn’t shake the realization that he must have been ripped away from his life more than ten summers ago.
He’d been a child. That meant the more terrifying aspects of his affinity had been honed out of fear and survival. Consoling words wavered on my lips, but what good would they do? A day would soon come when he had spent more of his life away from his village than in it.
That day would come for me too. I would have the entire world at my disposal. Without boundaries or curfew, I go anywhere–anywhere but home to Elysia.
Swallowing hard, I steadied myself. “Midsummer may be far out of reach, but winter solstice is right around the corner.” Tentatively, I took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “If we survive this mess, I wouldn’t mind having a fairy to share a drink with.”
The clouded look on his face cleared with surprise. He glanced from our hands to my expression as though checking if he’d heard me right.
“I’d like that,” he said at last.
Below us, I saw that the others had paused. In the sea of guests, Delilah and Cliff had found an unattended high-top table to pause and survey the room.
“You guys still with us?” Cliff asked, eyes lifting to scan the air.
Being out in the open yet invisible still took some adjusting for both Cliff and me. Ben and I kept our voices low—the only thing not masked by the impressive spellwork. Nonetheless, Cliff’s gaze snagged on us occasionally, as if he was feeling a silent tug in our direction.
“Stop doing that,” Ben said.
Cliff’s eyes snapped onto the sound of his voice. “Doing what?”
“Trying to spot us. You’re uncannily good at it, and it’s freaking me out.”
“The bar forthatis underground.”
I turned my hands over in front of me. My limbs looked prismatic, like the light was morphing through and around me. Admittedly, a little pang of envy had started to surpass my fear of Ben’s glamour. He was one of the most awkward individuals I’d ever met, but he was clearly underselling how adept he was with his affinity magic. All without a gemstone, too. I could see the furrow in his brow, the concentration it took to maintain thespellwork over both of us, but that didn’t make his abilities any less awe-inspiring.
Maybe when this was all over, we could train together over that drink.
“What a sparkling guest list,” Delilah remarked as her cold gaze roved the ballroom. “I think half of Congress is in here.”
Cliff exhaled sharply through his nose. “Terrific. Any rogue monsters, Sylv?”
I shook my head, then remembered he couldn’t see it. “Just the constant, suffocating cocktail of a gemstone mingled with cursed items.” I exchanged an uneasy look with Ben. “I’ve got a faint feeling there are some monsters over by the stage.” I frowned at the other side of the chamber, where the attractions were partially concealed by the crowd. “But I can’t quite make out what kind.”
Seemingly driven by instinct, Cliff stiffened and scanned the stage area.
“Are you that eager to get your hands dirty?” Ben scoffed.
