Suddenly, Mack slipped through the crowd and latched onto Blaze’s wrist. They tugged sharply. “Come on. You’ll miss it!”
“Excuse me!” Blaze said cheerfully as he hurried after Mack. They led the way to the edge of the crowd and wriggled through the gathered elves more easily than Blaze did. In order to keep up, Blaze had to nudge and push his way through. He was so concentrated on moving that he didn’t notice he had pushed through to the dancing area until one of the passing elves almost clocked him in the face.
The canopy overhead allowed a measure of sunlight to pass through, giving the area plenty of lighting without the overbearing brightness. Between the enchantments of the elves and the one keeping the grass from being stamped into oblivion by so many feet, the electric tang of magic stung the air under the heavier notes of fresh foods and fruity drinks. A group of a half dozen musicians played an unrecognizable song, but they sounded as if there were two dozen more of them.
And all the wonders dotting the landscape around Blaze werenothingcompared to the sight of Durae at the center.
He wore a sheer tunic that had glimmers of metallic thread throughout it. His leggings clung to his body and would have been indecent if not for the long skirts he wore. They were gathered and darker at the top to give him a hint of modesty, but the fabric became translucent the longer it trailed down. His skirts ended around his ankles, though he wore boots that made him taller. Small symbols had been painted down his bare arms, some more expertly drawn than others. The ones on his cheeks seemed made of crushed diamond because they glinted with rainbows as he moved. Tiny gemstones adorned his white hair, which had small, intricate braids and sections that hung loose.
When he twirled, the light caught every gem, every piece of glitter and metallic thread, and he shone like a million stars had been given a body so they could dance among elfkind.
An old tale that Blaze’s fathers loved to tell him was about Yar, the wildest of the gods, and how he had been tamed by the beauty and gentleness of a mere scholar. Though a humble elf, the scholar could ink a thousand poems and a thousand songs and a thousand truths, and he patiently sat and taught Yar about all that was good in the world. When the scholar died after centuries, like all elves had to, Yar caused storm upon storm to wreak havoc on the continent until Ulenos, goddess of the moon, warned him that he was about to destroy the last of the scholar’s original works. He ceased his destruction and cried for all he had ruined.
They said that out on the plains, the wild one’s lonely howls could still be heard, especially after a storm.
It was a tale of heartache that Blaze’s fathers claimed proved the enduring power of love.
Until Blaze saw Durae dance, he’d thought it was complete bullshit.
But he knew, like he had spent endless hours watching the fountain move in the Stelen complex, he could spend twice as many watching Durae. Unlike the fountain, Blaze had no hope of understanding every complexity of Durae.
My spirit is going to join Yar in his sobbing after I die.How could it do anything else? Blaze didn’t belong in the orbit of a noble beauty like Durae. One invention wouldn’t be enough to change his stars, no matter how brilliant it was. He took a step backward.
In mid-spin, Durae’s blue eyes caught on his. A smile brighter than a sudden light in the dark spread across his lips. He lunged out of the circle and clasped Blaze’s hand. “You came!”
An excuse rose to Blaze’s lips, but Durae’s happiness numbed his tongue. He allowed himself to be pulled into a dance that he stumbled to participate in. If his clumsiness bothered anyone, he wouldn’t have seen it. Durae was in his arms, and he was absorbed into the whirlwind movement of his world. No one else mattered. Even his ship could wait.
Durae had to be working an act of cosmomancy because for a moment, Blaze could believe he belonged with him, the shining jewel at the center of the universe.
CHAPTER 8
Blaze had two left feet, but Durae had danced with worse partners. Unfortunately, not everyone in the group dance that Durae had dragged him into was as forgiving about clumsiness. But then, Durae was clumsy except when dancing, so perhaps his tolerance was probably higher than most.
Or, he was realizing, he wouldn’t care if Blaze accidentally stepped on his foot every day for the rest of his long life so long as they were having this much fun. At least, in theory. He wasn’t keen on testing that theory. Still, even the notion was a strange one to have. He’d spent idle hours wishing he could be with those he was attracted to before—and yes, far too many of them were from books and not his actual life—but he’d never felt this bubbling before. Every time he glanced at Blaze, it would begin anew, like he could float away without magic.
Scientist that he was, Blaze would probably point out that Durae lacked enough evidence to know if his current feelings would last, but he didn’t care. The opening rituals of the market had reminded Durae that life was about living, about renewal and reinvention. And though he intended to at least try to seek a partner, Blaze had come after claiming he wouldn’t, and he had gazed at Durae like he was some sort of spell made manifest, andwho could resist spending time with someone so brilliant and passionate? Why shouldn’t Durae embrace who made his heart thrum with joy?
However, his stamina had its bounds, and his lungs began to burn with a longing for air while his legs begged to relax. He grabbed Blaze’s hand again and dragged him away from the dancing toward the canopies with their chairs and chaises. His family had claimed a little space with a few other Dun Steorran nobles. In the center was a table with treats and drinks, while a semicircle of seating formed a boundary against the neighboring canopied areas. Durae nabbed a puff pastry that turned out to be filled with some sort of vegetable and a delicate glass of a bubbly berry liquor.
Luckily, there was an open chaise. Unfortunately, it was next to Father. Extremely unfortunately, Father had already caught sight of him and was motioning him over. If Durae thought he could get away with taking Blaze and running all the way to his ship, he’d try that. However, he’d avoided his family enough the previous night and insulted his mama. He didn’t need to add angering his father to his list of misdeeds.
He snatched another of the delicious treats before heading over to the chaise. Blaze followed on his heels without tripping on Durae’s long skirts. Thankfully, that problem seemed limited to their dance.
“You’ve been enjoying yourself,” Father remarked.
“I have!” Durae said brightly.
“Who knew that the market’s events might befun?” Father was casting his gaze further out, obviously searching the crowd.
For what, Durae didn’t know, but he was grateful that his parent couldn’t see the shame rising to Durae’s cheeks. Then he remembered the ring and realized that no one would see how flushed he was anyway.What a relief magic can be!
“I am sorry about missing that meeting last night, Father,” Durae said demurely.
“Are you?” Father narrowed his eyes.
Not at Durae, he realized, but at Blaze. Did his father somehow know that Blaze was who he’d spent the previous evening with? It would be an assumption, but perhaps not a terribly hard one to make. Either that, or his father was looking down on Blaze because of his rough clothing, which Durae thought made him appear dashing.
“I am,” Durae said pointedly, capturing Father’s attention and taking the brunt of his glare. If anyone deserved to be the center of Father’s ire, Durae did. One apology didn’t make up for his recent behavior, and Blaze had done absolutely nothing wrong.
