Peeking into Kateya’s room from behind the partially cracked door, I admired how beautiful she was growing up to be. She and a new friend she seemed to have made were getting ready for the festival. Parts of Kateya’s wavy, blonde-brown hair were braided in intricate coils. She wore a navy-blue silk gown that hung low off her shoulders and flared out down to the ground. Kateya was breathtaking, and as I stood to get ready in my own room, I couldn’t help but wish our mum could be there at this moment to see her.
I slowly walked the remainder of the way to my chamber and let a woman a few years older than me, who had introduced herself as Nyrai, help me prepare for the inevitable, inescapable events of tonight. Preparation flew by in a flurry of passing time and before I knew it, I was standing in front of a mirror, ready to go.
Looking at the reflection, I hardly recognized the girl in front of me. My light brown hair was set in waves cascading down my back, the lighter blonde-brown streaks braided down the sides, framing my face. My blueish eyes with specks of green sparkled, lined with charcoal black liner, and a rouge tint emphasized my lips. My gaze lowered, taking in the breathtaking deep crimson gown that fit my body. From the off-the-shoulder, sheer red sleeves draping down my arms to the lowered v-cut stopping below my breasts, the dress was stunning.
A night breeze drifted through the room, teasing the edges of my dress, making the slit down the left side of the dress crawl higher, exposing my hip. I stared in the mirror, looking at the exposed skin, my fingers tracing down the visible scar etched there. A reminder of that night from years ago, as claws had sunk into my shoulder and side, leaving three angry stripes across my skin.
I glanced over to Nyrai. “I look—this dress is just… wow.” I breathed with a laugh.
“The dress fits you perfectly. You look stunning,” she replied with a smile.
“Thank you for helping me. My hair would have been in chaos without your help.”
As Nyrai left, I was hardly aware of the passing of time, instead, being encased in my own thoughts on how tonight would go. Sébastien came to collect me from the bedroom. He paused, caught off guard at the doorway, looking me up and down with a satisfied grin before the two of us walked gracefully in steely silence down toward the festival where I only imagined hundreds of citizens filled the halls.
We had nearly made it when Sébastien's father beckoned us aside toward a private corridor. Taking a single look at the pair of us, the king spoke, “Any disagreement between the two of you will be settled right away. I will not risk the importance of tonight with whatever anger the two of you are threatening to unleash on each other.” And with that, he led us into a room in the corridor and locked us inside to settle our ‘dispute.’
I turned toward Sébastien, glaring at him before stomping off to a far corner of the room and settling down for what I presumed to be an extremely long, uncomfortable night. An hour or so passed in a deadly silence, neither of us giving in to speak to the other. Eventually, I couldn’t take silence anymore. I stopped my pacing, leaning against the wall as I addressed him. “Do you have anything to say, or are we going to sit here in silence until we rot and die? Either is just fine with me, I just want to prepare for what sort of night I’m in for.”
Sébastien gave a dark chuckle. “If I had anything to say, I doubt I would waste it on you, princesse.”
My head snapped over to him as he spoke. How dare he think that highly of himself? “Trust me, you’re the last person I would want to be stuck here with. Now, Kode, that could be fun. I bet I’d have a deliciously good time then.” Sébastien froze as I continued, “At least he seems to like me, unlike you. I wonder what he would be like—”
At that, Sébastien menacingly snarled, leaping from his chair, storming over to the wall I was leaning against. I chuckled at his anger. “I wouldn’t have taken you for the type of man who gets jealous,” I mocked, his eyes flashing in a slight rage. “Unless, of course, you’re worried your friends could give me a good time. But that shouldn’t bother you, should it, Your Highness? I mean, after all, I’m just an ‘infuriating’ complication you have to deal with.”
His body leaned into mine, and I felt his muscles ripple as his frustration coursed through him. His mouth was dangerously close to my ear, the scent of pine and spice flooding my airway. A scent embedding its way into my mind, the promise and allure of danger all in one.
“I can guarantee you, princesse. Kode will never be able to satisfy you the way you want to be. The way you need to be.” His voice slid across me as his hand trailed painfully slow up the exposed expanse of skin from the slit of my dress.
My eyes hooked on those blue orbs as I bit my lip, excruciatingly aware of how high cut my dress was. That I was playing with fire. And not just with anyone, but with the man that seemed to hate me most in this land, and worse yet, I seemed to like it as his breath fanned across my neck. His fingers snaked across my bare leg, the temperature around us dropping as his hand inched higher and higher, taunting me. Daring me. My body involuntarily pushed into his, a hardness pressing against me as tension built around us; the air thick as his eyes pierced mine, entrapping my gaze with a force I couldn’t deny.
The door opened wide, rattling across the room as the wood hit the wall, and the king entered the room. “The festival will be starting now. I presume you have finished this dispute by now, non?”
Sébastien answered, his eyes never leaving mine. “Finished? No, but we did begin to come close.” Looking back and forth between father and son, I stood on the stone-cold floor waiting for King Adrastan Capetian to speak or leave.
Laughter sounded in the halls, and a head popped into view. “We can’t be late to our own party now, can we, father?” Kairon’s jovial voice sounded out. The three of us turning in greeting. King Adrastan nodded in agreement, turning to head out the door. I began to follow, but Sébastien grabbed my arm and tugged me against him, my back to his front as he leaned down to speak.
“We aren’t finished here, princesse,” he said huskily into my ear, heat coursing down my body at his words.
“On the contrary, you will find we are quite finished here, now and forever,” I snapped back, frustrated that I allowed him to get close to me at all, at my body’s involuntary attraction to him.
“We will see,” he responded, a low chuckle slipping from those lips.
Scoffing, I yanked my wrist back, heading into the hallway. Kairon stood further down; Dravyn, Emalyee, and my sister by his side. “Finally,” he joked. I made my way over to the group, a smile forced across my face.
As we walked into the Festival of Nightloc, my crimson red gown flowed in tandem with my steps, my leg exposed with each step as the air danced through my dress. I felt as though I was floating across glass, the low-cut gown drawing attention as I walked in the halls of the festival. Never had I felt as elegant as I did at this moment.
Taking in the hall, Kateya by my side, I noticed the magical décor throughout the room. While gowns of vibrant colors swayed to the heavenly music, lanterns floated up to the ceilings, lowering and then floating up once again. The skylights displayed scattered stars twinkling down while clouds cast small shadows across the moon.
“Our parents would love this,” my sister said next to me as she admired the black mist floating around our feet. “I wish they were here.”
“They would,” I agreed. “Let’s enjoy it for them. After tonight, we will hopefully be a step closer to returning home to them.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Kateya laughed as she skipped off toward her date, Eryx.
Kairon walked up to me then. “There’s some time before the main event. Care to dance?”
“Do you have a death wish?” I questioned. “Your brother will kill you if he sees you dancing with me.”
“My brother can piss off,” Kairon said with a laugh. “Let’s dance.” I grabbed his outstretched hand, letting him lead me off toward the music.
“What exactly is the main event tonight?” I asked as he pulled me into his arms, sweeping me along to the steady rhythm playing around us.
“That is something that is better seen than explained. You’ll just have to wait to see for yourself.”
“Fine,” I whined. “But if it’s not as good as you’ve talked it up to be, you better watch your back.”
“Consider me warned.” He laughed. “I’ve seen your skills. Not quite as good as mine, but certainly impressive for a girl,” he teased me.
“Hey! Take that back. I held my own for quite some time,” I quipped. As the music ended, a grip on my arm took me by surprise.
“Father wants you. The ceremony is starting soon,” Sébastien stated in a non-negotiable tone as he looked at his brother.
“It’s been a pleasure, Cass,” Kairon joked as he turned to leave, Sébastien’s grip tightening on my arm as his brother spoke. “I shall watch my back for the foreseeable future.”
Sébastien began to turn, my arm following his motion. “I wasn’t done dancing.” He stopped in his tracks as I refused to move from the dancefloor, the next song starting up. With a muttered curse, Sébastien pulled me close to him, my body colliding with his as we began to ebb and flow with the crowd.
I glanced up in shock that he chose to dance with me, only to find his eyes already on me, watching me intensely. “You dance?”
“Well, I am a prince,” he said with slight disdain. “It comes with the territory.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I said, “What? If it doesn’t involve battles or commands, is it not worth it?”
“I say it like a fact. There is a lot that comes with the title of prince. Commander. Wolvyn.”
“But there must also be a lot of good in return,” I questioned. “The people you can help, those that look to you for guidance. For protection.” His eyes met mine with understanding as I continued, “You never did tell me how you got the nickname of ‘big, bad wolf.’”
“I was twelve,” he started, shocking me once again. “I had only just begun my official training in the Wolvyn Guard when a Seefer snuck onto the Palais grounds, cornering two of chefs’ daughters who had been out playing in the gardens. I shifted and leapt in front of them, fighting off the Seefer. I managed to hold the beast off until the alarm sounded and more soldiers arrived. That’s where I got this.” He pointed toward the faded scar that slashed across his eyebrow.
I stared in stunned silence, thinking back on my own Seefer encounter back home, the scars that still marred my skin. A common trait throughout the ages of time.
His gaze turned dark; his lips pressed into a thinning line across his face before he spoke in a hardened tone. “Let’s go.”
“Wait, I wasn’t done dancing.”
“You’re sorely mistaken if you thought I was giving you an option, princesse. Now, allons-y,” he said as he turned on his heel, not giving me any other option but to follow. We rounded a corner, following the marbled hallway, passing festival goers. Rounding yet another corner, this one with less people, he opened a glass door that led out onto a terrace.
“What are we doing out here?” I demanded.
Sébastien turned on his heel, his face drawn tight, his knuckles going white. “I need you to wait here until I return. There is something that must be dealt with, and I need to know that you are safe.”
“I don’t understand why I wouldn’t be safe inside the Palais. After all—”
“Cassandra.” I froze, hearing my name fall from his lips. “Please. Just stay put for once.”
I nodded as he turned and headed back, the door closing behind him and trapping the laughter inside. Sighing, I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. Black ivy crawled alongside the gray Palais walls. The terrace railings formed short columns that lined the space. The moon climbed higher through the night sky, an occasional star twinkling brighter than the rest.
If I had to wait alone, at least Sébastien deigned to drop me in a spot that was relaxing. I listened to the faded beat of the music as I leaned against the railing, breathing in the mixed scent of sea salt and pine branches. The breeze let the salty mist from the Avyz carry over to the Palais, coating the walls.
“There you are.” A voice rang out from the doorway. I spun, recognizing the familiar grin of Ryker. “I have half a mind to kill Sébastien. ‘She's on the terrace, just go get her.’ I have walked onto four terraces before this one. And that last one… My eyes! I will be scarred for life,” he complained as I laughed.
“Better your eyes than mine.” I chuckled in response. “Did Sébastien say why he left me out here?”
Ryker glanced at me. “Briefly. From what I gather, there’s a higher Nordak presence than typical at the festival, and a few of the men spotted are ones whose movements we have been tracking.”
“So, to solve the problem he just left me outside?”
“Look, darling. I don’t know you well, other than our lovely encounter at the pub. I do know Sébastien, though, and if this was the move he needed to make, I would trust him without a doubt.”
“So what? You were sent to babysit me? To ensure I stayed put like a good girl?” I scoffed sarcastically.
“I’d prefer the term keep company. But yes,” he retorted.
“What did you do to get stuck with the job?”
“The festival will be starting shortly, and I was the disposable option.”
Glancing over at him, I took in his all-black dress attire, the slicked-back, brown hair, with a slight sun-bleached look. He looked to be no more than a few years older than me, and had an athletic build with muscles defined from agility rather than weights. The kind my roommate, Aerilyn, would rave about for days. I broke the silence. “What made the five of you make a blood bond?”
Ryker tensed, looking at me with such intensity my blood froze. “Who told you about that?”
“Um, Emalyee mentioned it the other day. I’m sorry. Forget I asked.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared out over the railing. “Well, you already know, no harm now, I suppose. When we were younger, there was a group of six of us who grew up together.”
“Six?” I interrupted with a question.
“Yes. If you want to know, then let me tell the story. You’re as bad as Kode.”
“Continue,” I quipped with a laugh.
“The sixth was the son of the current King of Nordak. During a particular festival one year, he sought us out, begging us to help him, claiming his father was after his life. Two of our fathers overheard, and they made the five of us swear not to interfere, that it wasn’t our place. It wasn’t our duty. That our duty was to each of our individual lands, not his. A few days later, his body washed up on the shores of his homeland. His father never even held a funeral. He simply lit his body, the ash carrying his soul off to The Void.” A gasp fell from my lips as I glanced at Ryker.
“The next time the five of us gathered, we made the journey to form the bond. A brotherhood of sorts. Nothing we could do would bring him back—that decision would always be there to haunt us. So instead, we changed what we could, promising that we would be there for each other. We would put each other before our lands until our life’s blood stopped pumping through our veins. Embers and Ash, even The Void won’t hold…”
I nodded in understanding. “A bond formed by friendship and pain, suffering and hope.”
“Yes. But blood bonds were banned almost a hundred years ago. The shared power and binding of a blood bond is an ancient magic. One from the origins of our realm, one the God may not approve of, that connects us through all of time, even in The Void.” A low rumbling cut Ryker off, and the terrace shook, causing me to stumble as it built.
“Is this supposed to happen?” I shouted over the noise.
“It’s starting now. Welcome to the Festival of Nightloc,” he said as the sky lit up. Brightened hues of color shot across the sky, leaving a trail of color behind, the colors swirling as they faded. The sky was filled with floating lines of purples, greens, and blues, fading, then growing brighter once again. They danced on for a few moments, lighting up the realm before they drifted down.
I turned to Ryker. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” I breathed as the colors fell, a warm sensation surrounding my body as the colors sank down around us and soaked into the ground.
“It’s pure power. It can’t be caught, harnessed, or stored. It just is.”
“Where does it go?”
“No one knows. As a child, I had plenty of ideas. My mother’s theory stuck with me throughout the years, though. She said that it was the God’s way of reminding us that we are to use our powers and magic for what is right. To remember that all the power we use has a cost, and that the magic we use belongs to one with more power than even the strongest of us. That it belongs to one that we all will answer to one day in The Void, so we should use it to be a light, to make a difference.” I watched his gaze drift off as he spoke. Chuckling, he continued, “But I often think my mother told us that just so we would behave and not use our powers to get into trouble.”
Laughing, I responded, “I’m sure that must have worked extremely well.”
“Come,” he replied, leading me back toward the festival.