by Riley Tune
Ember let out a gruff sound.
“As we dance and interact, Jolin will casually talk to guests to learn their secrets. You just keep an ear open for anything that may aid in our plans. See? Simple yet fun reconnaissance.”
“Reconnaissance isn’t meant to fun or simple,” Ember said, but Rema acted as if she couldn’t hear him. Instead, she dropped the chalk down and wiped her hands as she looked at us.
“When is this ball? I assume we have to get clothes and things,” I asked.
“The clothing of a noble will be given to you three,” Rema said. “Vida can, well, change with her abilities.”
At that moment, Quarts walked in with hands full of clothes.
“Time is of the essence, gentlemen,” Rema said as she walked towards the door and left.
Remy removed himself from the meeting at the table. When he left, he had seemed angry, but I was starting to believe he was angry towards his sister.
“You three may want to hurry and find some clothes,” Remy said.
“Why? How many days to we have before the ball?” I asked him.
“None, actually,” Remy replied as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “It’s tonight.”
13
It took me a while to actually find clothes that fit well, so Ember and Jolin got ready before I did. It was apparent that Remy wasn’t coming. He said he had to been going to balls since he was four, and that missing one was something he had no problem dealing with.
The clothes of a noble felt different. The way I moved in them was a little more constricting than a cloak and trousers, and I felt naked without my bracers and greaves on for protection. I had tried to keep them on, under the clothes, but it had become too tight and showed through the outfit. I was able to hide a throwing knife on each of my legs, though. Even with them there, I still preferred a dagger, but this would have to do.
Outside of those two weapons, I was bare. I had on a fitted black pair of pants, a fitted blue shirt made out of a very shiny, soft material, and perhaps the shiniest pair of shoes I had ever seen.
As I walked down the steps, I saw that Ember and Jolin were already waiting side by side and talking. Ember was getting along better with Jolin than when we had first met; for that matter, so was I. It took meeting the Thornes to see that he was just following his orders, as he had said.
Ember was dressed almost identically to me, except that he had a large top hat, a pale red shirt, and a cane. I was secretly jealous of the cane because, much like Ashland’s, it had a secret dagger hidden on the inside. If he needed to, he could separate the cane and have an almost full-length sword at the ready. I had gotten a chance to examine it before we got dressed, and it was almost perfect in design. Ember had decided to keep it, and I couldn’t blame him.
Jolin, however, wasn’t dressed as nicely. Since he was to play the part of a servant, his clothes were more basic. Nothing was shiny, and nothing felt like bliss on the skin. Jolin had on a pair of trousers and a shirt with buttons, both of which were brown. He also had on some brown shoes and a pair of solid white gloves.
“Mr. Lox, the clothing of a noble fits you well,” Jolin said as he looked down at himself. “Sadly, I am dressed as a high servant. My parents would be proud,” he added with a grimace.
Ember adjusted his shirt. “I don’t know why you’re complaining. Between the three of us, I’m sure you are the most comfortable.”
Jolin nodded in agreement.
“Where are Rema and Vida?” I asked as I peered outside through one of the windows. At the front of the house was parked yet another carriage. This one was bigger and nicer even than the one Jolin had picked us up in. The Thornes must have had a fleet of them.
“Not sure,” Jolin said. “We are running out of time, though. The snow will stop soon, and none of us wants to be traveling in the rain.” Jolin glanced at me slightly. “I never got a chance to ask you, Mr. Lox, but how is your leg doing?”
I moved my leg around a little and then extended it the best I could in the tight pants. “It’s good. Between your mysterious vials and stitch-work, you may have saved the day.”
Jolin smiled and did a fancy bow, as a servant would. “I live to serve, Mr. Lox,” he said, with a slight laugh, which, in turn, made me laugh a little too.
As I stood next to Ember, I looked him in the face. He caught the expression and quickly avoided my eye.
“Did you trim your beard?” I asked him as I reached to grab his face.
“If that hand touches me, Keeper as my witness, I’ll take it,” he said as he stepped away. “And yes. I had too. Remy suggested it so that I would fit in among the nobles and royals.”
His usual thick, woolly beard was gone, and what was left was the smooth shadow of a beard. “Now shut up,” Ember said as he cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt.
At that moment Rema and Vida made their way down the steps. Rema seemed completely at ease in her long white dress and tall shoes. The dress had stones on the side that lead down to the front in a spiral that reflected from the light of the lamps in the room.
She looked almost magical. He hair was done in curls, and her lips were a vibrant red. She looked like true nobility—but while she was pretty, Vida was so much more.
Vida herself didn’t have to find a an outfit. Because she was a changeling, she could simply alter her appearance. For a moment I had wondered if the Vida I was used to seeing was even the true her.
The dress she had created for herself was the exact same color of blue as my shirt, so when we stood beside each other, people would know we were together. Her dress hugged her body and made almost every curve she had, slight or major, seem to pop. Her hair she had kept the same. It was close-shaven on the sides, but longer and slightly reddish on the top. Her hair was definitely a unique style in the kingdoms, but I liked it. It was different, it was adventurous, and it seemed to fit her.
She didn’t wear any makeup, but she didn’t really need to. Her skin was as flawless and as smooth as the shirt I was wearing. I could feel myself getting warm as she approached. It was clear that I had a thing for Vida Orax, and I was completely lost at how to handle that. Throwing a knife while warping from a building—that I could do. Talk to a woman without breaking into a sweat—not so much.
“Well, do we look nice,” Rema said as she looked at Ember, Jolin and I. Jolin moved to respond, but before he could, Rema placed her small bag in his hand. “Jolin, be a dear and get the door. We may as well get in character.”
My upper lip twitched as I held in a laugh while Jolin looked down at the bag and grabbed the door.
Ember extended his arm to Rema, who allowed her arm to lock inside his. They walked through the door and out into the carriage. The carriage door, too, was being held open by the driver. I could only assume he was a real servant, and not simply in character, like Jolin.
“You look nice,” I said to Vida, as I extended my arm out to her. She looked down at my arm for a moment. I was afraid she was going to ignore it and walk away. She let out a little sigh, and then locked her arm inside of mine. As our skin touched, it took a lot for me to not to stumble towards the door being held open by Jolin.
“Happy hunting,” I heard a voice call from above the stairs.
Over my shoulder, I could see Remy Thorne, standing above the stairs.
“Be careful,” he said with a solemn look on his face. I nodded to him, and then walked out the front door and to the carriage, followed by Jolin.
We arrived at the ball just as the snow faded and was replaced by rain. I had seen the palace before, because it was in the middle of Thera, so warping by it happened on a regular basis. I just never had been this close to it. Never could I imagine a building being so large for only a single family.
It seemed that only Jolin and I were in amazement as we walked through the front entrance of the Palace. I knew Ember hadn’t been here before, but he was good at hiding emotion and reactions. Rema, as a high noble, had been he
re plenty of times. As for Vida, I wasn’t sure.
As we followed Ember, Jolin, and Rema, I leaned over and whispered in Vida’s ear. “First time in the palace?”
She didn’t even turn to me as she spoke. “No,” she replied back dryly.
Once we made it past the first entrance, which seemed to be just a drop-off point, we were greeted by servants to the Emperor, who began to lead us to our table.
“Rema Thorne, the Keeper created you simply to be beautiful and admired,” a random man said from across the floor as we walked by. Rema glanced in his direction as he waved and held up his glass. She smiled slightly and waved back.
We continued to walk past people. Music filled the main hall we were in, and some simply mingled, while others were dancing the time away. It was more crowded than I had ever expected, which would work in our favor when it came time to sneak away.
“Rema! Rema, dear,” a woman shouted as she came over, followed by a trio of other women. They blocked our paths. “Hello, Amelia,” Rema said, with a smile that was clearly forced. She didn’t even acknowledge the other women around her.
“Well, who is this?” Amelia asked in a nasally voice as she looked at Ember. Amelia was clearly a noble, considering that her dress was elegant, and she had more jewels on her neck and ears than almost anyone could ever afford.
“This is Clips,” Rema said. “My date for the evening.” I hadn’t been aware that we were using false names, and from how Ember’s brow was raised, neither was he. Then again, we should have expected that. While his face wasn’t well known, many had heard the name Ember.
“Oh, and what do you do, Clips?” Ember began to move his mouth, but Rema casually placed a slight kiss on his lips, which made him pause. My eyes grew wide at this and Jolin coughed.
“Clips owns land in Kameace, Galcon, and Walden. Used for farming and yolar mines,” Rema said with a slight shrug of the shoulder. “He is a lover like none I have experienced before. The Keeper truly blessed this one.”
“Wow,” I said under my breath.
“Well, I do what I can,” Ember said casually. Then he followed up with a slight tip of his hat to the three women standing behind Amelia. One of them actually blushed.
“We really must get to our table, Ms. Thorne,” Jolin said from the side.
“Yes, Jolin, you are right. Amelia, ladies, I’m sure I’ll see you again soon,” Rema said as she leaned in and gave Amelia a fake kiss on the cheek, smiling at the women behind her.
When we finally found our table, Vida burst out laughing.
“That was awesome,” she said, trying to contain herself.
“Those four will be making their way around the ball now, to talk about what just happened. If I know the people here like I think I do, they will want to come and see for themselves, and then we will unleash Jolin on them,” Rema said, with a wink to Jolin, who was standing by the table.
Servants didn’t sit with their masters, apparently. From where we were sitting, we had a grand view of what was going on around us. The people dancing and talking were only a part of it. There were people performing throughout the entire hall. A large portion of the side wall was dedicated to food. Massive amounts of food on a table that stretched the entire length of the hall so that, no matter where you were, food was close by. There was an identical table nearby with drink and wine on it. Ember seemed to have already set his sights set on this table.
“You two must play the part,” Rema said as she leaned over to Vida and I.
“Play the part?” I asked, and Vida’s face turned up.
“Well, it’s clear that Jolin is my servant, since he hasn’t left my side, and I have already laid the story for Ember. That just leaves you two. Act like you like each other. Go dance or something.” Rema turned her head and lifted a glass of wine from close by.
I glanced at Vida, who bit her lower lip for a moment, shook her head, and then got up from the table. I thought she was simply leaving until she extended her hand to me.
“Try not to step on my feet too much, please,” she said as I glanced up at her.
“Good luck boy,” Ember said, as he, too, started on a glass of wine.
Once we were on the dance floor, surrounded by others, I froze.
“What’s wrong?” Vida asked as she looked around.
“I don’t really know what to do,” I said, avoiding her eye.
She let out a little exhale, but smiled as she did so. “Just put your arm around my waist and take my hand,” she said as she stepped in close. I didn’t need to be told twice. I wrapped my arm around her and then found her free hand with mine. “Now, just follow my lead, and try not to—ouch!”
“Sorry,” I said as I looked down.
As the moments went by, I began to get a hang of this dancing thing. Vida was pretty good at it, too.
“How are you such a good dancer?” I asked her. She kept looking around the dance hall, and finally looked up at me.
“I lived on my own for so long. It made me tough, but made me a little sharp around the edges, too.”
“A little?” I asked with a grin. I felt her foot step on mine, a little too strongly to be an accident.
“Well, when I left the street life and began working as a spy, I knew I would eventually end up in a kingdom, and I’d have to dance. So I learned.”
“You knew you’d have to dance to be a spy?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not like that. I mean, the only people worth spying for or keeping secrets on are people with power. I’m sure Jolin would agree to that point. And for some reason, people with power love getting together at parties to show each other how powerful or rich they are. It was the best way to fit in.”
She made sense, and we certainly were getting the benefits of it now.
“What about you?” she asked as we spun around in a circle and she leaned back in a dip motion.
“Not big on dancing?”
“I never needed to know how,” I said. “My family didn’t have money, or any reason to dance. Too tired from work, I suppose. Then, once I learned what I was—training to be a killer leaves little time for dancing.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said.
The music suddenly stopped, and everybody shifted their gaze to the front of the hall. The embrace I had on Vida faded as we both turned around. Being the guests of high nobility, we were seated near the exact same spot that people were looking at, but because we were dancing, we had an obscured view.
“Come on. We need to get closer,” I said as I leaned and grabbed Vida’s hand. I shuffled my way towards the front, where people were looking, while, behind me, I could hear Vida using a more verbal approach to get people to move. For some reason, I enjoyed hearing her curse at nobility.
We finally made it through the crowd and were able to see the table that everyone was looking at. Behind the table were two massive throne-like chairs, and several normal chairs beside them. The thrones seemed to be made entirely out of bronze. The sheer amount of time it must have taken to find so much bronze to make two such massive thrones was scary to me. I wondered how many people had slaved away in the mines, just for bronze, the most precious metal in the kingdoms, just for the Emperor to sit on.
Everybody who was sitting at a table stood up, and our table followed. Slowly, in walked a woman with a thin frame and long red hair that fell to her lower back. We were so close to where she was that I could see the freckles on her high cheekbones. Her teeth seemed a little larger than normal, as they could be seen slightly through her closed lips, but it didn’t take away from her looks. She had on a small crown, necklace, rings, and bracelets, and all were made out of bronze. She literally had on a fortune's worth of bronze, which, when compared to the jewels of Amelia, made Amelia look as poor as I was.
Her dress was green, and flaunted a very low cut in the front. For a woman of almost forty, she didn’t look out of her twenties. Empress Selen Nal stood for a moment and waved at the crowd, who in
return performed a slight bow all at once. Well, all except for Vida and I.
As she stood, a man walked from the side of the stairs and addressed the crowd in the hall. He was an unusually tall man, with a square-shaped head, long gray hair, and a complexion as red as Ember's shirt. He had on the uniform of a guard, but he also had on a helmet, golden shoulder pads, and a decorated sword on his side. He had rank, whoever he was.
You didn’t wear stuff like that if you were a guard who still had to get their hands dirty. No, he likely bossed other soldiers around. Despite that, he was still likely dangerous. Ember had always said to respect guards, but to never underestimate a guard's leader. They earned that position through blood, sweat, and the deaths of others.
“Royal and noble guests!” the man said in a booming voice as he waved his hands around like a showman. “I am pleased to present our Lord, the supreme ruler of The Prime Sovereignty, King of all Kings, Vanquisher of armies, and the resurrected Immortal, chosen by The Keeper.” He was really starting to make me see how this job was going to be complicated.
“Emperor Anavor Nal,” the man announced as the people in the hall erupted with clapping and shouts.
I glanced at our table and saw Rema. She clapped her hands slightly, but I couldn’t help but notice her eyes rolling. I began clapping as well, and soon so did Vida and Ember. Jolin, however, didn’t. He simply looked to the front, where the Emperor made his entrance.
For an immortal, the Emperor didn’t look very intimidating. Then again, when you couldn’t die, why would you need to? He, for all intents and purposes, looked like a normal man. I was unsure how old he was, because, after the first resurrection, he had begun to age more slowly. He had olive-colored skin that had a stretched appearance to it. As if he had too much face to cover, and was running out of skin. His hair was short and blond, and his face was mostly smooth, except for some hair on his chin, and a few warts on his left cheek. He wasn’t as tall as Remy or as muscular as Ember. He was just—average.
His pants seemed to be the normal clothing of a royal, and his shirt seemed to be made out of leather, much like our greaves and bracers. He had a sword attached to his side, the same sword it was said had been in his hand the first time he had died.
