A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones, #1)(65)

“This is so unfair. Why can’t I wear something like you?”

“Because,” Mari said, twirling in her high-necked, pine dress. “I’m not seeing an ex-lover tonight.”

“He’s not an ex-lover by any stretch of the imagination. He’s the king, and I doubt we’ll even see each other.”

Mari ignored me and brushed my hair, letting chocolatey locks fall down my back, one section at a time.

“Tonight…” I started but didn’t quite know how to finish the thought.

“I know.” I couldn’t see her face in the mirror, so I swiveled to look at her.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I felt strangled by emotion I hadn’t seen coming.

“I understand, Arwen,” she said, taking my hand in hers. “If Halden can get out, you’re going to go with him. I’m sure I’d do the same.”

“Yes. But it’s a big if.”

“No, it’s not. He doesn’t want to die. He’ll find a way out.”

I felt tears sting my eyes.

“Oh, Arwen. Don’t cry. He’s going to be all right.”

Guilt coursed through me—it wasn’t Halden I was crying for. “I’m going to miss you.”

Mari’s eyes were like wet glass as she pulled me into a hug.

“Me too.”

She released me and wiped at my cheeks, clearing the blackened streaks that ran down my face. “But you’ll find a way to write to me. I know we’ll see each other again. Now let me fix this. Sad pirate whore is definitely not the look we are going for.”

***

The great hall was elegant and celebratory tonight, lit with candles of every shape and size and adorned with wreathes of Onyx flowers. Heat from the shadowy lanterns, piping hot food, and the crowding of bodies all warmed my skin. A haunting tune from the harmony of four different string instruments reverberated through the hall, calling me to dance. Outside, the white, elegant horses of Peridot were stark next to Onyx’s brutal, demonic-looking ones, as tanned, blond Peridot dignitaries and nobles dressed in sultry, warm colors filtered in.

I had lost Mari a while ago. She and a librarian from Peridot had hidden in a corner, drunk on birchwine and analyzing some old Fae text. But I didn’t mind walking through the festivities alone. Despite my earlier complaints, I felt rather pretty in my silk-draped gown and the way it hugged my curves, melting against my body like candle wax.

I grabbed a cup of wine and took a sip. The bitter taste was foreign to me—Amber wine was notoriously sweet and caramel colored. This drink was the color of currants and I instantly felt it in my bones after only two sips. I maneuvered my way past sweaty, joyful strangers and toward the dancing. I wasn’t normally a reveler, but the level of anonymity at tonight’s festivities gave me a sense of freedom I hadn’t ever felt. Before I could throw myself into the merriment, something caught my eye. No—someone.

A woman so stunning it was arresting, lithe with milky white hair and a delicate crown of leaves, was laughing uproariously at a certain dark king.

Kane propped himself against the wall behind her with one outstretched arm, and grinned into his ale. Her laugh was like a peal of bells, light and melodic. As he continued whatever story he was telling, the mystery woman listened intently, her eyes following every word off his lips. After one particularly hilarious aside, she reached a delicate hand out to encircle his bicep, and I found my feet moving before my mind had a chance to follow.

“Good evening,” I said, stumbling into them with a little too much gusto.

Kane appraised me, his eyes traveling down my body deliciously slow. But it was the expression he held when he settled on my face that took my breath away.

“Arwen. You look… so beautiful.”

We held each other’s eyes a beat too long, a smile that was almost awe growing on his face.

But then Kane seemed to remember where he was, cleared his throat, and gestured to the woman next to him. “Arwen, this is Princess Amelia. Princess, this is Lady Arwen. She is our keep’s healer.”

Amelia. She was the princess of the Peridot Provinces. The luscious jungled peninsula that bordered Onyx, and the daughter of the banquet’s guest of honor, King Eryx.

Shame colored my face.

“Your Highness,” I curtsied.

The princess said nothing, but her narrowed eyes told me she didn’t appreciate my interruption.

The three of us stood around limply until I couldn’t stand the tension any longer. Clearly, I had interrupted a moment between them. Why had I rushed over here, anyway? To ruin Kane’s night? Wasn’t I the one that wished he would leave me be? Who planned to flee this very evening? The birchwine was making my head swim.

“Well. Enjoy the banquet! The mutton is excellent,” I said, overly chipper. I winced as I turned to leave.

Kane’s warm hand wrapped around my arm with ease as he pulled me back toward him. “Your Highness,” he said to the princess, still grasping me tightly, “I must have a brief word with Lady Arwen. Can I come find you in a short while?”

“You’d better,” she said, without much humor. She was as severe as she was stunning.

I gave her my best don’t look at me shrug as Kane drew me away.

We crossed the great hall swiftly. When I realized he was pulling me away from the banquet, I struggled against him. “Where are you taking me? Let go. I won’t bother you again, I want to stay and enjoy the dancing.”