AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Usually, I don't dance with a single guest, but not because I refuse. They're just never brave enough to ask. I look at the woman, not recognizing her. That's not strange for these kinds of events. We send invitations to most houses throughout the kingdom. This one has been highly anticipated for weeks, so I expected to see new faces.
I nod, holding out my hand for hers. She takes it, and I rest my other hand on her waist, letting her lead the way. She's short enough that I can see right over her head, still keeping my eyes trained on Elva. The girl dancing with me might have green eyes, or blue, or brown. I've not even looked to see because Elva captivates my every thought so thoroughly.
My dance partner remains quiet, moving smoothly through the steps and guiding me to move with her.
After a few minutes, another takes her place. Then another. Once one found the bravery to ask, it started a ripple effect until I lost count of how many women I spun around the room while barely even noticing their presence.
"Are you enjoying your evening, Your Majesty?" the current one asks, and I just mhmm, really not willing to engage in conversation with her. Instead, my eyes search for Elva, having lost her again. The girl speaks again, "It's a beautiful night."
And I ignore it. Again.
The music grows in volume, the melody is lovely, and the tempo is perfect for getting lost. My dance partner relents, content to move in silence as I try to focus on the music and not the fact that I haven't spotted Elva in a couple minutes.
Surely, she's just surrounded by people, somewhere my line of sight does not reach. But the hair standing up on the back of my neck tells me otherwise.
Before I can make the decision to leave my dancing and track her down, the music swells again, the sound captivating me. It's impossible to pull away from the way the sound makes my body move with it.
I must have had more to drink than I thought, the floating sensation filling my head as I spin around with my partner. She laughs, the sound utterly musical and overwhelming.
Wait. Something's not right.
The music pushes and pulls me, the singer leading the band casting a spell across the dance floor. I shake my head, trying to dispel the swimming vision.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" my dance partner asks.
"Nothing," I grit, blinking repeatedly.
Her songlike laugh reaches my ears again, and finally, it clicks in my head.
"You sure don't look like a Syren," I comment, fighting to remain calm and not give away that I'm terrified that they're going to find Elva.
One side of her lips twists into a smirk. "That's kind of the point." She laughs again. "You're certainly quicker than I thought you'd be. Not that it matters."
I barely keep my breathing even, looking around and finding a room completely devoid of Elva. "Where is she?"
"Oh, I haven't the faintest clue." She laughs, the sound now ringing in my ears and making my head ache. "My job was distraction."
I grip her hand hard enough to hear the bones grinding together, and the Syren winces. "Why?"
"For legs," she tells me with a pained whimper, all humor gone with the slightest bit of agony. "They promised us legs."
"Who?"
She shakes her head rapidly. "I don't know who they are. Only the deal I made. Distract the king, have human legs for the rest of my life."
"And Elva?" I find her life force, readying to snuff it out no matter how she answers.
The Syren's eyes glaze over, trapped so close to death that she can't think properly. "I don't know."
All at once, it happens. I suck the life from the vicious creature, and my head clears fully, the Syren song no longer fogging me. The room goes silent for the shortest and longest moment of my life. Then, a horrid, ragged scream fills the air, followed by the stampede of people running for the doors. Dark red footsteps follow behind some of them, and the sight of them makes my blood run cold. My guards step in front of every exit, trapping the countless guests inside.
I follow the scarlet footprints, shoving my guests out of my way until I finally find her.
I once said I would love to see her covered in blood, but now that it's become a reality, it's the worst nightmare I've ever had come to life. I throw myself to the floor beside her, and she already looks and feels closer to the dead than the living. The amount of red, viscous liquid pouring from the slash through her abdomen makes me sick.
No, no, no, no, no, the word repeats over and over in my head. Another person I love dying, and I'm completely powerless to stop it. All this power, and in this moment, it's entirely useless.
"Healer!" I shout, summoning anyone who might be able to help. "Now!"
