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I thought for a moment. What do I have that he may want? I moved my mouth up to his ear, so that there was no chance of anyone else listening to what I was about to say. “A vial of a Scaleborne’s golden blood,” I whispered gently, pulling away after the last word.
He stared into my eyes and gulped. “Where did you get that? I thought they were extinct?” he muffled, having a hard time getting his words out.
“That’s a secret for another time,” I teased. He nodded, knowing what a vial of a Scaleborne’s blood would be worth.
“I heard our future heir to the king talking about it with a few other men about an hour ago. Here at the bar.” Tobias? What was he going to do with the map? What did he have planned?
“Who were the other men?” I quickly demanded.
He looked over my shoulder and scanned the ballroom and all the bodies that filled it. “There. That man by the window with a green mask,” he pointed in the direction, and it was the same man I talked to earlier who drank the black wine, “and there!” He pointed in the opposite direction to a man wearing a blood-red suit and black hair that framed his face. “The three of them spoke briefly about it. That’s all that I know.” He looked back at me, expecting me to give him the vial of golden blood.
“Thanks. What’s your name? I will have the Scaleborne blood sent to you,” I said, not wanting to give him something like that in public and not wanting to draw any of my blood at the moment.
“Kyle Warship,” he said, bowing his head. “And who do I owe the pleasure of serving with?” he asked.
“MissLaneux,” I said, quickly drinking the rest of my bubbly Warped Dial, setting it on the counter, and leaving without looking back.
1.Laneux (Law-neh-ooh)
Chapter twelve
AURELIA
Fire was coursing through my veins. I looked down to see my hands illuminating themselves with small fiery sparks. Using my powers, I dulled them quickly so as not to be seen by anyone else. Tobias? Was he a part of this? Of course, the first man I spoke to about the map was the one who told me that searching for it would result in my death.
I looked up at the large, ticking clock above everyone in the ballroom. The gilded border was adorned with creamy white pearls scattered throughout it, the hands ticking past each small mark, reminding me that the charm was close to being up. I had ten minutes left until midnight. The time had flown by, and I had no idea it was so close to diminishing the tint from my eyes.
Whether it be the alcohol or the dances, I now had less time than I planned.
I didn’t see any bumps on his clothing and didn’t suspect that he had the map on him. That left the jet-black-haired man, his crimson suit a distinct contrast, and Tobias. I darted my eyesalong the floor to see if I could find Tobias or the other man. I saw his maroon suit as he approached the washroom on the other side of the hall. If I ran, I could make it to him, maybe even in the hallway nestled between the washroom and the ballroom, so as not to be noticed by anyone else.
I held up my silver dress with both hands as I quickly made my way to the end of the ballroom, following after him. “Excuse me!” I shouted as people made disappointed hums and grunts as I accidentally brushed against them quickly. I could feel my pink hair whipping behind me, falling out of my put-together bun as I hurried to meet him before he entered the room.
I had no idea what to say to him, but I just had to do something. I quickly turned the sharp corner.
BAM.
My body thudded as I ran into something hard, falling to the floor. The man that I must’ve run into fell as well, both of our masks falling off in the process. I must only have eight minutes at this point.
Being on top of him, my mind went blank. My eyes widened, my hands unsure of how to work. The map flooded my mind.
Red blurred my vision. It was the man.
Drunkenly, he was struggling to get up, unable to get his balance or his grip to pull himself up. I took my chance to search for him from his slow and weak movements. The blood ran back through my fingers, allowing me to pat around his body in search of the map or any size of parchment, playing it off as if I was trying to find a grip to stand.
Nothing.
Bending my elbows, working to stand up, I attempted to help him, grabbing my mask in the process. “Oh, my scales! I didn’t mean to bump into you!” I said, as we both rose. He scoffed at me with colorful language and returned to the ballroom, staggering with each step.
As I placed the lace of the mask over my ears, a bell chimed, echoing through the emptiness of the hall in which I stood.
Five minutes left.
Turning the opposite way, I rushed back through the ballroom. I had five minutes to not only find Tobias, but to get the map before my eyes went back to their glittering gold state.
Where was he? The crowd had almost doubled since I spoke to the man at the bar, making it even more challenging to find Tobias. He surely would be busy talking to many people, as this celebration was for him.
Nothing.
