Page 65 of Tides of Shadows

I nodded toward the bag she carried.

“A gown,” Mirabel said. “For the farewell ball.”

“The farewell ball?”

“Yes, do you not remember? Lady Cavareth mentioned it at the end of the council. This will be the last ball of this Gathering.”

I had already stopped listening to her. The farewell ball. Another glittering hunt, where lords sought alliances and mothers cast their nets for brides.

“I had not planned to attend.”

Mirabel’s mouth curved into a sly smile. “You may not have intended it, my Lady, but we shall not leave such a gown to languish in a chest. If not for the ball, then I shall have you parade it through the training hall with Kael and Brenn.”

I laughed. That would be an interesting sight.

“Very well,” I said. “I will go to this ball for the sake of your gown alone.”

Mirabel smiled, warm and triumphant.

The dress was perfect. Dark green. Simple, yet bolder than anything I wore before. A deep neckline that bared the shoulders, a slit that climbed to the high of the thigh. The cloth fell with weight and softness together, answering every step. I tried it on without a word. Years of drill and training lived in my body, in the strength of my arms, in my waist, in the straightness of my posture. The gown was like a second skin. I left my hair unbound. Let it fall along my shoulders and back, loose as the waves that heed me.

Most ladies wore as many gems as they could bear, to show the status of their Family and the power of their elements. They threaded palladium and stones into their braided hair.

I needed no jewels and no intricate dressings. After the accident the whispers had thickened. More and more people were starting to suspect something was different about me. I decided that there was no more hiding. No more pretending.

I wore no Elementar. No stone. No ring. Nothing that might serve as pretense or veil. I looked into the mirror and, for the first time in many months, I saw a woman who didn’t bow her head. A woman who knew her strength.

Chapter

19

The ball raged on. Hundreds of lights floated above the Inner Court, and music echoed through the marble columns. The scent of wine, roses, and heated bodies mingled in the air. Guests danced and laughed, gliding across the marble floor like colored shadows. Only the white marble statues of nameless gods were still, just gazing through the crowd. I still didn’t know whether I wished to be there at all.

I stood before the entrance, hearing the music and the hum, and for a moment I wanted simply to leave. But this was meant to be an ending, the closing of everything that had begun in that palace. I moved toward the great steps. The herald halted me, straightened like a string.

“Lady, any special announcement?” he asked.

I hesitated. I did not know what to say. The silence lengthened, and people within the room began to turn. I felt their looks: inquisitive, cold, judging.

I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, and he intoned in a sonorous voice, “Nerissa Veymaris, Heiress of Thalrock. Daughter of Victor and Sarah Veymaris. Lady of Water and Sea.”

The words spread through the hall like a wave.

For a moment there was silence, and then a murmur ran through the crowd.

“So it is true... another heiress with power...”

I ignored the whispers.

I descended the steps slowly, one foot after another, feeling their eyes upon me. My gown swept down the stairs like an ocean shadow, and my hair, loose and wavy, caught the candlelight.

The hall glittered with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Each gem was meant to signify authority and might, and yet, without a single one, I felt stronger than ever. I stood at the edge of the hall. Alone and lost. Without thinking, I glanced around the room, I didn’t know who I was looking for.

He appeared on my path like a bachelor of shadows. Dricus. He was dressed almost entirely in black, with subtle red accents that emphasized his element. He bore no Elementars, only a severe elegance, simplicity, and that aura of dangerous calm. He bowed gently.

“I am glad you have finally accepted who you are.”

I found no words for him. We just looked into each other’s eyes. Everyone in the hall watched us. Two heirs of the elements.