Page 19 of Muse

“It is stunning,” I said, admitting my longing with a bashful smile.

“Then it’s yours!” Briar looked to Tally. “Can you work your magik, Tally? I want it to look perfect for Izzy.”

Tally took my measurements, then went off with the gown, presumably to work her magik. I wasn't sure if Briar had meant that literally or metaphorically, but I knew it would work out either way.

"Are you excited about performing at the jubilee?" Briar asked me as I helped her put the other gowns away. Her closet was twice the size of my entire bedroom, featuring rows of hanging gowns and shelves filled with folded clothing and various accessories.

“I am excited,” I said. “But I’m also nervous. I never like performing solo.”

"Just think of it as a chance to have fun and showcase yourself. You can be freer and more uninhibited," Briar said when I actually felt the opposite. "Do you have your routine?"

“I elevated a few things I did at a wedding last summer,” I explained. “The bride and groom really seemed to like it, but I’m still afraid I might forget a step or freeze up.”

“Just keep on dancing,” Briar said. “The storm will rage, but we dance on anyway.”

Chapter 13

The palace ballroom was an explosion of golden ribbons, ivory tapestries, and gold and diamond adornments. It was a shimmering sea of opulence, and at the center was a grand throne, where Queen Kriselle sat, resplendent in her gown and jewels. Courtiers surrounded her on either side, and the rest of her guests left a semi-circle of open floor for the entertainment to perform.

I wanted to stay at the side of the room, waiting in the shadows until my turn, but Adora kept nudging me forward.

"We should have a place with the courtiers," she whispered.

"I am going to perform any moment, so I don't think that is wise for me," I declined as politely as possible. "You should be with your peers while I stay back here."

"I suppose you have a point," Adora said, reluctant to agree with me.

I gave my performance, a simple but elegant dance with golden roses to represent the jubilee. When I finished, I curtseyed low before the Queen.

“You are truly a wonderous spectacle,” Queen Kriselle said. I was still bent forward, my forehead low to the floor, in a show of respect, but I lifted my eyes enough to see the smile on her face. “It is always a pleasure to see you, Lady Isadore.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Long may you reign.” I straightened up, and from the corner of my eye, I spotted Adora standing with the courtiers.

After my performance, I meant to disappear into the crowd since Adora would be busy with the nobles for the remainder of the evening, and that was not a place where I belonged. But instead of disappearing, I walked straight into Soren Tomoleo.

He was obscenely handsome in a tailored black jacket embroidered with golden thread, and it had been left open slightly to expose the ruby amulet lying on his bare chest. We stood face-to-face, neither of us saying anything, and the minstrel band started up again, and the subsequent performance began.

“Isadore,” he said at length, with a strange smile on his lips. “You were excellent, but I have come to expect nothing less from you.”

“Thank you,” I replied, swallowing down the painful confusion in my throat. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I am performing a few illusions later on tonight,” he explained. “Are you busy at the moment?”

“You mean, beyond attending the Queen’s Jubilee?” I asked.

“Would you go somewhere with me so we can talk?”

“Yes,” I replied before I could even think about whether or not that would be a good idea.

Soren led me out of the gilded ballroom and down the corridor. As we passed several closed doors, he counted them to himself and stopped at the sixth one. "This is it. I am nearly certain."

He opened the grand doors with a flourish, and we entered a library. It was small compared to the rest of the palace I had seen, and there was a sitting area consisting of only two chairs in front of a fireplace. The walls were lined with bookcases, each of them stacked from floor to ceiling with hundreds of books.

On another day, I would happily spend the evening perusing the shelves, but Soren had this way of distracting me from anything else. We stood before the mantle, looking at one another, and I clasped my hands nervously in front of my belly.

He broke the silence first. “I meant to talk to you before you left Sudamon, but you departed so early.”

“I had to get back home. My mother was worried about me.”

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