Page 3 of Muse

A bemused smile touched his lips, and he arched his eyebrows. “Are you or aren’t you? Are you so unsure of yourself that you don’t even know what you’re doing at this very moment?”

"No." I shook my head. "No, I know." I pulled my shoulders back and lifted my chin higher. "I am performing. I don't think I'd missed a step until you called my name."

“Your steps are fine,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Your light is much too dim.”

I glanced down at my hands. The lights had stopped emanating from my fingertips when I stumbled, but I could still see the magik glimmering beneath my pale skin.

“Are you holding yourself back? Is it nerves?” Soren asked. “I have seen you in the past rehearsals, Isadore. I know how bright your light can be, so don’t pretend otherwise.”

“I’m not sure,” I replied honestly. “I was focused on my steps.”

"Well, you're doing it wrong then," he said bluntly. "The steps are ancillary, something fun to give the people to look at. But the dance is utterly irrelevant. It is the magik that you put out that is all that counts. If you can only focus on one thing, focus on that."

“I will try,” I said.

“You willdo it,” he instructed, and his dark eyes were somehow intimidating and heartening all at once. Then, louder, because he was talking to everyone else even though he kept his eyes on me, “Everyone, when the music begins, keep your feetstill. Move only your hands. Command only your magik. Share your brightest light.”

The music began, and he didn't move. He stood right before me, unwavering, and I had never felt so nervous to conduct magik in my entire life.

I took a deep breath, lifted my arms over my head, and turned my eyes toward the sky. I began with "the rosebud," manipulating the lights from my fingertips so they resembled flower buds on a thorny branch.

“Brighter,” Soren demanded.

I summoned the magik deep within me as I pulled the lights into a blossoming rose, the petals growing more vibrant as I went.

“Brighter,” he repeated, louder this time.

I grimaced because I didn’t know how I could give anymore.

"You pull it from deep within you," he said as if reading my mind, and he stepped forward and placed his hand on my stomach. The unexpected touch almost startled me out of what I was doing, but I never faltered.

His palm was flat, pressed against the bodice of my dress, and the fabric was thin enough that I could feel the heat from his skin. He'd been speaking loud so that anyone could hear, but now he spoke low, barely above a whisper when he commanded, "Draw from here, Isadore. Let your light shine."

I closed my eyes because I didn’t need the heavens. I didn’t need anything more than I already had, and focusing on the warmth of his hand, I summoned all the power I had inside me.

“Yes!” Soren shouted exuberantly, and he removed his hand.

When I opened my eyes again, the lights I painted in the air above me were almost blinding. My roses had never shone brighter, blossoming around us, creating something beautiful and bursting with light.

“There it is!” Soren exclaimed. “All of you do that in the Court tonight. If you can remember the steps on top of this, it will be the greatest show Calida has ever seen.”

Chapter 3

Ihad never been inside the royal palace for a festival before, and it was rather overwhelming. At the entrance of the opulent ballroom, I was immediately greeted by vermillion ribbons and the sweet aroma of the roses adorning every surface. The walls were draped in crimson velvet, and garlands of red rose and dark ivy were strung across the ceiling.

A large balefire burned brightly in the center of the room, casting dancing shadows across the audience that awaited our conduction. Above it, the skylight was open, letting in the starlight and letting out the smoke. The fire crackled and popped, and the air was heady with the scent of charred wood, fragrant blossoms, and wine.

Sitting on her golden throne, reigning over it all, was Queen Kriselle of House Marin. Her gown was a deep blood-red, and rubies and onyxes adorned the layered chains around her neck. Her black hair was piled high on her head, and her dark brown eyes were amused and calculating, like a satisfied snake that would most certainly strike when it was displeased or hungry.

On either side of her, her Courtiers stood with judgmental eyes and sharp smiles. The ones lined up closest to the Queen were the Princesses of Calida, her five daughters ranging in age from twenty-seven to fourteen, with each of them appearing like smaller versions of the last. In decreasing age and stature, the Princesses were Cosetta, Sylvetta, Flornetta, Danetta, and Anabetta.

Soren led us into the ballroom to begin our conduction. The muses walked two by two, which was a relief because I could cling to Briar's hand for a few moments longer.

Our performance began, and soon, the revelers were singing along with the familiar tune. Their voices joined in with Soren like an inebriated choir. From the corner of my eyes, I saw couples pair off to dance slowly and sensually together.

But I paid them no mind. I kept my thoughts on Soren’s voice and the memory of the heat of his hand on my stomach. The magik I conducted into the air shone brilliantly across the ballroom.

As the Balefire burned down to embers, the muses slowed our steps, our movements becoming more languid, until at last, the music faded away, and the ballroom erupted into applause.

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