Page 107 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
“Because it is rude to push people aside with a magical [Barrier] they can’t see?” Julian summoned a shield around both of us, and the dome stuck out at an awkward arc, pushing against Calisto’s dress. “And with a personal shield, I wouldn’t be able to hold Miss Gerda’s hand.”
He drew me closer, and I let him. I did tease him with a quick, “I could go and dance with Erik or Sir Tully and leave you to stand in the corner with your barrier up. You’d make a very handsome wallflower, Your Grace.”
His mother choked.
“You flatter me, but I think I’ll just enjoy a walk around the hall and another dance.Withoutthe [Barrier].” His shield faded away. “It’s meant for the battlefield, not the ballroom.”
“Have fun, you two,” Calisto told us. “Rowen has almost finished speaking with their son, and I’m going to claim a dance before the reveal.”
We found a quiet spot in a corner, tucked out of the way so we could watch the unmasking without being in the thick of things. Lady Amy’s date was still my number one suspect, so I positioned myself between him and the duke.
And then, the music stopped. Couples left the dance floor, the clock tower chimed the hour, and a hum of excitement arose.
“Maybe you should shield up for the unmasking?” I recommended. “You know, just in case.”
“If that is your wish.” He activated a shield around each of us as Grand Duchess Calisto announced we should take off our disguises. I simply unequipped my mask and put it in my storage ring.
Julian did the same.
Nothing happened.
Exhilarated from escaping another near fate, I asked, “Wanna go grab a bite to eat?”
The waiters walked around with drinks, but there was a table of finger foods in the corner that I’d been hesitating to visit, in case of poison. Luckily, John was nearby, and I felt comfortable eating things if he could verify them.
“After you, Miss Gerda.” Julian dropped the shield and waved me forward.
“Maybe you should keep your shield up, and I’ll grab our plates?” I told him. He hesitated only a second before accepting.
He stood beside the wall while I grabbed each of us cured meats, three different cheeses, and a roasted rosemary-and-garlic phyllo pastry square that smelledheavenly, adding a flower-cut strawberry as well. When I turned around to show Duke Julian my selection, I felt it: the feeling of magic in the air; the subtle electricity of power.
My [Sense Danger] activated, warning me too late as a bolt of cold iron shot directly into my heart from a human standing right beside me. He had an adorably small crossbow in hand that had let loose the offending arrow which pierced my chest …
Or that should have.
CHAPTER 60
Is This Your Bed?
Julian
When Julian came to, the first thing he saw was Gerda’s lovely face inches from his own.
Something wasn’t right. He was lying on a soft bedspread; they weren’t in the ballroom anymore. There was a wooden ceiling overhead, and a window nearby let in the light of the evening sun, casting a halo around his bridge troll.
She wore a complicated expression full of worry. Unthinkingly, he reached up and tucked her hair behind one very long ear. There was blood on her hair; probably his own. Hopefully his own.
“I’m alright,” he wheezed. Julian questioned whether he was, in fact, alright. His chest was on fire, and he could feel himself bleeding through his clothes, not to mention his lungs weren’t working very well. He felt like he was dying. Again.
Gerda pulled back, looking him over. “You don’tlookalright. Did I use the Revive wrong? Why—Oh!” She summoned a healing potion, ripped off the stopper, and shoved it down his throat.
He coughed violently when the liquid didn’t go down properly, but the pain in his chest stopped.
Gerda finally gave a relieved sigh and put the now empty bottle back in her storage. “Okay, that should do it. Sorry, I should’ve used a Resurrect … I might have panicked.”
She looked down at him sheepishly.
“It’s fine,” he said, the first thing that came to mind. She was leaning over him again, and he couldn’t sit up until she gave him space. To distract himself, he decided now would be a good time to glance at his notification logs.
