Page 76 of Ruby & Onyx

Is that the end of the toast? Oh, gods. The tripudio should begin any second now, and I’m no closer to spotting Guylita.

Maybe Viola didn’t say doll. What if she said dog and I misheard? There are plenty of animal masks in the crowd. My heart races as the musicians ready themselves for the tripudio by stretching their hands and rolling their shoulders.

I am running out of time.

My eye catches on the silver-masked man as he stomps out of the room furiously. I watch as he leaves, noticing the two individuals stalking behind him.

Why does he seem so angry? Why do I care?

No, I have to focus.

Face by face, I search until finally, I see a woman standing alone in a tattered dress. I squint my eyes to etch out the details of her mask. She’s too far away to tell for certain, but the way that her stare fixates on me sends a tingling to my fingertips that acts as confirmation.

The music picks up, building to a fast-paced rhythm and urging me to make my move. The room explodes in celebration as partners all across the room pair up. The frenetic dancing turns the room into a dizzying whirl. Skirts spin around and around, creating a three-foot radius around each couple like a living, breathing monster blocking my route.

Bracing myself, I turn to walk down the steps. A hand latches onto my shoulder, and I freeze.

“It’s customary for the royal family to watch the tripudio from the dais.” King Vani’s jaw remains clenched, his eyes solemn.

“I’m not yet part of the royal family. Wouldn’t it be better for me to participate in the tradition?” The smile tearing at my lips threatens to falter, but I clench my teeth to keep it in place.

“We need you by our side, Radya. You can continue mingling after the dance is over,” he says.

Guylita is staring at me from the outskirts, making no effort to move into the frenzy. If we can’t meet during the tripudio, then we’ll have to wait until after. My heart races as I try to mentally beg her for patience, sending all of my silent pleas her way.

“Do I just stand here and smile?” I ask somewhat sarcastically, but he makes no effort to respond.

The dance is even wilder than I expected. Every time the drums quicken their beat, so do the dancers. Faster and faster, the couples spin, swapping partners every round. Individuals remove themselves one by one as the pace exceeds their steps, stumbling out of the way to avoid being hit.

I spot Gemma’s teal hair in the distance, but she’s too distracted by the burly man with his hands on her hips to notice.

I down the rest of my bubbly to calm my nerves, but the buzz fails to alleviate the pressure.

“Can we get her another?” I hear Eleanor ask of the man at the bottom of the stairs. And then she is beside me, leaning in close. “This tradition started centuries ago as a way to get out the pre-war jitters. It helped the men get their minds off of what was to come. Now, we do it both in times of sorrow and celebration. As you can see, the people love it.”

“How long does it last?”

“They’ll continue to dance until only one couple remains. It can last quite a while. The last time we danced the tripudio, it took nearly two hours for the final couples to peel away. I’m unsure how they have the stamina to keep moving after so long.”

Hours? Gods, I don’t know if I can wait that long. My nerves are ratcheting up by the second. “What do they get for being the final couple?”

“Bragging rights, I suppose.” She shrugs as if the result is of no consequence to her. “My mother won once, long ago. That’s how she met my father. They were both firebirds, if you know what I mean. Before they passed, that is…”

She keeps talking, but my mind is focused elsewhere. I’m mentally rehearsing what I’ll say to Guylita when the time comes. Every version of what I want to say comes off wrong – too pleading, too whiny, too desperate.

When only two couples remain, my eyes lock on Guylita. My hands begin to shake with anticipation, waiting for the perfect moment to slip away. Finally, one of the two remaining couples collapses to the floor, splaying out on the ground like they’ve been flattened by the music. A roar of cheers echoes throughout the room as people push forward to clap the final couple on the back.

Guylita is moving, but… she’s walking in the wrong direction. Where is she going? I squint my eyes to get a better look. It’s hard to track her as she moves behind the crowd, but she appears to be heading toward the exit.

“Excuse me,” I say to Eleanor as I turn to rush down the stairs. At this point, I don’t care if the queen herself witnesses our conversation, so long as I get answers. The man who retrieved a glass of bubbly for me blocks my path, holding the glass out toward me.

“Thank you!” I grab the glass with an apologetic smile as I shove past him.

A man with a rose-colored mask approaches me on the way to the exit, but I refuse to slow down. There are too many people in this gods-damned ballroom. How can I possibly get to her before she leaves?

The rush of chasing her down makes me clumsy, and I bump into a woman and accidentally spill bubbly down the front of her dress.

I can see Guylita walking outside.

---