Page 117 of An Empress of Air & Chaos

“Yeah, tell that to the screaming I heard the whole time,” Emara snapped as she tried to stabilize her wobbling legs. “My ears are still ringing from the sounds you made.”

“Here,” Marcus pulled out a silver flask from his dress-jacket pocket. “Take a sip of this and straighten yourself out.”

Emara took the flask from Marcus’ hands, hoping it was an anti-sickness potion, and instantly felt the cool relief of the metal on her fingertips. She pressed it either side of her cheeks before unscrewing the top and taking a large gulp of its contents.

It was pure alcohol. It burned its way down Emara’s throat like hellfire and she fought with her stomach to keep it down.

“What the hell, Marcus?” She put a shaky hand over her mouth.

A hearty laugh escaped his throat. “I thought you were made of stronger stuff, Clearwater,” he said, leaning forward in efforts to regain the flask. But Emara held out her hand in protest and flung another mouthful of the liquor to the back of her throat. She needed that one for a little courage for what she was about to walk into.

“Ha! That’s what I thought. Now hand over the flask, I need that to get through this night.” He gestured to a massive, white mansion that sat on the top of a hill, surrounded by forest. “We are here.”

She wondered how far the portal had allowed them to travel. Are we even in Huntswood?

Turning to see other Hunters and villagers starting to crowd from where the portal had brought them out, a few of them laughing about their portal experience, she glanced over at Cally; however, she was already strutting up a curving stone path that led to the mansion, her silvery heels clicking as she walked.

“What are you waiting for?” she shouted behind herself. “The alcohol won’t drink itself!”

Biting her lip, Emara controlled a smile from entering her face. She looked up to the sky to where the stars sprinkled across the night’s darkness. They were so clear; Emara could tell immediately that they were no longer in the city, but somewhere with no light contamination. Somewhere that allowed the stars to have such a loud presence. They were beautiful.

Echoing Cally’s question, the stars looked upon her and whispered, What are you waiting for?

A light melody flowed from an array of string instruments that took centre stage at the front of the ballroom. Elegant green paint coated the walls as weaves of solid gold coved around the top. The ceiling of the room was a stained-glass dome of stunning colours. It depicted stories of Angels, Gods, Demons, and Creatures all living in a realm as one. Flowers, weapons, and relics of all sorts, long forgotten, were painted brightly as the moonlight poured through the tinted glass. Emara looked down from the ceiling and eyed the stunning drapes that hung heavy against the large windows in a champagne colour. Tall tables of bronze stood high as gracefully dressed women and men gathered around them.

A waiter dressed in black arrived in front of her, bowing his head as he placed a flute of pink, bubbling liquid into her hand. Cally’s eyes sparkled as she, too, received a flute.

Six opulent chandeliers gave the impression that they floated, illuminating the darkest colours in the stained-glass dome with candlelight. Distant laughs of polite conversation filtered through the air, creating a second melody.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Cally whispered with her eyes wide as could be.

“Not in a million lifetimes,” Emara whispered back, looking at the porcelain floor tiles that she could see her reflection in. A thought occurred to her and she wondered how many hours it had taken the maids to buff and polish the floor for it to gleam her reflection. Taking in every detail of her surroundings, she noticed how oddly attractive everyone was, from their stunning hair to their impeccable complexions to their expensive attire. She noted the Hunters straight away from the muscles and posture that stood out against the more slender and relaxed individuals. Some Hunters were still carrying weaponry fixed around their waists. Most of their faces were unfamiliar. They were from different clans, she realised.

“Excuse me, girls, I can see an old friend. Make yourself comfortable. Grab some canopies.” Marcus smiled before buttoning his suit jacket and spinning on his heels.

“That means he can see an old flame and is in for a chance of getting laid tonight, if he plays his cards right.” Cally laughed as she placed her lips to the thin flute and drank. “Oh, my world in heaven, have you tasted the sparkling wine?”

Emara placed the flute to her lips and sipped. The taste of bubbles and exotic fruit exploded onto her tastebuds and danced along her tongue before slowly gliding down her throat.

Oh, wow, even the wine tastes like wealth and luxury.

Beautiful women of all shapes and sizes floated around the room in exquisite gowns of violets, reds, blues, and golds. She wasn’t sure what any of them were. They could be Witch, Fae, Shifter…

Maybe even human.

An emerald gown caught her eye as a short-haired woman relaxed into a chaise longue. Two handsome men sat beside her, one holding her drink in a crystal glass. They were both armed, she realised, and it didn’t take a magic wielder to know that she was powerful. The energy radiated from where she sat. As the woman reached out with her milky hand to grab her drink, Emara noticed a small triangular mark with a thin line of black though the top, near the point. She had seen the symbol before—many times—in her grandmothers’ paintings, in the fortune tellers’ tent, and in the manuscripts she had been reading. It was the symbol of House Air.

There was no mistaking who she was; she was the Empress of Air. The most powerful Witch in the coven. Emara wondered about the relationship the Witch would have had with her grandmother. Or even her mother.

Dragging her eyes from the Empress’ face, she looked towards Cally and said, “I am not sure what we are supposed to do now.”

“Are you serious?” She laughed. “Let’s sit on their awfully expensive chairs, drink this fantastic wine, and look fabulous.” Cally raised her flute to Emara’s and a clinking sound had them both smiling wildly. “It’s like I was born to do this.”

Emara bowed her head towards Cally. “Cheers,” she saluted.

“To us.” Cally’s white teeth were prominent in her dazzling smile. “Looking like heaven raised by hell.” She winked a dark, sparkling eyelid and sank the contents of the flute.

They spotted a seating area designed for four which had high-backed chairs in a dusky pink velour and moved through the crowd towards them. Cally sat herself into the chair of her choice, resting like royalty against her throne. Emara took the seat opposite her as a waiter approached them with another two flutes.

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