Page 85 of Shade of Ruin

I flex my fingers, and only three of them bend fully. Thank all that’s holy for my Fae bloodline and the incredibly fast healing. Tomorrow, I’ll wake up sore, but I’ll be stronger, and all of my bones will be healed. All the bruises will be gone.

“Maeve,” Cole says, interrupting my silent thanks to the dragons for giving me this wonderful bloodline. I look up at him, the smile still on my lips. “How would you like to have a nice evening out? There’s a play…”

He seems unconfident. It’s almost like he’s not sure whether he should be asking. “A play? Like a theater with actors?”

“Sure. Something like that,” he says. The way he says it makes me a little confused. What other kind of play is there?

Wait. Is this an attempt at romance? I keep catching glimpses of romantic gestures, and they seem at odds with everything else I know about Cole. “That sounds fun. I’ve only seen a few plays before, and they were all by traveling troupes of actors. I’m sure anything in Draenyth will be incredible in comparison.”

“Good,” he says. “Darian and Lee both want to go, and they thought you’d enjoy it. You probably don’t know the story, but it’s the classicLast Days of the Dragons. Slightly different from the history, but it’s close enough you’ll probably learn some things from it.”

Oh. Not romantic. “Well, that sounds… informative. I’d love to go.”

Before coming to Draenyth, I’d never have questioned whether Cole was trying to be romantic. He wasn’t interested in me at all. The more time we spend at each other’s side, the more times I question if that’s changed.

His compliments. The way that I wake up with his hand on my arm. His single-minded focus on me.

The only thing that makes sense is the betrothal bond is pushing him to act differently. I don’t think it’s pushing me at all so why would it affect him like this?

Whatever it is, I try as hard as I can not to think about it. I need to focus on the important things like my training and not getting caught doing anything stupid. And maybe having a little fun while I have time left here in Draenyth. It won’t be long until I have to leave.

I’m wearing the same dress that I wore to dinner with Casimir as Cole leads me into the theater. Cole offered to have a new dress made, but I like this one, and I think it’s a shame that the only time I’ve worn such a beautiful dress is to dinner with his father, something I’d like to forget. Cole’s wearing a simple set of coat tails with a crimson vest over a white silk shirt. And a smile. Since it’s still rather rare, I make a note of it. Especially in public settings, Cole’s cold and uncaring expression is so common.

Maybe it’s because Darian and Lee are here tonight. We haven’t seen them in a few days, and they look to be in better spirits than they ever were in Aerwyn. Wearing a gorgeous shimmering dress, Lee is like a spotlight. The fabric seems to shift and change colors as she moves. One moment, a piece of it is red and the next it’s a deep violet.

Her long russet brown hair has been woven into a gorgeous, braided crown. She’s moving erratically, which is always a good sign.

Darian is sitting on a bench outside the Luminous Spectacle, the theater we’re going to. His short brown hair’s chaotic, as though he didn’t think to do anything with it. He really is the opposite of his twin, and the flat black of his tails, pants and dress shoes are so easily ignored.

“Evening,” he says with a grin and stands up. “We weren’t sure you were going to make it.”

Surprisingly, Cole says, “It’s about time that Maeve gets to do something fun in Draenyth.”

I arch an eyebrow at him. Is thisactuallyhis idea of being romantic?

Darian stands up and leads the way into the theater, the Luminous Spectacle, a small building in the transition zone between the House of Flames and the House of Earth quarters. Thus, it has neither brown nor red on the building.

The Luminous Spectacle is a little different from what I’d expected. All the traveling troupes I’ve seen have set up their stages the same way. A raised platform with a set of curtains in front to hide what happens on the stage in between scenes.

Instead, a tiny set of theater seating rises around an empty space that looks surprisingly similar to a dance floor. To the side is a simple chair, and above the empty space is a glowing ball of light hovering ten feet in the air, illuminating the space.

The seating feels far more intimate than what I’m used to. While Cole sits on one side of me and Darian on the other, complete strangers sit in front and behind me. They make me nervous, but Cole wouldn’t have brought me here if he thought I might be in danger.

The entire time that I’ve been in Draenyth, I’ve been sequestered away from the crowds of citizens. Other than a handful of times, I haven’t been out to the open city. I’ve been in the Keep of Flames or outside the city to train with shadows.

Sitting beside so many strangers and expecting to watch a play has me on edge. I want to snarl at Cole for not letting me bring Vesta’s knife. He’s not nervous at all, though, so I clench my teeth and try to relax. There’s nothing to be done, and it isn’t likely someone will try to murder me with Cole right here. That’d be a death sentence for them.

A few moments after we’re sitting, a Lesser Immortal moves to the chair beside the dance floor. She’s a human looking woman with thin bits of scale running in patches along her skin. Alongher cheekbones. From her elbows to the middle of her forearms. Patches on her bare shoulders.

And the scales glimmer in the light, a myriad of colors.

Her hair is a soft blonde with streaks of platinum in it. Even from where we are, her eyes are dramatic. Slightly larger than a human’s, they draw the gaze. “Good evening,” she says, her voice carrying throughout the room with no trouble, even above the soft chatter.

“A siren,” Cole whispers to me. He’s gotten into the habit of naming the beings we see so that I become more familiar with the world we’re in.

The room becomes silent almost immediately, and she says, “Tonight at the Luminous Spectacle, we’ll be showingThe Last Days of the Dragons, an artistic interpretation of the days before the dragons left Nyth. Enjoy yourself.”

My heart races as the ball of light slowly fades into nothing, sending the room into complete darkness. Then, in an instant, the entire room is lit up as five dragons the size of people stand in the empty space next to the siren. Made of different colored light, they’re incredibly intricate. After seeing Darian’s small light show about where Cole received his scars, I’d thought I understood what was possible with light magic. I didn’t understand.

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