Page 110 of The Vanishing Throne

And then we’re dancing, and nothing else matters. His hand is pressed to my lower back, our bodies close as we spin. It’s as if we’re alone. No one else matters. No music, or whispering, nothing. It’s Kiaran and me, and this is our first dance. And it’s as graceful and smooth as when we go into battle together. We fit together, my body against his, his cheek pressed to mine as we spin.

‘You never told me you could dance,’ I say.

I feel his soft smile. ‘Isn’t this what we did every night?’ He whispers against my skin. ‘We always fought like this. Like we were waltzing.’

That’s when I open my eyes and I see the sea of people around us, staring. I don’t know how long we’ve been dancing without music. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. It doesn’t matter.

‘Everyone’s staring,’ I whisper.

‘Of course they are.’

Kiaran’s eyes meet mine. Now that I have the Sight, I see just how vivid they are. I see the years there. The pain, the exaltation, even the flashes of Kadamach. But it doesn’t matter, because he looks at me and he sees me, and he’s Kiaran and I’m Kam. ‘They’re wondering why I came tonight,’ he says. ‘Why I chose you.’ His lips brush my cheek. ‘Why I’m kissing you.’

‘Whydidyou choose me?’ It’s all I can do to keep my wits about me when he’s kissing me like this. Because when Kiaran kisses, he does it with the whole of himself.

He whirls me around with so much grace it’s as if he isn’t even trying. ‘Because you challenge me,’ he tells me. And then we’re not dancing any more. We’re standing pressed together, our hands entwined. ‘I chose you because you’re my equal.’

Then we’re kissing right there in front of everyone. And nothing else seems to matter. Certainly not etiquette, or what anyone else thinks. It’s only his lips on mine, the pressure gentle. It’s only us. And I can’t stop—

Which is when Derrick arrives out of thin air and careens into my shoulder in a mess of wings and limbs. ‘Hullooooo! Don’t mind me, I’m just interrupting your brazen cuddle to steal the lady for a few minutes.’

Oh, damnation, not now.I’m really regretting not giving Derrick that extra five minutes. ‘Derrick,’ I say through clenched teeth. I step back from Kiaran and try to control the pixie’s wriggling body in my hair. ‘Not—’

‘My god.’ Derrick collapses on my shoulder. ‘I am full of pie. I can barely even move my wings. I—’ He squints over at Kiaran and smiles in delight. ‘Oh, hulloooooo, villainous wastrel!’

Kiaran is clearly not impressed. ‘You’ve a bit of pastry on your jacket.’

Derrick swipes at the morsel, snatches it, and eats it. ‘Was just saving a wee snack for later.’ He giggles.

For god’s sake.

I look pleadingly at Kiaran. ‘Just … save that thought. Don’t go anywhere.’I’d like to resume the kissing.‘I’ll be right back—’

‘Kiaraaaaaaaaaan.’ Derrick giggles. ‘Or would you prefer I keepvillainous wastrel? I never asked.’

Kiaran arches an eyebrow. ‘I suppose that depends. Would you preferpain in my arse?’

Derrick bursts into laughter. ‘Arse! Aileana. He saidarse.’

‘Hell,’ I mutter. ‘Will you excuse me for a moment?’

I don’t wait for Kiaran’s response. I take Derrick with me to the lift and don’t say anything until I reach the fourth floor. ‘Let me just say, ifsomeonegave you honey, I’ll—’

‘No, no, no,’ Derrick says, gliding off my shoulder. He now looks suspiciously lucid. ‘You said to save you after twenty-five minutes. So I did.’

‘I said to save me if I was around Daniel and in obvious distress.’Not when I’m kissing someone in obvious delight.

‘Firstly,Iwas the one in distress watching you kiss Kiaran becauseughhhh.’ Derrick wags a finger at me. ‘And secondly, you never said anything about distress, you said—’

‘Forget what I said.’ I narrow my eyes. ‘Are you telling me that down there was all an act?’

He grins. ‘I would have beenperfectin the theater, wouldn’t you say?’

‘Good heavens,’ I murmur. At least I don’t have to deal with a drunk pixie. ‘Let’s just check the wards, all right?’

I follow Derrick onto the balcony and press the lever that sends us up. As we rise above the city, music echoes all the way to the top of the structure. A cloudless moon shines down on the festivities, adding its light to the floating lanterns. It all looks like something out of a dream.

The balcony takes us higher and higher, past the lanterns and closer to the moonlight. All the way at the top are shelves carved into the rock beside the balcony. There are no doors up here, no people, nothing but black crystals placed deliberately along the shelves, one right after the other. They vary in size – some are as small as my palm, and others the length of my arm.

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