Page 143 of A Storm in Every Heart
The ship has been transformed into a floating palace. Strings of tiny, star-bright lanterns traced every rail and spar, illuminating the upper deck with a warm, almost ethereal light. Under the clear night sky, hundreds of finely dressed lords and ladies spill across the deck, laughing and dancing. The court orchestra, imported for the occasion, sits on a raised platform near the stern, playing a hauntingly beautiful melody.
But I’m not here to enjoy any of it.
My heart beats an erratic tempo, and my hands practically shake with anxiety. What if it already happened? What if Kastian is already dead?
Earlier, after escaping Magnus’s office undetected, I went searching for Kastian to warn him what the advisor was planning, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. He wasn’t where I left him in the garden or in any of the long winding halls. I didn’t know exactly where his room in the palace was, so I went to lunch in the dining hall hoping to see him there. He didn’t show up.
And of course, that was my fault.
I told him to stay away from me, and he did.
I didn’t want to attend the ball this evening, but it was the only place I could think of that Kastian was guaranteed to be…except now I can’t find him anywhere.
What if I’m too late?
A tall, unfamiliar man steps in front of me and holds out his hand. “Would you care to dance?”
I don't have time for this!“No,” I say, rather rudely, shoving past the man.
Kastian could be already dead, or being murdered below deck, or?—
Wait a second.
I spot a tall figure standing on the opposite side of the ship leaning on the railing. He’s wearing all black, and his back is to me, but I still recognize his posture and the swirling black tattoos on his right forearm. Even more incriminating, Lyra Von Bargen stands beside him wearing a long periwinkle gown and a purple and black mask.
At the sight of her, anger surges through my veins. Is she here to kill him? I’ve never wanted to seriously hurt anyone in my life, but I suddenly feel like I could easily commit murder.
I grit my teeth and push my way through the rest of the crowd. “Kastian!”
I reach them, and Kastian swivels around to face me. I’m relieved the moment I see him still breathing, but the relief is short-lived.
Kastian is wearing a simple black mask that covers only his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Underneath it, his dark eyes, normally sharp and attentive, are now clouded and glassy. They seem distant and unfocused, as if his mind is somewhere else.
His unfocused eyes land on me. “You.”
His voice sounds off, and I stiffen, alarm shooting through me. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You,” he mutters again. “What are you doing here, Princess?”
Princess? Ugh.At any other time, I’d demand to know what he means by that, but not right now. I ignore the comment and reach frantically for his arm. “I need to talk to you right now. Please!”
“I thought you never wanted to talk to me again,” he scoffs and turns away from me, swaying slightly.
“I know, but this is important.”
He chuckles, which only makes my panic shoot higher. He seems drunk, but I’ve seen Daemon drunk dozens of times and he never looked quite this…vacant. Like he’s been drugged.
I spin furiously toward Lyra. “What the hell did you do to him?”
I falter as I come face to face with a woman I’ve never seen before. It’s definitely the same person who’s been standing here this entire time—the same periwinkle dress, the same dark hair—but behind the black and purple mask her eyes are unfamiliar.
“Excuse me?” the strange woman asks. “Who are you?”
I blink in confusion and I look back and forth between Kastian, who is swaying slightly, to the strange dark-haired girlin the purple gown. I swore a moment ago I saw Lyra standing here…I’m losing my mind.
“Um, sorry.” I shake my head, turning back to Kastian. “Please, you have to come with me! I really need to talk to you.”
There’s clearly something wrong with him. He’s not just drunk, it’s something else. I’m never going to be able to reason with him like this, but maybe if I just get him below deck we can hide until the ball ends, or he’s sober enough to tell his parents what Magnus was planning.
