Page 86 of A Story of Sinners

After a few hours of some much-needed sleep, I had rolled out of bed and opened the armoire, finding an array of colorful dresses stocked in Ryken’s room. I searched the palace hallways for Redmond, but after finding not a soul in sight, not even a maid, I sifted over to the Dragon Lands, landing on my hands and knees in the sand pit. Mages and witches filled the training yard, but no one I knew all too well. I searched the restaurants and shops that ran along the sea, hoping my friends would be there, but nothing.

Then, I made my way up the palace, sifting and falling every other step, since I felt too sore to climb, and visited Gabriella’s room, then Fin’s and Eulalia’s. Still, no one. When I stormed into the throne room in search of Lord August, he was also missing.

Ticked off and a little frustrated, I returned to my room and chose to sleep a bit more, but now, I was wide awake with nothing to do. Night would fall in a few hours, so I spent them taking a bath, choosing a dress, and attempting to style my hair into something a little more acceptable than tangles and knots, settling on a long braid.

Now, I occupied my balcony, all dressed up with no place to go, watching the dragons perform their final flight of the night. When the horn blew, signaling the end to their nightly flight, they took off over the water, disappearing over the horizon instead of shifting into their fae forms and partaking in their usual drunken night of revelry.

My brow furrowed as I watched them fade into smell specks in the dusky sky.

What in the world is happening?

The usual routine and daily rituals I’d grown accustomed to had been flipped around and screwed up. I didn’t like it one bit.

The door to my room cracked open, and Redmond came waltzing in, wearing a suit of purple silk. He smiled at me, and a sigh of relief exited my lips.

“Where is everyone? What has happened? Is there a holiday I didn’t know about?”

He held up his hand to dismiss my long list of questions and ran his gaze over the dark red dress I wore. “That will not do. Not at all.” He paced over to my armoire, tearing the doors open as if in a rush, clucking his tongue as he searched through the racks. “Aha! This is the one,” he shouted, delicately grasping a silver gown. “Put this on, quickly. There is no time to waste, and we are already running late.”

I tilted my head, appraising the dress in his hand, swearing it was not there earlier in the day. It was beautiful, if not a little over the top for a standard night: silver, with long lacy sleeves, a tight bodice, and a flowing skirt decorated with sparkles.

It must be a holiday after all.

I shrugged and grabbed the dress from him, padding over to the dressing screen. The sultry red gown I’d originally planned on wearing was quickly replaced with the gorgeous silver one. Strolling towards the full-length mirror, I smoothed down the sparkling material of the silver skirt. Redmond stood behind me, his lips tilting into a grin.

Something strange was happening.

I measured the reflection of my mentor, noting the dressy outfit he wore. It was unusual for him to take care of appearances, and so I narrowed my eyes. “Is it a holiday or not, Redmond?”

He raised a brow and fiddled with his cuff links. “You could say that. I have a feeling this will be celebrated as a holiday in the future.”

I opened my mouth to tear him a new one, but the door cracked open, and in strolled a male I would prefer not to see.

Kieran.

Fear pressed down on me, strangling and mortifying. My mouth slammed shut, and Redmond’s spine snapped as if he felt it too. “Pull it back,” his voice demanded in a shaky whisper. “Your presence was only requested to ensure she didn’t ask too many questions, not to make her soil her gown.”

I stood frozen and unable to speak, but the power spilling from him receded the tiniest bit. I gasped in a breath of air, my eyes tracking his motions as he moved closer to the two of us then gripped our shoulders.

His touch made me recoil, as a hollowness leaked from his hands and into my bones. Redmond grasped me tightly from behind, and then we fell, traveling through some dark tunnel that felt haunting. We landed, and the male removed his hands from both of our shoulders. Redmond held onto me as I doubled over, dry heaving.

“Anyone but him,” I gasped as Redmond held tightly to me. “You could have chosen anyone but him.”

After the feeling subsided, I pushed Redmond away, my glare aimed at the male who had sifted us. Kieran stood towering above the two of us as my hands grasped my knees, a look of sadness reflecting in his eyes. A pang of guilt jabbed at my chest—it wasn’t his fault he was haunted with that sort of power.

“I’m so sorry, Kieran,” I apologized. “It was just a lot more than I could handle.”

The male only shrugged and moved away. My eyes traced his path, noticing the forest filled with lilac-colored trees and the pixies darting between the leaves. The aisle he walked down was filled with petals of black dahlias and crowded with aisles of white chairs connected with silver and gold silk. The members of the coven and groups of mages occupied each chair, their eyes filled with laughter as they watched Redmond and I gasp for air.

Kieran kept moving through the crowd of chairs, trying his hardest to hold back the fear that leaked from him. He settled at a large archway decorated with black dahlias, dipping his head and moving to the side, revealing the friends I had been searching for all day.

To the right stood Eulalia and Gabriella, holding bundles of black flowers, and to the left stood Fin and Kieran, all of them wearing silver and gold. Beneath the archway stood the dragon lord, holding a length of sparkling ribbon.

In front of him stood Ryken, a cutting form dressed in a fine golden outfit.

My mouth dropped open at the sight.

This was no holiday celebration.

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