by Megan Linski
“Looking for Cade?” I asked.
Imogen twisted her hands together. “Yeah. He never asked me to the ball, but I was hoping he'd at least want to dance with me.”
“I'm sure he will. And I think I see him over there.” I pointed to a guy in a green tie talking to a girl with a unicorn Familiar beside her.
Imogen's eyes lit up. “Oh, good. I'm going to say hi to him.”
She hurried off with Sassy at her heels, and I turned to Jonah. He was struggling with the pony cart, trying to unhook it from Squeaks’ hips.
“Um… do you need help?” I asked.
“Nah,” Jonah replied. “I've got this. You go ahead.”
I hesitated. I didn't really want to interrupt Imogen and Cade, and I had no one else to talk to. But Jonah seemed a little embarrassed that he got the cart stuck, so I turned into the ballroom to give him space.
My eyes scanned the thick crowd. I saw a few people I recognized from my classes. I even noticed Haley sulking near one of the patio entrances. She was wearing the revealing dress I'd seen her in at Delilah's, but had her arms crossed and a tight look on her face. Anwara sat on her shoulders, swaying back and forth slightly to the music until Haley swatted at her to stop.
I turned my gaze from Haley and looked to the other side of the ballroom. I knew it was useless, but I was hoping to spot Liam in the crowd. For obvious reasons, I didn't.
My eyes fell upon at least one friendly face, though. Baine. He was actually put together today, with his hair slicked back and his stubble freshly shaven. He wore a light blue vest beneath his black suit. I guess when he cleaned up I could kind of see where Imogen crushed on him a little, but he was so old.
I was just about to make my way over to him, just so I had someone to talk to, when the sound of my name caught me off guard. I turned to see Madame Doya coming my way. She wore a long, silky dress that matched her fiery red hair. Her makeup was immaculate, and her nails freshly done. She held a glass of champagne that was nearly gone.
I forced a friendly smile, only because I didn't think anyone would appreciate me singeing the ends of her curls. I was so glad I was done with her class, though I had no idea if I would have her again. I hoped not.
“Madame Doya,” I greeted pleasantly.
Esis growled from my arms, but I squeezed him lightly until he stopped. I glanced around for Naomi and saw her prowling around by the entrance with a golden headpiece, looking my way every so often with that heavy gaze that reminded me so much of Doya.
“Sophia,” Madame Doya said coolly. “Congratulations.”
My whole body tensed. There was no way I heard her correctly. “Um… thanks?”
“I must speak to you about something.” Doya grabbed my elbow and started leading me to the corner of the ballroom before I could protest.
I followed, only because I was curious about what she had to say. Would she finally apologize for the way she treated me in her class?
Doya glanced around the room and lowered her voice. “You need to know what winning the Elemental Cup means.”
“Uh… okay.” I had no idea where she was going with this.
“The Elders weren't sure before if you were truly the prophesied one. Now that you've won the Cup, they will be keeping a very close eye on you. Don’t screw it up." Her eyes narrowed.
My jaw went slack. It almost sounded like she expected me to fail.
I fixed her with a challenging gaze. “Screw up how? What does the prophecy mean, exactly? What am I supposed to do?”
Doya sighed and pulled me tighter into the corner. “I, along with the other Koigni Elders, believe there is a war coming between the Houses. Koigni House has more… political sense than the others. But the other Houses are unwilling to work with us. If we had full power, we could bring order to all of Kinpago, but the other Houses won't allow it. If a war breaks out, our numbers could be cut in half. Thousands of Koigni could die, and our House would be shamed to the highest degree. It's up to you, Sophia, to save us.”
Oh, shit. Doya wasn’t playing around. The thought of thousands of people dying because of me churned my stomach. My House was truly counting on me.
I swallowed, but my throat felt like sandpaper. “What do I have to do?”
Madame Doya’s expression hardened. “The prophecy is unclear. I once believed all would be revealed when you arrived, but that's clearly not the case. I now believe that the prophecy is longer than expected, and the Houses are hiding pieces of it from one another. The magical artifact you will have to find… that's something Koigni never shared with anyone. The other Houses have been keeping secrets as well. You, Sophia, will need to uncover those secrets to discover how to fulfill the prophecy and prevent total Elementai annihilation.”
Her words echoed through my head. Total Elementai annihilation. My knees shook. I nearly forgot I was standing in a room full of people. She couldn't truly believe that if I failed, this entire magical society would fall, could she?
My eyes met hers, and I witnessed a fire behind them that told me everything I needed to know. She totally and thoroughly believed every word she said. Sure, this place had its issues, but there were thousands of people living in Kinpago, not to mention the magical creatures. I couldn’t let this magical place be destroyed, the place that Liam, Imogen, and Jonah called home… and the place I thought was home as well.
But… Doya was jumping from one impossible task to another. There was no way I could do what she was asking of me.
“I'm not really cut out for this,” I said. “I barely know anything about Hawkei history. I'm only a First Year.”
Doya held her head high. “I will train you.”
Wait… what? This lady was talking crazy talk.
My brow furrowed. “Um… okay. Why didn’t you offer earlier?”
Doya pursed her lips. “You had yet to prove yourself on your own. I was trying to protect you.”
The crease between my eyebrows deepened. “Protect me from what?” I demanded. I couldn’t help it when the words burst out of me. Doya made no sense, and it was enough to make my Fire rise to the surface. I pushed it down before we both lit up in flames. “You spent the entire semester pushing me away and making me feel like a failure. Now you claim it was for my own protection?”
Doya cleared her throat and glanced around, as if making sure I hadn’t caught anyone’s attention. I didn’t care if I did. I just wanted Doya to tell me the truth.
She returned her gaze to mine and lifted her chin. “I can’t reveal everything at this time. Just remember, Sophia, the Elders are watching. You must be cautious. And you must not tell anyone what I’ve just told you. Do you understand?”
The pointed expression she gave me was almost enough to burn a hole straight through me— and it may have, if I weren’t Koigni. It was clear that I didn’t have a choice. I had to find the missing pieces of the prophecy and fulfill it. Either she or the Elders would make sure I would.
“I’ll be careful.” I purposely didn’t answer her question directly.
“Good,” she said in a clipped tone. “Enjoy your night. It may be one of the last you have before everything changes.”
Doya turned from me and started toward Naomi by the doors, leaving me completely frozen in place and shocked by her words. Esis growled at her, pulling me back to attention.
“Relax, buddy,” I told him while I stroked the fur around his nubby horns. “She doesn’t mean it. She’s just got a stick up her ass, and she has to say stuff like that to make herself feel better.”
I was a liar, and there was no doubt in my mind that Esis knew it. Doya didn’t joke around… ever.
My gaze scanned the ballroom nervously. I worried that everyone could see my arms shaking and the sweat breaking out across my brow. Then my eyes fell upon a champagne glass in a Toaqua girl’s hand.
Alcohol. I needed some.
Pulling Esis closer to my chest, I navigated through the crowd and to the bar. I’d never had alcohol befo
re, unless you counted that sip of beer I had at my friend Emily’s when we were sixteen. I didn’t even swallow it because it tasted like piss. But maybe champagne would taste better. At least it would take the edge off.
“Hey, Sophia!” Jonah called from where he sat at the bar.
I squeezed between a group of people and stopped next to him. “I need a drink.”
Jonah eyed me curiously and raised his glass to his lips. “What’s wrong?”
“What?” I asked innocently, brushing hair out of my eyes. “Nothing’s wrong? Why would you think that?”
Esis poked my arm, as if calling me out as a liar. Yeah, yeah.
“I didn’t take you as a drinker is all,” Jonah replied with a shrug.
“Yeah, well, it’s to celebrate,” I told him. “We won. I think I deserve a drink.”
Jonah nodded his approval. “What can I get you?”
I thought about it for a moment, but Jonah was right. I wasn’t a drinker and didn’t have the faintest clue of what to get. “Um… something that doesn’t taste like piss?”
Jonah let out a deep-belly laugh. “That doesn’t leave many options.”
I swore my face went pale, which only made him laugh harder.
“I’m kidding. How about I surprise you?” he asked.
“Okay,” I agreed.
While Jonah waved down the bartender, somebody reached past me to place a tip on the counter. The bar was so crowded that his body pressed against mine. Heat radiated across my skin as his shirt brushed across my shoulder and his breath ran across the side of my cheek. Somehow, without even looking, I knew it was him. It was like my body was in tune to his. It had to be, considering the way my heart fluttered and my head spun just from the close proximity.
I whirled around, beaming. “Liam!”
Esis leapt from my arms onto Liam’s shoulder. I flung my arms around his neck, squeezing them both tightly. His pine forest scent filled my nose. Liam gasped, and I quickly pulled away. Esis stayed put on his shoulder, pulling at strands of his long black hair.
Liam’s eyes were bright, and a smile stretched wide across his face. He looked so amazing that I could almost believe he wasn’t sick anymore. Liam looked me up and down, and desire flickered across his eyes. He totally loved my dress.
I liked his outfit, too. He wore black slacks and a white collared shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Hot damn. Why were forearms so sexy? A red tie hung around his neck. I’d never seen him wear the color before. Dare I say it actually looked really good on him?
“I thought you weren’t coming,” I said, still trying to get over the initial shock of seeing him here. It was like a dream.
Liam shrugged and pulled his hair out of Esis’ grasp. “I snuck out.”
My heart sank. “Oh. So they didn’t discharge you? How are you feeling?”
Liam wrinkled his nose, but that radiance about him never faded. “I'm fine.”
I rolled my eyes. “Which is code for, I feel terrible and don't want anyone knowing.”
Liam hesitated, then dropped his shoulders. “Maybe. I’m the same as always, I guess. I’ll survive.”
Jonah stood and held out a hand toward Liam. He took it, and they did that weird guy handshake-hug thing.
“We’re so glad you made it, man,” Jonah said before sitting back down at his stool. “And you wore the tie.”
Liam smoothed out the red fabric and avoided my gaze. “Yeah… I, uh, it was all I could find on short notice.”
“Obviously,” Jonah said. I didn’t miss the wink he shot Liam’s way, as if they shared some secret I wasn’t a part of.
“I’m so glad you’re here to celebrate with us.” I resisted the urge to throw my arms around his neck again. With Liam here, I didn’t need the alcohol to take the edge off. Just his very presence made me forget all about the bad in the word. “I still can’t believe we won.”
Liam scoffed. “Yeah, well, it’s easier when you’re not trying to kill off your teammates.”
Jonah took another sip of his drink. “Thanks, by the way, guys. You know, for not killing me.”
I swatted at him playfully. “Stop it! We would never do that.” I lowered my voice and hissed, “We’re not Haley.”
“I need to tell you something about that.” Liam glanced around to make sure no one was listening and leaned in. Even if someone was eavesdropping, there was no way they could hear over the chatter around us. “All of Haley’s teammates are dead.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “But that Nivita guy—”
“Didn’t make it,” Liam interrupted. “Haley only passed because she got him to the finish line alive. But only barely. He was in the hospital with me. He passed away a few days after the tournament.”
My hand shot over my mouth. “That’s horrible.”
Liam and Jonah nodded in unison. Meanwhile, my eyes scanned the crowd for Haley. She was no longer standing by the patio, and I didn’t see her anywhere else.
“Sophia.” Liam pulled my attention to him. “Don’t go looking for trouble. Second place is still a highly honorable position. Haley has proven herself to the tribe and will become Chieftess of Koigni after her mother steps down. It wouldn’t look good for you to pick a fight with her.”
I gaped at him. “I wasn’t going to…”
Okay, yeah. Maybe I was. I just wanted to see her show some remorse.
But Haley could wait for another time. I wasn’t going to let her ruin the magic of this night.
I reached for Liam’s hand and started toward the dance floor, but he remained firmly rooted in place. “Come on.” I tugged at him. “Let’s dance.”
Liam stumbled a step but quickly righted himself. “No, Sophia. We can’t.”
My bottom lip jutted out. “Why not?”
Liam lowered his voice. “Don’t you notice something about the couples?”
I looked toward the dance floor and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary at first… until I realized it was all color coordinated. “So they’re all dancing with members of their own House. Who cares? We were on the same team. We deserve to celebrate together.”
Liam bit the inside of his lower lip.
I crossed my arms. “Well, if you’re not going to dance with me, I want to dance with Esis. And seeing as he’s not going to leave your shoulder, you’ll have to dance with me, too.”
Esis peeked out from a curtain of Liam’s hair.
Liam sighed, and smiled a little. “I guess I can’t really say no to that.”
I pulled Liam out onto the dance floor. His left hand came up to meet my right, and his other hand settled high on my back. Electric tingles spread up and down my spine. Oh, ancestors. How was I supposed to dance with my heart going haywire? Seriously. The damn thing was trying to beat its way out of my chest. Surely Liam could feel my blood raging through my veins. He was Toaqua and sensitive to all the water in my body. He had to feel the shift in energy.
His hand dropped further down my back as we started to spin, and I gasped. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to let those hands roam over me.
Liam gazed down at me with soft eyes, and I stared back into his. The whole ballroom seemed to fade away around us. It felt like I was in a fairytale, floating across the room like a princess who’d found her prince. If I could just lean in and kiss him again, the way we did in the cave—
“Ow!” I cried as Liam’s feet stumbled over my toes.
He hopped backward. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I giggled as Esis leaned over Liam’s shoulder to get a good look at my feet. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
Except my toe was throbbing. It seemed as if I'm fine was starting to become a code word between us.
“Good,” Liam said, “because people are staring.”
As much as I didn’t want to take my eyes off him, I did. People were, indeed, staring. I even saw one Koigni girl pointing our way.
“Seriously?” I asked with an eye roll. “You barely stepped on
me. We can’t be dancing that bad.”
Liam’s lips tightened. “It’s not that. What we’re doing, Sophia… it’s kind of an act of rebellion.”
“An act of rebellion?” I asked. “By dancing together?”
Liam shrugged but continued twirling me around the dance floor. “We’re wearing each other’s House colors and dancing together. It kind of looks like… something.”
“Well, it is something, isn’t it?” I asked. “I mean, shouldn’t we challenge House boundaries? How else are we going to be together?”
Liam’s entire body tensed, but he didn’t stop dancing. “Do you… uh... want to get out of here for a second? Away from all these prying eyes?”
What was he suggesting? Every instinct told me to answer with a hell, yes!
Instead, I just said, “I guess so.” All the while, my heart was beating ferociously. Liam Mitoh wants to get me alone!
Liam led me off the dance floor. We passed through the patio doors and out into the gardens. It was cold outside, but not chilly enough to cover up. Either I was too hot from my Fire rising to the surface under Liam’s touch, or the Elders had allowed a small weather change for the event. Either way, I found the evening air peaceful.
There weren’t many people out in the gardens. The farther we walked from the doors, the fewer people there were.
“Where are you taking me, Liam?” I was partially worried and partially excited. He was walking too fast for a leisurely night stroll, so he either wanted to break some bad news or break some more rules.
Liam stopped me behind a big bush sculpture of a pegasus. The wide wings and the darkening sky helped conceal us from the people back in the ballroom. Esis jumped off Liam’s shoulder and climbed up the Pegasus sculpture’s wings, then hopped from the end of it to the next sculpture of a horned bear.
Liam took my hands in his. “Sophia, what you just said about us being together… I don’t think you understand.”