Wren’s room is a little smaller than mine. It still has a sitting room attached to a bedroom, but on a smaller scale. He goes into his closet and pulls out his military formals, identical to mine, but with less decorations. We talk as we get dressed.
“It will be easy for me to stay with Soleil the whole time, seeing as this party is supposed to celebrate us anyways,” I say sourly, “Will you be able to stay with Juniper?”
“For sure,” he agrees, “It makes it much easier that Aurora is working in the clinic tonight, so we won’t have to worry about covering her, too.” I nod in agreement and walk into the bathroom to find a brush for my long curly hair.
“Besides being partnered up, I think we should stay in sight of each other at all times, just in case they try anything else,” I call from the bathroom. I pull my hair into a ponytail.
“Agreed. And nobody leaves the party,” Wren comes in and brushes his hair, too. He gets some gel and slicks it back, and gives himself some finger guns in the mirror. I roll my eyes and chuckle at his nonsense.
“Come on, let's head back to my rooms,” I usher him out. We walk quietly back across the hall, not daring to speak where we could be heard by my parents’ goonies. Safely back in the bedroom, we resume our conversation.
“We can’t go into this unarmed, though,” I assert. I walk to the closet and open my secret weapons spot in the back wall of the closet. I pull out two of my knives and two boot holsters. After another assessment, I decide to grab two bladed bracelets. After securing my secret spot, I head over to Wren and hand him a knife and holster. He and I both lean over and secure the holsters to the inside of our dress boots and stash the knives away, making sure they aren’t visible.
“She’s ready!” Juniper squeals from the bathroom doorway. Her and Aurora exit, and after a slight pause, Soleil emerges.
I feel like my heart has stopped in my chest. Soleil looks unbelievable. Her hair is in large braids around her head, leaving her long hair down in the back. Her makeup makes her look timeless, the extra golden eyeliner bringing out the gold flecks in her green eyes. Her dress covers her chest, but is somehow revealing. The silver fades into large triangles of bronze and gold at the bottom of her skirt.
Soleil looks nervously between me and Wren, and I snap myself out of it. Wren is a little slower than me, so when I look over at him and see him still gaping, I throw an elbow into his side. “That’s my Soulmate, man,” I remark, “Get your own.” Soleil gives a small laugh, and my attention returns to her. “You look amazing, angel,” I say breathlessly. She looks down and I can see a light blush creep into her cheeks.
“Thanks,” she whispers with a shy smile.
“I’ll be right back,” Juniper jumps in, “Apparently I have to go to this shindig too, so I have to change.” I look pointedly at Wren, and he immediately turns to her.
“I’ll come with you!” he announces and walks behind her toward the door. Before he leaves, I hand him the bladed bracelet. He gives me a knowing nod, and follows her out.
I walk over to Soleil. “It just needs one thing,” I observe. I pull her bracelet out of my pocket and wrap it around her wrist. It’s a small black band, with a large golden bead in the center. “This is just in case,” I assure her.
“In case of what? What is it?” She looks confused. I reach out to her wrist to show her, then pause.
“Don’t panic,” I say, “I’m just going to show you how it works.” She nods, and I move my hand in. I take the bead and press a tiny button on the side. Instantly, the black band that was once around her wrist is hardened into a deadly blade, and the bead is stretched over the material to make a hilt. She gasps and jumps back, and I hand her the weapon. She tentatively reaches out and takes it.
“How did you do that?” she asks breathlessly. I take it from her, and press the button on the side of the bead-turned-hilt, and it contracts back down into a bracelet. I direct her to the button on the bead, and have her practice activating it from her wrist. She’s a natural. I’m relieved I won’t have to show her how to use it beyond that, as she seems familiar with the weapon.
Juniper and Wren come back into the room, this time, with Juniper in a simple blue gown. She has the same band around her wrist as Soleil. “Can you believe these?” Juniper remarks as she walks to Soleil, holding out her banded wrist, “These are awesome!”
We hear a chime, and Aurora pulls a comm device out of her pocket. “I have to get to the clinic,” she pouts, “Which means it’s also time for you guys to head downstairs.” The four of us nod grimly, and she gives Wren a peck on the cheek before she leaves. He makes a big show of wiping it away, and we all laugh for a moment.
“Alright, let’s head downstairs,” I say begrudgingly. We file out of the room, Wren and Juniper first, then Soleil and I. Soleil wrings her hands as we make our way to the ballroom. “Hey,” I whisper, “Don’t worry. We will keep you safe.” She looks up at me nervously.
“But who’s going to keep you safe?” she replies. I’m surprised for a moment, and then overwhelmed with adoration for her. After everything she went through, she’s worried about me.
“Why, you obviously,” I say with a wink. She cracks a smile, and reaches for my hand. I hold her hand lightly, afraid to push her, but she squeezes mine hard. I brush my thumb across her knuckles, and feel her relax a bit next to me. I smile at the reaction. I’m the one that gets to comfort her.
Finally, we arrive at the ballroom doors. Wren and Juniper turn to look at us. Juniper and Soleil exchange some words of motivation.
“Remember: stay with Juniper and stay in sight,” I remind Wren in a low voice. He nods seriously, and puts an arm around Juniper’s waist.
“Ready, gorgeous?” He flashes her his womanizing smile. She swoons and Soleil and I roll our eyes. The two head into the ballroom to inform the harold, leaving Soleil and I alone in the hallway for a moment.
“I won’t leave your side,” I promise her, “And Wren will be with Juniper the whole time.” She nods nervously and fingers her bracelet. I hear the harold announce us from inside. “Here we go, angel,” I murmur. I take a breath and walk us through the door.
Chapter 31
Icarus
We step into the ballroom, hand in hand, and the entire crowd falls silent to look at us. Wow, this is definitely much bigger than I had been planning on. There had to be a good 200 people there, many of them courtiers, but I could see the clothes and hair colors of the various delegations spattered throughout the room.
I look over at Soleil. She is staring out in horror at the crowd. I give her hand a little squeeze, and she looks at me frantically. “Breathe,” I mouth at her. She takes a deep breath and it seems to center herself.
From across the room, my parents stand from where they were seated on their thrones in the back of the room. “Welcome, everyone!” my mother’s voice booms across the room, “Thank you for joining us in this celebration of my son, Prince Icarus, and his Gifted! While we always knew our son would find his Soulmate, imagine our surprise when he brings home this Geochroman oddity,” she laughs, and many in the room laugh with her. I glare in fury at the woman who dares bring Soleil’s beautiful, atypical green eyes and brown hair into question. “But as you can all see, she is already embracing her new life as a Mont Tienent!” Mother sweeps her arms in Soleil’s direction. Of course. The dress. The dress my mother sent to Soleil signifies the mountains against the same gray as our eyes. Mother made Soleil into the epitome of a Mont Tien princess. “Well, I invite you all to greet the couple warmly. Let the music resume!” With her announcement over, she and Father sit back in their thrones, and an ensemble plays music across the room.
I look over to Soleil. She is staring at my parents in terror. The blood has drained from her face. She remembers them. I don’t know what drove me to that particular conclusion, especially seeing as this entire thing must be frightening for her. But somehow, I know it to be true. Soleil remembers my parents. I grip her hand tight
ly, and force her to look at me. “Hey, it’s okay. I got you,” I say as soothingly as I can. She is still frozen, and people are starting to approach to greet us. I move into prince mode. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be more than happy to meet with each and every one of you, but first, I promised my Soulmate a dance!” I pronounce with a smile. Everyone starts cooing at how sweet and young we are, and I pull a traumatized looking Soleil onto the dancefloor.
On the dancefloor, I pull Soleil into my chest and lift her arms around my neck. To everyone watching us, it looks like two Soulmates stealing a moment to be close.
“Take a breath, Sol,” I whisper. I can feel her heave two huge gulps of air into her lungs.
“I remember it all, Reese,” she whimpers, “They thought I was faking being your Soulmate. They wanted me to admit it.” It’s my turn to take a breath to steady myself. I will murder them.
“I got you now, angel. They won’t get you again,” I whisper back. I hold her through the song and let her recover, occasionally looking up to check on Wren and Juniper. The song ends, and everyone applauds for us.
“You okay?” I ask. She pulls back from my chest and nods. “Good. Just stay with me, angel.” I step away from her, but keep my arm firmly around her waist.
Over the course of the next hour, we greet and dodge courtiers, all who try to embrace Soleil, most likely at my mother’s behest. I keep it as short as I can, and Soleil says little more than the occasional “hello” and “thank you.” Each time we move, I look up and give Wren a nod that we’re okay, and he nods back.
Eventually, I watch Mother and Father stand and start to make their way down toward us. I spin Soleil and I around to escape the encounter and walk straight into the king and queen of Geochroma.
Chapter 32
Soleil
I was already on the verge of a panic attack walking into the ballroom. However, as soon as I saw the King and Queen of Mont Tien, I felt everything boil over. Reese pulled me from the pool… He made me laugh in the willow tree… He shot me instead of the Thalassian… Resonation… Spectre… Mont Tien palace… Pain…
Any awe I had towards my memories with Reese is overshadowed by the agony inflicted by his mother and father. And there they are: just smiling at us. Queen Astrid is speaking, but all I hear is a buzzing in my ears as my mind reacts to her voice, her face. She’s even wearing another mauve gown like the one she wore when we met.
“Hey, it’s okay. I got you,” Reese’s voice breaks through. I can’t stop staring at the people who hurt me, just sitting up there as if nothing had happened. From the corners of my vision, I can see a mob of people moving in. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be more than happy to meet with each and every one of you, but first, I promised my Soulmate a dance!” I hear Reese announce next to me. Then he’s pulling me by the hand through a parting crowd and onto a dancefloor with nobody else around. There, he tucks me into his chest and pulls my shaking arms around his neck.
“Take a breath, Sol,” he whispers into my ear. I force myself to follow his instructions. This is no place to lose it.
“I remember it all, Reese,” I admit, “They thought I was faking being your Soulmate. They wanted me to admit it.” I hear Reese take a deep breath and he tightens his arms around me.
“I got you now, angel. They won’t get you again,” he whispers in reply. For a few minutes, he holds me there against his chest and we sway and turn to the music. I force myself to calm down. I can have a breakdown later. Right now, I need to get through this party without giving Queen Astrid any more reason to attack.
The song ends, and Reese whispers in my ear, “You okay?” I pull away from him to nod. “Good. Just stay with me, angel.”
Reese leads us through the ballroom. Dozens of people have introduced themselves to me, but I can’t remember a single one. I’m just so overwhelmed by the atmosphere and the royals’ presence that it’s taking all I have not to run from the room. One thing I do notice is that everyone tries to embrace me. It’s to the point where I’m practically cowering behind Reese as he fends them all off.
As Reese waves off another round of courtiers, I feel him stiffen where I lean into his back. He whips us around, and plows us right into a new set of visitors. These ones are different from the people who have approached up thus far: the ones we’ve spoken to have all had the signature Mont Tien look, and have been dressed either in the Mont Tienent military formals or some earthy colors. The group that stands in front of us is the epitome of color. A woman that looks to be in her late thirties or early forties, and a little taller than me smiles warmly. Her long red hair is pinned up, with just the smallest hint of makeup around her brown eyes. Her long sleeve dress is blue, with a garden scene of two lovers embroidered on her skirt, and a night sky across her bodice. The man next to her is about the same age as her, and is the same height as Reese. While he has the same brown eyes as the woman beside him, his hair is a dark blonde, with a short trimmed beard to match. His suit is the same color as his partner’s, with iridescent swirls throughout to resemble the Northern Lights. He also wears an overskirt that matches the garden scene the woman has embroidered on her skirt. Most importantly: they both wear gold crowns with delicate blossoms decorating the metalwork.
“Oh, I’m so sorry if we startled you two!” the woman exclaims.
“Please, the fault is mine, Queen Sage,” Reese replies with a bow.
“Oh please, just call me Sage,” the queen smiles, “And this is my darling husband, Wilder.” Wilder gives us a huge smile.
“It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you in person, Prince Icarus! From our extensive correspondence, it feels like I already know you,” he says to Reese. Then he turns to me, “And Miss Soleil! I can’t tell you how excited we were to hear that someone in our service had found their Soulmate!” I just stare at the two. My jaw must be on the floor. This is them. This is the King and Queen of Geochroma. Reese squeezes my hand and gives me an urgent look, and I snap out of it.
“Oh, um, I’m pleased to meet you both, Your Majesties,” I stutter out and dip into a bow.
“Oh, none of that now,” Sage rolls her eyes and winks, “Really, just Sage is fine.”
“Pleased to meet you… Sage and Wilder,” I mumble like an idiot.
“We can’t even begin to tell you two how much we were looking forward to this visit, isn’t that right, dear?” Wilder says, turning to Sage. She nods animatedly.
“Oh, yes! As soon as we heard that Prince Icarus had been Gifted, we had planned to send an ambassador. But when we heard his Gifted was a Geochroman? We were overjoyed! We just had to meet you two for ourselves!” Sage explains.
These royals are so much different from the king and queen I’ve met. They are warm, and friendly, and I can’t help but relax and smile at the two.
“Actually, would you two have a moment to talk in private?” Wilder requests. I look nervously at Reese, afraid to be alone with another powerful couple. “Of course, you can bring your two friends you’ve been eying so diligently,” he winks at Reese. He must mean Wren and Juniper. I’ve noticed him watching them as well.
“We just figure it may be a little easier to converse without a certain someone looming over you,” Sage whispers, suddenly serious. I frown and turn to look over my shoulder. The King and Queen of Mont Tien are standing in front of their thrones and staring at us. King Zephyr looks disturbed, but Queen Astrid looks downright malicious. I whip my head back around to face Sage and Wilder.
“Only if it’s okay with Soleil,” Reese finally answers them, and looks down at me. “What do you think, Sol?” he murmurs. I immediately nod. Anything to get away from them. Reese looks up and makes a “follow me” gesture with his head. I look around him in time to see Wren nod and pull Juniper over.
“Now, for a little distraction,” Wilder says conspiratorially. He leans over and whispers in the ear of the man next to him. I realize they are actually surrounded by six other people, all Geochromans. The man
he is speaking to is in Geochroman military formals of green with embroidered vines and flowers. The man nods, and walks to the thrones. I hear him greet Queen Astrid loudly and jubiantly, catching the attention of everyone in earshot. “That’s my brother, Grove,” he whispers to us, “If anyone can keep that old bat distracted, it’s him and his big mouth.” I startle when he refers to the tyrant queen as an “old bat,” but I guess when you’re royalty, you can do whatever you want.
The Geochroman royals turn and immediately head to the door of the ballroom, with the other five people in their party as well as Reese, Wren, Juniper, and I closely behind. They lead us out of the ballroom and down through the grand foyer. They beckon us through the courtyard and behind a large wall on the side of the palace. We emerge into a huge garden with a large patio covered in seating. The two take a seat, but their party remains standing behind them. The four of us sit across from them, and exchange nervous looks.
“Sorry for all the secrecy, but we want to make sure nobody could hear us,” Wilder explains. We all nod at him, still not fully understanding.
“First and foremost,” Sage leans forward and looks at me with concern, “Are you okay, Soleil?” I blink in surprise at the question.
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply. Sage shakes her head.
“Soleil, I know what Astrid is like,” she starts again, “And I know what she does to people she sees as threats. Honey, are you okay?” Sage looks at me with so much compassion and concern, almost motherly concern, that I start to crumble under her sympathetic gaze. I feel like she can see in my head. I just shake my head, afraid to say anything in case my voice breaks. Sage’s face turns angry, and she looks at Reese. “What’s happened?” she demands of him.
Souls & Spectres: The Spectral Chronicles: Book 1 Page 15