Chapter 8
The two wraiths led me inside the ballroom, though that was a poor term for the room. It was a palace unto itself. My jaw dropped as I stood under the enormous pillared ceiling partially open to the air. On top of the mountain, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky, the stars burned in vivid hues of gold and indigo. Below the stars, the tops of snowy peaks glowed in the moonlight.
Fairies and nobbinflies flitted under the pillared arches, their lights mingling with the starlight. Green vines grew around the archways, and clusters of flowers bloomed in purples and periwinkle blues, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
Several staircases spiraled to balconies that encircled the room. People dressed in elaborate clothing and wearing masks were milling about on the balconies. I felt as if I’d been transported into another realm altogether, a place so filled with magic that anything was possible.
As I waited in the room, I noticed the stars spinning overhead. Confused, I studied the sky, wondering what enchantment the witch had used to make the stars move. Although Silvestra frightened me, I had to admit that her powers were something awe-inspiring. Not only had she created the ballroom, but she’d also created my own gown. I stood under the enchanted sky and ran my hands over the silk covering my arms. The dark plum, almost-black silk shimmered in the starlight around jewels that had been woven into the fabric, and the elaborately beaded bodice gave way to a full skirt that flowed to the ground.
Nerves pinched my stomach as I waited alone in the ballroom. What would Kull think when he saw me? Would his mind still be his own?
I walked toward the middle of the room and crossed over a mosaic of tiles arranged to resemble the universe. A small golden sun glinted from the center of the floor, and woven around it were planets in differing jewel tones—amethyst and garnet, sapphire and olivine. Magic emanated from the floor as I walked across it, making it seem as if I floated above the universe.
When I reached the room’s center, I stared at the people crowding the balconies above me, wondering why they’d all stayed up there. Alone, I stood awkwardly, fidgeting with the lace on my sleeves until a pair of heavily carved doors standing across from me swung open.
Silvestra entered.
She wore another silver gown, though more formal than the last, with a dramatic, plunging neckline and a full skirt whose train swept the ground. Her eyes, silvery aquamarine, glinted as she crossed the room to stand in front of me.
I shied in her presence as she stood over me. Her gaze was so intense I felt the dragon hiding inside her, dangerously close to the surface.
“We welcome you to our gathering,” she said.
Behind her, a large group of people entered the room, dressed as I’d seen them on the balcony in ruffled collars, masks with jewels and feathers, and gowns so exquisite some looked as if they’d been spun of gold and silver. Were these the wraiths?
A woman neared me, and I noticed her skin was mottled with sloughing scales. So this was what her wraiths did when they weren’t busy being tortured. The sheer number of wraiths was overwhelming. How many people had she transformed? Hundreds?
Silvestra clapped her hands, and music starting playing. It was a haunting, slow melody played on instruments similar to cellos and pianos. Those gathered began dancing, and Silvestra turned away to sit on her throne on the opposite end of the chamber, leaving me alone once again.
I scanned the crowd, my heart pounding as I searched for Kull. What if he wasn’t here at all? She’d promised he’d be here, but how could I be sure she’d keep her promise? Or worse, what if she’d transformed him already? If so, I swore I would use every ounce of my power to bring this castle down on her. I didn’t care if I died. She would suffer for taking him away from me. He was the only person in the world who kept me sane, who made me feel whole and loved, and I would die if he were gone because there would be nothing left of me.
I wandered up the staircase, my heeled shoes clicking against the marble. Several people passed me, and I scanned each one, focusing on their eyes, but found only the yellow, filmy eyes of the wraiths hiding behind jeweled masks.
The room seemed even more immense as I wandered the balcony, pausing occasionally to stare down from above. The carved stone railing felt cold under my fingers as I paced the landing, glancing from one face to another, looking for Kull. I wandered all the way up to the top tier, but I still couldn’t find him. I wore no mask, so he would have been able to find me if he were… himself.
Silvestra had told me he would be here, so perhaps it was time I had a chat with her. Magic gathered in my fisted hands as I made my way back to the dance floor and toward the witch’s throne. People gathered around the witch, but I pushed past them to face her.
“Where is he?” I demanded.
“Calm, child. He is here.”
“Where?”
She studied me for a moment before answering, as if sizing me up, wanting to understand my actions.
“He waits for you in the garden,” she finally said and pointed to a small alcove with an opening leading outside.
I shoved past the wraiths and headed toward the alcove. The music faded as I wandered into the immense garden outside. The damp air smelled of rain. Water trickled through small streams, weaving through the rose bushes. I followed one of the streams down a shallow slope, walking on a stone footpath, which was
