“It’s not too tight?” Therina asks, pulling the strings of my corset until it’s set in its proper place. My lungs are squeezed tight, so much so that the human I was would struggle to breathe, but as I am there is no need to worry. I can still find enough air to speak with, and that’s all that concerns me.
“It’s perfect as it is,” I say. “I’m not going to die from shortness of breath.”
“Of course, my lady,” Therina smiles, eagerly bouncing through the room and readying more accessories for me. I cannot recall a time when someone has had this much joy in dressing me, is there something strange about this young woman?
It matters not.
I cannot begrudge her the enjoyment of her duties. I keep my lips tight and bear her affections, as she excitedly prepares something more. This is the fifth dress that she’s had me change into, and I find myself glad that I thought to prepare early for this entire affair.
What I hope to be my final dress for the evening, is defined by the shimmering green layers of the long dress. Layers enough to disguise the shape of my legs and hide away the wooden steak strapped to my thigh.
It is only when I move that the lower layers can be seen beneath, they are of a deeper blue, but sparkle with hints of silver, seeming like a hidden night sky but with stars that shine a little too bright in a sky just a little too blue.
The corset still shows my feminine curvature without the need to draw the lecherous eyes of every lesser man who crosses my path. The dress is proper, not some scandalous revealing thing like what I’ve seen on the streets of late, or worse the sort I’ve come across in that debaucherous den that Semi rules over.
A hint of my skin shows through the dark lace that forms the collar and the upper sleeves of the dress while countless silken ribbons are sewn together for the lower sleeves. Each one is dark blue with a faint sparkle, like the deeper layers of my dress.
A simple silver emerald ring adorns one finger, while a set of earrings give some little shine to my face.
My shoes are but small heels, they too are a deep crystal blue, with small swirling threads of silver patterned within. A master cobbler had to cast intricate magics to reshape crystal to suit. Of course, the sponge and silk inserts keep them from being too uncomfortable.
Lastly, she prepares my hair for the evening, separating it into two long, tight braids which she then twists up into wide circles, attaching them to the side of my head with silver hairpins.
“Might you need to prepare your own dress?” I ask her, standing and testing the limits of my movement. All formal dresses restrict to some measure, and it’s important to understand those very limits. With my newfound strength, I may accidentally tear the dress apart, which would be an unforgivable mistake.
“It’ll take just a moment,” Therina says, rushing about with her own preparations so swiftly that I have to suspect some nature of magic is at work. She’s shown no sign of it thus far, but I suppose all who are wise of magics nature invest themselves in some form or another. Yet, few are those who would share without being prompted.
“It’s time,” I say, and Therina nods excitedly.
“It’s like from a fairy tale,” she whispers, her eyes glowing as she looks at me. “We’re going to a proper noble ball.”
“Yes, and I trust that you will serve me well,” I say, adjusting her collar. “You may make some mistakes, as much is to be expected given your lacking experience. Do not worry over it, I’ll cover for any mistakes you make.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Therina says, bowing her head, her smile as wide as ever. “I could not ask for a better lady to serve.”
I pause my step once more, turning to look at her. I can see no dishonesty in her expression, no fear or hesitation. She knows who and what I am, but still she can say this with such perfect confidence.
“Even though I’m no longer human?” I ask.
“Yes, my lady,” Therina says. “You found me in the streets and gave me a position here. You ended the violence of those awful, awful people who I served before, and never once did you question me, not for serving them, and not for running away.
“You are a true noble, even if you aren’t human. Even if you do terrible things, it’s only to those deserving,” Therina’s eyes shine as she looks upon me, seeing only the delusions that she wants to see. “I trust you, my lady.”
“Thank you,” I answer her, my posture a measure just as straight, but perhaps a little more steady now.
Nobles must remain dignified, exemplary in all forms and things. It is a responsibility owed not only to the divine powers to which we have made our oaths but to the people who would look upon us for guidance.
I must be the noble that she believes me to be.
“Let us be off,” I say, leaving the house in capable hands and making way for the carriage that waits for us in the yard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
While we are a noble party in the strict definition, we do not have the proper majesty as we roll through the streets. My thugs, while dressed somewhat more appropriately than before are not yet in such a state where they could be recognised as part of a noble retinue.
While the difference is meaningless to the commoners and peasants, it is unmistakable to those who are familiar with what to look for. I’m not surprised, or overly offended, when we are stopped at the gates for an inspection.
A brief word through the window of the carriage is enough to have us moving once again, all the way up to the grand palace that stands atop the hill. Yet is palace the right word for such a place?
A ballroom made to be more than a ballroom.
Henry is the one to open the carriage door for me, smirking in a most undignified manner as he offers me a hand down, before offering the same to Therina. We stand at the foot of the grand hall, a place which was built anew after the city’s sacking a decade ago.
Now it stands twice as grand as before if I’m to believe what my father once told me. For once, I suspect that there’s no need to doubt his words.
White stone columns wide as two carriages and tall as thirty men hold aloft the sloping ceiling.
Statues of handsome men and beautiful women, each at the peak of what a person might be, stand in the place of gargoyles, the naturally dark striations of the stone imitating thick æther veins. Some rest at leisure high up on the walls, others stand at attention watching in judgement as we walk beneath them.
Brilliant tapestries hang from the roof, each one signifying the great houses of this kingdom. My own is but a smaller strip of silver on deep blue. As while I represent a Count’s house, there are more nobles in this kingdom than perhaps is necessary.
“Countess Christina Greystone,” the host of this evening calls to me with feigned affection, his wide open arms belying the cold calculations in his eyes.
“Quite the story that you must have to tell, and all our guests are most eager to hear it.”
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“Duke Orland,” I say, curtsying only so deep as ought to be expected of a Countess to a Duke. “I’m sure that my tale is not so interesting as to overshadow our fine host. It is my pleasure to be here, in place of my late uncle, to whom the invitation was addressed.”
“Let us leave the dead to their rest, dear,” the Duke’s wife replies in his place. “It is the living that concern us this evening.”
“Then I’m glad you have made an exception for me,” I reply. “I would continue, but it seems that there are others here with a want to greet you.”
“Yes,” Duke Orland replies, tilting his head to convey his confusion at my words. “Do enjoy yourself this evening, I’m sure there are many here who would wish to borrow your hand for a dance.”
“Then many will be left wanting,” I reply, stepping through the entrance and into the fine hall.
The cold of my magic must be rolling off me at this distance, but neither of them has shown a hint of having noticed. Perhaps they have accurately surmised that it is an aura I’ve developed in training my frost magic. Nobles are more difficult to surprise, I suppose.
The Duke is already greeting the next noble who was a little fast in following me. They are perfectly polite but there are clear inferences in the furtive gazes they turn toward me.
The inside is twice as rich and colourful as the outside with shaped gemstones colouring everything from the dishes to the ceiling itself.
Therina sparkles beside me as she takes it all in. The joy that she exudes at this moment brings a small smile to my lips. The enchanted lights seem so much brighter when reflected through her smile, and the room so much warmer.
No noble or servant would ever be so affected by the luxuries surrounding us, I must wonder if this wouldn’t be better appreciated by the common and men and women who would ordinarily never experience such things.
I can only indulge in these thoughts for so long before responsibilities pull me away.
I am here with purpose.
I hope to find a trace of Aldramodore and extort some answers from him. I may not be capable of standing toe to toe with the man when we are hunters in the night, but as nobles, he cannot simply have me killed.
I fight the instinct to draw the wooden steak that I’ve tied to my leg, disguised by the layers of my dress. I doubt that I could succeed in killing him, and even if I somehow did, I’m not sure that I’d survive.
If I die, my people suffer. My life, even now that I’m a monster, is not simply my own.
If I can corner the man in the right circumstances, he’ll have no choice but to face me, but I’ll need allies. I’ll need a plan, and for that, I need to know the ground upon which we walk.
Beyond that, I must also find those who might work with me to repair our broken kingdom. Perhaps I can rebuild my lands, and enrich my people, but only my people and my lands. If something as terrible as another war were to wash through these lands, then I would need allies to even hope of preventing the worst from coming about.
With clear eyes, I re-examine the room.
Men and women, nobles and their servants, move in careful flows that are not totally estranged from their common counterparts. Groups form here and there, clusters of familiar faces, whispering plots in the evening.
One young noble gloats about his newly acquired pet, an animalistic beast captured from across the eastern mountains. It seems of a family to the norkit, though much nearer to a genuine monster.
“Across the mountains, you say?” A young lady asks, looking at the collared creature. “Are you sure you didn’t just have your hounds mate with one of those terrible northerners?”
“You aren’t aware?” the boy asks, hiding his offence. “There are monsters across those mountain ranges, intelligent beasts. It’s said that they hunt humans down to steal our skins.”
The poor creature wilts under the attention, it’s difficult to be sure just how intelligent it might be, but he was not lying. It at least imitates a human closely enough that they need to clothe it for decency’s sake.
There are a few others about the room, some feathered, some with great horns. They remind me of the images of mermaids that I’ve seen in one of the books in my library. Half human and half beast, which is at least a half more human than me.
Those who aren’t running about to show off their ‘pets’ are whispering quiet plots in the corners or discussing those plans that have already succeeded, no longer caring for secrecy. With my senses far improved compared to the humans that surround me, there is little that can escape me.
“Have you heard of the recent scandal?”
“Viscount Thorpe? Oh, yes, what a terrible man he is!”
“Do you believe it? It’s baseless rumours, it has to be.”
“But rumours of his… ‘proclivities’ are not new.”
“What of the Greystones?”
“Don’t speak of them!”
“It can’t be truly so serious, can it? Whispering about it won’t have us following in their fates, surely?”
“It’s a show of power from the royals, I’m sure of it.”
“I doubt it was for nothing, the royals wouldn’t normally take it so far. Surely, they crossed a line, perhaps they were traitors?”
“Traitors? No, never.”
“The survivor is here, is there some reason why they left her alive?”
Their eyes trace back to me in furtive glances, as they whisper rumours like the past servants I cast out of my home. My mind throbs as I take it all in, not simply the rumours, which offer me nothing new, but the ‘pets’ that they show off, some of which are clearly intelligent beings.
The city remains in ruin, commoners struggle to survive as crime infests every street. Armies marched over us just ten years ago and the scars remain in the land and in the homes of our people.
Yet I can hear not a whisper of that here, I can see not a hint of it. If I take but one step outside, I’ll see a city that isn’t recovering but slowly decaying, and here the rulers are, lounging in luxury and all they can talk about is the politics.
No, they aren’t rulers.
The murder of my family is important, I would never deny that. It is a matter worthy of discussion, yet, even when that topic is set aside, all they can busy themselves with is their own petty squabbles. I drift toward the shadows as I try to understand.
Blinking away the assumptions that had blinded me, and the positive shine that I can see through Therina’s eyes, I can only think of what Semi was saying.
The dragons feast, while the town burns.
The nobles care not for the lives of the commoners, standing above them, but not leading them. They have forgotten their responsibility to serve the kingdom and its people.
They have forgotten their purpose.
Steadying myself, I stand tall and cross the floor. Belle is here enjoying the company of two familiar young noblewomen. I must start gathering allies somewhere, but this first step feels the most difficult.
“Good evening,” I say, stepping into their conversation. Belle freezes for a heartbeat, peering into my eyes before relaxing once more. The others here notice but refrain from speaking on it.
“I hadn’t thought that you were showing yourself at these events,” Lady Shari says, smiling warmly as she reaches out a hand to my arm. She shudders taking in the freezing state of my flesh.
“Those who do not act of their own will must forever react to the wills of others,” I say. “I had also thought it wise to come and assist Belle in case that royal prince continues his pursuit of her.”
Belle smiles, and a sigh escapes my lips quite without my own intent.
“I was concerned when you arrived separately,” Henriette says, looking between us. “I didn’t want to start any rumours, but I thought that things were well between you.”
“Everything is fine,” Belle says, almost too quickly. Her father, standing near us, turns his attention my way but I refrain from saying anything. The man’s visible æther veins are proof enough of his power.
“I may have acted improperly a short time ago and given Belle a terrible fright,” I say.
“Oh?” Shari opens her eyes wide and looks between us curiously. “Have you mended your relationship? We cannot afford to be split apart in a moment like this, the young noblemen will eat us alive.”
“I was just taken aback,” Belle says, lifting her chin and meeting my gaze. “I asked for you to show me who you are, I shouldn’t have reacted so coldly to you for answering my request.”
She crosses the group, hooking her elbow through mine as she takes up a position at my side. Her warmth seeps into the cold that has settled into my flesh, I let it, easing my magic to keep from making her any more uncomfortable than she already is.
“Oh,” Henriette’s eyes turn across the floor, sharpening in focus on one particular young man.
His refined suit is trimmed with gold, and dark as a starless night. His gaze is settled on the young woman by my side, and the sneer on his lips isn’t disguised with even the most shallow attempt at noble manners.
“Is that the man bothering you?” I ask, my appetite already whet.
“He is,” Belle says, tightening her grasp on me.
“Say, Belle,” my senses come to life as I consider the prospects of a hunt. “Do you mind my true nature? Would you hold a grudge against me, if I were to admit that I am a rather gluttonous monster?”
The heat in the man’s eyes, as he stares at her and then at me, only fuels the tingling temptations running through my skin. An electric desire to torment and slay the man for daring to look at her so.
Belle turns to me, a frown showing on her lips.
“Tina, do believe it is right to let the monster in you run loose? Do think it is morally good?”
“Do you begrudge the hunter who kills the deer, or the farmer who slaughters his cattle?” I ask.
“He may be troublesome, and dangerous, but he’s not simply an animal, he’s a person and is due respect. If he ever does cross a line so far that I would see him dead then it would be with respect for his humanity,” Belle replies. “I do not appreciate the way that you kill, Tina.”
My fangs itch with wanting desire, as my cold mind considers her words.
“Those who betray their oaths and their duties, nobles who fail their people, they deserve no respect,” I whisper my answer to her, just like when we were coming back from our first meeting with her priest. “An honourable death is only due to those who live with honour.”
“Then, what of you?” Belle asks. “Do you deserve an honourable death?”
Our conversation is brought to a close as the man approaches us, we stand together. We may have our differences but we are still betrothed, and should that fall through, we will still be allies on this battlefield.
“A dead girl has stolen something from me,” the prince says, leering at me with fire in his eyes. “I do not appreciate these games, girl.”