Page 20 of A Tempest of Revelation
I repeatedly told myself this, but my racing heart and sweaty palms belied my new mantra. Unable to stand the tension building within me, I took another drink from a passing servant.
Two wouldn’t kill me, but thishadto be my final one. I sipped my drink while listening to the music and doing my best to keep my gaze straight ahead instead of following the flow ofamsirah riveted on the duke and his son as they made their way through the crowd.
Callan was still playing with the other musicians, but a woman with a beautiful voice had joined them to sing a sweet song of love and friendship. I glimpsed my mother dancing with a sea captain.
She smiled as she held herself a little away from him. She could dance with that man, but her heart would always belong to my father.
I remained at the edge of the crowd, creeping toward the open back doors of the patio that wrapped around two walls. Ryker’s head bobbed above the crowd before he veered deeper into the crowd and vanished.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. It took too long to resume its natural rhythm as I skulked toward an exit.
I slipped behind one of the room’s stone pillars and on toward the open glass doors encompassing the back and side wall of the room. A summer breeze drifted through the numerous open doors. It helped to cool the room, but it was the magical breeze within, created by amsirah, that kept the dance floor from being stiflingly hot.
I stopped at the patio’s edge and sipped my drink while looking over the gardens. More torches lit the pathways and the snow falling from the sky.
The snow didn’t coat the pathway but created a white swirl in the air. The contrast between this wintry mixture and the warm August air was striking and a little disconcerting, but I loved it.
The earl was very proud of his ability to manipulate this element and enjoyed showing it off. I was sure he’d had some other amsirah, probably some of his servants, helping him maintain this winter wonderland.
I yearned to go out amongst the plants and solitude, but I couldn’t slip away yet. It was still too early in the night, mymother would notice, and while I wasn’t in a rush to see either of them, I wouldn’t hide from Ryker or his father.
Instead, I placed my empty glass on the tray of a passing servant and strolled back into the room. I couldn’t run away yet, but I had no intention of plunging back into the fray.
I kept to the shadows as I moved through the room, staying near the wall and away from most of the crowd. As I walked, I passed the pillar again and noted the red tapestry hanging down the back of it. A single snowflake was embroidered on it.
The tapestry intrigued me. Why was it there when the rest of the pillar was devoid of decoration? It wasn’t on the side facing the dance floor, so it wasn’t visible to all the attendees.
With nothing better to occupy my time, I strolled closer to examine the beautiful decoration. I rubbed the velvety material back and forth between my fingers before pulling it further away from the wall to look behind it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ellery
My eyebrows roseas I discovered the hidden alcove within the gray stone structure.Why would the earl have this?
I looked around to ensure no one was watching me before stepping into the shadowed enclosure. The tapestry settled behind me, shutting out all the light from the ballroom but also revealing the small glow around the edges of a panel in the floor.
The pillar housed a trapdoor in the floor, most likely leading to the servants’ hallways. I didn’t know how often they’d use this door tonight, but it was a way for the servants to move around without being seen.
Kneeling, I examined the edges of the door as I imagined opening it and slipping away, but I couldn’t leave my mother here. Plus, the servants didn’t seem thrilled about having any of us here; I doubted they’d be happy to see me traipsing through their tunnels.
I also wasn’t a coward who ran from her problems, but I really,reallywanted to be. Rising from the door, I pushed the tapestry open and slipped out of the alcove.
I smoothed my skirt as I glanced around to make sure no one had seen me, but no one was around. Creeping back into the shadows near the wall, I studied the other three pillars in the room.
Do they all have hidden doors, or is it just this one?
With nothing better to do and looking for something to occupy my time, I decided to find out. It was far more interesting to me than this party.
As I made my way out of the shadows and back toward the main crush of amsirah, some of the whispers made it to me. “He brought his fiancée.”
“The duke is engaged.”
“Isn’t she lovely?”
“I heard someone say she’s half dark fae.”
“No,” another guest said, sounding scandalized by the possibility of the duke marrying anyone who wasn’t entirely amsirah.
