The gala was being heldwithin the palace, under the King’s thumb. Danica thought it appropriate and though she tried her hardest to keep up the appearance of a cold human amidst predators, she couldn’t stop her eyes from absorbing everything she was seeing.
There were numerous different species who chose to partake in the Race Games. Many of the people looked normal, if not exceedingly beautiful. The goblins weren’t going to be at the gala apparently, as they preferred the brutality of the races to all the pomp and circumstances. She didn’t think it was fair that they could escape the gala where they were forced to appear, but she didn’t make the rules. It wasn’t until Danica saw her first Fae that she nearly swallowed her tongue.
The Fae man was achingly beautiful, as most of the people in the room were, but that wasn’t what held her attention. It was the wings arching over his back, beautiful translucent glowing appendages that flapped lazily at his back. He purposely kept them raised up, a sign of power, no doubt.
Arden, seeing her looking, bumped his shoulder with hers. “Don’t touch their wings, ever. Not even on accident. It’s seen as a sign of disrespect and an offense they can kill you for.”
“Good to know,” Danica murmured. When the Fae man looked over at her and gave her a ‘come hither’ look, she turned away. She had no desire to be influenced by a pretty face and fairy dust.
“Remember, stay with one of us at all times,” Phi instructed. “Unfortunately, that will probably be Arden.” There was regret in his voice that had Danica looking up at him.
“Everything okay?”
Phi nodded. “As the prince, it means I’m expected to make my rounds. I’ll return here shortly if I’m able to.”
“Have fun,” Arden said brightly, and Phi sneered at him. Arden, unperturbed, simply hooked Danica’s arm over his and grinned. “Try not to die of boredom.”
Arden and Danica watched as Phi moved away and walked up to a man wearing an outrageously hideous suit. Phi kept his mask on, no emotions on his face, and as he talked, more and more people came up to him, flocking to the crown prince. It was the women who seemed the worst, most of them touching and throwing themselves in Phi’s line of vision without care.
Danica frowned. “I bet that’s lonely.”
“What?” Arden asked, following her gaze.
“To have people only interested in his title and not the person he is. Phi is a great person, and yet, not a single creature over there seems to know anything about him except for his title.”
“You’re correct,” Arden murmured, leading her toward the refreshments table. Carefully, he picked up a drink from the server and sniffed it. He handed it to Danica. “Clean. It’s juice really, but don’t drink too much of it or else you’ll have the urge to dance all night.”
Danica took the drink from him carefully and took a sip, trusting him. “Oh, wow.”
He nodded. “Fairy wine. Potent stuff. But what you were speaking of earlier, it’s a lonely life to bare a crown. There’s freedoms I have that Phi never will, and that makes me sad for him.” He glanced over to his friend where he stood surrounded by people. “He worried for a long time I had my own aspirations for befriending him, but that’s long since passed. Our friendship goes beyond simple exchange of power.”
“Like brothers, almost,” Danica nodded. “I understand. Leo, he’s the same for me. When we finish this, if you two stick around, I’d like you to meet him. He’s my brother in all ways but blood. However, I’m a prodigy, so for a long time, people lined up in the hopes of what I could do for them. Leo was never like that, and to this day, I thank him for that.”
“What do you mean if we stick around?” Arden grunted. “Certainly, you don’t expect us to. . .”
But Arden’s voice trailed off when a man came through the higher doors to the left with a young woman on his arm. The man wore a crown on his head, his weathered face belying his age in a world that didn’t age normally. He wore an outfit just as opulent as Phi, but far more royal. Danica knew immediately who he had to be, if not by his attire, then by the way Arden tensed. The woman on his arm was vacant, her eyes unseeing, as if she were nothing more than an accessory. Danica suspected that was the case.
Arden tensed. “Don’t do anything foolish,” he whispered so low, she almost didn’t hear it.
But Danica was nothing if not calculated as she watched the man who would dare kill his own son for power descend the stairs walk straight toward them, bright golden eyes trained on her and her alone. She didn’t look away.
Instead, Danica looked the King of the Northern Sect right in the eyes, and she did not flinch.