In the Dark

Chapter 14

The chandelier was in pieces where it had crashed to the ground with a shuddering shake of the ground. It's delicately shaped metal had broken in some parts and the crystals were in pieces and covering the ground with the softly glittering shards all around the room. Riccardo could see pieces all around where he'd dove for the ground to avoid the falling chandelier and considered himself lucky that they'd all avoided him some how. He'd been lucky in general to have quickly moved out of the way of its crash landing. No, he realized, looking up and in the direction of Leon. He couldn't see him around the chandelier and people crowded around the perimeter, but he knew where their eyes had met just moments before the chandelier had crashed to the ground. Moments before Leon had warned him in time to dive out of the way of the heavy thing falling on top of him. How had he known?

The ballroom came alive with people talking and moving and suddenly someone was hoisting Riccardo up with their hands under his arms, others crowding in around him.

"On your feet, Riccardo," came Ruben's voice from behind him.

Riccardo got his feet under him and quickly stepped away from his father's general.

"What happened?"

"How'd it fall?"

"Shoddy worksmanship has to be to blame."

"Are you alright?"

It was hard to tell who was saying what as everyone seemed to approach Riccardo at once, but the last question made him turn, unsurprised to see his mother there, his father at her side.

"He's fine," his father answered his mother before Riccardo could.

Erik came from out of nowhere at this moment and hugged Riccardo tightly and Riccardo put his hand on his brother's back.

"So much for a dance," someone was saying in the crowd.

"So much for the Night Mother blessing anything here tonight," someone else sniggered.

"You don't think someone caused this on purpose do you," someone else voiced.

"Silence," his father boomed the command and just like that everyone was hushed. "We will not be continuing our celebrations here, obviously," he continued. "The chandelier will need to be cleaned up before resuming any festitivites safely in the ballroom. I assure you you are all safe in my home in the mean time. I'll be conducting an investigation, but I doubt this was anything more than an unfortunate accident."

"We do apologize for the inconvenience," his mother added. "But the rest of the palace is well equipped for all of you to enjoy. I'd like to invite you all to mingle with each other in my parlor, my husband's very comfortable cigar lounge, the bar, and activity room downstairs." She looked pointedly from the slow and sweeping gaze she'd been giving as she addressed everyone, her eyes focusing on one point in particular. "The staff will all escort you and provide the best in hospitality our palace can provide." Riccardo didn't have to look to know it was either the butler or housekeeper she'd spotted.

"Thank you all for your flexibility as we field this accident," his father added. "If you'll see yourselves to the exits where our staff are already ready to escort you. We will join you all shortly."

Their guests were slow to do so, but they turned and began to filter out to the exits as instructed, their low roar of voices starting up again now that they'd been released to talk amongst themselves once more.

"That was so crazy you got out of the way so fast," Erik said and Riccardo looked down where his brother unpeeled himself from the hug, looking up at him. "But someone yelled to you. I heard it."