SHADOW

The dance

The center of the Thorny Rose Academy ballroom shimmered with light. Massive candelabras, filled with lavender and rose-perfumed candles, crowded the middle of the grand hall, leaving the corners and alcoves in dim light that cast a mysterious air over the figures waiting in shadows or along the colonnade separating the outdoor balconies from the interior.

Sha felt like cattle at the village autumn parade, where peasants presented their most prized cow or goat to be judged. Whoever had the best animal could expect large profits the next spring from selling calves or puppies—especially if it was a good hunting dog.

In a way, their parents had done the same. They had put their daughters on display, to be sorted and selected by the more fortunate. There were sixty-three young ladies to be paired at this ball and only forty-one nobles of various ranks had shown up. Three of them wore black masks, seven wore blue, and the rest wore grey. That meant the chances of getting a monastery ticket were higher than before.

Last year, from what they'd learned—thanks to one or two girls who had spied behind the windows—the numbers were even, and not all of the men had considered the Thorny Rose Academy girls their best option. Some families, like Nena's, were paying a hefty price to keep their daughters in school one more year, hoping they'd get lucky the next time. Sha doubted Nena would become a master in natural science, but maybe this year her luck would turn.

"So, only three black masks and seven blue," whispered Floriana, giggling.

"Yep," Sha replied, thinking bitterly that they weren't just being judged by the men—they were prizes too. Even if the men didn't realize it, or maybe they did.

From day one, they had been instructed that a black mask meant an upscale noble, and a grey one meant a poor noble looking for a wealthy merchant's daughter to support his title with a generous dowry. Since Sha had no dowry, she was sure she had absolutely no chance with the grey-masked men. Most of them had inquired with the school about each girl's dowry. They were even asked to list this information in their student file before the ball. Sha remembered how one of the secretaries had cringed when she wrote a zero on that line.

Her parents had nothing to give her. The only thing they had owned—the farm—was sold to pay for her education here. Her only chance was if a rich man took a liking to her, or perhaps if an older or less desirable grey mask chose her out of desperation. A widower. Or worse—a cruel pervert.

She trembled a little, her feet rooted to the floor as the other girls rushed toward the center of the room, all eyes on the black and blue masks. Still, they were not allowed to approach the men directly—Teacher Sena had drilled that into their heads.

"Girls, you must not swarm the black and blue masks like insolent bees. No one is allowed to speak to them unless spoken to. Anyone who does will be thrown out of the ballroom and may never return. Is that clear?"

Well, it was clear to Sha. And it seemed clear to the other sixty-three girls too, who stood hesitantly on one side of the room, watching the other side as if a chasm had opened between them.

The music played on, awkwardly, as both sides stared at each other from across the space.

"Get out of my way!" screeched a voice. Sha turned to see Dina entering the room, late as usual. Her golden dress complemented the yellowish-purple bruise under one eye, poorly concealed with makeup. Sha wondered whether it was Dina's own doing or the result of another brawl.

"Let's go, Sha," Floriana prodded, dragging her toward the fireplace on the left side of the room.

How smart of her, Sha thought. Everyone else was instinctively crowding to the right, their skirts and dresses a rainbow of color against the wall. Only they were set apart, framing the fireplace, unobstructed.