Fallen Angel

The Summer Festival

 Leira instantly hated this event.

 The castle gates had been propped open, and guards stood on either side. Today, they smiled at the guests as they welcomed them to the royal palace. The street was flooded with people dressed in ridiculous outfits. Noble women wore dresses with long skirts and way too many decorations. Their male companions looked just as foolish in their formal suits. Some of them were covered in sparkles that glittered in the light from the torches illuminating the path. It made Leira feel as though she stood out in a bad way.

 Leira looked around at all of the people. They were all nobility who dedicated their lives to attending parties and living in the lap of luxury.  They all appeared the same to her except for one.

 Her black hair was so short it fell at her chin. Her dress was floor length. It lacked sleeves, and was a dark shade of purple. She wore fingerless gloves on her hands. The strangest part was that this woman was staring at the five of them with interest. Her black eyes seemed to be examining her very soul.

 She ignored the bizarre woman and stared around at the scenery. As the group walked into the ballroom, she could not help feel astounded. Summer flowers decorated the pillars holding up the ceiling. A few paper lanterns dangled from wire strung from one end of the room to the other.

 The room also held many other things, such as stain glass windows, two thrones decorated with gold, and a few sculptures. To her, it seemed like they put most of their effort into making everything extravagant.

 An orchestra was nestled in one corner of the room. The music of violins, cellos, and flutes filled the air. Many of the nobles were in the center of the room, dancing. This particular one was a waltz, and it had specific steps the dancers were to follow. The people who did not know how to do the dance stood at the edge of the room, socializing. Leira was not much of a dancer, so she did not care for it. She simply thought that there were too many people.

 “Okay, we’re in. Now what?” she asked, staring at her companions.

 “I say we split up and look for clues,” Kyle replied. His eyes moved to and fro, trying to take in everything that was happening around him.

 Will nodded and added, “I’ll go with Leira. We can go look in the records upstairs.”

 Leira frowned, but before she could complain, Marissa said, “Kyle, the two of us can stay here and look around on the first floor. I’m sure there will be some of our enemies here tonight.”

 He nodded and Cora finished the conversation. “I am fine with going alone. I shall remain here and watch for any suspicious activity.” Everyone agreed except for Leira. She figured complaining would get her nowhere now. They set their meeting point as the fountain in the grand foyer. With that established, everyone went their separate ways.

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There were considerably less people upstairs; in fact, they were the only two. The hall was lined with paintings of past rulers and their family members. Their eyes seemed to follow the two of them as they paced quickly down the hall.

 It was of the utmost importance that they were not seen by a guard, since guests were not allowed upstairs. The hall was extremely long, with doors leading to many rooms on each side.

 “Where exactly are we going?” she whispered, following close behind him.

 He pointed straight ahead, at a door located at the very end of the hallway. “The archives are over there. If the crystal came in through trade or the king bought it, it would be written in there.”

 Leira nodded. She focused on her senses, listening for anyone that might catch them up here. For a while, the only sound was their footsteps. Just as they were about to reach the door, she heard someone coming.