Heart of a Diamond: A Rakta Diamond Story

A Dance

"Would it be unwise of me to admit that I am happy they are leaving?" Avinos murmured to Rakta. He shook his head slightly and she smiled before she straightened, her chin lifting haughtily.

The doors in front of them flew open, a servant announcing the princess, who strode into the dining room confidently. Her dress rustled slightly, the white silk flowing like water in the candlelight. A shimmering red powder sparkled over the skirt, faint at the waist before trailing down and encircling the hem in a solid line of sparkling red.

The dress was off-shoulder, and Rakta had been trying desperately to ignore that fact ever since he had escorted her from her rooms to the dining hall.

It had been a welcome break from constantly watching the Heart's Ace.

Infuriatingly, Tamsus always seemed to know exactly where he was and instead of leaving him to his post, would wander over and chat. An exercise that had consistently left Rakta with a pounding headache.

The Hearts' visit had stretched for over a week, and Rakta couldn't have possibly shared the princess' sentiment any more than he currently did. He was ready for the Hearts to leave as well.

Rakta's eyes swept the length of the table as he followed the princess. Queen Mielas sat at the head of the table and Avinos gracefully sank into the only remaining seat to the Queen's left. Mavros currently occupied the princess' normal position on Mielas' right side, and the rest of the seats were taken by various Jacks.

Tamsus was standing against the wall directly behind his Queen and winked at Rakta when he took up a similar position behind Avinos. He kept his face completely still, staring at the Heart with blank eyes. Tamsus frowned slightly before heaving a quiet sigh.

There was a moment of silence, and then the Queen waved her hand. Immediately the hall was filled to bursting with the sound of political conversation and palace intrigue, accompanied by the musical chinking of cutlery on china.

Rakta quickly found himself tuning it out, paying attention to nothing and everything as he had been trained. Masuta's words drifted listlessly through his head: When you observe only one thing, you miss anything else.

Movement and sound flowed through him, his brain catching snippets of conversation, sorting through all of the input in an attempt to catch anything that even hinted at a threat toward his Queen or the princess.

He blinked, snapping out of his state of unfocused observation when the Queen waved her hand, calling for silence.

Holding a crystal glass filled with blood-colored wine, the Queen smiled at the now silent nobles. Her eyes flicked to her daughter momentarily before once again turning to the table.

"I would like to say that we have been very pleased to have the Queen of Hearts and her Ace here as our guests. The Heart Deck is a dear ally and I would like to say friend once again."

Mielas paused and glanced casually at Mavros, who was holding her own wine glass and smiled before nodding at the Diamond Queen. Mielas held her glass up a little higher, the rest of the guests copying her.

Rakta's gaze, curiously, was drawn to Tamsus, who smiled at him. He narrowed his eyes slightly, ignoring the shiver that slithered down his spine. Tamsus' smile was that of a snake cornering a mouse. It was a rather bloody sort of smile.

His attention went slowly back to Mielas when she said, "We are holding this dinner and subsequent ball to celebrate!"

Murmurs erupted along the table, guests exchanging confused glances. Avinos peeked over her shoulder at Rakta, who was astonished to see the fear in her eyes. Another shiver skittered through him, but then Avinos looked away and the sensation disappeared.