Without Starlight

Sparkling Juice is Not an Accessory

~Chapter 6: Abagaila~

Abagaila found that she wasn't fond of dancing for several hours straight, especially when possible war was on her mind.

"Your Highness?"

She looked to her dance partner, a young man in a black suit with a blue vest. He was pudgy and tall, but she had to admit that he could dance well. "Yes?"

"Am I displeasing you?" He asked. He was trying too hard to win her favor, and if she remembered his introduction correctly he was of the Lancer family, who were poor nobles now. He was probably wife hunting.

With a sigh, she stopped dancing, several others around her stopped to watch. Her partner looked ready to die. Wife hunter or not, she couldn't ruin his chances with any other eligible ladies. "I'm afraid that I've been dancing far too long. Will you escort me to one of the food tables?"

He brightened up, smiling charmingly. She delicately placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. After tonight, she was going to need something stronger than the sparkling juice in the large crystal bowls. As he led her through the already parted crowd, she caught sight of something that she hadn't seen all night: someone dressed in all black.

He stood off to the side of the food table, holding a thin glass of sparkling juice. Ladies of all social standing and age were trying to make his acquaintance. He merely smiled at them and looked away. While Abagaila had to admit that he was beautiful in his perfectly fitting suit, with matching mask and hair, it was his eyes that entranced her. They were like two stars in the night sky.

She gently nudged the Lancer boy, pointing the young man dressed in all black. "Who is that? Do you know?"

The Lancer boy gave the one in all black a cold look over that made Abagaila want to run away. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I am not familiar with him."

"How unfortunate." Abagaila removed her hand from his elbow. "I think I'm going to make his acquaintance." She darted off, her escape made easier by the crowd parting for her.

The man in all black watched her approach with a hesitant gaze. "Your Highness." He said to her and bowed. She curtsied, never taking her eyes off him. It was obvious to her why the seventy-year-old Lady Crushgin, was flirting. This boy could tame dragons with his gaze alone.

"You know more of me than I know of you." She said, tilting her head to the side like a bird. The action nearly pulled her over because of all her hair on the top of her head. "That's quite rude."

"My apologies, Your Highness." He said, his voice soft. "You may call me... " He looked like he had lost his train of thought.

"I may call you...?" Abagaila picked up one of the glasses of sparkling juice. If he was trying to intrigue her, then he was doing it well.

He looked down into his glass before looking back up, meeting her gaze. "Ember." He said with a hint of sour humor.

"Ember...?" Abagaila was getting a strange feeling from this man. A sense of magic, she would have Rynn sniff he out before the end of the evening.

The man chuckled. "Yes, Ember." He held out his hand. "May I have this next dance, Your Highness?"

Abagaila resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at this Ember, but she took his hand anyway. Maybe she would get more out of him on the dance floor. "It would be my honor." She placed her glass down.

Ember walked her to the edge of the floor and waited for the next dance to begin. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, even his suit had such delicate touches as her dress had. Surely, he was from a rich family, noble or not. A suit like that would cost a small fortune.

The song ended, and Ember led her onto the floor. As the orchestra struck up the next song, Ember put his hand on her waist, but kept his hold light and body far, as if he expected to run away at any moment. They twirled for several measures at an awkward distance apart. Abagaila stepped into him so that they were nearly touching.

"Tell me, Ember," She spoke sweetly, looking up into his face, "where are you from?"

He looked down at her, his pale eyes wide in surprise, with what she didn't know. Then, he looked up and twirled her around a couple of elderly nobles. This man could dance. "This area." He said at length. His eyes were distant and his hand cold.

"Where in this area?" Abagaila pulled him closer to get his attention back on her. She could feel his heart, slow and steady and then racing when he looked down at her.

The bell tower outside of the ballroom tolled the start of midnight.

Ember leaned in close to her so that his lips were right next to her ear. "Dangerous shadows are after the throne, Your Highness, please be careful." Then, he was gone. Weaving through the crowd as the bell echoed through the room once more.

She chased after him. "Wait! Some one stop him!" The crowd acted to obey their princess, but just as Ember pasted the sparkling juice, it exploded. Shrieks exploded from the ladies that were drenched in the sticky liquid. Men went to help, and, in the confusion, everyone lost sight of the man dressed in black.

Abagaila did her best to guess where he went, which would have been the gardens. She flung open the glass doors and peered into the dark. Her shadow stretched far into the moonlit grass, but she couldn't see much past the arc of light from the windows. The garden was vast and stretched far, with many trees to hide around.

She needed to find this man. His warning echoing in her skull, so there was something after her throne: dangerous shadows. They had to be connected to Rynn smelling Tragoons on the boy Nicholas. This Ember could be her way to get the King to take her seriously and maybe even find Nicholas. It now seemed that she had two boys to find. Her mother would be so happy that she was man-hunting.

Guests streamed into the gardens, followed by Rynn. "Find the man dressed in all black. He knows about the threat to the country." She whispered to her guard before issuing orders to search the gardens. Rynn and fellow male guests spread out, while the females tended to the juice that covered them.

Abagaila hiked up her skirts, ready to join but a hand was laid on her elbow, holding her back. She turned to find Hames Lancer. "Your Highness, it is not wise to follow a stranger. You could get hurt."

With a very deep breath, she controlled the urge to slap him. "Thank you for your concern." She said through gritted teeth. "My guards will personally bring back the man who abandoned me in dance." And warned me of shadows, she added.

"Indeed, Your Highness." Hames smiled at her but didn't remove his hand. "He will be found before the balls are over."

She shivered at the tone of his voice but was happy to hear the panicked shrieks of her mother. Abagaila pulled her arm from the grasp of Hames's grasp, rushing forward into the arms of her mother.

"Oh, my darling." Queen Darrah stroked her daughter's hair, careful not to muss the design. "What happened?"

"I'm not quite sure, mother." Abagaila looked around to the girls drenched in sticky juice.

Queen Darrah followed her glance. Releasing her daughter, the Queen took up the role of doting hostess. "I want these girls to be given a bath and a chance of appropriate clothing!" Servants appeared from the crowd, herding the girls from the ballroom. "Clean up this mess and start the music up again!"

Abagaila didn't watch the bustle of people as the ball resumed. Her eyes were fixed on the garden. She longed to go and join the search. If that Ember really had information on the dangerous threats to her country, she wanted him found.

Rynn appeared in the doorway. He shook his head 'no.' The mysterious Ember had vanished with whatever knowledge he could have told them.