Iviris

3

He reaches out a hand.

"Thanks, but I've got this." He steps back and I push myself onto the platform.

Xero appears behind me within a matter of seconds. Eklan looks to her, hopeful- possibly about the test results. She reaches for her data pod. Eklan does the same. So now here I am, standing awkwardly as two people I barely know secretly communicate information about me back and forth. Lovely.

He swipes through the information. His piercing emerald eyes meet mine. 

"You preformed well."

"Thank you."

"We will discuss a different proposal later." I shift my weight back and forth as he speaks. 

He turns to the crowd and announces, "For now, we feast!"

Cheers roar and claps sound like thunder. Servants carry extravagant platters filled with a variety of decadent fruits, vegetables, and meats to the tables. We, however, are not served.

My stomach rumbles. "Sorry about that."

Xero stands behind me and whispers something in my ear. "Eklan does not eat in front of other people...and neither do his guests."

She moves away from me and leans over the railing, flipping down off of the platform and into the crowd.

"Xero is something else, isn't she?"

"Uh...I guess. I don't really know anyone here."

Eklan nods. He doesn't say another word to me for the rest of the dinner. We simply stand awkwardly close to each other as we look down on the crowd. For some reason, I feel like I have known him for longer than I actually have. 

He offers to walk me back to my room, but I decline. I find my way through the crowd to the exit. Most of the citizens have left by now. A few stagger out of the dining hall from intoxication. The winding halls that led back to my room don't seem as long. I feel refreshed. I feel free for the first time since I have been here.

With my head in space and my eyes on the floor, I feel like I can do anything. As I pass the last corner to my room, someone pulls me into a dark closet. 

"Hey! What was that about?"

She turns on the light. "Sorry, Princess."

"What the hell, Xero!"

"Listen, I need to talk to you, but not here." She hands me a small, folded up piece of paper. "I will leave first. Wait three minutes, then follow the instructions."

She opens the door to leave. "Oh, and don't forget to turn out the light."

She vanishes into the hallway and shuts the door. I unfold the piece of paper. Three rights, Six lefts, out the gates, and to the left behind the Ryvalt tree.

I don't know what time it is, nor do I care enough to find out. I stuff the paper into my boot. The door creaks as I push it open. I flip the light switch and walk into the hall.

"Um, Brizille?"

My heart skips a beat- or three. "Ye-yes?"

"What were you doing in there?"

I'm not sure what this is about with Xero, but I am almost positive Eklan shouldn't know about it.

"Oh, you know. Just grabbing some extra linens."

I can sense the skepticism in his voice and smirk. "Then why don't you have any?"

"Because I remembered that Maziere told me I cold have his extra banket," I say as calmly as possible.