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There were two types of rich people in the world. Those who weren't afraid to show it, and those who covered in modesty. Acelius found that he respected the former more than the latter. Modesty was for cowards.
Lelitkin, luckily, was the former. Jewels hung in the air, suspended like 20 carat raindrops. A massive mansion stood, with a stone walkway curled around it like a snake. Its lilac walls stood out like industrial petals of a crocus. This was not the rich of nobles, but the rich of masterminds, thiefs, merchants. A peacock trampled between two hedges, its feathers iridescent in the sunlight. In the far distance, Acelius could see the bay. It's quiet blue reflecting sunlight. He missed her. He could almost see her, bobbing with the waves, the smell of damp wood, the fluttering red ribbons overhead, the dragon.
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"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit," Nia muttered under her breath, as she walked up the boy. Gravel under her feet crunched, as if the quelch of stones were tutting her.
"What did she say?" she asked, now walking next to him. Luckily, he was alone. Ana was walking a few paces back, murmuring something to Jutio.
"What?"
"What happened yesterday?" she asked.
"So we're talking?" She could hear the masked frustration in his voice. She also knew he wouldn't be unmasking it until perhaps later that night.
"We will be, if you answer my questions."
The boy sighed. "I don't know why she called me. She said 'I intrigued her'" He dipped his voice lower. "I don't know what she meant by it or whether that's a good thing."
Nia shook her head. "Keep talking."
"She kept saying she needed us. For Apertum. Appearances. Appearances," he sighed again. "And the alliance, of couse."
Nia's ears perked at that. "What alliance?"
"She spoke of a connection that shouldn't have been made." Nia rolled her eyes. "Asmia and Eyrinth. They've joined forces. Enemies no more."
"Those were her words?" she asked, skepticly.
""A flag of stars and the scythe,"" he said, quoting her, referring to the symbols of Asmia and Eyrinth.
She didn't know how to feel. Intrigued, would be one word to describe it.
"Allied against Caraca?" she asked, carefully. With every step, they moved closer to the front door of Lelitkin's house.
He shrugged. "Most probably. Apertum does serve a good opportunity for an outright attack. And with their joined military..."
"No. They would never attack. At least, not now. A sabotage is the last thing on their minds. We don't have two separate militias, but we have the strength of a united one. What they need is to include Caraca in that alliance. Peace between the countries. Benefit off each other, more than ever. Until one of them breaks, and the other two will swallow."
The sun shone brighter as if in agreement. Everyone around her shone, their skin dipped in shimmery gold, sparkling under the rays. Nia touched her scalp, and instantly moved her hand. Her hair was unbelievably hot, their black absorbing every fraction of light they got. The boy's pale green and blue eyes shone, brighter than emeralds and sapphires, like sunlight filtering through mosaics.
"I forget sometimes. You were trained in this."
She looked at him. Her eyes instantly sharp, intense in a way that would make the deepest, darkest monsters gulp. And then she switched again. As if he had never said anything.
"I can bet you seven Jusar that the Asmian princess will be chosen as Prince Aurean's bride. Of course, she will be a spy. And of course, both Kingdoms will know that." Something rustled in the hedges nearby. Nia paid it no heed. She wondered if Ayrinth was preparing for it. Bracing itself for the Ball and the Alliance. She knew for certain that most of the soldiers and generals would travel to Esterham for Apertum, to double the security and protection. She wondered if he would come. The murderer, the father. She could still feel echoes of that day. The day Ailen had stopped breathing, and no matter how much she had tried, Nia hadn't.
"Why not the princess of Eyrinth?" his voice, gratefully interrupted her thoughts.
He held up a hand. "Let me guess. A marriage between Caraca and Eyrinth could harm the economy of Caraca, and crop rates would lower?" he asked, trying his own hand at understanding politics. Never mind, that the hand was a broken, crippled one.
Nia stared blankly at him. "Eyrinth doesn't have a Princess."
The boy blushed.
Nia shook her head.
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Nightime had fallen, and nightingales quietly chirped in the distance. The moon sighed and shone on to them. The fat merchants, the thin merchants, Lelitkin, a scowling blue eyed girl, a blonde boy watching the blue eyed girl, a boy with eyes the color of chipped glass and clear skies watching an angel glide through ropes above, a shrill voice singing about feathers and fathers and a lost crown, lovers dancing underneath unfolding a story with their sway, an actor, a daughter, a juggler, and twin thiefs, a pinstriped suit and an assassin hidden within. A prince sat in the crowd, the dramatic, genetic, flawless one. He had no crown, but he was a prince the same. His arms were crossed, and his eyes were glazed surfing over each performer, leaving small drops of oil, which he would later ignite.
"Prince Aurean, I so eagerly wish you enjoy this."
Aurean turned his face to look at him. "It is a good day for wishes to come true, Lelitkin."
He nodded, as they both turned back to the tale of feathers and fathers and a lost crown.
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Author's Note: Dark Powers. Manipulation. Authority. Strength.
Love,
Cora. ✮
YOU ARE READING
unraveled
Fantasy"I've seen rats with better attention spans than you," she said onto his face. And then the boy was there pulling her onto her feet and off of him. "But have you seen them with such beautiful faces?" he asked, standing up, brushing off th...
