Distracted by his unwavering gaze, Elinessa got her foot twisted mid-step and once again collided against his chest.
"Ouch! My nose… seriously, his chest is like a brick wall of muscles," she thought, wincing and simultaneously letting out a small, whimpering sound that made her feel absurdly puppy-like from the pain.
A soft laugh escaped him. "Look at me, ....dove," came a husky voice from above her head.
Startled, she lifted her head to look but all she saw was a mask, lavishly encrusted with jewels, hiding his every feature. But her eyes caught something glinting behind it.
"Golden?" her eyebrows knitted in confusion.
Before she could process anything further, he broke the rhythm of the dance. With smooth, controlled steps, he altered the sequence entirely with each movement flowing seamlessly into the next, twirling her and quickening the pace. Eli was obviously confused, yet she had no choice but to follow his lead throughout every shift and turn he directed.
His control over the dance was absolute and her body moved in tandem with his, each step dictated by him yet feeling almost effortless. Despite her bewilderment, the changes made them look breathtaking on the floor.
"Did I missed a beat? No that's not it. What is this man doi----Ahhh!"
The reason of her sudden squeal was that he had released her hand, and shifted his own skillfully to her small waist enclosing it with his large hands and with a swift, effortless motion, he lifted her into the air and did a twirl. Instinctively, she placed her hands on his shoulders for balance, while she looked down at him meeting the glint behind his mask. As the music slowed, so did he. He decelerated the twirls, lowering her back to the floor, marking the end of dance.
After he released her, he bowed to her in perfect posture and she followed with a curtsy, feeling her balance waver slightly from the spinning.
She heard claps and awe before she lifted her head and looked around to realize that the dance floor was empty.
That means, we were the only ones dancing…
Elinessa hadn't realized that the crowd had drawn back, giving them space the instant he changed the dance; they gave a private spectacle for any stray eyes and drew awe from the onlookers. She turned toward the stranger only to find he was gone.
***
Fire crackled softly within a cave, its flames were dancing against the damp, shadowed walls, as it produced the needed heat to keep the cave warm. Near the fire resting upon a flat stone lay a full faced silver mask. The embezzlement in it caught the light from the shifting hues of amber and gold.
Beside the fire sat a man, who was lazily leaning his head on the stone wall with his eyes closed. He sat in quiet contemplation, the flickering firelight fell on his face that made his features appear more striking, dangerously devilish.
His one arm rested lazily on his raised knee while the other hand toyed absently with what appeared to be an accessory. It was a delicate hairpiece once adorning the head of a certain lady he had managed to slip it from without her knowing.
He finally opened his eyes which lingered on the cave wall before him, though his thoughts wandered far beyond it and a quiet smile curved his lips at whatever memory held him.
Drayce was meditating on his encounter with the owner of the accessory he now fiddled between his fingers. He accepted how seeing her once on the lantern night hadn't been enough for him and how he had gone to the party, searching for her again.
zzk.....zzkKkk.....zkkk
"....allowing...zkkkk...entry ..."
A distorted voice echoed through the cave; watching him, though Drayce couldn't hear it.
At the party, Drayce remembered seeing a lady in white, her gown shimmering beneath the silver lights. Even though she wore a feathered mask that concealed her features, he recognized her instantly. He had noticed the clever little trick she used to fend off her escort. To him, she looked like a clever little dove.
His mind also wandered back to the memory of her where she was sitting in middle of a sea of sliver-lantern adorned trees, her loose hair strands were gently swaying in the night breeze, lost in thought for several minutes, making her seem almost ethereal. She sat there herself in silver-white, seemingly unaware of the world around her.
He murmured to himself, "What might little dove have been thinking about?" all the while playing with her accessory.
"Zzkkkk... Ah....now....now.., do not be deceived... That poor little thing was merely asleep with her eyes open... zzkkk!" purred a voice laced with mechanical hint from ether.
Then Dracye recalled how she had abruptly started walking toward the lake but stopped midway.
He raised the middle finger of his free hand, mimicking her gesture, turning his hand slightly "And what," he mused, "might this signify?"
"Zkkk… she offered her tribute... Though I would say….... in a rather wild manner. No need for you to learn that, hmm? Your Majesty .....Zkkk—"
Dracye's mind now drifted to her emerald eyes behind the mask, how they had dilated, and the round, full lips that grew even rounder as he coerced her to dance with him. The soft whimper she released when her nose bumped against his chest flickered in his mind, and he chuckled now at the memory.
He had known, of course, that she was trying to flee. After their dance ended, Dracye lingered in the crowd, watching her a little more. He noticed her earlier escort or guard frantically searching for her on the opposite side of the garden.
His lips curved up in a dangerous and mischievous smile as he had walked toward the man. When their eyes met, he gave the guard a hint to where the little dove might be with a casual lift of his glass in her direction, nothing more.
"Zkkk… Alas, I see, our protagonist is ensnared ... or perhaps I should say, our villain? Hehehe… Zkkk—"
" but a touch too fiercely, zzkkk...perhaps…....yet tell me, is it not far more delightful when the flame dares to burn brighter?"
"They shall whisper of fate, and sing sweetly of romance…", The voice purred, smooth as velvet and venom both.
"Well...but obsession .... ah, obsession is the truest muse. It drives even the proudest of men to acts they once deemed unthinkable."
Hisss!!
As if to prove the point of the voice the hairpiece slipped from his fingers, right into the fire.
Dracye moved instantly, without a flicker of hesitation he reached in with his bare hand and pulled it out, his flesh seared against the heat. But he didn't wince. In silence, he pressed the hairpiece into the wet mud beside the fire, cooling it slowly. His eyes…..were still fixed on the ornament. As if it was more precious than gold.
"Hooooh…zzkkkk" The voice breathed again rich with languid delight.
"Such splendid folly .....zkkk..... how beautifully irrational."
Then Dracye's gaze flicked to a poster lying beside his mask on the stone, it was an announcement he had taken from the capital square late that night on his way back from the masquerade.
His jaw tightened as he stared at it.
A few seconds later, he drew the ornament close once more, resting his head against the wall again and closing his eyes to rest.
***
The afternoon sun shimmered across the lake; the very same place where last night's masquerade had been held. The spring air was gentle, carrying pleasant winds that stirred the surface of the water. A few boats drifted lazily among blooming lilies, each carrying clusters of noble ladies beneath silken canopies, their parasols resting idly at their sides. The air was laced with the faint scent of waterlilies and perfumed powder.
In one of the larger boats sat Elinessa, surrounded by Lady Mirabel, few maids including Talia, and a handful of other court ladies all gleaming in glittering conversation.
"Did you hear? The old Marquis was dared to speak like a child for fifteen minutes!"
"Surely not!"
"Indeed, Lady Mirabel, he was all too eager to boast, and someone rather cleverly used the dare game to test that pride of his."
Lady Mirabel sighed dreamily. "Ah, how dearly I wish I could have been there."
"Yes, yes, Lady Mirabel! Last night's masquerade was utterly enchanting."
"Why, even today, many foreign guests can be heard speaking of it openly," added another lady.
"His Majesty seemed most pleased. I heard it was Crown Prince's idea to host such a splendid affair." added Countess Virren, her tone lilting with admiration.
Another lady let out a delicate laugh behind her fan. "Ah, perhaps the news has not yet reached your ears, Countess Virren. It is said that following this morning's council with the ministers, His Highness the Crown Prince himself admitted or rather proudly flaunted that the notion had been whispered to him by you, Lady Mirabel." she said eyeing and teasing Mirabel.