The entire mansion was decorated with white string lights lit with crystals of thousands of colours. It resembled the sky in the deep of winter, waves of colourful lights. The sky was pitch black; It was dotted with clusters of stars forming indecipherable patterns across the black canvas of the sky. The mansion itself was being transformed by light wielders. The light was being wielded to turn away from the mansion rendering it invisible. It seemed as though the crystal lights were around them, in the air. It was exhilarating and unnerving at the same time. Twyll looked at herself in the floor-length mirror and sighed. Her hair tumbled down her back in thick waves, intertwined with strings of champagne coloured crystals. Her eyes were lined with gold and her lips were shimmery. The dress clung to her curves and looked like fluid gold. She fingered the bodice, tracing the seams where she knew her knives were hidden. Her Bavmeč was twisted around her thigh, hidden by the fluid folds of the dress. The slit that ran up to her thigh carefully revealed glimpses of smooth, golden skin. Courtesies of the handmaidens. They had spread hot wax across her arms, legs and armpits; They had pressed rectangles of flax cloths against the wax and then yanked on them until every single strand of hair on her body was cleaned out. It felt like being skinned alive and she would rather never repeat that. The golden glow was due to some kind of potion that beautified the skin for a few hours. To make the dress more couture Saira had wrapped a light, gold belt around her waist. Flat beams of metal were attached to the belt and stretched over the back of her skirts. The looked like the rays of the setting sun. A crown of gold with spires that framed her head was placed on her head. She looked like a wild sun goddess.
"I see you didn't wear my dress," The dictator sneered.
Twyll shifted her weight.
The Dictator noted that and his eyes sparkled, "You are more than I bargained for Twyll Merrick," Twyll felt an unease slide into her senses. It was as though he had bargained for her which seemed unlikely and confusing.
Who had he bargained with for her?
A little shook, she didn't notice the thin length of metal until it wrapped around her throat. Panic gripped her heart in its clutches as her vision darkened around the edges. "Relax," The dictator cooed as he stepped back. She realised he was just sliding on a necklace around her neck. The jewellery was a string of diamonds that hugged the nape of her neck, like a collar. It was beautiful, in a minimalist way. She turned around to ask what this was but he was already gone.
...
Bren slipped into the Limousine, resplendent in a black gown that flared out at the hips with sequins and stripe illusions giving her a sexy but modest look. Her hair was in three long braids, knotted together at the nape of her neck. Her lashes were long and feathery with her lips painted the same wine red as her hair. The cape she wore was as luxurious as the gown, covered in feathers and sequins of obsidian that formed swirling patterns. Karsyn was dressed in a slinky number that clung to her every curve. There was a sort of plasticity to her face but Trystan shrugged it off as a trick of the light. He frowned at the low back and front of Karsyn's dress. The jumpsuit was satin that clung to the skin and covered her from neck to toe. She had on an overcoat of frothy pale pink tulle that floated around her like a cloud. Her eyes were done up in crystals and glitter and her hair was in corkscrew curls that when pulled, bounced right back. The suit was pink and embellished with peach pink beads and ribbons that gave her the air of a shabby chic princess. Her legs were encased in thigh-high velvet boots with pointy heels and even pointier toes. They were boots made to kick ass which was well and good given that they were going into enemy territory. Kyan was dressed to the nines in an emerald green coat with a satiny grey shirt with pearl detailing and a few green tulle ruffles. His trousers were the same grey satin that looked very tight by the looks of it. Shalom was dressed in a full black suit with a dramatic cape that had a dragon in satiny black swirls across its velvet. Simple yet strong. Trystan couldn't help but look down at his navy blue suit with an orange shirt. His trousers were a pair of blue velvet that flared out a bit at the end in a slight ruffle. It should have looked funny but somehow worked. His hair was styled in waves that fell stylishly onto his forehead and curled at his ears.
Bren kicked at him to move his smelly boot-clad feet away so that she could take her seat. He moved and then tried to push his foot into her face. She stabbed him in the calf with one of her lethal heels. Kyan snickered at that and got the other heel stabbed into his foot. Shalom wisely kept silent while Karsyn high-fived Bren. Trystan looked out the window at the white stucco walls and slate roofs, thinking of Twyll and what she must be doing, how she must look in her gown and the expression on her face when she saw the diamond choker he had sent for her. The smile on her face or the frown at the seemingly unnecessary piece of jewellery. He frowned when he noticed Karsyn pulling her hand away from Shalom's. They loved holding hands. Hell, they were the handsiest couple he had ever met. He exchanged glances with Kyan who was fiddling with the cufflinks on his sleeves. They were corks for the vials of alchemic poison in case of trouble... Or escape.
Bren slid a concerned look towards him, "You are looking a little peaky over there, Trystan. You alright?"
He nodded and expelled a breath of air.
Bren shook her head at his expected apathetic behaviour.
Shalom's jaw was tensed as he went over the plan for the hundredth time today, "It's simple and easy. We go in, I and Bren will go invisible, Kyan and Karsyn will schmooze and dazzle, keeping the attention off of us. Trystan will be with Twyll, keeping her safe. Any questions?"
"How will you know what information we need? You can't exactly carry every single document in his office," Karsyn probed.
"We won't be carrying every single document in the office. Bren will keep watch and glamour us so that I can patiently go through records and understand if The Dictator is doing something nefarious. He will have files on Twyll's name and we can also search for info on Adrian's mission. Anything else that jumps out will be just as good. We will make copies of it with that new ink bleeding paper that Kyan alchemised and get out of there. We will be in and out."
Karsyn hummed out a non-committal agreement before going back to ignoring him again. Kyan and Trystan exchanged another long look. Shalom looked even tenser and fiddled with the engagement ring on his finger. He twisted it out three times before repeating the action by twisting the ring inside.
An hour passed and they slowly rolled up the grand driveway and right into a slot on an open field between a horse carriage and a lime green car that hugged the ground.
They all filed out and couldn't help but marvel at the outside of the mansion. It seemed as if the string lights were stars that were suspended around them. He knew at a certain level that it was just light wielders bending light away from the mansion and creating an illusion but it still left his mouth open and eyes wide. They walked through an arch made of string lights and the scene transformed into a cavernous room with dark walls lined with hidden lights that spread a neon glow across the room. The ceiling was a blanket of more string lights, forming a large canopy above their heads. The room smelled of flowers and the sea and had bursts of fresh, bright flowers in planters floating around on gusts of wind. He tried to feel around for Crystal Energies and found the usual bare minimum. Not enough to allow him to wield but enough for him to shapeshift. The wielders who had created this room must have personal crystals on their being to manage all this. He walked through the crowd and felt rather than saw the eyes on their group. He knew what drew their eyes on them, the power and confidence that oozed out of them. He eyed the glowing pillars of blue, pink and purple, scattered across the room and the dance floor in the middle with a tangle of limbs and bodies dressed in the most creative and spectacular fashions of the year. The bar was serving flutes of champagne and multi-coloured drinks with little umbrellas and wedges of fruits. There was also hard liquor like whiskey and vodka. The music was the perfect volume and it sounded like a waltz. The people looked as though they were enjoying themselves. They quickly nabbed one of the many tables at the edge of the room and Kyan wandered off to order the drinks. At this point in the room, they had a full view of the ballroom and Trystan's eyes swept on the crowd. His eyes snagged on the familiar wheat-coloured hair and stopped short. He felt his jaw slacken and knew he must look like a love-sick fool but couldn't help himself as he slowly dragged his gaze down Twyll's luscious curves wrapped in gold and sheer black. Her eyes looked smoky and inviting and her lips were just begging to be kissed. Her neck was adorned with the necklace he had sent to the mansion and from her ears dangled two thin lines of diamonds. The headpiece she wore enhanced her high cheekbones and her hair was a wild mass of wheat- gold hair. He caught glimpses of smooth, long legs when she moved and a slight hint of red.
Her Bavmeč.
He locked eyes with Bren who smirked and nodded. He quickly broke away from the table and made his way through the crowd towards his Tavaryš. The crowd parted for him as if knowing that he could not be deterred. He saw her sipping a flute of golden wine and a wary look in her eyes. She turned around and their eyes met; He felt the air around them writhe in pleasure. The energies around them swirled and everything felt incandescent. His heartbeat increased and he felt as if he would never be able to breathe again but in a good way.
...
Twyll felt her spine tingle. Her hair lifted from the nape of her neck and a sweet sensation slid along her skin, filling her with light. A familiar arm wrapped around her waist, turning her towards a hard chest. She looked up and into sunset eyes that were bright with... something. His dark hair looked blue-black in the dark ambience of the ballroom. She smiled up at him and allowed him to swallow her into a hug. She realised, with some surprise, that she wanted Trystan with her. She wanted him to be her and was relieved that she wasn't entirely alone. It was disconcerting, to say the least. All her life she had been alone and now she was feeling things she had not felt in a long time if ever.
"You are looking radiant tonight Líçé," Trystan's breath skittered across her collar bones.
Her mouth stretched into a rare smile.
She dragged her gaze down his suit-clad body, "You don't look too bad yourself Trystan."
He smiled at her and Twyll was hit by a wave of euphoria. The heady exultation of a new, blossoming relationship. The crossroads where you have no idea if you'll make it or not. She felt it in her heart and knew she was in trouble, knew that she was at the edge and ready to fall.
She didn't want to fall. Trystan dropped a kiss on her temple and all thoughts were gone from her head. Only the steadiness of Trystan and the unsteady emotions for Trystan left in its wake.
Trystan chuckled; hi breath stirred the wisps of hair under her ears that had escaped the head piece, "I can hear you thinking Krásná and that's never good."
She let out a breathy laugh which frustrated her. She was never breathy.
"I didn't think you had me so well figured out yet, Trystan."
"My name sounds so harsh and yet so soft on your tongue, Love. As for me having you figured out? Well, you are very easy to read Twyll. You wear your emotions on your sleeve. People just need to look for it."
A booming voice interrupted their little tête-à-tête, "There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you," The Dictator said in a surprisingly warm voice which was also shockingly directed at Twyll. "Meet District head Faros Barros. He governs the southern plains territory and is also a close friend."
Trystan swallowed back a laugh and Twyll rolled in her lips.
Faros Barros?
A familiar, husky voice purred in her mind.
Twyll almost laughed and a few puzzled glances came her way. She swallowed it down and offered her hand. The large man near the dictator lifted it and placed a sloppy kiss on her knuckles- for a very long time. She tittered nervously, discreetly trying to pull her hand back. Trystan, noticing her discomfort, subtly extracted the District Head's hand and introduced himself: "And I'm Trystan Price! You may know me from the council meeting a few months ago. We had the most scintillating conversation about the agricultural techniques and policies in the territories that you head."
The Head was clearly drunk and looked very confused. The Dictator just look amused, as though this entire scene just worked out as he planned it to.
The dictator swung out an arm towards her with a flourish, "And this young lady, right here, is Twyll Merrick. The last Crystal Heir."
Heavy silence blanketed the room.