The voices that seemed to edge closer faded away soon. Mavros assumed they had retreated due to the quietness of the place. Perhaps they were looking for someone.
After recovering from the draining episode, he stood up slowly, leaning against the tree close to the bench. He should have known better than to have Alistair leave him like that. After taking deep breaths, he walked quickly away from the garden and toward the ball room.
He had to find her.
The ballroom was nearly empty, the lively crowd having dwindled to a handful of lingering guests. Mavros scanned the room, his eyes darting from one face to another. She wasn't there. He checked the balcony, then the food stands, but there was no sign of her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
Defeated, he turned to leave when a voice called out behind him.
"Your Highness," came the deep, measured tone of Lord Hawthorne. The man approached with his wife and daughter in tow, his arm draped protectively around the girl's shoulders.
"It was an honor to have His Highness dance with my daughter," Lord Hawthorne said, gesturing toward the blushing young woman.
But despite the pride in his voice and teasing smile, there was a stiffness to his posture, a subtle unease.
"Isn't that right, Lydia?" He continued.
The girl blushed and looked down at her hands, fumbling with the ribbon tied at her waist. "I—it was just a dance," she murmured, barely audible.
Lord Hawthorne chuckled. "Only a dance, she says! Yet she was trembling like a leaf. Perhaps you frightened her with your charm, Your Highness,"
"Father!" Lydia whispered, her cheeks flaming as her mother forced a smile, afraid to look the prince in the eye.
Mavros' expression remained indifferent, his eyes scanning the room again as Lord Hawthorne droned on, detailing their plans to send Lydia to a finishing school in the neighboring kingdom.
When the lord finally paused for breath, Mavros spoke flatly, cutting through his words like a blade. "Excuse me Lord Hawthorne, for I have other matters to attend to."
There was no need to remain there.
When he arrived at the carriage, he signaled for one of the men to fetch Alistair. Soon, the man returned with Alistair on his tail.
"Your Highness,"
"Come on in," Mavros said.
"Are you okay?"
"I think I've found her."
"What?"
"The person we're looking for. I found her. She touched me."
"You must be mistaken. This is a kingdom of humans. No Ninx would come here. Why would they?"
"Perhaps you were wrong. Perhaps it's not a Ninx that the words of the book referred to," Mavros said.
Alistair frowned, contemplating the idea before nodding his head. "Well, that's possible. All the same, how did you come to the conclusion that she was the one?"
"I was having an episode. You know how bad they get. I tried to shut off my mind but everything went out of control. The voices. They kept ringing in my head." Mavros paused, recalling the ringing pain that had overtaken him.
"I stepped outside to get some air. I thought it would help. But I could still hear them. Then I felt someone touch me. Everything disappeared—the voices, the trembling, the ache. I felt...peaceful."
"Peaceful? That is new," Alistair replied, deep in thought.
"Yes, it has never happened before."
"What if it was just a coincidence?"
"I guess that's possible, but I've never had an episode disappear so quickly. You know this. It takes a while, even after drinking dreamsbloom herb. It takes about an hour for everything to be normal again."
"I guess you are right."
"The best thing to do is to find her. That way, we will know if it was just a coincidence or if she can help."
"She might not be the one. Maybe she is just gifted with healing."
"Whichever it is, I need to find her. I will pay any amount for her help," Mavros said, holding his head in his hands.
"We will find her, but I need to fetch Iryssa. She's still inside."
"That stubborn girl, she came here?"
"Yes, she is here,"
Alistair stood up and walked towards the gates once again. His eyes searched the ball room until he caught sight of three women exiting the ball. His eyes lingered on them when he recognized the shorter black-haired one to be Iryssa One of the ladies, whispered something in her ear, prompting a soft laugh.
With a frown, he walked towards them but by the time he crossed to the other side of the ballroom where they stood, the other two ladies were gone and Iryssa stood alone.
"Iryssa?"
"Sergeant Alistair, you are here."
"Of course I am,"
"I figured you would be here when I saw Prince Alvah dancing. Anyways, did you come to look for me?"
"Yes, let's go back together,"
A look of hesitation crossed Iryssa's face. "Are you....sure? He is in one of those moods, isn't he?"
"Don't worry. You should have just listened to him anyways. You just enjoy causing trouble, don't you?" Alistair said, as they walked towards the grand gates.
"That's not true. I'm perfectly fine now. It was just a cold."
"Alright then,"
Iryssa nodded, walking along with him. But she stopped to speak again, "Do you want to say something?"
"Um, yes. The ladies you were with, do you know them?" Alistair whispered to the
"Who doesn't know Leilani Bradbury? She's very popular for her dress making skills and.....," Iryssa glanced around as if to see if anyone was listening, "her scandalous outfits. We've met at a few events together,"
"I see,"
"Though the one in the blue dress has been quite the topic tonight. She danced with several suitors, but no one could place her lineage. Not even me. Leilani said she's a distant friend that came to visiting."
"You shouldn't leave the palace on your own next time. If you need to go somewhere, take the guards with you at least and stop being so childish. Perhaps you just love it when I have to come and find you."
"You must really flatter yourself. Who asked you to come and look for me anyways? I'm not a child," Iryssa harrumphed before leaving him behind and walking towards the carriage.
Alistair and Iryssa settled into the carriage and soon it began to move slowly. Alistair leaned towards the window, pondering on what Mavros had said. His thoughts were interrupted when a shadowed figure, still masked, appeared at the gates and walked in their direction. He carried himself with an air of authority, his golden coat standing out against the muted tones of the night.
"Who is that?" Mavros murmured, finally lifting his head.
"Another guest, perhaps?" Iryssa replied, returning her gaze to her brother.
But something about the figure's aura made Alistair feel disturbed.
As the man passed by their carriage, his sharp gaze briefly met Alistair's. It was a fleeting moment, but there was a sense of familiarity, as though they had crossed paths before. Alistair's hand instinctively brushed the hilt of his sword.
"Let's keep moving," Mavros said, his voice low.
Alistair nodded, but his mind lingered on the man's piercing gaze, a silent warning echoing through his thoughts.
******
Leilani held Althea's hand in hers as they exited the ball. The night air was cool against their skin, the faint hum of the dwindling crowd and music behind them. Leilani noticed Althea's silence and, after a while, decided to speak.
"Did you not like Iryssa? She's the prince's sister... your soon-to-be sister-in-law. I just thought it would be nice for you both to get acquainted, you know?"
"It's not that, Leilani. I think Iryssa is a nice girl. I just..." Althea trailed off.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Leilani encouraged, giving her friend a reassuring smile. Then she added playfully, "And by the way, did you see the prince?"
"No," Althea replied, glancing down. "But I met someone."
Leilani's curiosity piqued, but before she could ask, a cloaked figure in a mask suddenly bumped into Althea.
"Apologies, my lady," he said in a hurried tone, barely pausing before scurrying off.
Althea turned to gaze at his retreating figure, a slight frown furrowing her brow.
"Are you okay?" Leilani asked, concern softening her voice.
"Yes, I'm fine," Althea replied quickly.
Leilani stepped into the carriage with the footman's assistance, smoothing the fabric of her gown as she settled. But as Althea moved to climb in, something shiny on the ground caught her eye. She bent down to pick it up, her fingers closing around the object. She glanced toward the direction the cloaked man had gone, her thoughts briefly lingering on the encounter.
"Come on in so we can get going," Leilani called out, breaking her reverie.
Althea took the remaining steps and climbed into the carriage, the mysterious item tucked securely in her hand. Once seated, she resumed speaking, her earlier hesitation replaced by a thoughtful tone.
"I was in the garden earlier, taking a break from all the dancing," she began. "And then I saw him."
"Do you know his name?" Leilani asked, leaning slightly forward.
"I forgot to ask," Althea admitted, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "But he was... beautiful. Yet everything about him felt dangerous. He had these black eyes."
Leilani's posture stiffened slightly. "Wait. Did you say black eyes?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," Leilani replied quickly, hiding her expression behind her fan, though a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Althea frowned slightly but didn't press. "Forget it. I'll just stop thinking about it. Tomorrow is the betrothal anyway," she said with a resigned sigh. "I have to get back home as soon as possible. I told Father I wouldn't be coming here. Hiding from Serena and Elodie was quite the stress with all the attention I was getting."
"Don't worry," Leilani said warmly. "We'll arrive soon."