The girls went all out when dressing me up. They even curled the ends of my hair and pulled it back into a stylish bun to give me a look far too fancy for my own liking. That plus the light layer of makeup they applied and the all-too-showy dress made me feel out of place... most likely because I was. It wasn't me that I stared at in the mirror, not the girl who normally wore a t-shirt, jeans, and plain ol' tennis shoes. It didn't feel right wearing something that hugged my body so tightly and high heels that felt like they'd cause my ankles to snap. I hated wearing makeup; it caused the skin on my face to feel oddly...thick and heavy, if that even made sense. But even so, I couldn't help but admit that the girls did a fabulous job. I never said I didn't look stunning.
Kate sighed happily as she had me spin to get a better intake of my appearance. "You look so beautiful!" she breathed.
"The guys are gonna be all over you!" Sarah exclaimed happily, clapping her hands to release her bubbling energy. I took another doubtful look in the mirror and wrinkled my powdered nose.
"I don't want the guys all over me," I mumbled. Not to sound selfish, but I imagined it'd be pretty hard to keep the eyes of wanderers off me. The dress was just too revealing for my liking. The girls worked so hard, though... I couldn't change it now.
They flashed me sudden mischievous smiles then gave each other looks that said something was up. "Ah... you just want one guy all over you, I see," Kate said.
"It's Sir Kade, isn't it?" Sarah inputted. There was a light shade of blush on my cheeks that the girls applied but I'm sure it turned brighter just then.
"Mind your own business," I muttered childishly, earning a laugh from the two elves. Their giggles were so friendly and jolly that I couldn't help but smile at them. They were about to say something else before a knock sounded at the door. Kate was the one to answer. When she returned, there was a black masquerade mask in her hand, one that fancy people would wear to a party to cover half their face. She handed it to me with a smile and nudged her sister in the side.
"Change of plans," she said. "The feast has been changed to a party. Lord Farlen wants to invite more guests and have a celebration. This isn't unusual... but it's always enjoyable!" The girls started to cheer before I stopped them.
"A party?" I squeaked nervously.
"Yes... you know, one with food and music and dancing and friends! They're the greatest!" Sarah exclaimed. The sisters started to dance for emphasis; once again I stopped them.
"I agreed to a feast. Parties aren't really my thing." My voice came out in a tremble as I spoke. I honestly hated parties. I had a feeling the guests that were supposed to be invited weren't just normal guests, either. No doubt they were more supernaturals.
As the girls opened their mouths to speak, they were once again cut off by a knock on the door. This time I went to open it, nearly tripping in my heels. I barely avoided snatching the door open angrily, and when I did, I was glad I held back the attitude.
It was Kade again... wearing a fancy black and white suit that fit him nicely. His hair was neatly combed and not dirty or wet or ruffled angrily. He stood straight which added to his classy attire, and held an expectant look. When his eyes fully landed on me, though, they widened with disbelief. They slowly trailed my body and took in the new sight, I assumed, and with every breath he took, his lips parted slightly. The blush I had earlier started to come back instantly.
The girls were beside me right away and also noticed Kade's staring. "Isn't she gorgeous, Sir Kade?!" Sarah exclaimed. He was silent for the longest time which had me on the tips of my toes (figuratively of course) as I waited for his answer. Why was I so desperate to hear it?
He eventually swallowed and met my eyes. There was a small twinkle in his. "Y-yeah... she's... beautiful," he breathed. The statement sounded as if it wasn't meant to be said out loud. It came out so quiet that I barely even heard him. But my flushness grew stronger. Stop blushing, idiot.
The girls squealed, as if the situation wasn't already awkward enough, and pushed me out the door. Because of my heels, I couldn't catch my balance and stumbled into Kade. He caught me of course, but I still turned to glare at the girls. They only giggled and closed the door quietly.
"You ready to go? Odis and Maeve already went," Kade said in my ear. He helped me stand securely on my feet again, still holding that strong admiration in his eyes. I avoided making eye contact and managed a weak smile.
"Yeah... probably ready as I'll ever be," I mumbled. There were a couple of elves waiting up the hall for us, most likely to lead us to wherever we were going. They began walking and we followed. Eventually, after wandering through the seemingly endless hallways of the castle, we ended up at the entrance to a ballroom. It was already filled with laughing and chatting guests. Music was being played by a band at the front of the room.
Everyone was wearing their masquerade masks.
I looked down at mine still clutched in my hand. It was stitched with a beautiful lace, almost like it and my dress were a perfect match. I slowly pulled back the string and slipped in on, being careful not to mess up my hair. Kade reached into his overcoat and pulled out a mask that was a bit larger than mine. Half of it was white and the other was black. The two colors sort of formed a swirl in the middle, somehow matching his clothes like mine. When he put it on, I barely recognized him. But it made him look oddly sexy...
He looked down at me, his blue eyes standing out more than anything, and smiled. "Why don't we find the food first? I'm starving," he yelled over the loud music and people. I nodded quickly since I completely agreed with him and followed closely behind as we pushed past large crowds of rowdy people, some dancing who didn't bother to make room. Luckily, the food table came into view.
There wasn't many people around it, thankfully, and the food looked delicious. I picked up some kind of cake while Kade picked up a piece of bread dipped in butter. The cake didn't taste bad at all and apparently the bread didn't either; Kade picked up a couple more pieces and stuffed his face.
"Slow down," I said with a laugh. "You're gonna make yourself sick."
"If you knew how it tasted, you wouldn't blame me," he responded. "Here." He shoved a piece into my mouth and started to laugh as I wiped away the butter on my nose and glared playfully. At least he wasn't wrong about the bread.
"Very funny. Have you tried the cake?" I asked, and before he could answer I stuffed cake into his mouth just like he did the bread to mine. He picked up a napkin off the table and forcefully wiped away the icing covering his mouth and nose while I died of laughter. His glare was just as playful as mine but I still took a step back. He went to pick up another piece of cake before a deep voice interrupted our fun.
"What are you children doing?" It came from a very tall man with a long grey beard and aged, wrinkled skin. He wore a lengthy blue robe that went down to his feet and glared at us from behind round glasses.
I glanced nervously at Kade who did the same to me. He turned his eyes to the man and stared with a bit of horror and awe.
"Necromancer...," he breathed.
"Warlock," the man said in return. He narrowed his eyes at Kade as if he were some kind of abomination. "Take your child play somewhere else. This is a place of sophistication. Lord Farlen wouldn't be pleased." Kade seemed too stunned to say anything, almost like he was shocked to be approached by the man. I for one didn't like how he looked down at us.
"Excuse me?" I said. Kade immediately clamped his hand over my mouth and mumbled an apology to the man. When he pulled me away I glared offensively at him.
"Quick rule in the world of supernaturals... don't piss off someone who can manipulate the dead," he whispered urgently. After glancing over his shoulder and pulling me further away by my arm, I took a good look around and noticed a crowd of uppity looking people entering the room. Some were wearing masks, others were not. Some entered as couples, others alone. The people already present started to back away and give them room.
Those must've been the guests Farlen mentioned.
The women had on dazzling dresses that easily caught the eye and the men looked so powerful and masculine that it was hard not to glance their way. They made me feel so small and pathetic...
"Kade... is there anything more powerful than a god?" I asked, leaning in to whisper as he also stared at the people.
"No," he whispered back. I don't know why that questioned popped in my head but the answer relieved me for some reason.
As we stared for a few seconds longer and watched as the guests started to go their separate ways, Kade started to groan and covered one of his eyes. He started to rub his temples, as if affected by some excruciating headache, then gritted his teeth and looked around us. "Something's wrong," he said quietly. I worriedly looked around with him and found the scene all the same. "I'm sensing something," he added with a groan.
"What is it?" I questioned as he struggled to make his way over to a table behind us. He leaned over it and covered both his eyes painfully. There were three candles in the middle of the table, burning with a normal orange and yellow glow. But suddenly they burst into an angry red and made me jump. Kade slowly turned his eyes to me, and my heart dropped once I saw they were pitch black.
"Find Odis and Maeve," he growled. "And hurry."