NOW THE BALL WAS FUN! The dances were easy because all of them just required you to follow your partner. It proved helpful with my mind stuck on my ring. I couldn't wait to show it off when the girls finally caught up with us. Alek and I both turned red as the men teased us, while Sian, Kass and Loi exclaimed over the ring and gave me tight hugs. 'Happy, Cat?' Sian gave me a firm look.I nodded rapidly, feeling the tears prickle again. 'Yes, yes!' We hugged again with Kass and Loi joining in, making onlookers chuckle at their excited squeals.'Soo happy for you, Cat.''Can't believe it!'ALEK COULD SEE SHE WAS happy, everyone could. Rumal, Daron, and Sabyn had given him knowing looks before they congratulated him. They were all in a similar place. When he finally got Cat back from the girls, more people pushed forward to congratulate them. It would be a long night, but a happy one. Cat caught his eye and giggled when he rolled his eyes up and he took the opportunity to pull
DARON LED SIAN TO THE refreshments table and while they stood chatting the others came over too. Sian glanced at Cat. 'How's it going? Not too overwhelming?''Honestly it feels like a dream, I'm sure it'll hit me tomorrow.'Sian hugged her. 'It'll hit us all tomorrow; a new beginning.'Gredel and Citaan arrived at the table. Citaan smiled sleepily at them.'We're going to head upstairs,' Gredel said. 'Citaan's had enough.'Sian and the other girls hugged Citaan and Kassie made Gredel blush when she insisted on kissing him on the cheek. They watched the couple make their way out of the ballroom. It's very clever how the rooms are designed, Sian thought. With the mirrors lining the walls you couldn't tell the room had been pieced together.LOI FELT A BIT TIRED too but Sabyn had told her they had a few more hours yet. At midnight there would be cake and other food brought out, some speeches, and then fireworks in the courtyard. In the meantime, there was dancing and chatting.
SIAN STARED AT ME IN horror. Before I could ask why, a voice spoke in my ear. 'Hello, Princess.'The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood stiff. The voice, though pleasant, had an underlying tone of malice that made me react before I realized it. I thrust my arm out, pushing as hard as I could with my energy.CAT HURLED THE FREAKY-EYED blonde away and she smashed into the mirrors at the end of the room. Kassie couldn't believe it. The blonde woman now stood there, without a scratch on her, staring at them with her white eyes, black pupils in stark contrast. The guests hadn't even had time to react, but now pressed themselves to either side of the ballroom. Alternating looks between the thing at the end of the ballroom and the Griffon Guard and Sorceress at the other.'NOW THAT WASN'T VERY NICE,' the blonde tsked, as though scolding a child, her weird eyes watching me. I could see the Lieutenants of the Cavalry and General Guard move themselves in front of the guests, at
ROUND AND ROUND WE WENT with the occasional stumble from me, thanks to my heels. My hair had tumbled down from its pins and bounced around my shoulders in long ringlets. I could feel trickles of sweat running down between my shoulder blades. All I heard was our ragged breathing and my heart pounding. I had no idea if the others were okay and the fear felt awful.We burst through the doorway at the top, into the solar. Before I could even draw a breath, something lifted us off our feet, smashing us into the wall opposite the windows. Yelping in pain when my head connected with the wall, I lay for a moment, dazed. Then I scrabbled onto my hands and knees looking for Alek. My heart made a horrible tight sensation when I spotted him just down from me, unconscious, with blood in his hair. Not thinking, I lunged for him, but got hurled back against the wall. This time my spine took the brunt of it. The pain made my head spin, and I rolled onto my side retching.That horrible laughter rang
Book Two: AwakeningTHE LAUGHTER, LIGHT AND JOYFUL, echoed beguilingly, skipping off the bedchamber walls. Loi woke with a gasp.Was that Cat?Sabyn snored quietly while she lay tense, waiting for another hint of it.Oh, stuff it.She slipped out of the warm sheets and quietly lifted her robe from the chair. The silky fabric whispered around her shoulders and she tied it firmly at the waist before easing the door open and sneaking out. Loi hurried along the silent corridor, bare feet slapping against the smooth wooden floor. In the dull light, the white stone walls appeared almost silver. Around the corner the guards on either side of the Royal Chamber doors exchanged a glance when they spotted her. Audrey, who'd been dozing at their feet, sat up wagging her tail in greeting. Loi gave the dog's head a quick pat and nodded to the men before easing one of the doors open.The instant the door clicked shut, she knew the answer.Other than their slow, steady, exhalations, the two pro
'SSIIAANNNN?''Coming!' Sian answered automatically and sat up in bed, blinking.Oh shoot! I've overslept again.Throwing some clothes on, she hurried to Citaan and Gredel's bedroom. When she entered the room, Sian found her blue-haired friend struggling to get slippers on.'Don't! Let me,' Sian said, while fumbling for the slippers.Once they were on, she stood and offered both hands to Citaan, carefully easing the woman up from the bed, helping her to the bathroom.You wouldn't believe Citaan is seven months pregnant, Sian thought. Not that the end is far away, but she looks huge, though if you consider Gredel's height and build, as well as Citaan's siblings and father, it isn't surprising that the baby is big.Sian met the whole family the previous month at a ceremony for the unborn child. Every culture has its own traditions and for those of water-sprite heritage, like Citaan, a blessing ritual for the mother-to-be at six months along, was required. Meeting all of Citaan's f
'ZEYNON, NO!!' KASSIE SHRIEKED AS Rumal's little brother hurled himself off the roof of the shed. With a flick of her fingers, mind focused, she caught him mid-air with her energy and carefully lowered the little imp to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the dirt Zeynon made to flee, but his brother, who rounded the corner at just the right moment, caught him by the back of his shirt.'Zeynon,' Rumal looked very unimpressed. 'We've had this conversation before. Kassandra's gift is NOT a toy. Now get on, you can help muck out the stalls.''Awww, Rumal,' whined Zeynon.'Get going. You knew the consequences after last time.'The child hung his head while he trudged off, but Kassie caught the mischievous glance he shot her, his lips trembling with suppressed laughter.I'll bet I'll end up having to do that again, Kassie thought while exchanging an exasperated look with Rumal.The last time had been off the cliffs by the beach.Since arriving at the family estate on Delanta, Kas
SHOCK RANG THROUGH ME AS I stared in confusion at a strange ceiling.Where the hell am I? Why can't I move right?All my limbs felt oddly heavy, and I wasn't sure if I had the strength to push up, to look around. A scrabbling noise somewhere beyond my feet distracted me, and a frantic feeling of panic began to swell in my chest when I struggled to move again.Why am I in bed? What's happened?The sound of a door swinging open and male voices made me freeze in terror at the unknown.'Hold on a moment!' a voice commanded, and a man's face appeared, staring down in astonishment. I recognized the uniform with a jolt; a guard of the Royal Chambers, that Yakov showed me.Yakov. Oh god, I'm not on Earth.The guard carefully eased me up to a sitting position. When someone reached to adjust the blankets I flinched, the motion too close for my current state of mind. Words and images flashed through my head, like a movie reel on fast forward, and my body shook with shock while I tried to p