The Portal

III 3.13 In the dark

Bryanna stretched slowly, memories of the night before returning like scenes from a play to her mind. Since she was just a girl on the Island, she'd dreamed of the Ball of Flames, but her imagination hadn't quite caught up with reality. She had never seen such an intoxicating party. The entire hall had been covered with candles in rich silver candelabra. At the center of the tables, a silver basin filled with water accommodated five slowly moving floating candles. That was all the light in the hall. No torches, just the candles that represented the flame of Vashï Ayman. Outside, a great fire was burning. Firelight streamed in through Shailaja's long windows, illuminating the tables and the dance floor.

When she entered the ball, she heard a slow, delicious song, the rhythm so soft it made her wonder how she would dance something so calm. Her gaze strayed to the couples on the dance floor and she saw to her surprise that they danced almost without moving, their bodies glued together. The pace increased for a brief moment, in which the ladies stepped back and, catching the skirt of their gowns as they circled their partner, made the silvery fabrics shimmer against the candlelight.

Eméline would die if she saw this, Bryanna thought, almost laughing. Either you know how to rotate the skirt with your body or you don't, she would say. Never pull the skirt! She smiled, remembering with relief that Véronique Ainsley did not expect so much from her students.

They all wore rich silver masks that covered the eye region, and Bryanna was amused at the possibility of being unrecognized.

So, when Liam Roparzh led her to the dance floor and approached her body scandalously, she relaxed, knowing they were both protected. Like the other couples, he pressed his body to hers, hugging her waist and making light movements with his hips, turning in a slow rhythm. She didn't know what to do with her own arms and, looking around, she copied the girl beside her, resting her hands on Liam's chest.

She had never been this close to a man before. Liam's chin, which was much higher than she was, touched the top of her head and she felt him, in a gentle gesture, sniff her hair. In the first round of the song, when her body returned to his embrace, Liam's long fingers brushed just below her waist, and she felt her face heat up. So, they danced the first round, then a second and a third... Bryanna had lost count of how many songs had been played, because they were so equal, the rhythm so engrossing that she barely knew when one ended and the other began. Above all, she didn't want the dance to end. Lost in that moment, she realized that her eyes were closed, and when she opened them, she noticed in surprise that the room was even darker. The light from the fire outside was dimmed by the wind off the beach.

- Come on, Miss Yahia - Liam whispered in her ear, and she felt the hairs on her neck prickle with the heat of his presence.

Liam led her through the tables, pausing only to accept two glasses of wine from a servant. They exited the fortress, the cold wind ruffling the skirt of her silver dress.

- Surely you know the reason for the fire - Liam said, as they approached. Bryanna nodded, informing him that, on the Island, they also preserved that custom. The closer they got, the more she marveled at the size of the flames which, at this time of the ball, had already reached six feet. They watched the last few challengers leap over the fire until Liam turned to her and, touching her hair, said: - When I look at you, I feel like jumping.

- Jump the fire? – Bryanna asked, surprised.

But Liam didn't respond. He already had that mysterious smile on his face that she had learned to expect. It was the smile that anticipated a surprise, a novelty, a discovery. It was the smile that anticipated the happiest moments she had lived in Shailaja.

In a quick move, Liam removed his coat and deposited it in her arms. Then he turned quickly and, running as fast as a gust of wind, leapt over the fire. The flames grew and one of them licked his leg, but when he fell on the other side, he was already laughing, proud of his achievement. Baldric and Mateo helped him to his feet, patting him on the back.