Blood & Cinders- Choose your Own Adventure Story

Chapter 27

Pressure weighed on her thin shoulders. On the space between her breasts where her heart drummed, making it harder to breathe, as the large double doors creaked open. This was it. She lifted her skirts walking into the room filled with dark opulence and her potential demise.

The mask and a smile firmly in place. She lifted the front of her borrowed gown, careful not to trip over the rich fabric and glided into the room.

She repeated her goal in her head with every step forward. Warn Adam, find Rosie, convince the king and get out before the doors are barred.

The orchestra swayed the room into a waltz with a light upbeat tune that carried through the grand chamber.

Woven tapestries depicting Greek goddesses hung from the walls. The rich fabric swept the floors framing four large windows on the farthest wall that overlooked the forest at the back of the palace. Smoke billowed in a thin steady stream and the blood moon hung in the very left window. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath, trying to shut out the image of the pile of bodies she knew were burning below.

The tables had been pushed against the left wall. Heaps of food piled high in their silver trays. A feast she had never laid eyes on in her life. Two full roast pigs were laid out, one already half carved through, but the apple still clung firm in its mouth. Around the prettied up carcass was a variety of meats, some cured others looking like the cooked legs of a bird.There was bread, several wheels of cheese and some roasted root vegetables on the far left.

You think they would be full after the bloody buffet they had just partook in.

The tray closest to the front of the room was a tiered platter piled high with an assortment of fresh and dried fruits and in the middle custards, tarts and a few pies.

Isabelle's greedy stomach couldn't help but stare. How long had she been eating watered down soup and bread? She pried her eyes from the temptation searching for a pair of black horns and a dark muzzle.

The room was abuzz with laughter, feasting and dancing. There were some bloodmaids here as well, some dressed others not as they schmoozed with the ones with tooth and claw. A high pitched laugh caught her attention and she recognized it as the voice of the scully maid. Sure enough there she was chatting with several red dressed girls.

Her gut twisted, dampening any hunger she may have felt before. How could they be so cheerful after torturing people for the simple thrill of the hunt, like foxes against the hound.

Anna was right. They deserved to burn.

The gleam of familiar curled horns caught her eye in the far corner by the food. Even among the creatures Adam stood out as one of the tallest. Though he hung in the back away from the dancing and idle chatter his gaze was fixed on the other side of the room.

Henry.

Like moths to a lamp his golden crowned head was surrounded by nobles and blood maids alike. Each trying to gain favor, each hoping to keep their place for a while longer, to keep him calm, and entertained. And locked in the same wooden box clutched in his hand was Rosie.

Isabelle wove her way through the crowd, nodding when she rubbed shoulders with a creature. Some grumbled out their displeasure. Others moved out of the way, a look of shock on their faces, but all murmured in the wake of her journey to the buffet, like ripples they spread and soon would reach the ear of the king.

She didn't have much time.

Adam's gaze was still fixed on the King. He was dressed for show. Clad in dark britches, a red damask trimmed in black fur with a golden tunic that peaked underneath and a gold studded belt wrapped around his waist. Though he wore a mask like all the others, he was not as lavish as some. No embellishments of feather or jewels, simply a black mask with curls that swept up from the corner of the eyes looking like golden horns that mirrored the shape of his own.