Bound by Glass

38| It's Party Time

I wiped my palms on my silver dress what seemed to be the millionth time that evening, but the rough silver stitchings didn't seem to absorb my sweat. The dress was beautiful, even I could see that, but there was more to it than met the eye.

The silver fabric of the sleeves and bodice fitted snug around my skin, but I could move in it with ease. Allie had boasted about the craftsmanship, and had proudly showed me everything this dress had up its sleeve—literally. It wasn't just a silver-coloured ball gown, but an armoury in itself. The sleeves of the dress were decorated with hard fragments of mirrors or metal, which seemed like useless, crafty ornaments to the untrained eye. However, a simple flick of my wrist activated a mechanism which made the fragments shoot up, forming a line of razor-sharp shards on my arms. Even then, if I didn't do that, the fragments formed a hard armour, which protected my arms and shoulders from any blows. The bodice of the dress had been enforced, protecting my abdomen and chest with a hard shell. The pins which held up my hair were as sharp as a razor as well, and they could function as daggers if I failed to reach or lost the gun and blade strapped around my thighs, safely hidden beneath my skirts.

And all of that wasn't even the most impressive of all: if I pressed the red gem embedded in the silver necklace around my neck, the silver of the dress would fade away, leaving behind a midnight black. The fabric would tighten around my body, forming a suit in which I could move easily. Another press, and the dress would return to its usual form and colour. The necklace, however, remained the same, whatever the form or colour of the dress.

The first time I pressed the button and felt the fabric on my skin churn into black, it had felt like the dress had been alive. The material moved, slithering and changing, like a snake which shed its skin. It frightened me, although I had to admit I could move effortlessly—much more than the tunic and pants I had been training in. The synthetic material was completely smooth when turned to black, making it easy to slip through the air vents and hide in the shadows. Naturally, I had to get used to the dress before I could actually use it. Allie had shown me the ropes, like she always did, showing me which movements unlocked which weapons, and which gestures would make them return to their original place.

Vace had almost gotten a heart attack when he had heard what the price of the suit had been, but Allie had assured him it was a good investment. "Justice comes at a price," she had said, "Figuratively and literally." Vace had just groaned and had watched me train with Haco, quietly admiring the craftsmanship of the suit. I had heard him whistle a low tone when I had whipped out the fragments, pulling one off and throwing it in one of the targets on the other side of the room. I had just found out that that was possible, and I was trying to train with that as much as I could before the ball—and thus the mission. The fragments had a surprisingly good balance, making it easy to hurl them through the room. Luckily for me, the fragment went through the target not too far from the bullseye. Vace nodded approvingly, before leaving us. After a couple (dozen) more tries, I had gotten the hang of it, and I could hit the target with ease. I had always liked throwing daggers, and since I had done that a lot at home I was fairly good at it. I just hoped I didn't have to use that skill on someone tonight.

The Fairlands Residence was beautiful in its own way, like all of the Houses in the Higher District. The ballroom looked like it was located in a forest, with a blue ceiling covered with lapis lazuli and pillars which slightly resembled trees. The composition and colouring was completely off, of course, but I liked how they had tried to copy the calm of a forest, by even having a waterfall covering one side of the ballroom. There was a small orchestra there, consisting of a man playing an instrument with countless strings and a woman hitting a sort of instrument with metal pipes, which produced beautiful sounds. There was a couple singing as well—which were definitely brother and sister according to their matching fiery red hair and green robes—their voices calm and serene which fitted with the ambiance of the ballroom. I definitely liked this more than the Jadefire Mansion, which had been made completely out of glass, where I had felt watched the entire time, or the cold, dark Darkloft Tower with its beautiful botanic garden—the garden where my world had been turned upside down, the garden where I had seen Kael. Or at least, where I thought I had seen him.