Fire {Elements of Power 1}

Chapter Sixteen: Roxy

That night, I decided to disobey my grandfather yet again and be late for dinner. It was worth whatever he could possibly throw at me when I walked through the doors flanked on either side by Cinaer, who had his arm through mine, and Avery. Every head at the table turned to look at me in my stunning low cut dress, the complete opposite of the one my mother had picked out for me to wear. It was classy but still provocative and set off my hair, which curled gently down past my shoulders, explosively.

I looked at my grandfather as innocently as I could as I took my seat next to my father, Cin on my other side. The seating arrangements had altered little since my first night there. The King felt safer putting his family between himself and the delegates. It also saved him from the boredom of having to appear interested in what they were saying to him.

The Arcans were only a few seats down from me - near enough for me to start analysing them. They were a group of four. Two boys and two girls, all with hair of varying degrees of silver. They wore very pale outfits, mostly whites and beige, and looked washed out in front of the deep red curtains which were hung on the wall behind them. But their clothing did have an odd - what was the word Vincent had used? Glimmer - to it, making them look oddly shiny in the light. The girls could almost have been pretty, had someone injected some colour into them, to offset that hair. But the boys had an awful look about them of weakness and vulnerability.

I presumed that the Prince must have been the one whose hair was the most silver. He looked more withdrawn than the others, the corners of his mouth turned down, his eyes big, yet blank. They said his father was dying and it was clear from the expression on his face that he was struggling to come to terms with it. One of the girls hadn't taken her eyes off me since I entered the room, her look was definitely wary, but there was something else in it that I couldn't quite place. I met her gaze with my best steely glare, forcing her to look down at her plate and start shifting food round nervously.

I smirked and turned to Cin, who had also been surveying them with interest. "See anything you like?"

"Actually, I'm rather disappointed. This is going to be too easy."

King Nero made his move during dessert. Two Helians stood up and left with movements so subtle and silent that they wouldn't have been noticeable unless you were watching out for them, which I most certainly was. As they vanished from sight, I wondered what exactly they were going to do. How quickly would they corner their target? Had one already been decided on, or were they looking for an opportunity? How would they approach them? By surprise or subterfuge? I knew that they would only be issuing a small control: sit down, go into this room, eat this, drink that; something which wouldn't seem too extraordinary if the Control didn't work.

They soon returned, shaking their heads slightly at the King as they took their seats. They were followed by a member of the Sephan entourage, who entered the room looking a little dazed. Every Helian Protector at the table tensed, watching him intently out of the corners of their eyes. He took his seat towards the end of the table and reached for his glass of wine then carried on eating, causing us all to relax a little. He had no idea what had happened, he was just shaken up from being addressed by two Helians.

As everyone finished their meals, King Nero stood up and cleared his throat. "The time has come for me to welcome our visitors to the castle. This is the first time in over 400 years that members of the other Realms have seen fit to grace us with their presence and we will not waste the opportunity that has now arisen for us to strengthen the bonds between us. Perhaps the time has finally come when we can work together, as a Realm united.

"But there will be time for more serious discussion tomorrow. Tonight should be one of celebration and no one celebrates as grandly as the Helians here in Halia." As he finished, a band started up in the ballroom next door and servants appeared to direct everyone into it.

Cin and I wasted no time in leading the way into the ballroom, gliding onto the dance floor to take centre stage, our bodies instantly picking up their familiar rhythm as we began to dance to the music. While my hips swayed against Cin's I focused on the song, which was one of my favourites. The band was a typical example of Helian music, sending out beats that got right inside your chest, reverberating in competition with your heart. After a few minutes I realised that Cin's attentions were focused elsewhere and, bringing my lips close to his ear, I asked, "Are they watching us?"

I moved my head back to see his grin. "Of course," he answered, pulling me even closer. "They can't take their eyes off of us. But who can blame them really. What with you in that dress and me looking, well, like me really. It's no surprise that they're so shell shocked."

I turned round as slowly and as sultrily as I could, eager to see if Cin was exaggerating or not. "Poor girl," I said, letting my eyes lock with hers for a moment before turning to face Cin again, weaving my hand possessively around his waist. "This is probably the first time she's ever seen anyone having fun before. I suppose we shouldn't blame her for being jealous."

"Of course not - that would be uncharitable. If anything, I should go over there and offer to show her a good time."

"By all means. We are here to make their stay as enjoyable as possible after all."

We exchanged smiles and I pressed my body up against his one last time, bringing my lips tantalisingly close to his. "Go have some fun," I whispered, before sauntering off to get a drink.

Cin must have overestimated his appeal, however, as a few minutes later he was still standing in front of the girl, trying to coax her away from her friends, while the Prince's bodyguard glared at the back of his head. It looked like he could do with a hand.

I grabbed a fresh drink from the tray of a passing waiter and went to join them. "Roxanne," I said, holding my hand out to the one who must have been the prince. He looked at it blankly for a few seconds before extending his own to shake it - so not the gesture I had been going for - and replied, "I am Prince Brae, these are my companions, Cameron, Devon and Imogen."

"And how are you finding the Helian Realm, Brae?" I drew closer to him as I spoke but he deftly moved himself away, leaning behind him to put his glass on a table. As he did so, he let his eyes meet mine, as if he were trying to let me know that he was well aware of my game. His eyes were light brown, paler that Cin's or Vincent's. They looked as though they had been diluted, weakened.

"It's certainly very... different from what we're used to," he replied, smiling lightly.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm sure you just need a little time to adjust."

"Some things are harder to adjust to than others. Your dancing for example-"

"So you were watching?"

"I rather thought that was the point," he answered quickly, his eyebrows slightly raised. He was good, I had to give him that, but that was going to make this all the more fun.

"We like standing out, that's true. I always have more fun when I know everyone's paying attention to me. Maybe you should try it."

As he shook his head his hair caught the light and seemed to retain it in a hundred mesmerising sparkles. I drew away from him, slightly unnerved by the sight, but he didn't seem to notice. "Not tonight, I think we're all a little worn out from travelling."

I hated how he kept doing that, making the conversation about them as a group, rather than him. It was a safety measure, stopping our speech from getting too personal. "That's a shame. Maybe some other time. Cin? Come on, let's go dance again. I'm in the mood for some fun."

I turned my back - lusciously framed by the deep scarlet fabric of my dress - on the Arcans and led Cin back to the dance floor, which was now busy with Helian couples.