- 118 -

  Flickering candlelight glared golden over the large ballroom.

  The music was loud, critical, and energetic. The air was hot and sharp, but not stifling. There was a giddy electric pressure to the room around him as if any minute the elaborate masquerade would descend into a massacre.

  Drew could not wrap his head around what his senses were telling him. His human body rebelled against him in the simplest ways.

  He tried to limit himself to the smallest movements, starting with his fingers. He flexed them back and forth; wide like his wingtips and then tight into fists.

  Drew flexed his toes and bent into a precarious squat that nearly toppled him over.

  His body was familiar to him, yet awkward. Like an old friend, you haven’t seen in several years and then you and a plus-one get an invitation to their wedding. You ended up going to their wedding alone and get an awkward hug.

  Drew shook his head roughly to control his thoughts.

  The song ended and he whipped his head around to confirm if anybody looked his way. No alarms were raised, nobody drew a weapon or activated a spell.

  The musicians changed to a slow somber song and the dancers continued on dancing without a break.

  As he looked directly at them Drew felt the strong compulsion to join them. His feet would certainly know the steps.

  He turned back and positioned himself to watch the dancers in the mirror. He started with just the edge of his vision but with his human physiology he could barely track the blurry shapes for more than a few seconds at a time.

  The dancers all wore gold on gold suits and dresses, with intricate details. Here and there, Drew could make out embroidered patterns; beasts, or weapons on the backs of the men’s militaristic suit jackets. And the women had even more elaborate scenes on the skirts of their long gowns.

  He looked down at his clothing and grimaced.

  He was wearing his EMT uniform, royal blue with lighter blue pockets and epaulettes.

  The music crescendoed and the dancers sped up. Their steps and arm movements were interlocking and precise, even the slightest misstep would result in a bone shattering hit.

  Drew’s body filled up with music and he unconsciously stepped forward to join in their dance. His body shifted unexpectedly to the side as he walked and it shook him part-way out of the trance.

  The music started to fill him up again but he resisted it and shook it off. His thoughts were scattered and slow.

  Drew looked around and there was a table of refreshments, an ornate punch bowl grown from a block of ice in the shape of a serpent or dragon.

  He could smell the punch, like hotrod-red pineapples and it was the color of neon cotton candy.

  Drew focused on his body and the sensations of the clothes he was wearing. His clothes were startched and crisp. His New Balance sneakers were clean and squeaked when he twisted them on the marble floor. The idea worked, and his thoughts started to clear as the music drained out of him.

  Drew set his sights on an archway off to the side that lead to a hallway.

  He reluctantly turned and walked to the archway. Each shakey step took him that much farther from the dancing and music.

  By the time he reached the archway he could turn more and more of his head towards the dancing.

  A beautiful woman worked her way between the dancers at the center of the ballroom. She did not wear a mask. She was stunning, and an astral glow followed her. A calm effineffable divine aura. Like she always stood in the glow of the full moon.

  She switched from one partner to the next and spun slowly. Drew was astounded by her beauty.

  The thought of meeting the Speaker for the Death god shocked Drew into clarity. Memories of the faces from the quorum tried to bubble up into his visual mind but he could not quite match the faces of any of the dancers to anyone he had met before.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Drew retreated through the arch into the next room. He stoped suddenly and nearly toppled over at the sight before him. Tables upon tables of desserts, piled high in ornate bowls and platters as far as his eyes dared wander.

  The air was electric and cool but Drew could not pin point where the breeze was coming from. A shiver ran across his bare arms making his hairs stand on end.

  He ruffled his feathers only to realize again that he was human. He didn’t have any feathers.

  How do I get out of here?

  The table closest to him boasted a platter of small lavender Skeetle Roselettes, no larger than a thumbprint. Their petals partially unfurled and dusted in frost-glitter and filled with moonlight syrup.

  Beside that teetered star-thistle tarts, golden-crusted and crowned with candied flowers that hummed softly, the filling a blend of fruit and wind strained through harp-strings.

  The next table to his left beckoned him closer with spindleberry cakes. They stood proud and tall, their velvety sponge layers dyed indigo and violet, laced with glazed beetle wings. Each slice bled slow, thick jam the color of summer twilight.

  Bowls of whipped thimblecream floated above the second table, light as dandelion seeds, garnished with hair-thin curls of sugared dewroot and faintly glowing paper-thin peels of candied fruit skin.

  There were Dwarven mirror snaps, thin discs of spun glass sugar mixed with young glurmak slime. When Drew peered into their reflective surface he saw strange versions of himself dancing before different hearths. They would snap like icicles and were flavored like spiced pear and warm iron.

  Drew turned his back on the tables before he lost control.

  He noticed a bowl filled with colorful swirling orbs of smoke on a table by itself. Sunmilk was warm to the touch, rich as cream, with flavors that changed with each sip.

  A cup of straws next to the bowl suggested Drew drink them but Drew peeled his eyes away from them.

  A sudden heat whispered to him and he turned towards a lounge nestled off to the side of the banquet hall. The room was furnished in dark woods and red leather. It was dominated by a large stone hearth that would have fit in at any alpine hunting lodge.

  Drew stopped to look back at the dancers again. There was food but nobody was eating and there was punch but nobody else is drinking.

  The girl, Andie, stumbled to the drinks table. Yet she wasn’t a young girl anymore. She looked to be in her 20s. She was wearing a horned rabbit mask made of white pearls.

  She poured herself a glass of the punch and brought it to her lips reverently.

  Her white gown was torn and scorched and dirty in some places, her hair wet and windswept. She had a far off look in her eyes and did not notice Drew standing there.

  Drew rushed to her and felt the music fill him up more with each step. He dug his nails, like claws, into his palms.

  “Don’t drink that!” Drew said. Unsure if he could speak here in this dream like world until he did.

  “Hey kid! Andie hey! Can you hear me?” Drew waved his hands in her face to snap her out of her daze.

  Andie’s met his eyes and stared at him unsure who he was.

  She looks older, decades older! How long have we been here? Does time flow the same here?

  The glass of punch inched towards her lips as her attention waned again.

  “Andie listen! It’s all faerie magic, and you will be trapped here dancing forever,” He hissed.

  Andie turned to see him completely this time.

  “Sorry sir, but what are you saying?” She stammered a polite apology.

  She was intoxicated and exhausted from dancing.

  “Drop it! Drop it!” He nearly shouted.

  She came to her senses and threw the punch down. It shattered and the music faltered.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked stepping back from him.

  Drew snapped his head up to look back at the ballroom. Everyone was looking at them.

  “What’s ferry magic?” She asked still in a daze.

  “It’s like illusion magic, or pacts and deals where they twist your words and trap you,” He said. “We need to get out of here.”

  Andie was having trouble understanding still. A few murmured voices trickled in from the ballroom as dancers considered investigating the disturbance.

  “Like Wisps?” She asked and her eyes cleared up some more. “Or a Djyn!”

  “Yeah, exactly!” He said.

  Drew grabbed her hand and looked around for a place to run. He felt the warmth of the fireplace within the lounge and pulled her towards it.

  “Sir! Where are we going?”

  “This might be a way out!” He said.

  Drew felt a wave of heat wash over him as he passed the threshold of the lounge. But Andie could not follow him. His hand was wrenched out of her grasp by a wall of magic.

  “Andie!” Drew cried as he tried to step back over the threshold but he could not pass back through.

  “You have to get out. Go out a window!” Drew shouted. “Anything! Just get out.”

  A dour mage approached him from further within the room. He wore a mask covering the top half of his face with is an ape’s snarling face surrounded by flames.

  “You do not have to yell young man,” He said to Drew.

  Drew stumbled into a defensive stance. He tried to draw on his Adept’s Wand Sling and gathering ring but neither was there.

  He didn’t take his eyes off of the ape man as he nodded politely to Andie.

  “Young Lady, welcome to Valoria. You may not enter my parlor, your affinity for the flame is too weak.”

  He smiled at Drew briefly.

  “You sir, have taken the first step, I welcome you to the summer court,” He said.

  “Let her go!” Drew said and braced himself to run or fight.

  The masked man seemed confused he looked towards Andie and pointed to his mask.

  “Calm yourself. She is not a captive here. Nor are you. Simply remove your masks and you will return to wherever you were when you put your hand in the box.”

  Andie’s eyes widened and she looked between Drew and the ape man.

  “Thank you sir.” She said and untied her ribbon. The moment the knot came loose she disappeared before their eyes.

  “Now for you young man,” The ape mage said. “You are a strange one. What monster are you?”

  “I am Batman,” Drew said and pulled his ribbon off.

  -

  “- my dear are you alright?” Marcus said as he helped little Andie to her feet.

  “I am fine, I think. I just need to catch my breath,” She said.

  Drew picked himself up off the ground and shook out his feathers. The sensation of having skin lingered and he was grasping a burgundy ribbon in his claw. It had a small golden feather embroidered on it.

  “Summer court, first tier, sir.” The court official said with a theatric bow before he turned to the next group behind them. “Next in line! Next in line!”

  “First tier, on your very first visit to the dance?” Damien said. “You developed a flame affinity.”

  Marcus rushed to Drew and congratulated him.

  “Did you eat or drink anything?” He asked.

  “What? No?” Drew said shocked.

  “Ah I see,” Marcus said forlorn. “I have been trying to perfect my version of the divine waters and could have used your opinion.”

  “Wouldn’t I have been trapped there at the dance?”

  “Only in a dream,” Marcus said. “Ten nights could pass in a minute if you joined the dance. And the food and drinks restore your stamina.”

  “Rumor has it that there is a second gallery with alchemically enhanced libations,” Marcus said dreamily.

  The court official stepped up to William and offered him the box of ribbons. He calmly reached inside.

  “Let’s all get passes and go together next time. The first pass is free. The next pass is accessible from your court’s quest rewards,” Marcus said.

  “Next time I go?” Drew asked. “Why would I go again?”

  “Why for the attribute points!” Marcus said. “How much stamina do you think you would gain from all that dancing? And points in constitution too.”

  William’s eyes fluttered open and he pulled a red ribbon from the box.

  “I gained 8 points in Stamina!” He cheered.

  “Welcome to the summer court!” The official cheered before she moved on to the next group.

  Drew looked over at Andie.

  The little girl was obviously reviewing her status, but it was invisible to Drew. She had a pert scowl on her tiny face.

  “How long did you dance in the masquerade?” Drew asked her.

  She looked down at him and recognition dawned on her.

  “You were the man in blue?” She whispered.

  “Yeah,” Drew said.

  “You owe me another visit,” She growled. “I only gained two points in stamina.”

  “I’ll work on it.” Drew said. “I need to research before we go again. Could I borrow that codex?”