I had expected an assassination attempt on one or all of us, but it didn't happen. Perhaps Aunt Lanara's influence carried even this far: knowing I must attend her party, our enemies drew back. That, or they had another, more deadly plan in mind…
At last the lands grew more normal and less motive, and streets of huge walled estates appeared. We drove more slowly now, as we encountered traffic—carriages similar to our own, mounted riders, even a few pedestrians. Most looked as human as we did. I found that strangely comforting.
Slowing, our carriage turned in at a set of high iron gates. Behind it, towering over the wall, lay a house so immense it made ours look like a cottage in comparison. It blazed with light, inside and out, and I saw figures moving on a dozen different floors—many of them pressing up to windows to watch us.
Liveried servants, who looked more like frogs than men, stood everywhere at attention. A dozen of them bounded forward to take care of us.
“Announce Lord Oberon, Lady Freda, and Lord Aber,” my sister said.
“You are expected, Lords and Lady!” one of the frog-servants said.
Freda motioned me out. “You must go through the motions of betrothal for now,” she said softly, so only I could hear. “It is the honorable thing to do.”
I nodded. Then trumpets sounded, and a cheer went up as half a hundred doors were flung open and guests began to stream outside. There must have been a thousand of them, as the throngs grew deep around us. They began to call out: “Oberon and Braxara! Oberon and Braxara! Oberon and Braxara!” over and over again.
“What should I do?” I asked Aber, as subtly as I could considering how many people were staring.
“Get out, walk in, find our aunt!” he whispered back.
I stood, raised one hand in a salute, and stepped down onto the steps which the frog-men had carried up to the carriage. The crowds parted for me, leaving a narrow passage up to the house's main entrance.
There, just outside, Aunt Lanara stood beaming down at me. She wore a tiara of diamonds that sparkled and gleamed, and her long gown shimmered with starlight. Even her tusks had been polished and their tips capped in gold.
Beside her stood an elderly man, white-haired, in gold and red pants and shirt. This had to be her husband, my uncle. Aber had told me his name: Leito.
I stopped before them and bowed. “Uncle Leito. Aunt Lanara.”
“Welcome, Oberon. Come inside, my darling boy, and enjoy the hospitality of our house.”
“Thank you.”
A cheer went up from the men and women around me, and everyone began to file back inside. Turning, Leito and Lanara led the way.
Their house proved a cavernous shell, at least in the front. The party seemed to be taking place on more than one level of the house. Above us, people stood on huge flat stones that floated in mid air, drifting up and down, though never bumping into each other or crushing their riders. People stepped from one stone to another freely as they passed, mingling, talking. Laughter, bits of song and poetry, and comments about Aber, Freda, and especially me reached my ears.
“We must see to dinner preparations,” Aunt Lanara said. “Stay here by the door, greet everyone who comes up to you, but commit to nothing. I will return for you shortly.”
“Thank you,” I said.
She patted my cheek and hurried across the floor, calling to servants. They began to spread out into the crowd on the ground floor, carrying trays of appetizers. Others stepped up onto the floating stones and began circulating among the guests overhead.
“Try not to stare,” Aber said in a quiet voice. He had come up behind me.
“I can't help it!” I whispered back.
A heavyset woman with three eyes, greenish-gray skin, and a pair of short horns jutting from her forehead floated down to us, surrounded by four young women who held up corners of her heavily layered and more heavily bejeweled dress. I literally fought back nausea. I had never seen such a repulsive creature before.
“Countess Tsel,” Aber said to her, bowing formally. After a second's hesitation, I did the same. “May I present my brother, Oberon?”
“Please do.” She offered me a cool hand, scaled like a snake's. I kissed it unhappily.
“Enchanted,” I said.
“This is my brother, Duke Urchok,” she said, indicating the squat man with a face full of tentacles, who had just come up to join her. “And my niece, Lady Portia, and her husband, Baron Yorlum.” She indicated a well-dressed couple to her left, both with horns and slightly too-elongated faces, but human enough looking overall.
“I am honored, Duke, Baron.” I bowed to both men, then kissed Lady Portia's hand, my touch lingering for a moment. “And I am most delighted to meet you, my Lady.” Would that she were my bride, instead of Braxara!
Portia blushed. The Baron, with a dark glance at me, took her elbow and escorted her away. They stepped onto one of the floating rocks and drifted toward the ceiling.
“Oberon,” Duke Urchok said in a muffled voice filled with faint hisses and squeaks. He gave a nod. “Good to meet you. We have heard great things about you from your aunt.”
“Your house is old with tradition,” Countess Tsel said, regarding me, “and you might find it profitable to meet my daughter Eleane.”
I glanced at Aber, who gave a slight nod of encouragement. These two must be important. Somehow, I didn't think Aunt Lanara would approve of my dining with them.
“I would be honored,” I murmured, forcing a polite smile.
“Tomorrow?”
“Alas, I have a prior engagement.”
“Then we will do it the following day. For dinner.” He looked around the room. “Are any of your other brothers here? Locke, perhaps?”
“No,” I said. “It's just Aber and me. Locke is dead.”
“Dead! Oh dear. Poor boy, you're practically an orphan. Then you certainly must come to dinner. Bring Aber, but not your father. My dear Sikrad simply cannot have Dworkin in the house. They do not get along.”
Then the countess spotted someone else she desperately needed to talk to and swept away, followed by her brother and entourage. I stared after her, not quite sure whether to be insulted, bewildered, or amused.
“Who is Sikrad?” I asked Aber.
“Her husband. No one has seen him in decades. Half the court thinks Countess Tsel killed and ate him.”
“What!” I cried. “She's a“
“Hush! A cannibal. She's probably eaten a dozen husbands over the years.”
“And her daughter?”
“Nothing but rumors about her… so far.” He grinned at my horrified expression. “I'm sure you're safe enough, at least until after the marriage, should you get that far. Now keep your voice down. It's not polite to shout about such things.”
I swallowed hard. Monsters. Cannibals. Eligible daughters. What had I gotten myself into?
“You could do worse than her daughter,” Aber said. “The countess owns many of the finest krel farms in the Beyond.”
“In case you've forgotten,” I said, “my engagement is about to be announced here!”
“Do you really think that would stop someone like Countess Tsel from trying to marry you off to one of her offspring? After all, if you're good enough for Aunt Lanara, you're certainly good enough for the Countess! They have been rivals for longer than I can remember.”
“Why is it,” I said, “that half the people here seem to have matrimony on their minds?”
“Why do you think Dad's been married so many times?” he said with a laugh. “Maybe now you're beginning to see the reason I like life in Shadows better. I fully think half the females in Chaos are in search of mates at any one time.”
Then Aber's face hardened.
“Be on your guard,” he said, gazing over my left shoulder. “Our enemies approach.”
“Who?”
“Oberon,” Aber said loudly. He swallowed hard. “May I present Lord Ulyanash?”
I turned, forcing a half smiling. Finally I would meet one of our enemies face to face. I would not let any fear or apprehension show.