Macaire and I strolled into a grand ballroom laced in silver and gold decorations. A giant Christmas tree rose up in the far corner, glowing with twinkling white lights that reflected off red globe ornaments. Along either wall, enormous tables had been set up and were laden with gourmet dishes and artfully crafted ice sculptures. On the balcony overlooking the second floor, a string ensemble was playing music for the dancers in the middle of the ballroom.
Standing in that ballroom, I watched the swish and flow of the elegant ball gowns as the women were twirled around the floor. There was laughter and soft conversation in the air. I longed to have Valerio at my side. The scene played before me was like a crisp memory of a time not so long ago. Centuries ago, he and I had attended balls similar to this one, where we waltzed and laughed before luring our prey off to a secluded dark corner to feed. It had been such a seemingly innocent and light time in my life, which was now so far from my reach.
Stefan leaned close, brushing his chest against my shoulder so he could whisper in my ear. “I think there may be a problem with your attire.” I didn’t need to look over to know that Macaire was smirking. Both nightwalkers were at least wearing nice suits under their heavy coats, while I was sheathed in leather and steel. Not exactly what I would have preferred for a winter ball, but then I hadn’t thought I would need a fancy frock while destroying naturi in Budapest.
I shrugged and stepped into the ballroom with the rest of the guests. “The point, I believe, was to cause a scene,” I replied in a low voice. “I think this will help.”
My appearance certainly grabbed the attention of the partygoers, as they quickly put some space between themselves and me while softly whispering among each other. I was proud of the fact that I didn’t blush, and even more impressed that Macaire remained standing beside me, while Stefan stood straight and tall behind us both like a proper servant. Considering my aggressive attire, I had expected both of them to distance themselves from me at their first opportunity. It made me worry. What was Macaire’s game now?
It took Odelia and Veyron only a moment to notice the uneasiness of the crowd and head in our direction. They had been holding court at one of the three tables at the far end of the room on a slightly raised platform. Odelia wore an elaborate dress of shimmering silver and black, while Veyron appeared in a traditional tuxedo. When they reached us, they both gave a respectful bow of their heads. It was enough to show respect without drawing too much attention from the humans. Unfortunately, that wasn’t a particularly easy task, since nearly every human and nightwalker in the ballroom was staring at me.
“Welcome, great coven Elders Macaire and Mira. Welcome, Stefan. Please enjoy our small holiday gathering,” Odelia said, spreading her arms wide to invite us in.
“Thanks for allowing us to crash,” I replied. “We just heard about the party and thought we would drop by for a little while.” I resisted the urge to lay my hand on the handle of one of the knives attached to my hip.
“You’re most welcome here,” Veyron said, though he refused to look directly at me. I had to wonder if it might have something to do with his missing pet. Surely there had to be a few nightwalkers present who noticed her glaring absence.
“In truth, we had not expected you to linger in the city so long. Otherwise, I would have told you about the ball. It would have given you more time to find a proper ball gown,” Odelia added, as her hand caressed a luxurious strip of black velvet on her dress.
I waved my hand at her and forced out a light chuckle. “Yes, it does appear as if I am a bit underdressed for the affair.”
“In truth, it looks as if you should be part of the entertainment rather than a guest, but it is no matter. You are all most welcome here!”
“Why that’s a brilliant idea!”
“What idea?” Odelia demanded in a rough voice, obviously terrified by anything that I could conceive of as brilliant.
“Entertainment! It would give me a chance to repay you and all the other nightwalkers for your warm welcome into the city as both an Elder and now her keeper. I would like to provide some entertainment.”
“Oh, please, Mira. You don’t have to trouble yourself,” Veyron said, finally starting to look a little nervous. “Tonight is for your enjoyment and relaxation. You’ve done enough. We’ve already heard of the removal of all the naturi from the city. You’ve taken over as keeper for our protection. We can ask no more of you.”
“But I insist! It will be fun.”
“Please let her,” Macaire interjected, surprising me. “Mira has such a special gift for entertaining those around her. She has such flair.”
“Thank you, Macaire. Now, please, return to your seats at the far end of the ballroom and allow me to entertain you.”
With anxious smiles plastered on their faces, Veyron and Odelia led Macaire and Stefan across the center of the dance floor, with me lagging behind them. I stopped in the center and sent out a slight mental push to everyone, indicating that they should back off to the sidelines and leave the center of the dance floor completely open. At the same time, I mentally directed the orchestra on the balcony to switch to a selection of pieces from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet. I thought it would make the whole performance seem more festive, since I was limited in what I could do at that moment.
Once Odelia and the others were seated at the head tables, I bowed deeply to them and then to my left and right, offering myself up to the crowd. As I stood upright again, I palmed a pair of knives at my waist and quickly began to juggle them. I wasn’t a particularly accomplished juggler, but I’d picked up a couple tricks over the long years out of plain curiosity and boredom. The silver blades flashed in the twinkling light as they rose higher and higher. When they were more than five feet in the air, I added a third blade and pushed them even higher. The audience around me exploded in applause, but I wasn’t even half done.
When one knife reached more than ten feet in the air, it became wrapped in a ball of flames. In a matter of seconds I was juggling three flaming knives to an awe-filled crowd of humans and a slightly terrified group of nightwalkers. To the humans, this was a bit of fake magic for their entertainment that could easily be explained away with logic and science. To the nightwalkers, I was a walking threat.
As the music reached its ending crescendo, I dropped to my knees, caught a knife in my left hand and another in my right. Then I tilted my head back and caught the third flaming knife with my teeth. The second the blade entered my mouth, the flames were extinguished. Thrusting the two knives in my hands back into the sheaths at my side, I pulled the other blade out of my mouth. With a wide grin, I puffed out my cheeks and pretended to expel a massive breath of air that turned into a ball of fire as it left my lips. Over the round of exuberant clapping, I could hear screams of genuine terror from the nightwalkers in the crowd.
Confident that I had everyone’s full attention, I moved on to some more stunning tricks. With my blades returned to their sheaths, I raised my hands above my head and with a snap of my fingers four orbs of fire miraculously appeared hovering in the air. I waved my hands and the little fireballs spun and danced over my head in time with the music.
Want to have some fun? I silently inquired of Stefan.
I’m quite enjoying watching you make a fool of yourself. I don’t need anything else.
Give me a hand, please. Float Odelia out here to me.
Float her out?
Imagine lifting her out to the middle of the floor like a silver angel descending into Hell. Stefan didn’t say anything, but I could feel his inward chuckle at my description.