Chosen. Again. by J. Emery

Author:J. Emery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, epic, portal fantasy, demisexual, queer, second world fantasy
Publisher: Still Life Press
Published: 2021-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Everyone Loves a Party

By the time Ari returned to the castle, she was ready never to leave it again. The people had been nice, more than nice (when she could see them), but that didn't mean she wanted to do another round.

Ari had been in the main hall plenty of times by now but never like this. This time Ari found herself steeping into every ball in every fantasy novel she'd ever read. Except this time it was real. With the real smell of roasting meat and too many bodies and overflowing urns of flowers. Glittering tinsel hung from the walls and the already high ceiling looked even higher when strung with dangling chains of witchlights in a rainbow of colors. If the festival grounds setup outside had been full of people, this was even more so. She could barely see a gap between them. For a moment it was all too much. The smells. The noise. The heat. It was hot as an oven and she was sure she would emerge like a golden brown and crispy cookie after ten minutes amongst them all. She pressed a hand to her stomach as a fresh, queasy wave of nerves clutched her.

Rowena her newly appointed chaperone ushered her in, rattling off a list of who was who, or maybe whom (Ari could never remember which it was), and why she should make nice or avoid them. Ari listened with the slightly frantic attention of someone who had just been informed that there would be a pop quiz. For all she knew, there would be. That was just the kind of thing Virgil would pull. His apprentices probably lived in fear of magical pop quizzes on mixing potions or incantations. Whatever magic school entailed.

After the roster of attendees was completed Rowena made a brief curtsy, excusing herself so quickly that Ari might have been offended if she wasn't already so happy at the prospect of being left to her own devices again.

Then she was set adrift in the swirling masses of nobles, courtiers, and diplomats. Ari had barely gone three steps before she'd forgotten every single thing Rowena had told her and started to panic. What if she said the wrong thing or stepped on the Lord of Something-or-Other's foot and ruined Virgil's plans? She wasn't really cut out for all this intrigue. She could barely even play Old Maid without breaking a sweat. Everyone always knew when she'd pulled the Maid card.

Her 'attendants' circled at a distance like sharks scenting blood in the water. It was probably hers they were smelling.

It was a relief when a familiar face appeared. Tenra, Ari recalled after a long moment of staring. She had met him at one of the banquets when she'd first arrived. He held out a hand to her.

"Might the Lady Champion favor me with a dance?" His smile was polite, not a hint of mockery in sight, and she took his hand without thinking.

"I'm not really... familiar with any of these dances," she said.

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