Creatures of the Night by Grace Collins

Author:Grace Collins [Collins, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wattpad Books

Chapter Eleven

After spending most of the afternoon scouring pages of books I can barely read and coming up empty, I finally give in to Cassia and agree to go to the First Run. The entire village dresses up for the celebration, which is why I’m wearing a silky, long-sleeved blue dress that reaches just past my knees. It’s soft against my skin and shimmers when I move. When Cassia first pulled it out, I was entranced by the way it flowed through the air. I’d never seen a piece of clothing so beautiful.

“Will you stop fussing?” Cassia swats at my hands. “You’re going to ruin all my hard work.”

I follow her through the castle halls, pulling at the pins stabbing my head. “It’s just so uncomfortable.” One comes loose and my hair tumbles around my shoulders. “Oops.”

“Oops? You definitely did that on purpose.” She continues down the hall, the bottom of her dress swaying elegantly with her every step. I never thought I’d see her in one, but the loose, black dress she wears looks stunning. As we descend the staircase, distant music wafts through the foyer. “Hurry!” she says.

“It’s starting.”

She pulls me around the side of the castle.

As we round the corner, the celebration comes into view, red pulsing from a large fire, reaching to the sky. There are clusters of people around the fire, all barefoot and dressed in similarly silky garments. A group gathered on the far side of the clearing hold instruments, poised and ready to play as the villagers gather around them. And then I see Elias. He stands on a raised podium on the other side of the fire pit wearing dark pants and a long-sleeved white shirt, the top of it open, revealing his toned, scarred chest. My stomach flips as his eyes scan the crowd. Cassia pulls me through the gathering of murmurs and sour expressions until we reach the fire, the warmth biting back at the cold air.

“Welcome to the First Run!” Elias calls, his declaration evoking cheers. “We’re here to celebrate those shifting for the first time this year. Due to unavoidable circumstances, the run will be inside our territory and led by the guards. But don’t let this stunt our festivities.” He turns and nods at a group of people at the front. “And now, to the runners. I present to you Maria!”

A young girl dressed all in white steps up to the podium, her cheeks stained pink as the crowd cheers in triumph. Elias continues to call names and one by one they gather on the stage to equal fanfare. The crowd chatters as the runners bounce eagerly on the balls of their feet. I watch as they head off the podium toward a group of men and women who wait at the forest edge.

And then they disappear from view. I turn to Cassia. “That was anticlimactic.”

She laughs. “The celebration hasn’t started yet. We wait until they get back to start celebrating. This is all for them, after all.

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