The Waking World by Jordan Moore

Author:Jordan Moore [Moore, Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-02T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Masquerade

We continued down the winding halls as they grew. Eventually reaching the main entrance hall. We took the path all the way down, until the sight of the grand doorways came into view. The oaken barriers were spread outward, welcoming us.

I laid my eyes upon a massive room that must have held a hundred people inside. There were dozens of guards outside the hall. The moving bodies of happily chatting people probably gossiping about the local events as we neared the entrance.

Men and women danced as a band played to the side of the hallway near the windows that peaked from under high archways that rose above the checker tiled floor. On the other side of the room was a table that nearly spanned the length of the room itself. Waiters and maids brought and took trays of food and drinks from it.

Deva and I entered, and the smell of expensive perfume tickled my nose. Even though I had just changed, I still looked completely outclassed by every man and woman inside. You could feel the wealth in the air, like swimming through molten gold and silver.

Deva and I waded around the small circles that had formed here and there. Some people had full faced masks on and spoke with others wearing the same ornate designs. The inner rectangle was for a handful of people that used the beautiful and lively music to their advantage and danced. It was funny to see grown and even more elderly people hop around with such abandon.

Deva led me around them like mice through a maze of politicians and business men. The sheer amount of trades and deals and comments about the city I heard, it was impossible to keep track of them all. We made our way to the table near the end of the hall.

We found Tristan, leaning against the wall holding a mug in his hand. He stood only a few paces away from the casket of beer that sat on the table, alongside a few dozen other bottles of ale and alcohol. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn he was almost smiling. He was wearing his same outfit and hadn’t changed his looks at all, I guess Deva didn’t fall too far from her teacher’s tree.

“We should probably try not to get drunk just yet, at least not till we get the key,” she said as she poured herself one of the pitchers and joined him in leaning against the wall like the couple of social pariahs they seemed to be. Leeroy approached us from down the table.

He had changed out from his boyish pirate scheme to an all-black outfit of light leather armor, but he kept his cape on. He looked like a vigilante watching out over the civilians in the room. His head swiveled, his chin high. He must have found a comb to quickly press his wild brushfire of hair down to a manageable level. He joined us, hands on his hips.

“Evening ma’am.

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