In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

61. Rose

61

Rose

L eo stiffened. I could barely breathe, hoping and praying that both his mask and Horace’s illusion were enough to keep the emperor’s attention away from his identity.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Leo said, clenching my hand briefly before releasing it. He kept his eyes to the ground when he bowed to Theodore, then swiftly slunk into the shadows. His gaze caught mine for a split second, revealing onyx pits of wariness and anger. I gave him a small smile as I tried to silence the fear screaming in my head. I hadn’t seen Theodore since I ran out on him in his chambers. Would he be angry with me? Did he know Leo was here? Had he discovered what the Sentinels had been planning?

I swallowed and schooled my features, taking my uncle’s gloved hand.

“You look lovely, niece,” Theodore said. He kept me at arm’s length as we danced alongside the other guests.

“Thank you. The ball is beautiful. You must be proud.” My voice was stilted and cordial. He tilted his head, his hair pouring over one shoulder at the motion. Those mismatched blue and white eyes sliced into me, so much brighter surrounded by a deep emerald mask. He wore a black tailcoat inlaid with fine green and gold threading, but otherwise, he appeared like any ordinary guest. I wondered how many people flying past us even knew the emperor stood in their presence.

“I know what it is to be proud, Miss Wolff, and this pageantry”—his gaze roamed over the ballroom—“is not it.” Each word was crisp, each syllable enunciated.

I kept my mouth shut for once, even though I wanted to snap and ask why he continued to hold such an event if that’s the way he felt. I fixed my eyes on some point behind him, focusing on controlling my breaths.

“I saw such potential in you, you know,” he said after a moment, almost inaudible over the sound of the music. “Daughter of the great Hamilton Wolff. As fierce and cunning and curious as he was. But I pushed you too far.” My eyes shot to his. “I wanted my brother back, and it was unfair to place those expectations on your shoulders.”

I stayed silent, blinking back my surprise.

His grip tightened. “Make no mistake, Rose. We could do many great and wonderful things together. Things your father and I only dreamed of. But it has to be your choice .” The word came out in a hiss.

“Theo—Emperor Gayl,” I stuttered. “I’m grateful for what you’ve taught me. And getting to learn more about my father…it’s something I never thought would be possible. You’ve given me a piece of my past. But this—I can’t be what you want me to be. I’ve made my choice.”

The song ended, and the side of his lips shifted into a half-grimace, half-smile. He took my hand, placing a chaste kiss on my knuckles.

“As have I,” he said. “I’m sorry, Rose.”

My mouth went dry. “For what?”

He met my stare again. “Everything.”

The sharp sound of metal clinking against glass made me jump and tear myself from his gaze to look toward the raised platform. Lark stood there in the black and gold velvet dress she’d tried on at the dress shop, the antler mask made of bone casting shadows on the wall behind her.

When I glanced back at the emperor, he was gone.

“I trust you have all had a magical evening celebrating the looming end of the Decemvirate. I am privileged to announce that our great Emperor Gayl is in attendance tonight and wishes to say a few words.”

The audience clapped. A pressure built at the base of my spine, crawling its way up my back. Something was wrong.

Gayl strode silently along the platform, the tails of his black coat fluttering behind him. He stopped in the center and surveyed the ballroom before him.

“Thank you all for being here,” he began, and the crowd went still. “It brings me great joy to see the people of this empire bonding. Royal”—he nodded toward a group of lords in the corner—“challenger”—his eyes crossed to me—“and guest alike. It’s my wish that despite the storms that may come our way, we are able to stand strong together. Through the magic and might of this land, anything is possible.”

A ringing formed low in my ears as I twisted my neck, searching for Leo. I needed to find him. Slowly, I began to inch my way to the back.

“That is why we have always held the Decemvirate in such high regards. It pushes each province to be at their best, to work toward a common goal. To strive for glory. And this year, we have been gifted with a particularly vigorous group of challengers.”

I brushed against a black jacket and glanced up to see Nox. When he looked at me, I gasped. The pupils of his eyes were long slits encased in silver. His nostrils flared as he blinked and his eyes returned to normal.

“We need to get out of here, Rose,” he whispered. A command laced with fear.

Confusion flew through me. What was he talking about? I opened my mouth to respond, half of my attention still focused on finding Leo, when Gayl spoke once again.

“They have shown competence and skill with their minds, passing our little riddles and tests. They mastered their hearts—or at the very least, discovered what lies at their core. But courage”—he paused, taking a moment to think as he paced the platform, all eyes trained on him—“testing courage is a difficult thing. For how does one assess the bravery of the strongest in the empire?”

“Now, Rose. We have to go now ,” Nox said again, the crowd beginning to rustle with restlessness. I searched the columns as panic bubbled to the surface. Where is he?

Something flashed in the shadows behind the green drapes.

I lurched toward it.

“Real courage displays itself in the face of the unexpected. The unprepared. I think you will find, dear guests, who will rise to the challenge”—Gayl’s voice rang out as Leo’s face came into view—“and who will fall.”

I stretched out my hand to meet Leo’s, my heart flying into my throat. But before our fingers could touch, the air between us rippled. My vision went in and out of focus. I blinked hard to wipe away the haze. Leo’s fingers…they were fading. Fragmenting. Floating.

A heaviness swept over my skin. Looking down at my own hands, I sucked in a breath.

Somewhere nearby, glass shattered as Gayl’s words echoed through the night.

“Let the third trial begin.”

And the ballroom disappeared.