“Now, switch your partner!”
Zyba stepped away, and I was alone in the crowd, searching in the eyes behind the masks for who would be my match for the second part of the song. I felt an arm wrap around my waist.
“Dance with me?”
It was a calm voice, my heart pounded. But this time, it wasn't Viggo. A mysterious dancer wrapped me in his arms, he must have been a veteran in Valkyrie. I could see beneath his mask a triangular face with large brown eyes that showed flames of fire reflecting as a cat eye briefly. He had a light woody scent that brought me closer to his neck. I seemed to know him, but had no idea where from. He smiled at me as he led us across the lawn to where the couples danced. My curiosity would not allow me to look away from his young, clear skin. We didn’t exchange a word, just glances. We danced as if there was no one else there. I was mesmerized, noticing every detail of that boy.
The music stopped suddenly, and everyone looked up at the dark sky. The red moon was bleeding like the night of the luau. The crowd ran in a panic, masks fell, prisms too. Several death jackals appeared with their haunting eyes of fire and swept the scene, carrying prisms. We could hear screams, children were crying. But this time I was not afraid. The mysterious dancer shielded me in his arms, all jackals passing us as if we were invisible. It was so real that I could feel the heat of his body, nothing could hit us. I watched over his shoulder as people evaporated into the air like dust. Chaos had settled around us on the training field, but I was safe. I hugged him back, wrapping myself around him. I wanted to stay there, smelling him all night if I could.
He pushed his chest away, gently driving my face a few inches from his lips. The chaos around was drowned out by the sound of my heart pounding. He closed his eyes, me too. I even felt his breath in my mouth. From inside my closed eyes, I heard someone call me.
“Lola, wake up! For those who could not sleep, you sure had a heavy sleep, huh!?” Kenzo said, poking me.
“What? It's already day... I was dreaming,” I thought out loud.
“Dreaming, what?” asked Dakota.
“Never mind, I think this place is making me crazy. We need to go.”
I wasn't going to tell them such a dream. I didn't even understand where it came from in my head. Who was that boy? Did I get involved with him or was I just curious? Why didn't the jackals catch us? It looked so real I could still smell him if I closed my eyes.
Several questions exploded in my mind like fireworks. But that was a waste of time, any dream would not divert me from my greatest concern, rescuing my father and leaving as soon as possible.
The sky was cloudy with a yellowish tone, but no sun though. As soon as I woke up, Koda jumped on my shoulder trying to lick my face. We cleared the bonfire trail and headed northwest toward the castle. I was the leader of the group holding Joku's compass in hand, but for a moment it no longer pointed north. The sparkle of the amethyst on my necklace reflected in the compass, its pointer faded into an image.
It was the Cinamomo vulture watching our steps through the moldy mirror, while young Elof slept soundly among parchments, inkwells, and two candlesticks on his old mahogany desk. Even a small mouse was walking around. Visions never showed me his face, I always saw him from afar or from his back. He was woken up by a scream, which almost cost Cinamomo's head.
“BOSS! Wake up! They are in the right direction, see!”
“Han? What? ARE YOU STUPID!? You almost killed me, asshole!” shouted the knight, leaping from his blue velvet chair, throwing one of the candlesticks toward the vulture. Lucky for him, he swerved in time to see the object smash into the stone wall.
“Sorry, your majesty!” He cringed and his eyes widened.
It was him once again, the image of Elof reflected in the distance as he answered Cinamomo.
“I had a dream,” he said with distant eyes, seeking an explanation for what he felt. He thought it best to change the subject and continued.
“Where's my coffee? I see that our distinguished guest has not woken up yet either,” he said sarcastically, seeing my father in a corner of the dark stone room, still unconscious from the spell. He was bound by handcuffs attached to the floor, where he appeared to be in a deep, restless sleep. Poor Dad!
“Boss, one question. Why don't we kill all these people? It would be easy.”
“That's why you're just a stupid vulture. Because you don’t think! Lola is too powerful, she has Lumen’s protection, she is vulnerable only here, inside the castle. Not even in the maze I can finish her. Nefarious, that old idiot, protected her at birth with the royal immunity spell. If he thought himself as wise, he saw that I can be, too. I learned how to make the potion and invented my own! Nobody breaks me, nobody! Unless, no ... After I finish with that girl, I'll be even more powerful. I’ll finish her and then Lumen, Nefarious, everyone in that place!” he got excited. So much bitterness within one person, he really hated me.
At that time, entering the stone room, came a soldier of the Leikian royal guard, pushing a man staggering in dirty and torn clothes.
“Your Majesty, this filthy man killed another one in the Coal Grotto tonight, I found him drenched in blood, passed out by the village,” said the soldier with a sword in his hands.
“Again? I cannot have a moment of peace! How many have died in this eclipse just from fights, Cinamomo?”
“Twelve with that one, boss.”
“Good thing this kingdom is more populous than Lumen itself! Hahaha, lucky me to have more bad people than good people in this damn planet. My dear drunk, do you say anything in your defense?” Elof asked by protocol only.
“Your Majesty, the man lost the bet in cards and didn’t want to pay! We fought arm on arm, and he fell. It was unintentional!”
“Unintentional. Poor thing! So, we'll do this. You take some time to think about what you did, ok? Unintentionally, I will throw you in a prison! Get him out of here, he's infesting my room with that stink.”
“Yes, your Majesty. Let's go filthy!” The soldier went out pushing the drunk who cried and asked for mercy.
“You know Cinamomo, it is such a heavy burden to command an entire kingdom! I can't even drink my coffee! That's because I'm a fair, good king. I could have everyone in the whole prison killed, to clean up the place, that would be great. But I am a kind person, I always think case by case. This is what a real Leikian does. Not minimizing all the shit people do, like that old idiot in Lumen,” muttered Elof, talking about Nefarious.
“I was very wronged in that scum of a place. I was like a son to that cretin king, raised in the castle, born even before that somber, perfect little princess! When I grew up, do you know what he told me to do, Cinamomo? He appointed me Master Counselor. HAHAHA. He wanted me to be a servant for that girl to trample on my head. Ungrateful old man! I always did everything for him, for that kingdom, when I deserved recognition, I only received ingratitude and contempt! So here I am, in my own kingdom. For those wronged, who do not conform to passivity, who fight for what they want. It doesn't matter if it will cost you a tooth, or your head, here the strongest one wins.”
“That's my boss!” Cinamomo supported, applauding the knight's thrilling speech.
Elof had his ego fed many times a day, with the help of menials like Misty Cinamomo. When he turned to see his own image in the mirror, he saw ours being transmitted from the middle of the maze where he had an idea.