‹ Prequel: Dark Dance
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Dark Intent
Viper Pit
I smiled ruefully, knowing that my fellow Riders were going to make fun of my giant pink dress. I always wore pink back home, and old habits die hard. I would've been fine wearing my formal Rider uniform, but apparently, since I'm the queen's sister, my image reflects the whole royal family. So that's how I found myself standing in front of my mirror, wearing a strapless pink confection. The bodice was covered in tiny crystals, and the full skirt flared away from me, sticking out nearly a foot, and the fine silk was covered in a gauzy, paler pink material. The handmaidens had spent nearly three hours trying to straighten my wild curls, so they now fell in a straight pale sheet to my waist. I made my way to the ballroom, actually kind of enjoying the gentle swishing sound my skirts made.
The ballroom looked like it was made of gold; the floor and walls were made of a shimmering, honey colored marble, and the vaulted, dome ceiling was made of metal, but looked like stained glass. The alarmingly huge chandelier threw off sparkling, multi-colored light. They pulled no punches when it came to grandeur in Kopalnia. I searched through the crowd, trying to find my sister. I finally located her across the room, standing with Cortez. I groaned when I realized she was also standing with his parents, as well as Isabella Fontaine. I began weaving through the crowd. I spotted Mo and some of the other Riders standing around the buffet table with Sam and waved. Sam cocked his head when I didn't approach, and I nodded toward where Judith was standing. He rolled his eyes and nodded his understanding.
I reached the little group of royals just in time to hear the former king telling Judith, "Really, my dear, you and Cortez are getting no younger. You must produce an heir as soon as you can."
Judith's jaw clenched, and I could tell she wanted nothing more than to deck the old man. But she'd be better off acting polite, especially with Isabella standing right there, looking haughty and beautiful as ever. Fortunately, representative of the royal family or not, I was just a foreigner, and a soldier at that. So I had less of a need for propriety.
"Oh, are we talking about what goes on in the bedroom again?" I asked cheerfully, and loudly. "I have to say, Your Grace, that seems like the sort of subject that ought to be left to a woman and her husband, instead of being discussed so openly in public, wouldn't you agree?"
Nikolai and Margaretta gaped at me, the latter flushing faintly. Isabella maintained her bored expression but muttered, "foreigners," under her breath. I smiled as sweetly as I could.
"Izzy, darling!" I cooed. "I didn't even see you there!" The best way to insult a vain lady is to pretend she wasn't important enough to be noticed. I could tell it had worked by the faint flashing of her exotic eyes. I do have to grant Isabella one thing; she was remarkably lovely. She was about the same height as Judith, with copper skin, thick ebony hair, and almond-shaped eyes that were nearly black, but flecked with emerald green. She had impossibly high cheekbones, a regal sort of nose, and full lips that at the moment were painted crimson. Of course, the hollow pit where a heart should have been kind of took away from the external appearance, as far as I was concerned. She reminded me too much of my horrid sister Priscilla, except Isabella was, sadly, more devious than Pris had ever been. It made me extremely distrustful of her.
That, and she was trying to get her hands on my sister's man.
I batted my eyelashes Isabella's way while she glowered at me. I noticed the striking differences between her and Judith. They were both tall, but Judith's skin was creamy pale, with a faint smattering of freckles across her nose. Her hair was the pale silver of moonlight, and her eyes were a gray-tinted violet. Isabella may have been the belle of the ball before here in Kopalnia, but the spoiled bitch had nothing on my big sister. Judith was looking her best that night as well; partly thanks to me helping her find another dress at the last minute. Margaretta had had a rather atrocious peach colored chiffon gown sent to Judith's room. I had promptly declared it unacceptable, and "accidentally" spilled cider all over it. I had dragged her off to find another dress, one more suited to Judith. It was sleeveless, black, and made of thin crushed velvet. It had an open back, and the V-neck exposed her elegant neck, without flaunting enough skin to be considered tacky. The dress fell to the floor, and had a knee-high slit on the left side. She had blanched at the heels I forced on her, but I told her a dress like that called for heels.
It actually ended up being a good idea, because Isabella had worn heels too, and now they stood at equal heights. Her hair was done up in an elegant bun, and her makeup was subtle and natural-looking. I must say, she and Cortez made quite a striking pair.
Isabella looked me up and down for a moment, pursing her lips. "Did the baker make your dress?" she asked in her throaty accent. "Because you look rather like a pink cream puff."
"Did you borrow your dress from the local brothel?" I shot back, voice still coated with sugar and a smile still fixed on my face. "Because you look rather like a whore."
Margaretta let out an indignant little squeak, and Isabella actually lost her look of superiority and had the decency to look shocked. I saw Judith and Cortez both hiding grins behind their wine glasses. Isabella's jet black hair was pulled back into a braid, threaded through with golden ribbons, and her dress was a strapless deep red silk, with slits on both sides clear up to her thighs. Gold hoops hung form her ears, and lots of gold bracelets clinked on her wrists.
"Oh, Izzy, my dear, don't look so distressed," I said with a giggle. "You know it's just our playful banter and I meant no offense." I gave her a dramatic hug, making it a point to squeeze her so hard she gasped.
"You'd be well advised to leave my sister alone, you wretched she-devil," I whispered in her ear. "It's over, Izzy. You lost. Accept defeat gracefully instead of making yourself look like a fool." I pulled away from her, a dark look in my eyes. Then I spun around to link my arm with Judith's.
"Come along, dear sister," I said merrily. "It's our birthday, we must dance! Do you mind terribly if I steal your bride away, Cortez?"
"Far be it from me to separate the two of you," Cortez replied, looking amused. I hauled Judith away through the crowd, far from Nikolai, Margaretta, and Isabella.
The ballroom looked like it was made of gold; the floor and walls were made of a shimmering, honey colored marble, and the vaulted, dome ceiling was made of metal, but looked like stained glass. The alarmingly huge chandelier threw off sparkling, multi-colored light. They pulled no punches when it came to grandeur in Kopalnia. I searched through the crowd, trying to find my sister. I finally located her across the room, standing with Cortez. I groaned when I realized she was also standing with his parents, as well as Isabella Fontaine. I began weaving through the crowd. I spotted Mo and some of the other Riders standing around the buffet table with Sam and waved. Sam cocked his head when I didn't approach, and I nodded toward where Judith was standing. He rolled his eyes and nodded his understanding.
I reached the little group of royals just in time to hear the former king telling Judith, "Really, my dear, you and Cortez are getting no younger. You must produce an heir as soon as you can."
Judith's jaw clenched, and I could tell she wanted nothing more than to deck the old man. But she'd be better off acting polite, especially with Isabella standing right there, looking haughty and beautiful as ever. Fortunately, representative of the royal family or not, I was just a foreigner, and a soldier at that. So I had less of a need for propriety.
"Oh, are we talking about what goes on in the bedroom again?" I asked cheerfully, and loudly. "I have to say, Your Grace, that seems like the sort of subject that ought to be left to a woman and her husband, instead of being discussed so openly in public, wouldn't you agree?"
Nikolai and Margaretta gaped at me, the latter flushing faintly. Isabella maintained her bored expression but muttered, "foreigners," under her breath. I smiled as sweetly as I could.
"Izzy, darling!" I cooed. "I didn't even see you there!" The best way to insult a vain lady is to pretend she wasn't important enough to be noticed. I could tell it had worked by the faint flashing of her exotic eyes. I do have to grant Isabella one thing; she was remarkably lovely. She was about the same height as Judith, with copper skin, thick ebony hair, and almond-shaped eyes that were nearly black, but flecked with emerald green. She had impossibly high cheekbones, a regal sort of nose, and full lips that at the moment were painted crimson. Of course, the hollow pit where a heart should have been kind of took away from the external appearance, as far as I was concerned. She reminded me too much of my horrid sister Priscilla, except Isabella was, sadly, more devious than Pris had ever been. It made me extremely distrustful of her.
That, and she was trying to get her hands on my sister's man.
I batted my eyelashes Isabella's way while she glowered at me. I noticed the striking differences between her and Judith. They were both tall, but Judith's skin was creamy pale, with a faint smattering of freckles across her nose. Her hair was the pale silver of moonlight, and her eyes were a gray-tinted violet. Isabella may have been the belle of the ball before here in Kopalnia, but the spoiled bitch had nothing on my big sister. Judith was looking her best that night as well; partly thanks to me helping her find another dress at the last minute. Margaretta had had a rather atrocious peach colored chiffon gown sent to Judith's room. I had promptly declared it unacceptable, and "accidentally" spilled cider all over it. I had dragged her off to find another dress, one more suited to Judith. It was sleeveless, black, and made of thin crushed velvet. It had an open back, and the V-neck exposed her elegant neck, without flaunting enough skin to be considered tacky. The dress fell to the floor, and had a knee-high slit on the left side. She had blanched at the heels I forced on her, but I told her a dress like that called for heels.
It actually ended up being a good idea, because Isabella had worn heels too, and now they stood at equal heights. Her hair was done up in an elegant bun, and her makeup was subtle and natural-looking. I must say, she and Cortez made quite a striking pair.
Isabella looked me up and down for a moment, pursing her lips. "Did the baker make your dress?" she asked in her throaty accent. "Because you look rather like a pink cream puff."
"Did you borrow your dress from the local brothel?" I shot back, voice still coated with sugar and a smile still fixed on my face. "Because you look rather like a whore."
Margaretta let out an indignant little squeak, and Isabella actually lost her look of superiority and had the decency to look shocked. I saw Judith and Cortez both hiding grins behind their wine glasses. Isabella's jet black hair was pulled back into a braid, threaded through with golden ribbons, and her dress was a strapless deep red silk, with slits on both sides clear up to her thighs. Gold hoops hung form her ears, and lots of gold bracelets clinked on her wrists.
"Oh, Izzy, my dear, don't look so distressed," I said with a giggle. "You know it's just our playful banter and I meant no offense." I gave her a dramatic hug, making it a point to squeeze her so hard she gasped.
"You'd be well advised to leave my sister alone, you wretched she-devil," I whispered in her ear. "It's over, Izzy. You lost. Accept defeat gracefully instead of making yourself look like a fool." I pulled away from her, a dark look in my eyes. Then I spun around to link my arm with Judith's.
"Come along, dear sister," I said merrily. "It's our birthday, we must dance! Do you mind terribly if I steal your bride away, Cortez?"
"Far be it from me to separate the two of you," Cortez replied, looking amused. I hauled Judith away through the crowd, far from Nikolai, Margaretta, and Isabella.