In Her Element
Chapter 21

Matthew was enjoying himself as he danced with Lisle. Holding her in his arms—with propriety, of course—felt so right it was a wonder he had never tried it before. Heaven knows how often he had walked in on her in the Hall, dancing alone to music that only she could hear; Matthew sat there and watched as often as he could, hidden in the alcove that had always been his favorite as a young boy. Being cramped in that little niche was worth every moment of soaking in the pure bliss that radiated from her.

Now, Matthew wondered how he had denied, well, not so much denied as not acted on, his attraction to Miss Lisle for so long. He supposed he had always thought of her as his sister’s companion and was only now realizing that she was an individual, in body as well as mind.

He sighed contentedly, and then blushed when Lisle lifted her head to meet his eyes and looked at him with an amused expression. He lifted his eyebrow at her smile; on an impulse, he quickly spun her away from him. The suddenness of it stunned her into a moment of silence before a laugh burst out of her. Matthew’s heart soared at the sound and he quickly reeled her back in, lest she suddenly flee from him along with his momentary slip into joyous fantasy. He knew he needn’t harbor thoughts such as this when she gave him a hug, one that felt so different than the ones he received from his mother and sister. And yet…

Over Lisle’s shoulder, Matthew took notice of a cloaked man standing in the center of the room. Dread began to fill deep inside of Matthew, even as the man looked up slowly, lifted his hands over his head, and clapped once. Matthew’s fears were not without reason; Shadows began to appear all over the ballroom, and Matthew’s alarm increased along with the pace of his heartbeat. The darkened spots formed quickly, by the windows, sliding out from under tables, and on the railing of the balconies that gave a view of the dance floor beneath it. One of the larger chandeliers shook, its crystals creating a tinkling sound, a beauty that went unappreciated by the now silent guests, and Matthew could have sworn he saw a Shadow slowly slide into view on it.

It was then, through the panicked stillness of the partygoers, that Matthew realized that the Shadows must have been there all along; they were only now allowing everyone to notice their presence. He also realized, with immense trepidation, that the man in the center of the room, who held appearances of being the leader, was now striding towards him. Instinct took over and he shoved a very frightened Lisle behind him, while still keeping a firm grip on her hand. The leader of the Shadows reached him.

“Well met, Matthew.”

The man swept back his hood and Matthew gaped at the young countenance before him. This was someone barely out of boyhood!

The young man laughed, as one would at an amusing child. “Really, Matthew, Do you think it is right to judge by age?” he asked in a husky whisper. “Do you think age matters that much?”

Samuel hated being thought of as a child, but if they insisted…they would get a tantrum out of him like never seen before.

His eyes hardened and changed color, and his hand shot out, and Matthew was encased in a purple cloud. Through it, Samuel watched Matthew’s eyes widen and his hands rise up to grab at his throat. Samuel looked on as, after a few moments, Matthew’s hands fell limp and his lids slowly fall over his eyes. Then Samuel pulled the cloud back in and watched Matthew drop to the floor in a heap.

The woman who had been with Miss Almyra by the store was there, and she now fell to her knees at Matthew’s side. She calmly picked up Matthew’s hand to feel for his pulse as well as leaning over him with her ear by his mouth to listen for breath and look for the sign of his chest rising and falling. But Matthew made no movement; he had neither breath nor pulse, and the woman allowed a single tear to make its way down her cheek.

“He’s dead,” she announced in a detached voice, matching Samuel’s cool gaze with defiance. Samuel made as if to raise his hand again and now she screamed. This scream—of anger, anguish, and fear—brought everyone out of their shocked state and bedlam ensued. Knowing there was no chance of him being heard over all the ear-piercing shrieks, Samuel resorted to using his mind to give his command.

Search everywhere! Leave nothing unturned, nothing uncombed! We will replace her—we must replace her!

The Shadows dropped to the floor with their hoods falling back to reveal the faces of boys even younger than Samuel, something that unsettled the panicked guests even more and threw them off-balance. Some of the boys proceeded to do as told, while the others made an attempt at organizing the guests into a group in one corner. Samuel remained where he was in the center of the room, keeping an eye on everything. In his peripheral view, Samuel noticed, with no small amount of gratification, Serena struggling against two of the Shadows. He took a step towards her, hoping for a bit more sport at her expense, when a thought flitted through his mind that made him forget the insignificant little minx.

We have her.