Slave to Sapphire
Chapter 12

Iris and Imogen walked by the library and government offices to reach the ballroom. Music and chatter drifted from the ballroom. Iris was in sensory overload when they entered. The vaulted ballroom was ablaze with candlelit crystal chandeliers and candelabras. Guests were dressed in an explosion of vibrant colors. Many of them spun around the dance floor with their partners. Those that weren’t dancing held crystal flutes with sparkling champagne and picked at towers of food. The artfully arranged piles of food contained a cornucopia of delicacies for the guest to eat. Extravagant bouquets filled the room with a light floral smell that overlaid the medley of perfumes and colognes. Iris was appalled by the lavishness of it all. The contrast of what was before her and what she had lived in Scarlet Town was greater than she could have ever imagined. If the poor of Orinth’s eyes were open to how the wealthy lived there may be an uprising. The physical separation of the poor and wealthy may be more intentional than Iris had thought.

Iris was torn from her thoughts by the handsome man with midnight hair and cobalt eyes. Ezekiel looked dashing, dressed in a tailored black suit with silk accents to compliment Iris’ gown. He grinned broadly when he saw Iris. When he offered his arm to her, Iris took it. He turned to Imogen and inclined his head.

“Imogen, thank you for escorting my colleague to the ball. I can take her from here.”

Imogen smirked. “So that is how you are referring to her now.”

Ezekiel ignored Imogen and led Iris through the crowd of people. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”

Iris surveyed the room; everyone was ageless and beautiful. “Anyone can be beautiful with enough wealth. How have you been referring to me when you talk to your sister?”

Ezekiel shook his head. “You are just as beautiful tonight as you were when you kissed me in the muddy alleyway.”

Iris laughed, “You are too much and you didn’t answer my question.”

Ezekiel responded with his typical half smile and snagged two glasses of the sparkling champagne from a passing waiter. Iris tentatively tilted the glass of champagne to her lips, little bubbles leapt from the surface tickling her nose. It was tangy and sweet causing a pleasant tingling sensation when she swallowed it.

They stood side by side sipping their champagne and watching the guests glide across the dance floor. People looked upon Iris with a mixture of distrust and disgust. Iris was acutely aware of the extra space the other guest gave her and Ezekiel. They acted as if she was a piece of litter from Scarlet Town. Their looks didn’t bother her, she was equally disgusted by their gluttony.

“I refer to you as my friend, with the hopes of you thinking of me as one.” Ezekiel’s voice startled her from her musings.

“We are from two separate worlds, Ezekiel; do you really think we could ever truly understand each other enough to be friends?”

Ezekiel sipped his champagne in thought. “Trying to understand you is one of my favorite pastimes. Our different pasts are not the biggest obstacle when it comes to us being friends.” The expression on Ezekiel’s face told her that the biggest obstacle was his desire to be more than friends. His lips were wet with champagne and his eyes had a playful glint. “Are you sure you don’t want to join me for a dance?”

Iris tore her eyes from his lips and took a deep swallow of champagne causing her nose to burn. “I am sure.”

Ezekiel sighed, “I am sorry if my sister was rude to you. She has a kind heart and is very protective of me, but she can be abrasive.”

“You don’t have to apologize; I can handle myself and she gave me this lovely silver hair pin.”

“I am well aware that you can handle yourself but that doesn’t mean people should treat you poorly. Especially my family members.”

“Isn’t pretty much everyone in attendance your family members?”

Ezekiel laughed deeply. “I meant my close family members.”

As if summoned by their conversation, Imogen glided over to them. “It seems you are preventing my dear brother from dancing. As one of the Grand Ruler’s sons, he is expected to take to the dance floor.” Imogen held out a hand to Ezekiel. “Come brother, join me for a dance.”

Ezekiel looked conflicted and turned to Iris. He opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, Iris responded, “She is right, join her. I am enjoying my champagne and have my eye on that tower of chocolates.”

Ezekiel squeezed Iris’ arm and then led Imogen on to the dance floor. Iris watched him as he gracefully moved across the floor; he was a very good dancer.

“Iris,” a smooth voice called from beside her.

Iris turned to see Horatio dressed in a white suit. The suit was striking against his dark skin. Iris raised an eyebrow at him. “Horatio, I am surprised to see you here. I didn’t think dancing was something you could enjoy given your injury.”

Horatio looked at Iris with disdain. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Iris. Maybe I will pay you a visit while you are in the dungeons. Though you are a little old for my taste.” Horatio leaned towards her and trailed one of his fingers down her arm.

Iris didn’t flinch from his touch and held his stare. “It is me who will be visiting you in the dungeons; maybe I will bring my crossbow and aim for your testicles this time.”

A dark laugh escaped Horatio and he dropped his hand from her. “My, my, Iris you are so very violent. Things could get interesting.” Horatio gave Iris a small bow and limped away. Iris ground her teeth as she watched him leave. Hopefully Ezekiel would follow through on her suggestion for an audit and Horatio’s deception would be revealed before he was able to reveal hers.

Iris returned her gaze to Ezekiel. There was a practiced strength in the way he led Imogen across the floor. Iris imagined herself in Imogen’s place. Ezekiel felt her gaze and gave her a small smile as he spun Imogen.

Iris was shaken from watching Ezekiel by an approaching presence. A rhythmic humming pulsed through her bones. Iris turned to see a man standing beside her. He was of medium height and dressed in a light gray suit; he had an unnatural stillness about him. His eyes were such a pale blue they were almost white. The man’s skin was nearly translucent with blue veins spider webbing beneath. His source stone a black abyss. When he spoke, his soft voice was at odds with his crushing presence.

“I assume you are the one responsible for discovering the fraudulent transactions associated with the Amarath Mines?”

Iris had lost the ability to speak. Was the Grand Ruler really standing beside her? Iris didn’t want him to be interested in her. She couldn’t risk him looking into her past. Iris found her voice and spoke, “I am just Ezekiel’s assistant. He asked me to organize his ledgers; it is him who made the discovery.”

A breathy laugh erupted from the Grand Ruler and the humming in her body intensified. “I know my son is not smart or driven enough to uncover the theft on his own.”

“You underestimate him.” Iris was surprised that she felt the need to stand up for Ezekiel.

The Grand Ruler’s hand moved with inhuman speed clamping around Iris’ right wrist. She was overwhelmed with the sense of him. Iris fought to still her chaotic heart and keep her legs from collapsing beneath her. He leaned in towards her. His breath had a sweet smell to it that was sickening.

“It is you who I have underestimated.” His mouth turned up in a half smile that mimicked Ezekiel. His essence suddenly receded from Iris. She stepped back and he allowed her to jerk her hand from his grip. Iris felt a deep coldness in her core, a trickle of sweat dripped down her bare back, causing her to shiver.

Iris nearly jumped as a warm hand rested on her back. The coldness started to dissipate at the realization that Ezekiel had come to stand beside her placing his hand on her. Ezekiel lowered his head to the Grand Ruler.

“Grand Ruler,” he said in greeting.

His father merely sneered in response.

Ezekiel faced Iris. “Would you please join me for a dance?”

Iris nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She would suffer through a dance if it meant getting away from the Grand Ruler.

Ezekiel didn’t hesitate and swept Iris onto the dance floor. He held her hand and kept his other hand on her lower back. The cut of the dress meant that his hand rested against her bare skin. Ezekiel led Iris through a waltz. The music washed over her and Ezekiel’s touch chased the rest of the coldness from her.

“Do you know how old the Grand Ruler is?”

Ezekiel’s forehead crinkled, “No one knows his age, but based on the genealogy he is over one thousand years old.”

“How did he come to power?”

Ezekiel frowned, “Such questions are best avoided.”

Iris fell silent. She studied Ezekiel’s face and noted traces of the Grand Ruler’s features in him. The initial comfort that she had felt in his arms disappeared. Ezekiel moved her across the dance floor until the song ended. At the pause in music, Iris dropped Ezekiel’s hand and stepped back from him.

“I think I have experienced enough of the ball.” Iris stated.

“Did the Grand Ruler do something to you?”

“No, I am just tired and would like to go back to my room.”

“Would you like me to escort you?”

Iris shook her head. “No, I will go by myself; I’m sure the Grand Ruler’s son is expected to stay longer at the Ball.”

Iris hurried out of the ballroom. She needed to get away from the Grand Ruler and the judgmental stares of the guests. Iris should have never agreed to go to the ball. She had let Ezekiel’s kindness cloud her judgment and distract her from her plan of sneaking to the dungeons. She needed to get that rope from the stables. Iris would take advantaged of the distraction that the Ball provided.

Iris snuck through the hallways to the entrance of the Palace and out into the courtyard. The black gown Ezekiel had designed was perfect for surreptitiously moving through the shadows. The night air was dense with the fog that rolled off the ocean and Iris moved like a phantom through the mist. She easily made her way to the stables without being seen. When she arrived, there were only four of the official carriages parked out front of the stables. The guest’s carriages and grooms were parked across the courtyard near the gated entrance. Iris crouched behind a bale of hay and waited watching the stables for any signs of movement. There was no telling when the fifth carriage would return. Iris considered heading back to her rooms and attempting to steal the rope another time, but she had already wasted enough time trying to replace the prison. She crept from her hiding spot to the stable entrance, keeping to the shadows. Once at the entrance, she hesitated and listened. The only sounds were scuffing of the horse’s hooves and the smacking of their lips as they chewed on hay.

The darkness in the stables was complete. Iris could barely make out her own hand in front of her face. She focused on how the stables had appeared during day and made her way forward using her memory. She counted her steps and paused just before she reached the back wall. Iris ran her hands along the wall feeling the ropes. She lifted one of the ropes from its hook and looped it around her shoulder and across her chest. There was no hiding the rope, she couldn’t allow herself to be seen on her way back to her rooms. Iris turned around and crept towards the exit of the stables.

Her eyes were blinded by the striking of a match. Julian’s face came into focus as he lit a pipe, the light from the match glanced off the hard planes of his face making him look dangerous. The match went out and the only source of light was the faint glow of the pipe. Only Julian’s outline was still visible. She halted and her stomach dropped. Iris was cornered, but she had the darkness and the element of surprise on her side.

She darted towards Julian and dropped to the ground, sweeping her leg out and taking Julian’s legs out from under him. Julian fell with a grunt and Iris sprinted out of the stables. She didn’t look back as she ran towards the Palace hoping the guards on the Palace wall didn’t catch sight of her. She stopped once she made it to the shadows of the Palace. Iris took a moment to catch her breath, listening and straining her eyes to look through the fog for any signs of Julian’s pursuit. Iris heard and saw nothing. It took all of her control to slowly and carefully make it back to her room without alerting the guards.

Iris burst into her room, and shoved the rope under her mattress. Her frantic movements caused Samson to emit a low growl from where he slept on her bed. Had Julian recognized her? Why hadn’t he chased after her? If she survived the night without the guards hauling her to the prison, she would have to make her attempt to get in the prison tomorrow night. She briefly thought of attempting to break into the dungeon tonight. But only briefly. If Julian had alerted the guards to her theft, they would be on high alert. Getting caught stealing a rope was much different than being caught sneaking into the dungeons. Iris’ fingers were shaking as she brushed the dirt of the stables from the black silk gown and worked to undo the tiny buttons. There was a tap on her door, she sprung onto her bed crouched and ready to fight.