Dark Enchantment

Chapter 8.5

The sailor matched her note for note, his own fingers moving just as quickly as hers. The two musicians seemed to be in perfect sync, each anticipating the other's moves and reacting with lightning-fast reflexes.

As the duel reached its climax, the sailors whooped and hollered, egging on the two musicians to push themselves even further. Eira's fingers were a blur as she played an intricate series of runs and trills, her bow moving so quickly it seemed like a blur.

The sailor tried to match her, but he stumbled slightly on a difficult passage, giving Eira the opening she needed to take the lead. She grinned triumphantly as she played a complicated series of arpeggios, her fingers moving faster than the eye could follow.

The sailors erupted in applause, declaring Eira the winner of the duel. One of the sailors, a burly man with a bushy beard, grabbed her by the ankles and lifted her upside down, causing her to let out a surprised laugh.

"Looks like we've got a new champion!" the sailor cried, holding Eira aloft.

Eira held her instrument up in the air from her dangling position, her golden hair pooling on the floor beneath her. "I could beat you even upside down!" she declared, before bringing her violin back to her chin and launching into another piece.

The sailors were cheering her on, some clapping along, while others were holding their tankards in the air. Her feet kicked in the air along to the rhythm of the music and the man holding her aloft began carrying her around the tavern. Eira's fingers were flying across the strings of her violin, as she played an upbeat melody for the raucous sailors gathered around her in the tavern. She could feel the blood rushing to her face as she continued but paid it no mind.

Suddenly, the door of the tavern swung open, and a group of soldiers marched in. They were wearing the distinctive red and gold uniforms of the Aerindirean army, their boots thudding against the wooden floorboards.

Eira's heart skipped a beat as she saw them. It was all she could do to drag herself from falling into the memory of that terrible, awful day, where everything she had cared about had been raised to the ground by men in red and gold.

As the soldiers approached the circle of sailors, Eira tried to keep her composure and continued playing her violin. She forced herself to appear jovial, and not like she was on the brink of either running out of the tavern to safety or breaking her glamour and scorching the soldiers, mission be damned. It didn't matter if they had been there on that day or not.

They still bore the colors of death.

She hoped that they wouldn't notice her or her instrument and would move on.

The soldiers drew closer, and Eira saw that one of them was eyeing her curiously. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with short-cropped brown hair and a square jaw. Her fingers nearly slipped off her violin, they were so slick with sweat.

His eyes were fixed on her violin, and Eira felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead. Her face was likely flushed from the positioning of her body, and she felt grateful for how it hide the emotions her body couldn't hide.

Without missing a beat, Eira finished the piece and raised her bow in a flourish. "Looks like I have new admirers," she said to the crowd, forcing a smile. The sailors jeered in response.

"Well? Can I help you with something?" She meets the soldier's eyes, or, as best as she could. She was still hanging from her feet. The sailor hadn't thought to put her down yet.

"Just passing through," he said, his gaze flickering to her violin. "Nice playing. Are you a traveling musician?"

Eira felt a surge of relief. She decided to play along. "Yes, sir," she said, holding up her violin. "My name is Lydia Lirian. I'm traveling to the capital to join the royal orchestra and compete in the King's Competition."