For the rest of the dance, Cara made polite conversation, and practically ran away once the song concluded. She didn't like the King. She returned to the corner she'd been living in during the rest of the festival. Cara's hands had just started shaking as she realised the enormity of what she'd just done. She'd robbed the King. The King.
Edan approached Cara after a few moments.
"Well...?" he asked quietly.
Cara nodded.
"Show me." he said quickly. His eyes seemed to be full of hope. In her frazzled state Cara didn't think anything of the demanding tone and reached into her pocket, grabbing the cold, black ring. Only when she looked at it again did she remember what she was supposed to ask.
"Why do you have that symbol?"
Edan froze, clearly thinking of what to say to her words that had come out harsher than intended.
He didn't respond so Cara asked again. "Why do you have this ring? What does it mean?"
Edan's face went blank all at once and his eyes seemed to harden, glaring at her. For the first time since meeting him, Cara felt intimidated. "What do you think it means? Give it to me, I need to go."
Cara stopped short, all intimidation fleeing. She returned the ring to her pocket. Go? Where did he need to go?
"What do you mean, go?"
"I mean go. Give me the ring."
"We need to rescue Declyn and Thaleara. You need to pay us."
Edan didn't look Cara in the eye, but instead his eyes fell to the hidden pocket. "You'll be paid. Declyn and Thaleara will also be paid if they get out."
"If?!"
Edan's eyes flickered back to Cara's, and the gold irises seemed to move like they were molten. Cara took a step back.
"Give me the ring, Cara." His voice was low. Dangerous.
But Cara needed his help to get Declyn out. She lifted her chin and looked him in the eyes.
"No."
Edan's mouth curled and he snarled at her, jerking forward as though he was about to wrestle it from her pocket, but stopped short. His molten eyes flew to the palace, eyes moving directly to the top level.
Cara watched him wearily before finally pulling her eyes to the palace.
She gasped.
The signal.
Relief flooded her like water spilling into a dam. Declyn was okay.
They were flashing a small mirror through one of the windows, the light reflecting off the many lanterns littering the sky above the courtyard. Cara watched with her heart in throat.
Two flashes.
They needed to come down, and they needed a distraction.
Edan seemed to realise the same thing at the exact moment she did, and whipped his head back to her. He held up a finger in warning and threatened, "don't you dare-"
Cara slapped Edan across the face.
The slap ricocheted through the courtyard, gaining the attention of practically everyone at the festival. The dancers stopped, the mingling groups at the sides turned to see what the fuss was about, and many of the performers ceased at the distraction. Even the music seemed to pause for a moment.
Edan turned to Cara, the molten in his eyes swimming faster. She was as shocked as him, but stayed in character.
"How dare you!" she exclaimed at him, spinning on a heel and walking away with her head raised in the air. And closer to the centre of the courtyard. Edan wasn't dumb enough to follow, since everyone was shooting them side glances. Attempting to take the ring from her now would result in them both being arrested and the ring being returned to the King.
Cara didn't let herself smile at the trap she'd sprung for him. When she turned around, fake tears pooling in her eyes, Edan was glowering at her.
"I loved him!" she shouted, letting a tear slide from her eye. She had no idea where any of this was coming from. The audience, however, gasped simultaneously, and the conductor of the music stopped the orchestra playing. The courtyard fell silent and everyone leaned forward, clearly invested.
Cara shook her head, turning away from Edan again and glanced around as unnoticeably as possible, pretending to be a heartbroken young girl searching for a friendly face. While there weren't any friendly faces, there were certainly many interested and shocked ones. Even all the guards were watching, intrigued.
"He's a good man. You should have given him your blessing, brother." She spat out the word 'brother', scowling at Edan, and let invisible sobs shake her body. The crowd was practically holding its breath and every set of eyes was on her.
Cara didn't dare glance at the palace wall, where she prayed that Delcyn and Thaleara were making their way down. Edan's eyes glittered in the lamp light, and Cara could have sworn she saw flame there. She paled and the pure anger and ferocity. He started forward, stalking toward her, and Cara blanched. It wasn't an act. Edan seemed taller, stronger, and unpredictable. There was nothing human in his face.
"Sister-"
"Leave her alone, Cousin." Thaleara said from behind Cara, placing one reassuring arm on her shoulder. Cara almost shuddered with relief. Thaleara was here, which meant Declyn was. Cara risked a short glance sideways to Thaleara, who now donned a pair of breeches and an emerald green tunic with white swirls of embroidery. The clothes she'd stashed behind the pillar not an hour ago.
But Thaleara wasn't looking at Cara. She instead held her gaze towards Edan, who was glaring back at her. He looked furious, but still chuckled darkly when Thaleara lifted her chin slightly.
"You won't win this, believe me," he told her, amusement lacing his voice.
Thaleara didn't sound as though she was breathing, but responded quietly, "I knew it. The ring, the wind in the bar, the advisor. You're-"
"Hey, Cara."
Declyn was stumbling forward, still trying to put on his coat awkwardly as he moved and approached them. He hadn't seemed to notice the tension in the air. Not for the first time in Cara's twenty years existence did she wish she was born without a twin.
Thaleara and Edan were still locked in their staring match, the air between them so tense you could cut it with a knife. Declyn slowed his approach slightly, as he took in the scene, and he whispered to Cara hesitantly, "What's happening?"
Cara didn't deign to respond. She was glad her brother was alive and safe, but sometimes she wished Knowledge had given him a bit more, well, knowledge.
"Give up, Thaleara," Edan purred. His eyes were glittering more than ever.
Thaleara clenched her jaw. "No."
There was a loud thud behind Cara but she didn't bother turning, not daring to take her eyes off Thaleara and Edan.
"Hey, wait!" the guard closest to them shouted.
Godamnit, Declyn.
Cara whipped around, only to see Declyn awkwardly grabbing a giant ruby brooch from the floor and attempting to stuff it back into his pocket. The guard leapt forward before he could hide it and shouted, "Turn out your pockets."
Cara mentally hit Declyn across the face, and hissed at him, "What did you do?"
His eyes widened at the wrath of his older sister, and he stammered back, "they were just sitting there, not being used. I couldn't leave them."
Cara could feel the blood drain from her face. The idiot had stolen royal jewellery, filled his pockets with it, and just dropped some. If he turned out his pockets-
"Alright, alright, one sec," Declyn yelled, placing both hands in his pockets.
Cara panicked. He'd be taken to the dungeons for this. Her baby brother. Immature, never really grown up, Declyn. He couldn't go to the prison by himself.
"I stole it with him!" she shouted.
Declyn's head whipped to her, eyes wide and pleading.
"Cara, no. Don't- you have to look after Mum, and the girls-"
She cut him off. "And who's going to look after you?"
He paused for a moment, turning her words over, and then shouted, "Thaleara!" He moved one hand, pointing it directly at the thief still having her staring competition with Edan. Cara physically jerked back. Was he out of his mind?
"She organised this entire heist!"
Only at those words did Thaleara finally break her silent argument with Edan and whip her head to Declyn.
"What?!" she spat.
Declyn seemed to realise his mistake and shrunk back, paling.
"Please don't turn me into ash with your shadow," he whispered.
"Shadow?" Edan asked. "What do you mean, shadow?"
Declyn turned to Edan, unaware of his betrayal, attempt to take the ring and leave him and Thaleara searching the palace.
"Shadow." Declyn insisted.
Thaleara's head whipped back and forth between the two as they spoke, and finally she looked at Cara.
Cara's eyes were widened at the situation. This was insane.
Thaleara, appearing to find no answers from Cara and decided to instead follow Declyn's lead in pointing fingers, and shoved hers at Edan. "Well he gave us this job. Suggested we break into the palace!" she blurted out, glaring at the accused.
Edan spluttered at her, "This is ridiculous. I am a go-"
"Nuh uh," Thaleara cut him off, waggling a finger.
Despite herself, Cara snorted.
The guard who originally accused Declyn seemed unsure of what to do with himself, and the rest of the guards in the courtyard were equally confused about how to react. The orchestra was still silent and everyone in the audience had been gasping with each accusation. The only person not hesitant was the King, who was seated at his throne and had sobered up once he realised people had been stealing from him.
"Well," he bellowed, glancing at the guards as if confused by their lack of movement. "After them!"
Their small group of betrayers and misfits froze, and Edan was the first to lurch into action, going straight for Cara and the ring in her pocket.
Before he could move one metre, Thaleara was in front of Cara - she had no idea how she'd moved so fast - and the air whooshed in one giant motion, all warmth seeping towards Thaleara.
Cara was frozen to the spot, watching with horrified eyes as the lanterns in the courtyard all winked out simultaneously and the shadows across the courtyard became a tangible force in the air of pure dark, and black and evil. The darkness surged forward, creating a wall of literal shadow in front of Thaleara.
Cara couldn't scream. She couldn't move. She couldn't think.
This was why magic was outlawed. This is why magic was something to fear. It was strong, and evil, and wrong. The God, Magic, did not deserve to be worshipped for creating this monstrosity. The guards all stopped short at the sight of the darkness, some even backing away.
Finally, Cara's muscles finally remembered to move, and she shrunk away from Thaleara. Thaleara whom she believed to have been her friend, and instead was this evil incarnate. The epitome of shadow and darkness. The wall she'd built out of shadow seemed indestructible, an immovable wall of black.
But not a moment after the wall was built, Edan appeared through the cloud, cutting a doorway through the shadow with one hand.
A hand that was on fire.
The guards at this point were definitely backing away in terror, and the crowd was screaming everyone running to the castle and away from this display of power. Cara herself gasped in horror, and reached out a hand for Declyn.
Edan's hand was on fire, and so were his eyes. They glowed bright red in the now darkness, swirling with rage. Thaleara didn't step back, didn't take her eyes off of Edan's approaching figure.
"I told you, give up. You can't win this fight," Edan scowled. How was his voice normal, when everything about this situation was not? The hand of fire melted away the shadows around him as he stepped through Thaleara's wall.
Thaleara didn't waver and replied.
"Go on then. Take it away from me. Take back your gift."
She spat out the word 'gift' like it tasted bad in her mouth.
Edan's other hand curled and filled with floating, sharp ice. He lifted the hand, and in one short movement hurled the ice at Thaleara, points ready to pierce her too vulnerable body. Thaleara reacted faster than any human Cara had ever seen, and threw up a shield of darkness.
The ice smashed into it, and Thaleara flinched back with each hit. But the shield held steady.
Once the attack stopped, the shield immediately disappeared, as though Thaleara could barely stand to keep it up. Edan smiled at Thaleara. "Impressive," he said, sounding more bored than impressed despite his claims. "You're a natural with magic."
Cara practically heard Thaleara grit her teeth.
"Get rid of it," she seethed. "Take it back. I don't want it."
Cara had missed something. How could Edan take back the magic?
"I can't," Edan told her, matter of factly. "Your magic was not given to you by me."
A hand grabbed Cara's shoulders and she lurched, panicked. Where was Declyn and who was taking her? She drew the dagger from her shoe.
"Hey, it's me. Chill out," Declyn whispered in her ear.
Cara breathed out in relief and risked looking away from Thaleara and Edan. Declyn was in front of her, and she grabbed his forearms with both hands, scanning him for injuries.
"We need to go," he whispered.
He was right, they had to leave. Cara thanked Knowledge for giving some sense to Declyn right now.
Cara grasped her brother's hand, and together they turned tail, and ran, leaving Edan and Thaleara far behind.