"If it's darkness we're having, let it be extravagant."
―Jane Kenyon
"Hold my hand," Lin said with her most vapid smile. "Or I'll rip your balls off."
Cortez, predictably, held her hand.
They'd been entrenched in Mara's party for around twenty minutes, sticking out like a pair of dislocated thumbs the whole while.
Lin wrestled her impending scowl into neutrality as Cortez's warm, big hand tentatively slid into hers. She grabbed his fingers and leaned into his side. The crowd ignored them. That was their only saving grace. This wasn't a social party or a political one, there was no sniping or information gathering, backstabbing or scheming. Well -- maybe there was. Everyone was simply too distracted to notice.
Massive art pieces filled the room. The pale light washing down from above softened their shadows into lovely suggestions of bodies.
Lin's eyes slid past the sculpted figure of a nude man to land on one of her many targets. Rafe. One of Mara's advisors. Incidentally, he was also the man who had produced most of the art. Lin took a moment to glance out at the sculptures and decided that she'd kill him tonight. She wrinkled her nose and tugged Cortez over to one of the massive engineered quartz pillars. It had been hollowed out and carved into something akin to filigree. As she got closer, Lin picked out the patterns in the carving.
Flowers. Pretty flowers and vines. Candles lit this one from the inside, showering the curves and angles in golden light.
"It's nice," Cortez said.
"What?" Lin looked up at him, blinking lazily.
He looked down at her for a moment, eyes flickering from her face to the art like he wasn't sure where to look. "The --"
"Oh." She looked it up and down, wrinkling her nose and frowning. "It's nice."
He sighed. "Can't you try and blend in?"
She pursed her lips, electing not to answer. The room was filled with a low din of whispers. She pulled Cortez along, catching snippets of conversation as they went.
"-- and his previous phase was -- "
Boring.
"Oh, the colors --"
More boring.
"-- I'd compare Rafe's --"
If there were any dieties left, she wished they'd strike her dead along with everyone else in the room. It would certainly make her job easier.
Lin's irritation won out and seeped into her face, tugging her features into a tense frown. Mara hadn't deigned to arrive yet. Lin couldn't even tell if she'd already come and gone or not because the only conversations she could catch were intellectual commentary on Rafe's art.
She stopped walking and took a deep, slow breath.
Her father's jacket was loose around the middle, rubbing awkwardly against her skin. Her fingers itched to play with the strap on her holster, itched to do anything but wait.
The sigils swirled lazily, sliding along her flesh with an unnerving quietness, still hidden by the long sleeves. They were restless. Maybe even more restless than she was. She clicked her tongue and looked around again. The smell of blood that clung to her hair was probably unnoticeable to the passers-by. Her hair was stiff, pulling at her scalp when she moved her head.
Her fingers dug into the seam of Cortez's jacket. "Okay, that's enough. Most of them are here."
Cortez took a moment before answering, like he hadn't realized she was talking to him. "Isn't Mara --"
"Hush," Lin said. "I'll deal with it."
He breathed out tightly. His shoulder were stiff -- stiffer than hers. A sheen reflected the white light and flickering candles off his sculpted features. She ground her teeth together. "Relax."
"You relax."
"I'm not the one sweating like a --"
"Oh," a voice said, "what does Lord Grey want now?"
Lin tugged her face back to neutrality and turned around, cursing herself. How had she not noticed? She leaned against Cortez like he was a piece of furniture.
King Mara was a pointy-faced young woman with keen blue eyes and white skin. Her lashes nearly brushed the tops of her cheeks as she evaluated Lin and her companion. A gold and green embroidered robe draped from her shoulders and arms in decadent folds, covering her shoes. The collar dipped low enough to reveal her collarbones. Mara's painted lip curved, sharp as a knife. "Well?"
Lin waved her hand dismissively. "What? Can't I appreciate art and stuff?"
"No," Mara said. She had two guards, both several feet away and not paying attention to Lin. Too far to help if Lin decided to do something. "No, I don't think so."
"Well tough." Lin smiled. "I'm just here to have fun. Get cultured."
The king lifted an eyebrow, smirk dropping. She lifted her chin and beckoned to someone over Lin's shoulder.
Mara let them sit in uncomfortable silence until a server arrived with a silver dish covered in champagne flutes. She plucked two and handed one to Lin, her face not allowing for argument. Lin took it. She hated champagne. Maybe she could pass it off to Cortez.
"I've heard rumors," Mara began, light and conversational. "That our dear Lord Greymark had poor Janus killed."
A tendon in Lin's jaw jumped. She took a sip of champagne, nose burning.
"You two were close, right? Why else would Greymark's favorite hunter spend her free time with a king?"
Lin let the question sit, mulling her response over. "Janus had the good stuff. Shame. I'll have to find another place to party."
The king's eyes met Lin's over the rim of her flute. She smiled, a bit of hunger edging in those bright eyes. They looked saturated, so unnatural that Lin wondered if she'd found a way to change the color of her irises. "You do know what it is we do with my lesser islands, right?"
"I've an inkling."
"If you want," Mara swirled her drink, "we could have a similar arrangement. I don't know the details of your relationship with King Janus, but I can guarantee high quality merchandise. Companionship, too, if that's what you're after."
Lin wanted to ask for something stronger. Instead, she patted Cortez's brawny chest. "I'm good in that department. It's actually why I'm here. Cortie," she leaned in close, "is a real softie for the fine arts."
Mara looked back at Cortez with an appraising stare.
His muscles tensed and he looked like he wanted to shift uncomfortably. Lin pressed down hard on Cortez's shoulder, hiding it in a possessive grip.
"But I'll consider your offer." Lin tilted her head and smiled like Hadrian did when he was making fun of her. The mocking cant of her voice flew over Mara's blonde head and the King gave a gracious nod and half-curtsy.
"I'm glad. Please stay as long as you can, I have other guests to attend to, but I'll be back to take care of you." Her eyes shifted to Cortez. "I could even arrange a meeting with Rafe, if you'd like."
Lin nudged Cortez.
"Ah," he stumbled, blinking, "yeah. Yes. That would be --"
"Excellent," Mara finished for him. She walked away, a cloud of perfume following her. She cast a sidelong glance to Lin over her shoulder as she left them.
Lin kept her eyes on the king, a pleasant smile on her face like she'd forgotten it was there. As soon as the other woman was entrenched in a discussion with one of her ambassadors, Lin dropped the mask. She pushed Cortez in front of her as they walked quickly to the edge of the room.
"That's everyone," Lin said.
"Okay, how are we --"
"We," she looked around, "do nothing. You need to go back and get Razo and Hadrian. Tell them I'm taking care of the internal doors on the north side but there are two others that need sealing, that there are two guards on the main entrances -- one inside, one out -- and that there's a patrol every thirty-four minutes."
"How did you --"
A jolt of pain ran through her temples. She clenched her jaw. "I was paying attention. Now go."