Chaos Lives in Everything - 23. Chapter 23

Skold climbed out of the Mustang and walked around to the other side. He was dressed in a finely pressed tuxedo, the head of a rose tucked neatly into his chest pocket; he’d brushed his hair and tied it back into a pony tail instead of leaving it in its usual state of unkempt. A long, slender arm reached out of the car, white, pristine fingers interlacing through his.

“Damn these shoes,” Candestine said as her brother helped her out of the car. She wore a sparkling white dress that hugged her limber form. The dress glittered like a diamond. Several glances from the other ball guests were thrown in her direction. Skold could not help but be amused by seeing his sister in such a dress; she had never been the type to wear a dress.

“I’ve never felt so ridiculous in my life,” she said scathingly.

“Nor have you ever looked so ridiculous,” he replied with a smirk.

Candestine replied with something deeply obscene. “Where is Dom?”

Skold glanced at his cell phone, frowning. “He should be here any minute. Let’s go inside and see what we are up against.”

Several party guests were crossing the parking lot, heading towards Samhein’s estate. The men were dressed in tuxedos, the women in dark glittering dresses that varied between black and red. From what Skold could see so far all of the guests were indeed fae and of elven lineage.

“You’re going to look very out of place dressed in white like that,” Skold told his sister.

“Shut the fuck up,” she spat.

They crossed the threshhold into the parlor. Skold and Candestine followed the crowd into the large, ornate ballroom, which had to be the largest room in the house. The center dance floor, made of polished marble, was crowded with Samhein’s party guests. Their excited chattered bounced off the walls. Couriers dressed in black tuxedos with red bows made their way gracefully through the crowd balancing goblets of wine on black trays. An elf sat on a bench in the far corner of the room, thrumming a harp with her long, slender fingernails. Her dark blood-red lips pulled back into a grin as her eyes connected with Skold’s. Skold pretended not to notice her stare. He had no interest in being courted by a woman whatsoever.

“The spirits of Vahalia would be ashamed,” Candestine said under her breath.

Skold followed her gaze. Hanging from the ceiling all of the way down to the floor was a large tapestry that had Paladin’s crest painted on the front. Underneath his crest it said Lal hlai Paladin! (Translation: All hail Paladin!)

Candestine looked around, her jaw clenched. “It would seem that we are sorely out of place, young brother.”

“It would seem so,” he said calmly.

Her eyes widened in surprise; her voice dropped down to a whisper. “Does this not worry you? These are all...Paladin’s supporters. Samhein could not make himself look any more suspicious. If you wanted proof that he is trying to start a war, finish Paladin’s work, this would be it.”

“It proves nothing yet,” Skold said. He stopped. He could sense Dom close by, approaching him. There was a queer pulsing feeling, like the vibrations that had occured on the night that they’d been alone together at Dom’s cabin, in Skold’s stomach. He turned just as Dom stopped. Interesting, Skold thought. We can sense each other when we’re close to each other.

“You clean up nicely, Skold.” Dom rumbled with a grin. He wore a red dress jacket over a white dress shirt, the bow tie also black. A fake black rose was pinned to the front of his jacket.

“As do you,” Skold replied.

Dom ran a finger along Skold’s jawline. “You combed your hair. I can actually see your face.” He nodded stiffly at Candestine, all of the greeting that he was willing to offer, before turning back to Skold.. “I am going to go grab some drinks? Should I grab you as one as well?”

“Please.”

Dom winked at him. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Candestine watched him make his way through the crowd; she made sure he was well out of earshot before scanning Skold’s face inspectively.

“What?” Skold said.

“When were you going to tell me?“ she said.

“Tell you what?”

“Do not play me for a fool!” she snapped. “You know of what I speak. Vervolechent. You’re destinies have been conjoined.”

“How can you tell?”

“It is not impossible to miss. The way you act around him, the way you look at him. Anyone can see it.”

Skold looked away from her, expression deadpan. “I do not know what you are talking about. We’ve had sex twice, that is all.”

“That is not all!” Candestine grabbed his face in both of her hands and forced him to look at her. “I underestimated the severity of what our father has done to you! Skold, so few of us get to experience Vervolechent, the one being in this world that Cerbyendeuyng has created for us to be with for all of eternity. He is yours and you are his. Do not let your heart remain in the shadows. Do not let this opportunity slip through your very fingers while you hold it in your hands.”

Skold’s eyes smoldered with cold anger. He stepped out of her grasp. “So now you try to offer wisdom, big sister? Know your place! Know where you stand with me! Know that you have no right to impart me with whatever meaningless knowlege you might have to offer.”

Candestine flinched as though her younger brother had slapped her. She looked away, her cheeks burning with shame.

Dom returned with two glassed of amber colored medley. He handed one to Skold, glancing between Skold and his sister. It was plain to see in the ninety seconds that it had taken him to reach the table with all of the booze on it that something had happened between the two siblings. The air between them was as frigidly cold and solid as an invisible ice wall. He decided that it was best to pretend not to notice just like he pretended not to notice the many scathing glances and nasty murmers that were being thrown there way. Specifically at Skold. Perhaps coming to this party was not such a good idea, he thought. It is clear that we are not welcome.

“Ah, Skold!”

Samhein was coming their way from the right, shaking hands and patting shoulders vigorously as he walked. “I was afraid that you would not show.”

The right corner of Skold’s lip pulled in a crescent-shaped grin. “How could I miss such an event? It is not everyday that I get invited to a party.”

“And you must be his sister? The resembalance between you two is impossible to miss.” Samhein lifted Candestine’s hand gallantly to his lips and kissed it lightly. “Welcome.”

Candestine only glared at him silently. Samhein did very well at pretending not to notice. Nor did he pay any attention to Dom. It was as if Dominyc was not standing there at all.

“Lovely tapestry,” Skold said. “May I ask what this occasion is for?”

Samhein leaned forward, speaking loud enough that only Skold could hear him.“You should know my good friend. This is the anniversary of Paladin’s death. This marks seven hundred and thirty three years since the day you cleaved his head from his shoulders with a single swing of your sword. Keep an eye out for the necromancer. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. Now if you will excuse me, I must make my announcement.”

Samhein turned and started making his way to the front of the room, goblet of medley in hand. Skold could only stare after him in silent wide-eyed surprise. He could not remember a time when he had felt so foolish, so out of his depth.

Samhein tapped the side of a spoon against the glass, the chink-chink-chink sounds echoing throughout the hall. The majestic room immediately became silent, everyone’s attention turning to the enigmatic host.

Smiling, Samhein raised his glass and said, “I would like to thank you all for coming to my humble abode to celebrate with me tonight the life and times of Paladin, a dear friend of mine that I miss more and more with each passing year. It has been hard traversing through the past seven centuries without his presence to guide me through it.”

The ballroom echoed with several rounds of applause before falling silent again. Samhein continue his speech:

“Paladin was a visionist. It was he who had the courage to rebel against the foolish King Yaldon, who I’m afraid, though sick and ailing he may be, is still alive and in power today. It was Paladin who had the courage to challenge King Yaldon’s rule, to try and create the world as he saw it; as he knew it should be. A world where the fae no longer existed as the mortals equal but as their ruler. He almost suceeded. But before his vision could be fully realized he was defeated.”

Pausing, Samhein glanced coldly at Skold before continuing. “Though he was defeated we still celebrate everything that he tried to do for our race. He was our path to salvation and I was never happier than I was when I was his advisor. May his memory never be forgotten, but always remembered.” He raised his glass in the air and hundreds of glasses raised with it.

“Lal hlai Paladin!” he shouted.

“Lal hlai Paladin!” the crowd echoed.

The room erupted into a second deafening round of applause but the sound was drowned out, for the seer was speaking in Skold’s head.

I am here in the room with you, she said. I’m standing outside of the barroom. Come find me, Skold. Just you.

Now everyone was dancing, swaying back and forth, hand in hand. The ball had officially started. Dom and Candestine were watching him, waiting for him to give the orders.

“The seer is here, with us,” Skold said. “I must speak with her alone. I want you to two to patrol the ball room. Keep your eyes on Samhein at all times and look out for the necromancer. Be careful. There’s no telling how powerful or dangerous he is.”

“As you say,” Candestine said.

“You be careful as well,” Dom said to Skold.

“I can take care of myself,” Skold said. “Stay close to the ballroom.”

The trio split off into different directions, Dom to the right, Candestine to the left, Skold towards the back of the ballroom.

Skold entered a long carpeted corridor, the door behind him closing. The seer walked towards him, her dress flowing behind her. They met in the middle of the hallway.

“Are you really here or is this just another projection?” Skold asked.

“I am really here, in the flesh.” She brushed the palm of his hand gently with the tip of her finger. “And so we offically meet. I must make this quick for we do not have much time. The necromancer is here. It is not coincidence that you and he are in the same place. You must be careful. You are no match for him.”

“What does he want?”

“He wants you.”

“Why?”

The seer frowned. “I do not know.”

“I thought the seers knew everything.”

“We seers are not all-knowing. We only know the things that we are meant to know.” The seer turned away. “I must go. Find Dom and Candestine. Be prepared to fight and may the spirits of Vahalia be with you.”

“See you around,” Skold said. Heading back into the ballroom, he reached underneath his jacket and pulled out the two Colt .45s he had hidden underneath. At that exact second a revenant burst through the window to his right in a shower of shattered glass, landing on its feet. The creature righted itself, looked at Skold and charged towards him.