69 The Feast and the Sea (2/2)

Her father laughed, ”This is a desert land. If we wanted water, we would have begged the Powers to birth us in the Water Realm!”

The gathered crowd laughed but Guifre was not put off by the reaction. Lloren stood next to him and Usoa's hands twitched. She felt the air change.

”Even so, there are wonders there that I would like to share,” he sat, rising his hands in a signal.

The world shimmered and around them the light turned a strange, rippling dark blue. Usoa held her hand in front of face to see the color repeated there. The crowd made small sounds of curiosity at the change but any light user could bend colors just as easily.

Then came the creatures.

Silently they swam through the air. Huge fish swam above them, dipping here and there where children, bold in their youth, reached fingers upwards to be met with the sold bodies that only the darkness could create. Tentacled creatures like the type she had seen in the fountain and things that looked like tortoises but had flat, fin like feet joined them. Fat creatures that had puppy eyes and sleek bodies twisted along with them as floating plants rose from the ground around them.

They glowed with a light that was not light, a blue color that Usoa couldn't describe. Her mouth felt full and she opened it, just slightly to let air pass through, to ease the pressure that built in her. Something tugged at her, reached into her chest and tickled something there.

She looked down to find the plants swirling around her, tugging at her fingers. A tiny school of fish swam around her. She looked up, back at her family but everyone's attention remained on the large creatures that floated above their heads. The fish changed their colors, golds and reds as they rose and disappeared into her hair.

She looked back up, at the table where Lloren the conductor of the miraculous play stood. His eyes rested on her, his lips holding a soft, secret smile and she blushed, the tug stronger on her. I want, she thought for a moment before she pulled her eyes away, glancing at the rest of the table.

Esti glared at her, the girl's features twisted in anger. Usoa's face dropped and she looked away. At her legs, the strange water plants wrapped around her once before dropping away with the tugging in her chest.

The blue not light of darkness lifted and the room thundered into applause. Lloren bowed briefly. Is he alright, Usoa frowned as he stumbled slightly before catching himself. If anyone else saw, they did not mention it.

”What a talented shadow-wielder you have, Prince Guifre,” her father said, smiling wide.

”I am nothing in light of my lord's power,” Lloren replied quickly.

Does his voice sound different, Usoa frowned fighting the urge that had risen in her like one of his shadows to go to him.She settled in her seat, folding her hands in her palms. Around her, her siblings claps and chants for more filled her ears as they begged their father to ask the shadow-wielder to spin up the watery beasts again for their play.

”You'll exhaust him,” Ochoa laughed as he pulled Izar and Zorion into his lap, wrangling the younger two in hopes of calming the older children who should know better.

Usoa nodded in agreement and turned to her mother for support but the woman's focus was on the shadow-wielder, her eyes locked on Lloren's form until she turned, as if she felt Usoa's gaze, back to her oldest daughter, her lips pulled down at the corners.

”What a lovely show he gave us,” she said slowly. ”And what a lovely new comb you wear in your hair.”

Confused she reached up to her hair. Her hands brushed over hard, smooth gems that had not been there before. Tugging gently she pulled the comb free. In her hand sat a hair decoration made from fine gold and stunning red jewels in the shape of a flower. She looked back at Lloren but he had turned his eyes away from her. In his place, Guifre's hungry stare found her.

She looked away, the comb still in her hand.

”Well, it's a gift, child, wear it!” her mother said.

She nodded and replaced it back in her hair.

”It's very pretty,” Dosar said, breaking the tension. ”Maybe it was a thank you, for serving him tea.”

Usoa nodded, agreeing with the woman in order to dispel any suspicions form her mother.

Finally she sighed, throwing up her hands, ”These children!” She snapped for the server who nodding, scurried off to bring more meat to the table.

The musicians began to play again and the dancers sprung out to entertain with the jugglers and light-wielders.

Usoa looked back at the main table to see Esti had moved. Now she sat near their father and her intended, the three of them in conversation that she could not hear over the crowd, a translator speaking for Esti. The prince cannot read hands, she frowned as she turned to find Lloren but his seat sat empty.

His trick completed, he had slipped away.