The Empress' Descent

Chapter 26 - The Night Unfolds

I danced until my limbs went sore and numb. Until blisters formed and popped on my feet. Until our hoods completely fell from our faces rendering us recognizable. But we did not give any care. We relished the moment, never letting a single second slip through.

The world around me was suddenly swarming with bright colors. My chest was light, devoid of any stress and worry. There was only warmth and a burst of exuberant thrills.

It was a release, an untangling of a messy knot that made the fatigue of the previous weeks wear away.

It was as though I was made to breathe again.

The feeling was alien to me, my pulse racing at an abnormal pace. Yet I welcomed it with open arms.

Before I knew it the horizon became a swathe of pink and orange hues, the shadows from nearby buildings stretching out along the banks and rivers.

The crowd had thinned, the people retreating to their homes to rest. To prepare themselves for more celebrations that were bound to come.

Streetlights were lit, shop signs bearing the word "closed", murmurs of the festivities dying down to nothing more than closed doors and flickering lamps inside homes.

Derek and I were among the very few who stayed once darkness had begun to envelope the city.

We'd walked for almost an hour without a specific destination in mind.

We crossed a bridge. The wind sent billows to our cloaks while a river flowed peacefully beneath us, its surface reflecting a muddy image of the deepening sunset.

I strode ahead, Derek keeping a respectful distance from behind me.

The space between us was cloaked with silence ever since the dancing ended, our breaths heaving softly still. Neither of us seemed to like the idea of speaking.

Perhaps for fear that all it would take was one word from either of us for this day to end.

An unspoken rule, a shared thought. The both of us weren't ready to go back.

I got across the bridge, walked toward the river walkway, and leaned on the rail.

Derek's shadow followed me as he soundlessly did the same, his arms braced on the cold metal.

I risked a glance at him, right at the perfect time when the breeze ruffled his raven-black hair, brushing the scar upon his sharp jaw.

I returned facing front before those violet eyes fell on me.

The night air was chilly and cool, but my cheeks flushed. I drew the hood closer to my face for no particular reason.

The quiet that surrounded us had started to turn heavy. A hint of panic gradually settled in my stomach.

Next to me, it felt like Derek was itching to say that dreadful proclamation: We need to go home.

No, not yet.

Derek began to shift.

Not yet, not yet, not yet—

Uproarious cheers reverberated from a nearby establishment, the street vibrating with merry madness. At every burst of shouts and laughter, the building seemed to rattle and shake.

A thin smile formed on my lips.

"Clary, I think we should—"

I grabbed Derek's forearm before he could even finish his sentence.

"Come with me," I said as I dragged him toward the place that screamed of fun and thrill.

A medium-sized building stood before us, the jittery excitement finding its way once more into my chest.