The Power and the Glory

Book 1 Chapter XX: The Dead Walk the Earth

Warning: contains references to infanticide, and a severe case of deliberate values dissonance.

The dreadful thing was that there was nothing, nothing to look for, nothing to hide from -- only the silence and the light. -- Margaret Oliphant, The Library Window

Half the afternoon passed before she knew it. Abi got quite a shock when she looked up and saw how low the sun was. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her mother making frantic gestures at her and Irímé. Bemused, she looked round. Hartanna frowned at her and pointed at the dance floor. One waltz had just ended and another was about to begin.

Irímé noticed too. He sighed. "I suppose we've put it off long enough."

As always there were no shortage of people finding new partners for the next dance, or else staying with their previous one. The only good thing about the crowd was that Abi and Irímé faded into insignificance. No one would see them unless they were specifically looking for them.
It was highly irrational, yet Abi found she dreaded their first dance more than anything else in a long time. She knew it was absurd. She'd danced many times before, at many different balls, in both Saoridhlém and Seroyawa. She'd even danced with Irímé before, at previous festivals and events they were expected to attend together. Logically there was nothing to be worried about. This was no different to any of those dances.

Well, there were two differences. And those were the whole problem. The first one was that the empress and emperor themselves were here. The potential for accidental humiliation increased exponentially and in direct proportion to the number of very important people present.

The second was, of course, the approaching wedding. A betrothed couple whose wedding was many years in the future was not of immediate interest to anyone. A betrothed couple who would be getting married very soon was a constant source of gossip. The slightest thing could be blown out of all proportion. By tomorrow every busybody in the city might be discussing how they'd seemed very cold towards each other, or else that they were far too friendly and a scandal was imminent.

Abi gritted her teeth, forced a smile, and took Irímé's hand.

In the background she was amused to note that Arafaren was still trapped in conversation with Irímé's mother. From the look on his face he was seriously contemplating the pros and cons of jumping out the window. Even more surprising, Kiriyuki was hand-in-hand with Abi's oldest half-brother. She stared at them for a minute even as she and Irímé joined the people waiting for the waltz to begin.

I hope that's nothing serious, she thought with a shudder.

Kiriyuki as a foster sister was... not always bad. Sometimes she was almost bearable. But Kiriyuki as a sister-in-law was something that belonged in her deepest, darkest nightmares. The only thing that might possibly be worse was the thought of Empress Hatsuayazora as a mother-in-law. That thought made her giggle even as she cringed inwardly.

"What's so funny?" Irímé asked.

"Nothing, really," Abi said. "I was just thinking about in-laws."

He shuddered. "No offense, but I'd much rather not think about anything of the sort. Especially when your mother is watching us. I'm nervous enough as it is."

The orchestra began to play. For several minutes both Abi and Irímé were too busy concentrating on not colliding with anyone, falling over, or otherwise making fools of themselves to think about anything except the waltz. By the time they relaxed enough to realise nothing disastrous was going to happen, the dance was over.

"I suppose that wasn't so bad," Irímé conceded. "At least your mother's stopped glaring at us. Shall we talk to Ilaran now?"

Newcomers to the city were never in an enviable position at events like this. Either they didn't know anyone and were left with no one to talk to or dance with, or they were important enough for everyone to want to talk to them. Both Kiriyuki and Ilaran were in the second category. For the last few hours every time Abi looked over at Ilaran he was deep in conversation with someone or other. Now, for the first time since the ball started, he was finally alone. It might be the only chance they had to discuss their plans.