Cursed Blood

There was no time to breathe. Janora pulled me out of the library and to my own room, Raeni appearing randomly as if she'd teleported. The three of us holed up in my room, Raeni helping me get into my dress, or gown, really. I had to be ready to greet Rebecca at the front doors when she arrived, which would probably be later than all the Lightblood guests. The chatter of nobles filling the castle drowned out my thoughts -- they would spend quality time amongst themselves before the rest of Mythira had a chance to enter. My hands shook as I realized that anyone and everyone in the kingdom had a chance to attend this ball. I had known that my so-called duty would take me outside the safety of the Valley, but this felt like too soon. I didn't feel ready.

Raeni slipped my shoes onto my feet and fixed my dress, patting down the lovely tulle skirt before giving me over to Janora. Lady Garcia's companion made quick work of my face, claiming I didn't have many imperfections to fix, before moving to my hair. My eyes couldn't follow the sharp movements of her hands as she weaved my once-frizzy hair into an elegant braid, the style something I hadn't seen before. The girls slipped small jewelled accessories into my hair before finally, Janora adorned the braid itself with several white roses.

I swallowed, staring at myself in the large mirror the maids had brought for me. I looked beautiful, and daring like I knew nothing in this world could beat me. My sweaty hands laid flat on the skirt, my rapid breathing noticeable with the plunging neckline.

It was perfect, in the end.

"You're ready Cloud," Raeni finally announced. "Only one tiny detail left."

I raised my eyebrows. "Which is?"

Janora sighed, her gown of silks moving with her. Both of them were already made up for the ball, Raeni sporting a waterfall of silk and colour while Janora chose an elegant dress of maroon lace. The latter had a classic updo while the stylist let her hair down in waves, ones I envied.

"Your wings? Don't you think you should let them free?"

Janora's prompting made my breath catch. They both hesitated, unsure if the question had upset me. My nerves were increasing as I imagined hundreds of Lightbloods staring at me in disgust, black wings flaring from my back.

I closed my eyes, a sense of peace washing over me. Such tranquility was rare these days -- everything seemed to move so quickly. Despite what happened, I missed my mother, and longed to have that girls' day we would never experience. Never again would I spend a day of fun with the woman who raised me. Things had changed, and I still couldn't come to terms with that. Moisture gathered in the back of my eyes, but I promised myself to let it out later. For now, I had a ball to attend.

When my eyes opened, my wings were laying against my skirt. Feathers of dark, pure black against the purest white. Both women were staring up at me with smiles, and I felt myself building up my confidence. Whether it was real or not was a debate for another time.

My heart jumped into my throat and I brushed my hands against the tulle. Janora and Raeni offered me final grins before leaving the room, the silence blanketing my senses and dulling them until I felt like a zombie. Supposedly, someone would be coming to escort me. Then, my escort and I would fetch Rebecca and us Darkbloods would enter the ball with an announcement. A sense of being numb filled my stomach as I relied on the power in my blood to calm my nerves.

A knock on my door made me jump, and I rushed toward it. My eyes were downcast as I pulled it open, falling onto two black, shiny shoes standing just outside my room. My gaze traveled upward, noting the black leather pants and pressed, crisp white shirt underneath a dazzling baby blue tailcoat with golden adornments. They then made their way to a strikingly handsome face, one I knew all too well.

"Cloud," the Crown Prince of Mythira said, my name rolling off his tongue like it was natural. "I decided to be your escort tonight."

After a moment, I found my voice. "A-Alright. Thank you, Elijah."

He smiled at me, though it didn't reach his eyes, and offered me a hand. I stepped through the doorway and pulled my bedroom door shut with a soft click. The Prince then allowed me to link my arm through his as he led me toward the foyer. Music came from the ballroom I had yet to see, but we had to make one stop. Guards fell in step behind us, giving me and my wings a wide berth. The Prince dropped my arm as I went for the door, horns sprouting from my temples and managing to leave my hair in its place. Fangs grew as well, but I kept back the clunky tail and claws. Fading sunlight drifted into the foyer as I pried open the castle doors, revealing the golden haired werewolf.

I was instantly jealous from how beautiful Rebecca looked. She wore blood red silk with lace off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders in pin-straight strands, and her eyes were highlighted by a cat's eye wing of black pigment. The silk stopped just above her knees, layers of skirt bunching up and returning to her waist.

Rebecca glared over my shoulder at the fancy-looking Prince, drilling holes into his head. Gently, I took her hand and pulled her into the castle, her eyes landing on the wings relaxed at my sides. Instantly, she relaxed. She may have her scars and tattoos on display, but her comfort level rose when she realized she wasn't the only one of display. I had fangs and horns out, and I noticed her eyes begin to gleam and her nails elongate.

We were equals, displaying hints of our power together.

"I guess this won't be too bad," the werewolf said, following me toward the guards and Prince. I grimaced, looking at her over my shoulder.

"We're being announced in front of the entire ball, Rebecca. This may get to be very unpleasant."

She sighed, exhaling in a way that made her breath come out as a whistle. The werewolf fell silent as the Prince ushered us to doors, which were still shut in our face. The guards lined up on either side of our trio, Rebecca and I a little behind the Prince at the sides. One mousy man with a small moustache brushed by us, putting his hands on the door.

On his exhale, I tensed. The man flung open the doors, and the music faded out on cue. Dead silence fell over the guests as the vast ballroom came into view, with the Queen's fancier throne at the other end of the room and servants bustling about. It was a sea of colourful cloth, and as the Prince led Rebecca and I through the doors onto the balcony, my breath caught. My wings flared, light bouncing off my horns and making my fangs flash as my form was on display. Rebecca's eyes glowed gold as we stared down at the Lightbloods, their Prince accompanying us.

The mousy man stepped forward.

"May I present, the Crown Prince of Mythira!"

Elijah bowed, his loving citizens creating a thundering applause that drowned out my nervous thoughts.

"And Darkblood guest and representative, Lady Rebecca of Mythira!"

The applause was more to be polite than actual enthusiasm, but I myself began to clap. The Queen had obviously requested for Rebecca to have a title, and I could feel the werewolf glow with pride.

"And finally..," the man bellowed. Silence took over the large room once more, and my eyes widened as Rebecca and Elijah took a few steps back, leaving me in the center spotlight. My feathery, soft wings brushed up against my arms as I tilted my chin up, stepping to the edge of the balcony as if my heart wasn't pounding. I even spotted my brothers and father down below, looking up at me with the widest smiles.

"Lady Storm-Cloud Katlyn Rose, Gray One of Mythira!"

Following his words, it was silent. Dead silent, as if the Lightbloods were holding their breath. My confidence was about to falter when a strong clap came from the back of the room. Myself, and all the other guests, whipped our eyes around to the Queen herself, who was slowing applauding me. Once the eyes were on her, Queen Amara of Mythira swept into a curtsey.

I mirrored it with a smile, feeling the worst had passed. A slow applause began, and I joined the Prince and my werewolf friend as we descended the stairs onto the dance floor. In the back, at the sides of the room, tables were set up with desserts, snacks and drinks, where my brothers were currently pigging out. The Queen had begun speaking with her advisers, and Elijah disappeared with a quick apology. That left Rebecca and I as I passed through the crowd, wings pressed to my skirt. Several people gave me room to move, though it seemed less like it was out of fear. After all, a lot of the guests knew who I was by now, and some of them knew me from childhood or recent life in the castle.

It was a comforting thought.

Rebecca followed me to the tables where my brothers were. Charles was the first to notice us, and when his hand touched my shoulder, I could feel him giving me energy.

"Hey, little sis. You look amazing."

I smiled at him, and encased him in a one-arm hug despite my large wings. I relaxed into his side, my brother holding me up as I allowed myself to slump over for a moment of peace. He then forced me to straighten and gently brushed his fingers along my feathers, causing my wings to flutter and spook nearby Lightbloods. A pair turned toward us, both of them younger girls. They were familiar, as if I'd gone to school with them. The two joined the circle of my brothers, father, Rebecca and I, politely nodding in recognition to the boys before turning to Rebecca and I. They dropped in unison, their curtsies carefully measured as they displayed respect for us.

"Lady Rebecca, Lady Storm-Cloud."

I waved off their words. "Just Cloud please."

Rebecca mirrored the gesture. "Please just Becca," she murmured, "and you two are?"

One, with platinum blonde hair braided into two long tails that brushed her hips, pursed her lips together before answering. "My sister and I are scholars. We study the blood origins of Lightbloods and Darkbloods as well as the gods."

The other girl, a redhead with short hair, smiled. "We aren't blood relatives, by the way. My name is Athena, this is Lori. The Queen invited us to this Ball of Demons, and the Prince suggested we stay and study in the castle."

Two things made me blink in shock for a moment. One was that they were scholars -- my mind instantly went to them helping me find the clue I needed. After all, the gods were my starting point. Secondly, it became clear to me that this Ball of Demons name hadn't just been a one-time thing. It had caught on, and I knew everyone around me was seeing Rebecca and I as the demons.

"I hope to speak with you in the future," I told the scholars, trying not to sound angry with them. They seemed like nice girls. "But right now, I think I need a drink."

I excused myself, Rebecca getting the message. She looked fine with staying with Charles, who I noticed had a light pink tint on his cheeks as he began to talk to her. The twins, who I had yet to greet properly, also began light conversation with the werewolf. The sight made me smile despite myself as I pushed through the crowd to the other side of the room to locate a glass of champagne or wine. Lightbloods were less antsy as I went through the crowd, and I swore I could feel various hands reach out to touch the wings on my back. I let it slide, picking up a glass of something red by the thin stem. Fangs met glass and I nearly cringed as I felt them scrape against the thin surface, but soon learned to drink without hitting my elongated teeth off my cup.

"Struggling?"

The teasing tone of voice had me guess exactly who it was. I expertly sipped my wine as I turned around to see Dmitri looking stunning as ever. His light brown eyes were sparkling with mischief, his dark hair swept off to the side. Unlike the Prince who wore light colours, the Darkblood specialist had decided on full black attire, even his undershirt. His broadsword was still strapped to his back, but somehow attracted less attention than my mostly-harmless form.

No wait, it's extremely useful and could hurt many people. Maybe it is a little scarier than some sword.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm doing fine, thank you. I figured it out," I told him, proving my point by taking a long gulp of wine, finishing off the drink. I handed the glass to a nearby server, crossing my arms as I looked back at a smirking Dmitri. "What?"

"Nothing," he chuckled, "you're just cute, kid."

I leaned on one hip, tilting my head at him. My horns added more weight to my head which made things feel uneven, but I managed. "I'm the one who beat you, kid. The deal was that you'd stop calling me that."

He shrugged, grinning. "Oh well. How about you come dance with me, Cloud?"

Opening my mouth to say no, I found myself hesitating as he shot me a wink. While I still wanted to be alone, to think and to mull over what was going on, I was at a ball.

And Dmitri looked extremely handsome in his high quality, shining silk clothi.

He lifted an empty hand, covered by a black glove. By now, peoole had noticed a strangely handsome man offering a dance to the infamous, most likely despised, hybrid.

I slipped my hand into his.

Hey, author here!

This was obviously a much longer chapter than what I normally write (it was like 1200 words more than usual) but I wanted to do something to differentiate the 50th chapter from others. I also missed a few updates and I don't exactly have a reason for it - just human forgetfulness. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the story!