Page 210 of Starside

The doors open.

And everything goes quiet.

We’re standing at the top of a long marble staircase, leading into a grand ballroom. Below, hundreds of hungry, glimmering eyes are on us. Most are widened.

Even the music has stopped. With a sharp look from Vander, the musicians start again.

I stiffen. “Everyone is looking at me like they want to kill me,” I murmur.

He makes an amused sound. “No, just some of the women. Most of the men are looking at you with a very different purpose.”

My cheeks heat, and he smiles. He reaches down and lifts my chin, so my eyes meet his. “You are silver. Marked by the gods themselves. They should be doing nothing short of going down on their gods-damned knees.”

I swallow. It almost hurts. “I don’t see you kneeling, immortal,” I say.

His smile grows. “Soon enough, human,” he says. “Soon enough.”

Then we start down the stairs.

I’ve never seen so many beautiful people in my life. These immortals are dressed in their very best, an array of dramatic fabrics that melt into a sea of glimmering color. One gown is made up of giant rose petals, the edges beaded in lilac, the rest slightly sheer. Another is made of purple gossamer that glows ethereally, as if made with those star-woven fabrics from the Traveling City. Another immortal has only a band around her chest and a flowing skirt—expertly illustrated metallic paint upon her body covers the rest. Yet another dress is made of high metal chain mail cut into an elegant form. Another is made up of a mosaic of shining onyx dragon scales.

The fabrics are like a map of Starside, showing the rarities from every corner. It’s not just the women—some of the men are also dressed ornately.

Vander was right. All of these are statements, outfits crafted from rare materials to show worth and wealth, like the guests themselves are weapons to be desired and claimed.

“These are all heirs?” I say, frowning, remembering the family trees.

Vander shakes his head slightly. “No. But they’re all nobles. Heirs and heiresses are preferred matches, but there aren’t enough of us. Other nobles might have something advantageous to offer. Relics, perhaps. Mines. Skills in war.”

I snort, earning me a horrified look from a woman in a dress made from the scales of what must be a rare, luminous fish. “So marriages are just alliances.”

He looks over at me. “Precisely.”

When we reach the bottom, he takes my hand and bows. Just like we practiced.

The rest of the couples give us room. There are whispers, and I hear pieces of them.

Silver, they all say, staring at my markings. Staring at my sword.

Human.

Silver human.

Vander and I circle each other, two hands touching, then switching. Soon, the others start to dance around us. It’s dizzying, all this color everywhere. There’s an emerald-green dress made up completely of gemstones. An orange one that looks like the flames of a phoenix. A blue dress of ice, the water flowing in waterfalls beneath a frozen layer. Another is violet, with cap sleeves and diamonds stitched into the fabric. The women twirl, their dresses moving with them, looking like flowers in a living bouquet.

Dancing is different with music. It’s beautiful. So very beautiful. Every part of this is like a dream.

Crystal orbs of light are strung across the room, in long glimmering strands, floating above, knotting together to create chandeliers in some places, forming constellations in others. Flecks of silver light like shredded stars float around the dancing couples, like a celestial snowfall.

Glorious. This is all beyond any of my wildest imaginations for what a Starside ball might look like.

In this room, for just a few moments, I am disconnected from the rest of the world, and all my problems. They all melt away in a mesmerizing flurry of light and magic and music. I feel every step, every twist, every strum of the song. I look around, memorizing everything, promising myself I’ll never forget.

For those few minutes, I’m not just surviving, I’m living. I’m enjoying. I’m smiling.

When the song ends, Vander’s expression turns serious. He pulls me in for the last move and whispers in my ear, “Now your game begins. You have your list?”

I nod. It’s all in my head.