Arc 3: All That Glisters (Part 19)

The crowd near me has thickened over the past little while, and Chryseus meanders as he makes his way through, a circling vulture in a room of winding reptiles. I perk up once it becomes clear that he’s planning to talk to me, acting as flattered as anyone else might be when singled out by such an important man.

‘Lord Chryseus,’ I say, standing up and making as if to bow.

He waves a hand to stop me. ‘Please, not on my account, my dear. After all, we’re practically family.’

I giggle obligingly. ‘I wouldn’t want to presume.’

‘I thought I’d keep you company for a while. It’s very negligent of my brother to leave you here all on your own, and on your first night, no less.’ He sits down, not in the nearby chaise longue, nor in the three-seat sofa perpendicular to me, but directly next to me in the loveseat itself, the spot that Canus vacated only a short while ago. I tense automatically, and he seems to notice, moving back a little.

‘It’s my own fault,’ I say. ‘I forgot to go hunting