Chapter 12 - The Tribute Banquet

Lumina and Veridian did an excellent job getting me ready. I feel truly beautiful in the blue dress with a neckline that goes down to my navel. In other times, I think I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing this, but now I feel good about it.

Draven appears to escort me, along with Einar. We descend through the castle to the hall where the dinner will take place. As we approach, we find a trail of enchanted lights. The lights hover over us, blinking alternately. It's one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. There are moon orchids in beautiful arrangements, mixed with twilight flowers. Everything is so beautiful!

When we pass through the arched door at the entrance of the hall, I see that several guests are already there. Aria and Phyrus Aetherius chat with Twyla and Sylvana in one corner, Rudolph Zev pays attention to Rowen, who speaks softly, a beautiful girl is next to him. Eldritch seems to tell a story while holding the attention of Soren, Obsydian, and Yvonne.

I immediately feel out of place. Draven makes a gesture that attracts Soren's attention, who excuses himself from Eldritch and comes to us.

He gives me a charming smile, and I am disconcerted by his gaze on me. For goodness' sake, this man has already kissed me intensely. Why do I feel so embarrassed when he pays attention to me?

"Congratulations on the recent discovery," he takes my hand and brings it to his lips, depositing a gentle kiss. "The first sea witch in two hundred years. I think the last one was..."

"Queen Marina Nocturna," I complete. "Twyla is excited about it. I think I ended up learning everything there is to know about Marina Nocturna in the last few hours."

Draven and Soren laugh. Indeed, when it comes to important witches, Twyla knows more than anyone.

"I am sincerely happy for you," Soren looks at me again with his beautiful amber eyes. "Without a doubt, you have great potential."

Before I can thank him, his gaze shifts to the corridor behind me. I imagine it even before turning to follow his gaze. And when I turn, I see her coming toward us.

The Quimera of Thundervale is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Her very long blonde hair is curly and voluminous, the white and silver dress covers only the front of her body, with the sides and back exposed. The slit in the skirt reveals her beautiful legs. She doesn't seem to be just eighteen years old. She looks like a woman who knows exactly how beautiful she is, not an insecure teenager. When Twyla spoke of her, I thought she was a fragile girl. She doesn't even glance at me or Draven and Einar.

Her gaze is fixed on Soren, and a sensual smile appears on her lips.

As she gets closer, she bows in reverence to Soren.

"Your Majesty," she says, and Soren responds with a nod.

She straightens up and keeps her blue eyes on Soren, then turns to us.

My good mood fades. Okay, she may be the Quimera of Thundervale and Soren's future companion. But she is not his Queen, at least not yet. Why is she standing next to him as if she were Soren's queen?

"Thalassa, I believe you haven't had the opportunity to meet Avalon," Soren seems embarrassed and irritated at the same time.

Upon hearing my name, her face changes. She seems curious, and her gaze scans me from top to bottom. I don't like that.

"Finally, I will have the opportunity to meet you, Thalassa," she smiles, but her gaze is now icy. "The fake Quimera of Thundervale."

Bitch. This girl is as aggressive as Obsydian.

"I never said I was the Quimera of Thundervale," I reply without smiling. "I didn't even know I was a quimera until a few months ago."

"Of course not," Avalon said in a condescending tone, combined with a disdainful expression. "Poor thing..."

My blood is boiling. How angry I am! How I wish I could punch this bitch!

"Avalon, come meet some people," Draven offers Avalon his arm.

She looks at Soren and me, clearly jealous. But she had no choice but to accept the arm and follow Draven.

"I'm sorry about that, Thalassa," Soren is still quite annoyed. "Avalon still needs to mature a lot."

I'm angry, but I feel a bit sorry for him.

"Good luck taming your future queen," I reply, unable to hide my jealousy. "You won't have a boring life with her."

"I don't know," Soren responds thoughtfully. "I'm not used to dramas with women. I've always preferred women who are decisive and aware of my priorities."

I'm not one of his women, and I'm not one of his priorities. This continues to sadden me. I remain silent, and Soren decides to change the subject.

"You have great potential, Thalassa. You don't need a king to be great."

His gaze is sad.

"Do you think I want you because of power, my King?" My anger quickly fades. "Avalon can have all the status and power, as long as you are mine."

Soren looks at me with surprise, but soon desire and mischief appear in his eyes.

"Don't make me lose control, Thalassa," his voice is full of desire. "I won't have self-control to act responsibly."

"Regardless of who your queen is, I won't give you up."

Okay. I didn't plan any of this. I was determined to act completely differently. To distance myself from Soren and forget my feelings for him. But Avalon acting like an angry bitch awakened a new Thalassa in me.

"All right," Twyla's voice startles both me and Soren. "You're about to set this hall on fire."

I look at her and see a smirk. The interruption is embarrassing but timely. I look around and realize that more people have arrived. There are about thirty people in the hall now, chatting in small groups.

I notice Obsydian looking at us without disguising it. And she seems very upset. Until recently, she was the only woman in Soren's life. I imagine things are difficult for her now.

A few minutes later, Soren invites everyone to enter the next room, where the banquet will be served.

A very large table accommodates all the guests at once. Soren sits at the head, as the guest of honor, and I sit to his right, with Avalon to his left. She doesn't seem at all satisfied with the seating arrangement.

If she were queen, she would sit at the other head, but Draven is occupying that place.

She then settles for shooting me sour looks. Next to me is someone I can't define as a man or a woman. But it's one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen.

"I would like you to meet Gemini," Soren tells me, and Gemini smiles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I offer my friendliest smile, which is reciprocated by Gemini.

"I say the same, Thalassa." Gemini has a soft and undefined voice. Their features are graceful, and their manner is elegant. The hair is very light, and the facial features are delicate.

I've heard of Gemini when they talked about living chimeras. I can't perceive any traits in Gemini. Rudolph and I have obvious marks of chimerism, my eyes and his hair. But Gemini has nothing on display. Come to think of it, I also didn't notice any traits in Avalon. I make a mental note to ask Twyla about this.

Soren stands up and raises a glass, and everyone looks at him.

"Everyone knows the grand history of the Kingdom of Eldoria. We have always been the strongest of all magical kingdoms, and the only one to withstand the dark years of war. Eldoria has always valued magical knowledge and magical creatures of any kind." His voice sounds proud of his Kingdom. "Eldoria will always be open to all those who seek to grow in power and knowledge. Just as it will always seek to defend magical blood and the restructuring of the magical world."

Everyone raises their glasses, and I do the same.

"And everyone also knows that the goal of my reign has always been and always will be to rebuild magical society." Everyone around nods approvingly. "So I thank everyone who has worked hard by my side for this."

Smiles and applause sweep through the hall.

"Here present are the most powerful people in the magical world. And I am proud that they have taken refuge in Eldoria and have built their lives and history here." He continues. "And now we have more reasons to celebrate. The arrival of Thalassa and Avalon."

Everyone applauds, and I feel a little awkward. Avalon receives the applause haughtily and arrogantly. I shift my gaze to Gemini, and I see disapproval on their face as they look at Avalon. At least I'm not the only one who realizes that this girl is pathetic.

"Two chimeras who will strengthen Eldoria and help us continue to restore our world. A toast to Thalassa and Avalon."

Everyone raises their glasses again, and amid the raised arms, my gaze meets Yvonne's. I smile, but she doesn't reciprocate. In fact, she gives me a look of disdain worse than Avalon's.

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The days following the banquet are intense. Now that we know I'm a sea witch, my studies intensify and focus on my abilities.

Since the dinner, I haven't seen Yvonne. I tried several times to meet her, but she always avoided me. Finally, my sister left the palace on a trip to practice solar magic on a distant island in Eldoria, in a village of fairies.

Soren and the council decided to remove us from the status of prisoners, and now we can leave the palace grounds. But never alone.

But he still hasn't responded to my request to face Malachai. I want to be part of the team of witches working to reverse the spells he cast on me and set me free. Soren considers it too dangerous. But some council members think Soren should try. After all, I've been in Eldoria for almost a year, and the team's progress has been minimal.

I haven't seen Soren. Despite offering myself to him shamelessly, he hasn't sought me out. I learned from Veridian and Lumina that Avalon meets him every day for breakfast. Maybe he's already in love with her, and that's why he's no longer interested in me.

This thought is painful, but I believe it's better this way. At some point, this love would have to die.