Page 192 of Fallen Stars
Adrian let out a low whistle, a gleam in his eyes. “Now this,” he said, slapping Leo on the back, “is going to be an adventure.”
Leo laughed, joining behind him, and Elara watched everyone form a neat single file as they each transcended the magickal barrier. Snippets of music made their way to her as Enzo held on to her and pulled her through the portal.
Absolutely nothing could prepare Elara for the world that greeted her on the other side of the gate. Her jaw slackened as she landed with the others, still as they observed the sights before them.
“Holy shit,” Adrian sang, grinning from ear to ear.
The music was deafening, drowning the sky with its wild beat. Elara heard fiddles, trumpets, a beautiful divine orchestra, and the sound of frenzied singing, though she couldn’t pinpoint from where.
“Is that—”
“A fountain made of wine?” Adrian laughed, skipping down the hill. “Why yes, Elara, yes, it bloody is.” He set off towards it, but Elara grabbed his ponytail, pulling him back.
“Ow,” he hissed.
“You’re not going anywhere just yet. Beyond this hill lies our fate, hanging in the balance if we don’t stop Piscea walking through the veil.This isn’t some revel. This is a kingdom of insanity. We need to keep our wits about us, find Eli, and then the witch. Understood?”
Adrian rolled his eyes but nodded as Elara released him.
“You were more fun when you were just a stranger at a masquerade,” he grumbled, and Elara smirked.
“Tonight is a night that honours the dead,” she said to them all. “I only hope that means power is on my side.”
Merissa had never seen anything like the sight that greeted her as they followed the path to the city proper.
Carved pumpkins lit with candles lined the path, casting the evening in an orange glow as the group marched on. Buildings loomed on either side of her, seeming to stretch out to one another, and she looked up, feeling daunted by the sheer grandeur of Kaos.
As they neared the main square, the path giving way to twisting alleys, the music grew louder, and they began to see other citizens dressed for the night.
A group of women dressed as mermaids of Altalune giggled as they staggered, a bottle in hand.
To Merissa’s right, two men dressed as demons of Perses, red horns and all, laughed as one walked right into a lamppost.
Masks and costumes surrounded her in the darkness, pure chaos beginning to filter towards them.
And more importantly, everyone was blind drunk.
She turned a corner to see an angel of Sveta swimming in the fountain, drinking wine straight from the spout and laughing.
Others were dancing and singing raucously, numerous bodies passed out on the street, others nursing bottles of wine or rum. Merissa squinted up to the grapes twisting up pillars and forming a kind of canopy around the city, glitterbugs flitting between them as people clawed up the pillars to eat the grapes. This was madness, absolute madness.
She could feel the charm coating her, trying to tease her into submission. She gritted her teeth against it as she looked past the sea of Hallow’s masks. All of different Mythas, dancing and drinking and screaming and—
She blinked hard, dizziness taking hold of her. She looked at Elara and Enzo beside her, who appeared to be fine.
Merissa stumbled a little, scanning the crowd. She saw Adrian up ahead and went to catch up to him when two hands clamped over her eyes as a voice whispered in her ear, “Trick or treat.”
Merissa screamed, struggling as she turned around and…found herself in a deserted alley, no one to be seen.
She whimpered as she whirled around, checking to see where the person who had accosted her was. But she was utterly alone.
“Elara?” she whispered, her voice trembling as she peered into the gloom. “Enzo?”
Nothing, only the howl of wind and the sounds of the party continuing on behind her.
She hurried towards the light, unsure where she was as panic took hold, unsure ofhowshe had landed here, when she stopped.
To the side of the small alley was a table made of stone. It housed what looked like a selection of cakes, as well as a small carafe of ruby wine.