Lord of Snow and Ice. Heather Massey

she kept up. They whipped about the floor and scattered the other couples with their enthusiasm. It was as if they had danced together a hundred times, so in tune they were with each other’s movements. Clarysa laughed and laughed. The music swelled into a thunderous wave of notes.

      Stellan even forgot about the onlookers. Everything was a blur except for the lithesome woman in his arms. A woman…in my arms. He wondered at the strangeness of it all. Then he had an idea. It would be subtle, a little extra something to enhance the splendor of the dance and top off her evening. After having seen her nude, he wanted her to experience something exciting in return.

      Ever so quietly, Stellan began to speak, the words of a charm issuing from between barely parted lips. As the words faded and the magick built, he swept Clarysa into a brisk spin.

      But in his excitement he miscalculated. What started as a slight lift into the air became a soaring, head-turning ascent. Stellan and his partner twirled around as if birds in flight, gliding a solid six or seven feet into the air. Clarysa clung to him tightly, though she needn’t have worried, for the magick made it seem as though their feet were still on solid ground. He risked a look into her face and for a moment lost himself in her flushed, exquisite features.

      After they drifted back to the floor, however, it was another story entirely. The music had come to an abrupt end as even the musicians became slack-jawed at the spectacle he had created. Clarysa smiled and encouraged him to keep dancing, but the faces behind her were awash with scowls and horrified looks. Caught up in the moment, he had forgotten exactly where he was and the expectations for his behavior. Not to mention who he was. Idiot! What were you thinking? Now he’d ruined any chance of meeting with King Leopold.

      Stellan’s voice sounded tight as he spoke. “I…I should go now. Pleasure meeting you. Give Lionel my regards.”

      He turned and strode quickly from the hall, ignoring her loud protests and avoiding the icy, fearful stares of the other guests. He hailed a stable attendant and asked for his steed. When it arrived, Stellan mounted, swiping the reins from the attendant in a mad rush. Flustered and dejected, he galloped away from Aldebaran as fast as his horse could travel.