The music carried us, step after step, until my movements no longer felt clumsy. My nerves had melted into something else—something light, something almost intoxicating—simply because Varion’s hand was on mine, his eyes steady on my face.
“You’re quiet,” he said after a moment, his voice a low murmur beneath the hum of drums and flutes.
“Tell me, Veyra—what do you think of our festival?”
I hesitated, glancing around us. Lanterns glowed like fallen stars, laughter rippled through the air, and the sea sang softly against the sand. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, so alive it felt as though the night itself had been set aflame.
“It’s…” I searched for the word, my breath catching when I looked back at him.
“It’s beautiful. More beautiful than I imagined. Everyone looks so happy,
