“None are.”
My lips roll between my teeth. “Are you going to tell me where we are going exactly?” I huff, my fingers gliding along the cool metal. “Am I a prisoner or something now?”
The light trickles in, and I catch sight of the dirt that floats in the air through the archway entrance that leads us outside to where the fountain is.
“You are not a prisoner, but here for your safety to finish out the games. First, we are headed towards the Queen’s chambers. We need to find the right book from the Gods that will showus what this is, then you will head to the pit to train with the brothers.”
“Safety?” A sarcastic laugh escapes my parched lips. “Didn’t the Queen see that my skin can burn someone to ash within seconds? I don’t need to hide,to be safe.People should be hiding from me.”
“Well, maybe that is why the Queen brought you here with the deadliest warriors of the Realm. She knew if you had another outbreak of…” he looks over his shoulder, as if he can see me, “burning people, we’ll be there to slice your throat.”
“Lovely,” I mumble under my breath as my fingers glide into my back pockets.
The sun is scorching today, casting a warm glow to the walls as the heat beats against us. I hear swords clank against each other in the distance, briefly wondering if Koen is out there. I pause as if my heart feels he is just around the wall, out in the field where the chosen train daily. I can almost feel him, the wind carrying his presence and scent towards me. With the slight breeze that carries bronze leaves, I close my eyes, inhaling deeply as goosebumps prick at my skin. I can feel his arms around me, the heat of his breath on my neck.
“Let’s go,” he barks, awakening me from the trance. How I wish the Gods took my feelings away, not the ability to touch another.
But as we walk the other way, headed towards a tunnel where golden markings of horses race along the edges, the sounds begin to fade.
We are walking the opposite way.
Unsure if that makes me glad I won’t see him yet or anxious to lay my eyes on him once again.
When we enter the side tunnel hidden behind enormous towering trees with white, illuminance leaves, we enter darkness. The light from the horses flickers, brightening wherewe can see as they race along the tunnel walls—fire, ice, air, darkness, and water. All the elements are there. It feels as if magic kissed this tunnel, creating this unreal feeling. And once we leave, the light from the horses fades to black.
As we walk inside the palace through what seems like a secret door, the pearly-white walls almost blind me. The golden patterns marked along the floor and ceiling twist and swirl like a blazing fire, mixing in with dragons soaring across both land and sky. Marble statues of the horses sit on top of hovering tables against the wall.
“This way.” He gestures with his head and I follow, even if my eyes stay glued to the details of the castle.
Guards stand at attention beside the arch doorway that is marked with dragons twisting around the edges, meeting at the top where they both have their mouths open, as if they are to breathe fire. The door shimmers like scales as the guards open it, and there stands Queen Antivianna, gowned in a heart-shaped, charcoal-black dress that billows out once the seams reach the waist. The details of scales are wrapped around her torso, and the fabric that reaches to the floor looks as if it was scorched by fire.
“Welcome.” Her arms widen. “Please, come have a seat. Octavian will fetch the book that might help us understand the stones. If anyone can find what this means, it's him or the oracles.” She flicks her hand in the air before resting it on her forehead. “I might have to take you to the Darklands.”
“That doesn’t sound fun.” I tuck a loose strand behind my ear. “I think I’ll pass on that.”
Her brows lift in surprise by my reaction, which makes me curious if anyone has ever told hernobefore.
They don’t own me.
Even if they believe they do.
Octavian strides towards an open room filled with books from the floor to the ceiling. In the middle of the room—hovering in the center—beams five stones, and my heart flutters. There is a blue, raging fire wall with flames blasting around the stones, reaching the very top of the room and to the bottom. Closing them in like a prison. The stones, the exact ones I saw in Alaska, yet these are smaller. I could hold them in the palms of my hands.
The stones in my arms sizzle the more I walk towards them. A soft glow beams from them and I catch sight of it, noticing it before the Queen does, and back away.I don’t trust the damn Queen.
Whatever these stones are, I will hide any knowledge I have of them from her. I might be able to use this to my advantage.
“Find the one about the stones of the Realms, let's see if there is any insight to why she would be cursed with this. The Gods must have written about this.” The Queen barks at Octavian, who climbs a ladder, his fingers brushing along the sides, feeling to read. He reaches towards one of the higher bookshelves. All I want to do is run towards the stones. Maybe if I touch them, I can leave the Realm and be back home.
“Have a seat.” She gestures for me to sit on the velvet, red couch that arches almost around the whole room. A clear table is in the middle, looking like it's made out of glass with wings holding the surface.
I force a smile, sitting down on the firm cushions as she does the same.
“May I touch the stones?” she asks gently.
“You can try,” I whisper, knowing if she touches me, she might turn to ash and truthfully, I wouldn’t mind.“Try not to burn.”
“Very funny.” Her brows lift. “As Queen, I shouldn’t burn.”
