“No.” I shook my head, my voice cracking.
She bowed and then left.
The door closed once again, the click of the lock sliding into place.
Holding a hand to my forehead, the past day's events rushed through my thoughts. Everything happened so fast. The pain of Crispin's death cut inside me.
Tears streamed down my face.
Was it possible he could have survived?
No… I watched the light leave his blue eyes… something I will never forget.
He’s really gone.
Large rectangular stained-glass windows broke up the circular stone room.
I couldn't be that far from a tree. It was difficult for me to sense any part of nature. I went to the window, looking for a latch, realizing that there was no way to open it.
They weren't windows for air or a breeze. The stuffiness of the room, the dust, it made my nose tingle.
Was this where I was supposed to spend my life?
Was this what I had dedicated so many years of my life at the temple for? To be a queen in a tower? Not that I would ever marry Kane now.
I looked out the window, seeing only clouds.
How far up was I?
Maybe I can climb down if there’s a vine. Some ivy I could use to escape.
There wasn't much in the room, but there was a very sturdy-looking wooden chair. I grabbed the chair and picked it up. It immediately fell back, my muscles wobbling. Dragging it over to the window, I looked around the room. Hopefully, I was too far away from anybody to hear. And if not, I didn't actually care.
I gripped the top of the chair and lifted it.
My arms shook, everything in me depleted. I reared back and smashed it into the glass. Colorful pieces broke apart and shattered, some falling into the room. Others out the window. There were big, jagged pieces where I would need to climb out. I grabbed the blanket off the bed, wrapped it around my arm, and punched out the remaining wedges.
Once I'd cleared the glass away, I glanced outside.
All Father save me.
Clouds stretched out before me. I couldn't even see the forest or mountains below. It was as if I lived among the clouds. A castle hidden in the sky.
I stuck my head out, the wind rushing by. I looked both ways. But I couldn't see anything. The way that the spire sat was at the very edge part of the castle, taller and farther from any of the smaller spires. It was too foggy to see anything.
Closing my eyes, I searched for that warm feeling, that inexplicable sense of nature that I could never explain to anyone who didn't wield the same power as me.
Not a blade of grass. Not a lonesome flower.
Kane was right. Here, I was nothing.
A breeze pushed into the room, kicking up dust and making me cold.
I walked backward, hitting the bed, and sat down, still holding the blanket wrapped around my arm.
A roar sounded close. I ran to the window and was met with a pair of angry dragon eyes.
Shuffling back toward the bed, my heart racing, I realized Kane was right about one thing.
