Rhay stood up and walked towards the fire. Held tight in his hands was a little leather handbook. Amira watched him throw it in the fire. It burned out quickly, giving out the now familiar smoke. Rhay turned around and smiled at his father with such fondness in his eyes. It was obvious that the notebook belonged to Nouis. Amira felt her mother’s letter against her skin. She had hidden it under her dress, close to her heart.
She stood up, ready to go burn her letter. Karwyn immediately stopped her with one hand. “We go last,” he said sharply. The sensation of his skin against hers made her sick. He quickly removed his hand. “I take no pleasure in it either,” he said in her ear, “but you will have to hide your feelings about it better if you wish to remain here. Especially in front of my court.”
Had he just read her mind? She stared at him, looking for an answer to her fears. Karwyn’s face was void of any emotion. Impossible to read. It must have been a coincidence. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of Karwyn lurking inside her head.
Amira sat down again. Her fork in hand, she played with the scraps of pie that were left on her plate. She felt a low rumble in her stomach but still decided not to finish the dessert. She didn’t really know why. Maybe it was to feel something other than the constant anger she was in every time she tried to talk with Karwyn.
The king finally stood up, a little replica of the palace made out of turquoise was in his hands. “Follow me,” he coldly said. Amira took out her letter and followed him.
As she walked closer to the fire, her heart started racing in her chest. A thin veil of cold sweat glistened on her skin. They reached the fire and Amira had to stop herself from running away. She bravely held the letter in front of her.
Karwyn snatched it from her hand. “What do you think you are doing? It is our duty to burn this statuette together to bring luck to the kingdom. Pay attention.” He crumpled the letter in his pocket and forced Amira to hold the statuette with him.
A few members of the court watched them as they threw the replica of the palace into the flames. Amira didn’t expect the smoke to be so sweet and heady. It almost felt like a drug. She stumbled, mesmerised by the smell and the scintillating colour. Karwyn turned to leave.
“Wait, my letter,” she pleaded.
He turned back and put the crumpled letter in her open hands. “After your little escape at the temple, I did not think you believed in our tradition,” he said mockingly.
Amira chose to ignore him and moved towards the pyre. The flames danced in front of her. It took her an unreasonable amount of strength to watch them. She threw her letter in the fire.
Through the smoke, she noticed that Karwyn was now on the other side of the fire, completely ignoring the few drunkards next to him. His gaze was focused on a small piece of sandy white paper. Amira caught a glimpse of drawings featuring stylised black butterflies. He mumbled a few words, much like a prayer, and threw the piece of paper into the flames.
When he raised his head, he noticed Amira staring at him. The love in his eyes quickly turned into hatred. The flames reflecting in his vibrant turquoise irises only amplified his anger. Fear coated Amira’s heart. In her head, another pair of hateful eyes stared back at her. Only this time, they were lilac like a morning sky.
She squeezed her eyes shut but the flames increased, wrapping around her. A memory of burned flesh raced through her head. Long hair going up in flames. The crowd cheering as the fire took over the fae’s body. Wryen’s satisfied smirk. She felt bindings digging into her arms as the vivid memory took a hold of her.
A scream echoed through the room. It was only when she opened her eyes and saw everyone staring at her that Amira realised that she had been the one screaming. She fell to the ground, breathing heavily as the smoke trapped her in the past.
Rhay ran up to her but Karwyn intercepted him. “Go fetch Saydren. I will take her to her room,” she heard the king say. “Layken, take the princess.”
A pair of strong arms grabbed her and raised her from the ground. As they moved across the room, she heard whispers coming from the few lucid fae.I heard she’s crazy. Is that why her brother locked her up in the palace? She’s mad like the last Queen of Turosian.
The doors closed behind them. Amira could feel her body burning up and she tried to free herself from the guard’s strong hold.
“Amira, you need to calm down.” For a second, Amira thought she heard concern in Karwyn’s voice. She felt as if flames were clawing at her. Then there was nothing, just pure emptiness.
She regained control of her body when Layken dropped her on her bed. Amira rolled around, trying to escape the burning hands she could see out of the corner of her eyes.
“My lady, you have to stay still,” said a voice she had never heard before.
“Who’s talking?” she asked in a strangled voice as her eyes tried to see out of the darkness of her mind.
“I’m Saydren, the royal healer. I’m going to give you something to calm your nerves.”
She could make out his tall silhouette but her vision was still blurry. A hand grabbed hers and dropped something small in it. Amira brought her hand right to her face to see what Saydren had given her. It seemed to be a tiny silver and red pill. She had never seen such medicine before.
A glass of water appeared in front of her. “Come on, take it. It will help you feel better.”
Could she trust this man? She wished Rhay was here. She was longing for a familiar, friendly face.
Amira put the pill into her mouth but hid it underneath her tongue. When she drank the water, she made sure to not swallow the pill.
“That’s good, now get some rest, princess.” Saydren left her in the dark. Amira took out the pill and stuck it underneath her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to appease her chaotic breathing.
Suddenly, the door opened again. Amira pretended to be fast asleep, worried that the healer had come back to give her more medicine.
Her bed moved when the stranger sat down. Amira held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, making herself see tiny dots of buzzing light. A hand landed on her face, softly caressing it with its burning touch. For a second the hand lingered on her throat as it often did, reawakening the painful memory that followed her everywhere.
