Page 18 of The Rose in the Shadows

Still, I took his extended hand and let him tuck my arm into his own. The crowd parted for us, nodding at Clayton as we passed. He led us quickly out of the room, and I felt relieved when the door closed heavily behind us.

We were quiet for most of the walk back to the halls of House Hyrax. I hardly knew what to say to him.

“You will need to start training,” he told me finally.

“For what, exactly?”

We started down the staircase, and I pulled my arm from his. Here, I could pretend I needed to grasp the banister for support, but I was simply tired of being led around for the day. I needed a moment to stand on my own.

Even if that was admittedly challenging in these shoes.

“Before ascending to your Council seat, you must prove yourself. You’ll need to show a mastery of studies, magical control, and physical strength. All Council members do.”

“Do you?” I questioned. I kept my voice appropriately polite but couldn’t help but wonder if our future king had to earn his power or if it was simply handed to him.

He stiffened, pausing at the edge of the staircase. “The trials I go through are very different, Miss Moore, but do not make the mistake of assuming they are easy.”

I stopped, my skirts sweeping dramatically as I turned back to where he had planted his feet. The halls outside the stairwell were empty, making us the only two in sight. I didn’t have a guard, I realized. And neither did he. That’s why he had left in such a hurry. He had been escaping his own jailers.

“You’ll be prepared for the trials,” he continued, crossing his arms over his chest. “We can start with your powers, since you’ve already proven how unsteady those are.”

I shivered involuntarily.

“I’ll have someone get you in the morning to begin.”

“What if I don’t want any part of these powers?” I asked softly.

“You simply don’t have a choice in that, Miss Moore,” he replied, voice firm. “Even if you were to leave this castle tonight, you wouldn’t be able to leave those powers behind. They’re as much a part of you as your arms or legs. So you best learn to control them before you hurt someone else.”

Frustration washed over me at the sound of suspicion in his voice. I didn’twantto hurt anyone else. Hadn’t I proven that today? I’d worn the ridiculous dress and read the speech word for word. And yet, despite the fact that I had done everything that was requested of me, he still looked at me with the same fury he had in the infirmary.

“As you command, your grace.”

I lowered myself into a curtsy as Dimitri appeared at my side to walk me the rest of the way home. I knew he could sense my distress, but he didn’t ask me what had happened. So, I didn’t ask him how he had magically known the precise second I wouldbe alone and needing a chaperone. I wouldn’t be truly alone again for a long time, if ever. Not when I was the Dragon’s new favorite play toy.

Once I safely made my way back to those enormous white doors and overly charming apartments, I locked myself inside and nearly ripped the monstrosity of a gown apart as I tried to get it off me by myself. It puddled on the floor in a heap of sparkling black fabric, with runs in the tulle from my nails digging into it. Disgusted, I kicked it across the foyer and threw myself dramatically into the bed, tears already springing to life.

Half an hour later, there was a soft tap at the door from two ladies in simple gowns with their hair tied back. No doubt, they had been sent to help me out of that now ruined dress. They took one look at the shreds of the gown and me crying, naked, in bed, and wordlessly set to work. The dress was picked up and taken out of sight, and they shuffled me into a steaming bath filled with bubbles and rose petals.

“What are your names?” I asked them as I sunk into the warm release of the water.

“I am Nessira,” said the taller one. She had fair skin and kind eyes.

Her counterpart was younger than us both, perhaps only sixteen. Her blue eyes sparkled with life and excitement as she glanced wildly around my room and took in the extravagance of it all. I was almost jealous of how thrilling it was to her.

“I am Geia, my lady.” She curtsied low to me, dropping her eyes to the ground. I laughed darkly at the sight of it.

“Please never curtsy to me again,” I told her. “I hardly deserve it, nor do I desire it.”

Nessira took hold of a wooden comb and began undoing the twists and braids in my hair. It hurt, but I didn’t protest. I wanted it combed out and loose around my shoulders more than I wanted to avoid the pain of brushing through tangles.

“We have been stationed as your personal ladies-in-waiting,” Nessira explained. “Please do not hesitate to call on us. It’s our job to help care for you.”

I shuddered at the words.

I don’t belong here.

Nessira, impossibly perceptive, noticed when I began shivering. And before the salty tears could fall from my eyes once more, she ordered Geia to bring warm towels. The young girl was off in a rush, promising to find the softest, warmest towel in all the palace.

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