Page 19 of Glow of the Everflame

“The King’s body is lying in state in the royal suite, but there are guest quarters you can use for now. I’ve already made the arrangements.”

The discussion of where to sleep had my body catching up with my brain, and I was suddenly, overwhelmingly aware of just how exhausted I was.

“Fine,” I muttered, my eyelids drooping.

We marched without speaking through a twisting, turning path of dark hallways lined with more doors than I could count. I knew the palace was large from its grand exterior, but inside, it became a labyrinth I couldn’t imagine understanding, let alone ever calling it home.

“You grew up here?” I asked as we walked.

“We all did. House Corbois has held the Crown for as long as any of us have been alive.”

I wondered vaguely if Teller and I would have liked being children here, sliding down the polished wooden stair rails, hiding behind the ornate furniture and making up stories for the stuffy, pretentious-looking ancestors whose portraits lined every wall.

I tried to imagine Luther as a child, giggling and wrestling with Lily in the way my brother and I had. My mind came up utterly blank.

“Did you enjoy being raised in the palace?” I asked.

“To be raised Corbois is a great privilege.” His tone was stiff, almost mechanical. “All our children are well cared for and protected, with every opportunity provided to them. I am very grateful for those blessings.”

“That wasn’t my question. Were youhappy?”

He stayed silent for a while, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls. “I was presumed the King’s successor from a very young age. My childhood, and all the years since, were dedicated to preparing for that duty. There was little time for much else.”

Despite myself, I felt a twinge of sympathy. I knew how it felt to grow up thinking one’s fate was already drawn in ink.

“My mother began training me as a healer when I was a toddler,” I said quietly. “That was the only future I ever expected to have. It was nothing like being the King’s heir, of course, but...” I shrugged and looked down at my feet. “Mortal women have so few opportunities. Everyone always told me I was lucky to be born onto a wider path.”

He glanced at me, his expression softening. “But it doesn’t feel wider when it’s a path you didn’t choose.”

“No,” I agreed. “It doesn’t.”

Luther’s eyes roamed across the expansive palace hallways, his stance relaxing as his features turned pensive. It reminded me of the side of him I had glimpsed the morning after the armory fire—unguarded, unpretentious, and disarmingly genuine.

“There were some happy moments here,” he admitted. “This is the only home I’ve ever known. Nearly all my memories take place within these walls, good and bad alike.”

“Is that why you’re helping me now, because you don’t want to leave?”

“No. Though I’m glad you’ve finally admitted I’m helping you.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That’s not what I meant.”

In the dim glow of the firelit sconces, I could just make out the upward curve of his lips. There it was again—he wassmirking. I tried to muster some energy to be indignant, but I had nothing left to give.

I made a mental note to be angry with him again after I slept.

“I’m not afraid of House Corbois losing its royal status, if that’s what you’re asking. Whatever choice you make, we’ll survive.” He paused. “Though if you do find a way to pass on the Crown, I ask that you not force the children out of their home, in case it returns to a Corbois.”

I frowned. “I don’t want to kick anyone out of their home. There’s been too much of that by the Descended already.”

“Indeed, there has.”

My steps faltered at his unexpected agreement. I swore I caught a flash of surprise blink across his own face, as if he hadn’t intended to say the words aloud.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I prodded. “I’m not asking what your family wants. I’m asking whatyouwant.”

He looked over at me, his gait slowing as he scanned my face.

“Everyone expected that you would inherit the Crown,” I said.

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