Page 116 of Glow of the Everflame

I had cut training short and returned to my suite, telling them I was simply tired from dinner and distracted by this evening’s ball. In my heart, I knew it was an excuse. My emotions were haunting me in a way I still wasn’t ready to face, and that fear had herded me back into the part of myself that was hollow and numb, a forgotten corner full of cobwebs where even the godhood couldn’t reach me.

I’ll try again later, I told myself.I have weeks. Plenty of time.

“Diem?”

I looked up from the foot of my bed to see Eleanor frowning.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

My cheeks pulled tight with a false smile. “Yes—of course. What were you saying?”

She shot me a look. “You’re a terrible liar. We’re going to have to work on that if you’re going to be a Corbois.”

My smile turned real then, and a bit ashamed. I ran a hand along the beaded sleeve of one of the luxurious gowns she had set out, trying to imagine myself so elaborately adorned. I had learned from my mistake at the funeral and asked her to pull an assortment of options for the ball.

“I confess, all this is overwhelming. How I look has never mattered to anyone before.”

“If that’s true, you’re quite lucky.”

A sarcastic laugh rasped out of me. “Tell me I’m lucky after I survive the Challenging.”

“You will—but that’s not what I meant.” She came over and took my hands, pulling me to my feet. “Among the Twenty Houses, everything is predetermined. Before we even get a chance to know ourselves, the realm has judged us by our Houses and the strength of our magic, the two things we can’t control.” She let out a sad sigh. “Even as your advisor, it’s unlikely they’ll ever see me as more than a weak, irrelevant Corbois cousin. Butyou...”

She spun me around to face the array of gowns, resting her chin on my shoulder as she peered down at the frills and flourishes.

“You are a blank canvas, and this ball is your palette of paint. You can create whatever vision of yourself you want them to see. You can be mysterious or meek or strong. You can make them fear you, or you can make them underestimate you. Theyouthat walks into that ballroom is entirely within your control. That is a rare gift in our world.”

“It’s hardly my first impression. They all saw me embarrass myself at the funeral. How can I overcomethat?”

“You did it well enough at the dinner. Whatever the cousins thought when you walked in, by the end of the night, you had them all looking at you with respect. You painted a vivid picture, and that’s what they saw. So... what picture do you want to paint tonight?”

Her words gave me pause. I knew what parts of myself I’d been desperately trying to hide—my doubts, my fears, my plans, my vulnerabilities. What part of me did I want them to see instead?

My eyes dragged across the outfits Eleanor had assembled, each one a character I could slip on and off. There was the regal stateswoman—a modest emerald gown to represent the forests of Lumnos, my patriotism stitched into the embroidered insignia of the realm. Or I could be the sultry firebrand—a barely there strip of red-orange that would conjure images of me in bed rather than on the throne. And then there was the fearsome warrior queen—not a gown at all, but a clever twist on a soldier’s uniform, modified just enough to veer elegant.

The latter, at least, would recognize this ball for what it really was—a battlefield masquerading as a celebration.

“They’re going to be far more interested in impressing you, you know,” Eleanor said. “You are the Queen, after all. And a Corbois Queen at that. If the other Houses have any hope of gaining more influence, they’ll have to go through you to get it.”

I had every intention of using the Crown to share power outside the Corbois circle—just not with the Twenty Houses. Not with the Descended at all.

I kept those thoughts to myself and nodded. “I need to convince them that not only am I not a threat, but I could even be their ally.”

Eleanor smiled. “Right.”

My eyes fell on a different ensemble. “This one,” I announced as I gathered it into my arms.

“Are you sure?” Eleanor’s face scrunched in thought. “It’s beautiful, but it’s not very...you.”

I ran my palm along the crisp fabric, and the corner of my lip curved into a devious grin.

“Exactly.”

* * *

As the sunset over the forest canopy, I sat with Sorae on her perch, scouring Teller’s notes in between peeks over the marble balustrade to spy on the arriving guests.

Whatever curious magic was woven into the palace’s facade, it had altered its appearance for tonight’s festivities. The dark tangle of shadow vines had sprouted thousands of flowers that twinkled with tiny stamens of light, resembling a midnight field of sparkling flora.

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