Page 126 of Glow of the Everflame

“Taran!” Eleanor cried out, looking horrified despite her laughter.

“Not her, you tactless buffoon,” Aemonn snapped. “Go find Luther and be a good little sheep. Leave the hard work to those of us who actually care about this family.”

Taran rolled his eyes and maintained his carefree smile, though the hint of a wound flashed across his expression. “I’ll steal you for a dance later, Queenie. I have to make sure you havesomefun tonight.”

He strolled away, and I shot Aemonn a look. “A little harsh, don’t you think? He’s your brother.”

“In name only,” Aemonn muttered. “He doesn’t care. He never worries about anyone but himself.”

Before I could launch into a lecture on the value of sibling love, we were inundated with a stream of fawning Corbois. As the royal family, House Corbois had the honor of greeting the Crown first. Since I’d already met most of them, the introductions served primarily as a show of power to the rest of the room.

I caught Eleanor’s hand and insisted she stay near my side, and we all settled in for a long hour of cheek kisses, forced smiles, and fake laughter while I played my part as the hapless ingenue.

As the time droned on, it was impossible not to think of the battle that might be occurring outside the palace gates. My gaze kept wandering to the ballroom doors, expecting a mob of Guardians to burst through at any moment. Every loud drumbeat or dropped dish had my back snapping straight, my body a tightly wound spring ready to launch.

Perthe hovered nearby as my personal sentry, and though I watched him exchange words with other guards, he offered no concrete news—at least none he would share. Only the same message again and again: “Prince Luther says not to worry. Everything’s under control.”

When the train of Corbois finally ended, the representatives from Emarion’s eight other realms stepped up to greet me, each with a gift on behalf of their Crown.

On the surface, acknowledging them so early in the evening appeared to be a gesture of diplomacy. In reality, it was a not-so-subtle encouragement for them to leave the realm immediately rather than spend another night on Lumnos soil.

The muscled pair of army warriors from neighboring Fortos came first. I’d grown so accustomed to the brash mannerisms of my father’s old army colleagues that the hawkish way in which the Fortos representatives assessed me, then dismissed me, felt like being greeted by a grumpy old friend. For a brief moment, my smile turned genuine. Unsurprisingly, their gift was a weapon—a finely made blade that looked suspiciously like Brecke’s handiwork.

Next came a druidic couple from our northern neighbor, Montios. Their skin was leathery from exposure to the harsh mountain climates, with bright violet eyes that studied me from beneath heavy woolen hoods. Montios was known for its cryptic ways, and their representatives were true to form, refusing to speak even a single word.

Their gift was a thick, fur-lined cloak, presented with a note explaining it was spelled to always keep its wearer warm. Before I could ask how its magic worked outside their borders, they silently turned and walked straight for the exit.

The green-eyed pair from Arboros presented me with an emerald-hued potion said to cure any ill, save for curses sent directly from the gods. It took great restraint to keep from asking why they hadn’t offered such a gift to my predecessor amid his slow, months-long death.

Mortal rumors claimed the Faunos Descended could take on animal characteristics, or even shift into animal form, but the yellow-eyed representatives who arrived next looked disappointingly human. They presented me with two cute, furry animals that they claimed were a delicacy for gryverns, which I promptly handed off to Lily after making her swear not to take them anywhere near Sorae.

The linen-robed, red-skinned women from the deserts of Ignios came next, offering a white spydersilk scarf so strong it could not be penetrated by any metal weapon, no matter how sharp. Then came the aqua-eyed sailors from Meros, whose filthy language and irreverent demeanor won me over instantly. They gifted me with a compass they claimed would point toward whatever my heart desired most.

When I gave it an initial glance, it pointed vaguely at the back of the palace—perhaps toward Mortal City, or my family’s home on the marsh, or the island where I might be coronated, or adventure on the Sacred Sea. My heart yearned for so many things I couldn’t have, even I wasn’t sure which of them I most desired.

As the Meros pair set a direct course for the casks of ale, my pulse suddenly quickened, an odd sensation coating my skull. Slithering tentacles writhed at the edge of my consciousness, circling like a snake assessing its prey. My thoughts turned hazy and my focus grew dull.

A slender man sauntered up to me unaccompanied, studying me with eyes like two onyx pits of eternal night. His features were similarly dark, his hair neatly cut and his goatee carefully groomed. Hands in his pockets, he smirked with all the smug triumph of someone who had won a game without even bothering to play.

“Your Majesty,” he purred. His rich voice provoked an image of bare flesh gliding beneath red silk sheets. I had the vague sense that the image was not of my own conjuring.

“Umbros only sent one representative?” Remis asked coolly.

The man gave a careless shrug. “My companion is around here somewhere. I believe she’s assisting Her Majesty’sspecialfriendwith a pesky little problem.” He shot me a smile that warned of our illicit secret.

“Special friend?” Remis repeated. He frowned between us with brows furrowed. “Your Majesty, do you know anything about this?”

Careful, the man’s voice whispered into my mind.

My throat went dry. “Luther mentioned she was an acquaintance. I gave them leave to talk elsewhere.”

I felt Aemonn’s gaze burn into my side. He knew Luther was doing my bidding—which also meant he knew I was lying.

“My Queen sends her regards,” the man said, strolling closer. “She simply can’t wait to see you at the Rite of Coronation. She says you two havemuchto discuss.”

“Such as?” Remis asked.

“That’s between our two lovely Queens.” His teeth raked over his bottom lip. “A place I would very much like to be.”

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