Page 128 of Glow of the Everflame

Gods—the Queen of Umbros. It had beenherin the alley on the day my mother went missing.

If that hadn’t happened, would I have given up the flameroot and allowed my magic to manifest? Would I still be standing here as Queen? Did I have her to thank—or despise—for everything that had transpired since that terrible day?

Didsheknow that?

And more importantly—how? How had she known things about me, and about my mother’s secrets, that no living person should?

He knows about you, your father, she’d said.He’s waiting for you.

Symond chuckled darkly and turned away.

“Wait,” I shouted. “Tell me, how did she—”

“My Queen looks forward to your coronation,” he called out. “Ifyou survive your Challenging.”

I tried to chase him, but Eleanor’s hands closed around my wrist and yanked me back.

“What just happened?” she hissed in my ear. “That guy was creepy. But also... kind of hot.”

I grabbed her arms. “Eleanor—did the King ever invite the Umbros Queen here? Perhaps around Forging Day?”

“Impossible. She’s never invited to any of the realms. Everyone’s terrified of her. They say she can know the entire contents of your mind with the snap of her fingers.”

A shudder rocked down my spine.

A couple with rose-colored eyes stepped forward. “Your Majesty,” one of them said as they dipped their heads in unison. “We bring greetings from the Crown of Sophos.”

“Yes, uh, thank you.” My attention kept flitting to where Symond had fled.

“We bring two gifts,” the other said, “as a token of the valued relationship between our two realms.”

“How generous,” I mumbled.

They offered up a blush satin pillow bearing a golden orb, polished smooth except for a maze of etchings.

The curious object finally captured my focus. I reached for it, then hesitated. “What is this?”

“The Orb of Answering. It will respond with ayesornoto three questions of your choice, so long as the answer is known to any living being with the Kindred’s blood.”

I took it into my hands and nearly dropped it in surprise. The metal was throbbing and warm to the touch, as if it were a living, hot-blooded thing. It buzzed with an energy that seemed to connect with the magic inside me, a current that flowed freely between my skin and its golden surface.

I quickly set it back on the cushion and frowned. “How is such magic possible?”

The pair exchanged a shrewd smile. “Only the Kindred can provide that answer.”

That hardly put me at ease. I longed for the innocence of yesterday, when I had believed meeting these people might befun.

“Well, um, thanks,” I blurted out. “Have a nice evening.”

“Don’t you want our second gift?”

An eerie disquiet tugged at my intuition. There was something about these two that felt almost sinister, despite their polite demeanor.

A broad smile spread across the woman’s face but did not quite reach her eyes. “We understand you have a mortal brother studying at a Descended school.”

The hair on my neck prickled. “How do you know that?”

“We’re the keepers of Emarion’s knowledge. It’s our job to know such things.”

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