Page 209 of Glow of the Everflame

“Wait—who told you?”

“Why didn’tyoutell me?”

“You’ve been a little busy today, if you haven’t noticed.”

“That’s no excuse. You kissedLily!”

“You kissedLuther!”

“Luther kissedme.”

“You sure didn’t push him away.”

“Stop changing the subject. You kissed Lily!”

“Does this mean you’re finally going to wake up and end things with Henri?”

My mouth popped open. “I thought you supported me and Henri.”

“Before everything changed,maybe, but now...” He wrinkled his nose.

“By the Flames, are you really giving me a hard time about a mortal-Descended relationship? May I remind you thatyou kissed Lil—”

“It’s not about that.” Teller yanked me to a stop and pointed to a large section of spectators in the upper level. “Look.”

As I studied the group, familiar faces began to appear. Maura first, along with the other healers. Then friends of my parents. Neighbors, old classmates, patients—so many of my patients.

Strangers, too. Faces I’d never seen, names I didn’t know—scores of them, filling row after row, a mass of brown eyes huddled together for warmth against the chilly winter air.

There must have been hundreds of them. Thousands, perhaps.

“Where is he?” Teller prodded.

“He... he had to make a delivery. He—”

“Where has he been since you took the Crown? Since Father died?”

“I told him to stay away from the palace for his own safety.”

“If it was the other way around,youwould be there.”

I silently clenched my jaw.

“If anyone you loved was going through this, you would be there for every step of it, no matter how dangerous it was. You deserve someone who’s willing to do the same for you.”

I sighed and tugged his arm. “Come on. I’d rather lose the Challenging and die than hear the rest of this lecture.”

We reached the final step and emerged onto the sandy arena floor. Suddenly the walls loomed higher, the crowd so much larger. I felt minuscule. Insignificant.

“You’re going to be fine,” Teller said, sounding more like a question than a statement. “The last five Corbois Crowns weren’t Challenged.”

I nodded silently.

“Maybe no one will step forward, and we can all just go back to the palace.”

“Maybe,” I murmured.

“Even if they do, you can use your shield to wear them down, and then when they’re tired...”

---