Page 22 of Glow of the Everflame

“Bite me.”

“Call her off, or she’ll destroy the royal chambers trying to get to you.”

“Good. Let her smash this entire fucking palace.”

The walls rumbled with another blast of the gryvern’s wrath. Luther’s steely eyes narrowed. “Call Sorae off, and I’ll tell you what I can.”

I paused. “You’ll tell me where she is?”

“I’ll tell you what I’m at liberty to share. That’s the best I can offer.”

Though I glared at his carefully chosen words, I relented. My eyes closed as I reached out blindly into the darkness, where the gryvern’s presence floated somewhere in the abyss of my tangled mind.

I speared a thought in her direction:I’m not in danger.

The booming stopped, replaced by an unhappy trill. I sensed her reticence—she wanted to see me and confirm for herself I was unhurt.

I’m safe, I told her.It was just an argument.

Across the bond, her panic ebbed in favor of grumbling acceptance.

I looked at Luther expectantly. “Well?”

“Tomorrow.” He gritted his teeth at my answering look of outrage. “It’s late and neither of us is in the right state of mind.”

“If you don’t keep your word, Luther Corbois, you’re gryvern food.”

“At leastthatwould be a fair fight.”

I threw every ounce of fury I had into the two middle fingers I flung in his direction. I stalked past the slack-jawed guards into my room and slammed the door behind me.

I stood frozen for several seconds, my chest heaving with livid breaths. Thevoicewas still chanting in my head, riling me up, urging me tofight, fight, fight.

Suddenly, I went still.

On the other side of the door, Luther’s voice thundered in the hallway. He was more irate than I’d ever heard him—more emotional than I’d believed him capable of being. I leaned my ear against the wood to listen.

“I should put all four of your heads on a pike for treason. I just assaulted the Queen, and you cowards stood there and watched me do it. The next time someone lays a hand on her and you don’t kill them where they stand, I’ll carve out your eyeballs and feed them to the fucking hounds. It doesn’t matter if it’s me or the Regent or Blessed Mother Lumnos herself. Do your damn jobs and protect our Queen.”

Quiet, muffled acknowledgements.

“Am I understood?” he bellowed.

“Yes, Your Highness,” they answered in loud unison.

A thump of angry footsteps, followed by the slamming of a nearby door.

Interesting, I thought.

His words rattled in my head as I headed for the washing room. My skin was inflamed with the burn of my own wrath and the lingering heat of having Luther’s body so close to mine. As I splashed cold water on my face, I half expected to see steam rise from my dripping cheeks.

What I did see robbed every thought from my head.

A large, bronze-edged mirror hung above the water basin. It was the first time I’d seen my full reflection since...

The Crown.

There it was, pulsing and glittering, floating with unearthly grace a mere inch or so above my head. It was just as I remembered seeing it on King Ulther—not a static object, but a kind of living creation. The shadowy, thorn-dotted vines were in a continual state of growth, twining and budding new offshoots as others withered away. The scattered stars of light twinkled and flared, nearly blinding at their full intensity.

---