Page 87 of Glow of the Everflame

Sorae flew back to the palace at breakneck speed. I curled into her warm fur and focused on stilling my trembling limbs and chattering teeth.

My healer’s instincts wondered if calling forth so much of my power without a release had sent me into some kind of magical shock. It was a painful reminder of how much I still had to learn—about this world, this magic, and even my own body.

I tried to rest, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father’s tear-streaked face. What would I say to him, when I finally saw him? WhatcouldI say?

We approached the palace, and Sorae glided seamlessly onto her perch. I nearly collapsed on wobbling knees as I dismounted, but Sorae swung her long neck under my arms to keep me upright until I made it to a couch near an archway in the parlor.

My sweet gryvern fussed over me like a mother hen. She breathed a fresh fire into the hearth and tugged a blanket over me with her toothy jaws. Only when my tremors stopped and my breathing soothed to a healthier rhythm did she finally stop pacing as if I might perish at any moment. She then took up her role as sentinel, perching stiffly near my side and glaring at the door with wings high.

“You’re supposed to obey my commands, not Luther’s,” I said with a weak smile. “We don’t like him, remember?”

She gave a series of short, angry snorts that sounded likeI’m doing my jobandYou’re a terrible liar.

I reached out and brushed my fingers along the border between her reptilian neck and her leonine body, marveling at the way the dark, iridescent scales faded into coarse fur. “Thank you for helping me. I know you don’t have a choice, but... thank you anyway.”

She huffed again and draped a wing over my body. Its warmth sank into my bones, and soon I was pulled into a restless slumber plagued with dreams of fire and blue-grey eyes I couldn’t escape.

* * *

I awoke to a light knock,then a creaking door. Apprehension shot through me, but Sorae didn’t move an inch. If she wasn’t attacking, that must mean...

I bolted upright, her wing tumbling off me along with my blankets. At the door, Luther stood with a man shrouded beneath a heavy brown cloak. The man tugged on the hood until it fell to his back.

“Father,” I breathed.

His caramel eyes darted wildly around my face, my clothing, the room, the gryvern. He couldn’t take it all in fast enough. Finally, they settled on the space above my head.

“It’s true,” he whispered. “You really are the new Queen.”

Luther, who was once again looking every inch the emotionless Prince, gave me a long stare. “I expect you’d like to speak in private.”

“We would,” my father answered on my behalf.

Luther held still, awaiting my confirmation. His iron facade cracked the tiniest bit, a hint of concern leaking through.

I managed a faint smile. “Yes. Thank you, Luther.”

His throat worked, hinting at words unsaid, before he gave a shallow bow and excused himself.

I stared at my father as I struggled to bottle my sea of thoughts into words and sentences.

“Did you know?” I asked. “Did you know I was a...” I hesitated, still struggling to admit this new reality out loud.

“I had suspicions,” he admitted. “When your eyes changed.”

“Did you ever ask Mother?”

Guilt worked its way into the creases of his weathered face. “No, I didn’t.”

“You suspected all these years, and you never said a thing? You just let her drug me with the flameroot to keep me hidden?”

“It was her choice to make.”

“You’re my father, you’re supposed toprotectme,” I snapped, my voice rising. “Even from my own mother, if you have to.”

“You still consider me your father, then?”

My temper broke, and my eyes dropped guiltily to the floor. “Of course I do. What I said that night—I didn’t mean...”

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