Page 21 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

“I think that’s enough excitement for tonight, at least for me. Gentlemen, I hope you have a restful evening. We will take our leave now.”

Spencer and I locked eyes for a moment, communicating without sharing a word. I turned to leave, knowing Ivy and Amyra would be right behind me. The guard at the kitchen door followed us out of the room, leaving the three princes to figure the rest out.

I heard some mumbling as the guard closed the door to the room. I hoped Spencer was smart enough to stick around to gather more information to help us understand what happened.

About thirty minutesafter we got back to my chambers, a knock sounded. Relief flooded my senses. I was just about to give up waiting for any knocking. Ivy got up to check, confirming it was Spencer. “Come in, Spencer. We have been waiting for you.”

Spencer enters and waits for the door to close before speaking. “I’m so sorry for taking this long. As soon as you left, they started really talking, and it felt important to be there. That was… that was something tonight.”

Ivy and Amyra nodded at him, too tired and confused to voice agreement. I couldn’t wait for him to start. I had to get answers. “Spencer, what did you see? What did his haze thing do? Do they change in situations like this?”

Spencer nodded as he settled into his seat. “Your emotions affect how the haze moves around you. Calm emotions slow it down, intense ones cause swirls, like how you see dust pick up and swirl about when the wind is agitated. Each feeling has their own movement too; intense love and intense hatred move differently and impact the haze differently. I can’t always tellemotions. Really, most of the time I can’t, but intense emotions are the exception.”

I nodded, wanting him to continue, but Ivy interrupted, “So when you said Lyla’s had changed, you were seeing the love she has for Amyra?”

“Yes, that was the change. I couldn’t place the emotion at first, but I could see it was there. I’m still trying to understand how this all works, so sometimes I’m not sure what I’m seeing. And tonight is one of those nights.it was just anger. It almost looked like storm clouds charging up off the coast with the way his haze swirled and moved around him. But then, when he started pacing, just before Frederick tackled him, something shifted. It wasn’t dark gray, cloudy, stormy. It was something completely different. It glittered, like light reflecting off raindrops, but it wasn’t light, it was… I don’t know what it was. It was like a black void was trying to glitter into existence. I don’t know what that means.”

The revelation sat heavy in the air. I stared through a random spot on the table in front of me, trying to process it. The only thing that this revealed to me was that we needed to find someone who knows what’s happening. We couldn’t put the puzzle pieces together, but maybe we could get more information.

“Spencer, do you know how you got this gift? We need to find someone who could help us understand what you’re seeing. Surely, you and your mama aren’t the only ones that have this.”

Spencer shook his head. “Mama only mentioned that the Gods gave us this gift. She said…”

He paused, deep in thought, trying to recall her words. As I watched him think, I noticed his green eyes seemed to swirl, almost like the haze he talks about. The color seemed to glitter and shift, like I was watching a ribbon of sparkles dance through a potion in the sunlight.

“She said she learned how to understand hers from the Oracles of the Gelid. I know nothing about them. Are you familiar with them?”

The name sounds familiar, but I haven’t heard it in a long while. I lean back in my chair, trying to recall what I knew. “Mother talked of them a couple of times in our history lessons. I think… I think it was long ago in Elthian history. They had some influence at one point. Let me do some research. I can also check with our last census. We record religious sects, so I can see if there are any left in the country.”

Amyra leaned forward. “What do we do in the meantime? Do we trust Egan? First his weird aura, then this outburst. I don’t think I want to be in a room with him without protection.”

Before I could address her concern, Spencer opens his jacket flap. “I always have always at least one dagger or sword on me. Whatever I can conceal. Knowing Frederick, he will arm himself as well, if he hasn’t yet.”

“I will make sure our dinners always have a blatant guard in the room as well. I appreciate that you two may be armed, but I want someone else to be alert and ready as well. He can earn back the privilege of foregoing a guard with time.” I added.

“He will not like the extra babysitter, I don’t think.” Ivy’s eyes were wide, imagining the possibilities.

I shook my head. “I don’t care. He’s betrayed my trust. I can’t risk our safety for his ego. He can quit and go home if he wants. I might even pause all interactions with him until the first event if he struggles with this.”

Spencer stood. “I’m glad things didn’t get out-of-control tonight, ladies. May you all have restful sleep tonight. I must retire for the evening; our training starts early.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Spencer, for all your help. I can’t say it enough. I will try to get more information about the Oracles of Gelid and share notes with you. Will you come by tomorrow evening with Ethan?”

Spencer nodded. “I’ll visit every evening you ask me to, my Queen.”

I blushed at his flirting, glancing to Amyra, who had amusement dancing across her face.

He leaved the room, which only allowed Ivy to feel bold enough to ask, “There is so much tension between you and him. What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. Nothing to be done, at least for now. I’ll deal with one issue at a time, Ivy. And right now, my most pressing issue is that I need to sleep.”

CHAPTER 16

The next day, I headed over to the office for Lady Mallard. I struggled with sleeping, so when I gave up on the idea, early into the night, I dug through old books from lessons. I found one that mentioned that the Oracles of the Gelid had a large temple in the Frosted Forests, and it said that they were keepers of magical secrets. Since Lady Mallard was from this region, I hoped she would have information about them. I needed to be cautious. I couldn’t risk exposing Spencer, but we also needed help.

I reached her office just as she was approaching. Perfect timing.

“Princess Lyla! What a delightful surprise to see you in this area of the castle.” She provided a warm smile for me and held open her door. “I was just about to take tea; would you like to join me?”

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