Page 5 of The Scarlet Star

She tore her gaze from Kai, her knees going weak as the Folke pushed her ahead. Kai’s ribs might have been broken. What if no one came by this house for days? What if he died on the floor outside her bedroom because he wasn’t found in time?

Ryn grabbed a basket of medical supplies as they passed the kitchen counter and threw it toward the hall where Kai was. The nearest Folke shoved her shoulder, turning her toward the door as fresh, cool air rolled over her heated body. She was blinded by the sunset burning over the distant mountains when she stepped outside.

A topless glass carriage with large brass wheels awaited, pulled by four black steeds. The luminescent carriage walls glowed against the fiery sun, turning the roadside into a lake of prismed colours. It was the most spectacular sight to ever grace Ryn’s street in this part of the Mother City. The city she and Kai had been hiding in for exactly six years, two months, and five days.

A Folke cleared his throat and unrolled a scroll to read. “Estheryn Electus, you have hereby been summoned to be a Heartstealer in the upcoming trial period. Should you succeed in your task, you will inherit the second highest throne in the kingdom of Per-Siana and be glorified over all one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. Should you fail, you will be returned home to this location at the end of the period. Your obedience is required.” His gaze flickered up with the last sentence. Then he rolled up the scroll and folded his arms as if he was waiting for something. “Do you agree to come willingly?” he asked. “Or shall I take you by force?”

Ryn couldn’t have formed a reply even if she’d wanted to.

Acrashfilled the road, and Ryn noticed a red-cheeked Matthias, one of Kai’s closest friends, with a spilled basket of figs at his feet. His shaggy blond hair fell in his eyes as he stared at Ryn and the Folke in horror. He took a step toward them, his hand falling on a dagger in his belt, but Ryn shouted, “Stop!” She pointed toward the house. “Kai’s hurt! Please go help him, Matthias! Don’t do anything foolish—”

A black bag was pulled over Ryn’s head, and the vision of Matthias, along with the burning glass carriage, disappeared. Rope was tied around her wrists, and large hands lifted her into the transport she feared would take her to the palace.

The palace. It was the one place Ryn swore on her life she wouldnevergo. The place her mother had warned her about, had cautioned her not to wander too close to or look at too hard. The place Ryn promised to avoid like it was the verycinder plaguethat had killed her mother six years, two months, and five days ago.

The kingdom-wide marriage ban had sent waves of astonishment through the cities. Ryn had laughed when she heard the news. She’d gone to the market as usual that day and listened to gossip as Per-Siana citizens speculated why the King would do such a thing asbanning the marriagesof ordinary nobles. Of course, Ryn knew it was because he was crazy. Perhaps everyone knew, and no one would come out and say it.

The rumours grew dark after that. Word leaked into the Mother City that King Xerxes had lost his mind and murdered the first Queen, and now he was looking for another.

But why had the Folke arrived atRyn’sdoor? Most of Per-Siana didn’t know she existed; even her neighbours knew little about her or Kai.

The carriage ride was bumpy and awkward without sight. After a while, sounds of chatter flooded in along with the smells of burning firewood and strong perfumes. Ryn was lifted off the carriage and guided into a warm space buzzing with murmured conversations.

Her wrists throbbed by the time the black bag was removed from her head. A strand of dark hair was stuck in her mouth as she looked around with stinging eyes, finding herself on a wide tiled floor before a crowd of nobles who seemed eager to inspect her and three other maidens who stood with her;prettygirls with smiling faces, dressed up in their best starlight garments and standing with packed bags at their sides. None of them wore a rope around their wrists like Ryn did.

“You’ve reached the Folke security building. Maidens, please be patient as we assign each of you to one of the King’s royalguards. He will act as your protection from here on in.” The husky voice boomed over them at an unnecessary decibel, and Ryn spotted a tall man at the head of the room dressed in blue armour inlaid with silver details. Rich stitching of a long, serpentine white dragon curled down his sleeve. In fact, all the Folke were clad in symbols of the King.

She shrieked when a guard appeared beside her with a blade. He cut the rope off her wrists, and her arms fell to her sides. The Folke walked away without a word.

Nearby noblewomen chuckled as they studied her, and Ryn looked down at her gardening dress, her bare feet, her unwashed hands. Soil was wedged beneath her fingernails from her afternoon of vegetable planting and apple picking too.

A gasp lifted from somewhere across the room, barely noticeable over all the chatter, and Ryn spotted an old white-haired woman by the far wall in a green robe. The robe reminded her of Kai, and a lump sank through her chest. The woman only stared at Ryn—no one else—and Ryn brought a hand up to her cheek, sure there was dirt on her face. Sure that everyone noticingthe girl in the dirt-stained dresswas horrified.

The old woman whispered something to a female Folke guard beside her, but Ryn dropped her gaze to the floor before she might lipread the words.

Only hours ago, she was washing apples for Matthias’s birthday pie. She’d made him a promise to bake him one, and then she’d laughed to herself the whole walk home afterward at how red his cheeks had gotten over it. It dawned on her now she wouldn’t be keeping that promise.

In fact, she might never bake for Kai or Matthias again.

She took a small step backward, inching into line beside the triad of beautiful, colourful maidens. Folke guards filed in, one standing before each of the first two maidens and whispering a pledge to guard them during the trials, likely also silentlypledging to trap them into this event of the King’s delusional madness, even if the girls didn’t realize it. Ryn swallowed as a sturdy fellow in blue and silver walked in her direction. He was only a step away when another Folke swooped in and cut him off.

Ryn blinked at the female Folke guard standing before her. The girl didn’t look to be any older than Ryn. She wore the glassy blue armour of the Folke with silver shoulder plates, the coiling white dragon up her sleeve, and a long sweeping blue guardsman cape covering her back. A nametag was stitched into her protective vest with Weylin letters Ryn struggled to read. She thought the first letter was an ‘H’… then an ‘E’… She couldn’t know for sure, but the nametag might have spelled ‘H.E.V.A.’

Ryn eyed the sword strapped to the girl’s belt, then brought her gaze back up. The guardswoman, even though Ryn looked her right in the eyes, said nothing.

The Folke who’d been on his way to claim Ryn grunted and stepped to the final maiden instead.

As Folke continued to introduce themselves to their maidens down the line, the guardswoman before Ryn—Heva—didn’t speak. She just stared. She looked directly into Ryn’s face with a hard gaze as if searching for something.

A large set of doors swung open at the front of the room, and the Folke led their maidens out into the darkening sunset. Ryn watched them go—one, two, three—along with the crowd of nobles cheering after them. The security building was nearly empty when her guardswoman finally moved.“Heva”spoke for the first time as she turned and headed for the door, revealing silver beads in her slick black ponytail.“Stay close to me, Maiden. Don’t wander off, and don’t trust anyone. Not even the other Folke.” The last part she murmured.

Ryn stole a glance toward the security building halls, imagining a back door somewhere past them. Imaginingslipping away before she could make it into the palace. Imagining—

Heva’s boots stopped tapping over the floor, stealing Ryn’s attention back.

“Don’t risk it,” the guardswoman advised.

Ryn swallowed. “Why not?” she rasped.

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