Page 60 of Forged in Flame and Shadow

“Thank you, Lady Naia. Itisfabulous, isn’t it?” I say, striding forward and twirling for the group like I don’t have a care in the world. “So clever of you to pick something in the Trovian style.”

A slight frown appears on Lady Naia’s face. “The Trovian style?”

“Yes, of course you must have known that these daring designs are all the rage in Trova right now. It must seem terribly modern to you, but we wear such things all the time.”

I smile and meet her gaze with a hard stare. Annoyance flashes in her eyes, but she nods.

“I’m so glad I could find something to suit your tastes, Your Highness. Who better to bring such innovation to our court?” she says. “Who knows, maybe we’ll see more of this kind of design in Lavail. Though perhaps not as much as we can see ofyouright now,” she says with a smirk.

Several of the fae women erupt into giggles and snickers.

My skin prickles with humiliation, but I refuse to look away.

“Luckily, I have nothing to be ashamed of,” I say, but my voice sounds weak to me.

“There wasn’t anything else you could find for Her Highness to wear, Lady Naia?” Phaia’s voice is usually a gentle melody, but she sounds steely now.

“Oh, but Her Highness has said herself that this is what would make her most comfortable,” the blonde fae responds. “Besides, I have the perfect shoes to go with it.”

She beckons an attendant forward carrying a pair of black shoes. I keep my eyes on Lady Naia as I take them, wondering what the catch is. They’re a little high, perhaps, but I’ve walked in heels before, so if she’s hoping they’ll trip me up, she will be disappointed.

“I’ll just put these on over here,” I say, backing away toward the screen. I can’t bend over too far in this dress without exposing myself to half the women present. As I slip behind it for some privacy, the volume of chatter rises again, the fae resuming their conversations now there’s no spectacle to whisper about.

I drop the shoes to the ground and slip out of my current ones—plain pumps to match my day dress.

“Are you alright back there?” Tira murmurs.

“Yes, fine,” I huff as I put the shoes on. I’m anything but. I don’t know why I’m letting this woman get to me so much, but her tricks are working. I feel incredibly foolish, wondering why the gloam I’m putting up with this instead of just walking away.

Because if you walk away, she’ll think she’s won.

I straighten and find I feel pretty stable in the shoes. That’s something. Maybe if I can just hold my head high as I walk out?—

“Fuck.”

I take one step out from behind the screen, and I’m immediately in agony. It’s like I’m walking on needles, my soles burning with every step as if they’re pressing against hot coals. I look down, but there’s no sign of injury. This is magic at work, I’m sure of it.

“Ana?”

I look up at the sound of Tira’s voice, but my eyes quickly slide from my friend’s concerned face to Lady Naia’s. By now she’s standing with a different group of women across the room, apparently deep in conversation.

Yet as I take another step forward and exhale, trying to breathe through the pain shooting up my legs, I see her watching me. Something manic glints in her blue eyes, an intense energy both excited and like she’s on edge.

It hits me that this woman isn’t just trying to embarrass me. She wants me totally defeated. And while we’re both bound by the need to appear civil, she’s willing to sail pretty close to crossing the line.

And damn it, it’s working, because there’s no way I can go to the ball like this. With every shuffle forward, my urge to crumple to the floor grows. What’s worse is the pain bringing tears to myeyes. The idea of crying in front of these women is too horrible to bear.

“What’s wrong, Morgana?” Phaia asks as she, Helia, and Desme take my side by Tira.

“I…I don’t think I can go,” I gasp, trying to hold in the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.

The fae throw dark looks toward Lady Naia.

“She’s done something to the shoes, hasn’t she?” Tira demands. “Are they hurting you?”

I nod. “I need to get them off, now.”

I feel like an idiot—a little girl trying to play grown-up games and feeling sorry for herself when she can’t keep up. But I have to admit I can’t contend with the likes of Lady Naia, at least not in this. I’ll give her what she wants; I’ll stay away from her precious ball.

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