Page 112 of Fear the Flames
I’ve never been like this with anyone. I don’t normally like being touched; I don’t even feel comfortable giving hugs to many people. My body has been beaten too many times for me to associate touch with something good. My first reflex is to shy away from it, to draw my knife up to it and stab it until I’m safe again. But when I’m with Cayden, I feel safer than I ever have. Not because I need him to save me, but because I know he will fight by my side until the very end. He will never relent. He will never give up until the fight is over and we stand as victors.
I’m standing with him, a few floors above the cell I was tortured in, and don’t feel a single ounce of fear. Yes, I still feel angry, but that won’t ever go away. It’s controlled for now. I feel strong and steady. I know I would feel those things without Cayden here because I trained and fought for the life I have, but it feels good to not do this alone. I’ve always known I would have a better chance at taking down Garrick with a team, but I never imagined finding people I would be willing to fight with. I’ve never been happier to have proven myself wrong.
“Esteemed guests of King Garrick Atarah, we wish to welcome you to our masquerade ball!” the woman’s clear voice rises above the chatter of the guests. “King Garrick is honored to be entertaining you all this evening and thanks those who have traveled from great distances to be here. Tonight is a celebration like no other. Tonight marks the first night of a new friendship that will bring us heaps of prosperity.” The crowd begins to cheer, and Cayden tightens his arms around me. I stick to the coverage the pillar next to us offers. I’m about to see my father. “Welcome our fierce leader, head of our armies, defender of the people, the true and only claim to the Imirath throne—King Garrick Atarah!”
The room erupts in cheers when my father appears. His red cloak with white fur trim floats dramatically down the stairs behind him, and my brain conjures up an image of it getting twisted around his legs, causing him to faceplant. My hands slowly clap with my new scenario at the forefront of my mind.
“I think her statement needs a little mending,” I muse above the cheers.
Cayden scoffs in my ear and adjusts his arms around me now that we’ve clapped for a socially acceptable amount of time. He pulls me in tight again, and the hilt of his sword presses into my back. “I’d be happy to correct their views on your behalf,princess. Though, I do think the title of queen fits you better.”
I hum in agreement as I watch my father make his way to stand next to the woman in the purple gown, pausing at the top of the center staircase. He’s not wearing a mask, so it’s easy for me to take in his features. I always thought seeing him would be worse than seeing the castle. Imagined the immediate panic and the faint sound of chains being dragged across the floor. But he just looks like a man. I’ve killed men twice his size and will be happy to add him to my roster when the time is right. Any man can be killed, even a king. Some people view monarchs as invincible, but all humans bleed the same.
His black hair has streaks of gray, and his forehead and eyes wrinkle when he smiles. He has aged, but he looks similar to the last time I saw him, the day my dragons burned my mother. He was always a tall and muscular man, hyper-aware of his appearance so that he wouldn’t incite weakness. He never married after my mother died, but it wasn’t because of love. I can see the way his eyes dart around the room, the way his hands twitch at his sides. He’s always looking for the next threat, and he hates being in a ballroom full of masked people. His eyes dance clear over Cayden and me. I lurk in the shadows, as I always have, waiting for my time to strike. When I do, I’ll sink my fangs so deep into his veins that no healer will be able to stop the poison of my wrath.
On the rare occasions Ailliard would talk to me about Garrick; he used to tell me he believed my father would come to his senses, that Garrick would realize how wrong it was to order his own daughter to live in the dungeon and to be beaten by his guards. He believes that Garrick will want me to come back here one day. Even as a child, I laughed in Ailliard’s face. My twelve-year-old self told Ailliard to grow up. There is no love shared between my father and me. The only thing we share is the same blood, and it’s blood that I’ll spill one day.
The cheers die down when the woman in the purple gown raises her hand. I feel Cayden stiffen behind me, and glance around the ballroom again, taking in the things I previously missed. You can usually tell someone’s wealth by how decadent their gowns or suits are, and it seems that the wealthiest people in attendance are already in the ballroom. My mouth feels dry, and I suddenly long for the champagne the servant carried away. I know what’s happening before the woman continues—this is a political ball. The occasion is rooted in politics, and I can tell from Cayden’s rigid posture that he’s figured it out as well. Only an esteemed guest of equal rank is announced after a king. It’s why I was announced after Eagor and Valia.
“It is with my greatest honor that I announce the pair that will be our kingdom’s greatest friends in the upcoming months—King Fallon and Queen Raisel of Thirwen!”
The crowd erupts in another round of applause as the rulers descend the staircase from the opposite end my father came down. A man with long white hair and a decadent silver suit smiles and waves to the crowd below. The woman on his arm has pin-straight black hair and wears a shimmering silver gown to match her husband. The pair of them wear silver masks with stars littered around the edges.
“I suspected as much,” Cayden mutters, taking his hands off me to blend in with the applause. I’m about to say we should try to get an audience with the Galakin rulers when we get back to Vareveth, considering they aren’t in attendance tonight, but my father raises his hand to quiet the crowd once more.
“Please, enjoy the first dance while the servants prepare the toast for the evening,” Garrick declares. Eight guards move forward to flank him as the musicians ready their instruments. The King and Queen of Thirwen descend the main staircase and walk to the center of the dance floor. A sea of tulle and velvet follows suit, eager to please their king.
Cayden slips his hand into mine and leads us toward a wide circle of dancers. I stop a few feet in front of him and raise my brows, surprised he’s following through with dancing. The musicians strike the first chord, and he bows at the waist while I curtsy. We both slowly straighten up, never taking our eyes off each other. The first note of the dance is plucked on the strings, and Cayden cuts forward to sweep me into motion.
He wraps an arm around my waist and spins us together, intertwining us in the swarm of couples. We’re in the last circle out of three. Our circle moves in the opposite direction of the middle circle but in the same direction as the first. It makes me feel like I’m floating through the motions. The strings peak abruptly, and Cayden lifts me in a wide arc. We pivot, twist, and glide. The mixture of music and Cayden makes my soul feel like it’s on fire. The orchestra strikes its final chord, and Cayden ends the dance in perfect unison with every other couple by dipping me in his arms. Our chests rise and fall rapidly, and he keeps us in this position for an extended beat of time, ignoring everyone else around us. My hand is wrapped around the back of his neck, and I can feel his pulse racing in unison with mine.
“Why did you dance with me the whole ball?” I ask the question that’s lingered in the back of my mind since that night.
That was the first Vareveth ball he has ever danced at in all his years of being commander. He didn’t even dance at his own ball they threw in his honor when he was named Commander of Vareveth—thank you, Saskia, for letting that slip. His eyes never leave mine as he straightens me up. He takes his hands off my back and brushes the rogue waves from the front of my shoulders.
“I didn’t like seeing you in another man’s arms,” he confesses, stepping back and bowing at the waist to conclude our dance like a gentleman. I lower myself in a shaky curtsy before turning toward the dais where the King and Queen of Thirwen glide. Garrick already stands in front of his throne, still flanked by several guards, with a champagne glass extended.
“Those on the dancefloor, please do not worry about drinking to this toast and simply carry on with another dance after the toast is concluded to share in the excitement. The Kingdom of Imirath is honored to have a newly formed alliance with the Kingdom of Thirwen. Vareveth has breathed down our necks for far too long, and it’s time we root them out. As many of you already know, Elowen Atarah has signed her name to an alliance with them. Rather than returning home after running away all those years ago, she aligned herself with our enemy!”
Cayden fists his hands at his sides at the mention of my name. I step toward him; he looks too mad for my liking. The only times I’ve seen Cayden explode was when we tortured someone together and when he pinned Eagor to the wall…he’s only lost himself when encountering someone that hurt me or made me uncomfortable. He can’t lose himself right now.
“She is a traitor to Imirath!” Garrick shouts, and the crowd shouts back in affirmation. “She will die for going against her blood!”
Cayden shakes in silent rage and looks seconds away from charging the dais. “Cayden,” I whisper and grab his wrist, but he doesn’t tear his eyes away from Garrick as he continues his speech.
“With the aid of Thirwen, we will overtake Vareveth, and we will kill that traitor once and for all,” Garrick raises his champagne glass in the air, “to the alliance!”
“To the alliance!” the crowd echoes. People on the dance floor cling to their partners as they share the joy in their kingdom’s new alliance. People that line the floor and sit at tables sip their champagne. My father gestures for the music to start up again as he turns to the King and Queen of Thirwen.
“Cayden, breathe,” I command, grabbing his other hand and forcing him to turn toward me. Everyone here is too invested in their happiness to notice us. “Look at me and block him out. He’s not worth what we will gain tonight.”
“I can’t wait for him to die,” his voice is so rough it sounds like it’s been raked over coals.
“I’ll make him beg,” I promise, “but tonight is not the night.” Cayden closes his eyes while soaking in my words.
“Soon,” he agrees. His eyes flash forward and narrow before understanding washes over his face, “Ryder is here.”
They got the key.
