Page 21 of Waves
It was a strange paradox that I both envied and despised them at the same moment.
Though it was utterly stunning here, I knew I'd never be able to live in a city like this. The strolling carefree mindset would never be a fit for me.
I did find it fascinating that the test of the contestant's willpower would take place here of all places. The city was not incredibly far from Palati, but the differences between the two were incredibly stark. In fact, I would have wagered that the land kingdoms had more in common with the capital than Kremos did.
My carriage rose up to soar over one solid ice bridge only to dip back down and duck beneath the next. My seahorses strained and my carriage driver and Ugo both shouted at the beasts as we weaved and bobbed, navigating toward the mayor's palace through a maze of bridges that threaded through the city like solidified strings.
Stomach undulating for reasons that had nothing to do with the ride, I wondered what type of leadership we'd encounter this time around. Friend or foe?
We slid to a stop on an ice bridge just below the edge of a glacier. Ugo opened my door with a dip of his head and lent me a hand for my exit.
A frigid current immediately made my wings tuck in tight against my spine and I leaned back into the carriage to grab my cloak and toss the purple fabric over my shoulders. It did little to help me and the cold gnawed on my skin and scraped my bones.
Quickly glancing around, I realized that the rest of my retinue must have headed off to the stables or to an inn nearby because my carriage was the only one here. It was a good thing that my maids had come and made me presentable before we’d reached the city limits, because the sight in front of me was asintimidating as a brutish bellow. It yelled at you in a way that made you want to shout back. Look your best. Appear vicious.
At the end of the ice bridge, windows were cut into the jagged sides of a glacier. The facade was so sharp that it looked like a dozen giant swords made of ice had been welded together. Here and there, small arched windows had been carved into the glacier and dangling purple lanterns glowed in each like evil eyes. That might have made the place look intimidating but welcoming.
But the tunnel to the entrance changed any other impression of the palace to ominous. Deep and dark, the archway that gaped open at the end of the bridge resembled a black mouth waiting to swallow us whole. No purple lights gleamed at the edge of the walkway. No guards stood along either side ready to bow and greet us.
No.
The message was clear.
We had to walk into that darkness, vulnerable to the whim of those inside.
My heart rate rose as I clutched at the edges of my cloak. Teeth clenched so that I didn’t give away how much this bothered me, I glanced around for Sahar. She was nowhere to be seen. None of my staff were, save for Ugo and my carriage driver. That man yawned and stared off into the distance, exhausted and unconcerned with the fate that might befall me.
Leaning toward Ugo, I whispered, “I thought that Kremos was a less formal town than the others.”
“It is,” he responded. “That’s why you’re meeting directly with just the mayor.”
“That tunnel doesn’t seem less formal.”
Ugo’s eyes slid over to my face, and I watched him fight a grin. “A little dark doesn’t scare you, does it, Majesty?”
“Of course not,” I huffed, utterly annoyed that he saw through me. “Sahar didn’t inform me though. I didn’t expect?—”
Sensing my prickly sensitivity, he switched gears. “I understand your reluctance. But out here, the people respect grit. Stoicism. Facing fears. I don’t think there’s anything other than our own heads that’s going to mess with us in that tunnel. If there is, I’m here. And I’ll slash a dozen bastards down before they can get to you.”
My teeth dug into my lower lip as I nodded, feeling both a little bit foolish and quite grateful. “Well, then. Let’s go.”
Ugo held his spear in a ceremonial upright fashion as we made our way down the pebbled glass walkway.
As soon as we entered the tunnel, the darkness was all-consuming, our sight stolen. Some magic must have reinforced the shadows, because even when I turned my head back toward the entrance, I couldn’t make out a single ray of light.
We could be attacked from any direction.
Spears. Arrows. Swords. Any manner of weapon might strike us down.
Whoever had constructed this entrance was brilliant. Cruel but brilliant. Vulnerable little moths swarmed inside my stomach, and I couldn’t keep myself from flinching, shoulders drawing up whenever I heard an unexpected noise.
Until the fart.
Ugo let out a bugled bit of gas that seemed to echo off the walls and had several different notes, almost as if it was trying to carry a tune.
“Sorry. Thought it would be a silent one,” he muttered.
I started to laugh but quickly had to clamp my mouth shut because the wind he’d broken wasn’tjustloud.
