Page 9 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
I felt the fireguard’s eyes trace the muscles of my back and caress the curve of my ass underneath the sheer robe. For no reason at all, I blushed.
“All of you must speak respectfully, or you won’t be chosen,” my prima scolded.
I kept my mouth shut this time, turning back to face the fireguard. He made a gesture, and the primas walked further into the temple where the others had disappeared to. For one moment, the fireguard and I were alone.
“I like your filthy mouth,” he muttered, his breath warm on my neck.
I nearly tripped, not realizing he’d been that close behind me.
The spell broke, and I swore at him, hurrying after the primas and the other girls like a chastened child. His laugh behind me was loud and boisterous, warming something deep inside my chest.
ChapterThree
Irushed to catch up, but the inside of this temple was a maze of marble columns and stone floors. The fireguards disappeared, one by one, until I saw the older blonde girl trailing at the end of the line. I don’t know if I’d ever get the image of the young blonde girl’s dead face out of my mind.
I ran up to the older one as fast as I could with my wounded foot and tried to act like I’d been there the entire time. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t otherwise say anything.
I was thankful.
In a line, they led us through the temple and back out onto the streets. A massive crowd greeted us as the fireguards lined either side of us, keeping us separate from everyone else. A few little girls threw petals between their legs, dusting our path with beautiful reds and purples. The guards blocked the view of most of the crowd; all of the men were taller than me. I could only see the blonde girl ahead of me. The sun was setting, further blinding everyone who faced the west.
“The flowers are here! They are going to the castle!”
The cheers grew louder and the crowd swelled. Everyone threw petals now, and I wondered how they could waste such a luxurious item on us. The delicate blossoms tossed haphazardly into the air were only going to be pressed into the dirt by our feet. I wondered if I could shove a few in my pocket and save them for my mother. But no, they would only wilt and die, leaving me with nothing but brown, dried out carcasses.
High above us, the dragon continued to lounge on the large dome, quiet and content for now. I stared as we passed directly underneath him.
“We’re going to the castle!” The older (and now the only) blonde craned her head around to look at me, excitement building in her eyes. The castle itself rose in front of us, the obvious destination as we continued our winding, slow progress through town.
“Flowers! Flowers! Flowers!”
I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my face. Admiration wasn’t something that came easy to me: I was just some dirty girl from the mud quarter like all the others. Someone like me had no business being in a castle. What if they expected me to act like I’d been born in the Seat? Worry and dread twisted my gut.
“Budge up, flower. Act like you’ve been here before. Otherwise they’ll eat you alive.”
I glanced to my left, my skin erupting in goosebumps as the handsome young guard marched right next to me. The guard on my right made a huffing sound as if he was chastising the other for daring to speak with me.
My fireguard gave a dark chuckle, so I risked one question. I was willing to bet they wouldn’t dare hit me in front of a large crowd like this.
“What is your name?” I asked breathlessly, barely louder than a whisper.
The castle towered over us as a delegation of the most elaborately dressed people I’d even seen waited, standing high above us all at the top of the stone steps. Gems and gold glinted at us from their wrists, hands, neck, and the crowns on their heads.
The king and queen!
The fireguards halted at the bottom, keeping themselves between us and the royal family.
My fireguard’s breath was hot on my neck, bared to him with my hair styled up. “Zariah,” he whispered, and slipped away from my side.
I didn’t get to see where he went. I had to pay attention to stay up with the other girls. We formed a straight line in front of the steps, all nine of us.
The king had black hair like mine, which immediately took me aback. Was he from the mud quarter? That was impossible though, wasn’t it? The surrounding crowd was a sea of browns, blondes, and even a few reds, but he and I (and a few of the fireguards, I supposed) were the only ones with truly black hair. His face showed deep lines and wrinkles, but his smile was genuine as he looked down on all of us with twinkling blue eyes. He wore a simple tunic down to his knees, but with intricate designs in gold and silver on his chest. A crown of fire sat on his head, red and gold and bronze metals twining together to create the illusion of flames in his hair.
Next to him, the queen wore a similar crown, though it was smaller to accommodate her features. She looked down at us from on high, her white hair done in intricate braids and knots. I envied the length of it, which trailed down past her waist. No one had obviously ever tried to grab it to steal fromher. The queen’s dress was pure silver to match her eyes, which glared down at us with ill-concealed disdain. She was perfect, with no lines or creases marring her delicate face. How old was she? Twenty? Fifty? I wouldn’t be able to put a number on it if my life depended on it.
“So few,” she said, raising her chin and tilting her head to the side. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but was the corner of her mouth smirking?
The fireguard captain walked up three steps and bowed. “My queen, I brought all I could. Remember the flux that swept through the quarters five years ago?”
