Page 24 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
I dove for his legs, and he toppled over me, surprised by the sudden attack. His chin hit the tabletop, gashing it open. Desperately, he rolled on his back, but I already had a hand on his scabbard and pulled a short sword free, shoving it forward and resting the blade against his neck a second later.
“Dragonfire. You’re fast,” he panted, not even moving to staunch the blood flowing down his chin.
He grabbed the back of my neck and did that weird trick where he made all my muscles go loose and fuzzy.
I dropped the sword on his chest and he rolled off, smirking. The moment he broke contact with me, I could move again. Huffing, I sat back down to finish the rest of my chicken.
“Careful, you have your dressing fitting later.” He stood gingerly, one hand pressed to the wound on his chin.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He frowned. “Not sure, really. It’s just something my mother always said when she ate.”
“The queen,” I stressed, unable to believe that horrible woman birthed someone who wasn’t completely evil.
“She has … nicer moments,” he insisted, still more concerned about the gash than me. “We really have to get going. I’ll need to take care of this before anyone sees.”
He put his sword back in his scabbard and pulled the door open, grabbing a bundled shirt from the floor and pressing it to his face.
“Why? Don’t want anyone to know a girl messed up that pretty face of yours?” I taunted him.
He shot me a dopey grin. “You think my face is pretty?”
I sputtered in indignation, and he laughed. I raced ahead down the stairs, my face burning. I heard him descend behind me.
“If you must know,” he began, still chortling, “I simply don’t want you to be whipped for besting a fireguard in hand-to-hand combat, let alone me. So if anyone asks, I tripped on the stairs.”
I blinked at him.
Zion overtook me in the hallway. “Do you remember how to get back?”
He was kidding, right?
“It’s not that bad,” he continued. “You’ll get it, eventually.”
Yeah. Sure. I tried to keep track as we turned left, then right, then right again, then down a winding staircase that messed up my sense of direction, then another hall, then more turns, and another staircase. I gave up after that, and instead focused on the paintings that lined the walls. This side of the castle was mostly landscapes, and seemed older than the flower suites or the throne room, oddly enough. The scent of ashes and smoke lingered constantly here, a reminder that this wing was the closest to the dragon. Like the rest of the palace, it was white and clean and too sterile for my liking. It felt like my very presence was enough to dirty the pristine environment around me.
Eventually, I recognized my corridor along with the heavy doors to the flower suite. They were currently wide open with servants and strange men and women coming and going.
“I see they’ve already started. I’ll leave you to it.” Zion nudged me forward. I almost considered asking why he’d told me a different name, but it seemed obvious: he wanted to keep his personas separate. I understood that.
Zion turned to go, then paused, his expression thoughtful. “You really should show your fighting style. It’s unique and you’re quick.”
He gave me a small smile that felt only for me, then he stomped away, his heavy armor and boots clunking after him.
ChapterEight
Itook a deep breath, steeled myself, and walked into the suite.
“THERE SHE IS! Porter! She’s here!” A hand landed lightly at my elbow as a short man in flowing robes quickly took charge of me, guiding me forward onto a makeshift pedestal surrounded by servants holding mirrors. All around me were the other girls in similar states. They pointed and cried out when they saw me.
“Mari! We were so worried!” Leilani shouted at me from across the room. A servant pulled at her hem and poked her to bring her attention back to standing still.
“Yes! Especially after Oleria,” Azalea added.
I wanted to ask what she meant, but the short man at my side demanded my full attention. He had to be a noble, and a very … fancy one. His hair was a bright yellow, combed through with gold dust. His robes were bronze and shimmered just as much as he did. His large eyes were a light gold color I’d never seen before. Or was he simply trying to look like the dragon? The thought that someone would spend time and effort on something so … frivolous was mindblowing.
“My name is Elio, and I will design your dress for the big night,” he gushed out with enough enthusiasm for the both of us. Or so I figured.
