Page 26 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
Her stylist blinked slowly as if the question were an insult.
“Er, right. Well, I need a traditional dress from my quarter, down to my knees, embroidered in my house colors of yellow and blue. And—”
My eyes glazed over slightly as Leilani ordered a very specific set of garments. I only recognized half of the words she said and had no clue what her talent was based on what she described. Her stylist kept up, eyes shining with interest the longer Leilani’s list of demands grew.
A little stunned, I wandered over toward the stone sisters, Heather and Hyacinthe.
“Something matching,” they were telling their stylist, a young girl who seemed eager to please as she nodded quickly at everything they said. “As long as it’s pretty, and keep the sleeves short. We’ll be using our hands. Well, I will be, at any rate,” Heather finished, shooting her sister a rare grin.
I glanced over to Freesia, who had servants and stylists dancing around her as though she were already queen.
One by one, the girls finished, and the mob of people coming in and out of our chambers diminished. Finally, it was just the six of us, since Oleria was with the primas. I tried not to think about what happened to her. The next time I was alone with Zion, I’d ask if he knew anything else.
We’d barely been alone for a moment before Freesia turned on me, her face twisting with jealousy. “You were gone all night with the prince! Did he finish his ‘examination’ in private?”
A few of the girls looked outraged on my behalf, but most shot me knowing looks as well. I grit my teeth. “I spent most of it unconscious, actually. Is Oleria alright?”
Freesia waved my concerns away, but Leilani intercepted her before she could get too wound up. “Come off it, Freesia. At least only two people saw our privates. The prince was about to show Mari’s to the entire court.”
I frowned, brow furrowing. He’d certainly been about to, hadn’t he? He’d even done that fuzzy muscle thing to make it easier to do so. I mentally reminded myself to kick Zion in the nuts when I saw him next. Or Zariah. Whoever the fuck he was pretending to be.
“I guess there are a few drawbacks to living in the Seat, aren’t there?” I asked the group at large, sitting down on one of the low couches. Down in the quarters, we’d always dreamed of living high on the Seat with all its wealth and riches. We’d never considered what it might be like to live that much closer to the dragon.
“I don’t know why no one kills it. Maybe that could beyourtalent, mud girl: dying despite all odds.”
I rolled my eyes at Freesia, not even bothered by her vitriol. “The next time I’m in the prince’s bed, I will ask.”
Her face went red like I knew it would, and she stomped off to her room. Azalea, Leilani, and the stone sisters stayed.
“I think it must have been horrible, almost being examined like that in front of everyone, and in front of the king and queen!” Azalea whispered in horror, covering her eyes with her hands.
I thought back to that moment, frowning. Zion had done something with his hands to me—twice. If I closed my eyes, I could still feel it, the strange sensation that started at my neck and went down my forearm, trailing down my chest to rest in between my breasts. The sensation left behind had been nothing but warmth and comfort, and to my utter embarrassment, need. Whatever it was, it had left me utterly boneless and vulnerable.
I couldn’t afford to be vulnerable.
“The prince is an ass, like most princes are, I imagine,” I said instead, trying to shake off the feeling. “His tower was just a single room, high up.” My gaze wandered away, remembering the smell of fire and brimstone in the air. “It has to be high up, because all you could smell was smoke and ash. I was half-convinced I was being set up as dragon bait.”
I gave a wry grin, but no one else was smiling. Even Freesia was gazing at me with a mild look of horror.
“But, uh, I’m here,” I finished lamely. “What are all your talents? We should practice.”
I wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with losing Iris yesterday and almost losing Wisteria (and me, apparently), but no one protested this idea. We all went our separate ways, huddling into corners or going away to practice in our rooms.
Freesia was oddly quiet, watching with sharp eyes but saying nothing. I wasn’t going to do anything to disturb the quiet since it allowed me to think.
Why had Zion taken me to his rooms? Why had he saved me at all? Was it because we’d formed some kind of bond on our way up to the Seat, or because he was trying to save us all? It was the only thing that made sense, but I didn’t understand what would make him decide to talk to me out of all the other girls. As far as I was aware, he didn’t give any personal attention to anyone else.
He definitely was interested in me. Now, whether it was lust or something more? Well, that remained to be seen. If I won this competition, I would earn the right to stand by his side permanently. I’d be in a perfect position to demand someone read me all the fireguard scrolls, and I’d discover the dragon’s weakness. I’d kill it and finally end its reign of terror. I paused, realizing that this could be about more than me surviving, more than the other girls surviving. If I won this thing, I could improve the lives ofeveryone in the mud district.
Whether Zion had feelings for me or I him, I would be in the best position to kill the dragon if I was his wife. Killing the dragon meant I could research these claims of my people mining, and give them purpose again. That made the way forward clear: I had to win this stupid competition despite the queen’s best efforts at subterfuge. I’d survive, win, and help my people. As queen, I could feed and clothe them. I’d bring them all up to the Seat, and the girls could go with the boys to learn how to read and do sums. I would leave no kids to fight over scraps in the streets.
The image of the little girl who’d stood crying next to me at my reaping filled my mind. She wouldn’t have to grow up like I did, taking care of a mother who slowly withered from the inside out. I would make sure that girl had a future.
After I ended the reign of flames and killed the dragon, of course.
I grabbed a nearby apple from a food tray and took a deep bite. Juice flew from my chin. Plotting to save the world was hungry work.
ChapterNine
