Page 62 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
The queen withdrew a chalk tablet, and a large chart covered in letters lined up neatly in rows. “I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be teaching a full grown woman to read, but here we are.”
My eyes bugged out of my head. She was giving me an alphabet—a way to learn how to read! It took all my self-control not to snatch them out of her hands.
“If you need more chalk, let me know. Any old rag will do to wipe it away. Perhaps your old clothes?”
I brushed the barb away as the queen stood abruptly, brushing off her skirts. I thought about demanding to know about the demons, or my suspicions about the mud quarter. Fear held my tongue, though.
“Well?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“I won’t say thank you, if that’s what you’re waiting for,” I ventured, snatching the writing materials as if she’d take them away any second.
She laughed, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I wouldn’t dream of it. See you at the ball tomorrow.”
The fireguards opened the doors as she swept away, leaving me alone. Outside, I heard Zion confronting her. I didn’t know why, but I felt compelled to hide my materials. I chalked it up to a lifetime of hoarding whatever little bits I’d ever procured for myself. This was no different. The fireguards likely had reported to her that her son had taken me to the archives and allowed me free access.
I shoved the chart and tablet under the cushions of the long couch, just sitting on top as Zion strode through the door.
“What did she want? She wouldn’t give me an answer.”
I kept my eyes down. “Oh, you know. The usual. Behave at the ball, blah blah blah.”
Zion’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t push further. “Will you be alright if I’m occupied this evening? There are quite a few arrangements to be made for tomorrow. Zariah says he’d rather be in the air and burn off some energy.”
Good. Fine. I was eager to study my new letters, after all.
I gave Zion a strained smile. “That’s fine. I need to rest a bit after all the excitement.”
Zion nodded, then gave me a kiss on my head. “Excellent. Stay out of trouble, and one of us will return for you.”
I waited an hour after he left to creep down the corridor and steal my way back toward the archives.
ChapterNineteen
Ihad almost made it there on my own, only getting lost toward the very end. The fireguards were more than ready to be helpful now, which I thought was ironic. Just a few days ago, they’d been willing to watch me die. Now, they were falling over themselves to be the ones to help me find the archives. In the end, I chose the tall one with familiar, kind eyes who I suspected was the fireguard who used to feed me extras in the mud quarter. It was hard to tell through the helmets. He insisted on carrying my tablet and chart for me.
“I’ll just stay outside. Come get me when you wish to leave, and I’ll escort you back to where you’d like to go.”
“Thanks, that’d be great.”
I took my materials from him and waited until he was back outside the doors, then sprinted down to the tables Zion and I had been at. I thanked the gods he hadn’t bothered to clean up after himself, and apparently servants weren’t allowed in here to tidy up. All the scrolls Zion had read to me were still out.
I took one look at the tiny, scrawled words and letters, and my heart sank. Did I really think I could teach myself to read? There were so many letters and so many combinations! I didn’t even know what the letters sounded like.
My face burned with humiliation. Had the queen given me this only to frustrate me and make me fail? It was the kind of passive aggressive, shitty thing she’d do: lord her knowledge and skill over me, laughing as I tried to teach myself in vain. She either didn’t think I could do it, or… or she wanted me to discover something. I didn’t like either idea.
Well, I had two options: give up or swallow my pride and figure it out.
Giving up wasn’t part of life in the mud quarter.
I shuffled back to the double doors, knocking. The fireguard outside heaved and opened them just a crack.
“Yes?” he asked, surprised to see me again so soon. My lips were dry and my words stuck in my throat, but I forced them out, anyway. “Do you … do you know these letters?”
I gestured at my little chart pathetically, eyes firmly trained on the floor. I didn’t want to see the look of pity or amusement that would cross his face. Instead, he nodded to the other guards and slipped inside. The others closed the door behind him.
“Yes. Are you learning?”
I looked up when I heard his tone. It wasn’t accusatory or pitying. His voice held no traces of contempt or mockery; it simply held curiosity.
