Page 30 of Princess Takes Academy
I couldn’t hold back the groan. She made the prickly dragon look like a teddy bear, though I’d always gotten along with Mehen just fine. Probably because he loved getting into trouble as much as me.
I could feel Mama’s relief in our bond, which only pissed me off more. “Are you sure? I know how taxing she can be when you’re not used to having young people around.”
“No offense,” I said sarcastically. “I am standing right here, you know. Glad to hear you think I’mtaxing.”
“You are,” Carys replied. “All children are. Our queen is barely out of the nursery herself. Hopefully you’ve settled down enough to not be such a bother.”
Her words stung, especially with the stern nod Mama sent my way, but I refused to show it.
Break the rules once, nearly die, and spend the rest of my life making them forget.
“One of my dearest friends is headmistress of the Academy of Blood, and she likes to tease me about all the fantastic tomes she has squirreled away in that gloomy old castle of hers. The books are probably already ruined by rot and mold, but maybe I can save—”
Daire coughed out, “Steal,” beneath his breath, making me smile.
“A few before it’s too late.”
“When can you be ready to go?” Mama asked.
Carys gave her an exasperated look and lifted a huge leather satchel. “Now. Let’s go, guttersnipe. Time’s a wasting.”
Mama’s lips quavered. “So soon? Oh dear. I’m not ready.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t either. I had a bag hidden beneath my bed in case I was able to make a break for Keras, but I’d only packed a few essentials. Certainly not enough for an extended stay in Scotland.
Goddess. My heart leaped and pounded so hard I could barely contain myself. I could almost see the warm golden-brown of Keras’ eyes and smell his scent again. He always smelled like the earth after a sudden thunderstorm. Wet, fresh, and still sparking with all the wild energy of lightning.
Mama stood and wrapped her arms around me. “I’ll pack a few things for you and bring them through to the nest. I’ll just be a few minutes away.”
Despite all my frustration and our arguments, I still loved her. Desperately. She’d risked everything to have me. I just wished I could be the daughter she’d dreamed of, not the troublemaker who had to constantly be reined in before I ran off and killed myself out of sheer foolishness.
“If anything happens to you…”
I squeezed her back and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’ll be good.”
Though why did I feel like I had to mentally cross my fingers behind my back and hope for the best?
6
Xochitl
It was all I could do not to race straight for the heart tree, and then run back to Carys and dance around her with impatience, exactly the same way I’d done as the annoying guttersnipe who’d messed up her books. But I was older now. More mature. Less annoying.
At least I was trying very desperately to not invite a single moment of trouble… until I found Keras.
I walked sedately beside the older queen but on the inside, I was kicking myself. If I’d known I was going to see Keras today, I would have worn something, anything, else. This boring, mature dress was the opposite of everything I’d ever been. He might see me in this proper and ridiculous dress and think that he didn’t know me at all.
I was still the same Xochitl. At least on the inside.
Mama fired off the typical motherly and queenly advice, like learning each friend’s family name so I could maneuver the delicate ties between the ancient houses. The last thing I wanted to do was gain an ardent enemy from House Ceresa. We—at least House Isador—had enough trouble with the Triune queens to invite even more discord.
Yes, I knew not to give my blood to another queen. I was a young, supposedly unBlooded queen from a mediocre house at best, but Zaniyah was allied with House Isador’s Triskeles queen.
I had to be careful. A promise I made to someone could be taken as a promise from House Isador.
My head ached with all her last-minute admonishments, but I kept nodding murmuring, “Uh huh, okay,” every now and then to show I was listening. Or at leasttrying.
Even though every cell in my body was intently focused on the heart tree, and the magical path that waited to take me to Keras.
