Page 24 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

“You’ll miss the introduction.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen it before. It’s all the same.”

When he was gone, Fel turned to Naia. “What do you think got into him?”

The look that woman had given her father had been engraved in her mind. “It can’t be comfortable being in a room where half the people hate you.”

“I wish we knew the reason,” he whispered.

A reason? Naia paused. “You think they’re justified in hating him? Hating us?”

“Hate is never justified, Naia, but something causes it.”

“It’s because he married our mother, and you know that.”

“Yes, but...” He lowered his whisper even more. “It’s just that we’ve only heard one side of the story. Have you thought of that?”

Naia was about to reply when a bell rang.

On the stage, the queen said, “Welcome to Frostlake. We’re so glad to have the gathering here. As is tradition, tonight our daughters will exhibit the best of Aluria’s magic and talents.”

She then left the stage, and a man took her place, announcing, “Our first princess is Mariana, from Greenstone.”

She was a pretty girl, wearing a pink dress with straps, like every young woman in that ball except Naia. She introduced herself, then put a pot with earth on a table, and moved her hands around it. Nothing happened. After a dull eternity, a miniscule sprout appeared on the earth, and was received with a round of applause. Perhaps they were clapping because they were glad it was over.

The next girl was a wildbringer from Wolfmark. She opened a container with butterflies. The creatures landed on her arm, then went back into the container. The clapping was more enthusiastic this time.

Another greenbringer, from Vastfield, sang instead of making any magic. It was a lot less boring than taking forever for a sprout to appear. Still, Naia whispered to Fel, “This is cheating. Since when singing is magic?”

“Music can be magic. Leah is playing the flute.”

It made… some sense. And indeed the next princess was from Karsal. They had no magic there, even though they had tried many times to obtain magic through marriage. For some reason, it never passed on to the newer generations. The girl played the harp, her dark brown hair in a bizarre braid over her head. Naia was starting to agree with her father that they were on display like cattle. It wasn’t about magic, or nobody would sing or play a musical instrument. Perhaps Naia should be thrilled she wasn’t part of that. She looked back at the Ironholds, who were now sitting. No sign of River.

Another wildbringer freed a bird from a cage and it flew away and out the window. It seemed that something had gone wrong, but the girl curtsied, smiled, and got some applause.

The last one to step on the stage was Leah, carrying a box. It didn’t look like a flute box. Despite her weird hair, she looked very beautiful with some golden powder on her skin that made her blue eyes stand out.

She looked tense as her eyes scanned the room, but then they found Fel and she smiled. He also smiled at her, showing those dimples that he never showed at home.

On the stage, Leah took a deep breath, then said, “I’m a necromancer, and proud of it. Ours is the magic of life. Brief life, but enough to give someone a second chance.”

The girl focused on Fel again, as if there was nobody else in the room. A girl of taste, of course. He, for his part, was completely entranced by her. Naia was starting to think her brother was doing exactly what their father had told him not to do.

Good for him.

Naia could almost see a golden thread bringing the two of them together even if they were so far apart. She was happy for her brother, happy that he’d get the crown and the girl and everything he wanted. Her father would eventually accept the truth, and Fel deserved the world. And yet, Naia had a bitter taste in her mouth. She wished she’d also get at least something, instead of having to live in her brother’s shadow.

Leah took a tray out of the box with something under a white cloth, which she put on the table. She looked back at Fel, smiled, then pulled the cloth.

A few people screamed. Naia took a while to understand the reason for that reaction, until she realized that the brown, hairy thing on the tray was a rat. A dead rat.

Leah’s eyes turned black, then the creature moved and walked a few steps. More screams. This was hilarious. The rat then collapsed and stopped moving. Leah covered it, put it back on the box, then walked out of the stage.

Naia chuckled, amused. “Well… she’s got style.”

“She does.” Fel’s voice was distant and his eyes bright, as if he were contemplating something really good.

“I guess you liked it.”

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