Page 40 of A Song of Shadow and Starlight

Before I can bark out, "Elephant," she puts a hand up and says, "And whatever you choose, please keep in mind, it has to fit inside our room and not make such a ruckus that it alerts Atlas of what we're up to."

I let loose a belly laugh the second she mentions Atlas' name. I immediately have the image of him rushing into our room to find a giant water elephant stomping through our quarters. The disapproving glare he'd flash my way has me in stitches. I wave my hand and nod my head.

"Alright, alright, how about fox?"

Eris smiles. "I can do that." She waves her hand toward the corner of our room. Water shoots out of her hand and takes the form of a tiny fox. The water-fox hops around the room, keeping its shape, and doesn't leave any wet spots in its wake.

"Amazing!" I clap in excitement. "Can you do more than one creature at a time? What's the largest animal you've created?"

"I can do multiple creatures at a time, but it drains my magic faster." She repeats the action, forming two more foxes. "And the largest creature I have ever spawned was a dragon."

"A dragon?" My mouth drops.

"And I flew it over the City of Hydra during one of the Tournaments of Magic, stirring everyone into a panic. Let's just say my mother was less than pleased with the stunt."

"I would love to see a dragon," I sigh. "It's a shame they no longer exist."

"I wouldn't be too sure," Eris' wiggles her eyebrows. "I've heard the Frost Elves still have ice dragons hidden as far north as one can go."

I laugh. What a sight that would be to see a dragon. Maybe it's the wine bringing on boldness, or maybe it is sheer curiosity getting the better of me, but I ask, "How did a Hydran princess end up with three magic wielding Tronovian assassins?"

Eris' smile disappears and I fear I've said something to offend her. It's the word assassin, isn't it? Stupid, Shaye!

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't -"

"You don't need to apologize for asking a question. I figured you would ask me eventually."

Eris pops a dark piece of chocolate into her mouth before she gets comfortable on her mattress.

"In Hydra, when a woman turns eighteen, she is deemed eligible for marriage. Three years ago, I celebrated my eighteenth birthday, and three weeks after my birthday, my mother married me off to the oldest son of one of the richest and most influential families in Hydra. Crius was twenty years my senior and had a reputation for being a womanizer and a raging drunk. I begged my mother not to force me to marry him, but she said she had given her word, and the matter was mute."

Eris scratches her scalp. I begin to think she isn't going to say anything else, but then she clears her throat and starts up again.

"Everything I had heard about Crius was true. He had plenty of affairs, favored spiced-rum, and his favorite sport was hitting me whenever he was angry or bored. I could handle the beatings. What I couldn't stomach was when he forced himself upon me, wanting an heir with Talay magic." She furrowed her brow. "He would tell me daily that it was my duty to give him an heir, fulfilling the promise my mother made his family."

She shook her head, seeming to pull herself back from whatever dark place she had travelled to. "Six months. I endured six months of his cruelty. Every week that passed, he became angrier and more impatient that I hadn't fallen pregnant. What he didn't know was every morning, I would drink an herbal tea that would ensure I did not become pregnant."

"Eris," I slip my hand into hers and squeeze. She meets my gaze and there is a determination, a hardness in her eyes, that tells me she is going to finish her story.

"It got to a point that I couldn't take the abuse anymore. I finally broke down and told my mother and my sisters about Crius' treatment, but no one helped me. My mother was more interested in the details of the upcoming Tournament of Magic, and that's when I decided once the tournament was over, I would take my life."

That heavy confession steals my breath. I want to ask her to go on, but instead I ask her to explain what the Tournament of Magic is.

Eris smiles. "It is my favorite time of year. The best magic wielders from every Kingdom in Dalerin spend a week competing in magical games. The Frost Elves impress with their ice magic. The Dwarves of Durne dominate with rock and metal manipulation. The Trolls of Bava never fail to dazzle the crowd with their vegetation and greenery affinities. The Tronovians are great showman with their fire magic and of course, us Talays, were the crowd favorite with our water magic."

"Midori never participated?" I asked, ashamed.

"They used to many, many years ago. My father, the King Consort, would tell me and my sisters epic tales of the air and sand benders of Midori." Eris sighed. "Once the war with Drogon ended and the portals were closed, the Midorians were frightened by magic and banned it in all forms. They thought by banning magic in their kingdom, they could keep themselves safe from another magical war. But all they did was alienate themselves from the rest of the world and persecute a group of magic wielders who couldn't help they were born with powers. Fear dictated the Midorian's actions, but maybe, we will see sand and air wielders again."

That thought brings me a sliver of hope. I know my parents were young during the Great War. I was born during the peak of the altercation, but I don't see my parents as being governed by fear. But then again, they knew I had magic and hid it.

Eris must sense my sadness and picks up where she left off. "I met the Harland brothers during the Tournament of Magic. Everyone wanted to see the King of Tronovia's nephews, since they already had reputations for being powerful magic wielders. We expected them to have fire magic, but they surprised us. To have one anomaly is rare. To have three, is impossible. But there they were, Tronovians without fire magic. Atlas and Nyx were crowd favorites, and believe me, they soaked up every bit of attention."

"And Finn?"

"Finn didn't compete. The brothers said he fell ill on their journey to Hydra and couldn't participate. There were other Tronovians with them that had fire magic and one took Finn's spot. Finn kept to himself, and during most of the festivities, he hid."

"So, that's when you met them."

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