Page 62 of Queen of Fire

Pouring myself a glass of water, I sipped at it as I walked around the room, stretching my legs and feeling the blood flow return to my feet. Pins and needles stung all the way along my calf, and I winced as I tried to shake them off.

“This has to be some kind of torture,” I sighed, catching Gracie’s eye, “They cannot expect someone to sit for that long.”

“Apparently they can,” She smiled lightly, picking up a cake and taking a bite of it as she let herself drop onto one of the plush, leather sofas. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I haven’t moved in four hours,” I groaned, rolling my shoulders, and wincing as the bones cracked unhappily, “What time is it?”

“Around midday.” Gracie looked at me with an almost apologetic look on her face, “You still have roughly six hours to go.”

I cursed out loud, making Gracie shriek out a surprised laugh, and helped myself to the biggest chocolate covered cake on the plate.

Gracie let out a sigh, resting her head back against the cushioned sofa back. Even from this room, we could hear the distant thrum of voices from the castle corridors. There were thousands of people still queuing outside, and the thought of having to give my best version of myself to every one of them made my bones feel weary as I wandered around the room, my eyes wandering over all of the little trinkets that covered every possible surface.

Sharpened daggers held in glass stands, a globe covered with golden continents, and an old clock with spinning towers instead of hands were only a few of the things that were placed on top of the mantelpiece. There was a rug bigger than any I had ever seen on the floor underneath our feet, and the curtains that covered the windows were pulled back with black, twisted ropes.

The contrast between the dark curtains and the light walls was stark. It made the room feel almost eerie.

A tapping sound from the window farthest away in the room made me pause, my eyebrows furrowing as I turned my attention towards it. Gracie’s head shot up from where she was sat, and before I had a chance to say anything, she had leaped up from the sofa and crossed the room at speed.

My eyes went wide when she pulled open the window and an owl hopped through the open frame. Gracie had a smile on her face that would rival the sun, and I watched as she let the owl hop onto her arm with ease, her other hand coming up to scratch the top of its head.

I had not seen a single owl in Fire. They were everywhere at home, but the weather here seemed to be too warm for them to settle for long. The dark brown feathers of the bird resting on Gracie’s arm were far too thick for the heat here, and as I moved closer to the pair of them, I spotted the Earth royal flag wrapped around it’s left leg.

My attention was split, however, between the flag, and the stark white letter tied to the other leg.

“Gracie…” I started, keeping my voice low as I took another step closer. The owl’s eyes snapped to me, bright yellow in colour and wider than any I had ever seen. Its feathers started to puff around its neck, and Gracie hushed it, patting them down softly.

“This is Ajax.” Gracie said matter-of-factually, looking from the owl to me, “He is part of Earth’s royal owlery.”

“I can see that,” I nodded, staring at my best friend, “but what is he doing here?”

Gracie’s smile faded from her face, and her already dark complexion darkened more in a blush. She lifted her arm slightly, using her free hand to untie the letter from his leg. The bright white paper was tied with a piece of twine and folded a good few times to make it fit around Ajax’s leg.

Moving so that Ajax could jump from her arm onto the open window ledge, Gracie kept her eyes cast downwards. Dread started to fill my stomach as my mindwhirled with what she could have possibly been doing, who she could have possibly been sending letters to.

Unrolling the letter, Gracie smoothed it out on the table nearest to us, her smile returning to her face as she looked over whatever was written on the parchment in front of her.

“What is it?” I asked, my tone slightly snappier than I had intended. I could not focus on one thing for more than a few seconds, my eyes flicking from the letter to Gracie, to the now content bird sitting on the open window, his eyes closed as his feathers ruffled in the light breeze.

“Callum and I have been sending letters back and forth since we got here,” Gracie said, finally looking up at me through her eyelashes. Relief washed over me, and I let my shoulders sag as I held onto the back of a chair for support.

I had thought I was going to have to kill my best friend for treason.

“I hope you’re not mad. I haven’t told him anything about why we’re here,” Gracie chewed her bottom lip as she turned her attention back to the letter in her hands, “I just miss him.”

“I know you do,” I sighed, nodding. “What has he said? Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone is fine.” She nodded, her eyes moving as she scanned the words in front of her, “Hollis and Aepein gothome fine.”

I could have collapsed as the relief surged through me again.

“How is Emily? Does he say?”

“Not in this one,” Gracie shook her head, “But in his last letter he said she was doing fine. The kingdom is coping well with her leadership, but there has been talk of rebellion. It hasn’t come to anything, obviously, but they are not happy with you.”

My heart broke in my chest, even though I was fully expecting it. I wished I could have told them all that what I was doing was for them, for the good of our home, but knowing that they were alright was going to have to be enough.

I nodded my head, turning my back on Gracie to cross the room again, picking up another chocolate covered cake to steady my nerves.

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