through it. It passed through
the bars of the cell and Iain collapsed. Netalia struggled to
her feet, trying to see him.
“Hold your hand out,” Matilda instructed me. I did so,
somewhat apprehensively. “This might tingle a bit.”
White fire tentatively wrapped around one of my
fingers. I gasped as it did so; it felt like a million pins and
needles. Apparently I passed whatever test it had been
conducting, as the fire shot up my arm. I felt like I’d been
plunged into cold water; my vision sharpened as I took a
sharp intake of breath. The fire disappeared right over my
heart. I could feel it in my veins, swirling, unsettled. I felt
powerful.
I felt alive.
“How did you do that?” Netalia was demanding.
I ignored her, curling my fingers into a fist. White
flames tinged with the green of my old magic lit on my
knuckles.
“We’ll be calling on you as we need information,”
Matilda told Netalia. “Until then, you can get used to your
cells.”
I led the way up the stairs, brimming with energy. I
rolled my shoulders back, trying to relieve some of the
tension.
“What now?” I asked Matilda.
“We report back to Jett,” she said. “And then we leave
for Castor.”
“Why the capital?” It was something I’d been
wondering for a while.
Matilda looked at me like I’d gone a little bit crazy.
“Because that’s where the palace is,” she explained.
“And that’s where your rule will be presiding from.”
I halted in my tracks.
“Um, no, no palaces please,” I said. Flames still gleamed
on my fingers; I couldn’t make them go away. “I’m having
a hard enough time adjusting to this whole ‘Queen’
business. I don’t need to be sitting in a big stone castle to
do it.”
Matilda almost smiled and gestured around us.
“A big stone castle such as your Academy?” she asked, a
hint of Petre’s dry humour in her tone.
I waved it away.
“You know what I mean. Besides, I haven’t told my
friends-”
“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that
anymore,” Matilda said, and when I lifted my head to look
at her, she wasn’t looking at me.
I bit my lip as I noticed my friends waiting for us at the
top of the stairs. The flames on my fingers extinguished.
“And how long did you think you could keep this a
secret?” Dena asked, folding her arms. It was the sternest
I’d ever seen her.
“I wasn’t ready to tell you,” I admitted. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m going to leave you with this,” Matilda said, and
then scooped up Sky from Petre’s grasp. “Have fun.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell us?” Rain asked. “We’re your
friends. We want to be here for you.”
I lifted my shoulders and let them fall in a helpless
shrug.
“Sky, we just want-”
“Because it’s weird!” I shouted suddenly, cutting
Yasmin off, unable to keep it in. “Because I’m not a
Queen, or a monarch, or anyone really. I’m just Sky. I’m
twenty years old. I’m not ready to start living out of home
let alone rule a freakin’ country . I want to start classes
again. I want to be worrying about last week’s homework.
I want to be... average.”
“As average as you can be in a magical word,” Dena
finished for me. She smiled, the ice melting from her eyes.
She held her arms out to me and I hugged her closely,
trying not to let her feel me shaking.
“So what now?” I mumbled into her shoulder.
“Now we head to the capital,” she said. “And we help
you become the best Queen you can be.”
I clutched her tighter for just a second. When I let her
go, my eyes were dry, and my fingers were steady.
“Well, I’ve got something new to play with,” I told my
group, and lifted my hand, the white fire alight on my
palm. “Want to go try it out?”
They did. We headed out of the double doors and
towards the forest behind the Academy, where Raven and
I had caught the rogue scout when they attacked us. We
were almost to the tree line when I heard a small shriek.
“Sammy!”
the bars of the cell and Iain collapsed. Netalia struggled to
her feet, trying to see him.
“Hold your hand out,” Matilda instructed me. I did so,
somewhat apprehensively. “This might tingle a bit.”
White fire tentatively wrapped around one of my
fingers. I gasped as it did so; it felt like a million pins and
needles. Apparently I passed whatever test it had been
conducting, as the fire shot up my arm. I felt like I’d been
plunged into cold water; my vision sharpened as I took a
sharp intake of breath. The fire disappeared right over my
heart. I could feel it in my veins, swirling, unsettled. I felt
powerful.
I felt alive.
“How did you do that?” Netalia was demanding.
I ignored her, curling my fingers into a fist. White
flames tinged with the green of my old magic lit on my
knuckles.
“We’ll be calling on you as we need information,”
Matilda told Netalia. “Until then, you can get used to your
cells.”
I led the way up the stairs, brimming with energy. I
rolled my shoulders back, trying to relieve some of the
tension.
“What now?” I asked Matilda.
“We report back to Jett,” she said. “And then we leave
for Castor.”
“Why the capital?” It was something I’d been
wondering for a while.
Matilda looked at me like I’d gone a little bit crazy.
“Because that’s where the palace is,” she explained.
“And that’s where your rule will be presiding from.”
I halted in my tracks.
“Um, no, no palaces please,” I said. Flames still gleamed
on my fingers; I couldn’t make them go away. “I’m having
a hard enough time adjusting to this whole ‘Queen’
business. I don’t need to be sitting in a big stone castle to
do it.”
Matilda almost smiled and gestured around us.
“A big stone castle such as your Academy?” she asked, a
hint of Petre’s dry humour in her tone.
I waved it away.
“You know what I mean. Besides, I haven’t told my
friends-”
“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that
anymore,” Matilda said, and when I lifted my head to look
at her, she wasn’t looking at me.
I bit my lip as I noticed my friends waiting for us at the
top of the stairs. The flames on my fingers extinguished.
“And how long did you think you could keep this a
secret?” Dena asked, folding her arms. It was the sternest
I’d ever seen her.
“I wasn’t ready to tell you,” I admitted. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m going to leave you with this,” Matilda said, and
then scooped up Sky from Petre’s grasp. “Have fun.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell us?” Rain asked. “We’re your
friends. We want to be here for you.”
I lifted my shoulders and let them fall in a helpless
shrug.
“Sky, we just want-”
“Because it’s weird!” I shouted suddenly, cutting
Yasmin off, unable to keep it in. “Because I’m not a
Queen, or a monarch, or anyone really. I’m just Sky. I’m
twenty years old. I’m not ready to start living out of home
let alone rule a freakin’ country . I want to start classes
again. I want to be worrying about last week’s homework.
I want to be... average.”
“As average as you can be in a magical word,” Dena
finished for me. She smiled, the ice melting from her eyes.
She held her arms out to me and I hugged her closely,
trying not to let her feel me shaking.
“So what now?” I mumbled into her shoulder.
“Now we head to the capital,” she said. “And we help
you become the best Queen you can be.”
I clutched her tighter for just a second. When I let her
go, my eyes were dry, and my fingers were steady.
“Well, I’ve got something new to play with,” I told my
group, and lifted my hand, the white fire alight on my
palm. “Want to go try it out?”
They did. We headed out of the double doors and
towards the forest behind the Academy, where Raven and
I had caught the rogue scout when they attacked us. We
were almost to the tree line when I heard a small shriek.
“Sammy!”
Similar Books
