felt anything like this before. Was this one of the quakes that Olivia described earlier? Cadmus was staring to the northeast. The king and queen were doing the same. In fact, all of Central Square stood, hushed and staring at something in the distance. Lucy followed their gaze past the castle and through the darkness, saw a red speck glowing on the horizon among the Dour Mountains.
“Cadmus, what is—” she began, but he raised a hand to stop her and cocked his head, listening. Lucy saw the king and queen exchange a wide-eyed look of fear. She watched Cadmus, desperate for answers. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the arm rests of her chair. He turned to face her, his mouth agape and his expression grave.
“I don’t want to scare you, Lucy, but if I’m not mistaken, I believe that was Praxis’ legendary, long-dormant volcano.”
CHAPTER 10
The evacuation of Central Square was rapid and chaotic. Screams pierced the air. Children wailed and men shouted, herding their families home.
“No one alive today has ever seen, heard, or felt volcanic activity before. Nor have our parents, or grandparents, or great-grandparents,” Cadmus explained to Lucy and her brothers on their hurried carriage ride back to the castle. “This is the stuff of legend—ancient secrets of Praxis that we all grew up hearing about!” Lucy couldn’t seem to stop chills from running down her spine.
“You’ll be safe at the castle,” King Muttongale assured them. “It’s on high ground, after all…” He gave a nervous chuckle, wringing his hands.
A strange, unexpected calmness come over Lucy as they approached the castle. It was as if she were removed from reality, somehow hovering above it all, a detached observer watching events unfold. The map hadn’t stopped glowing with warmth since the rumbling began.
The quake had only lasted about a minute, and since then everything had remained calm. But all of Praxis was now holed away in a panic, hiding and fearing the worst.
Back at Tropos Castle, Lucy and her brothers huddled in the Hearth Room with the king and queen, Milo, Cadmus, Olivia, her brother Pip, and their parents Helda and Quinn. The rest of the servants and cooks were running about making preparations for the worst. Puck, as usual, remained in his room on the second floor with his attendants.
“I locked up the mares,” Quinn reported. “They are all safe, with plenty of hay and drinking water. The stable hands are still out there—they refused to leave the horses alone.”
“Very good, Quinn. You have done well.” King Muttongale nodded. “Milo, collect reports as they arrive from the rest of the staff and let us know how preparations are coming along. But for now, stay here with us. We could use your good cheer.”
“Yes, sir.” Milo bowed.
Lucy hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. A thick red blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. They sat in a semi-circle around the hearth, where warm flames licked the edges of the massive brick fireplace. It was cozy and reminded her of home, which made her heart hurt. She thought of her father and her long-gone mother. Despite having just two or three vague memories of her, thinking of her mother brought Lucy great pain. Many times she had imagined what life would be like if their mother were still around: they would lie on the couch together and drink hot cocoa, her mother’s arm wrapped around her like a blanket of warmth and love…
For a moment, everyone was silent as Lucy lost herself gazing into the flames, thinking about home and her parents. Unbidden, suddenly the fire reminded her of the great blazing image of herself in Central Square. It had been snuffed out hours ago, signaling the official conclusion of the Ceremony of Light. Of course, the actual end of the ceremony had been forced when the volcano rumbled.
Queen Oleksandra’s face was creased in contemplation. “More and more ancient warning signs are being realized. It’s just
“Cadmus, what is—” she began, but he raised a hand to stop her and cocked his head, listening. Lucy saw the king and queen exchange a wide-eyed look of fear. She watched Cadmus, desperate for answers. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the arm rests of her chair. He turned to face her, his mouth agape and his expression grave.
“I don’t want to scare you, Lucy, but if I’m not mistaken, I believe that was Praxis’ legendary, long-dormant volcano.”
CHAPTER 10
The evacuation of Central Square was rapid and chaotic. Screams pierced the air. Children wailed and men shouted, herding their families home.
“No one alive today has ever seen, heard, or felt volcanic activity before. Nor have our parents, or grandparents, or great-grandparents,” Cadmus explained to Lucy and her brothers on their hurried carriage ride back to the castle. “This is the stuff of legend—ancient secrets of Praxis that we all grew up hearing about!” Lucy couldn’t seem to stop chills from running down her spine.
“You’ll be safe at the castle,” King Muttongale assured them. “It’s on high ground, after all…” He gave a nervous chuckle, wringing his hands.
A strange, unexpected calmness come over Lucy as they approached the castle. It was as if she were removed from reality, somehow hovering above it all, a detached observer watching events unfold. The map hadn’t stopped glowing with warmth since the rumbling began.
The quake had only lasted about a minute, and since then everything had remained calm. But all of Praxis was now holed away in a panic, hiding and fearing the worst.
Back at Tropos Castle, Lucy and her brothers huddled in the Hearth Room with the king and queen, Milo, Cadmus, Olivia, her brother Pip, and their parents Helda and Quinn. The rest of the servants and cooks were running about making preparations for the worst. Puck, as usual, remained in his room on the second floor with his attendants.
“I locked up the mares,” Quinn reported. “They are all safe, with plenty of hay and drinking water. The stable hands are still out there—they refused to leave the horses alone.”
“Very good, Quinn. You have done well.” King Muttongale nodded. “Milo, collect reports as they arrive from the rest of the staff and let us know how preparations are coming along. But for now, stay here with us. We could use your good cheer.”
“Yes, sir.” Milo bowed.
Lucy hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. A thick red blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. They sat in a semi-circle around the hearth, where warm flames licked the edges of the massive brick fireplace. It was cozy and reminded her of home, which made her heart hurt. She thought of her father and her long-gone mother. Despite having just two or three vague memories of her, thinking of her mother brought Lucy great pain. Many times she had imagined what life would be like if their mother were still around: they would lie on the couch together and drink hot cocoa, her mother’s arm wrapped around her like a blanket of warmth and love…
For a moment, everyone was silent as Lucy lost herself gazing into the flames, thinking about home and her parents. Unbidden, suddenly the fire reminded her of the great blazing image of herself in Central Square. It had been snuffed out hours ago, signaling the official conclusion of the Ceremony of Light. Of course, the actual end of the ceremony had been forced when the volcano rumbled.
Queen Oleksandra’s face was creased in contemplation. “More and more ancient warning signs are being realized. It’s just
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