"I still wonder about it," I said.
His brow furrowed, eyes searching my expression. "Wonder about what?"
"Whether you're the villain in my story."
~~~~~~~
Mara Monroe is at the center of a war she wanted no part in.
But with her new throne she fac...
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The entirety of the Winter Solstice celebrations were scheduled to last the whole week with one final ball on the actual solstice.
The events consisted of tournaments showcasing the Winter knights, singers, and feasts with what felt like every individual in the Winter kingdom. If I let myself, I could almost forget that at the end of the week Freya and I would embark on our mission to find the mirror. And, later, to find my sister.
However, after I informed the king that Regin would be entering the court with 'mortal companions' I was almost incapable of thinking about anything else. He must have some sort of update, otherwise he wouldn't dare bring mortals to Elphame. My father gave me consistent warnings about his home land and the kind of havoc it could wreak on a mortal mind. Or, you know, the wild creatures that could tear apart both fey and mortals.
Home sweet home.
Fortunately, I'd never run into those creatures. Not until today, at least.
I finished my lessons with Bayard and Maddox, but found that my thoughts could not stay in line with their teachings. Instead they trailed off to Regin and his arrival with his guests. Cenred and the damage that he and his sons could do with the cauldron. Or my thoughts would travel a little closer to the Winter court. To another one of Cenred's sons. When my thoughts strayed there, I had to do something about it.
So instead of sitting around useless and waiting, I decided to follow the path that Andras led me down to Cailleach, their holy place. I wasn't an overtly spiritual person, but at this point, I could use all the help I could get.
The route wasn't too complicated and I remembered the path we'd taken the first time, but it seemed to be darker when I walked alone. The further I walked, the more I wished that I'd asked Maddox or Torin to come with me. But I shook those thoughts from my head. Did I really deserve to be queen if I needed someone to hold my hand when I walked through the woods?
A loud, screeching howl rang through the trees.
Okay, I wouldn't say no to holding a hand at that particular moment. My neck snapped in the direction of the sound, my fingertips flaring by my side. Odd.
The gold flames were back, dripping like tear drops from my nails. Usually, I'd noticed, the trigger was anger. Or Cedric. These days it was tough to tell the difference when they seemed to go hand in hand.
This time, however, it was the cold, dark feeling in my stomach that triggered it. Fear.
I squeezed my fist, trying to make the flames disappear, but the harder I squeezed the more my head pounded. The same splintering headache that started each one of my episodes. Great, what a perfect time to pass out in the middle of the woods with a suspiciously loud howl sounding off somewhere in the distance. Really perfect timing.
I released my hand and the pain subsided, but the flames hadn't dampened any. I stared.
They really weren't flames, that was the wrong way to describe them. The flickering gold reminded me of a video from high school biology of neurons firing along different pathways. Certain areas were filled with a darker gold that shot forward from each finger.
