Fire's Mage (Book One) Kyoko of Fire Country

Chapter Twenty-One

Adrianne felt like her entire world had been shattered underneath her feet. Almost like that vase she had broken when she was six years old, glass shattering into a thousand little pieces around her feet.

Everything Mama and Papa had told her, had promised her as she went to sleep. All of the stories she had been told as she giggled in Papa's lap.

Everything that made her life, her future, was escaping between her fingers like sand. And she didn't know what she was going to do about it, Mama would know what to do. Mama always knew what to do.

Since she was seven, Mama had told her that she would be the next Lady Neci, that all she had to do was join the Academy and pass the final test. That she would help her husband run the Clan, while her sister was in charge of their Guild. That hadn't happened, Elodie had joined another Guild, one she would never be in charge of.

Sheikh was looking at her like she was a dead bug underneath his shoes. Like she wasn't worth a thing in his eyes, his gaze was hard, almost as if he hated her entire being.

Adrianne knew she would be the perfect lover, wife and mother, Mama had told her Sheikh would love her. That she was the one who'd heal his broken heart. All she needed to do was act and dress like the perfect lady. The perfect Matron.

Something she kept in mind while choosing her uniform, simple but classy. Even Mama couldn't say it wasn't the height of fashion, something that Elodie had helped her with before she had been brainwashed against her family.

Stanley was still sleeping, both she and Sheikh were on watch as that whore hadn't returned yet. Neither of them had talked for the last forty minutes.

It was all that whore's fault! She was poisoning her prince's mind against her. Brainwashing her prince, like those Mages had brained washed her sister.

"So you like Kyoko?" Adrianne asked keeping an eye on Winston, who was going through his bag, sitting in front of his tent, far away enough that he could see that they were talking, but wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying.

"She's ten," Sheikh pointed out. His voice was even colder then it was before. Adrianne rarely had anyone speak to her like that before, because if they did, Mama would tell her to ignore them and they never went near her again. But she couldn't ignore her prince if she was to marry him! No good wife ignored her husband when he spoke.

"And you're sixteen," Adrianne pointed out, she would be turning seventeen in the next dry session. She was a year older than her prince, and who wanted to marry a female older than them anyway? Mama had told her that a year didn't mean anything. "That's only six years."

Sheikh glared at her, before turning his attention back to the book in his lap, his sword in hand reach at all times. She hadn't seen it before, but sneaking a sneak peek at the cover, it looked to be a history book about Ice Country.

"She's a Mage. And I'm a Warrior, why would you choose her over me?" Adrianne asked him when he hadn't said anything to her last words.

"Little sister was right. You are a special kind of stupid," he told her, moving a rock with his foot.

"She's poisoned you against me!"

"No. A Banshee isn't allowed near my children." Sheikh eyes softened, smiling as he looked at the ground. "Rosemary would leave you dead, my little sister doesn't like you."

"Rosemary?"

"Rosemary Neci." He hadn't looked up at her, still smiling softly as he stared at his book. Adrianne just looked at him; stunned. He had never looked at her like that, he looked at her with hard eyes and a thin mouth. "You're a horrid influence, maybe why Winston didn't want you at his daughters' party."