Flames (Book 3)

Chapter 30: Viviana

It seemed as if my entire life had become consumed by the Festival of Lumys. Preparations had begun well before the first day of the Festival itself, and the entire palace had become a flurry of excitement. You couldn't walk more than a few yards down any of Icicle Hall's hallways without encountering a noblewoman with two armfuls of Festival dresses or a servant struggling to balance a platter of rare Kilaenaian delicacies. 

Eager to escape the noisy commotion, I spent most of my time in the garden, with Kelly at my side. She still, unfortunately, hadn't learned to fly, but had started to grow at an alarming rate. When I first received her as a gift from my mother, she had barely come up my waist while standing up. Now, as she walked at my side on all fours, the scaly arch of her back was parallel to my shoulders. I was sure that, if I tried, I could even ride her. However, since she was flightless, that wouldn't be of much use. 

Stopping by the side of a lone Linaberry plant, she mewled excitedly, stretching her long, slender neck downward and biting off a section of the bush. She had nearly been eating her weight every day in plants, squirrels, and small birds. The Queen had told me that the reason for her excessive feeding was the fact that she could not hunt large animals here like the Nyvae typically did in the Syke Mountains. Due to this, she had encouraged me to take Kelly to the vast hunting grounds that occupied the land behind Icicle Hall. After all, she had told me, a young Nyvus cannot grow to its full, impressive stature without lots and lots of meat. 

The hunting grounds were, thankfully, completely empty, as all of the noblemen and their sons were in their mansions, busy preparing for the grand festival. As I emerged on the other side of the palace, I found that Kelly and I were the only living creatures for what felt like miles around. 

She instantly ran off, bellowing triumphantly as her powerful legs ripped through the dirt. My mother had been right: Nyvae needed large, open spaces to truly be happy. I felt a little guilty as I thought about how cooped up the poor animal must have been in my room.

Spotting a deer in her peripheral vision, Kelly instantly fell silent and dropped to her haunches. She waited, her eyes locked on her target, as the deer ran out of a coppice of trees. I found myself mesmerized by her perfect concentration as she watched the deer frolic in the clearing. 

Then, as it turned away from her, looking up at the sky, Kelly rose with a great roar, sinking her teeth into the animal's back. 

It was down, with a single blow. 

Kelly immediately returned to her usual, calm state as she dropped to the ground, silently devouring her meal. As I approached her, she tore away a chunk of the deer's raw, bloody flesh with her claw and held it out to me, as if making an offering. 

"I appreciate it, but no thanks," I laughed, sitting down and resting my head against Kelly's warm, firm belly. 

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" 

I looked up, seeing Mel standing in front of me. Strangely, he wasn't accompanied by Fawn, Ylessa, and Trellina. That was quite strange, considering the fact that the four of them almost always traveled in a group. 

And, of course, the fact that Fawn was madly in love with him, and wouldn't let him out of her sight for more than a second. 

"Watching my Nyvus hunt," I gestured to Kelly. 

"Is that a real Mountain Nyvus?" Mel gasped. 

"Yeah," I nodded. "My mom gave her to me when I first got here." 

"She's beautiful," Mel smiled. "What's her name?" 

"Her real name's Camia, but I call her Kelly. Apparently, giving her a special name helps her identify me as her owner." 

"I see," Mel nodded. "Hey, Camia," he touched Kelly's back. She instantly whipped around, snarling at him and baring her now-bloody teeth.

"Okay, geez!" he stepped back, alarmed. 

"That was weird," I frowned. "She's normally so gentle. Anyway, what are you doing out here right now? Doesn't your clan basically run the Festival of Lumys? You should be pretty busy." 

"Actually, I came here to tell you something that I overheard." Mel looked down at the ground, his cheeks turning a bright crimson. "I wasn't sure if I should, since it's quite embarrassing. But, since I know, you have the right to know, too." 

"What is it? I won't judge," I said truthfully. 

"My dad and your mom..." he paused, gritting his teeth. "Gosh, this is going to be weird." 

"It's okay," I urged him on, now very curious as to what he had to say. "It's not like it's your fault or anything."

"They've arranged our marriage and set the date three years from now," he said quickly, turning away. 

I stared at him, incredulously. 

"I knew this was going to be awkward," he muttered. 

"Is that...you know...normal? I mean, I know royals have arranged marriages and all that, but...three years in advance?" 

"I've never seen it done, but clearly it can be. Our parents are best friends. Something like this was bound to happen eventually. Only, no offense, but-" 

"I know, you're dating Fawn. You really care about her, and you guys are perfect for each other. You barely know me. I completely understand. Actually, that's really convenient for me, because I'm...sort of taken, too." 

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Mel let out a sigh of relief. "We have three years to talk our parents out of this." 

"Yeah," I nodded. "Have a nice day, and happy early Festival of Lumys!" 

"You, too!" Mel waved cheerily, turning around and beginning to walk back toward the palace. 

I looked down at the ground, and then back out at the line where the tops of the trees met the sky. 

Why was my mother thinking about something as distant as my wedding, when she had much more immediate things to worry about? 

And then, of course, there was the question of Tara, and how easily she was to be married to a rat, in the presence of Thorel. The Icehearts seemed to be acting very overconfident lately, and it worried me. 

We thought they were taking our bait...but were we the ones walking into a perfectly laid trap?