A Blaze in the Dark (A New Dawn #1)

Chapter 30 - Alex (Part 2)

Alex brushed the tip of her shoe against her calf, her gaze set to the ground where a brave little ant was pushing a crumb into a tiny hole. The God of Wrath tempted her to smash the creature the same way she wanted to smash the magician's face. Breaking every single one of his bones wouldn't be enough. How dare that piece of scum treat Fox well; all he deserved was a rain of arrows shot through his disgusting head.

Her body didn't help either to come up with a good excuse to leave the fair without raising suspicion. She couldn't tell Lana that she wanted to speak to her father; they hardly ever talked one on one. Her stomach flipped up and down, and sent acid to her throat and further down to her lower abdomen. The pain of walking in high heels had spread across her entire back.

If only Nick had been here to come up with a convincing lie to get her out of there. Whatever the Muttonhead had done, she hoped the General would teach him a good lesson. Next time, he had to join them instead of always spending time with his patrol. She didn't care how nice those guys were. He was her friend too, and her heart ached not having him around.

"Alex, there's nothing exciting happening on the ground," Lana said mockingly. There was a tinge of concern in her voice.

"I wanna head back to the castle." She clenched her hands, fighting off another cramp. The monster would die at her hand, even if it were the last thing she ever did. Fox could not grow up under his wings. "I don't wanna stay here any longer."

"Are your shoes bothering you that much?"

"Yeah." She grimaced. It was the perfect excuse, and not a lie either. "They're a torture device. No doubt invented by Lady Victoria."

Lana walked up to her and hooked her arm into hers. She leant over. "Hush, Alex. In public, we whisper whenever we wanna gossip. I'm fine going back home. We've had pancakes. You found a present for Seb. I found one for Mama." She chuckled. "Let's spy from above if the Sundalers can make a decision on their own."

"Thank you."

"Peter, take us back," she ordered the small-boned, freckled Lieutenant.

He nodded and guided them through the crowd; each attempt to approach the Princess blocked by him or one of the other guards. Walking up the steps of the temple, it finally sunk in what Lana had said. "What did you buy your mother?"

"This." As they entered the building, Lana pulled up the lace sleeve of her dress, revealing a silver bracelet in the shape of a sleeping serpent, its head locked into the jaw of a bear's head. "Bought it from the silver merchant. Mama's gonna love it."

"Are you sure? It seems rather violent." Alex tilted her head. The statue of Chastity near the entrance too stared at the scenery with her nose stuck up in the air.

"Of course, it's the Summer Dragon and the Winter Bear. The Icians don't worship our Gods. Mama says they're simple people, so their religion isn't quite as complex as ours. All they wish is for the Summer Dragon to resurrect and chase the Winter Bear from their lands." Lana looked up at the ceiling. "It was hard for her to adapt to the real faith when she married Papa. She prays to all the Gods now."

"I keep forgetting that you're just as much a half-blood like me."

"Half-blood doesn't even cover it." She removed her mask and combed her fingers through her hair. "I'm half Greenlander, quarter Ician, and quarter Silvermarker."

Alex halted in front of Wrath's statue, his pounding fist floating inches above her head. "Silvermark? You've got to be kidding me!"

"No, my grandma Feline was born and raised in Moondale. She's Ariel's great-aunt too." Lana pulled at Alex's arm. "Don't be so shocked, Alex. All royal houses are related in one way or another. If you go back in history far enough, you'll even find Scorian and Jade-Islandic blood on Papa's side."