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“This is unbelievable,” Adora snapped. “Why was there a final trial if it wasn’t a trial at all? Had the king already made up his mind? We all know his attention has been focused on Reyna since the beginning. How farcical!” She sniffed, then smoothed one hand over fine blonde hair. “How could you accept this?” she asked me.
“Accept this? Adora, you know this isn’t—I never—” I glanced toward Lady Glennis, who was watching us both with mild interest. “You know this isn’t how I wanted this to happen. We both know you would be a fine queen.”
Her expression softened as she heard the unspoken part of my statement. That this isn’t what I wanted. That she deserved it, not me. If I could, I’d switch places with her immediately, regardless of whatever feelings I felt for the king. Anger and desire and—and something else, something I wasn’t sure what to call.
“I know I would,” Adora said. “That’s the worst part.” She cleared her throat, then nodded at the table and Lady Glennis. “Thank you, milady.” She hurried from the room before any of us could respond, and the door to the solarium clattered shut behind her.
“Well,” Lady Glennis said primly, “she took that well. Such is to be expected in a competition such as this. Lady Reyna, it’s imperative that we begin planning for the wedding next week. It will be an event for the citizens of Efra as well, and there will be quite the schedule of events, as is the tradition with Nightfall. We’ll cover the basics first.”
“Lady Glennis,” Fina cut in, “I’d love to participate in the planning, should you be willing to continue your courteous hosting. Perhaps some wolves of Duskmoon can come aid as well?”
Lady Glennis smiled and patted Fina’s hand. “What a lovely offer. Of course Nightfall would appreciate your help. Do stay.”
I nodded in agreement. Already my head was beginning to pound with stress and sleep deprivation and miserable anticipation of a wedding. How could I have forgotten about the wedding?
“Let’s begin,” Lady Glennis said.
“If I may, milady,” Fina said, “with the additional help of myself and my pack, I see no harm in delaying the planning until tomorrow. With the events of last night, I believe we could all use a little more sleep…?” She smiled hopefully.
I met Fina’s eyes as gratitude surged through me. I needed more sleep, certainly, but more than that I needed to be alone. There was something more pressing than the upcoming wedding—Griffin’s upcoming challenge. I had to figure out what to do.
Lady Glennis sighed with mild irritation but nodded in agreement. “I do need both of you in top form to begin the planning,” she said. “Get some rest today, and we’ll begin tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, milady,” I said, but I was looking at Fina. She smiled gently at me.
With a curt nod, Lady Glennis excused herself, leaving out the side door of the solarium. Fina and I stepped into the hall, and she quickly tugged me into a brief, hard hug. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Pardon me for saying, but you look awful. Was the date with the king that bad?”
“No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not that, it’s—it’s the challenge.”
Fina’s eyes flashed with recognition. “You don’t mean to say…”
“Yes,” I said. “It was Griffin who issued it. He tried to ‘rescue’ me.”
Fina hid her shocked expression behind her hand. “He thought he could stand against the King of Frasia? No offense, but is he a fool?”
“That was my reaction as well,” I said with a sigh.
“You must be able to discuss with the king,” Fina said. “He chose you, after all. He’ll listen.”
I couldn’t tell her that I’d already tried, and that it was a lost cause. There was nothing I could say to convince the king to call off the challenge. “I’m going to try,” I said to Fina. “I just need some time.”
She nodded. “Send for me if you need anything.”
I wrapped her in another hard hug. “Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
“Thank me after the wedding,” she said, muffled into my shoulder.
I made my way to the only place I could think to go—the library. Thankfully, the halls were quiet and the doors unguarded. I pushed the heavy door open slowly and peeked inside. The room was empty. Did any of the Nightfall pack even use this space? The only one I’d seen use it was the king himself.
I swallowed, looking up at the wraparound balcony. The last time I’d been up there, it hadn’t ended well.
I closed the door behind me, leaned against the wood, and breathed deep. The familiar smell of paper and ink soothed my nerves. It was quiet in here. I was finally alone. And if there was anything I was good at, it was research. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but there had to be something. Something would give me an idea. If I couldn’t stop the wedding, I could at least stop the challenge.
I climbed the stairs to the balcony and made my way to the map archives.
Briefly I paused, standing by the great wooden tables and the tall shelves, staring at the place where I’d driven my knife into Rona’s flank. The memory of her jaws snapping down on me surged in my memory with startling clarity. And alongside it—the memory of Rona in her human form, watching me from across the table in the solarium, in her plain gowns with that sharp, determined glare.
She’d wanted this just as badly as Adora had.
