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“Ha-ha, you’re very funny,” he dryly replies. Several girls from the race walk past us down the hallway. So many of their faces are strangers, but there’s one familiar thing that we all have in common, and it shines darkly in their eyes. Trauma. Trauma from this race that none of us asked for. I’m not sure any of them want to be here, not even Arty, and if we could leave, we would. Arty’s still pretending to be happy, but I can see it in her eyes. I can see it in all their eyes. They’re as terrified as I am, and they don’t want this. What’s the point in winning this race if you see loads of people die and you’re too traumatised to be a queen? Unless you’re Hope and enjoy killing? She won’t make a good ruler either.
Maybe that’s what they want. Queens who are speechless, traumatised, and do nothing other than sit next to them on a throne and pop out pretty little royal babies. That’s not going to be me, but maybe that’s what they want. I look at the dragon kings… Do they even want this?
There is a staircase leading off the end of the hallway, which we go down. I have to hold the end of my dress up as the steps loop around in a circle before coming out to a massive ballroom. It’s a gorgeous room—even I can admit that—with tall ceilings and arched panels, and each of the walls is filled with a window panel. Each panel is a different kind of element in stained glass, and all the stained glass casts deep rainbows across the entire room, which has about fifty people in it. All of them turn when we walk in, and Arden gently grabs my arm to stop me before I carry on further down the steps, not noticing all the others have stopped.
“Bow for your kings of Ayiolyn.”
The voice echoes around the room from a courtier at the bottom of the steps. Everyone bows low. It’s a weird thing to see, and I don’t like it. I want to turn and run away. Arden’s arm wraps around my waist. “Don’t even think about running. They will see you as weak and try to use or kill you. Stand straight at my side, princess, and let me show you how to be queen.”
“I don’t want to be your queen,” I whisper back, lifting my head to look at him. His red eyes meet mine, and this close up, I can see black specs within them. His eyes are like lava pouring down a mountain, hot, terrifying but beautiful.
“They don’t need to be aware of that.”
I know he has a point, but a deep part of me can’t accept his help. I don’t trust him. I go to pull away when I find Lysander looking at me and looking damn pleased. I know how this must look. Like I’m doing exactly what Lysander wants. My head spins and my heart pounds. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I let Arden guide me down the steps, and after making a brief appearance, Lysander quickly leaves with Hope. I’m pretty sure I know what they’re doing.
Two people come right up to us, their mouths moving, but I don’t hear them. I can’t hear anything over the pounding in my ears. I mumble a quick apology before slipping away from Arden. I pass Livia and Grayson, who is like a shadow in this room, but his eyes find mine through it all. For a moment, the world settles, and then it’s gone. I can’t breathe. I run through the crowd, looking for a way out. I need to get out. I can’t do this.
I slip into the shadows of the room behind the staircase, pressing my hands against the stone wall. I gasp. “I’d love a way out of here. Please.”
I have no interest in mingling with this crowd, and I suddenly see Arden looking for me. “Please. Get me out of here right now.”
Suddenly, a door appears behind me, and I quickly grab the metal handle, turning it and slipping inside. I blow out a breath as I look around the small hallway, so thankful there is no one here. I slip down to the ground, covering my face with my hands. “Thank you so much.”
In response, the room gets warmer and a door creaks open. I look down the corridor, seeing another open door waiting for me. I don’t know how long I sit on the stone, calming myself down and focusing on clearing my thoughts. I think of my grandmother, of seeing her again. I think of anything other than where I am right now. When my legs feel like they can work, I climb to my feet and head out of the door, which leads outside. A small pathway wraps around the side of the castle, overlooking the mountains, with a long white railing and one white metal bench. I’m not alone. Sitting on the bench is Emrys, and he’s not alone.
“It’s happened once more. Twelve dead and ten missing this time. I think—”
Thanks, castle. I was trying to escape the dragons, not find them. An older woman sits next to him, her hand on his arm. They’re clearly related. They have the same white-blondish hair, and her eyes are the exact same shade of green as Emrys. They both turn to look at me, stopping their conversation.
The woman rises to her feet. “Who is this, then?”
Emrys rises too. “This is one of the contestants. Her name is Ellelin. Ellelin, this is my mother, Queen Dorothy of the Air Court.”
Dorothy waves me over. “Please come and sit with us. The castle clearly wanted you to find us, and it is a smart beast.”
“I would say another word. I wanted to be alone,” I reply, crossing my arms. I’m not sitting with them.
Dorothy doesn’t push and instead walks over to me. Emrys goes to lean on the rail, watching us. Watching me. “I remember well your position, as I was once in the same. I’m so sorry this has happened to you.”
I frown but lower my arms. “You are?”
“Of course. You didn’t ask for this race, and you will need to fight hard to survive like I did and wear the scars forever. I lost friends in my race, and I barely survived myself, but I met the love of my life. Emrys’s father. We had hundreds of years together, and I don’t regret a day of them,” she tells me.
She is sweet. “Why are you both not at the party?”
“Ah, you’re quite forward, demanding to know why the king is not at his own party. Emrys never liked parties, even as a child. The boys all refused to go to them, and it was a handful dragging them all along with me,” she answers. So, they grew up together?
Emrys keeps his eyes on me. “My dear mother always seems to find me when I try to escape the castles. Her friend, the castle, always seems to help. It clearly likes you too, because it let you escape.”
“Well, I saw Arden coming over and decided to run. The castle was lovely enough to help.”
“I’m pretty sure a lot of girls do that,” Emrys laughs. They both laugh and I find myself smiling.
Queen Dorothy places her hand on my arm. She searches my face for a moment. “You look familiar. Maybe I knew one of your ancestors. I am going to go back to the party to make up an excuse for my son’s absence. It was lovely to meet you, and I wish you luck in the race. If you need to find me again, just ask the castle. It will always bring you to your friends.”
She bows her head, and I find myself copying her. I’ve never bowed to anyone before. She goes over and kisses her son’s cheek, whispering something I cannot hear before leaving through a door that just appears for her. The silence left in her wake is awkward, and I walk over to the rails, leaning against them. The snow-capped mountains tower around and above the castle—they’re gorgeous. I’ve seen the hills of the Lake District, but this is something else. I may be trapped here, but from what I can see, this world is beautiful.
I clear my throat, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. “So, where is this in the world? Whose court is it in?”
