Page 129 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

Since I’ve spent my life trapped inside a forest of thorns, I have no idea what the rest of the world is like.

But now, I’m finally about to find out.

I grin at the open horizon as we soar through the air. I’m going to see it all, learn it all, do it all. Goddess above, I’m going to finally start living.

To my surprise, my excitement doesn’t dim in the slightest even after hours of flying. Because there is always something new to see. A new city or a new mountain range or a new lake. Sights I have never seen before. And the view from up here is unparalleled.

Eventually, the three dragons who are carrying us pull together in a tighter formation.

That’s when I see it.

A great ice castle on the slopes of a mountain, and a sprawling city beneath it.

Air escapes my lungs in a whoosh as I stare at the sheer size of that city. My gaze drifts to the magnificent castle.

The Ice Palace. Home of Empress Jessina and Emperor Bane and the center of power in the Iceheart Dynasty.

I have heard about the splendor of it, but nothing could have prepared me for the real magnificence of it. An imposing wall made of white ice circles it. And beyond, a massive palace with gleaming domes and twisting spires reaches for the heavens. All of it glitters like diamonds in the afternoon sunlight.

My stomach lurches again as the dragons soar over the defensive walls and swoop down towards a wide courtyard at the front of the palace. I stumble as I’m dropped the final few feet to the ground. After so long in the air, it takes my legs a moment to adjust.

Drawing in a deep breath, I push my windswept hair out of my face and then straighten. Next to me, Isera and Alistair do the same. The three dragons who carried us here climb back into the sky again.

I blink at the scene before me.

Two massive doors made of ice tower over us. They’re open, and through them, I can see a grand entrance hall. But in front of it all stands a tall man in white formal wear with silver decorations.

“Follow me,” he says by way of greeting.

Without even waiting to see if we comply, he spins on his heel and starts towards the open front doors. I scramble to follow him on legs that still feel a little unsteady. Isera and Alistair stumble the first few steps too as we all hurry to catch up with the man.

“You are to wash up and change into the clothes provided for you,” he announces while still continuing to walk ahead of us.

“Okay,” Alistair replies.

A new wave of worry sweeps through me as I step across the threshold and into the grand entry hall beyond. Because somewhere in here is Draven. And there is still time for him to take revenge. My heart patters against my ribs as I swallow and glance around the glittering hallway, half expecting to find the Shadow of Death lurking there.

“When does the winner’s ceremony begin?” I ask as the man leads us down the hall and towards another door.

He finally turns his head and looks back at us. And I swear I can see a small smile ghost across his lips as he answers with three words that make my heart flutter.

“In one hour.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Light fills the entire throne room. It glitters against the ice walls like starlight and casts sparkling reflections on the people in the room. To my utter shock, I realize that the light is coming from faelights. They might despise our people, but apparently, they see no problem with using our inventions for their own benefit.

Craning my neck, I gaze up at the dome above. Faelights have been set into the entire ceiling, making them shine like permanent stars. The irony isn’t lost on me that their palace is filled with our faelights while our palace is filled with their torches.

“Stop five paces from the dais,” our guide instructs in a soft voice as he leads us through the throne room. “The man bows and the ladies curtsy.”

A jolt shoots through me. Curtsy? I don’t know how to curtsy. I’ve only ever knelt or bowed in front of the dragon shifters before.

I flick a glance at my companions. Isera has her customary blank expression on her face, so it’s impossible to tell if she’s nervous. But it wouldn’t surprise me if she actually knows howto curtsy properly. Alistair, on the other hand, looks like he just wants to get this over with.

My gaze drifts down to our clothes. All three of us are wearing formal clothes in different shades of silver. It’s a very effective reminder that the Icehearts own us until they say otherwise.

The clothes were laid out in a dressing room that I was escorted into. I had planned to use the hour before the start of the ceremony to sneak around in the palace. After all, it’s the perfect opportunity to gather some intelligence for our resistance. But as soon as I stepped into the room, it was flooded with attendants who were there to help me bathe and dress and to do my hair. Getting all of it ready took the entire hour. But after this ceremony is finally done, I will have all the time in the world to do whatever I want.

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