Page 6 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

“Guild?”

He could technically look that up on his own since the dragon shifters are the ones who assigned everyone to their guilds, but I answer anyway. “Fishing Guild. I’m a fish cutter.”

With his eyes still on the paper, he wrinkles his nose as if he can smell the stench of it. I have to suppress a sudden flash of anger. It’s not my fault that I’m still working a low-level job in the guild. Just like everyone else in this city, the other people in the Fishing Guild don’t trust me, so they never move me up to better jobs.

“Magic type?” the shifter asks.

“Emotion magic.”

At that, he looks up from his paper for the first time since starting the interview. Suspicion pulses across his whole face as he looks at me. I just remain standing there, keeping my chin raised.

“Emotion magic?” he asks at last.

I nod. “Yes.”

Almost subconsciously, he moves a little farther back in his chair while he looks at me with suspicion in his eyes. They always do. Whenever people find out that I possess emotion magic, they always look at me like that. As if I’m going to use my magic on them and start manipulating their emotions without them knowing. As if I’m going to make them do things that they don’t want to do.

Don’t get me wrong, I can do that. Well, part of that anyway. It’s a bit more complicated than people think. But what I can’t do is hide it. As soon as I mention my magic, it’s as if everyone forgets that no fae who was born with magic can use it without people seeing it. Because our eyes glow when we channel magic. So if someone is looking me in the eye, they will know whether I’m using my magic to manipulate their emotions or not. But because emotion magic immediately makes people nervous, they seem to forget that.

The dragon shifter behind the desk seems to finally remember that my eyes will glow if I use magic, because instead of looking down at his paper again, he now keeps his eyes locked on mine while he continues the interview.

A dull ache buries deep into my heart. Even though I haven’t done anything to earn their mistrust, no one ever feels truly comfortable around me because of my magic type. It’s why I can’t move up in the guild and why I can’t move up in the resistance either.

But this… this is going to change all that.

“Alright,” the administrator says as he takes the finished paper and slams it down on top of another pile. “That’s it. You’re registered for this century’s Atonement Trials. They will begin sometime in the next two to four weeks. Be ready at any time.” He jerks his chin. “Now, get the hell out of my office.”

I swallow down an angry remark at his rudeness and instead just give him a nod in acknowledgement before I turn around and walk back out the door.

Cold winds rip at my clothes as I step back out onto the cobblestone street, but there is a fiery sense of anticipation burning in my chest now. I grin as I flip my collar up and start down the street.

The Atonement Trials. Every one hundred and fifty years, the Emperor and Empress of the Iceheart Dynasty hold a tournament in the Seelie Court. The Atonement Trials is supposed to be the one scrap of mercy that they will bestow upon us. It’s a series of competitions that pits fae magic users against each other to prove who is the strongest and most worthy. The three people who win the tournament are deemed to have atoned for the sins of their ancestors, and they are awarded with a highly sought-after prize. They are allowed to leave the Seelie Court and are given funds to set up a new life in the world outside.

Last time the Atonement Trials were held, I was too young to compete. I was only seventeen back then, which means that I had barely started practicing with my magic. The other contestants would have mopped the floor with me.

But now, I’m much stronger. Now, I have a chance to win.

This is how I prove my worth to the leaders of the resistance. If I win, I will get to leave the city and have access to the rest of the world. I can find out what happened to the Unseelie Court. I can be a spy. A real asset. I can help the rebellion more than anyone in this entire city.

All I need to do is to win the Atonement Trials.

CHAPTER THREE

Nausea rolls through my stomach as I stand in front of a plain wooden door on the north side of the city. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to convince myself that I’m a badass resistance fighter and a skilled magic user who will help free our people, every time I stand in front of this door, I’m reminded of who I really am. Of what I really am.

I might act all tough in the face of dragon shifter patrols, but as soon as I’m with other fae, with my own people, my bravado crumbles and I revert back into this. And I hate it. But I don’t know how to stop it.

Drawing in a bracing breath, I raise my hand to knock on the door.

After about half a minute, the door is opened and a fae man with blond hair becomes visible on the other side of the threshold. His turquoise and silver eyes are soft and friendly for all of two seconds. Then they fix on my face, and disappointment briefly flickers in them instead before he manages to hide it.

He presses his mouth into a thin line.

“Hi, Dad,” I say.

“Selena,” he replies, but he doesn’t move from his place in the doorway.

“Can I come in?” I ask when he still doesn’t step aside.

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