Page 39 of The Flame King's Queen

“Yes, I know, a stuffy ceremony. But I thought the tedium of seeing your sister crowned Queen of Maledin might be worth sitting through for the sake of the Dragon Games that are being held afterward.”

Instantly she perks up. “Dragon Games?”

“Yes, a whole week of competitions. Maybe two. All the dragonriders are competing.”

“Will the wingrunners compete as well?”

“I don’t think so, but you will see them in the skies.”

Ravenna has been walking quietly alongside us, but now she says, “The captain and his wingrunner Sovern gave us an impressive flying display the other day. They were as fast as lightning.”

Anise looks as though she’s about to combust with envy. “His wyvern is called Sovern? Is she the fastest? Did she absolutely amaze you?”

“She did,” Ravenna says with a smile. “She was the fastest creature I’ve ever seen.”

Anise looks anxiously around for a glimpse of the captain and his mount. “Is he here? Can he fly for me?”

“Come on, we’re going to see Biddy,” I remind my dawdling sister.

“But—”

“We will introduce you to Sovern before we leave Amriste.”

That exciting prospect has Anise skipping to follow us. We pass through Biddy’s squeaky front gate, and I knock on the door. There’s a shuffling sound inside, and then my crone opens it. It seems we’ve caught her in a bad mood as she sniffs in irritation when she sees who it is.

“Three girls on my doorstep, come to bother me. What do you want? Silly love philters and your fortunes told? I’ll take your coin and tell you nonsense, if that’s what you want.”

Biddy seems to think it never does anyone good to make them feel too welcome, but I know by now that we are.

“What about an anti-love philter, Mistress Hawthorne?” Ravenna asks as she settles herself on a stool.

“No such thing, my girl, any more than there is a potion that can conjure love out of thin air. Top that teapot up, Isavelle. There’s more hot water over the fire.”

I pass out cups of tea as everyone settles into chairs. There’s a sparkle of satisfaction in Biddy’s eyes as her gaze travels from Ravenna to Anise to me, and I can tell what she’s thinking because I’m thinking it myself. All of us together with nothing more pressing to do on a sunny afternoon than drink tea and gossip.

“Well, have you learned anything useful since I saw you last?” Biddy asks my sister.

“But we only saw each other last evening when I was coming back from the river,” Anise says.

“Someone of your age may have learned three new things since breakfast. Try harder.” She turns to Ravenna. “And you, girl?”

I listen with interest, hoping I’m about to learn what kind of spells Ravenna used to escape her Alpha.

Ravenna shakes her head. “I’ve had little chance to learn anything useful in such a long time.”

“Don’t be so sure. A witch needs more than just spell-learning. She needs experience, otherwise, we’d all be as foolish as wizards. And you, girl?” she says to me.

I consider this, turning her words over in my head. I haven’t cast a single spell since I saw my crone, but I have discovered other things. “I have learned new dragonriding feats, how to treat an itchy patch of skin on a wyvern’s wing, and how frustrating it is to sit out of a battle.”

Biddy sets a saucer of water in front of me. “Show me if you can still see.”

I hesitate as I stare at the black water. “Can…can a powerful interplanar mage tell when a spell like this is being used to spy on him?”

“I should think so. No doubt he will stare right back at you.”

I have no desire to see Emmeric staring back at me, looking so unsettlingly like my own mate. Maledin has been peaceful ever since Zabriel attacked his southern stronghold. Better to let sleeping fledglings lie than try to discover where he is and draw his wrath.

Gazing into the black water, I picture my mate, and send my consciousness out to find him. I feel him respond warmly to me. I blink to clear my mind and say with a smile, “Zabriel sends his greetings.”

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