Page 18 of Flameborne: Fury
I was confused. “What things?”
She gave a pretty little snort.“Others.”
A moment later the music swelled, then slowed and thank God, the dance came to an end. I bowed to her and she curtseyed to me. But when we straightened, as I offered my hand, she stepped into my arm and laid her hand on my chest, murmuring, “Donavyn—”
I stiffened. “Don’t,” I said gruffly, taking her hand and stepping back to bow over it again. As I pretended to brush a noble kiss to her knuckles, I stared a warning up at her and she met my gaze with frustration in her eyes.
“Your Majesty,” I said tightly as I straightened again. “Thank you for your grace and generosity in dancing with me. It has been a delight.”
Her lips thinned. “I think we both know the delight is all mine,” she drawled.
7. Niggles & Nerves
~ BREN ~
With flying leathers laid out on my dresser and a bag in the corner next to the door, I winced into the pocked mirror I found in a tack room and moved into my little room and tugged a comb through my wet hair, then braided it quickly.
Nerves flickered in my stomach, but I stuffed them down.
The stables were eerily quiet—there was a royal event tonight. All the officers had gone to it, and many of the Academy servants had been assigned duties in the Palace for the week because so many nobles and powerful allies were visiting.
My brothers had all gone straight to bed after dinner because they had a midnight shift on patrol. I was looking forward to the day when I could rely on work as a distraction to keep my mind off uncomfortable topics.
I caught sight of my hair in the mirror, and was inexplicably reminded of the moment Donavyn had traced a tendril away from my face and—
Grimacing, I turned away. But then my eyes fell on the bag near the door, and my nerves pinched again.
Akhane’s low groan sounded in the stable in response. I senther a soothing thought and tried again to stifle my nerves, but it wasn’t working.
I had ahunch.
Or maybe it wasn’t a hunch, but aknowing.
I shivered as I crawled into bed, remembering that day after my second trial and that cursed kiss…
Except for Ronen and Voski, my brothers were a little worse for the wear. We’d had dinner together after they returned from shift. They all slumped in their chairs, or leaned their temples on their knuckles, eyes puffy and faces a touch pale. The others glared at Voski because, Gil explained, Voski didn’t suffer hangovers.
Ronen was bright, but tired. He claimed he hadn’t had much to drink the night before because he’d had an early meeting that morning and knew he’d need to be clear headed.
They all ate like horses—which made me think of Jhoare and that made me giggle.
But soon the tired conversation of my brothers turned to my ranking and the third Trial.
To a man, they claimed the third trial was both the hardest, and the most enjoyable.
“You’ll be sent on a mission,” Ronen said around a mouthful of food. “Alone. No one else will know what you’re doing, or why—and you can’t tell anyone. It’s expected that you treat the orders as you would any others in war. You drop everything and go.”
“Go where?”
“Wherever you’ve been told. It’s that simple.”
I frowned. “What if I have questions?”
Ronen shrugged. “Make your best judgment, adapt as you go. It’s an opportunity to show how you think and what you can handle without assistance.”
“Keep a bag packed at all times,” Gil said, pointing at me with his knife. “And I mean,alltimes. Refresh rations every day. Including waterskins.”
“Waterskins and rations—the mission is overnight?”
