Page 4 of A Kiss of Flame

‘She has other… duties to prepare for. You are needed here. I will teach you how to navigate the court. Given time you will learn how to rule.’ Ylena was unbending as iron.

‘Elodie is the queen,’ Wren argued again, undaunted.

‘And she decided to abandon her kingdom, and must answer to that choice. You are her heir.’ Ylena leaned forward, skewering Wren with her glare. ‘This is not a discussion, child. The facts of the matter are as they are. She claimed you, publicly, and you channelled the Aurum. You woke it from slumber, if only for a moment. One day you will rule this kingdom. No one is going to risk losing another queen, so you will have to quell the headstrong ways she has taught you. You will do as Lynette, your new chief lady-in-waiting, says in all things. You will dress as she tells you to dress, learn our court and make alliances among the younger courtiers. You have the chance to rebuild what your mother squandered. You can start by taking some care of your appearance.’

That was a low blow.

‘My appearance?’ Wren asked, not even bothering to disguise her shock.

As if sensing the hurt, Ylena seemed to relent a little. ‘You could start with your hair, child. You are no longer a wild thing. Appearances matter here.’

Wren flinched and before she could stop herself she brought a hand up to her hair. Its dark length was loose, soft and ragged as shadows, and moved in the breeze. Or at least she hoped there was a breeze. Because her hair had a tendency to move with her magic, and with her anger. When it got too long, things quickly got out of control. And she was already angry.

But that was not the danger here. She had betrayed her insecurity and now Ylena had a knowing smile on her face. It had been some sort of test. And Wren had failed.

Ylena couldn’t know her secret but she was clearly an expert at finding a weak point and exploiting it. She wouldn’t be the political powerhouse she was in this city if that wasn’t the case. Wren tried to imagine what Elodie would say right now and failed.

‘Appearances,’ she murmured angrily and let her hands fall to her lap. Everything here, it seemed, was about appearances. All around her the air stirred fitfully, shadows lengthening. Wren stiffened as she felt the magic rising from the ground beneath them, unfurling in the darker corners of the garden. The air around them turned suddenly cold as if something had blotted out the sun or the wind had changed to the north. Even Ylena noticed that.

‘Maryn?’

Shadows subsided as quickly as they had stirred. Not shadow kin, nothing so terrible as that. But Wren knew that the darker shades of magic followed her. They had done all her life. And that was how it always started.

Sister Maryn slowly released a breath. ‘Shadows are moving,’ she murmured, and this time her eyes were distant, fixed on the far side of the garden. ‘But the wards hold firm. There is no need to fear.’ When Wren frowned in confusion, the maiden smiled so briefly, a movement at the edge of her lips. ‘The whole city has wards sunken into the fabric of the stones with which it was built. Ancient protections. The maidens restore them annually with the blessings of the Aurum. Shadow kin cannot form here, although they still try. They never learn. There is nothing to fear.’

Ylena gave a dismissive snort that was decidedly unprincesslike and glanced at Lynette. ‘Back to the matter in hand then. Lady Lynette?’

Lynette’s golden hair was perfect, of course. Pearls threaded through it, along with little silken flowers that matched her gown exactly. ‘Of course, Lady Ylena. I have a number of plans. The princess is a beautiful young woman. There are any number of dressmakers and?—’

She didn’t get any further. Ylena cut her off.

‘Do your best, Lynette. The families of the council are meeting this afternoon. See that she is presentable. They have children your age, Wren. Make some friends. Lynette will tell you who is worth knowing.’

Children indeed. Wren was a woman, not a child. And she didn’t need friends. She had Finn and that was enough for her. But clearly Ylena was not given to actually listening to anyone but herself. Too many years doing whatever she wanted. Wren was a potential new weapon in her arsenal.

Ylena rose to her feet and the others followed suit. Wren did not. She knew that was a snub and she frankly did not care. As they were so fond of pointing out, she was a princess now. Princesses could be rude. Clearly.

Wren had learned from Elodie. And perhaps she knew now where Elodie had learned herself. She wished Elodie would talk to her, help her stand up to this woman.

Or Finn. But right now she didn’t dare go looking for him. She could feel too many eyes on her.

She needed something, a choice that was hers alone…

CHAPTER 2

WREN

‘Princess!’ the maid gasped out loud, far louder than she was supposed to speak and in an appalled tone of voice that would probably get her beaten if anyone else heard.

They didn’t like loud or opinionated servants in Pelias. Or princesses, Wren thought ruefully.

There were a lot of things they didn’t like, as Wren was discovering.

‘What have you done to your hair?’

Wren looked up from her work, as the little silver knife she had lifted from the dining room sawed through the last thick black strands. The poor woman’s mouth sagged open as the hair turned to smoke and drifted away. Wren allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief and put the blade down at last. Her head felt blissfully light and the sense of freedom almost made her dizzy for a moment.

‘Did you need something?’ she asked in as calm a voice as she could muster. She didn’t even bother to suppress the smile. There was no point. She couldn’t hide her pleasure.