AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A carriage awaited us in the gardens surrounding the castle entryway. Calling them gardens was generous. The only greenery that survived in these conditions were the multitudes of cacti. Just as prickly as my mother.
Two white horses, freshly bathed and brushed, were hitched to the wagon. Behind the first wagon was a second, large enough to fit all of my belongings. My father helped me into the covered cart and sat down next to me on the plush bench. A whoosh of air rushed by as the cushion deflated under his weight. Across from us, my mother straightened her skirt as she settled into the seat.
“You look beautiful, my dear,” my father said.
I pulled out a fan from the side pocket of the cart and waved it in front of my face dramatically. “That’s because the sweat hasn’t started yet.”
My mother scoffed, but my father let a grin slip before he quickly disguised it. I got my sense of humor from him.
After a few minutes of waving the fan, I got tired and turned to my magic. I concentrated and summoned a breeze through the carriage, sighing with relief.
I was an air wielder. Most mages possessed one of the four common elemental powers: water, fire, earth, and air. Then there were a few uncommon powers, such as healing, light, darkness, and a handful of others.
And even rarer were those with no capabilities who relied on experimental potions and blood magic—something that had been outlawed for decades, but traces of it were all around us. The water that came from our faucets in the middle of a desert. The threads in our clothing that never tore. It was said that blood magic had been banned because those without magic shouldn’t be able to create it, yet we used their spells on a daily basis without thinking twice.
It was incredibly hypocritical, but no one wanted to be the one to point it out, lest we lose access to our simple pleasures.
“Are you nervous?” my father asked, interrupting my train of thought.
“Why would I be nervous?”
My parents exchanged a look. “You haven’t been to Osavian in at least a decade, and it’s been longer than that since you’ve seen Cyrus. You were little more than a child when you first met.”
“And?”
“Well, I expected it might be a bit nerve-wracking to see him again, knowing that you will be wed to him by the end of the summer.”
I stared out the window and watched as we rode through the endless desert. Hills of sand stretched as far as the eye could see and today there was a slight breeze that caused swirls of sand to dance in the sky.
“I’m not nervous. It’s actually a bit exciting to leave Dreslen behind. I feel like my life is just beginning.”
My mother missed the bite in my tone. “That’s the spirit. This wedding will be beneficial for both of our kingdoms. Murvort has been silent for far too long. Mark my words—they’re planning something.”
“You say that every year, darling.”
“And every year I mean it. You can’t honestly believe that they aren’t a threat, can you?”
“I think if they come out of their mountains, we will deal with them as we have every other time. If they’re smart, they’ll stay hidden in their dark caves.”
Murvort was the kingdom in the northwest corner of the continent of Lourova. A mountain range separated them from Osavian in the northeast and Dreslen in the south. I’d never been there, so all I knew about the kingdom was what I’d been told. That it was dark, cold, and wet. The harsh terrain left them with little resources and many died before adulthood.
In many ways, it was the exact opposite of Dreslen. Our deserts also made survival hard, but we had our allies to the north—Osavian. Osavian was a fucking paradise by comparison. The wealthiest of the three kingdoms and our charitable neighbor. If it weren’t for them, the citizens of Dreslen would also be starving to death.
Which was why, when King Cyrus’s wife had passed away, my parents swooped in to further strengthen the alliance between our kingdoms.
Every once in a while, Murvort made moves to invade the southern countries and every single time they retreated when they were met by Osavian’s forces. They were little more than a nuisance. I wasn’t sure why my mother was so obsessed with them. She needed a hobby.
The carriage rocked back and forth roughly when we passed over a rut in the road and my mother clasped a hand to her mouth.
“These trips make me sick.”
“I know, Nadine. Try to relax. Did you take your tonic?” My father rubbed my mother’s leg in a soothing motion.
“Of course. I could never travel without it.” She sighed heavily. “Emilie, when you have the king’s ear, make sure he sends gold to fix our roads.”
I stifled a snicker. “I’ll add it to the list.”
That wasn’t hypothetical. I had a growing list of demands from my parents that got longer by the day. This alliance with Osavian felt very one-sided. They provided a lot of benefits, but the only thing Dreslen had to offer in return was me.
