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“Fine, but I’m not happy about it.”
“I didn’t think you would be,” he said, giving me a pointed look.
I averted my gaze to the stone floor of my room as he stood there not saying anything. I was worried that I would be kicked out of the tournament or killed for my display of magic earlier. Could I trust him to warn me if I were in danger?
“It’s just dinner, Thea. Whatever you're worried about, I can assure you it is not on the agenda.”
How could he read me so easily? Maybe I wasn’t as closed off as I thought. It was kind of nice not to always feel trapped in my mind with no one seeing my struggles.
“Will you be at dinner?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then I will see you shortly,” I said, dismissing him. He gave me a slight smirk and nod before leaving my room. A weird feeling washed over me every time he left. A part of me I didn’t understand wanted to tell him I was a liar because his presence brought me comfort, but I didn’t understand the feeling.
Sybil would adore the beauty of this palace I thought as the colorful sunset illuminated the room. My mind pushed away the thought of Sybil. Our odd encounter still weighed heavy on me, but I couldn't process what it meant.
I prepared a scalding hot shower to wash away the blood and dirt from today's trial, and Leer’s words echoed through my mind. He didn’t realize who I was. There was no way for me to ask him what he meant now that he was gone. I’ll add his odd behavior to the list of things I didn’t understand.
After struggling for minutes trying to tame my wild curls, I opted to keep them down. I wasn’t good at dressing up or making myself presentable because there had never been an occasion to in Exile. The emerald dress matched my eyes almost perfectly. Surprisingly, the dress fit me well, like it was made for me. The silk was soft against my scar-riddled skin. I didn’t know where most of these scars had come from. It was one of the reasons I always dressed to cover my skin. Everyone liked asking questions and I didn’t have answers.
My fingers inspected the long scar over my heart. It was almost red in color and stood out amongst the others. Maybe that’s why this dinner was so worrisome.
What would I say if they asked about my past? Could I say I don’t remember? Or was that suspicious? I drew in a deep breath to calm my wild heartbeat. Why did going to this silly dinner feel more difficult than the trials themselves? Probably because I wanted to murder the host of the dinner. I would have to sit and listen to him talk and probably about himself. The thought made me want to skip it entirely, but I knew that wasn’t an option.
“Might as well get this nightmare over with.” I slipped on the heels Cassius had snuck in here and assessed myself in the mirror. My dark curls suited the neckline of the dress and helped hide my elite magic mark behind my ear. The dress did fit my form, but I felt exposed and uncomfortable. Everyone in attendance would be able to see every curve and muscle. Every scar.
I felt anything but confident in my appearance, but I exited the room anyway and headed down the darkened hallway. The guys laughing and yelling in the dining hall as I passed made me wish I could be there instead.
The sunset illuminated the hallway with stunning oranges and yellows reflected through the stained glass of the windows. It was magical with the dark red flowers growing on vines across the stone walls. I had expected weapons and armor suits to be the choice of decoration, but I was absolutely wrong. It was comforting to see such beauty in the nightmare of a castle. I stopped when I could hear the other guests talking. I glanced into the large great room and saw everyone was already there.
This room was far grander than any other part of the castle I had seen. The table was made of beautiful wood that would easily seat all the guests in attendance tonight. The room was bright with gold and silver adorning every surface. Crystals hung from a grand chandelier over the table. The walls were draped in dark red velvet. It was beautiful.
“Ah, there is our guest of honor.” The King smiled and bowed his head to me.
It seemed like an odd gesture for him to do, but I ignored it. “Sorry, I’m late,” I apologized, curtsying respectfully.
“A woman is never late. Everyone else is simply early. My wife taught me that soon after our courting began.”
His dark eyes seemed friendly as I walked with him toward the only open seat at the table. Cassius stood and pulled my chair out before pushing it in for me. Golden plates and silverware sat in perfect position in front of me.
“Thank you.” My eyes met Cassius as he took his seat next to me.
He gave me a short nod as if he didn’t want to acknowledge me at all. Haden was across from me with Nev at his side. I didn’t know the names of the others except Tagon who was seated at the far end. The King sat with his wife next to him. She was dressed far fancier than I was, and I realized Cassius was right. I would have felt like a troll had I shown up in my combat outfit. I would have to thank Cassius later for the dress.
My eyes shifted to the younger-looking royals sitting with us. Two boys who were much younger than me sat close to their mother. Their looks mirrored hers with red hair and bright blue eyes. They didn't resemble the King with his dark eyes and hair. The last child was a girl. She stared at me with a big smile on her pretty face. It caught me off guard to see her staring so openly at me.
Her hair was a light brown with dark eyes matched the King's eyes. She was likely a few years younger than me, but it was hard to tell. A confused smile spread over my face, which only made her smile bigger.
Next to her was a man older than the King, openly glaring at me. He wore a fancy outfit, but he didn’t seem like he fit in with the royal family. The blue of his eyes was unforgiving as they pierced into me like I was disgusting. Like I shouldn’t be sitting here. He must have noticed his staring before he ran his long fingers through his white hair and turned away from me.
“Shall we eat?” the king asked. The servants bound through the wooden door loudly making me jump as they placed plates in front of each of us. The food smelled so heavenly. The trial had exhausted me even despite having slept through most of it. Once the servants departed, we all started eating. I cut off a small section of the huge steak and nearly groaned at the flavor of it. This may be the best meal of my life.
“Good?” Cassius whispered.
“Amazing,” I confirmed. He chuckled softly.
“So, Thea, you held out on us,” Haden spoke, not fully masking his irritation with a fake smile as he cut his own steak. “You said you had healing magic, not fire magic.”
