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Without slowing her stride,Kallie strolled into the queen’s study.
Terin sat in a leather chair near the doors, a scraggly white dog with black polka dots lay at his feet. Across from him, Dani and Fynn shared the plush white couch. Fynn's arm rested over the back behind Dani. The three of them paused their conversation as their gazes followed Kallie. But Kallie strode past them, heading straight to the center of the room where Esmeray and Graeson stood whispering near a large oak desk. On the desk, a delicate gold crown adorned with amethyst crystals lay atop a velvet cushion.
Graeson faced Kallie as she stopped next to him without more than an exasperated sigh. His puzzled face seemed to question why she had interrupted them in such an uncouth manner, but Kallie ignored him. She was not here for him.
"I believe we are long past due for that chat, don't you think, Esmeray?" Kallie's demanding tone silenced the room, but she didn't care if the woman held a title higher than her own. Her so-called brothers had refused to tell her anything besides the bare minimum and just enough to sedate her desire to run. So here she stood, ignorant and pissed off, her patience running thin.
The queen shared a look with Graeson. "I see what you mean about her inheriting my brazenness."
Graeson snorted as he leaned his hip against the desk.
Fire rose within her, and Kallie gave the queen a tight smile. "Hard to learn anything from someone who has been in hiding for the past twenty years, wouldn't you agree?"
The queen rubbed her hand across her forehead. "I have not been in hiding, but I am also not going to argue with you on the matter. Sit, and I'll show you the truth."
Kallie didn’t move. Her feet soldered to the ground. "Show me how?"
The queen's eyes darted around the room, a sense of annoyance displayed across her face. "None of you told her?"
Fynn shrugged, unbothered. "Haven't you always said, 'seeing is believing,' Mother?"
The queen sighed exasperatedly. With her hand rubbing her temple, she returned her attention to Kallie. "Well, I'm sure. . ." she paused and gave a tight, tired smile. Her hand fell from her face. "Hopefully, your brothers at least told you that our family has a particular set of gifts?"
Kallie shook her head.
"Some families have a distinct set of gifts, whether that be in a craft, the ability for espionage, et cetera. Our family's gifts tend to lean on the mental side. It is one of the reasons our family has stayed in power for so long. I have the ability to show people the past—mine or the past of the person I am communicating with."
Kallie's brows rose, her curiosity increasing. Fynn had told her that their mother's gift was interesting, and now she understood why, though she was having a hard time fully grasping the concept.
Esmeray held her hand out and Kallie looked at it questioningly. "Physical contact strengthens the connection."
Although hesitant, Kallie's curiosity was stronger than her desire to put distance between herself and the woman who stood before her, so she relented. Her coarse hand fell atop the queen's smooth palm.
"The first time might be uncomfortable. Are you sure you do not wish to sit down?"
"I'm sure." Kallie didn’t want to delay this any further.
The queen nodded and closed her eyes. Kallie stared at her, waiting for something to happen, wondering how her gift would work. When nothing happened, she opened her mouth to ask, but then the floor beneath her disappeared and Kallie's stomach fell.
The world around her collapsed as she fell through time and space. A rush of noises hit her ears, the sound deafening. Too much sound, too many voices and faces blurred past her.
She tried to cover her ears to quiet the noise but her arms felt heavy.
When her vision returned after a moment, Kallie stood in a dark room. The air was thick and the smell of smoke coated her nose. Kallie scanned her surroundings as she adjusted to the dark, but it felt off, murky.
She tried to move her body, but she couldn't. She didn't know where her body was, she felt like she was floating . . . as though she no longer had a body to occupy.
But that couldn't be right. She could see, she could smell, she could feel the heat starting to consume her.
But she couldn't breathe. She couldn't move.
She was losing control.
Her head began to ache. Her blood began to rise within her and the heat from the smoke became unbreathable, pressing against her body.
Then she realized she was inside someone else's body. The body she inhabited jerked upright. Graceful arms with long delicate fingers extended forward. And Kallie knew that the body belonged toher.
This was the queen's gift at work. A memory from her past come to life.
