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“But you have them all the same.”
We were both quiet for a bit after that. I knew no matter how many times I crossed the seas in trying to fix the mistakes of my father, I would likely not find a stronger ruler than the one sitting next to me. All that she had to endure these last years.
Go dance with Amory,the queen demanded.She deserves to have some fun and the after party will likely be more painful than fun for her.
“You deserve to have some fun as well.”
She said nothing.
“How do you know I’m not a horrible dancer. What if you are signing Amory up for an embarrassment?”
She made a choking noise.Please.
“Not all pretty things can dance,” I jested, glad we found our way back to a lighter topic.
No, but you can.
I smiled slowly. “How are you sure?”
I can tell by the way you move.
I moved to stand and bow slightly. “Well Wylan’s dancing is far stiffer, so let’s see if you’re right.”
I’m rarely wrong.
Grinning, I headed off to the dance floor.
CHAPTER15
We were walking out far enough the castle lights could still be seen but were specks in the distance. And though Dra Skor typically ran warmer than Wylan, tonight there was a chill in the air. I didn’t know if Dra Skor got seasons as extreme as Wylan did, but it felt like the first breath of fall.
I was walking with Amory, John, and Emric. Emric was highly excited to also be invited to this after party.
The three of us were going to keep together though. If anyone wanted to end our time here, it would be too easy to just swoop down and grab us. I didn’t spend much time being fearful of the shifters because I knew I could defend myself with my magic. Still, we were all on guard while at the same time looking forward to what the night would bring.
A roar was heard, and beneath the moonlight we saw the land tigers pouring over a hillside. They had evidently decided to arrive together.
Amory let out a sigh.
Malachi gave her a nudge, as if trying to cheer her up and I wondered what he said to her. Motivational speeches seemed to be his forte.
As we rounded a small hill, I saw various sizes of wood—logs, branches, and sticks—all leaning together in what I assumed would soon be set ablaze. From what Krew and Jorah described, this appeared like the Harvest festival in Nerede, a large fire to gather around.
Every few moments, another winged shifter would land. And as I watched all the shifters around me, some winged, some not, a variety of sizes and species of people trapped in their shifted forms for years, I also understood they were all welcomed here. There were no fights breaking out, and far less tension than the castle held. They all had a place here, they all belonged.
Malachi let out a low whinny as two horses approached.
And just when I thought we might get trampled and the queen might have been right after all, the winged shifters all took to the skies. The land shifters swarmed Kian and started circling him, while another circle wrapped around Savanna. And then much to my surprise, Malachi swooped down and shoved me forward as another circle started around me.
I looked to Kian and Savanna to know what to do.
Emric and John stood back watching, Emric grinning as he watched me be circled by a few horses, a very large cat, one wolf, and Amory and Otis as well.
I found the queen above us, circling lower and lower. And just when I thought it would never end and this was the extent of the afterparty, the queen dropped lower yet.
Kian let out a roar filled with rage. Savanna joined in, hers sounding more joyful. And then everyone else present, animal or human, let out a yell also.
Not wanting to be left out, I joined in along with Amory, lifting my voice to match theirs, though I could not even hear my own voice over the sound of the creatures. Anyone left in the castle had to have heard it. And with a final roar of her own, the queen blew fire out of her mouth and lit the pyre.
