Thorns of Frost (Fae of Snow & Ice, #2)(69)

As before, the days began to bleed together. I trained. I visited fields. I concentrated on honing my magic at every lesson, and when necessary, I attended the stupid Trial dates and dinners.

Anytime I felt tired or dismayed, I would remember my parents’ smiles and Tormesh’s laugh. Everything became a tornado of swirling goals and needs. There was so much to do, but I wouldn’t fail. I would win this Trial.

And somehow, even though I secretly joined the prince in his bed each night, I managed to resist the need pulsing through my blood to seal our bond. As much as I relished his naked body beside mine, I knew I couldn’t allow that final act just yet. It would be dangerous if we became fully bonded, and the king learned of it. We needed to keep it a secret, and I needed to keep my head clear. A fully sealed mate bond wouldn’t allow me to do that.

So I kept my focus on the tasks at hand, and before I knew it, the last few weeks of my training passed, and the morning of my first test was upon me.





CHAPTER 23





It was hard to believe three months had passed since Vorl’s attack, the birth of my three affinities, and my forced admittance to the Rising Queen Trial, but here I was. The day of my first test—the test that would ultimately choose the next queen of the Solis continent—had arrived.

Sweat lined my palms as I stood just outside of the castle’s main entrance. Above, the wintery sky was visible through the warded dome. I stared at it, using the dome’s sparkling beauty to ground me.

Meegana coughed beside me, making me jump. She covered her mouth sheepishly, then smiled apologetically in my direction. Beside her, Beatrice stood stoically, the epitome of glacial coolness. And Georgyanna . . .

I sighed. I didn’t even want to look in her direction. The Kroravee native had been preening like an overinflated hen since we’d arrived at our first test. Her cockiness and confident swagger as she’d strolled out of the castle, along with her haughty demeanor, were as foreign to me as planet Titun in our realm’s solar system.

I had no doubt her bravado was entirely genuine. Or maybe, that was her tactic. Maybe she faked that smugness so the rest of us would sweat.

Of course, if that was her grand plan, it was working . . . I wiped my damp palms again on my slacks.

A subtle kick from Matron Olsander, standing just behind me, had me quieting my nervous movements.

“You shall be fine, Ilara. Quit your fidgeting and keep those shoulders back.” Matron Olsander slapped my backside.

I glared over my shoulder at her, rubbing my rump through my leggings. All of us wore training clothes for our first test.

“Was that necessary?” I hissed.

She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “It stopped your jostling, didn’t it?”

I swung back around, but my trainer’s warmth pressed into my back when she leaned closer and whispered, “You’re strong enough to be the next queen, Ilara. Don’t forget that.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Matron Olsander wasn’t one to give compliments lightly. I gave her a small grateful smile. She dipped her head, then looked pointedly toward the gathering crowd.

Subtle murmurings and conversations drifted in the air, drawing my attention back to the spacious courtyard. The huge expanse of grounds that stood bare between the castle’s front gates and the distant perimeter wall were lined with hundreds of Solisarium citizens. Both nobles and commoners filled the crowd. It didn’t seem as though the royals had discriminated today. All were welcome to watch the first test that would ultimately determine their next queen.

But I didn’t study any of them too closely. Rising on a dais at the center of the crowd sat the queen and both princes. Queen Lissandra looked as she always did. Calm, poised, and regal. Her sons sat beside her while the king’s throne lay empty, seeing as he wasn’t here yet.

I’d felt Norivun watching me ever since he’d arrived to his throne. During the brief moment we’d made eye contact, he’d seemed to catch himself, as if it was too obvious that I’d captured his attention. In response, he’d sat back and relaxed his shoulders. Following that, he’d fallen into easy conversation with Nuwin. He was the portrait of a noble male used to having females compete for his hand.

Surrounding him and Nuwin were other males of the court—those who might be chosen to marry the three lowest-ranking females in our group. The dozen males wore eager, intrigued, or bored expressions. The one from Prinavee Territory even appeared drunk.

I balled my hands, then loosened them and wiped my palms on my pants again. Sir Featherton had promised that the remaining three males would be identified by the final test, but why the king hadn’t declared them yet, I didn’t know.

As if sensing me studying them, Michas Crimsonale shot his gaze to mine. His face remained expressionless, but then his lips quirked up in a mocking gesture before he nodded his head subtly. I wasn’t sure if he was doing that to wish me luck, or if he was giving me a bow of farewell since he thought I would surely lose the first test.

Flustered even more, I began to tap my foot.

“Ilara!” Matron Olsander swatted me again. “Stand still. They’re about to explain the test.”

As if on cue, the door behind us opened with a flourish, and the Trial’s archon sauntered out of the castle and dipped around us before dashing down the steps to make a show of his arrival.