Roar (Stormheart #1)(30)
The last place Nova wanted to be was between two angry royals, both of whom knew enough to turn her over to the authorities. But she stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind her anyway.
“Wait outside,” Aurora told Cassius. “We can talk after I change.” Her tone was curt and cold, and Nova kept her eyes fixed on the ground as the prince grudgingly went out into the hallway. When the door was closed, Aurora stomped into her bedroom, and Nova followed.
“I’m so sorry,” Nova whispered. “I had no idea he was here, or I would have warned you.”
Aurora pinched the bridge of her nose and stayed standing that way for several long moments, her eyes shut tight. Then all at once, she jumped into action. She dragged the brown cloak up and over her head, followed by her nightgown. Nova rushed to help her change into a blue linen dress. It was plain by royal standards, but Aurora had never been the type to care about fashion, and she was beautiful enough for it not to matter.
“Tell me you won’t go back there,” Nova whispered as she fastened a final hook at the back of Rora’s neck.
Aurora hesitated. “I can’t do that.” She spun to Nova and waited expectantly. “Tell me what you know.”
Nova pressed her lips together. She’d come this far. There was little harm in telling her more. She sighed and whispered, “The people who go there? They’re either desperate or…”
“Or what?”
“Or they’re not bothered by the prospect of being arrested and tried for treason.”
Aurora’s brow furrowed. “Treason? For buying little baubles and jars of magic that might not even be real?”
“It’s real, though far more is bought and sold on the black market than just storm magic. One bauble is more than enough to ruin your life if you’re caught by the wrong person. I was shocked the prince would visit such a place. His family is rumored to be ruthless with lawbreakers in Locke. At least here, the worst people face is banishment.”
Perhaps she’d been trying to scare the princess just a little, enough for her to grasp the gravity of the situation. But Aurora shook her head. “No. That can’t be. These must be exaggerations to scare people off.”
Nova tangled her fingers, curling and uncurling them in agitation. “The only reason you can’t believe it is because you live in a different reality from the rest of us.” Aurora started to protest, but Nova continued: “You are a Stormling. You never knew of the market’s existence because you do not need it. When the storms hit, you have a spacious shelter. You know that the palace where you live will be protected at all costs. You needn’t fear the cold or heat or hunger. You don’t have to worry about the finite number of jobs in the kingdom or take lower and lower pay to keep from losing your position to someone willing to do the work for less, only to then worry you won’t have enough to pay the taxes required to remain a citizen. The rest of us are always keenly aware that we could not survive outside these city walls, and must do everything to maintain our livelihoods within them. So treason might seem absurd to you, but for the rest of us, it’s a fact of life.”
The princess stood still and silent, and Nova feared she had gone too far, been too blunt. Aurora began to shake her head slowly, and her muttered words were soft. “You are right. I thought I understood what it was like to be ungifted, but I realize now it’s about more than lacking magic.”
Nova shifted uncomfortably. It was true … the majority of people lacked magic altogether. But there were some, like her, who were neither Stormling nor ungifted, born with the gifts of the old tribes. She did not know why. Neither of her parents had magic, nor had any ancestors as far as she knew. Nova was unlucky in that her elemental connection was the hardest to control and hide. She knew that other witches even studied magic beyond their element, using incantations for spells outside their natural ability, but most days it was all Nova could do to keep her volatile fire from spilling out.
Aurora continued: “If there’s one thing I know it’s that freedom shouldn’t feel like a noose around your neck. Nor should the gift of magic be wielded as a weapon. Forgive me for my ignorance, Nova. I have lived too long isolated in my own private world, and there is much I do not know.”
Nova winced. “No. It’s I who should ask forgiveness. I should never have spoken to you in such a manner. It was—”
Aurora scooped up Nova’s hands in her own and squeezed tightly. Nova waited for the fire to rush to where their skin touched, but it stayed caged. She never realized how little human contact she had these days until she experienced it again.
“Never apologize for being honest with me,” Rora said. “No matter the differences between us, I will always count you a friend. I would rather you offend me a thousand times than hold the truth from your tongue.”
Nova blinked in shock. Kindness from the princess did not surprise her, but a promise of friendship did. Nova thought that possibility had ended long ago.
“I should see what he wants,” Aurora said, gesturing in the direction they’d left Cassius.
The princess moved to the door, hesitating with her hand on the knob. Her back was rigid, and her head tipped up to the ceiling as if she might find some answer there.
Nova did not know what had happened the night she found the princess crying outside her room, but she knew from watching Aurora that such a display of emotion was rare for her now. Whatever had happened … it was the prince’s fault. Nova had been on the receiving end of his intimidation, and it had taken all of her concentration to keep her fire from slipping free in the face of that man. She did not envy Aurora’s fate as his bride.