All the Stars and Teeth(11)
“Like I’ve been training my whole life for this,” I say. Aunt Kalea searches my eyes for another long moment, and there’s a flash of concern before she pulls me in for a firm hug.
“You can do this,” she whispers, her thick curls tickling my neck. “No one’s more ready for this than you.”
Though I know she’s right, the anxiety that’s been gnawing at me since the puppet show is building. I force myself to smile at her, trying to snuff it out.
Only after Aunt Kalea draws back does Casem hesitantly step forward. “I don’t mean to rush you,” he says, “but it’s time for Amora to get going.”
“Of course.” Aunt Kalea nods, tucking a soft brown curl behind her ear. I try not to stare at the lines of concern crinkled between her brows, or think about how both our futures hinge on whether I deliver a proper performance.
She kisses my cheek before peeling herself away. But before she lets go of my hand, her eyes capture mine, and I’m not prepared for what I see within them. No longer are her eyes the rich brown that match Father’s—they flash a bright, piercing pink, there for one moment and back to brown the next.
“Do your best.” Aunt Kalea’s smile trembles. “Please. For the kingdom.”
The anxiety doesn’t snuff out; it surges until it’s like hands around my throat. The noise I make as her hands slip from mine is hardly human. The ground beneath me is like the sea, swaying as her words sink in.
Aunt Kalea’s learned enchantment magic.
I am no longer one of two possible heirs; I am the only possible heir. Should I fail, there will be no one left to protect Visidia from the vengeance of the beast within the Montara bloodline.
Aunt Kalea showing me this was a warning—should she be forced to accept Aridian soul magic, it’ll be her second magic. The bond with the beast will be severed.
“You were supposed to wait.” My words are as shaky as my trembling hands. “How could you do this?”
“It was an accident.” Her eyes are wet when she reaches back out for me, but I refuse to look at them for another second. I take Casem’s arm. His eyes are narrowed with uncertainty, not having seen her use enchantment magic.
“Take me to the gardens,” I tell him, needing to get away from her as the magic within me stirs. “Now.” Casem obeys without hesitation.
It’s only a short walk to the gardens’ entrance, and my head is still swirling with a thousand thoughts when we arrive. I have to try my hardest to push them to the side and focus on the task at hand, just as everyone has been telling me to do. I can’t let myself be distracted by her betrayal.
Tonight, I must be perfect.
A place of worship, the gardens sit atop the tallest peak in all of Arida, about two miles north of the palace. The entrance is through a cavern that’s covered by heavy vines and thick ivy that Casem pulls back so that I can enter without snagging my adornments.
“You’ve got five minutes before others arrive,” he says as I duck into the cavern, greeted by the bioluminescent flora that coats the walls and helps guide my way into the gardens.
The moment I step into it, the sight steals my breath, as it always does.
These gardens are beautiful in the daytime, but their true magnificence shines beneath the stars.
A field of untamed flowers stretches out before me, some of them tall enough that they brush against my satchel, while others drip from trees in perfect spirals. Much of the flora is bioluminous, petals and bulbs glowing in brilliant shades of greens, pinks, blues, and purples.
I brush my hands across the bulb of a flower that’s taller than my hip, and it rocks back as if in surprise, its petals unfurling at my touch. They shimmer as they open, stretching awake.
Behind them, at the back of the garden, rests a small waterfall that glows as brightly as the flowers, creating breathtaking scenery that many travel from all over the kingdom to see.
At the base of the waterfall, a flat stone slab with a fire pit carved into the center has been erected as a stage for my performance. I take a seat on the edge of one side as voices begin to stir behind me. From the corner of my eye I see my parents enter the gardens, but I don’t turn to them in case Aunt Kalea is there, too.
I press a hand to my chest and draw in a long breath to steady my heart. It doesn’t help much, so I run my finger across the lip of the satchel and bow my head, praying that the gods steady me. It’s a familiar feeling, one that reassures me even as anticipation nips at my skin and buzzes around me. More and more people enter the gardens, heating the air with their chatter and creating a space that’s so full of different colors and styles that it’s dizzying to look at. Before them I make myself stand tall, refusing to let anyone see just how deeply my nerves run.
I can’t think of Ferrick, somewhere in this crowd with a ring I’m to receive the moment this performance is over.
I can’t think of Kaven, trying to start a rebellion within my kingdom. Or of Kerost, broken and suffering from the storms.
And I refuse to think of Aunt Kalea, who will be Visidia’s demise should I fail tonight.
But I won’t let that happen.
I unhook the satchel from my hip and ready the teeth and bones that wait within.
CHAPTER FOUR
I’ve spent weeks preparing the contents in my satchel, ensuring every tooth and small bone is ready to be wound with a hair from the prisoner I’m to work my magic on.