Page 29 (1/1)
As usual, I’eline I’m painfully aware of the eline’s cruel hand Every time she lifts her knife to cut her food,for the blow Elara knohat I’h her eline’s torture, to know she takes pleasure in watching our silent war
"And how do you like the Hall of the Sun, Lady Titanos?" the girl across froreen and black The animos who killed the doves "I assue you lived in before" She says the word village like a curse and I don’t h with her, a fehispering in scandalized voices
It takes"The Hall and Summerton are very different from what I’m used to," I force out
"Obviously," another wo forward to join the conversation A Welle, judging by her green-and-gold tunic "I took a tour of the Capital Valley once and I es are simply deplorable They don’t even have proper roads"
We can barely feed ourselves, let alone pave streets My jaw tightens until I think rireement
"And the Reds, well, I suppose it’s the best they can do hat they have," the Welle continues, wrinkling her nose at the thought "They’re suited to such lives"
"It’s not our fault they were born serve," a brown-robed Rha about the weather or the food "It’s silance from the queen tells me I cannot act on it Instead, I must do my duty I must lie "It is indeed," I hear myself say Under the table,
All over the table, the women listen attentively Many smile, more nod as I reassert their terrible beliefs about my people Their faces make me want to screa forced to live such lives, with no respite, no reprieve, and no escape, wouldinto bewilderment
"Lady Titanos is to have the best tutors and best help toun with Lady Blonos"
The woe eye rolls It’s enough time to recover, to reclaim the self-control I need to survive the hness intend to do about the rebels?" a wo a shock of silence over lunch, drawing focus away from me
Every eye at the table turns to the speaker, a woman in military uniform A few other ladies wear uniforms as well, but hers shines with the ly scar down her freckled face says she may actually have earned the on, but the haunted look in her eye says she will not, she cannot, forget
Queen Elara puts down her spoon with practiced grace and an equally practiced smile "Colonel Macanthos, I would hardly call them rebels--"
"And that’s only the attack they’ve clai off the queen "What about the explosion in Harbor Bay, or the airfield in Delphie for that matter? Three airjets destroyed, and two more stolen from one of our own bases!"
My eyes widen, and I can’t help but gasp with a few ladies More attacks? But while the others look frightened, hands pressed to their e to sineer, Colonel?" Elara’s voice is sharp, cold, and final She doesn’t give Macanthos a chance to shake her head "Then you wouldn’t understand how a gas leak in the Bay was at fault for the explosion And remind me, do you command aerial troops? Oh no, I’round forces The airfield incident was a training exercise overseen by Lord General Laris hihness of the utht, Macanthos could probably tear Elara apart with her bare hands But instead, Elara tore the colonel apart with nothing but words And she’s not even finished Julian’s words echo in oal is to harm innocent civilians, Silver and Red, to incite fear and hysteria They are s from my husband’s justice To call every dom the work of such evil only furthers their efforts to terrorize the rest of us Do not give these monsters the satisfaction of that"
A feo with the queen’s sweeping lie Evangeline joins in and the action quickly spreads, until only the colonel and I re the queen says, but there’s no way to call the queen a liar Not here, not in her arena
As much as I want to stay still, I know I can’t I’m Mareena, not Mare, and I have to support ether, clapping for Elara’s lie, as the scolded colonel bows her head
Even though I’m constantly surrounded by servants and Silvers, loneliness sets in I don’t see Cal , andto address troops at a nearby base or acco his father on state business I suppose I could talk to Maven, with his blue eyes and half smirk, but I’m still wary of him Luckily we’re never truly left alone It’s a silly court tradition, to keep noble boys and girls fro tempted, as Lady Blonos put it, but I doubt it’ll ever apply to et I’ my husband doesn’t seem real We’re not even friends, let alone partners As nice as he is, my instincts tellsos make it all bearable; the education I once dreaded is now a bright spot in my sea of darkness Without the ca what I really a us both
"I think I knohat your proble a few yards away, are electrical contraption atsparks Julian wants ain, I’ve failed to produce the lightning that got me into this er," I huff "Should we ask for Lucas’s gun?"
Usually Julian laughs at
"You’re like a child," he finally says I wrinkle my nose at the insult, but he continues anyway "This is how children are at first, when they can’t control themselves Their abilities present in times of stress or fear, until they learn to harness those eer, and you need to find yours"